Eugene Roubaix: Finally, a race goes "according to plan"

For as many pre-race plans as we make, they rarely, if ever, work out.  Today was a little different.

I always really like this course but never seem to do really well down here.  I had a 7th place finish in the 4s two years ago and a 9th in the 3s last year but my main goal was to avoid last year's fisaco where I jettisoned both bottles on the first time through the gravel, resulting in a hot 50 miles without water.

The solution to retaining your bottles:  rubber bands

This year the fiasco was different but at least we planned for it.  With a smaller squad (just Scott, Robin, David and myself) the plan was simple; David and/or I was to get in the early break and take the pressure off the other guys.  Robin's job was simple:  sit around, look like a badass and in the event of a sprint finish, lead out Scott.  Scott was free to make the field hurt as he saw fit.

I did things a little differently this race, instead of my typical unstructured, spin around twenty minutes before the race and hope that's good enough I actually rode out to the race, getting in a solid hour of riding before the race.  I knew I'd probably pay for this later but at least I wouldn't wind up hanging on the back for the first half, like I usually do.  No, today was different, we had a small squad and I had to be there.  

We were all together the first time through the gravel and it was fast but not unbearably so.  I felt pretty good and knew the warmup was to thank for that.  We made it through the gravel together and Galen Mittermann (HPC/Alpine MC) attacked on the little berg and got a gap.  I waited for him to fizzle and come back to the field but he put his head down and started trucking.  The field made the right hand turn onto the highway and it was clear he wasn't coming back.  I knew it would hurt and I knew I didn't have the legs to last the entire race but I knew it had to be done for Scott.  I jumped across the gap.

On my way I was joined by Brant Buchholz (Therapeutic Associates)-this guy is as big and strong as a draft horse, awesome muscle for a break-and we went to work.  It seemed every way we turned we hit a head/slight crosswind but we worked together and chipped out a two minute gap fairly quickly.  

A quick aside, on the break's first lap through the gravel (second lap total) our lead car crashed.  I was tucked in behind Buchholz and all of a sudden I see him shake his head and then I see our lead car in the ditch on the left.  Lead drivers, please don't practice drifting your front wheel drive sedan at the front of our race.  We all looked over, shook our heads and raced on.

With two laps to go our break was losing steam fast.  It was hot, the wind was starting to pick up and every little riser was starting to wear on us.  We knew there was a motivated group of 5 about 1:30 back and closing fast.  As a group we talked about the possibility of trying to hold them off through the gravel section, hoping that if we did that we'd be able to hold them off for the last lap.  We looked back and knew it wasn't to be.  As a break, we made the decision to sit up and wait for the train to come by so we could hop on.  We were all hurting and any relief was welcome.

The chase made contact at mile 50 and proceeded to blow by at Mach 2.  As I looked over I saw Scott with that little half-grin on his face, just hanging on for the ride.  My work here was done; by having me up the road he'd gotten a free ride up with these guys.  I knew I was in no shape to take a pull at the speed these guys were going and my break mates felt the same. We sat on the back and got pulled along at a speed that made us wonder why we weren't caught sooner.  

definitely been dirtier but only during cx season
(which I really miss right about now...)

I saw Scott start working and I knew if I could get up there and take a few pulls I could take some of the pressure off him.  My legs didn't like that idea.  At this point I cut a deal with myself:  sit on until after the gravel section, if I'm still in contact then I can start doing work for Scott.  Rob English was also in the break and I really wanted to beat him after narrowly losing to him at King's Valley but I needed to survive the gravel.  

To this point I'd experienced some slight cramping but nothing unreasonable.  Considering my training has been minimal and I'd been off the front practically the entire race I felt like I was doing pretty well.  That was about to change.  I made it through the gravel but I knew someone was going to light it up as soon as we hit the pavement.  Sure enough, as soon as we clear the gravel the attacks start going.  I don't remember who went, all I remember was the cramping.  Now I've cramped in races before and ridden through it but nothing like this (and yes, Kevin, I'd drank two bottles of Nuun during the race).  It felt like someone had superglued my muscles together and each pedal stroke was like ripping those connections apart.  I'm not one to get off and stop but when even soft pedalling was agonizing I did it.  I stopped, got off my bike and stretched.  I looked up the hill and saw carnage.  Scott has unleashed a devastating attack and riders were scattered all over the road.  Only Rob English was able to follow.  I looked down the long straightaway, back down the gravel and saw nothing.  I got on the bike and started pedaling.  The cramping had passed but if the first digit on my powermeter showed a '3' I was sent a sharp reminder to ease up or pay.

The last 10 miles of my race were filled with looking back to see when my next free ride would come along and a whole lot of pedal-pedal-coast.  I drug myself across the line for 8th and it seemed like almost ten minutes passed before a drastically reduced field came to the line.  

Scott stayed away with Rob English after that attack and stomped (I don't know how it played out but I like the sound of it) English in the final sprint to take the win.

I had one reflection (yes, just one) as I dragged myself through the last 10 miles of that race:  as a Cat 3 I'd always complained about races not being hard enough or still being fresh at the end of a race because it almost always came down to a sprint.  While I still have "easy" races, it's rare that I complain about being fresh at the end of a 1/2 race.  Yes, you can blame it on training (or lack thereof) but when I finish a race now I actually feel like I've accomplished something.  In short, if you're on the fence about upgrading, do it!  Yes, it's going to hurt and there's always a learning curve (especially from 3 to 2) but I guarantee it'll be a rewarding experience, or your money back.  That is, unless you're a sandbagger who just likes to beat up on the same people each week...  (this is by no means directed at any one person, just the collection of a few shattered thoughts as I made sure my powermeter didn't display a '3').

the disadvantage of riding to the race, you have to ride home
100+ mile day on little training=shattered alex

One last note, major props to teammates Jimmy Gantz for winning the 4/5 race (Masters?) and Andrew Kenney for his 3rd place finish in the Cat 5s after bouncing back from a crash at King's Valley.  I apologize in advance for whoever else I missed, those were the only guys I got to talk to.