Tuesday April 26th Training RideThe Wheelsucker Report

The Tuesday/Thursday “training” rides had been a popular topic on the ABRT listserver, with lots of suggestions as to how newcomers or not-quite-as-strong-as-Ace riders could handle them. One suggestion was to follow Rick Paukstitus now that he has taken over the “Rocket Rick” role on the ride and is doing very well at it.

Perhaps stung by the implication that all he did was follow wheels and let people in, the first attack of the ride was before the Governor Bridge Road intersection, when Rick sprinted by everyone and disappeared up the road.

The Wheelsucker had reviewed his coach’s instructions:

“Group ride. Ride how you feel today: If tired, sit in at CP90-CP180; if fresh, ride race effort. Be smart.”

And feeling tired, he was trying to sit in. So he watched Rick go off and decided to wait. He didn’t have to wait long, as Rick was stopped by the side of the road, adjusting the bike, when the group reached the Governor Bridge Road intersection.

Perhaps the gods were amused by the Wheelsucker trying to have an easy day.

Shortly after crossing Governor Bridge Road Eric Boone got on the front, got low over his handlebars and took a serious pull. He pulled most of the way to 214 (Steve Owens also took a pull in there), with an increasingly alarmed Wheelsucker struggling to stay on his wheel. The Wheelsucker was seeing 350-400 watts on the short climbs. The Wheelsucker was giving serious consideration to pulling out of line and finding some place a lot further back (and better protected from the headwind) to hide in, but decided to hold on to 214 and get nearer the back as the group reformed.

But when the leaders arrived at the 214 intersection, there were only five riders in the group. The light turned green as they approached, and they coasted across without stopping. Ace bridged up very shortly afterwards.

So there were six. The group had:
Eric Boone, Ace McDermott, Steve Owens, the Wheelsucker, Ian Palmer and Bike Doctor rider Mike Schneider.

The Wheelsucker asked Ace who was left in the peloton to chase and he replied to the effect that no one was working, they were disorganized and that he got frustrated and jumped across. They did have Stu Waring and Brian Whitesell, but no "A" riders of the caliber of Ace and Eric.

So this was were the break of the day and the Wheelsucker concluded his job was to stay in it as long as he could, and maybe dare to think about how to shed some of the other weaker riders.

The group was going hard, driven by Ace and Eric, but they were not deliberately trying to drop anyone yet. Ian popped on Bayard after the South Polling House stairstep climb. He was a trooper, took his pulls (which may have been a mistake), and hung on as long as he could. So now it was five.

With five riders left, Ace and Eric eased up a couple of times to let a gapped rider back on. The Wheelsucker was taking shorter pulls and sometimes just pulling through and over, trying to conserve enough energy to make it up the short climbs.
The five were still together after turning onto Sands. Eric took a long pull, but eased up towards the end of it. Riding second wheel, the Wheelsucker could feel his gasping return to breathing and could see his HR coming down a little. Then on Ace's favorite second roller, Ace attacked! Eric was not able to accelerate, but the Wheelsucker had recovered just enough to try.

Giving it everything an aging Wheelsucker had, the Wheelsucker jumped clear of Eric’s wheel and went after Ace. But the gap slowly opened. Off the top of the roller Ace reverted to a more sustainable level of effort and a desperate Wheelsucker somehow made it to his wheel . Checking the shadows to his right, the Wheelsucker noticed there were just two. And then a few seconds later another shadow made it on. The Wheelsucker glanced around just enough to notice a white jersey; that would be Eric wearing his BAR Championship jersey.

Ace pulled off after his effort, and a gasping Wheelsucker tried to pull through; he couldn’t make it. Ace finally coasted so the Wheelsucker could pull through and over, and Eric started another fast pull. So now it was three.

Ace and Eric were clearly much stronger than the Wheelsucker. But the Wheelsucker desperately wanted to hang with the break, so shamelessly pulled through and over instead of taking pulls and even let Ace and Eric in in front of him a couple of times, to delay taking a pull.

The Wheelsucker does not remember how he made it up the climb out of the dip still with Eric and Ace. But the Wheelsucker does remember his relief at seeing the light was red at 214, so he could rest for a few moments.

Either Ace or Eric could have jumped at any time and gapped the Wheelsucker, but they were content to drive to the finish at a steady pace. With only three short climbs between 214 and the finish, the Wheelsucker was able to take short pulls and still have enough reserve to make it up the climbs.

Still a little ashamed that he was not “pulling his weight” in the break, the Wheelsucker was planning to lead out, but Eric took a long pull into the finish making it clear that he was not sprinting. Ace came around the Wheelsucker slowly and gestured to get on his wheel. The Wheelsucker eased off Eric’s wheel onto Ace’s wheel and was able to hold it as Ace carefully and slowly accelerated. Then, at what the Wheelsucker thought was about 200 meters, the Wheelsucker pulled to the left, got out of the saddle and kicked as hard as he could. But the Wheelsucker had almost nothing left. Ace had to soft pedal to slow down enough for the Wheelsucker to actually pull past him and cross the finish line first.

So the Wheelsucker won the “sprint” thanks to Eric declining to sprint, and Ace leading him out and then sitting up.

The Wheelsucker may never win a race, but finishing a Tuesday/Thursday ride in the lead group, with the strongest riders seems almost as good to the Wheelsucker.

Wheelsucker Data (from shortly after crossing Governor Bridge Road, to the finish):
30.42 miles, 1:14:45
231 watts average, 933 watts max, 275 watts normalized,
148 bpm average, 169 bpm max,
94 rpm average,
24.36 mph, and that was with a headwind or crosswind for everything but the stretch back on Sands and Patuxent River.

CP2sec, CP5sec and CP10sec are all together, where the Wheelsucker struggled to get to Ace’s wheel during the Sands Road attack. CP20sec and CP30sec are during the Wheelsucker’s "sprint". He could not even average 575 watts there.

So much for " If tired, sit in at CP90-CP180; .... Be smart."