Turns out I partially squeezed into another photo posted by CyclingNews. This came from the Giro della Montagna. It's just my back sticking up from behind the rider in the center of the shot, but it beats nothing!
I found some videos on YouTube as well. They are each labeled below the video.
A handlebar cam from the Pro/1/2 Men's race at the Tour de Lafayette in the rain. It's the first 6 minutes of the race. He gets behind me at 3:45. You can see my orange Maxxis jersey ahead of him pretty much the rest of the video.
Women's sprint finish at the Tour de Lafayette. Won by Laura Van Gilder.
On-board cam from a rider in the Cat. 4 race at the Tour de Francis Park. This video features a crash coming out of turn 1.
Another view of the sprint finish of the Pro/1/2 Men's race at the Tour de Francis Park. Won by Chris Kriek.
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!
The Gateway Cup moved on to "The Hill" on Sunday for the Giro della Montagna. This race has been around since 1986 and is very supported by the surrounding neighborhood. "The Hill" is the Italian part of St. Louis and they do love their bike racing. They also love bocce ball and Italian food, both of which can be found all around the race course.
It was another day of scattered showers. Shannon and I went to church this morning in Caseyville, IL, then returned to the hotel. We were planning to make quesadilla pizzas on the camping stove for lunch, but a sudden rainstorm kept us pent up in the hotel. I did find out that I finished 42nd at the Tour de Francis. Still no word on my final placing at the Tour de Lafayette. They have been a bit slower with getting full results out this year. It's funny to me that I always seem to miss out on being in any of the pictures on CyclingNews or those taken by pro photographers. I'm always just out of the shot. Sometimes I even manage to stay out of all the pictures Shannon takes. I finally got in one yesterday. It was just my face getting in the edge of the picture, but that beats nothing!
I just edged my head into the right side of this picture from the CyclingNews website.
It was sunny when we arrived at "The Hill." We got there much earlier than the previous day so I could get in a warm-up without any rushing. I decided to change wheels for this race. I went with my Reynolds Attack carbon wheels. Theyalighter which would help with all the accelerations that were sure to come on this narrow course, and they have a shallow dish which handles crosswinds better. The wind was rolling 10-15 mph and blowing up the hill on the backstretch during my warm-up. It shifted before the race began, moving to more of a cross wind on the longer straightaways.
The course for the Giro is simple. It's a rectangle with all 90-degree, left turns. The start/finish comes at the bottom of a downhill. Basically, all you need to know is that turns 1 and 2 are at the bottom of the hill, the backstretch is all climbing, turns 3 and 4 are at the top of the hill, and that it's downhill from turn 4 to the finish line. There's no major holes or grates to avoid, just high curbs on both sides of the road. The long straightaways are wide, while the short stretches are narrow. Last year I did well here, finishing in 32nd place. That's still my best ever result in a big Pro crit.
Giro della Montagna course on "The Hill"
The fans were out in full force. I love how the neighborhood has painted the race logo on the streets that make up the race course.
Pro/1/2 Men staging. I'm in the middle there looking up in my white skinsuit. Picture is courtesy of "The Hill's" Twitter page.
We began fast with sprinkles falling on a dry course. We had over 100 riders on a loop that is 0.9 miles in distance. We were scheduled for 70 minutes plus 4 laps. I got a start in the middle of the group. My legs were a bit tired during warm-up, but they were fine in the race. They started counting down our laps early on. We did about 40 laps total. It was quite menacing to see 35 laps to go on the board and then thinking, "I have to climb that hill 35 more times today!" The hill is tough, but we hit it so fast that it wasn't always terrible. The momentum really helped us get up it quick.
Pro/1/2 Men on the hill
Even the fire hydrants are Italian
I stayed mid-pack early on. The clouds were getting dark so I chanced it with a last-second air pressure change prior to the start. I like to run 110 psi in my tires. I dropped to 90 psi that past two days to accommodate the wet conditions. I originally put in 110 psi for this race before dropping to 100 just in case we got another annoying rain shower. I was comfortable in the group despite constant surges coming off the front from many different teams. Jelly Belly was probably the most active team. I had to work hard once after a Garmin rider went down in turn 1, but other than that, I was just playing the waiting game.
A Jelly Belly rider off the front
Riders got very close to this telephone pole
The pack snakes its way off turn 2
Me in the group
A break of 7 trying to slip away
Me sprinting off turn 2
Then the rain decided to show itself again. It began with a light, but steady rain after about 35 minutes of racing. I had moved up some due to gaps forming a few laps prior to this, but couldn't get up as far as I had wanted to be. It was hard to pass on this course. We bunched up from gutter to gutter before the turns, which made us go ridiculously slow through the corners due to the narrowness of the turns. The it was an all-out sprint to the next turn just to do it all over again. Every time I got a run where I could pull out, there was nowhere to go. Just people spread from curb to curb.
