The field was 35+, 45+ and 55+ racing together, scored separately.
There were two significant climbs per lap, the first was longer and shallower with a kicker at the top, the second, not long after the first, was the shorter and steeper feedzone and finish climb, which also had a kicker at the top. There were other shorter climbs/bumps in places on the lap, and these were enough to prompt some attacks. There was occasional light rain during the race, making the road surface slippery enough that there were three or four single rider crashes, mostly at turns.
The Wheelsucker had raced the Page County RR once before in a cat 3 field, and believed this would be mostly a race of attrition, and the key for him was to stay on when others fell off, and then see who of the 55+ riders was left. Sometimes the Wheelsucker feels he tires less than others and has a relative advantage near the end of a race.
Of course if breaks went up the road, he had to make sure no 55+ riders got away. While in theory getting into a break himself would be cool, the Wheelsucker was not sure he could stay with a break of presumably strong riders, on the kickers at the top of the two hard climbs.
There was a long neutral rollout. The Wheelsucker rolled out near the front and ended up third wheel. The first rider took a long easy pull. When he pulled off Ken McDowell of ABRT – racing 35+ -- took over with another long easy pull. When Ken pulled off the Wheelsucker kept it going, with an easy pull that he thought was extending his warm up, though he did not pull as long as the first rider or Ken.
The pace picked up when the Wheelsucker pulled off. Most of the field seemed content to wait for the climbs, but there were some attacks and the field would chase, so there were some hard efforts to hold wheels, but it really did come down to the two climbs. A break did get off the front mid race, but that break was eventually brought back.
The field would start up the long shallow climb going rather easy, but everyone would "hit it" at the steeper kicker on top. The shorter steeper climb was similar, the field would sprint out of a left turn, ease up as the climb started and then "hit it" at the steeper section between the feedzone and the finish line at the top.
The Wheelsucker was hoping others would tire more than he did as the race went on, and was prepared to drift back losing places on the climbs, as long as he was in contact at the top. But what was actually happening was that he had to go as hard as he could at the top, and he was still last of the group at the summit of both climbs, on each lap. And he would make one last desperate effort, catch the wheel in front of him and hope that rider had enough to close the gap to the field a short distance up the road. Fortunately both climbs have descents (or at least rollers) following the summit, so they both work well for chasing.
But attrition was happening, and the peloton was shrinking. And the Wheelsucker was the last guy making it back on, after each of the two climbs.
The relatively easy pace for the first 2/3 of the long climb was tempting the Wheelsucker. He was wondering if he could go a little harder at the bottom, get a gap, and then go steady up the climb and not have to kick as hard at the top to stay on.
On lap three or four, probably four -– the Wheelsucker cannot remember clearly –- a small break with no 55+ riders was occasionally in sight up the road. A single 45+ rider accelerated at the bottom of the long climb and opened a gap on the peloton. The Wheelsucker waited until it was apparent no one was going after the break or the lone chasing rider, and then went to a little over 300 watts -- he had been averaging closer to 200 just sitting in the peloton -- and went after the lone rider. Initially he was fine at the higher power level. His first glance back revealed a small gap. He continued. He caught and passed the single rider -- and this rider may have gone from the bottom not to attack but simply to make the top of the climb a little easier, just like the Wheelsucker wanted to -- and kept going. But the next glance back revealed the pack on his wheel.
The Wheelsucker's tactic was only going to work if he had a gap at the top and could take the steeper kicker at an easier pace, or if the peloton eased up for this portion. If the Wheelsucker made the effort all the way up the climb and STILL had to surge at the top, he was going to be in big trouble.
Perhaps a stronger, courageous rider would have continued on, and even pushed a little harder, and maybe the pack would have given him a bit of a gap. But the Wheelsucker was not confident, and rather than pull the peloton right to the steeper section, he pulled off and looked for a wheel. And the peloton went by not slowing, the Wheelsucker only barely caught on at the back and was then gapped slightly on the kicker portion and had to chase for a short time to get back on.
With one lap to go the Wheelsucker was struggling on the steeper feedzone/finish climb and was gapped.
This time there was no other rider just two or three bike lengths ahead of him; the Wheelsucker had to chase on his own. After a short while the motoref went by him. Then the wheels pickup truck passed him. But he kept chasing as hard as he could, pushing very hard on the bumps and recovering on the descents in his most aero tuck. After a desperate chase he caught up to the pickup truck, and as it pulled out of his way, he made it on to the back of the peloton. The peloton was smaller, and the Wheelsucker later learned that a break and a chase had gotten away, but the strongest 55+ riders were all in the group he had caught. The Wheelsucker sat in at the back trying to recover. But then the group climbed a short bump. The Wheelsucker had nothing in reserve and was gapped again. And again he was passed by the motoref and the pickup truck, and again the Wheelsucker chased as hard as he could. And after a long chase, on a fast downhill section, the Wheelsucker closed up on the group as it slowed for a right turn. The section out of that turn was a shallow downhill with no climbs for a while; The Wheelsucker made it on to a wheel, and hung on for grim death, and tried to recover.
As you can see, the Wheelsucker enjoys the physical and mental pain of being dropped (Jon Winters image)Part way through this last lap, the group started up the long climb. The Wheelsucker was fine for the first 2/3 of it, but when the climb steepened and the group went harder he had nothing left and was dropped. He tried spinning, he tried standing, but the lights were going out. Close to the top he realized a single rider was catching him and looked over to see a 55+ rider.
The Wheelsucker can probably see the finish line now (Jon Winters image)With Dennis Crockett, Paul Mittelstadt and Ad Bax all up the road in the group, this was the race for fourth and fifth. The Wheelsucker barely made it to the top and grabbed the other rider’s wheel. It is a relatively short distance from the top of that first climb to the start of the second climb, and the Wheelsucker made the other rider pull all the way.
He jumped out of the last turn to the base of the final climb and the Wheelsucker could not respond. It was close but the Wheelsucker could only crawl up the steep portion from the feedzone to the finish line, and crossed 5th, with 4th place within easy site, but impossible for an exhausted Wheelsucker to get to.
Overall there was a late formed break up the road and a chase going after them (neither with 55+ riders), with the remnants of the main field (including Crockett, Bax and Mittelstadt) after that, and then 4th and 5th place in 55+ with other stragglers from 35+, 45+ and 55+ well behind.
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