OBRA RR Champs Rehearsal Race: End of the line

This one is going to be short because...well, you'll see why.

With the actual 6-lap, 95 mile state champs race being held in June this race gives everyone a good chance to see the course, and exactly what they've gotten themselves into for the real race.  State champs are always tough and this course was to be no different; a 16 mile loop filled with crosswinds, lots of ups and downs and very few flat sections.

We showed up with 11 guys in what looked like a 70+ rider field.  We had one goal:  win.   While it's never as simple as a number's game we had the cards to play and we knew we should be able to do something.


When I headed over to the van get the game plan before the race the first thing Eli said when he got out of the van was "your fate has already been decided."  Well crap, that meant no hanging out in the pack and attacking at the end of the day.  My mission:  get in the early break and act as the sacrificial lamb, giving our guys a free ride.

First mistake:  not warming up.  Yeah, I have the legs to ride off the front all day.  But not cold.  Screw it, it's 85oF, I can get away with it.  Nope.

Eli went off the front almost immediately and the field let him ride away.  The attacks went, I followed.  They came back.  I attacked again and got brought back again.  20 minutes we had English, Mitterman and a few other strong guys sitting right on the front.  An attack went, we all followed and there we were.  We had our gap.  I would now spend the next 50 miles riding off the front, would eventually blow spectacularly but would give our guys a free ride.  This was it, mission complete.

Wrong.  We got brought back again.  I sat on the front just setting tempo waiting for the next move but when it went I couldn't follow.  I drifted back, hoping to catch a little break before the real move went.  About this time Carl Decker (pro mountain racer) made his way to the front and proceeded to get his workout in.

I popped off.  12 miles into an 80 mile race.  There's not a whole lot else to say.  I was gone, rode a few more laps but eventually pulled the plug.  I could make any number of excuses but the truth is I wasn't prepared for what I was supposed to do.  I feel like crap for only making it 12 miles and not even contributing to the team effort but I've learned my lesson.

If you're going to be the bait, WARM UP.

In related news, this marks the end of my "masters training plan."  I now plan on actually training, rather than just trying to ride out my base fitness anymore because as we've seen, that's all but evaporated.