The rain soaked the course in just a minute. Many riders sat up immediately and called it a day. Others decided to crash their way out. It first got wet in turn 3 and we made it a whole two turns before crashing, beginning with a pile-up in turn 1 the very next lap. I'm guessing some guys didn't make the air pressure adjustments like I did. I got through unscathed as the crash happened near the front. I was left with some big holes ahead though and spent the next lap closing gaps. I dodged another crash in turn 3 the same lap. I got back onto the lead group after a full lap of hammering only to see yet another crash in turn 1. This one blocked the road and made me come almost to a complete stop in order to get through. That was three crashes in one lap!
In hindsight, I should've stopped with the crash and taken a free lap in the pits. But I was feeling good and my only thought was to get through this mess and get to the front pack. I rode as hard as I could for 2 laps, but found myself off the back of the lead group and out ahead of a second group just one lap before the halfway point. The crashes had split the field in two much like they did at the Lynskey Chattanooga crit. last week.
Optum on the front with Jelly Belly
Me caught out alone between the two groups following the lap of crashes
Video still of the lead group coming through turn 1
I finally blew up after torturing myself up the hill a few times alone. I was eventually caught by the chase group behind and joined up with them to try and close this gap. We gave it all we had and blew off all but 5 riders from our large group. We lasted 45 minutes before being pulled with 17 laps to go. I led our group across the line as the officials blew the whistle to let us know our day was done. My race stats were 26.2 mph average speed for 19.9 miles. Max heart rate was 184 and average heart rate was 173. My average speed was 27.3 mph when I came off the back of the group. I was disappointed with the end result, but it was out of my control. I was pleased with how good I felt and how comfortable I was in the group. I also liked how long I was able to chase by myself after closing gaps for the 2 laps prior. I am getting stronger overall. I just wish the results would show it. I absolutely love the race. It's a fun, challenging course lined with bike-happy families enjoying their Sunday afternoon together watching us race.
Me in the chase group with a Mercy rider
The lead pack still spread out with 18 laps to go
Jelly Belly dominated again, taking first and second in the field sprint. Brad Huff, the local hero, grabbed his second win of this year's Gateway Cup. Laura Van Gilder won the women's race for the third day in a row. She put in a crazy-hard effort on the last lap to win this one. CyclingNews race report is posted here. The racing wraps up tomorrow at Benton Park with the Benton Park Classic. I should be ready to battle hard after some delicious post-race food made by Shannon and an ice bath for the legs. Race video is posted below. Thankyou Shannon for filming. She has taken just about every video and photo posted on the blog this weekend.
Video still of Brad Huff nabbing the victory
Footage from the Pro/1/2 Men's race at the Giro della Montagna
Delicious post-race sandwich on a makeshift cardboard plate
After Friday night's disaster, I was not at all excited for the rest of the weekend. I lounged most of the day and even took a nap that made us late for the next race. My confidence was gone and I really didn't expect much from the rest of the Gateway Cup weekend.
I try to keep my head up and always tell myself that I have a good chance, no matter how disappointed I am from recent rides or races. We were listening to the radio on the way over and the song "Alive" came on from P.O.D. The first line reminded me that all was not lost yet: "Every day is a new day." We were a bit pushed for time to get ready due to my late afternoon nap. I was pleased to see dry conditions when we arrived. But Mother Nature could not stay kind to us for very long with parts of Hurricane Isaac still swirling around Missouri and Illinois. It was also very humid which was spawning even more pop-up showers. Just as the Pro Women lined up, the bottom fell out. Shannon and I got soaked getting back to the car. We brought a 10' x 10' pop-up tent for the weekend and actually had the space to set it up this time. I was able to sit under the tent and warm up on the trainer while it poured buckets. I felt bad for the women as they raced in the middle of the downpour.
Kids Race
The rain stopped just prior to our scheduled start time. I stayed on the trainer as long as possible to get in as much warm-up as I could. My legs were good, but I couldn't hit the heart rates I saw on Friday night. I got to the line just before the start, which got me a spot on the back row of probably close to 100 riders.
Race distance for the Tour de Francis Park was 75 minutes plus 4 laps on a 1.3-mile square course around Francis Park in the Francis Hills neighborhood of St. Louis. The course begins with a slight uphill to the first of four 90-degree left turns. The straightaways are all about the same length. It's flat between turns 1 and 2. A downhill follows turn 2 that leads to a fast and somewhat off-camber turn 3. This turn is followed immediately by a sharp climb that tops out a good 150 meters before turn 4. The start/finish straight is slightly downhill coming out of turn 4, then begins to rise slightly just before the finish line. Overall, it's a very fast and wide course. The biggest dangers are a grouping of deep manhole covers at the bottom of the downhill and some bumps and manholes in the middle of turn 3.
