Last Weekend's Race Report

photo courtesy of Athletespath.com


A few years back I was re-hab'ing after getting run over by Cadillac Jack and did the weekly Mt. Tabor series in the 3's. I had some really good days and some really bad days. I was wildly inconsistent. Midway through the series was the weekend version of the race. The Saturday race is much longer but the course has always suited me and the added laps more so as well. I was optimistic but as mentioned earlier, I was wildly inconsistent day to day.

Midway through the race I was comfortably near the front and never stressed up the hill. The sprint over the top, through the hair-pin was just an exercise in getting out of the saddle to stay loose. I was optimistic. I'm not often a real positive thinker in bike races. Bike racing is cruel and rarely just.

Some friends stopped warming up for their race as they watched. They were happy that I was back on the bike after taking such a licking from American Steel. They cheered for me and motivated me. But about that time, as the lap board counted down the legs failed me. I had nothing left and in frustration dropped out, pulling off the course with 2 or 3 laps to go.

I retrieved my jacket, leg warmers and a fresh bottle then turned away from the park to ride easy and contemplate my failure having lost complete sight of the bigger picture. The fact that I was racing again after having been run down by an old man in an El Dorado in a hurry to get his lawn mower blade sharpened.

Waiting for me at the course exit point were a handful of friends. They rode with me and reminded me that the race itself is less important than the time spent with one's friends.

Fast forward 5 years to another rehab, another first road race in a long while and I find myself off the back of a Masters 40+ race over the first big climb of the course. Fifteen miles in to a 60-mile race. I get over the top and watch a group of other not-so-fit-old-guys start to work together in an effort to chase back on to the group. My heart is in my mouth and I'm content to sit on the back, not contributing until I was sure I wouldn't barf. While sitting there I notice the numbers on each riders jersey and the ribbon differentiating the 50+ guys from the 40-49 year olds. I figure I am the youngest guy in the group and I'm barely hanging on!

A few miles pass and I start to take my turns on the front. Our group is working fairly well together and we catch another couple of riders who got popped out of the main bunch. By the end of the next lap most of this laughing group has decided to peel off and head back to their cars. I made the decision to stay in and keep chasing nothing as by this time the race is far out of sight. With me is one guy who says it's his 50th birthday and he just wanted to get a good day in because all he does otherwise is commute the same route to work and home each day.

So we soldiered on. Another 20-miles catching guys left behind by the race proper. This guy Joe and I doing the bulk of the pace making while others sat in to recover before eventually taking their turns. As we approached the finish hill, guys in the group started sizing each other up as if we were the leaders racing for the win. We were at best going to be sprinting for 50th place in the combined age-group field, likely 20-minutes behind the winner. I stood up as the sprint started, both legs cramped and I sat back down and watched grown men race each other for absolutely nothing.

Joe "won" the bunch sprint. He said the big guy in Orange almost had him but faded as the line approached. He rode back to the parking lot with me and said how great it was to "win" the sprint on his birthday.

I took 2nd by a tire in a 3 up sprint in a criterium on my 21st birthday. That was bitter-sweet. My mom got a picture of it. Go figure. But I can't imagine being so stoked to ultimately get 17th out of 20 in a race where the common thread of discussion is retirement. Regardless, Joe had a good day. Should I decide to do another road race in the near future, I look forward to getting dropped with my new friend Joe.

As for my placement? I was misplaced as 8th in the cat 3's until that was sorted and corrected. At which point the officials simply deleted me. At least I didn't DNF.