This past weekend, myself and several FGX Racing teammates headed over to Bethel CT to compete in the Spring Series Ronde de Bethel race. Last year, in a previous life FGX Racing (then known as Teany) took the yellow jersey in Cat 4 the first weekend and defended the entire series. Needless to say, our director would like to do well again this year, this time in both the Cat 4 as well as the Cat 3/4 race series. Thus, it was time to open my race account back on home turf...err, sort of. After only two years here, I don't feel like I have much home turf just yet haha.
I arrived in Bethel and happened to notice the diner that the team meets at after the 4 race for a lunch break prior to the 3/4 race. On a whim, I headed in and sure enough there was a table full of teammates. Turns out that Josh had won the Cat 4 race with the help and protection of several teammates. Needless to say, there were smiles all around. After a quick chat, I headed off to the race location in what I would describe as an office park. Here's a pretty good video that gives you an idea of what the course looks like...
The race is sort of like a crit but not quite. On the way over to registration, Harry and I ran into Etsu (team director and fellow Cat 3 racer) and Darius (one of our Cat 3 sprinters). After a brief chat, I asked who was doing the 1/2/3 race following the 3/4 race. Darius was in and therefore so was I. You are going to learn there is a little bit of trash talk between Darius and I so clearly I had to do the 1/2/3 race. So $37 later I was registered and they handed me two numbers. This is going to be interesting, two back to back races with the second being a 1/2/3 race!
First things first, the 3/4 race. We had a quick team meeting in which the director pointed out several potential threats that we needed to keep an eye on and discussed a little strategy. My job for the day was to keep the moves covered and even head off in a break if I felt good. Soon enough we were underway and 2 laps into the 30 lap race, one of the major threats puts in a big acceleration and was off the front. I jump and bridged the gap rather quickly and sat his wheel. I wasn't about to go in a break with a...correction, the known strongman on lap 2 having no clear understanding of how the legs were going. Once he saw I was not going to help he sat up and we drifted back to the peloton within a lap. As the race unfolded, Harry and myself took turns covering moves with Harry even getting into a brief break. The field seemingly didn't want anyone off the front and those that did manage to get away died off after a few laps. Bethel is know for hard, fast races and wind. While the wind wasn't outright hard, it was tough on the back stretch leading into the finish hill. It doesn't take much wind at nearly 30mph to make it extremely difficult to stay off the front. I covered a few more moves through the race but the hard efforts were taking their toll on my legs. There were many accelerations up the hill requiring big wattage to hold position. While the climb is short, it is important to realize where I am in my training. Currently I am wrapping up the threshold period and about to start the race preparation period. That means I have yet to train for the hard, short, repetitive efforts in a crit like race. Toward the end of the race, the big efforts had set my match book ablaze and the legs were now heavy. I fought through the final laps and ended up in good position on the last lap heading down the back stretch toward the finishing sprint up the hill. Josh (the Cat 4 winner) came hammering through on my right with Darius in tow. Shortly after they snuck up the right side, there was a commotion up ahead and the rider in front of me grabber some serious brake instantaneously causing me to overlap wheels...and then he swerved directly into my front wheel, full on major wheel to wheel contact. I barely had a chance to react which basically amounted to adjusting my balance. Luckily the guy in front resumed a straight line once he felt the contact and I rode it out playing my own little game of 8 seconds. OK, maybe it was more like 2 seconds but I stayed upright! I immediately jumped as the right side opened up mostly due to our contact I believe...none the less, I now had a gap to close to be in the running. I kicked hard because I had no choice and quickly closed the gap. As I eased up, the sprint went and I immediately kicked again. This time the legs protested quite a bit more and my jump was more like a hop. I hammered out the climb as best I could with now dead legs and finished 19th in a field of nearly 100. I can't complain, my job was done with 5 laps to go by keeping our boys in the running for the win. Darius ended up taking second so I guess my efforts paid off. That being said, I don't think the field is ever going to let anyone get away and we might have been a little anxious to be involved. Additionally, I learned that Bethel is definitely a power rider's race. It takes huge power to be off the front at those speeds. After a brief post race chat and congrats, I headed off to re-pin my number, switch bottles, and eat a little before the 1/2/3 race.
Both Darius and I lined up toward the back of the 1/2/3 race, using it more for training than anything. Since it was just the two of us and we had no ambitions to try anything, I was free to ride however I pleased. And sitting in was the plan. Was being the key word. Soon enough the race was underway and I hid at the back quite literally. Within a couple laps, I began to marvel how much smoother the 1/2/3 field was compared to the 3/4 field. As the first 10-15 laps clicked off, I noticed Darius was no longer at the back. And then I saw him...off the front! What the heck? Well about a lap or two later, here comes Darius back through the field as if he were dragging a boat anchor. A big boat anchor. Like Titanic big haha. Somewhere around lap 25, I began to move up the peloton and before I knew it I was riding in the top ten riders. I wasn't really a planned move. I felt good and I made up ground each time up the hill. Oh, that reminds me...another big difference in the 1/2/3s, that damn little hill. In the 3/4 race, we hit it hard for the first 5 laps or so and then everything settled down outside of the random surges from time to time. In the 1/2/3s, we hit it hard every single fricking lap! Like 550-600 watts hard. I think there were only 2 laps where I only saw 400+ watts max. Amazingly, I was feeling better and better. Funny how much better I am at steady riding right now (well, minus the hill). No surprise give where I am in training. As the race wore on, I knew I needed to eat. I managed to eat some cliff shot blocks but I think it took me something like 5 laps to eat them all. Even then, I didn't really have any blood flow to my head which made chewing tough...not to mention thinking clearly (hey, maybe I can finish top ten in this thing...). So a chew or two and a hard swallow became the method of choice. Hey, it's tough to eat in a busy crit like race. Even with a little more food in my system, I was weary that my legs would hold. But since I felt good, I rode near the front. With about 10 laps to go, the teeth started to come out up the climb and my legs were going dead. I'm not sure if it was fatigue or simply a lack of calories but my bet is a little of both. There was also a bit of dizziness sensation setting in as I approached 76 laps total for the day. Right turn, right turn, right turn, slight left, right turn, right turn, and on and on. Quite mesmerizing. None the less, I fought hard the last 10 laps and with three to go the pace really picked up. I began to slide backward and things started to get a little argy bargy as I nearly got pinned to the curb at one point. I managed to limit the damage and came into the final lap and actually made a little ground back up. I was in a reasonable place for the sprint...assuming I had one left in me. As we hit the base of the hill, I let it rip but it turned out to be more like a minor tear, there just wasn't anything more left in the legs. I half sat up with about 10 meters to go and finished 27th out of another big field of 80+. Considering the back to back races, I'll take it. I was close to making it a good finish in a very tough field.
I talked with Darius and Etsu, only to learn that Darius went off the front to screw with an old teammate who had broken away. He then promptly blew up and dropped out of the race on lap 17. I told him next time he says he is racing the 1/2/3s with me, he has to finish! After a few minutes, we all headed for the cars and the big city. I was pretty trashed leg wise but still felt reasonably good despite being tired. Monday brought a little soreness and stiffness, no surprise there. But hey, it was great training and great race experience in a style of race that isn't my forte. So yes, of course I'm doing both races again this coming Sunday haha. Amazing how quickly you forget the pain...
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