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January 27 - Early Bird Road Race
Race info
Results
Pictures:
Photography by Ronald Mariano
Report:
by Graeme Macalister
Watching the Five Glide Away
Masters 35+ 4/5 Group A report by Graeme Macalister
Despite some rain clouds and an ominous sky, registration was fairly
busy- especially for the Masters 35+ 4/5. As it turned out, my group
was split in to two and Velo Promo did a good job of keeping things on schedule. I was in Group A and this was
my first attempt at this course. Warnings of black ice, cattle-guards
and rocks in the narrow roads , as well as the slick roads from the
recent showers, added an almost pensive vibe to my group. There seemed
to be a collective feeling of concern for what lay ahead, even in the
early miles, as we turned on to Del Puerto Canyon Rd. There was only
minor conversation- despite a good degree of communication in warning
each other of obstacles and potholes.
It has to be said, the scenery is impressive as you meander through
the steep hills and after a few miles the group- seemingly enjoying the
surroundings - relaxed into a steady tempo , despite maintaining a
strong focus on the road conditions. This slight edginess may account
for a couple of early suicide attacks . I jumped into the first of
three that occurred around mile 14, but they were quickly reeled in and
we then settled back into a cruising tempo. Apparently this was not
the case with Group B - a few miles further we heard two approaching
riders (from Team Z) shouting their arrival and watched them blast by .
This had the effect of raising our tempo as we instinctively kept them
in sight, 200m down the road. It wasn't long before the main part of
the second group came rumbling past . There ensued a moment of
confusion where the two groups overlapped, despite the strict laws
denying any inter-mingling. A few riders vocalized concerns that some
of the riders from our group could try to," slip in to the other group,
unnoticed". As it turned out , this occurred just before the main climb
and the steep initial gradient meant that every man was for himself ,
and with no drafting benefit , it didn't really matter that the two
groups had overlapped somewhat.
A cattle-guard announced the entrance to the gates of pain. As I
rose out of the saddle to tackle the climb, I heard a couple of riders
slip and fall on the cattle-guard. A series of concerned shouts echoed
behind me , as I slipped through two riders that belonged to Group B.
By my own admission I am not a great climber, but seeing another rider
from my group ahead I gritted my teeth , using him as my marker. This
was a tough climb; my breathing was heavy all the way up and my heart
rate was constantly up in the high 170's. Despite the unrelenting
gradient, I managed to find a good climbing rhythm , though I was
beginning to ask myself more and more, "Where the hell is the
turnaround?" Finally I could see the turnaround and as I moved around
the cone , then pointed my bike downwards , I suddenly realized that I
was in the lead group of six.
Graeme cresting a hill
Photo by Ronald Mariano © 2007
Three riders dove down the climb, so wanting to stay on them, I took
a couple of risks on the descent to pass the other two riders, until
I caught up to the head of affairs. The group consisted of three riders
from Team Pegasus, a rider from Team Fusion( Eric Hoffman ) myself and
one other. Team Pegasus seemed happy and tried to rally us into taking
it to the finish. I however sat a little off the back and felt pretty
smug at having not been noticed; as one Pegasus rider announced ,
"There are only, five of us." I knocked back a gel and began to think
about my next move. My morale was high, the worst was over, I had good
climbing legs and I still felt strong - I knew I was in the winning
break...
Then came my first experience of a flat in a race. A tiny piece of
flint-like , white stone caused the end of my race, as the front tyre
softened and I ground to a halt- watching the five glide away . I took
my time switching tubes as I explained to the Sheriff ( parked beside
me) the intricacies of the chess game that is cycle racing.He seemed
more interested in when my group had begun, so he could calculate when
his shift would end.I then realized my Co2 was empty, so with 14 miles
to go, I pushed off and cruised my way home. One vehicle offered help,
but I figured it was more heroic to limp home and reflect on what might
have been...
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