If I wasn't injured I would consider it

Here is my account but I'm hoping Rich and Erik post their perspectives too. No spoilers, but Erik crushed it pretty handily every damn day. 

Yikes, not a whole lot of stuff to report from my end this weekend. After having good stint of training, I got a nasty cold that lingered for a bit and forced me to take some down time. I was hoping to just be extra-tapered coming into the race but extra-tapered translated into a lack of fitness pretty quickly lol. 

Day 1, I got popped on the first KOM. I chased on my own for a few miles and then Rich and 2 other racers caught up. We chased pretty efficiently together but couldn't make up the gap that already formed. We learned later that we were about 2 minutes off of the peloton. Then, a cop pointed us right when we should have turned left. We continued for about 5mi before asking someone on the side of the road at a yard sale if we were going the right way. Turns out, we were not. We rode back to the finish with ~52mi covered (the stage was supposed to be 38mi i believe). We were obv well beyond the time cut but after some explanation, we were promised a spot on the starting line for stage 2. We found out later that they gave us the same time as the last finisher. This would have been great, had the last finisher not been ~8 minutes behind our group. So basically, GC position donezo for Rich and I. I didn't expect much after not showing much form on day 1, but being down 2 minutes would have felt better going into stage 2. 

Stage 2, I was happy to hang on comfortably for the first baby-climb and then surf for the next 20-something mile gradual decent. I hung on for the first significant climb as long as I could but was out the back shortly after. Luckily, I was with a pretty big group of lads (deemed by Rich as the Thicc Bois) and we rode together for the rest of the route until the last climb. The last climb was pretty brutal but I was happy to make it up and even pass one or 2 stragglers from the front group. On the final steep bits, I became the Human Cramp but hobbled across the line relatively alive. 

Stage 3 was the sort of "do what ya can TT". I had some fun getting back on the TT bike from my Tri-Guy days and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn't post a super fast time as I was pretty smashed from the previous days, but I think I paced it as good as I could have (by Stava's metrics, I averaged 293w and had a NP of 294w) considering there was some flats and climbs. This was my first TT and I think I'd like to try a few more in the future. 

Overall, I'm pretty bummed with how the weekend went performance-wise but I had fun and I'm happy I went. Next year, I'd like to come back with some more fitness and work to get Erik that green jersey. I'm hoping this will be a bit of a fitness boost for the rest of the local season.

Stage races are no joke. People show up in raging good form. Knocking on top 10 doors in most one day hilly races is no guarantee of coming close to top 10 gc.

wrong turns hurt you in the soul. Sorry to hear about that.

This was a beautiful and hard weekend. Delved into my big bag of excuses and decided on the following...

• Grand Fondo on Sunday was not an ideal taper
• Long drive up on Friday night was not great prep
• Gas station pre race diet was not the pre race nutrition of winners

However the main aspect of this race that made it a tough couple of days is not having enough done enough training at intensity on the hills and going way to hard at the Grand Fondo. In hindsight I would have much rather been fresh for this race as not having good feelings in the legs was a bad way to start 3 days of racing....

Stage 1 was a bit of bust - going from 2 minutes off the back to 10 minutes was super annoying but what was more annoying was that I felt much better/stronger on lap 2 of the course than lap 1 - which meant that the race had gone before I had even woken up. Doing the extra 14 miles was really not needed.

Stage 2 kicked off with some spirited riding from the start, which when you are riding on the coattails of the back markers is quite annoying. Saved my biggest effort of the day for the first climb as I knew that if I could hang on to the main group then I could probably make it 50% through the stage in the bunch. The feelings were not great but I emerged from the struggle to catch the back markers and take my place with the other thic bois. The next 40km was a really nice fast ride in a big group with everyone else doing the work on the front whilst I sat at the back. Ideal. However all good things must end, and so did my free ride through the beautiful Vermont countryside. As the road kicked up on the second climb, I went out the back. The next 50km was a solo effort, only to be  interrupted by sneaking into the Masters lead group for another fast paceline along the valley floor (inclusive of an enjoyable gravel climb and descent). The last climb up to the ski resort reminded me of going up Joux Plane in Morzine, in parts horrendously steep and always uncomfortable but fantastically enjoyable once finished. 

Stage 3 - good fun but had nothing in the tank, looking at the results it was actually my best stage by far which is nice but didn't mean too much in the overall scheme of things.

Overall - I would recommend this race to anyone and everyone. The route is a challenge, but the scenery, organisation and sense of achievement really makes it worth the drive up. If I can be there next year I absolutely will be. If you are not sure that this is the race for you, I would definitely come up anyway and spend time on the roads up here as they are well maintained, wide, and traffic light. The bonus is the alpine landscapes, convenient accommodation and high quality beer available for afterwards (my favorite was a local micro brewery which sold something called "Coors Light" - highly recommend 13/11).

Thanks to Erik, Rob and John (also Tess but she isn't on here) for a great weekend! 

Ah I was secretly waiting for Rob and Rich to guilt trip me into writing an essay.  I'll start with some excuses that only @RichardCornetta is properly aware of - about three weeks ago I was practicing my wheelies in CP.  Hucked one a bit too far and didn't quite hit the back break in time.  Result - falling flat on my ass clipped in and all like a total jackass.  Torn bib with pins and needles, I was convinced I broke my sacrum / tailbone and even backed out of the Bear Mountain race as a result of the severe bruising (pics avail upon request).

