2013 July 4th Racing Weekend: A Gu-ey Mess (and lots of fun)

Race Report

Dana Stryk

Evolution Cycling p/b Long and Foster

                      

Races	Chesco Road Race Hagerstown MABRA Senior Crit Championship Frederick MABRA Age-Grade Crit Championship
Date	July 4, July 6, July 7
Field	35, 15, 8
Field Demographics	W1/2/3, W1/2, W45+
Weather	Sunny, hot and humid for all races

Title for this novella:  “A Gu-ey Mess”

Thursday, July 4^th:  Chesco Road Race, 53 miles, 4 laps, hills, heat, Gu on my leg, and Root Beer.

With a holiday in the middle of the week, CA and I headed to Pennsylvania for a road race on the 4^th.  I was joined by Kelley for a 53 mile road race with rolling hills.  Three other MABRA women joined the field, Amanda and Sue from ABRT and Deirdre from CAWES.  The race was also the PA RR Championship, so the field was quite large.

It was odd to line up with a bunch of unfamiliar jerseys. Prior to the start, the one team well represented, Peanut Butter & Co (PBC), had a team meeting on the side of the road.  I knew of one of their riders, Patty Buerkle, and expected that, given the Championship nature of the event and their numbers, Kelley and I expected some pain.  The heat, distance and it was a championship = a tough couple of hours.

Very happy to be finished!

We started the race and I moved toward the front.  With a large PBC, I told myself to stay off of the front….absolutely no reason to pull the field. Prior to the race, CA told me that any break with more than two, I needed to cover.  Anything smaller, to let go up the road.

I waited.  Nothing happened.  On the final kilometer of the lap, there is a steep hill and that would break up the field, more from different climbing abilities than someone attacking.  Prior to the race, I was worried about nutrition.  Since our Evo jersey pockets are tall and skinny, I put some chocolate Gu, already opened, inside the right leg of my bib shorts…sadly, the wrong direction….and my leg started leaking Gu on the second lap.  Kelley, in a bit of panic, surged up to me and asked what I had done….I found out later that for about a lap, the field thought I was bleeding from my leg.  That was about the most exciting part of the race……

To make a boring race report short:  The race was notable for the lack of attacks and some unsteady pace-setting, unpredictable bike handling, and interesting definition of the yellow-line rule (Amanda, Sue and I watched as someone in front of the moto advanced about 10 spots by moving left of the line and nothing happened.)  I found the front of the pack actually sketchier than the back.  By the end of the race, I just wanted it to be over.

I failed to move up enough before the final turn and ended up 20^th, as the hill broke up the group which was one blob at the start of the climb.  Kelley cramped badly on the start of the final lap, rode 2 miles out of the saddle until her adductor would allow her to sit, and managed to outsprint several others for 24^th.

Saturday, July 6^th:  MABRA Senior Crit Championships, 0.6 mile loop, 45 minutes.

Trying to stay out of the sun before the race.

For the crit championships, the W1/2 would race with the W3, scored separately.  For Evo, this meant 6 total in the race and for the first time this season, we could try to control the tempo of the race.  We had a very macro-level plan…launch attack and counter attack.  With 2 or 3 to go in the race, if there was not a break, I would try to get away, since the field was filled with three women who, in a sprint, would beat me.  If the group was together at the end, Kelley would be our sprinter.

The course was mostly flat…from the start/finish, a straight section, left turn to a very slight upward slope followed by a sweeping 120 degree turn, more straight, left turn, left turn, start/finish.  The person in 1^st or 2^nd around that turn would win   A couple of potholes or rough surface, all well marked with lots of arrows giving the group plenty of time to get around the spot. 

The whistle blows and Christine attacks.  Caught.  Wendy attacks.  Caught.  Kelley.  Caught.  Gwenn attacks and Ainhoa chases her down.  Tania.  Caught.  The author.  Caught.  Rotating attacks and counter attacks.  We were working well as a team.  BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Podium time!

I knew that sound.  Someone crashed in the 120 degree turn.  Heart starts pounding.  I did not want to go through the corner with the group, so I moved to the front and made a little gap for the first left turn and went through that corner alone.  Two riders on the ground and Gwenn standing up.  I put my head down and kept going, fighting the urge to stop, help was there, nothing for me to do except be in the way.  With 8 laps to go, I thought…this is two laps at Hains Point.  All out.  Keep going.  Then the race changed.  Those two riders were seriously hurt and the officials shortened the race from 8 to 2 laps to go.  I was caught and gassed without time for recovery to try and get away with 2 to go….. my plan was over, now I need to help setup the sprint, we still had sprinters in the mix.

