That Was Fun! Let's Do It Again!

Friday morning was a gorgeous, sunny but chilly morning and I was scheduled to do a ride with the boys from work. Normally, this doesn't worry me but given it was the day before a race, hammering with them would not be a "good thing". So I stated my case as soon as we were all gathered, "Need to be back by 9am. Need to keep it easy." And they actually obliged! (Since they were being so accommodating, I should have probably asked them to keep the snot rockets to a minimum. Next time.) It ended up being a great ride. I pretty much hung on the back, loosened up my legs, took a few pulls and the Columbian forced me to sprint one of the hills (standing - I was reprimanded when I attempted to sit 7/8ths of the way up!). Perfect way to start a Friday and a nice 22 mile warm up for Turtle Pond.

Race morning was even nicer than Friday. My race was scheduled for 1:30pm with temps forecasted in upper 60's. OMG! We're talking shorts, short sleeves and NO F*&^% BOOTIES! I even had to put on sunscreen. It's finally spring here in the northeast, folks!

The course was an 11.4 mile loop that my division would do three times. As the elevation chart shows it was pretty rolling with one major hill (1.5 km long). All day Friday and Friday night, I was a total headcase. Would I get dropped right at the gun? Would I suffer alone for 35 miles? Would I finish? The latter was all I really had control over so that became my overall goal: 1) Don't Get Hurt 2) Finish 3) Stretch Goal: stay with main pack for 1 lap.

We had 5 members of my team in the race - we're all at different levels in our training right now so it didn't really make sense to put together a team strategy. We all lined up at the start, wished eachother good luck and then the gun went off.Somehow, I found myself leading the pack out(!!!!) How did this happen?!? S told me I should stay toward the front (BUT NOT AT THE FRONT) and try my best not to get dropped on that first hill - that was the key - even if it meant coughing up a lung. There was a small downhill before the killer hill started. I pedaled easy, tried not to panic, watched to see if anyone would pick up the pace. Nooooo...no one did. As we hit the hill, I shifted to the little ring and &^%$#@$%^ dropped the stupid chain!!!! How is this possible? Now, that's not the end of the world but it was enough distraction that it totally threw me off my plan and pace. I did manage to pedal it back on but in the interim, I was swallowed up by the pack like the borg and then spit out toward the back. Yuk.

As we reached the top of the hill, I watched the main pack put the hammer down and accelerate off. I found myself in the chase pack of about 12 riders and here's where it got entertaining. There were 3-4 riders up front taking pulls. After each pull, the rider would drop back into the paceline 3-4 riders back instead of heading further back. I sure as hell wasn't going to work my way past all the other riders between me and them so I just hung back. After 5-6 miles of this, those riders were starting to get a little annoyed and there were some words being thrown around about being not taking a pull. I sat back, enjoyed the show, appreciated the distraction, and zipped along effortlessly at 26 mph. :-) Finally, those up front got the hint, dropped a little further back and others stepped up to take their turn leading the group.

Finally, it got to be my turn. I still have this nasty habit of having an adrenline kick when I'm leading the paceline. I'm in the front and thinking, "I gotta ride well! I don't want them to think I'm lame! I don't want the pack to swallow me up!" I put my head down and ride. Periodically, I check over my shoulder and see a rider behind me. I pull for 5 minutes, then slightly tired, I motion for the woman behind me to take her turn and I move over to the left. I check behind to see how many riders I have to wait for before I get back in the line and ....there's NO ONE THERE! OMG! What did I do? I tell the woman in front of me that somehow (gee, I wonder how) we manage to drop the rest of the pack. Uh oh.

We continue on and one rider catches us. For the rest of the race, that's how it stayed. The three of us taking 5 min pulls and resting for 10. As the three of us headed up Oak Hill for the second lap, it dawned on us all that even though there were three laps, we'd be doing Oak Hill FOUR times. The course started before the hill and the finish was at the top. It was interesting to see all three of us come to that same realization almost simultaneously as we tried our best to conquer gravity. (S and PFFC who came to cheer said they didn't even like walking that hill let alone ride it)

The two women I rode with totally rocked! We worked well together and we all finished the race strong. Still haven't seen the official results but I judge we were about midway in the field. Super cool!

Winner - Best Story Told At Race: For some strange reason, there was a port-o-john set up almost precisely at the finish line. A little girl goes into use it, her dad standing outside, just as one of the packs was coming to the finish. "Dad! Dad! Can you hold open the door while I go so I can watch the riders cross the line?!?!?! Please!?!?!?" (Dad said no.) Totally cracked me up.