Mike's Bike Blog

The Manor course was 3 laps for a total of 36 miles, it was the same course as the Cronometro Time Trial so I knew it well. In fact I had a plan going in. The plan was to try and get free and clear with a small group on the hill on the first lap. I had it all worked out in my head, ran it over a few times the night before and on the way to the race.

My plan started to unravel during warm ups. I was out on the road warming up when my tires felt a little low on the PSI. Of course this is the first race I forgot my floor pump but Jack & Adams had a tent set up for such an occasion. After I got some air I walked over to the portapotties crossing the open field and to my dismay my shoes and tires were covered in "mud". Well I'm hoping it was mud anyway with the number of horses that were there at the Cronometro start I'm not too sure. The mud was so bad my tires stopped rolling. I went back over to my car and with a rag wiped down the tires and had to take a screw driver to the cleats to get the "mud" out of them.

Staging for the race was starting but there was still 15 minutes so I took a quick spin to make sure my tires would spin and I could get clipped in. Upon returning to the start line the field was amassed so I had to settle in at the back.

We rolled neutral for the first .24 miles and as we passed the neutral zone the attacks started and the pace quickened as we jumped from 20 mph up to 27.4 mph. Talking with a few folks afterwards this really thinned people out. About 62 started and I believe 40 of them finished. So back to my plan, I couldn't get good positioning to get upfront where I'd need to be to launch an initiative. Plus the wind wasn't bad but was coming from a direction I wasn't expecting, we had a crosswind on the long 4 mile stretches and a head wind on the hill section and a tailwind on the 2 mile stretch to the finish. With the headwind on the hill and my position I was content to sit back on the first lap to see how everyone handles the course and the elements. A rider would attack here and there, getting up the road no more than 10 seconds. With the tail wind we easily reeled in the break but then someone else gave it a go and once again got a 10 second gap.

On the second lap I was still mid to back of the field, sitting in trying to get out of the wind as best I could and avoid any cracks in the road. A rider to my right failed to hold his line and we knocked handle bars, luckily neither of us went down. This was all I needed to motivate me to move up in the pack and while everyone was hugging the yellow line to seek shelter from the cross wind I blistered it up the right to move up. As we made the turn into the wind I found myself up at the front. A Wooly Mammoth rider didn't like the gap and was trying to organize everyone to chase it down and took off. I wanted a free ride to the hill so I jumped on his wheel. He took me and everyone else almost to the base of the hill. About 600km to the hill I was up front and pulling everyone. I wasn't pulling hard I knew we'd catch the breakaway rider on the hill so I shut it down as I was expecting a throw down on the hill.

Glad I read it right because on the hill Kevin Kimbell and the rest of the Brain & Spine crew set a stiff pace up the hill and I caught onto the train. I believe we had a small gap but we couldn't do anything with it and was caught in the crosswind. The Shama Cycles crew came up on the left side to let their presence be known and I figured the teams were getting ready to duke it out. There was a K.O. when a Brain & Spine rider and a Shama Cycle rider crossed wheels sending them into the ditch. The Shama guy seemed to get the worse end of the deal as he got airborne. Hopefully both are ok. In a show of unity the Shama team stopped for their fallen comrade and I don't believe they finished the race.

I had another close call on this stretch when a rider to my left leaned into me to protect myself I shoved him off me with my elbow and shoulder. He shot me a dirty look, hey if you're going to invade my space I'm going to protect myself by all means neccessary. For this reason I ride in the drops most of the time during races, from what I've noticed I'm one of the only people doing this, most everybody is up on the hoods until someone is attacking and then the go to the drops.

The separation we got after the crash didn't last long and as we made the turn for the final lap we were all together. I made sure I was up front to make sure I could get in with any group that tried to get away. I figured the last lap is when people would try to make a move. As soon as we made the turn the attacks started to come, short little bursts one after another as someone would try to go but nothing was getting away. Kevin Kimbell was the most prolific attacker but he was heavily marked. As we hit the hill I braced myself for more of the good stuff, but I was surprised nobody attacked and I wasn't in a position to give it a shot.

When we were about 5 or 6 miles from the finish I told Enrique Varela (NWCC) this is when we should go but we were fairly boxed in. The field was saving their energy for the sprint at the finish and it was just far enough out that I don't think anybody would have been expecting an attack or at least expecting it to stick.  In the next mile sure enough the pace picked up as everybody was jostling for position for the final sprint. The road to my left started to open up so took the opportunity to try and regain some positioning. I wasn't the only one as I was moving up another rider had the same idea, but he didn't check his blind spot and ran right into me. He knocked me across the double yellow line briefly, he did apologize. As I regained my composure there was one problem, in the heat of battle I think I tensed up and it sent a cramp through my left quad. For the next few seconds I had to pedal it out. I thought for sure I was done but it lasted only 20 seconds or so and I was able to keep going but my position was lost.

As we made the final turn Enrique came around me and yelled some encouragement to get on. I got my second wind and sprinted to his wheel. For the final 1.73 miles I averaged 33.4 mph topping out at 42.5 mph. I was spinning my 12 for all it was worth but it had nothing left to give. For the final 300 meters I spun out averaging 35.3 mph. Enrique gave me a great lead out and as I came around him I gave him a thank you pat and a final word of encouragement for him.

When it was all said and done I finished 21st and I made it 2-1 in the Coke bet with Chuck. It was a great time. My pre race plan didn't come to fruition but my pack sense of the game is coming along and I'm finding that I can read the races. Up next is the Ronde Von Manda and I'm jumping into the 3/4 race which is twice as long as the 4/5!