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| Friday Night. Double fisting and in the 23lb of Ice Bath in order to prepare for the stage race ahead. (Note: Don't try this before doing a stage race. Especially if you are under 21 - and I mean AGE, not RACE AGE!) |
Friday tired me out a little, it was faster than expected to say the least...but it went well enough that it was worth it. Saturday came along and I headed to the race. I met Tim Durrin at Midas to get my car fixed while we raced. During warm-up I was on the phone with Midas and paid for the work order! The course was a rolling 6mi circuit, with some hills and one 'wall'-ish hill. As the race went on, it slowly and unknowingly beat my legs down...we tried some attacks and burnt those matches to no avail whatsoever - it stayed completely together. On the last lap I started to get pings (like many others I later discovered) and on the last wall - 2 miles to go - I got full hamstrings crap on the left side. I was able to sag the climb and survive, using the downhill to reposition. Coming into the finishing mile I was positioned top 10, gained a few slots and was 5th going into the last up-down before the finishing kicker/hill. This time it fully seized up. I was in third position, gaining on 1 & 2. I had to stop pedaling and use my right leg to downshift. I survived, edging out a gaining 4th place by a half wheel! Got the 4 second time bonus (note: this comes into HUGE play later on!!). Even more importantly, after the 14 points in 2 days I have officially rounded out my Category 2 upgrade. Time to hammer away on the TT and get a GC slot!
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| ICE BATH!! We emptied the hotel's ice machine. Baller status. |
First ever TT, second ever time on the TT bike (Thanks Ralph!!). First time in a speed suit (Thanks Jon) and first time with a TT helmet (Thanks Adam). I didn't realize it until the race started, but the rear brake was rubbing every time the frame flexed from standing/accelerating/climbing. I pushed it from my mind as best as I could and just hammered away. Legs were not happy, I couldn't get my HR to my 185 "sweet spot" that I hold steady for 20-30mins on breaks, but I was moving. I ended up 4th in the TT, 25 seconds out of first place.
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| The weekend's fuel of choice. Homemade no-bake granola bars! |
We didn't know the TT/GC status until we arrived. I was in third, 21 seconds out of first...and just 4 seconds out of 2nd. The two guys ahead of me were on the same team...not fun at all! The guy who was in 2nd place was the guy I edged out in the road race. Had I not held on with the cramp, I would be 12 seconds out of 2nd place GC - a near impossible feat to overcome. The time bonuses were 3-2-1 seconds @ 25%, 50%, 75% completion of race, and then 6-4-2 seconds at the finish. It was clear, I needed to crush this race and had no time to relax...I would be going all in for every single sprint. I could handle sprinting every 5 miles, thanks to my repetitive sprinting training. But the race was shortened to 14 miles due to an ugly crash in the masters race. Now I would be sprint every 5 laps, or 3.5 miles....on an uphill 150m drag. Uh ohhh. There was no alternative, so I stuck to the plan: 2nd place GC.
The race started. My legs were fried, my left hammy was toast, and the course was such that I couldn't avoid standing after turns and on the hill. This was going to be interesting, but I made my plan and if my hammy blew up and I pulled out...so be it. I came all this way to break legs, I wasn't leaving without it happening even if it meant breaking myself. The pack held together pretty much entirely (thank goodness!).
I must say that if you were in this race or watching, I raced this 100% textbook - I could not have positioned or raced barely any better (and I almost never say anything like this). I was ready and more willing to go deep than any other person in the race. I knew it, too. And I was on fire. Sprint 1: Positioning, excellent. Result, 2nd place. 2 seconds down, I'm now 2 seconds back and didn't see #334 or #332 in the mix (1st & 2nd place GC guys). Good. Sprint 2: Positioning, textbook again. I attempted to seated sprint this one in order to save my hamstrings/legs for the final 2 sprints. Seated I still pulled off 3rd place, gaining 1 second. Now I was 1 second down. Sprint 3: Decent positioning...5th wheel into a 120deg turn and people going on your inside is okay but not great. I went hard. I needed this one. I dug deep and got 2nd, sighing as I crossed the prime. I was not virtually in 2nd place GC. "All" I had to do was beat #334 on the final sprint. No cakewalk there. Last lap: I am burning all over. Worse than Friday, at least muscularly. I hold position and am 4th wheel. No sight of #334, I refused to look back. 2nd place was laying 0.7 miles ahead of me. Final turn! Some A-HOLE decides to dangerously cut inside of me (likely cause of that ugly masters crash). I couldn't crash now. I took the turn so wide I was riding the outside curb, with no draft and a 10m gap! I started my sprint, accelerating well considering the cumulative toll on my legs. I slipped into one guy's draft and was instantly out the other side. Only 1 man in front of me now...gaining, gaining, I needed more distance! The final turn killed it for me. I had 2nd bagged and would have had first given just a little more road (as the winner informed me). On this day I was okay with being second...but only because it pushed me into 2nd GC :p haha. I ended up placing in every sprint gaining a huge 9 seconds out of a maximum 15, something even I didn't know if I was capable of doing. I guess the toll of the heat and the stage race hit everyone.
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| If you're not first, you're last! At least I managed to split up the teammates. |
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