SPRING VALLEY MAY 3, 2009Valley indeed. Up, down, up down, rolling, rolling, up and up.
On the way down 71 South in the car, I thought I had raced Spring Valley a few years ago. I remember my friend Layne and I getting lost and I remember a flashing light we went through past Caesar’s Creek, but after arriving at the nice parking lot, I realized I am old and was mistaken. Or maybe I did race nearby in the area and I am not that forgetful.
A great turn-out by our team today, my brother-in-law, Tim’s first race, Luke’s first race and Kurtis’ first race, with Kristian all racing in the CAT 5’s. Just me in the CAT 4’s. Scott and Isaiah racing in the CAT ½. Catherine was filling our women’s spot. It was great to see all the team kits.
I decided at the last moment, while getting my team kit on, that I will race my Powertap wheel and only change out the front wheel to a Carbon aero/tubie and changed out the front brake pads to the Yellow Swiss Stop. I went out with Tim for a quick warm up to check out about ½ the course. Hindsight, I could have run a lighter carbon race wheel, but it was nice to have the Watts data, since my wheel has been gone from me for a few weeks. We climbed up the finish hill that was included with the race during each of the 8 mile laps and checked out the roads and some of the other turns along the way and short –cut back to the start area.
My goal was to sit in the top 10 again during the race, but not burn as many matches as I did during Vandervorts. But to keep an eye on things and try to work with the other independent (solo) team guys to get somewhere, keep things reeled in and/or get in the right break. I did manage to ride a bit smarter, not burn as many matches. The best part was, this race course favored me a bit, the downhills and the “technical” aspect of the turns, downhills and the climb. Not that I am a climber per say, but I have noticed I can surge up through the group, spinning into the bottom of the hills and getting me to the front five of the group pretty quickly, without much effort. We had 5 long laps to complete, the weather and temperature were perfect. Shannon from Darkhorse, the solo Jeni’s Ice Cream, Team Hungry, a COBC guy and a single Echelon rider were all there to keep things interesting. I was hoping to get in a break with one or more of these folks. The Echelon rider had just moved up from slaying it in the 5’s and after one lap, it appears he should be a CAT 2 or CAT 3. Strong kid.
We started the race at the finish line out on the course, not where we parked, but at the top of the hill, the start-line placed about 200 meters from the crest of the hill. A good spot.
From the gun, about 25 of us were off like rockets. Down the road about half way around the course, our lead car, Stevie Wonder at the wheel, decided to take a right turn, while we decided to follow the course signs and go straight. Fun. I couldn’t wait to see the car come back to us – flying down the left side of the yellow line. The driver of our lead car did make it back – pretty quickly – while we were slaying the pavement reeling in the CAT 3’s. We kept them within sight for about 2 laps. There was a jump from our group from a Dayton guy, a Cyclesport guy and Shannon from Darkhorse and the Echelon guy and a guy from Abundance. They had a pretty good gap at one point and oddly enough got clogged up by our leadout car and the CAT 3’s. The race official came by and went up to help sort things out I think. He and the CAT 3 car driver slowed them down and the break of CAT 4’s got around the 3’s. From where I was, the break didn’t look so smooth in the pass. We however I think passed them doing about 30 mph – it was crazy, they were yelling stuff at us and I think pretty surprised to see us flying by them. Where we passed them, it was downhill and then into the crazy turn before the hill climb. We kept a pretty high pace at this point to chase down the break, some of the single team guys were working hard to chase down the break after we came through on lap 3. I felt like I should contribute and got up front…the best part is, myself and the COBC/National Engineering guy were trading off some good pulls with the Jeni’s guy and the Team Hungry guy. At one point, I yelled out, not once – but twice - to Shannon to get up front and help work, since I had no idea he had gone up the road until we got closer to them. Cracked me up when I saw he was in the break. We caught the group on I think the 4th lap. The 4th time up the hill was the slowest of the five, I think the group was resting for th
e a fast last lap. We came through the finish line and people were dumping water bottles and eating. We get to the highest point of the race and the Echelon guy and another rider go off the front. There is no answer from our group. We start to head into the twisty – slight downhill section, come out of that into the steeper downhill – the tall Buckeye cycling guy, bolts from the back of the group up the yellow center line. Our group accelerates up to around 40 and we catch the guy just before the turn to the hill. I take a few high cadence spins and a few deep breaths knowing I am going to kill myself trying to get up this dang hill in my big ring. I get up the hill, see I am passing quite a few people that put in a much harder effort at the bottom. I crest the hill, begin to run out of gas, see the finish line and get about 50 feet from the
finish and out of the left corner of my eye, I see Shannon from Darkhorse, squeaking by me. I had nothing left to turn my pedals over. Had I known he was so close, I might have put in a longer effort, but hindsight and lesson is, never quit giving it 110% till the finish line. I don’t mind getting beaten by one place by Shannon, but would have preferred to have had the one place higher at the finish line. I ended up 7th. My highest place finish for the overall Ohio Valley Spring Series. I will take it.
CAT 3 is lurking…
