So, on Saturday morning we (Barrett, my brother-in-law Scott, and myself) arrived at the race course, completed a warmup, completed bathroom stops, and got to the starting line early so we could start up front. Once the riders were allowed on the starting line, we noticed that there were around 50 riders which was not a good sign. We had a one mile neutral zone where no one can attack and the pace is supposed to be somewhat controlled. Well, I was around 5th right at the start of the race, but during the "neutral" rollout I lost about 10-12 spots. If anyone has ever seen the movie Office Space, I looked just like Peter at the beginning in traffic---no matter what lane I chose, the traffic quit moving. So, I just hung around in the back for the first 20 mile loop mostly because I wanted to get a drink from Rachel at the feed zone. As soon as I got through the feed zone, I tried to make my way forward to plan for an attack. Big mistake. I could never make up any ground except when we went around a turn, and even then it was only one spot at a time. So, my plan of attacking on the last steep hill was looking tough, and as it turned out, I couldn't get myself to the front. The furthest forward I got was about in the 5th row from the front. We couldn't pass in the left lane, and we were already riding three across in the lane which equals NO PASSING! My attacking point came and went and I couldn't do anything because I was boxed in. With about 2 miles to go I here horrible yells and brakes and scraping sounds and of course there is a wreck on the FRONT ROW!!! The rider in front of me rode his back wheel across my front wheel which ALWAYS leads to the rear riding going down--and I did. I curled into the fetal position to keep from getting ran over by the other 20 rides behind me. Once all the danger had passed, I realized the Barrett had went down as well and his bike was unrideable due to the rear wheel being horribly bent (similar to a wheel that I ran over with my truck one time). My bike on the other hand was fine except for one of the brake hoods being bent in. Yes, I did check myself as well for injuries (and Barrett). All I got was road rash which does suck, but it isn't the worst thing---especially considering some folks left with broken bones. So, I was able to limp into the finish for a 34th place finish. So much for my plan on the road race. Below is a picture of me limping to the finish with blood on my right arm and leg.
The next event was the hill climbing time trial. Prior to starting it, I had went to Subway for lunch, went to the bike shop to have my bike checked on, and went to the store to purchase medical supplies to cover my road rash. So, as you can guess, I had no idea how the hill climbing time trial would go considering I had wrecked just 3-4 hours earlier. The course was mostly flat for the first 2.8 miles, but kicked up sharply afterwards for a 1 mile climb averaging 10% (max 13% grade). I rode my Specialized road bike instead of my TT bike simply due to the hill climb. I thought I would rather have the climbing-friendly gearing of my road bike rather than the TT bike. The starter set us off in 30 second increments, and I immediately got into the most aerodynamic position I could on my road bike (with no aero bars). I made the turn onto the hill and it got tough quickly! I sat down for most of the hill until the top (which is where my family was to take the picture included below), and then I gave everything I had on the final 100m flat section at the top (which was all of 15 mph). I didn't know how I did compared to everyone else in my category until the next morning. I won by about 8 seconds!!! That was sweet redemption after the way the road race went.
Approximately 15 hours, 1 ice bath, 2 peroxide washes, 2 bandage applications, and 8 hours of sleep later we arrived in downtown Huntsville for the criterium. It was an interesting "L-shaped" course with five right turns and one left turn. I had already made up my mind (along with my teammates) that I was staying towards the front today. I had also made up my mind the night before that if I wrecked during the criterium that I was not going to do any more mass start road races. I just can't enjoy them if I'm wrecking all the time. Anyway, the starter set us off, and we (teammates) along with a guy we know from Birmingham (Andrew Boyd) all went to the front to get to safety and push the pace. After a few laps the pace settled somewhat and there were attempts to breakaway in the first 15 minutes or so but they were caught (mostly by me and my teammates). I must admit that I did pull quite a lot during the criterium, but I never tried to put myself into serious difficulty. I wanted to be able to through everything I had into the final lap or two. With about 10 minutes to go, Barrett pulled up to the front and blocked the wind for me for about a lap or so, and that was really what I needed to rest up. With 4 laps to go Andrew attacked along with another rider. The group just let them dangle out there for two laps, and the second attacker fell back into the group. With one lap to go, I surged hard right on the start/finish line to go after Andrew. By the time I reached him at the second corner, he said he was toast. I looked at him, and he didn't look like he had anything left. So, I knew it was mine to win or lose. I pushed the pace as much as I could into every corner, and when the final corner and hill came, I jumped up and put everything I could into the pedals. I never looked back, and I was able to hold everyone off for the win (see picture below). It wasn't until later that I found out that Barrett had a flat with 2 laps to go, and that's why he was nowhere in sight.
In hindsight, I could've fought harder for a spot during the road race, but finishing first in two events was pretty satisfying--also, for this year I am the Alabama State Criterium Champion for Cat 5. I'm pleased with this considering I've only raced about 5-7 times in mass start races. I must give glory to the Lord for keeping me from breaking any bones, giving me the ability to mash on the pedals, and for giving me such a great family for coming and supporting me!!!
