Midwest Race Report - 09/29/2009
Yes we are still racing in the Midwest and strangely enough the racing has been pretty high caliber at the end of the year. Recent results: 40 km. TT 1st in 50 plus and 2nd overall fastest time of the day at 52:13 55+ plus Fall Fling crit, 1st 40+ plus Fall Fling crit, 5th 55+ RR, 1st 40+ RR 8th Great conditions on the day of the 40 km. TT, i.e. the ever present Midwest winds were missing as a result pretty fast times. The crits and RR are part of a two weekend stage race consisting of 2 crits, 1 RR and a TT for each age group. Racing a 35 min + 2 lap crit and 45 min. + 2 lap crit back to back no problem. On the other hand racing a 42 mile and 48 mile road race back to back big problem! Got through the 1st RR no problem. By the time the 2nd RR started the wind had kicked up to a steady 20 mph with 30 mph gusts every now and then just for the fun of it. The course was on a rolling 10 km circuit. The race started on a tail wind section of the course and somebody absolutely nailed it at the start and that is the way it went for the next 3 laps, almost single file all the way around the course. After the 3rd lap the rubber bands really started snapping and I sfound myself along with 7 others and away we went, average speed for the race was 28 mph. Druber and Dave Stone of Verizon, Robert Kron, Jeff Williams and Robert Brokaw, Team Mack, Mark Harris PYOC, Tim Radcliff, Elmhurst and Ricardo Otero WDT. An endless amount of attacks and counter attacks. The promoter was running several races at once and needless to say we started running into a number of different groups of racers. An official came by and said we could work within the various groups. I took that as opportunity to jump across to a large group of Cat 1, immediately proceeded to ramp those guys up and was on the way, sort of. By this time I was definitely starting to feel the effects of the first race. The official realized his screw up and came up said I couldnt work with the 1s, bummer. Because I sure as hell wasnt going to anywhere by myself as the engine red light indicator was definitely flashing. Had to drop off from the 1s in the wind section and realized the engine light was going to go from flashing to steady red very shortly. Made the turn on to the finishing stretch which was a crosswind. The breakaway group caught me at the finish line and shit, there were still two laps to go. I hung with them until 1 to go and going up the finishing roller both hamstrings gave it up! Almost rode straight off the road straight into a ditch. Since I was no longer with the lead the group the official was no longer in sight so I jumped in with another group and managed to finish through very effective tail-gunning on the back. Upon very limited reflection I came to the following: 1.) if your longest training ride in over 30 days has been 60 miles, and 2.) you try to ride about 100 miles on race day that will result in 3.) serious frigging cramps. Also for the record cramps are not caused by imbalances in hydration or minerals which are totally unproven wives tales, it is caused by frigging fatigue. If they were caused by the wives tales theory then why do only certain muscles cramp? The ones that do cramp are clearly the ones that are over fatigued. The only thing I know for sure is that they hurt and that is just about what anybody knows for sure about cramps. I can point to you a little research if you want to read up on the topic. Mark Harris won, Ricardo was 2nd and Kron was 3rd. Tom Doughty