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What Garry saw:
Category: 45/55+ all cats
Result: Pack finish
Teammates: None
Small field lined up, maybe 30-35 riders. Two laps in, a small group wander off the front. One lap later Bubba Melcher goes super hard down the left. I know he's coming, the cry of "Bubba on the left" comes from the rear of the field. I jump, but it's an insignificant effort compared to his power output, and 300 yards later I shut down my following effort. One lap further in to the race, three other cat 2 dudes leave to join the chase group. It leaves about 15-20 of us, the laughing group. All the horsepower as gone up the road. I follow wheels, I ride on the front, it's slow and dull. With 3 laps to go, we are lapped by two riders. With two to go we see the chase group ahead and nearly catch them on the last lap.
We did the 40 minutes at 24.5 mph, not very impressive
Race number two, which followed immediately after the event above.
Category: 30+ 1/2/3
Result: DNF
Teammates: Richard
Much bigger field, we get going and it's much quicker. Sometime during the race a large break goes off the front. They maintain a gap of between 15 and 5 seconds until the end of the race and have a sprint for the win.
I follow wheels, it's a fast event with a few laps over 30 mph. (Max speed for me during the race was 32..4 mph) At the 38 minute mark, my legs start to betray me and I start to leave gaps. I peel out and make sure that the guys on my wheel know that my race is over and they should close the space left in the line ASAP. Richard goes by, concentrating. I watch the finish, which includes a crash on the last corner in the breakaway. The pack comes around the corner 10 seconds later and two more crash into a spectator who is trying to help the first victims. Ouch.
I managed a total of 39 minutes at an average of 26.6 mph
So, all in all, not bad. I'm glad the first race was slow, it helped me last longer in the second. Considering the lack of training, vacation, blah, blah, blah, I cannot be too displeased.
Good to see Tim B out there, looking very Gucci in his matching ensemble
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What Richard saw:
Category: 30+ 123
Result: Pack finish
Teammates: Garry
After losing touch with the groups twice last weekend at Salinas I was
in Modesto yesterday riding the 30+ 1/2/3 event.
The simple goal was to finish with the bunch. I am happy to report that
I did, rolling in at the back after hanging on the whole way.
Stats:
52 mins
23 miles
26.5 mph avg (slight revision to the number reported to Gaz yesterday)
This was a good solid block of work at LT.
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What Tim saw:
Category: 4/5
Result: 13 of 70
Teammates: None
So I'm addicted to bike racing. I haven't raced since Cat's Hill and I was going through withdrawel this past week. I decided the modesto crit was the best way to get a quick fix.
The course is FLAT with 5 90 degree rights and 90 degree left -- my favorite. I started the race in the back again, and hung out there for about 15 minutes. When the pack decided to slow down, I headed to the front and then off the front for a lap or two with a third pillar dude. When we were caught, I went to the back and recovered for the finish.
For this race, I decided to move to the front with 2 to-go, instead 5 to-go like in the wente crit, in the hopes that I'd be less tired for the sprint.
On the straight before the last right of the second to last lap, I was around 15-20th on the right side of the pack and just to my left a couple of guys got together and went down, probably taking some more folks with them. I grabbed a couple more spots in the ensuing confusion.
Going into the last lap I found myself sitting 5th wheel. I heard either Richard or Garry yell at me to hold my position. There were a couple of surges durng the lap, and I just didn't fight hard-enough to maintain my position. I probably slipped back to 10th going into last turn. I didn't have much left in the tank and so I did a seated sprint. I got nipped by a couple people to finish 13th.
In hindsight, the race was fun, but I should have fought a bit harder to maintain my position during the last lap and least tried a proper sprint.
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