Sleepy Hole Smackdown Race Report

Posted by Dan on 23. March 2009 06:08

Two words: Today was really a decent day for a bike race. The forecast was calling for a high of 57, partly cloudly with light and variable winds. I walked out to get teh paper this morning and it was 35. By 10:20, it'd warmed up to mid to upper 40s and was only getting warmer. Winds were about 4 mph coming in from the wind.

There were roughly 30 or so riders in the Cat 4 race which was to last 60 minutes or roughly 40 laps of the 0.5 mile course. Two relatively tight turns kept the pace under control.

Just before the halfway point of the race, a solo rider went off the front. The pack slowed slighly while his teammates blocked a bit, but no one showed any concern. Within two laps or so, the rider was back in the pack explaining what happened. 10 minutes later, a group of 3 went off the front and were quickly joined by a fourth. This group looked a bit more capable and when the blocking started in, I thought about how nice it'd be to be up there with those four who probably weren't blocking anyone. I made a mad dash to close the gap and did so, inadertently taking the main field with me. Who knew? That was the last of the heroic efforts for the day which left us with a nice bunch sprint. A few laps before that could happen, the only crash occurred on the back stretch. I was a bike length ahead of the guy on the opposite side of the road, but I understand there was some handlebar bumping, a slight correction to the right and a blown front tire that made an alarming boom that I initially thought may have been from a 12-guage in bushes. When the field had passed, he popped up, crossed the road and laid down. He seemed to be doing alright after the race and his bike was promptly repaired.

Coming around the last corner, the pack exploded. Position going into the final turn was critical on this one seeing as the course was not exceptionally wide and immediately curved to the left. I put in an enjoyable sprint, finishing 7th. Not bad considering I was mid-pack coming around the last turn.

Thanks to Steve for coming out and showing his support and to Lydia for photographing the race. Check the flickr site for photos after they've been downloaded from the camera.

For the data junkies:
Duration: 59:51.00
Work: 1011 kJ
Distance: 23.998 mi
Avg. Power: 282 watts
Max. Power: 1096 watts
Avg. HR: 168 bpm
Max. HR: 186 bpm
Avg. Speed: 24.1 mph
Max. Speed: 33.7 mph
Avg. Pace: 2:30 min/mi.