2013 CCTT and Reston Grand Prix: I am not Gene Kelly!

Race Report

Dana Stryk

Evolution Cycling p/b Long and Foster

Race	Church Creek Time Trial and Reston Grand Prix
Date	June 22nd and 23rd
Field	2 and 20+
Field Demographics	W1/2 and W1/2 racing with W3
Weather	Sunny and RAIN

Title for this novella:  “I am not Gene Kelly”

Saturday, June 22, 2013:  Church Creek Time Trial, Cambridge, MD, 40K, flat with wind.

The weekend began with the Church Creek Time Trial in Cambridge, MD.  Forty kilometers of pain and suffering in the Black Water Wildlife Refuge with a little wind added into the mix was the perfect way to start a beautiful Saturday.  Prior to the race, road-results.com predicted I would finish in 2^nd place for the WCat1/2 behind Katy Giles.  The forecast was accurate.  Before you praise the wonderful race prediction algorithm, keep in mind the following information: (1)  Katy and I comprised the entire field.  (2) Katy easily goes under an hour for this TT.  Last year, I set a PR on the course with 1:04:05. 

With second place locked up and my medal secure, I needed a goal.  Last year I wanted go under 1:04 (well, under an hour, but that is not probable) but fell short by 6 seconds.  The start times for this TT gave a 5 minute break between the last person in the field in front of ours, so I was without rabbits to chase.  Since the TT is totally flat and wind too unpredictable, CA (who doubles as my coach) wanted to ensure that I did not go out too hard or slack between the 20-30K mark, as I am prone to do.  He set my Garmin to use the virtual partner option (which I have called Dave, Garmin Man), set at a 23.5 mph pace.  If I could stay ahead of Dave, I would reach my goal of under 1:03:50.

After a restful night’s sleep in the Race Vehicle, CA and I began the race day prep of coffee, number pickup, wishing we were noodling around the beach on our bikes rather than donning on skinsuits (and the people with whom I work wonder why I pass on doughnuts…the words lycra and skinsuit should explain it), and so on.

After carefully pinning CA’s race number onto his skinsuit while he was wearing it (TOWC number pinning involved some blood and a few interesting words learned perhaps from his Navy days….), CA was off to the races, so to speak, while I waited for my start time.  I rolled to the start, clipped in as some guy held up my bike and waited for the count.

The power file from the TOWC TT showed that my start, for lack of a better phrase, sucked.  I lost about 15 seconds and never back them back. With that in mind, I decided to get ahead of Dave for the first 5K. Go.  I sprint off the line, hit the start button and hit a nice head wind.  Ugh.

Katy passes me reasonably soon, which I expected.  My pace was a couple seconds ahead of the target which made the pain in my legs a little more tolerable.  The second leg of the course, normally quite bumpy, as in knock the Garmin off your bike and your bottle out of the cage kind of bumpy, was reported to be repaved.  The last email from the promoter hinted of PRs to come.  Sadly, most of this road was unchanged, and I watched my lead over Garmin Man shrink until I was behind. I hate TTs!!!!!

Finally the bumpy, makes me want to unhydrate, section was over and I worked on catching Garmin Man.  I pass the 20K marker (thanks to the race promoter who labeled every 5 K….) and was ahead of Dave by 30 seconds.  Could I keep this up?

As the top Men 1/2 passed me, I focused on Garmin Man.  On the third leg of the course, I was making up time.  I would crush Dave.  My feet were tingling and my shoulders sore, but Dave was going down.

A right turn brought me to the final leg which for me is the hardest part of the course. At the end of this road, more than 10K away, is a blue tent and white line where my pain whould end.  At this point, I had a 40 sec lead on Dave but my legs were tired.  When the road was without trees, the wind (real or imagined) seemed to pick up.  At the 10K to go point, I realized that if I could withstand the pain, I would post a decent TT.  With 5K to go, Dave gained some time and my lead was down to 25 seconds. Argggh.  I shifted into a bigger gear, put my head down and stood up to get a little more power.  Yikes.  So tired I forgot I was in my aerobars and I lost a few seconds with a bobble that could have taken me down.  Focus, Stryk.

3K to go.  I focused on increasing time on Dave.  Back up to 28 sec lead. I could see the line.  Attempted sprint.  Finish.  Turn off Garmin.  Wobbly legs take me to the congregation point around the start/finish.  Katy posted an amazing just over 57 minute effort.  I crossed the line, I later learned, in 1:03:01.  While 2 seconds faster would have been amazing….I shaved more than a minute off my TT following a crit-based training plan.  Very pleased.  Thanks to CA and Dave!

A shower and recovery drink in the Race Vehicle and a long wait for results later, CA and I head to Reston for the Reston Grand Prix, my team’s race.

Sunday, June 23, 2013:  Reston Grand Prix, 1 hour criterium, 8 turns, wet pavement, rainy weather, one hill, Joe Jefferson announcing…..

