Wente Vineyards Classic Road Race - April 26, 2014

 

Event	Wente Vineyards Classic Road Race
Date	04/26/14
Group	45+ cat 4/5
Bib #	832
Result	4th of 65
Course	This course is 3-plus laps of loop through the rugged hills on the eastern edge of Livermore, California, for around 4300 ft of total climbing. It's... well… windy… but the presence of thousands of electricity-generating wind turbines on the surrounding ridge tops foretold that. Total distance for our group was about 45 miles.

Details of Race

I got up at 4:40 am, yet I was ultimately about 10 minutes late getting to the race. I usually like to plan my arrival for 90 min. prior to my heat, to allow for sign-in, number pinning, eating, agonizing about my wardrobe and warmup. Our heat started at 8:30 a.m. With 65 riders. Rolling north on Greenville Rd., the pace was relaxed. I kept my eyes peeled for any breakaway attempts that can, I hear, happen on the first climb, which begins at mile 3. With so many of us fanned out across the road, and me half of the way back in the pack, I couldn’t have controlled anything up there anyway. Those first 3 miles are fairly flat, averaging maybe 2%. Turning right (east) on Altamont Pass Rd., we're pushed by a lovely tailwind from the west. We hit the first climb after turning onto Flynn Rd. This takes us past the finish for the first of four times. I pre-rode the course 2 weeks ago to get a feel for this. The pack stayed unified during this initial 350 ft climb which averages 5.1% but has a 13% section as well as a tough 8.5% slog. The grade eases as you approach the finish line (I wish I’d remembered that later). Passing the finish, there’s a false summit as we pass over interstate 580. I didn’t see it happen, but Mark Johnson (LuxVue-SunPower Racing) attacked off the front here, joined by fellow San Rafaelian, Jim Forester (Cushman Wakefield Racing) and stayed away for the rest of the race. I ran into Jim several days later and he told me that Johnson dropped him later on that lap. Jim forged onward solo, but was absorbed by our group during the end of the final lap. He must’ve been working pretty hard out there alone. Everything that follows mentions “leaders” or “lead group” but this is where my head was at for the race, so I'll continue with the charade for now. After crossing over i580, we climb another 250 ft. over 1.6 miles.We’re all together through this. Lap 2 was a duplicate of lap 1. Then on lap 3 the climb up Flynn produced a gap. I had to really bury myself to hook onto the lead group of 12 or so as they began ascending after crossing 580. I gave a free ticket to 2 other riders while bridging. In the group there was testy chatter, like to “Let’s go!’ as we each glanced back to see a 200 meter gap to our nearest chasers. Once we negotiated the roller coaster back through the valleys to Greenville Rd., we overtook some stragglers from other heats. Descending at speed was much easier and faster without a full pack. Once on Greenville for the final time, we had about 20 or so riders in our “lead” group. To avoid the cramping I experienced during last Saturday's Copperopolis road race, I used every opportunity to hide in the pack. On Greenville this was particularly beneficial due to the strong crosswind. I barely had to work from the fast descent through the flats, sheltered in the group, sticking to the right side. I relaxed my upper body, stretched each hamstring several times, drank the rest of my fluids, ate and kept an eye out for a move. Just before the 580 underpass, a guy attacked on the front, but not hard enough to create a gap. I don’t know what he was working so hard for. He just stayed out front and we had a free ride going on the gradual upgrade eastbound on Altamont Pass Rd. About halfway to Flynn, where the climb begins in earnest, he sat up and dropped to the back. We shrugged and thanked him for the pull. As the grade increased, I sat in the front 10, watching for moves on the climb. I didn’t want to hammer too hard if I didn’t have to. A couple of individuals tried pushing the pace, but they fizzled. Attrition put me in the front 3 or 4, so I tried to be careful not to pull too many wheel-suckers, but it was hard to listen for their tires, shifts and breath over my own. As the grade begins to ease from 13% to 8% I could sense that only 5 of us would contest the sprint. Just before the grade eased to 3 or 4 percent, I dumped it down a gear or two and hammered. With 150m to go, this was a bit too soon for an uphill sprint, but I risked it. 3 guys got on my wheel. One shot past fast, the other two were neck & neck with me.  One just edged me out by a bike length and I held off the third. I “whoop”ed at the line like I’d won. I was so happy to finally place well in a cat 4 race. And of course at this point I thought I had third place. As I congratulated “first place” guy, Jay Parkhill (Team Roaring Mouse), he informed me that we were sprinting for 2nd. Oh well… 4th is still great. I earned 4 upgrade points. I won a t-shirt and a bottle of Wente Vineyards Chardonnay. Very happy indeed.

Advice	The rider who got away spent an awful lot of time solo. I'm sure the hills helped keep the peloton from building up too much momentum. The descents are slowed by the peloton as well, so going solo can give further advantage here. If the weather is warmer than 70°, you'll probably need more than 2 bottles for hydration. A person in the feed zone would be handy. I was lucky this time because it was barely 65° so I consumed 1 bottle per lap, which was just right. If the group is together on the final approach to the finish, try to sit in near the front 10 or 12 and coast. Stretch anything that's been threatening to cramp, breath deep, have a drink and keep an eye out for attacks.
Links	Results	http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2014&id=1202&info_id=76234
	Strava	http://www.strava.com/activities/134526491