He rolled into the parking area at the Miller School early enough, but picking up his race numbers, pinning them on, and getting the trainer set up always takes more time than it should.
Despite arriving early the Wheeluscker only had about 25 minutes of easy warm up on the trainer before it was time to roll out.
There is a right turn and immediate climb a few feet from the start, so the Wheelsucker was positioned near the front of the combined 45+/55+ field and was one of the first riders into the turn and the first climb. He allowed himself to drift back on the climb trying to conserve a bit of energy, and moved up once it was flat or whenever the group slowed.
This is a very hard race course with all sorts of short hard climbs. The Wheelsucker was not on the front, not doing any chasing, but just wanted to sit in and survive, hoping that a hard race of attrition would thin the field down; he was hoping he could hang on, and then maybe go on the penultimate or last climb.
Near the end of the first lap the Wheelsucker was struggling on the feedzone climb and had drifted back again. Other riders were struggling and gaps were opening behind and in front of the Wheelsucker. He was going around fading riders to catch the next wheel, only to find another gap opening in front and having to chase uphill some more. Gaps were even opening on the downhills as some riders eased up on the sketchy descents. Then the field crossed the start line and started up the first climb of the lap. The Wheelsucker glanced behind part way up the climb and saw no one on his wheel or near him. He was the last guy still on. And then more gaps opened just in front of him and he was going hard up the climb trying to stay on.
And he failed.
Near the top where it goes to false flat there was a bigger gap and the Wheelsucker did not have enough left to close it. He chased like crazy for several minutes but was burning all his matchsticks trying. The field was just up the road in easy sight, but he could not get to them. He eased up to a more sustainable effort.
Then he was caught by a group of seven or eight from behind and he tucked in with them.
Darn!
The main field in front was still tantalizingly close; two or three riders in the group were working hard to close the gap, but others were sitting on. And the chase could not close the gap. The initial time gaps were consistently 30 seconds, but after a while they started to increase. The Wheelsucker concluded there were not going to catch back on, but he hoped some other 55+ riders would be shaken out of the group ahead and come back to him.
He was taking some pulls, but was careful to not work as much as another 55 rider who seemed to be a strong climber. Several riders in the group were hanging on at the back doing no work. Though the group was going at a steadier pace with fewer power spikes, the Wheelsucker was tiring. He was able to get a cold water bottle from Sue McQuiston in the feedzone at the end of the second lap and that helped a great deal. But he was still fading on the third lap, really tiring from his short pulls and in trouble catching back on at times. Part way through that third lap a line from an old folk song came into his head and it was repeating over and over.
"All my trials Lord, soon be over ..."
A Peter, Paul and Mary version is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulm8F15tTyg
Towards the end of each lap is a longer not-as-steep climb. Though he had been hurt by the strongest riders on the first lap when there was an attack near the top, this climb generally worked for the Wheelsucker as it was longer and not as steep. He pushed the pace on this climb on the last lap, hoping to get rid of the strong 55+ rider. But that 55+ climber stayed glued to the Wheelsucker’s wheel. Not wanting to pull him and set him up to win, the Wheelscuker eased up and everyone else caught back on.
In retrospect the Wheelsucker thinks he should have kept going and fought as hard as he could to gap the others, hoping to fight it out with only one other rider on the final climb. However, realistically, the two never had more than 5-10 bikelengths on the rest; they were never fully gapped.
The chase group was all together on the long fast descent, they passed the 1 k to go sign -- the Wheelsucker does not recall ever being so happy to see such a sign -- and were all together at the right turn onto the finishing climb. Part way up the 55+ climber pulled out to the right and pushed the pace slightly, taking the lead.
The Wheelsucker followed, waiting for the surge; all of a sudden a rider who had barely held on at the back for two laps, who had done no work at all, and who had seemed on the verge of being dropped for two laps, went sprinting by at an incredible pace, as he went by in a blur the Wheelsucker saw a 5xx number on his jersy.. OOPS!!!! That was ANOTHER 55+ rider in the group!!!
Two or three riders went after him; The Wheelsucker went as hard as he could, without much effect. But he did gap the 55+ climber.
With the combined 45+/55+ field, and riders from VA, MABRA, both VA and MABRA, neither VA nor MABRA, results were confusing, and the Wheelsucker had no idea what his 55+ finish was, or what his MABRA 55+ finish was.
He rolled back to the car, packed up and changed, wished his team mates racing in the afternoon the best of luck, and drove over to a nearby pizza joint to grab pizzas for his team mates. As he was driving back the sky opened and very heavy torrential rain fell.
The womens field in incredible torrential rain (photo by Harry Fang)Once he was driving back on the race course the Wheelsucker could see streams on the road; the Wheelsucker passed a few individual riders carefully and made it back to the feedzone as the rain stopped.
He was there to cheer on some junior team mates at their finish, and a little bit later Katy Giles sprinted up the hill to win the 35+ womens race.
Katy hammering up the finishing climb, off the front again!
Katy about to take the win
Sue crossing the line wearing the Age Graded BAR jersey from last yearA number of riders mentioned wanting to drop out due to the rain, but it is not clear anyone actually did. The Wheelsucker would like to congratulate not just the winners, but all the riders who continued in horrendous conditions, particularly some of the younger juniors.
There was a long wait for podiums, but ABRT did very well with Katy winning 35+ as above, Emme Staats winning MABRA 10-12, and Anna Staats winning 12-14. Unfortunately the battery in the Wheelsucker's iPhone had died, so he was not able to take any podium shots.
It was late enough that a stop at a nearby brewery was necessary for food and electrolyte replenishment. It was almost 7:00pm by the time the Wheelsucker started the drive home.
Waiting for podiumsHe still did not know his finish, but saw the results on the USA Cycling website on Tuesday. He finished 6th in combined 55+ but is not clear on where that puts him for MABRA BAR scoring.
Results on USA Cycling Website: https://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2013-2408
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