It came down to a field sprint.  While we did not walk away with a jersey, we did collect several podium spots and $$.  Tania and Gwenn were 3^rd and 5^th in the W3.  Kelley, Wendy, Christine and I finished 4^th, 5^th, 8^th and 6^th, respectively.

Miraculously, the two injured riders were released from the hospital Sunday afternoon. 

July 7^th:  MABRA Age-Graded Crit Championships, 30 minutes, flat and fast course with smooth roads and open corners.

When I registered for this event, I failed to notice the 30 minute aspect of the race.   I started making jokes to myself….”What, we can’t last more the 30 minutes of racing.”  A male racing friend commented, “Well, your crits are kinda boring to watch…”  Oh yeah?  Let’s see what we can do….

The field was combined 35+/45+, scored separately.  The start line was at the bottom of the only incline (to call it a hill insults hills everywhere, even in Fayetteville, NC, my hometown, where the Strava KOM is a highway overpass) followed by a right turn.  CA, in his continued attempts to give me a race strategy that I would actually execute, suggested to treat the start as a CX hole shot and go from the gun.  Try to get 50 TSS in those 30  minutes.  If caught, attack again.  Make the goal to lap the field.

We line up with a couple of women missing due injuries from crashes.  I know this race was important to Cat, who is slowly recovering from injuries making any race-induced pain truly meaningless.  I hoped to make her proud of the race.

The whistle blows and I channel my inner CX and go.  I have a break and stay away for about 2 laps, chased down by Chris (Kenda).  As I am caught, Christine attacks.  Caught.  Gwenn attacks.  Away for about 2 laps and caught.  Chris and Michele (unattached) also attack.  We have a race.

At some point on the start/finish leg of the course, I counter as Tania was caught by the field and got away with Chris and Michele.  With a small gap on the field, we immediately starting rotating and the gap widened….a huge thanks to Christine, Gwenn and Tania for helping make that stick.

With 8 to go, we lapped the field.  At some point prior to that, Christine attacked successfully and was soloing on the lead lap.  So Evo had 1^st or 2^nd AND 3^rd locked up in the 45+ race.  I wanted to make it 1^st and 3^rd.

We lapped the field on a corner which put us all together again.  The three leaders moved to the front and we continued working together to keep the pace high at the front.  As a weak sprinter, I wanted a clear shot to the line and not have the rest of the field to negotiate.  From our rotating in the break, I saw that third wheel into the final turn gave too much of a gap for my sprint to overcome, so I went through that corner first and started my sprint.  Chris sprints quiet well and I knew that waiting would not be good for me.  I narrowly beat Chris at the line for 1^st in the 45+.   Evo finished 1^st, 3^rd and 5^th (Gwenn) in the 45+ and 2^nd (Tania) in the 35+.

After the race, Joe Jefferson thanked me for racing.  At first, I thought he meant showing up at the event.  Then I realized he meant actually trying to win from the get go and not taking a Sunday ride in the (industrial) park.

Holding Chris' place on the podium with her medal.

2 nights at the Yogi Bear Camp Ground
necessitates a foto.

Lessons Learned:

CX hole shots are better when they are in a crit….I don’t have to dismount…..

Offense is better than defense.

After executing CA’s race plan for the first time and placing well, I think I should retire…. Or start listening to him.  I think retiring may be the better option….I don’t listen well.

Kudos and Shout-outs

Wendy, Kelley, Christine, Tania and Gwenn:  That was a fun Saturday…next year we are on top of the picnic table.  And….you all show why the women’s field is a family…for easing the worry of our two injured fellow racers by transporting bikes and cars to the hospital.

Chris and Michele:  That was a fun race on Sunday.  I enjoyed every minute of it.

Joe Jefferson:  The Sunday venue….I cannot believe I will say this about a flat crit….is great.  Nice roads and corners.

CA:  Glad you didn’t pass out when I actually executed the plan.  Seeing you constantly try to break your field in your races finally made me try something.

Cat:  You made me race. I got us a medal.