Tour de Francis Park course
We did not start as quick as we did on Friday. I took full advantage of this and moved up in the field on the first lap. Most of the race, the inside of the course was the place to be if you wanted to move up. It was often more open than the outside. The rain may have stopped, but water was still coating the entire course. There were several ripples and dips in the pavement before, and in the middle of, turn 2 that were holding water. There was one puddle on the outside of the course just before turn 2 that was deep. I had feared the slickness of turns 1 and 3 prior to the race. Turn 1 got slick last year with just a light drizzle falling. It only took 2 laps to find out that turns 2 and 3 were going to be the challenges. I could feel my bike sliding through turn 2. We then had 6 or 7 riders go down the second time through turn 3 after somebody slipped on one of the manhole covers.
The peloton heads toward turn 4 on wet roads
Peloton going through turn 4
I was hurting a little coming out of the corners, but I held my spot unlike Friday. I found a good line through turn 3 just a few laps into the race. One lane up from the far inside was smooth and fast, letting you hold more momentum onto the climb which made my life much easier. There was a crash in turn 2 early in the race as well and I was well away from that. I actually got comfortable in the group after 30 minutes and went to the front to wait for a prime and keep myself out of danger.
Cole House attacking up the left side of the road
I mixed it up at the front for a while, not always on purpose. I kept following wheels toward the front and just kept finding myself on the front. I stayed in the top 10 for a few laps, following the accelerations as breaks tried to materialize. As tempted as I might have been, I resisted the urge to follow any of the attacks. I like to go hard when I feel good, but I'm not stupid. I can't make it stick and I know that. My best option is to stay put and wait for the sprint. I did go for one $200 prime, but couldn't make it happen. Two guys slipped off the front on the downhill. I tried to bridge through turn 3 and up the hill, but I just drug the whole group with me and got smoked by five guys through turn 4. The good thing was that by being at the front, I missed out on a huge crash that happened in the middle of the group going up the hill. There was a rider laying in the road for 3 or 4 laps that we had to go around. He ended up being carted off on a backboard. There must have been 50 riders involved because it was a HUGE pack coming out of the pits the lap following the accident.
A break trying to form off the front of the peloton
The pack rolling through turn 4
Two riders off the front
There were a lot of active teams, but no break ever got the right combination to stay away. The course was drying out some near the end. The sun actually came out for a few minutes, which blinded us all going into turn 1. Turn 2 remained really wet and slick despite the sun. There was just too much water puddled there for it to dry all the way out. We had another big crash there with 8 laps to go. Again, I slid by easily on the inside. I was feeling tired now and slipped back in the group. I dropped back, but I never got farther back than halfway in the group. I managed to work my way back up into the top 20 with 4 to go. It was hard to stay up front. The speed was high. Jelly Belly was again controlling the front.
One rider out front in turn 3
Turn 3
More riders trying to slip off the front on the downhill
Slippery turn 2
Riders passing one of many churches along the course
A Jelly Belly and Mercy duo trying to escape
I was top 30 with a lap to go. One guy sprinted for the line and raised his hands in triumph only to hear the bell ringing for one lap to go. That must've been a terrible feeling, especially since he was celebrating so hard in front of a big crowd. I got a good run up the inside after turn 1. I had a rider ahead of me, but he slowed down before getting all the way up front. I wasn't content to stay in 30th, so I shot around him with my momentum. I was out in the wind, but I was sure I could get a draft as I moved up. It was so fast that everyone ahead was single-file. I was kind of screwed. I tried to weasel my way into the line, but was met with some elbows. I tried again with the same result. My options were to slow down and try to squeeze in or stay out in the wind and hold my position. I was not about to back off so I held the hammer down and stayed in the wind.
2 laps to go
This rider though he had won...but there was still a lap to go.
I was hurting bad as we entered turn 2. I got pinched into the curb a little and lost some spots. I was blocked in down the hill, but squeezed out a few positions entering turn 3. I had good legs, but I was maxed out already. I was just able to hold my position up the hill and to turn 4. A few riders came flying by on the outside just after turn 4. I did the whole sprint seated and picked off a few riders to maybe crack the top 45. I haven't seen official results yet, but I counted 43rd on Shannon's finish video clip. I think I could've done better if I hadn't had to be out in the wind so long, but that's the way it goes. I did the best I could with the situation I was in.
Rider streak through the finish line
I am very happy with the effort here. It was 100,000 times better than Friday. It made the trip seem worthwhile. No matter what happens the rest of the weekend, at least I had one good day! We completed 40.5 miles in the race in 1:25:50 with a 28.3 mph average speed. My average heart rate was 173, with a max of 187, hit in turn 2 on the final lap. CyclingNews race report is posted here. We got poured on again shortly after the race, before we could get the bike and tent packed up in the car. You know it's been a rainy weekend when your hairdryer is working overtime to dry shoes and clothes are hanging up to dry in every corner of the hotel room.
Elevation and heart rate profile for my race
Attempting to dry out my riding shoes
Wet clothes hanging everywhere for the second day in a row
Race video from Tour de Francis Park
We continue racing later today in the neighborhood known as "The Hill" for the Giro della Montagna. The neighborhood association will be posting updates from the races throughout the day on their twitter page at https://twitter.com/TheHillSTL. It continues to be gloomy and rainy with more showers expected this afternoon at race time.
