| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
31.24 miles
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Altitude Gain:
2,957 ft
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Avg Speed:
19.49 mph
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Route:
Giro of Otisco
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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: Steep
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 73 F |
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Not exactly sure where today's race started other than at a one room schoolhouse on a hill high over Otisco Lake. Sun was out, roads were dry and temperature was in the comfortable low 70's. It was a great day to race except for one thing --the course. Last few years the Giro was a fast short race, 17 miles, with one killer climb at the finish. Promoters added some miles, now a total of 31, and two difficiult climbs to make this one of the hardest races in the area. The first climb came right at the start and was around 3/4 of a mile long with a continuous rolling grade with sections near 15%. Lacking any climbing abilities I fell off the back of a rapidly shattering pack within the first 1/4 mile. I did have some company though as a RUDD rider Kurt was also suffering off the back up the hill. We creasted the top of the first climb together with most of the field of thirty plus ahead of us and already out of sight. We started working together and within a couple of miles had started to pick off some stragglers which joined our small effort. We built up a pack of six or seven by the five mile mark and hammered hard to catch a group of ten or twelve that was about a minute up the road. Course at this point was generally downhill although there were considerable small climbs peppered in. Using our generally larger masses we actually reeled in the pack of lighter secondary climbers. I didn't sit in though and immediately went off the front and tried to get some cushion as most of this new megagroup had decimated me on the first climb and we still had two more big climbs to go. Couldn't generate enough speed to get away but the attack was sufficient to start shelling riders off the back. Turned onto a long shallow climb on SR 20 and got shelled off the back of the pack myself. Rode hard on the downhill and caught back onto the pack but got dropped again on the second big climb up Coon Hill. Met up with Kurt again and we paced each other up the hill. We crested together and worked together to catch the pack but we were both tapped out and gave up the chase when we got within five miles of the finish and could no longer see the pack. We limped toward the final mile long climb with it's 25% section to look forward to. We had a group coming up hard on us and one rider caught us on the final climb and continued up the hill passing us like we were standing still. I was able to hold off the rest of the chasing group and came in 21st. A group of three riders had got away and stayed away on the first climb and had finished six minutes ahead of my time. Had a really strong ride but lost huge chunks of times on the hills and my body took quite a bit of damage in the effort. Very, very tough course.
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