It was a beautiful weekend for the races in Union City, GA. We drove down on Saturday morning for an afternoon circuit race. We arrived a bit later than normal after getting stuck in some traffic in Chattanooga. Union City is just southwest of Atlanta. It really isn't a bad drive for us, taking just over four hours to get there.
The circuit race was advertised as a crit. on some fliers and a circuit race on others. I wasn't sure what to expect. The course map showed 0.99 miles in length, so that meets the distance criteria for a crit. Shannon was excited because we were racing at the back of a big mall. Oddly enough, it was named the Shannon Mall. Well, she wound up disappointed by her mall as it was closed. Actually, it was abandoned.
I got in my warm-up on the course and on the trainer. It was super windy, with gusts blowing 20-30 mph at times. The course was sort of horseshoe-shaped. It had 6 turns, all right-handers. We began on a false-flat straightaway that gently curved left, straight into the stiff wind. Three turns followed the front stretch before a long, straight back stretch that was downhill and had a sweet tailwind. A 90-degree turn followed the straight where the course then turned uphill for a short climb through the final two turns. Then it was back onto the front stretch into the wind to complete the lap.
GPS of the race course. Race direction was clockwise.
The Mayor's photo
We had a few over 30 riders on the start line. There were four Pro riders there so things were sure to get ugly. And they did. I started on the second row, but had trouble getting my foot in the pedal and dropped back right away. Riders started attacking before the first turn and a break had established itself by lap 2. The UnitedHealthcare of Georgia team had missed the break. I knew once they got across, this break was gone in windy conditions such as this. All the other big teams had a rider ahead. A UHC rider attacked at the end of lap 2 and I attempted to bridge with him. He gapped me, but I put the power down and stayed close to him. The gap to the break was huge and I couldn't hold his pace all the way across. I looked down to see 191 on my heart rate monitor. I had told Shannon I wouldn't go with a break in the first 20 minutes. Blew that plan!
Pro/1/2 group on the backside of the course
First lap breakaway
More riders join the break
The group heads down the long back stretch
I had to drop back for fear of blowing up. The group was chasing hard and I went right to the back. I almost got dropped at 12 minutes into the race. The pace was furious and guys were popping. I had to close several big gaps to stay on the back. This is where I could see an improvement from last year. I am way stronger and now able to sit in the wind for a minute to close a gap.
I struggled until about 25 minutes in, when the pace finally slowed. We were averaging 24.9 mph at the halfway point. The break was long gone now. After 35 minutes we got lapped by a Hincapie/BMC rider who had jumped off the front of the break. He went straight to the front of our group and upped the pace. Our average speed had dropped to 24.6, but he single-handedly brought us back up to 24.9 mph. I was having trouble doing the back-to-back accelerations up the hill and then again out of turn 6 into the wind of the front stretch. I finally got gapped at 42 minutes and fell off the main group. The pace blew the group to pieces. I was out by myself like a lot of other guys who got dropped. Most of us got lapped a second time. Since it was a circuit race, we were not pulled. But it seemed as though only some circuit race rules applied as groups on different laps were allowed to work together and we were not forced to complete the same number of laps as the leader. I didn't get the rules, but I did two extra laps after the race to make up for me being lapped twice.
Two riders alone in the closing gaps
Another small breakaway group. The wind really tore the group to pieces.
Me in the group.
2 laps to go for me.
One of the breakaway groups sprints for the finish
I was recorded as 26th out of 27 finishers on the results. I was disappointed and frustrated. It was not the way I had wanted to start my year. I was pleased to see some positives like being stronger into the wind and seeing higher heart rates, but I thought I should be able to finish with the pack and better than 26th. I felt like I had worked too hard this off-season to still finish in the back. I guess my time hasn't come yet and there is still some more persevering to come before I finally catch my break.
Video: Pro/1/2 Men at the Union City Mayor's Race Circuit Race
Shannon and I chilled in our tiny hotel that night after driving a lap of the road race course. Our room looked like it was likely a closet at one time. It was so small! We watched Skyfall, the latest Bond movie before hitting the sack for the night. We were up early the next morning. The road race started just a few miles from the hotel which was very convenient for us. I had no expectations after the circuit race failure. The distance for Sunday was 73 miles. I was tired and expecting to get hammered. I didn't even put extra wheels in the wheel truck because I was expecting to get dropped and be behind the truck. We were to do three laps on the course. I was hoping to make it through the first lap. I told Shannon to only expect me to hang for one lap with the group, but I would still do all three laps even if dropped early.
