and the ride was http://www.tristates100.com/ Jon did a crit last year in pensacola (actually did a road race, crit, and tt), and really enjoyed the crit.
I wanted to participate, but was a little worried about crashing, since my sprintime A triathlon race -- Red Hills -- http://www.redhillstriathlon.org/ was the next weekend. Last think I wanted to do was DNF that baby. So I reluctantly told Jon I couldn't make the crit, but would be happy to do the century ride the next day -- so long as it was the full century, not the metric. I had learned that 2 pro teams were going to do the full century (Aerocat Cycling Team and Global Bike) and I really wanted to see what it was like to ride with them.
The Crit:
Well I showed up in Dothan to witness the start of the Men's Masters crit. Man, that was really exciting. The guys were hauling ass. I took some pictures and video. Pictures are below. Video is at http://www.youtube.com/user/jasonmha I still have more videos to upload, but there are some decent ones there.
The pic above is the men coming slightly downhill before a curve to their right. You could feel the air as they whooshed by. The pix below is a solitary rider.
Here is another rider taking the corner. After the corner the next 2 blocks are slightly uphill. Gotta say that I was right to be worried. There were crashes in the first three races I saw. Two involved a solo rider (still trying to figure out how those happened), one involved multiple riders. All crashes were just after the corner below. I got one on video and will try to upload it.
The next race was the Cat 5 race. Plum didn't get clipped in quick enough, and the pack took off. He probably spent too much energy working to catch up with the pack and had a bad day. But, with a short race like that if you aren't in the pack you aren't catching the pack (unless you are that one pro woman who lapped the pack). Look over there... is it a bird? a plane? Nope, it is Plum in the black/white.
Let's blow that picture up some (thanks to the droid being 8megapixels). Go Jon Go!
I hate to tell Jon, but I make his sunglasses look goooood!
Afterwards we took a stroll through Dothan. Jovan and Baby Gus (Plum's not mine, I swear) kept us company. While looking for a spot to eat, I couldn't help but take this pix. A sign of things to come???
Ok, this is a funny story. Pro women go at it for 1 hour. Right from the start one pro just leaves the pack. Lead keeps getting bigger, bigger, bigger, till when the pack comes around one corner, the leader is already around the next corner. Bigger, bigger, bigger, then BAM -- she lapped the entire field halfway through the race! Then kept going.
One ride managed to hang on. Pictured below is the leader with the second place girl.. who is one lap down. Following up to that, when I was in the SAG wagon on the century (see below), and was telling the story to another rider (a teammate of the girl who finished second), the driver looked back and said, "She must have taken it easy, because she lapped the field three times last year." Holy shit. Then on the century ride the next day, one of the pro girls told my buddy Jon (I had been dropped by this time) "Yeah, we were really hoping that she would be a bitch so we could hate her, but she is the nicest girl and even baked us cookies." See more to the story below. How you like them apples?
Let's take a closer look of that pro woman who won. Amazing!
The men's pro race was simply incredible. 50 laps, maybe 2 riders got dropped. They were hauling ass.
They must have come through the finish at 35+. Simply amazing. The finish is on my youtube page.
Oh yeah, did I mention Dothan has strip clubs?
The Century:
So I was dragging a bit of ass the next morning. Got to the civic center, took our time getting ready, putting on sunscreen, see Two-bikes Boll rolling by, bust out my Gulf Winds Triathletes cycling kit (pimpin), shooting the breeze, when we looked over and the ride was about to start. Hurry over, and we just make it. Like I said, two pro teams were leading the way. Well make that one pro team. Looked like the other pro team found the strip club too.
