The final day of the Gateway Cup took place over at Benton Park, one of the oldest parts of St. Louis. Labor Day started off gloomy and cloudy, but it wasn't raining so that was a plus! I slept in late, almost missing breakfast at the hotel. Apparently, I was more tired than I thought. I slept well over 9 hours.
After breakfast, Shannon and I packed the car and readied for departure. But before we left the hotel, we went for a road ride to loosen my legs and get her in some miles. Last year when we were here, we rode the Madison County Transit Trails, which are nicely paved greenways around Horseshoe Lake and the surrounding towns in Illinois. The trail system is huge in that part of town, covering more than 70 miles of traffic-free riding. We rode out towards the lake for 30 minutes and then worked our way back to the hotel.
About to leave the parking lot
Fire-breathing factory in the distance
It was a short drive over to St. Louis for the Benton Park Classic. We got there in plenty of time for me to scope out the scene, make sure the races were starting on time and then get in my warm-up. I was expecting a less intense warm-up due to fatigue from three previous days of racing. It was worse than I anticipated. I had a hard time getting my heart rate over 160 bpm as my legs just were not there today.
The Benton Park course is tough and long. It's 1.7-miles in length and could easily be split into two courses. There's an uphill at the start/finish line that extends to turn 1. It's not steep, but does take it's toll on your legs. A few turns takes you across I-55 to the Anheuser-Busch plant for another short climb. Then it's back across I-55 before a series of tight corners packed closely together. Then there's a slight downhill back towards the finish straight. There's a pit that sits between the two close parts of the course and services riders twice each lap. This race is usually windy as well, especially around the start/finish area and crossing the overpasses over I-55.
Benton Park Classic course
The sun was shining through the clouds as we lined up following the Pro Women's event. Laura Van Gilder took the bunch sprint again today, making it a clean sweep for her this weekend. She won all four stages and the overall title. Brad Huff had a comfortable lead in our overall, but the other spots were still likely to change. Evidently, Jelly Belly wanted another win today because they lit the race up from the opening whistle. I started in the second half of the 100+ rider field and got caught behind a guy that couldn't get his feet clipped in. That sent us towards the back and struggling already. Last year, this race kicked my butt. The wind split us to pieces and I ended up being dropped on lap 3 and pulled a short time later. I expected a similar race to unfold today with the wind and the caliber of riders that were on hand.
The pace was wicked the first lap. We were two turns into the race and already I could see a group of 8 that had separated themselves off the front as we climbed the hill in front of Anheuser-Busch. The group responded and closed down the gap by the end of the first lap. I moved up a few spots, but didn't push it much as the pace was just too fast to fight. Gaps began to form the first time up the finish climb. Several riders were dropped as we ended the first lap. My legs were felling better and I was comfortable in the pack. I tried to be ready for every acceleration, shifting before the exit of the turns and standing up in order to prevent any sort of gap from opening ahead of me.
Riders in turn 1
A group of 15 went up the road starting lap 3. I was worried about that one because our pace was sure to get upped as we chased them down. Sure enough, the pace went up through the stratosphere. We were single-file all the way around the third lap. That gives you little shelter from the wind. I looked down coming up the start/finish straight at the end of lap 3 to see 37 mph displayed on my computer. Holy crap we were rolling!
Me in the group
Lap 4 was much of the same. It was single-file agony. My legs were burning now and there were gaps EVERYWHERE. The group was blowing to pieces. We caught the leading 15 riders, but instantly more attacks went. Despite hammering it out of the final turn, I got gapped on the finish straight. I was at the back of the line. Everyone I had passed had been dropped so there was no wheel coming by to save me. I chased hard as I could see the group slowing slightly, but I never made the junction. I was blown up by the end of the next lap, but still holding a good speed. You know it's fast when you can maintain over 26 mph while blown up and the group is quickly pulling away.
The leading break
The chasing peloton
I chased for 2 laps before getting pulled. I gave it all I had, but could only hit 180 bpm with my heart rate today. My legs were smoked. I was upset that they credited me with a DNF, even though I hung in there as long as they would let me. I ended up about 83rd by my estimation. It wasn't good, but I did better than last year with holding the pace. I ended with a 168 bpm average heart rate and 24.2 mph average speed for 25 minutes of racing. I had over 26 mph average speed when I popped off the group. The pack went fast for one more lap after I got dropped, shelling over half the field. Then they let a break of 6 go for the rest of the race. I was one lap away from likely staying in the group until the finish! So close! Jelly Belly completed a sweep of the Gateway Cup with Sean Mazich getting the win and Huff taking the overall.
Gateway Harley Davidson team on the front
The peloton crosses over I-55 towards Anheuser-Busch
Mazich wins
Benton Park Classic Pro/1/2 video
I was also disappointed to find out they credited me a DNS for Friday night's Tour de Lafayette. That's bull. I started, I raced and I placed by being pulled by the officials. I hate when they do that because it lowers your National/State ranking overall. Those results are put on your profile through USA Cycling and stay on there permanently. I can't stand to see DNFs and DNSs when I raced and finished. No wonder my National ranking has plummeted from 12th at one point last season to 337th now with me having better results.
It was a fun weekend despite the crappy weather and results. I still have a good time racing in those big groups, even if I do get dropped. We came home to more bad weather, driving through some nasty storms as we entered back into Tennessee. It's been a lazy week, cleaning up things from the weekend and resting. Only two weeks left until XTERRA USA Championships in Utah!
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