Strava: http://www.strava.com/activities/122525944
Today while at work, I walked out to my car to get something and on the way out, I tripped. On the way back, I tripped again. I chuckled after and thought to myself, premonition? Hmmm....
Today, Todd came out to join Shannon and I, so it was good to have a team of 3. It still didn't compare to the numbers of some other teams out there, but it was definitely better than than 2 or solo. Todd did have his older Madone, which he hadn't ridden for a while and was not setup as aggressively as his new bike, but it was Todd so nuff said. Shannon wasn't sure he was going to make it out after last week's races feeling he may have overdid it, but he was at El Dorado again on Tuesday and back out with us tonight. These guys definitely epitomize BAM I thought to myself. Boy, I hope I can measure up.
When we arrived, the winds were howling and it was a little intimidating to think of racing through that wind, but it would die down as the night progressed, but come back again here and there. It seemed to be more significant on the tail end of the course, so we figured we'd have to overcome it for the final sprint.
Speaking of course, it was not the same as last week as they had it set up for their "short course." We wondered how that change would play out given we share it with the other groups, but surprisingly didn't have groups bunching up as much as we anticipated. There were some passes between groups, but the time in neutral was far less significant. The nice part about the course was that the last two turns were the same direction meaning it would be easier and likely faster to setup for the desired position (inside or outside) going into the last turn.
The bigger concern was how many came out for the race today. It definitely seemed to be more than last week, so we decided to play it a little more conservatively just before the race. There was no point in being used as mules only to get popped off subsequently, so we were pretty much all on board with this.
The race started off a little late, so we didn't get to take off until just before 6 PM. We were all together at the start toward the middle of the pack, but the pack was definitely dense where we kept mostly off to the side where it was easier to stay together. Being on the inside would make it hard to stay together, so we endured less coverage in exchange for staying together and better maneuverability. We did get split up on occasion, one where I saw Todd either trying to breakaway or close a gap, but we would still be able to find one another again after. It was cool.
Going through the course with this group size, it was quite intimidating going through the turns as there were moments where you were literally elbow to elbow with others. You could only hope that every holds their line. Ironically, it was just outside the last turn of one of the earlier laps that two people got tied up and ended up going down just in front of us. Shannon was just ahead of me to my right, so he was successfully able to negotiate and avoid the crash. Unfortunately, I wasn't as lucky. I ended up locking my rear brakes trying to stop and avoid it but it was pretty much right in front of me. I almost managed to stop in time, but the next thing you know, I was right on top of the guy who was spread out sideways on the course. I, too, ended up going down as a result, but it wasn't as bad as before. I did get some cuts on my arm and leg (the opposite leg this time), but I looked at my bike and thought I should get up and keep racing. After pulling it off of the guy's bike I rolled over and helping that guy up (I think I know him from Strava), I got back on and raced to the organizer to see if he'd let me cross the course and re-join the pack. He got my number and gave me the okay, so I cut in to the next path to get across the track and started sprinting hoping I could reach them on the other side. I saw a group crossing ahead of me and wasn't sure if it was my group or another, but once I recognized one of the riders, I picked it up even more and barely managed to latch back on. Todd was back there too since he had to slow a lot to avoid the crash, so I stayed with him for a while.
We started moving up the pack again and saw Shannon up there too. After I recovered a little more, I noticed there was a break group ahead of us and that there were some people looking like they were blocking for them. When one of them took off to chase the breakaway, I chased after him to close the gap. He kept looking back and checking to see if I would push up, but 1) I was tired from chasing him down, 2) I figured I would get taken advantage of and dropped later, and 3) I crashed earlier already where I just didn't want to. He called me out on it by asking why I didn't want to work, but I just didn't have time to go through my checklist above.
The course was rather short, so as we neared the end, I couldn't really tell who we were reeling in vs. who were lapping. I did end up pushing up to the front of the chase group on the 2nd to the last lap, but I got overtaken on the back side as people started amping in preparation for the final one. I saw Shannon getting in position, so I tried to work my way over to him. I think Todd was just behind me somewhere, but looking back was too difficult where I couldn't know for sure.
As we going down the back stretch of the final lap, we were pushing up more and more in the chase group, but I got disconnected from Shannon just before the 2nd to the last turn. I was hoping we could be together to slingshot one another for the final sprint. He made the final turn a little ahead of me and on the outside, but I was more in the middle making the slingshot idea moot. I just dropped down going into that last turn and took off. I was able to pass several people, and had to call out to two guys who were closing the gap between them just in front of me. I checked up for just a second to make sure they didn't take me out again, but managed to make it safely through them and finish strong.
In the end, I'm not sure where we all ended up, so we'll just have to wait until they post the results. We may have made it to the top 10, but it's hard to say not knowing who stayed in the breakaway and where we were exactly during the finish. I'm just glad I got to race with Shannon and Todd and survive, so getting back to the car to start the liquid first aid (i.e. beer) was all I had on my mind. My neck was actually bugging me a little just after the race ended, so the beer was definitely called for.
Shannon had to take off early, but as we used to do last year, Todd, Pam and Shannon closed the place down. HA HA. I had my FUGG boots, so I was able to keep warmer than last week and endure the cold.
Although scratched up some and a little sore, I'm already looking forward to next week. Crazy I know, but so is this group. Thanks for coming out, Shannon, Todd and Pam!
