| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
52.02 miles
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Altitude Gain:
2,350 ft
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Avg Speed:
21.87 mph
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Route:
East Aurora
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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: Rain 70 F W wind @ 4 mph |
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After Finishing yesterday's race at Oswego I drove home, then headed to Buffalo for today's race in East Aurora. Spent nearly eight hours driving yesterday and that didn't seem to help my system which is still in decline. Bought some lo mein to load up the legs but threw it out as stomach just didn't seem in the mood for food which wasn't a good sign. Woke up at the motel this morning, opened the curtains and was not happy to see that it was raining steadily. Checked the internet radar and the good news was it looked like there was a window between two fronts that might allow me to get the early morning race in on dry roads. Drove to East Aurora and picked up my number for the Cat IV race. Hadn't done the race before and wasn't really psyched for it as I had really wanted to do well yesterday used my limited psyche then and planned today to just sit in the pack and hold on for as long as possible. Course is forty-six miles long that includes two twenty mile loops. Pretty much rolling climbs for ten miles then rolling descents back to the finish. Has a couple of nasty ten percent plus short climbs in addition to the main climb to the halfway point. Had around forty riders in my race and was surprised to recognize a couple of them. Had one guy from Rochecster that I'd raced at in the LDA classic in Naples and another guy that I'd rode the Tour de Perry with in July. Even had two Corning riders there.One riding the Masters and his son riding the Cat V. It was cloudy and threatening as we rode out but at least the road was dry. Didn't feel well and stayed near the back of the pack as we headed out. Started out bad as I got dropped about two miles into the race on a short climb immediately after a turn. Thought about dropping out completely and heading back to the truck but stayed with it and got back on the end of the pack on a false flat. There were several attacks and nothing got away as we headed for the first set of climbs. Speed was actually pretty high and I felt better and worked my way to the front as the climbs started. Spun pretty well and stayed near the front without too much effort and thought I might be able to hang with the pack the whole race though I didn't feel well enough to have any thoughts of attacking or even sprinting. Things fell apart soon after the top of the climb as it started to rain and it rained hard. Got dropped on the descent as I didn't feel comfortable descending in the rain in a pack at over forty-five miles an hour when I could barely see and had no brakes. Pack didn't seem to interested in racing either and I was able to keep within range though I had fallen behind the chase van of the rolling enclosure. Rain eventually let up as we approached the climb on the second lap. Climbed well enough to pass the chase car and hook back up with the pack for the climb. Felt pretty good until the pack surged as it went over the top and I was unable to stay with it. Had nothing left in my legs and the gap between the pack and me continued to increase. Had a few other dangling riders around me and latched onto the wheel of one young rider as he rallied. Legs finally recovered and started trading pulls with the young rider and we started to pull back up to the pack. Almost caught up to them but the chase car stopped in the road ahead of us at a stop sign and waited. I went around the left side of it and kept going but my partner stopped behind it as he told me later he wasn't sure what the chase car was doing and didn't want to get run over. I continued to pursue the pack on my own but had lost ground getting around the chase car and was losing more ground as the race continued. Pretty much gave up at that point as there was only two or three miles to go and I had nothing left. Coasted to the finish and have no idea as to my position as it appears only riders within the enclosure were scored. Rode back to the start with a couple of riders that rolled in after me and pretty much agreed with them that the day and race had sucked. It was a nice course and pretty laid back for a licensed race and will probably return as long as it isn't raining.
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