| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
31.57 miles
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Altitude Gain:
2,018 ft
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Avg Speed:
20.34 mph
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Route:
Whitney Point
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Rolling
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 80 F |
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Today's race was another old one that I've been doing since the late eighties in Whitney Point. Haven't felt well due to either a head cold or allergies and spent yesterday suffering and feeling low. Didn't feel much like racing but it was a perfect day for it and the entry fee was only twenty dollars, so didn't plan on much but should get some friendly miles in. The Rotary club puts on two races a 50 mile hill course and a 26 mile fast course. I opted as always for the fast course. Didn't have a very good turn out with only 7 riders riding the fifty and forty-two in the shorter race. Game plan today was to hide in the pack for the first 10 miles of flats, get dropped on the hill as always and chase on the mean rollers on the last ten miles. Started out with a controlled start down the first hill and through the village of Whitney Point. Once the course passes under the interstate the race actually starts. Had one guy solo off the front right away and the pace was fast but easy to draft in. Hung out in the back until I saw a couple riders make a few squirrely moves so headed to the front. Soon after there was a scream from the rear and I heard it was from a woman that had hit a pothole and done a faceplant. A couple of others went out with flat tires. The solo rider was reeled in and the pace slowed and I took a pull at the front. I pulled off but the rider behind me followed me and had no interest in pulling the pack. I accelerated to a comfortable pace that was fast enough to drop the wheelsuck. As soon as I opened the gap, Mighty Young Joe, my teammate attacked. He flew by me and I hammered to get in his draft. We easily opened a gap on the pack that didn't seem interested in pursuit, probably since neither my teammate nor I are climbers. One rider did pull away and tried to bridge. I asked Joe to back off a bit and allow the other rider to catch us as it was still five or so miles to the climb. The bridgeing rider caught up and Joe and I started taking hard pulls and kept the pace in the high twenties. The third rider wasn't strong enough to do much after his chase and sat out most of the rotations of our group. He did pull through a couple of times and we were glad for his contribution. I developed some very nasty stomach cramps and rode through the pain to take my pulls. The pack was soon out of site and arrived at the foot of the climb with a significant lead. Joe said he was going to hammer the hill and I wished him luck as he pulled away from me and the third rider. Didn't have anything in my legs but had enough get over the steep part of the climb before getting caught by the pack. Tried to spin and keep up but failed miserably. Kept dropping further and further back and had no power in the legs and lots of pain in my stomach. Staggered over the top of the climb alone and thought I might catch someone on the long downhill, but that didn't work either and I didn't have the energy to pedal the downhill. Coasted the slope and actually could see a few riders a couple of minutes up the road on me. Looked back and saw a group of four riders coming up on me and decided to fall back and ride with a group since I didn't feel strong enough to chase on my own. Joined with the group of four when they passed me and took a few rotations. Started feeling a little better and started taking harder pulls but it only resulted in breaking up the paceline as riders started to fall off the back. Took a long pull up a grade and after pulling over, nobody pulled through so I just stayed on the front and kept pedalling. Burned the group off on another grade. Didn't really care whether they drafted or not, but kept my pace up in pursuit of a solo rider I had spotted up the road. Caught the lone rider on the next to last climb and we rode together to the final finishing climb. I really had no desire to sprint the hill and really wanted just to finish the miserable ride and get off the bike. The other rider must have felt the same way as when I came out of the saddle he stayed seated and fell off the pace. Finished a lowly 23rd overall and something like eighth in my age group. My teammate had a better experience being able to stay with the front pack for most of the course and finishing a respectable thirteenth. There was a three man breakaway on the hill and they held the gap to the finish. Really disappointed in my performance but was still glad I went to the race. It is a very relaxed yet competitive race and hope to do better next year.
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