This year’s Reston would be my third.  As a new Cat 3, I raced Reston in the rain and ended up DNF in rainy conditions due a crash in turn 5 which snapped my handlebars, bruised some ribs, cracked my helmet and scared me (I know…what doesn’t scare me?).  Last year was my second Reston race in hot and sunny conditions and was the first time that I ventured out of the back of the peloton.  I ended up 11^th overall, 5^th in the Cat 3 women and popped off the back with one to go.  With a little more confidence after last weekend’s TOWC crit, I wanted to race well in the team-sponsored race.

I don’t mind rain.  As a child, I watched old musicals and became a Gene Kelly fan.  It would rain, I would run out into the driveway, umbrella in hand, and entertain my neighbors with my off-key rendition of “Singing in the Rain” (singing was horrible but…

Had the rain created something like him
in Corner 5, eating cyclists for breakfast?

my rain-splashing tap dance….top notch).  Fast forward many years.  Kelley (Bethoney, not Gene) and I warmed up under the awning of the Race Vehicle.  It was pouring.  Gene Kelly would have modified his song to “I’m singing in the rain.  And headed to the car.  I am not going to be racing.  In this rain it is too hard…”   Reports came in that turn 5 was, and I quote, “eating riders”.  Great.  Maybe it would be too full during our race to bite one of us.

Words cannot adequately express how much I did not want to race.  Other women either changed into street clothes to watch the race or turned around and went home.  We watched a couple of women from Velocita warming up.  One of them, Ali Ingram, wiped out in the parking lot.  Just a little road rash but….she has great handling skills and if riding the parking lot caused her to go down, what would turns 3, 4 and 5 bring to the field?

Kelley and I ride a couple of laps around the course and Wendy joins us.  I think we all have the same thoughts….the wet roads and drizzle have made us all extremely nervous.  CA tells me to go off the front.  I stare at him blankly (thoughts in my head:  to do that, I actually have to start the race.  If I start the race, I will have to continue the race.  I could be sitting in Starbucks).  I am at the line in horrible position.  Kelley is to my right…also in not so good position.  Wendy is to our left with a clear shot to the corner.  The whistle blows and we are off. I have problems clipping into the pedal and the small group swarms around me. 

We make it through turns 1 and 2.  The group is to the left of the double yellow.  I am at the back of the pack, exactly the WRONG place to be.  I ride up the ride side of the road to get toward the front as the aforementioned Ali attacks.  Dori, Michelle, two others and I catch her.  She hammers for the next lap and a half and we have a break.  Due to the rain, I decided to forgo glasses…the spots from raindrops drive me crazy.  This meant that the water from the road and the wheel in front of me went into my eyes.  For the next few laps, I wanted to quit because I could not see very well.  We took turns rotating to the front to widen the gap on the field.  We had success.

At some point the rain let up.  Our group was down to five, with two very good sprinters.  I remember seeing the lap counter at 23 to go and thinking….TWENTY-THREE???  We had a couple of premes, one of which I won. 

The rain took its toll on the race.  As we started to lap riders, we passed several crashes.  Luckily, cases of road rash were the only injuries as far as I know.  As the laps became fewer in number, I contemplated how I could win this race.  The technical nature of the course sets it up for the two sprinters if we are a group after the last turn.  In drier conditions and a sudden influx of courage, I would have tried to get away using the corners to create a gap.  Given the course conditions, I tried to create some distance on the hill on the second to last lap, to no avail.  It would come down to a sprint.  I ended up 4^th overall, 2^nd in the W1/2. Kelley rounded out the top 5 in the W1/2.

Apparently, the preme I won was a "slumber party preme".  CA's happy dance as I sprinted to the line apparently was the hit of the crowd....

Lessons Learned:

TT:  For me, the Garmin Man pacing was effective for race and course conditions.  Now if I can only find a way to get Dave Zabriskie’s voice from my Race Vehicle Garmin to my Edge 800….

Criterium:  Once I knew the gap was large enough that I could still get (in this case 5^th) last place in the lead group if I get popped off the back, I should have tried the Sufferfest Revolver skill set of my rivals. If I attacked 1 minute on and 1 minute off, would I have shelled a couple of people to give me a better overall finish? 

Kudos and Shout-outs:

Wendy and Kelley:  Had you not been at the line with me, I would have gone to Starbucks.  Thanks for helping the break stick.  I love racing with you both.

EVO teammates:  Thank you for cheering for me during that race.   I have not had such an awesome cheering section at a race.

CA:  With all the cheering from the crowds and the fear of crashing in my head, this is the first race that I could not hear you from the sidelines except…..your voice was in my head when I wanted to quit because I (1) could not see (2) felt my rear wheel skidding on a turn (3) hate rain and (4) had sand in my eyes and dirt in my mouth from the water scouring my face.  MUSHY ALERT:  I kept going through the worst part of the race because I wanted you to know I could face my fears (and get a big hug at the end of the race.)