Today the ToAD pilgrimage took us to Elkhart Lake to the Famous Road America Race course. This was billed as a road race, I consider it a circuit race but who really cares. It was something different than what we had done the previous three days. The course was amazing, wide and perfectly smooth. It was super fast and some great uphills as well (180 ft f climbing, 8 laps, yikes!). The NASCAR nationwide series was in town to race on the track on the previous weekend and the smell of burned rubber was in the air. 
Over the past couple days I have been super passive, I tail gunned and suffered from it. I vowed today would be different. After the race yesterday someone mentioned that I needed to be more aggressive. I had been called out, so from the start I tried to ride in the front of the group. I tried to make attacks, I tried to disrupt the best Cat 4's team I have seen in a while. With Bryan high in the overall I wanted to try to make the Brazen Dropouts work hard today. These guys have dominated the race and have the overall leader. So with a strong Chicago crew in the house today I took it upon my shoulders to be the work horse. I wanted to make them work up a couple hills and chase me at least once or twice.
With 4 to go I sprung my first leg stretching attack, it was up the first short steep hill, I flew out of saddle and stomped up the hill, I was quickly rejoined by the pack. I allowed myself to get shuffled back to around Bryan and sit behind him to recover. With 2 to laps to go i repeated my attack from before. As we came up to the start finish for with 2 to go the pace got hot! The start/finish was on a long steep uphill, so I started to wrestle my bike (think cadel's mountain style) to hold my position in the front of the pack. A small group with some of the stronger riders had created a gap. I swung to the left and grabbed the wheel of John from xXx, a very comfortable wheel. He was sitting on Bryan's wheel and the Chicago train had been assembled with two to go.
As we approached the downhill we had closed the gap and I was finally able to relax. I recovered for a minute by John and Bryan and went back to the front to make sure the group stayed together, or at least that i was going with anyone who made a move. As we approached a flat section I moved off the front a little but was quickly pulled back (when I wagged my elbow I realized I was pulling the pack). The race remained together and slowed as the group seemed to acknowledge that this was going to come down to a mad dash up the the big hill to the finish on the last lap.
As we reached the base of the final climb I heard a crash and I saw Bryan hit the ground. It was now up to me. I tried to stay in my saddle as long as i could as this was a really long finish, advice i had seen for the fox river grove race. When the pain was too much I jumped out of my saddle and started passing people as I mashed my pedals to the finish. I finished strong but I had nothing left and in bike racing that is all you can ask. The official results said 17th, but i think there were some mistakes, not worth the protest I was proud of my result and my aggressive racing.
Now the downside my teammate Bryan broke his arm when someone came under his handle bars and crashed on top of him. So I am waving the spidermonkey flag solo till Friday so expect one aggressive racer.... i'm not saying, i'm just saying!
photos by Chip!
ReplyDeleteToo bad to hear about Bryan. Send him my best on a speedy recovery.
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