Saturday, March 26, 2016, Copperopolis Road Race, Master 55+ cat 123

Result

16 of 25 

Weather

70°, sunny, light 7mph WNW breeze


Course

2 laps for a total of 44 miles. Fair to terrible pavement with many small exposed potholes. A 2.2 mile, average 5.5% climb with 13% pitches, early in each lap, ascending a lumpy ridge to a high, relatively flat, exposed valley. At the east end of the valley, the course turns roughly west, into the wind, then back over a shorter climb, followed by a 2.5-mile descent, then 2.5 miles to the beginning of the next lap. On this bumpy course I use much lower tire pressure in my clinchers (yes tubeless or sew-ups would be ideal, but I ride on what I can afford), 73 psi front, 87 psi rear gave my 135-pound carcasss the comfort and traction needed to negotiate the rough road.


My Race

Of my seven races this season, this was only my third road race (the others were 3 cat 3/4 criteriums and one masters 55+123 hill-climb time trial). On the eve of the race, knowing I would be the lone rider from my team, Hans Gouwens (cat 2, Thirsty Bear p/b Akamai) called to fill me in on his team’s plan for this race. They were going to work over Jon Ornstil (cat 3, Hammer Nutrition), who was expected to drive the pace on all climbs. Hans tipped me off to be ready to go along with him as he marks Jon’s move(s) if I wanted to have a chance of not missing the selection for the front group.

On the first ascent of the long climb that begins early in each lap, I moved up onto Hans’ wheel. Jon was setting the sub-ten-minute pace for the 2.2 mile climb. I was third wheel. As usual, Calvin Edman (cat 3, Team City) moved up to spark up the pace, next to Jon. This caused Jon to push the pace into my red zone. My strong climbing in cat 4 races was proving to be less than adequate for this group. About 500 meters from the crest, I had to slide back several positions. Immediately the group split in two, with seven or eight in the lead (Jon & Hans). I was cracking. a few more of the remaining riders passed, then I heard the moto better:-/, which means I was at the back. The chase group, about 9 or ten riders was strung out, but would crest together. from just behind on my left I could also hear Larry Nolan’s (cat 1, Specialized Masters Racing) loud gasping getting louder as used decades of determination to turn himself inside out to latch on before the group topped out.

I knew also that as painful as it is to find power to stay connected here on the climb, it will be much worse chasing alone, exposed on the valley’s flat roads, but I was unable to hitch onto Larry. I crested twenty seconds late (my Strava data estimates that I was chasing in zone 4 for 66 minutes of this 2-plus hour race).

For the rest of this lap I could see the chase group 20, 30, then 55 seconds ahead of me, in the wide flat valley. By the start of the long descent that leads back to the start/finish, they were out of sight. I rode the remaining lap alone, always staying ahead of three others from our race who were shed much earlier on that first climb. Six more did not place. Hans, with his ability to lash out with multiple, fierce attacks, soloed late in lap 2 for the win.

By the race end, I was a good eight minutes behind the leaders, and six minutes behind the strung out chase. I hope soon to share reports from races at this level that are more than descriptions of hard, solo “training rides.”

Observations and Hopes

As I expected, the transition from masters category 4 to 3, is shocking. No surprise either that It’s eye-opening, physically demanding, and (I’m afraid at this point) discouraging. I’m once again racing with guys I remember from my 1985-1987 seasons, but recognizing the difference between their experience that came with developing through the elite field, compared to my development only through the masters field (after a 27-year break). But I’m still excited about each race.

In 2015 I loved racing with this large, organized team (in fact I delayed my option to upgrade in order to gain a full season of experience fulfilling different roles in races with a team), but by summer, podiums for me felt like experiences denied to others in my team and in the rest of the cat 4 field.

Understandably, the number of actively racing masters cat 3 and higher members on my team is low, and by having my helmet handed to me so far when competing against the 55+123 field, I’m not a stellar inspiration… yet. I’m excited to keep hammering on my one set of alloy clinchers (though I’m attempting to resurrect a pair of old US Postal Team Bontrager race x-lite alloy tubulars that a friend donated to my efforts), getting to know the who’s who in the 123 field, and work connections in the peloton, begin finishing with the pack and then be joined by more of my teammates later this season.