Road Race Course was an out-and-back with a loop at the end.
I did a slow warm-up since my legs were tired. That was not good as the pace was wide-open the first 2 miles. We were rolling 34 mph at one point in the first mile. Things finally slowed down before the first big hill at mile 5. I was worried about being dropped here, but managed to stay on the back of the group. The pace was fast, but I was ok holding on the first lap. It was a chilly morning, but the sun quickly brought the temp up into the mid-70s for another beautiful spring day. A 9-man break went away at mile 9 and was never seen again. Our chase group was whittled down to 20 by mile 20. A group of 6 then got away from our main pack at mile 25. They quickly built up a 2-minute lead as we started lap 2. I was thrilled to be in the group and was content to let the breaks go.
Pro1/2 Men on the line
Pro/1/2 start
Lead break near the end of lap 1
Two chasers
What's left of the main peloton in the Pro/1/2 Men after lap 1.
Chasing commenced by the Hincapie/BMC team. Over the course of the second lap, they pulled the 6 riders back. I was feeling good now, even taking a few turns at the front around mile 44 as we started lap 3. The chase continued for the first half of the last lap. We cut the break's lead down to 1:30, but then they began to pull back away, beating us by 3:00 at the end. Our group started attacking again with 16 miles to go. This time I was active at the front, jumping across several gaps and making sure I didn't miss a split. I was getting better and the others were getting tired. I had no muscle burn. Then came the twinge of a distal hamstring cramp. I was in denial at first. I couldn't really be cramping with this little bit of fatigue could I?
Cat. 3 group
Cat. 5s
Me on the front of the main peloton nearing the end of lap 2
Three small hills awaited at 4 miles to go. That was my last worry spot. At least that's what I thought. The wind split the group about 2 miles before the hills. I was at the back after dropping my chain briefly. I missed the split! I attempted to bridge, but the cramp showed its ugly face. At first I only cramped at the top of the pedal stroke. I rode through it for a minute as I pulled myself closer to the group ahead. Then the cramp worsened and locked up my left leg. I poked the cramp with my finger to maybe get it to relax, but it wouldn't let go. I started pedaling with the right leg only, but I couldn't do it fast enough to catch the group ahead. I was caught by the chasers, almost getting dropped right away as the cramp still had my leg locked up.
I finally got a chance to stretch and the cramp subsided. And it never came back. I rode at the front over the last hills, then took advantage of my course pre-drive the night before. My group missed a turn and I made it. I yelled at them, but they didn't listen. Everyone there seemed to think they knew how to go, but none of them did. We had all missed a turn early in the race as the course was poorly marked. Well, my knowledge of the course helped me get away from my group and I even caught the group ahead, which had split into some smaller packs. I outsprinted a few guys on my way in, taking 16th. I was happy with that. That's not a bad result, especially in a race where I expected to be dropped in the first 20 miles. And my legs felt great at the the end. If nothing else, I have endurance this year! We averaged 24.5 mph for the 73 miles. I topped out my heart rate at 186 at mile 5. Not bad for tired legs. I even felt good on the drive home, having a lot of energy left to unpack once we got home. My legs were tired, but my entire body was not. Sometimes I get home totally drained.
Video: Finish clip of the Pro/1/2 Men's road race
It's been a crappy week. The weather has been rainy and cold, and I've been really busy at work. Good thing is that this is my rest week so I didn't need to ride much this week. Tomorrow kicks off my next block of training, this time with short, intense intervals and sprints. And of course some racing. I'm on the fence about what to race. I had planned to race Chickasaw on Sunday, but the weather looks like it will be a mud-fest. I just put a new drivetrain on my mountain bike and I really don't want to destroy it on the first ride. The Hell of the South Road Race is tomorrow morning and I am leaning more towards it. The forecast is for rain tomorrow too. It looks like Chickasaw may be a muddy mess no matter what the weather brings on Sunday morning, so I may take my chances with an early race tomorrow and hope the rain holds off until we get in our 78 miles. I'll make the call in the morning. Now it's off to bed to rest up for whatever the weekend ends up bringing me.
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