I e-mailed the team and then those who were registered trying to work out car pooling, but on Friday it became apparent to me that everyone else had some sort of arrangements in place, while I did not. But I was able to drive up with Mike Brown and Sara Clafferty, while my bike went up with Matt and Ace.
Like a “B” war movie where the planning session ends with “synchronize your watches”, this “plan” required me to wake up at 4:40am to drop my bike off with Matt, and then get myself to the BWI overlook before 6:00am to meet Mike and Sara.
Not having to drive myself – we were in Mike’s Volkswagen – I was able to phone, text, e-mail and check Facebook for the 4.5 hours it took us to get to the race. Randy Thrasher was about ten miles in front of us, while Matt and Ace were behind us and Mike Hefner and the elite team guys behind them.
As we neared Cumberland weather conditions worsened and the calls and texts started. Randy reported accidents including jackknifed trucks ahead of us, while Matt and Ace were expressing doubts about racing. Soon the rain changed to snow, and a short time later, near Frostburg we were driving slowly on unplowed interstate, passing cars in the ditch and shoulder. The pace slowed down considerably, and soon we were slowly moving around trucks stopped in traffic lanes on the interstate while drivers mounted chains.
We were getting phone, text and e-mail updates from others driving to Morgantown. Considerable doubt was being expressed about driving conditions or racing conditions. But a couple of e-mails to the MABRA list server from riders in Morgantown reported no snow there. So we continued.
Ken McDowell was driving to the race in his Corvette and after one minor mishap decided road conditions were ridiculous to be driving a Corvette, and turned around. Mike told us his Volkswagen station wagon was 4wd; we did not have any close calls. I think my ’92 Honda Civic would have been fine too.
But Ken, I feel for you buddy, having to drive that Corvette, so I am offering to trade you even, my 1992 Civic 4 door for your Corvette, so you have a reliable way to get to races.
After a very long drive with two breakfast stops, we found the snow turning back to rain as we descended towards Morgantown. When we arrived at the race staging area there was no snow to be seen, just some light rain.
We had plenty of time, but as I changed into my kit, the rain got harder, then it included sleet. When I got back outside for a warm-up ride it was snowing hard, with huge wet snow flakes.
Knowing in advance there was a significant chance for precipitation I had brought kit for cold and wet. I went with the ABRT knickers thinking that the easiest way to have a bad race would be to get hypothermia.
By the way, I would like to publically thank Alex Pline for finding these on the Pactimo website and pushing to have these included in our team store. I think all of us who have them, love them.
But it took only a minute of riding to conclude that the knickers were not going to be enough. The snow flakes were splatting on my glasses so it was hard to see, and the wet and slush from the road soaked the back of my knickers in seconds, while the exposed lower leg was immediately wet and quite cold (OK, I am not a Belgian hard-man).
So it was back inside to add leg warmers. While working on this the race starts were postponed 30 minutes.
Meanwhile a number of riders were wondering why on earth they were in nowhere WV to race bikes in the snow, sleet and rain, and many left. More turned back on the drive to Morgantown.
And then things got a little better.
When I went back outside after adding the leg warmers the snow had stopped and all we had was a light rain.
Racing was a go, and soon fields were rolling out. The men’s 1-2-3 was first followed by 3-4, 4-5 and 5, then the combined men’s masters field. Our field was clearly reduced in size, -- perhaps 25-30 -- and the large and strong ABRT team that had registered was reduced to just Brian MacLean and myself. After being warned about potholes on the course, the yellow line rule and the usual, the whistle blew and we rolled out.
The first while was flat or small rollers. Even when it was not raining everything was very wet so riders and bikes were covered in spray. There were some not-very-serious attacks, but these were all brought back. I jumped across on a wheel once or twice, but most riders figured the climbs would sort it out so there was nothing to get too excited about until the first hard climb. I was trying to save energy for the climb, so I only got on the front once and soft pedaled until someone came by me.
Mike Brown and another rider got into one of the not-very-serious break efforts and were a short distance ahead at a right turn. When I got to the turn Mike was stopped on the side of the road. I asked him if he was OK and he replied he was. I think he had been giving some excess clothing to a marshall.
Just after this turn we hit a section of a couple of small rollers that trended up. Someone on the front decided to drill it HARD and I very quickly found myself on the rivet riding about 12th or 15th wheel. Once the road flattened out and it got slightly easier the pace eased up, I looked back and no one was behind me; the rest of the field was gapped and gone. Mike had probably not quite gotten on when this attack happened (and for all I know someone tried to take the opportunity to gap him), but rode by me not long afterwards, so clearly had no trouble getting to this group.
When we did get to the first climb Gerry Pflug and Mike Brown quickly gapped everyone else. I thought I was going as hard as I could and was staying near the front of the rest of the group, but always following wheels. Once the gap had opened a little, Randy Thrasher easily jumped by and bridged, still on the climb. Brian MacLean was either with them, or caught them. It was a long hard climb and those four were gone by the time I got to the top. The rest of what had been the lead group were scattered all over the climb, though I was close to Gunnar Shogren, Mike Spinnler and a tough 60+ rider. Shogren slowly opened the gap on me, and Spinnler came by me, and was 3-4 lengths clear by the time things started to flatten out. I should have had the mental toughness to accelerate and grab his wheel, but didn’t. I tried to work with the 60+ rider, but he was probably going as hard as he could, and was winning his field, so did not need to catch and pass anyone. The sun came out for awhile while we were climbing so I went from very-wet-and-a-little-cold to much-too-hot even-with-everything-I-could-unzip-opened-up. This seems quite funny in retrospect, but I was uncomfortably hot for awhile before the sun left for good.
