Weatherwise it was a perfect race day--temps in the high 70s/low 80s, light breeze, partly cloudy. The course (http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/13641430) was a challenging one--two loops, each about 34 miles. The first 20-23 miles of the loop were rolling hills, nothing obnoxious. The three tougher climbs were on top of each other in miles 23-29. The first was pretty short, just steep. The second was about a half mile climb, again steep. The QOM climb was a little over a mile and had a few big pitches in it.
There were five of us in the 1/2/3 field--Pam Hinton, Maureen Connelly, Liz Heller, Lynne Anderson. I've raced against everyone but Lynne. She's just getting back into racing. All of them are very strong ladies though. I didn't have anyone in the feed zone, so I carried two bottles in my jersey to make sure I was prepared. We rolled out on time and quickly fell into a rhythm with each of us taking 1.5 to 2 minute pulls at the front. The order would change up after some of the hills, but everyone was doing their part in the group. I took notice of two things--first, Pam definitely wanted to be "in charge" of our race. Second, Liz was having trouble getting her gearing right. She seemed to be spinning way to fast on some climbs. I paid close attention to my hydration and nutrition, making sure I drank at least once every 10 minutes and took Gu every hour. The race changed on the climb at mile 23. With seemingly little effort, Pam, Maureen, and Lynne dropped me and then Liz on the climb. I saw the gap start, but couldn't close it. I tried to make up ground on the downhill and couldn't close it completely. Within minutes they were out of sight. I caught Liz between the second climb and the KOM climb. She said she wanted to work together, but kept coming alongside of me. She asked me if I had enough left to work with her. The irony of that question stood out on the KOM climb. I was bound and determine to conquer the climb this year because it got the best of me last year. I adjusted my gearing on the approach (34/11) and concentrated on spinning on breathing. By halfway through I was up to 27 in the rear, but was still seated and comfortable. I was up and over with a lot less effort than I expected, it almost seemed easier than the previous climb. I looked back for Liz and couldn't see her so I kept going. I was passed by the a couple of the Cat 4 leading women as I came into town. I watched them turn to the finish as I headed back out for lap 2.
I tossed my first bottle at the feedzone and replaced it with one from my pocket. I was getting warm so I increased my fluid intake to once every five minutes. The second lap went by much more quickly than I expected. I rode the entire distance without seeing another rider. (Ours was the last group to start that had to do two laps.) My goal was to finish the race in under four hours, so I found a comfortable pace that would allow me to do that with a little cushion. I got to the first of the three climbs and struggled a little. I could tell I was tiring. I GU'd after the descent and started talking myself through the next two. The second one was hard, but I didn't struggle at all. I hit the bottom of the KOM and was ready for it. By this time I didn't have any of the bottles in my pockets, so I was more comfortable being out of the saddle. I sat for most of the climb, but stood a few times to stretch my back and change position. Towards the summit, there were still some volunteers out. They turned on the music for me and began cheering. One of them came out with cold water and poured it on me when I nodded at him. I got over the top and concentrated on finishing out the next few small climbs. When I saw the Ste Genevieve water tower in the distance I knew I was close. I came into town and was able to finish without looking like I was going to fall over.
I still continue to say I am not a road racer and I do not like road races, however overall, I really enjoyed this race. It was definitely challenging, but fun. After I got dropped, I looked at the remainder of the race as a chance to do a beautiful, quick-paced training ride. That mindset, in combination with good nutrition/hydration, made it a much better race for me this year as compared to last. My average for the first lap was around 19.2, the average for lap two was about 17.8.
There were five of us in the 1/2/3 field--Pam Hinton, Maureen Connelly, Liz Heller, Lynne Anderson. I've raced against everyone but Lynne. She's just getting back into racing. All of them are very strong ladies though. I didn't have anyone in the feed zone, so I carried two bottles in my jersey to make sure I was prepared. We rolled out on time and quickly fell into a rhythm with each of us taking 1.5 to 2 minute pulls at the front. The order would change up after some of the hills, but everyone was doing their part in the group. I took notice of two things--first, Pam definitely wanted to be "in charge" of our race. Second, Liz was having trouble getting her gearing right. She seemed to be spinning way to fast on some climbs. I paid close attention to my hydration and nutrition, making sure I drank at least once every 10 minutes and took Gu every hour. The race changed on the climb at mile 23. With seemingly little effort, Pam, Maureen, and Lynne dropped me and then Liz on the climb. I saw the gap start, but couldn't close it. I tried to make up ground on the downhill and couldn't close it completely. Within minutes they were out of sight. I caught Liz between the second climb and the KOM climb. She said she wanted to work together, but kept coming alongside of me. She asked me if I had enough left to work with her. The irony of that question stood out on the KOM climb. I was bound and determine to conquer the climb this year because it got the best of me last year. I adjusted my gearing on the approach (34/11) and concentrated on spinning on breathing. By halfway through I was up to 27 in the rear, but was still seated and comfortable. I was up and over with a lot less effort than I expected, it almost seemed easier than the previous climb. I looked back for Liz and couldn't see her so I kept going. I was passed by the a couple of the Cat 4 leading women as I came into town. I watched them turn to the finish as I headed back out for lap 2.
I tossed my first bottle at the feedzone and replaced it with one from my pocket. I was getting warm so I increased my fluid intake to once every five minutes. The second lap went by much more quickly than I expected. I rode the entire distance without seeing another rider. (Ours was the last group to start that had to do two laps.) My goal was to finish the race in under four hours, so I found a comfortable pace that would allow me to do that with a little cushion. I got to the first of the three climbs and struggled a little. I could tell I was tiring. I GU'd after the descent and started talking myself through the next two. The second one was hard, but I didn't struggle at all. I hit the bottom of the KOM and was ready for it. By this time I didn't have any of the bottles in my pockets, so I was more comfortable being out of the saddle. I sat for most of the climb, but stood a few times to stretch my back and change position. Towards the summit, there were still some volunteers out. They turned on the music for me and began cheering. One of them came out with cold water and poured it on me when I nodded at him. I got over the top and concentrated on finishing out the next few small climbs. When I saw the Ste Genevieve water tower in the distance I knew I was close. I came into town and was able to finish without looking like I was going to fall over.
I still continue to say I am not a road racer and I do not like road races, however overall, I really enjoyed this race. It was definitely challenging, but fun. After I got dropped, I looked at the remainder of the race as a chance to do a beautiful, quick-paced training ride. That mindset, in combination with good nutrition/hydration, made it a much better race for me this year as compared to last. My average for the first lap was around 19.2, the average for lap two was about 17.8.
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