It has been a busy week and a half. Last weekend was the Tour of KC. This is a race weekend that kicks my butt every year. I've gone four, maybe five, times and finished either the Saturday or Sunday race maybe twice. I never finished the Saturday race. So, I made the journey yet again in the hope of just doing reasonably well. If nothing else, the race has always provided a decent warmup for Gateway Cup since it a weekend of racing.
The drive out Friday night was awful with lots of rain. Saturday we awoke to damp streets but dry air. By race time, everything had dried out. I got a bad start but stayed steady and each lap I would move up a bit more. By the fifth lap the rains came and I was poking around the top 10 on the bottom part of the course before the hill. I drifted back some on the hill but was still doing all right. But, not much later, as we crossed the start/finish stomach cramps began to set in. Only being able to take shallow breaths caused me to drop off the pace. From there is was a lonely ride except for the occasional rider that had popped off the pace. Each time they didn't stick on my wheel so I was still left alone. The last couple laps I chased a guy. Last time up the hill I gained the good ground on the guy. He didn't push real hard to the finish and neither did I but as long as he was just gonna cruise I figured I would take the placing. I was way off the back but I finally finished that damn race in 38th place. There was 80+ starters so that is not too bad.
Sunday was a overcast and chilly day for August. Again with another lousy start had me lingering near the back of the 80+ riders again. Those first 15 minutes were not good as I could not find a good rhythm. I was fighting the gears and just did not feel comfortable. This course really strings out the riders and makes moving up from the back difficult. I felt it was only a matter of time before a gap opened and I'd be done. Eventually, I settled in and was able to pick up a couple places each lap. Patience was key. My goal was to simply move up as much as possible by the end but I didn't have any designs on a victory. Top 10 even seemed unlikely. By the end, I was close to top 25. The penultimate lap brought an accident coming out of the second to last turn. Four or five riders went down with bikes and bodies bouncing around. Even a stray saddle was laying in the road. I had to slow considerably and by the time I got rolling again many places had been lost. At first I started to chase but came to my senses. Instead I just kept the pack close and rolled along for the final lap. Final placing was 50th. A little bad luck but I was pleased to have finished both races. A major accomplishment for me in KC.
Monday I went to work and then directly to the airport for a flight to Washington DC. The rest of the week was spent in training classes. I did manage to walk a lot while sight seeing but its just not the same as riding. One of my walks took me into Georgetown where I spotted a two bike shops right next door to each other. I had to stop in and see what they had to offer. The larger of the two had a decent selection of all bicycle types and brands from Trek to Waterford. The smaller shop, Bicycle Pro Shop looked to be a little higher end. Colnagos, Scotts and a DeRosa were in the racks. They had a couple of the new all-carbon Cannondale Synapses as well.
This past weekend I did some short sprint work. My legs were still sore from all the walking during the week and I didn't ride particularly well. The sprints started to feel better toward the end so progress was made. While cooling down after the third sprint there were a couple women who rode the other direction and were moving at a nice pace. They looked pretty good. It took some discipline to not forget the sprints and chase them down but I stuck with the workout.
Sunday was our sponsorship ride. Maybe 10 team members showed up and two guys from Companion came out. The turnout was a little disappointing but it was hot and the location was not the most convenient. If nothing else, the ride was eventful. We saw the aftermath of a bad motorcycle accident. There were five flats and Glen decided on taking a chin plant on the bike path. He said he was okay but his chin was pretty chewed up. His wrist was scraped up too. Afterward, the two cold beers at Fast Eddie's tasted mighty fine.
Last week, I ordered a couple photos from a photographer who takes shots of riders as they go up Alpe d'Huez. He snaps you as you round one of the hairpins and quickly jumps up and hands you a business card with an order number on it so you can see the pictures online. The photos look quite nice. I need to order a few from L'Etape as well.
The drive out Friday night was awful with lots of rain. Saturday we awoke to damp streets but dry air. By race time, everything had dried out. I got a bad start but stayed steady and each lap I would move up a bit more. By the fifth lap the rains came and I was poking around the top 10 on the bottom part of the course before the hill. I drifted back some on the hill but was still doing all right. But, not much later, as we crossed the start/finish stomach cramps began to set in. Only being able to take shallow breaths caused me to drop off the pace. From there is was a lonely ride except for the occasional rider that had popped off the pace. Each time they didn't stick on my wheel so I was still left alone. The last couple laps I chased a guy. Last time up the hill I gained the good ground on the guy. He didn't push real hard to the finish and neither did I but as long as he was just gonna cruise I figured I would take the placing. I was way off the back but I finally finished that damn race in 38th place. There was 80+ starters so that is not too bad.
Sunday was a overcast and chilly day for August. Again with another lousy start had me lingering near the back of the 80+ riders again. Those first 15 minutes were not good as I could not find a good rhythm. I was fighting the gears and just did not feel comfortable. This course really strings out the riders and makes moving up from the back difficult. I felt it was only a matter of time before a gap opened and I'd be done. Eventually, I settled in and was able to pick up a couple places each lap. Patience was key. My goal was to simply move up as much as possible by the end but I didn't have any designs on a victory. Top 10 even seemed unlikely. By the end, I was close to top 25. The penultimate lap brought an accident coming out of the second to last turn. Four or five riders went down with bikes and bodies bouncing around. Even a stray saddle was laying in the road. I had to slow considerably and by the time I got rolling again many places had been lost. At first I started to chase but came to my senses. Instead I just kept the pack close and rolled along for the final lap. Final placing was 50th. A little bad luck but I was pleased to have finished both races. A major accomplishment for me in KC.
Monday I went to work and then directly to the airport for a flight to Washington DC. The rest of the week was spent in training classes. I did manage to walk a lot while sight seeing but its just not the same as riding. One of my walks took me into Georgetown where I spotted a two bike shops right next door to each other. I had to stop in and see what they had to offer. The larger of the two had a decent selection of all bicycle types and brands from Trek to Waterford. The smaller shop, Bicycle Pro Shop looked to be a little higher end. Colnagos, Scotts and a DeRosa were in the racks. They had a couple of the new all-carbon Cannondale Synapses as well.
This past weekend I did some short sprint work. My legs were still sore from all the walking during the week and I didn't ride particularly well. The sprints started to feel better toward the end so progress was made. While cooling down after the third sprint there were a couple women who rode the other direction and were moving at a nice pace. They looked pretty good. It took some discipline to not forget the sprints and chase them down but I stuck with the workout.
Sunday was our sponsorship ride. Maybe 10 team members showed up and two guys from Companion came out. The turnout was a little disappointing but it was hot and the location was not the most convenient. If nothing else, the ride was eventful. We saw the aftermath of a bad motorcycle accident. There were five flats and Glen decided on taking a chin plant on the bike path. He said he was okay but his chin was pretty chewed up. His wrist was scraped up too. Afterward, the two cold beers at Fast Eddie's tasted mighty fine.
Last week, I ordered a couple photos from a photographer who takes shots of riders as they go up Alpe d'Huez. He snaps you as you round one of the hairpins and quickly jumps up and hands you a business card with an order number on it so you can see the pictures online. The photos look quite nice. I need to order a few from L'Etape as well.
2 Comments:
Oh man, you gotta post the link to the photo on l'Alpe d'Huez!
You lived my dream. I _WILL_ climb this (and others) before it's all said and done.
Outstanding post. And great job on the tour de KC.
Mark
http://www.bigdogmoe.com/getting_it_right/
Good job at KC. I have never done that race but I would really like to. Maybe next year I can take the who family out there Friday night.
Post a Comment
<< Home