Here are some pictures Pam took:
Today while at work, I walked out to my car to get something and on the way out, I tripped. On the way back, I tripped again. I chuckled after and thought to myself, premonition? Hmmm....
Today, Todd came out to join Shannon and I, so it was good to have a team of 3. It still didn't compare to the numbers of some other teams out there, but it was definitely better than than 2 or solo. Todd did have his older Madone, which he hadn't ridden for a while and was not setup as aggressively as his new bike, but it was Todd so nuff said. Shannon wasn't sure he was going to make it out after last week's races feeling he may have overdid it, but he was at El Dorado again on Tuesday and back out with us tonight. These guys definitely epitomize BAM I thought to myself. Boy, I hope I can measure up.
When we arrived, the winds were howling and it was a little intimidating to think of racing through that wind, but it would die down as the night progressed, but come back again here and there. It seemed to be more significant on the tail end of the course, so we figured we'd have to overcome it for the final sprint.
Speaking of course, it was not the same as last week as they had it set up for their "short course." We wondered how that change would play out given we share it with the other groups, but surprisingly didn't have groups bunching up as much as we anticipated. There were some passes between groups, but the time in neutral was far less significant. The nice part about the course was that the last two turns were the same direction meaning it would be easier and likely faster to setup for the desired position (inside or outside) going into the last turn.
The bigger concern was how many came out for the race today. It definitely seemed to be more than last week, so we decided to play it a little more conservatively just before the race. There was no point in being used as mules only to get popped off subsequently, so we were pretty much all on board with this.
The race started off a little late, so we didn't get to take off until just before 6 PM. We were all together at the start toward the middle of the pack, but the pack was definitely dense where we kept mostly off to the side where it was easier to stay together. Being on the inside would make it hard to stay together, so we endured less coverage in exchange for staying together and better maneuverability. We did get split up on occasion, one where I saw Todd either trying to breakaway or close a gap, but we would still be able to find one another again after. It was cool.
Going through the course with this group size, it was quite intimidating going through the turns as there were moments where you were literally elbow to elbow with others. You could only hope that every holds their line. Ironically, it was just outside the last turn of one of the earlier laps that two people got tied up and ended up going down just in front of us. Shannon was just ahead of me to my right, so he was successfully able to negotiate and avoid the crash. Unfortunately, I wasn't as lucky. I ended up locking my rear brakes trying to stop and avoid it but it was pretty much right in front of me. I almost managed to stop in time, but the next thing you know, I was right on top of the guy who was spread out sideways on the course. I, too, ended up going down as a result, but it wasn't as bad as before. I did get some cuts on my arm and leg (the opposite leg this time), but I looked at my bike and thought I should get up and keep racing. After pulling it off of the guy's bike I rolled over and helping that guy up (I think I know him from Strava), I got back on and raced to the organizer to see if he'd let me cross the course and re-join the pack. He got my number and gave me the okay, so I cut in to the next path to get across the track and started sprinting hoping I could reach them on the other side. I saw a group crossing ahead of me and wasn't sure if it was my group or another, but once I recognized one of the riders, I picked it up even more and barely managed to latch back on. Todd was back there too since he had to slow a lot to avoid the crash, so I stayed with him for a while.
We started moving up the pack again and saw Shannon up there too. After I recovered a little more, I noticed there was a break group ahead of us and that there were some people looking like they were blocking for them. When one of them took off to chase the breakaway, I chased after him to close the gap. He kept looking back and checking to see if I would push up, but 1) I was tired from chasing him down, 2) I figured I would get taken advantage of and dropped later, and 3) I crashed earlier already where I just didn't want to. He called me out on it by asking why I didn't want to work, but I just didn't have time to go through my checklist above.
The course was rather short, so as we neared the end, I couldn't really tell who we were reeling in vs. who were lapping. I did end up pushing up to the front of the chase group on the 2nd to the last lap, but I got overtaken on the back side as people started amping in preparation for the final one. I saw Shannon getting in position, so I tried to work my way over to him. I think Todd was just behind me somewhere, but looking back was too difficult where I couldn't know for sure.
As we going down the back stretch of the final lap, we were pushing up more and more in the chase group, but I got disconnected from Shannon just before the 2nd to the last turn. I was hoping we could be together to slingshot one another for the final sprint. He made the final turn a little ahead of me and on the outside, but I was more in the middle making the slingshot idea moot. I just dropped down going into that last turn and took off. I was able to pass several people, and had to call out to two guys who were closing the gap between them just in front of me. I checked up for just a second to make sure they didn't take me out again, but managed to make it safely through them and finish strong.
In the end, I'm not sure where we all ended up, so we'll just have to wait until they post the results. We may have made it to the top 10, but it's hard to say not knowing who stayed in the breakaway and where we were exactly during the finish. I'm just glad I got to race with Shannon and Todd and survive, so getting back to the car to start the liquid first aid (i.e. beer) was all I had on my mind. My neck was actually bugging me a little just after the race ended, so the beer was definitely called for.
Shannon had to take off early, but as we used to do last year, Todd, Pam and Shannon closed the place down. HA HA. I had my FUGG boots, so I was able to keep warmer than last week and endure the cold.
Although scratched up some and a little sore, I'm already looking forward to next week. Crazy I know, but so is this group. Thanks for coming out, Shannon, Todd and Pam!
Here are some pictures Pam took:
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| Getting ready to go |
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| The CAT 4/5 Masses |
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| Staying close together |
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| Todd on a breakaway |
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| Cut up and not in a good way |
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