The ride was a blast. From the start we went decently fast, and I was hanging in. At some point, I thought Jon got dropped. The lead back was booking, kept picking up the pace. A few minutes in the ride the other pro team whizzes up to the front of the pack like we were goin 15 mph. We weren't. So we passed the 20 mile water stop in 44 minutes. I looked down and my hr was 174, and I knew I was in trouble. I managed to hang on a little while longer, but by mile 24 my goose was cooked. About the time I started dropping back from the pack, Jon blew by me trying to catch the pack. I just let him go. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/77054853
I knew it was a long way to go, so I just focused on hydration, nutrition, and saltsticks to recover so I could grind out the miles. Once the pack left, there was nobody. Just. Me. Grinding out the miles. Finally came across a pro with a flat and a sag wagon was with him. I cruised on past him, to see him blow by me, drafting off the wagon at 35+ a few minutes later. Damn! He could have let me jump on... or at least offered while he cruised by.
Finally another cyclist came up on me and I jumped on his wheel. We had actually gotten close to the pack b/c somebody in the lead group turned off on the metric route to the pack had to stop and turnaround. Well, we got close, and the the cyclists noticed me and wanted us to take turns pulling. After a few pulls, I was toast and he was on his way. Never got closer than 50 yards from the pack. Ten or so minutes later, a tri bike and cyclist came up on me and I jumped on their wheel. Hung with them for a few miles and it was soooo good to recover. As we were riding we came upon another pro cyclist with a flat at mile 32.
He yelled something at us, and I decided it was time for me to play the good samaritan (I had just last week seen the clip of Chrissie Wellington flatted at Kona). So I pull over, and at that time a pack of 10 or so cyclists come whizzing by. I didn't know until later that the pack started 14 minutes late, but had the pro woman who won the race the day before. They caught the pack at mile 60. Damn, that is impressive.
So anyway, I make my way across the street to the pro, and he is having trouble getting his tire back on (conti gp 4000 by the look of it, I know b/c I suck at getting those tires on my road bike wheels). He has no map, no gps, no cell phone (and I am about to learn... no co2 or pump). I helped him out and he couldn't get his co2 to work -- empty canister. He is starting to freak out now.
So I bust out one of my canisters and fill his tire up... right when a sag wagon stops and offers use of their pump. Right at the time another pack with Shannon Coates wheels by. I say hi to Shannon, the pro and I empty out my co2 and refill his tire with air. The pro is complaining about his team being in the front back and neither the team nor the pro van stopping for him. So the SAG wagon driver says, "If you wanna throw you bikes in back, I'll give you a lift to the front of the pack." We looked at each other and couldn't get out bikes in the truck fast enough. The pro is saying that the lead group is only a couple of miles up the road. I am thinking 10. While shooting the breeze, we pass Shannon before I can roll down the window and let her know I hitched a ride. I fogot the pros name (Mike? Mitch?), but he was on the green/black team from Albany. Eight miles later, we pass the pro group, jump out of the truck and get back on our bikes and rejoin the lead group. How do I know it was 8 miles? Because I forgot to turn off my Garmin. No wonder my average was over 20.
So we rejoin the group, and I decided -- once again -- to see how long I could hang with the pack. 7.3 miles to be exact before they drop me on a loooong hill. My belly and hills do not mix well. And we were averaging over 25 mph at the time.
So I solo, and actually did pretty well -- slight wind at my back -- knowing that Shannon is behind me and I can jump in their paceline if need be. Made it to the next rest stop (don't know where the second stop was) at mile 60+-. It was a beautiful sight. I am hammering down the road and see a blob waaay down there. As I get closer, I realize it is the lead group and they are stopped. They are all in the road so I initially think there was a crash. Nope, rest stop. I cruise up, casually sitting up to look cool... right when I go over rumble strips. Damnit. At least I didn't fall. Refill water bottles, talk shit with Plum, cram a bananna in my mouth and the group is leaving. Screw that, I am not waiting and take off after them. Chase after them for 1/2 a mile, then... wait for it... hill. Damn. Plum passes me and I just put it on cruise control. Riding solo once again.