Meanwhile up ahead Brian popped out of the lead four while climbing and Gunnar Shogren and Mike Spinnler eventually caught him, though all three were out of my sight up the road by the time this happened.
Now there was a lead group of three with Mike Brown, Randy Thrasher and Gerry Pflug. The first chase was Brian MacLean, Gunnar Shogren and Mike Spinnler. I was chasing with the 60+ rider, and could not see anyone from the 40+/50+/60+ field behind us. The 60+ rider and I were catching lots of riders, either alone or groups of two, but each time we caught them and checked numbers they were riders dropped from the 3-4, 4-5 or 5 fields.
Each time I saw a rider up the road I would try harder to catch them. I was taking much longer and harder pulls than the 60+ rider, but it was still useful to follow him and recover briefly before pulling again; I saw no reason to try to drop him. But each time we caught someone it was not a rider from our combined fields.
After the race I heard how the race had played out for the six riders up the road. Mike Brown told Randy he was going to go, and eventually did, riding away for the solo win, apparently by a minute or more. With about a mile to go Randy jumped Gerry Pflug and stayed away to the finish. So DC Velo finished 1,2, with Mike first overall and first 40+, while Randy was second overall and first 50+. Gerry Pflug crossed alone for 3rd overall and 2nd 40+.
Brian won the sprint out of his group to finish 4th overeall and 3rd 40+. That gave Gunnar Shogren 4th in 40+ and Spinnler second in 50+.
As I recognized the road near the finish (same route we had driven in on), I could see a lone rider up the road. I worked hard to catch him, and did inside 200 meters. But once again it was someone dropped from another field, not a 40+/50+/60+ rider. There was a slight uphill to the line and I had nothing left to sprint with, so the rider I had just caught, and the 60+ rider launched and came by me. I didn’t think I was racing against them so ignored them and
coasted across the finish holding my rain jacket tight hoping this would help the officials see my race number. The 60+ rider who I had towed for most of the second half of the race told me afterwards I should not have pulled hard for the last mile, but I didn’t care about him, I had been hoping to catch one of the 50+ riders in front of me.
After a quick chat with Brian, I concluded I was probably 3rd in 50+ and 8th overall. Brian already knew he was 3rd in 40+.
The women’s 1-2-3 had been combined with the women’s 4 and some juniors. Sara told us that once on the climb, a single woman rider had jumped clear and no one except Sara was interested in chasing. Soon she was in a group of three a short distance behind the single rider. Then she was gapped by the other two, and they got to the lone leader, so Sara chased this group of three for 25 miles, by herself, and did not catch them. She was eventually caught by a small group from behind, but won the sprint out of that group. Then it turned out that two of the riders in the lead group of three were cat 4s, so Sara was second to Betsy Shogren in the women’s 123.
Well done, Sara!
After changing, rinsing off the bikes and then slowly freezing while waiting for awards, we rolled out. With strong déjà vu feelings, I was in the back seat of Mike’s station wagon, only now it was more crowded as we had squeezed my bike in on top of the other two.
We left late enough that road conditions were somewhat better on the drive out, unlike what happened to those who turned around on the way in, or left before the race started. Finally around Cumberland we noticed blue sky and sunshine. With lots of time to phone, text and e-mail, we learned that our elite team had bailed before getting to Morgantown and that Hef and Wahl had a great training ride in warmth and sunshine, near Hef’s home. Kyle Pitman reported hard rain towards the end of the Davidsonville ride.
Nearly starving, we got off the interstate in Hagerstown looking for a place to eat supper. After a sequence of events that could be the basis for an episode of a sitcom (except it took much longer than 30 minutes) we found a Ruby Tuesday we could get into without a long wait and had dinner.
I took the opportunity to let Mike know we were doing things with the masters team this year in terms of picking “A” and “B” races, having a coordinator for each field in each “A” and “B” race, and so on, without actually mentioning any roles or names. He had commented on the drive out that he had not found what he expected at DC Velo in terms of masters team organization.
Then it was back to the BWI overlook, unpack bikes and gear out of Mike’s car and into Sara’s and mine, and off home. I was home a little after 11:00pm; a long day.
Congratulations to Sara for a great hard ride in her race.
Congratulations to Brian for his race and result. As those of us who have ridden with him know, Brian is very strong. But his size and weight worked against him on the long climbs in this race, and he was up against some very strong riders.
My 3rd seems a good result. I don’t yet know how many 50+ riders I was ahead of, but I wish I could have held on to Mike Spinnler and Gunnar Shogren and been more in play towards the end of the race.
As for the ABRTers who turned around, or left without racing. Given the driving conditions and the conditions before the race (hard rain, then rain and sleet, then heavy snow) turning around or leaving before the race were eminently reasonable decisions.
Results: http://www.abraracing.com/Results/2011MRR.html
Images: http://fredjordan.smugmug.com/Sports/Morgantown-Road-Race-APRRS-1/16433060_X6DeJ#1237455762_kpPi5
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment