Posted by Dan on 23. March 2010 05:24
I'm writing this on Monday evening, a full two days after 540Cycling's Vint Hill Classic held in Warrenton. Since then, I've had the pleasure of reading several blog posts from riders in the various races. While most attendees claimed this was their first race of 2010, I almost feel ashamed to admit this was my 6th, maybe 7th. So we'll strike the "first race" excuse off my list of reasons why I didn't rob some Cat 3 of their Pants Points.
Maybe it was my strong desire to NOT get on the road at 4:30 AM to make the start time of 9:15 or maybe I wanted to perform well in the Cat 3/4 race. Whatever the reason, I passed on the 4/5 race and signed up for only the one. Wick was to join me, but we all know what happened there. He graciously let Mike Shipp take his spot so I wouldn't feel completely alone in a field of 81 other riders. Mike and I ventured north to meet up with Frank, Justin and Adam, all of whom would be competing in the Cat 4/5 race at 9:15.
Frank recently upgraded to Cat 4 and was looking forward to his first mass start as such. Justin is hot off a streak of fantastic results, including two wins and a second place in his last three races. Adam was happy to check off the Race #2 box on his list of 10 Mass Starts. The latter two were both on the wait list so the mere fact they both got in had nothing to do with devine intervention and more to do with a promoter who was willing to take one for the lowly 4s and 5s. To that promoter who was most certainly chewed out by an irritated ref after the race, we salute you.
By the time we arrived on-scene, their race was long over. Justin and Adam had hitched up the wagons and headed south to Richmond, while Frank lingered to photograph the remaining races. Frank told stories of a high-speed through the wind, around three corners and up a small hill. A great deal of sketchiness and an exploding rear derailleur made the highlights reel. Read more about the 4/5 race here.
Mike and I readied ourselves for the Cat 3/4 race, aka the Inaugural 2010 Cat 3 GamJams Cup. Anytime there are pants on the line, you know it's going to be fast. 82 or so riders took to the line after a single warm-up lap. Matt Latyszonek (Fat Frogs) chatted our way around the course, talking about how cool those pants were gonna be when we rounded the final turn and found 80 other guys already on the line. Cool. Charlie Brown's teacher mumbled some sort of instructions and we were racing. Moving up was a chore. Narrow backstretch, wind and 81 other riders made it a wee bit difficult to deposit oneself on the front. From my vantage point, I saw no one solo off the front, or anything elsef or that matter. After six or seven laps, I was eccstatic to find myself near the top 10, but it didn't last.
Two riders - GamJams and NCVC - were dangling off the front so I bridged up. I drove way too far to sit in for an hour. We took a few good pulls, redlining the whole time. Unfortunately, I was the weak link in our break of three. After two laps, I couldn't pull through and we were caught just after the hill. I cautiously allowed 20 riders or so go by so I could sit mid-pack and recover. After half a lap, I heard the moto-ref just behind me.
So now we've got five to go and we're all getting antsy. I'd move up, lose a few wheels, reclaim them and be on the back again. Funny how that worked. On the bell lap, I surprised myself with the speed at which I tackled the final climb and was nearing 38mph when the guy to my left said, "Don't worry about. Don't go." Thanks to him, I was NOT the guy who sprinted for 18th. I wound up with 24th. Mike took 51st.
After the race, I remarked how fast this race was. After looking at the numbers, it wasn't. 25.6 mph was the average speed for 47 minutes. Average power was 243, normalized power was 290. And there you have it. It felt fast because I spent 45 minutes sprinting out of every corner just to hang on.
Mike wasn't as fortunate. He slipped off the back after 10 laps or so and went into training mode. He briefly considered jumping on the pack as we blazed by, but ultimately decided not to. He crossed the line in 51st place.
Jeff Cup this weekend. I believe this will be the first Cat 4-only race of the season. For weening purposes, I'll be doing the 35+ Cat 3/4 race too.