2013.08.11 Here's
a race recap:
0-5K
- Tight scary, many fast braking situations. Pack is very large.
5-52K
- Teenie is on my wheel. There are several very hard selection hills.
Grupetto has 40 or so riders. We ride very smart but due to
hazards, Teenie let's a gap get between us 4-5 times and I have to close it.
I tell her to stay glued to my wheel and that I will slow to an
appropriate speed. She does and I am relieved of these big efforts.
I wonder if we have ridden so hard we cannot sustain the the climbs?
53K-66k
- As as we hit the foothills the 'pretenders' are gone from the grupetto.
By the time we get to the Peyersourde climb, we are with Helen, Randy and
maybe 10 others….all the other women are gone. All three of them drop me
fast, as Teenie just rides steadily away. At the '3k from the summit' sign,
I see a headstrong jersey and calculate the time gap to be 30 seconds
but it is not Teenie, it is Randy. I pass him at 2k and he is standing
still…..says he is not feeling good. He finished about 30 minutes back
for the day. Two guys in my AG(I think) pass me inside the 2k marker.
I am steady and feeling OK but a bit shaken.
66-73
- Although I am screaming down the open decent, people are flying by me.
74-88
- Port de Bales Climb is 12-14% for the first 3k. About 1K up, Teenie is
standing in the road screwing with her gearing. She has miss-shifted and is
pissed. She jumps back on her bike and immediately gaps me by 100 meters.
As I am edging back, I see Helen up ahead. I pass the two guys that
passed me on Peyersourde and never see them again. Helen is weaving and
we come up to her. She says, later, that the sight of us, motivates her
and she takes our pace. The mountain flattens several times in the middle
and I pull them across very fast, passing many riders. With 3k to go it
has steepened….I calculate that we might have 400 meters to climb in 3K?
Is that possible? I leave them as I think Teenie is close to
cracking…..Helen too. They catch me right at the summit, somehow drawing
on their inner strength. I cannot see from the sweat burning my eyes…..I
am really hurting and just barely hanging in.
89-105K
- Helen, who knows the mountain, leads down. It is steep winding, wooded
and the road is bad. People are flying by us. Soon, I am
disheartened as a man leads a women by us like 2 bullets. We hit a long
gravel section that was washed out in floods 4 weeks prior…..scary as hell.
My back, neck, hands, arms are all in serious pain……my grip is almost
failing.
106-117k
- Slight downhill run out to finish. I pull for maybe 2-3K and we are flying.
Every time I look, I am doing 300+ watts and 400+ on the rises.
Teenie takes 2-3 pulls to rest me and Helen is gapped on a rise…..it is
Teenie and I in the drops driving and we see 10K to go. 20-30 seconds
for her and long as I can go on the pulls. At 5k, I wonder if I am going
to crack. A woman, and two men pass us and we get on their wheel.
Helen has come up with them and attaches to Teenie's wheel. I am
sure the woman is in Helen's AG (W1/ 18-39). With 500 meters to go, I
give the girls the message. I put the hammer down and come around the 3
folks on the left, the woman tries to stand as Teenie passes but can't stay up.
We are flying through winding narrow streets….houses right on the road
like they have been all day. We make the turn to the finish and I stand
up and sprint. Teenie and Helen hold my wheel…….it is 1/2/3/4….Me,
Teenie, Helen, the unknown women.
Results:
Me -
10th……204th overall……4:47:06
Teenie
- 1st in W3(50+)….5th Overall Women…..205th overall…..4:47:07
Helen
- 3rd in W1…..6th Women overall……..206th overall…..4:47:08
In
the long race, Mark had a flat and mechanicals and lost 30 minutes….Emily was
2nd in W3. All other riders here with us are way behind Randy. Tom
bonked.
Mayor
and City Council awarded Teenie a trophy, bottle of good wine, basket of cheese
and 3 French cheek kisses before a crowd of about 300 people. We think
our race had about 400-500 in it……not sure yet? Guy from the Wilier
Factory TEAM won overall.
There
is nothing in America like this!