At some point I notice a guy on my back wheel, then he passes me on the next hill. Riding solo... enjoying the beautiful country. It really was scenic, nice weather to boot. At some point I can see waaaay down the road what looks to be two riders. Ah-ha. Someone else finally got dropped. So I keep the effort up. A few minutes later -- only one rider is visible. A few mintes later, I think I recognize that black/white pattern. a few (ok, well not a few but at the 82 mile rest stop -- after two big-ass hills) I catch up with Plum at the rest stop. We are both beat but having fun. Jon got dropped around mile 70. I give him props. He had a bad day the day before and really stepped up during the century ride. Even when you average the last 20 miles we rode together, his average for the century was over 25. So I know the pros were moving.
Let me tell you, the 82 mile stop was wonderful. Ice, water, icewater, towels, icetowels. It was where the metric and century rides merged. Oh yeah, food and gatoraid. I was wearing my DeSoto Skincoolers (arms), and drenched them in ice water. Man that felt so good for the next 20 minutes. They told us that the next stop was in 14 miles, and from there it was 8 (eight) miles to the finish. When I mentioned dreading the last 20 miles (just b/c they were the last 20 miles), the lady at the rest stop looked at me and said "So you rode this last year?" I looked at her and said "no." She just said, "oh, ok." I knew than that the last 20 were going to suck.
The last 20 miles sucked. Hills, with more hills. Not up and downhills, but up and up and a little down and more up and uphill. Plum ate the hills up, and as I knew, he hated seeing people in front of him. So ever single freaking metric rider in front of us that he saw... he took off and hawked them down. Funny story -- he passed two girls going uphill and commented to one girl.. she looked at him, her front tire hit the back tire of the girl in front of her... you do the math. Nobody was hurt but she jumped off that bike pretty dang quickly. I pointed out to Plum that she had speedplay pedals, and that if he had such he would have done better in the crit the day before. $20 says Plum has speed play pedals by next weekend.
So Plum and I make it to the next stop. Bunch of high schoolers cheering us on. They ask my number and I turn around and show it to them. They ask the same of Plum and bust out in cheers. One of the girls had picked his number and won some kind of prize. That or they were just really happy to see Plum. I was so tired it could have been either/or. So they tell us 9.3 miles to the finish. I recall the previous stop saying it would be 8 and pointed that out. Turns out the previous stop was wrong. I was just hoping to get to the finish and not have them tell me I had to go three more blocks.
Last 8 mi.. I mean 9.3 miles were tough b/c everything is hurting and you know you are almost there. But we made it. My Garmin said 102.84, so subtracting the 8 I hitched a ride on, I came out at 94 miles. Longest ride to day by about a mile. I'll take it.
Moes at the finish line. Shade. Shannon rolls in. Boll rolls in. Glad they made it. Turns out, I think Shannon said she was checking to see if I made it to a rest stop, so I hated not being able to yell out as I was passing by the SAG wagon. Hope I didn't cause her to wait any. One really cool thing about the ride -- the civic center was opened up and we were allowed to use the dressing rooms. So we had private suites that actors use when putting on plays -- couches, private bathrooms and private showers, etc. Man, that really was a nice touch.
So next year I plan on doing the ride again. Maybe this time I will do the crit the day before. Plum is already talking about me doing a two-day bike race in Ocala on June 11-12. http://www.floridacycling.com/flyers/ocalaSR11.pdf I'm gonna have to think about that.
All in all, I was very happy with the ride. As much as I sucked compared to real cyclists, I am so much stronger on the bike than this time last year. I haven't ridden my road bike in months and I was able to hammer out some good speed on it. Ignore the background kinds -- guns and alcohol do not mix. Neither does golf and alcohol, if you want to break 100.
Since I am posting a pix of my road bike I feel somewhat obligated to post a pix of my tri bike.
It is Monday night as I am typing this. I was so exhausted yesterday that I didn't have it in me. So hopefully tomorrow I will be recharged slightly b/c today it was about all I could do to just sit around my desk and peck away at some things. Think I am a little overtrained and need to switch from base to speedwork for a few weeks. See if I can peak my bike at Gulf Coast, recover for a few weeks and then start it up for real for IM Augusta and IMFL. Next post will be back to my regular training schedule. Sat -- Red Hills Sprint Triathlon -- the toughest sprint in Florida.
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