| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
19.10 miles
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Altitude Gain:
1,107 ft
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Avg Speed:
17.40 mph
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Route:
Amberations Race
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Avg Grade: 141 %
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Max Grade: 162 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Steep
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Cloud\Sun 45 F N wind @ 15 mph |
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Headed up to Marietta with Mighty Young Joe for another running of the 17 mile road race around Otisco Lake. Things didn't look promising as we drove up in a light rain and forty degree temperatures. The wind was also brutal as we noticed white caps on the ponds on the drive up. Wind chill for the race was predicted to be a toasty thirty eight degrees. Had a sparse crowd of racers, proto-racers, and tourists that appeared to be around thirty in total. Clif Six was the only other recognized racer and he had also raced yesterday at the Hillbender, so I assumed neither he or I would be doing much. The race is pretty much one mile long eighteen percent grade climb and a few rollers. Odds favored Joe if he could match Clif on the climb. Joe decided he was going to try and get away over the five miles of mild rollers before the climb and put it away early. My plan was to ride easy to the climb and make or break it on the slope. Joe went off early at the start and I opened a gap and let him go. Clif went around me and pulled Joe back in with me and one other rider in Clif's draft. Joe went again to the front and I let a gap open anew. Clif waited too long this time before trying to cross and got hung up in the wind. Stayed on Clif's wheel until the first turn where Clif opened a small gap on me which he continued to extend up a short ten percent grade. The fourth rider had fallen off somewhere before the corner. Joe had a good lead going into the big climb and I wasn't too far off Clif. Started up the climb and thought it was pretty tough and didn't think I was going to make it. Noticed that I was still in the big chainring as it hadn't shifted in the approach when I thought it had. Had to dismount on the twenty percent grade, downshift and get remounted, which turned out to be no easy task. Struggled up the hill and knew I wasn't going to catch Clif before the top, but also that Joe was not going to be captured. Once over the top we went into some more rollers that were most unpleasant with the fifteen plus mile an hour north wind. Time trialed out the remains of the seventeen miles and ended up coming in at a rather slow fifty nine minutes and in third place. Clif was two minutes ahead of me and Joe won easily two minutes ahead of Clif. Legs were still dead today but at least I didn't have issues with my stomach today. Turned out to be a fun inexpensive and challenging race despite the cold temperature and wind. At least the rain had stopped and the roads were dry.
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