Page Valley Road Race

Posted by Dan on 10. August 2009 23:43

I'm writing this post now, without official results or pictures, because I'd prefer to get this race behind me and not think of it anymore. This was a miserable one.

Kyle, Wick and I converged in Stanley, VA for the 2009 Senior Championship Road Race. Kyle did the 1/2/3 race and Wick and I did the 4.

This was my late season A race when setting up my TrainingPeaks plan, so I really wanted to do well. However, that was not going to happen. On Saturday morning, I woke up and noticed I'd developed a sore throat. That quickly turned into your garden variety cold, mainly runny nose and cough. I did an hour and a half easy ride with 8 sprint intervals to test the waters and did OK, though the chest was a little sore. The next morning, the symptoms seemed to be better. To be safe, I loaded up on vitamins, Tylenol and anything else that would help keep the symptoms at bay long enough to land a top 10 finish. After that, I could turn into a puddle of disease in the van. One of those drugs was Bendadryl so Lydia drove to Stanley while I slept. When I woke up, we stopped at a 7-11 for my pre-race meal which consisted of a non-drowsy Claritin and a blueberry muffin. The muffin didn't sit well so I had a banana.

The weather report predicted high 80s with a 9 mph WNW wind developing in the late afternoon. Our race was at 3:00 so I figured I'd use that wind as a crosswind on the flat section to get away. I wouldn't try too hard as there was a climb waiting at the end of it and I'd need some power to motor over it. After that, I'd be out of sight and I could TT it to the line. Perfect plan, except that it was 100 degrees and my HEED was making me sick so I didn't drink. My plan quickly shifted to "hang on and work those hills while the others slip off the back." There's no shame in being last in the main field.

At the start, we were told our race was shortened to 4 laps instead of 5 because of the heat. The feed zone was open from lap 1 with neutral water. 100 left the staging area and made our way to the course. I imagined the first lap would be fast, then the lead group would realize what they were up against and slow it down a little. I didn't hang around long enough to find out.

The first lap was fine, and the group stayed together fairly well. I'm sure there were a few off the back after the first climb but I was looking back. Wick got on the front and stayed there. He was riding really well and finishing with the lead group was definitely in the cards for him. I lost contact at the summit of the second climb, which would be the finish line in 3 more laps, but quickly caught them, descending at 50 mph. Once back on, I wriggled into the 2nd third of the group and commenced coasting again in preparation for the next climb. This is where I started getting concerned. My power output was reading between 100 and 150 watts when working, which I wasn't doing all that often. We coasted a LOT on the flat section. My heart rate, on the other hand, was reading 175+ which is very close to my max of 181. It became pretty clear that when we hit that hill, I'd need to put out 400 watts to hang on and I was already beyond redline. My race was over. I waited to make the corner then sat up and let the guys behind me ride around. I shifted down and made my way to the finish line alone so I could resign. It was a hard decision made harder by passing people on my way to resign.

From the vantage point of a spectator, I saw Wick come through on the third lap, still riding at the front and looking strong if not in dire need of water. He tossed his empties and took on fresh water, thanks to Lydia who did an awesome job as the team's soigneur. The field was down to two dozen or so with a mess of stragglers. The next lap would be the money lap. After everyone was fed and watered, the mob moved up to the finish line to watch the spectacle. Lydia and I stayed where we were, about 200 meters from the finish. She was getting pictures and I couldn't move. We watched as the final sprint unfolded. Wick ended up in 12th or 13th 14th place.

This was another awesome race in a series of great road races. I'm thoroughly enjoying these but wish we had more hills so I wouldn't have to drive hundreds of miles. I feel my chances were robbed by the rhinovirus, so I'm going to take a pass on the local Chesapeake Crit and accompany Kyle and Wick to Millersburg, PA for the Tour de Millersburg stage race this coming weekend. If I can shake the bug, the three of us should leave with at least a few upgrade points.

Pictures and results will be posted later.