Guess I heal quick so BRING ON KSR 2019.  Felt well rested considering I laid off the bike for a while due to being a moron.  Saturday was the circuit race consisting of two 18 mile laps with an incline finish up route 4.  I felt fresh and was in great position for Sprint #1 after the KOM.  I hopped on the Rapha lead out and was top 5 for the sprint only to learn that dumb Erik had violated the centerline rule.  -30 for me and zero points (they should open both lanes for the sprint since they stop traffic regardless).  My heart rate also hit 203 on that sprint so I wasn't really weary by any means... Finished stage one in a bunch sprint (20 something out of 60).

Stage TWO - pretty casual until North Road.  From my experience last year getting dropped on this first climb, my goal was to stay with the lead group so I could recover the remaining way to East Mountain rd.  Somehow I made it up that treacherous climb - not even in threshold, full blown zone 5 the entire way for 15 min.  Swapped pulls the rest of the way with the lead group of about 20 riders.  Then came the behemoth of East Mountain road where the Junior team just ripped up the mountain.  Finished around 3 hrs on the 61 mile stage with 5k vert ft. Placed 26 I think on that day.

Stage 3 - just ouch.  29 min on the TT with a nasty headwind and torched legs from over exerting myself the last two days.  Overall - I was very happy with my performance considering I smashed my KSR 2018 segments by not only seconds, but minutes.  

I was stoked to have @RobertMullen and @RichFreeman there to enjoy an incredibly beautiful and well run race.  Also thank you @JohnOlsson for showing up for the TT Monday!!  Vermont and particularly Killington is a gorgeous area to race and train.  I've had the privilege to be going up there since 2003 - So if anyone is interested in a training ride or KSR 2020, please let me know!!

EP
 

Sounds like an exhausting but fun weekend. Being sent off course sounds super annoying. Looking forward to seeing some pics!

Is green mountain on your agenda?

All I hear from everyone is that Green Mountain is super super hard...

Dang, totally forgot to shoutout @JohnOlsson for hitting up a surprise TT after an awesome dinner. 

https://www.bikereg.com/killington-stage-race is back for 2022

James Reeder said:

https://www.bikereg.com/killington-stage-race is back for 2022

So many fond memories of that race. Definitely rent a house and bring a posse!

I've decided to take the plunge and do Killington. I'm a little nervous, since I've never done a stage race, and I won't be in peak form (I'll have completed 13 weeks of base and 7 weeks build), but I need a good challenge/goal and this fits the bill. Plus, it looks like I will be having spine surgery at some point this year, so I need to max out the miles and racing adrenaline before I take 6 weeks (!) off the bike. 

RichardKaufmann said:

Thinking seriously about signing up for this one. I'm obviously very green race-wise, but it sounds like an absolute blast. I don't have a car, but I'd be willing to pay my share of the gas for anyone going north.

Would it be worth considering a slack channel for out of state logistics?

I'll be going (50+ field). It's an absolute blast.

there now is a 'race-travel-coordination' slack channel

I’m gonna go!

A brief recounting of racing filled weekend up north, with Mr. Reeder joining in the older and wiser Masters 50/60+ category.

Well, I had most of my ducks all in a row with a decent build block just completed and new aero bars to try out. Then, the day before I was set to head to Vermont with James, my wife tested positive for COVID. There had been a lot of Omicrom going around my teen daughter's cohort and it finally found its way into the apartment. Everyone else in the family was testing negative but I shared the bad news with James and we opted to travel/board separately, assuming I remained negative before racing began. I scrambled and found a room for myself and headed up to Killington to meet James, hopefully, on the start line. Super stressful to leave my wife in the care of my two kids (!) but she was ready to order plenty of take-out and gave her blessing. It was all very surreal and didn't help my pre-race nerves. Luckily, I was still testing negative. 

Day 1: 3x around a 17-mile loop with a longish, steady but moderate climb and lots of wind. I reconed the course the night I arrived and had an idea of what to expect. I just didn't expect this pack of thirty odd old men to pick up the pace j so much the first time up the incline and I got dropped at the KOM, after passing the fallout from a nasty crash in the women's field. These old riders were strong. Eventually, I found a group of 4 guys, including James, huffing and puffing around the loop. We worked well together for a spell, but then James hesitated on the fast descent due to some recent speed wobbles worries and he got dropped again. With the guys that remained, one kept skipping his turn and would, oddly, attack from time to times even though he seemed to be struggling. The strongest guy in the bunch, a locomotive in his 60s with legs like fire hydrants, turned to me and said that guy was driving him crazy. I agreed. The wind was also a brute and I finished 27 out of 34. James came in a little later, having been solo in the wind for awhile, I believe. 

Day 2: This 60 mile route was a different beast. Again, I reconned so I could sleep (with the help of some Ativan). The course started basically with a somewhat challenging shortish climb that turned into a 20 mile descent. Then, came some brutish hills. I figured if I could survive that first climb I could at least enjoy riding in the pack for 20 miles before the hills split things up. Then, all bets would be off. This was a case where things played out exactly as I imagined. I held on for dear life during that first climb and burned a match to survive. I saw James fall off the back just as we hit the crest and lost sight of him until the end. I moved up front and rode like I was king for 30 minutes, covering attacks and even taking a chance at the Sprint. I was 4 or 5 in the sprint but only later realized it was top 3 for that day, not top 5, as the previous day had been. Even the idea that I could have placed in a sprint is amazing to me so I'll pat myself on the back for that one. I had met my ambitions for the day at that point. One thing I'll say about the new Parlee, it is fast on the descents. 45 mph feels like 35.

Then, we hit that monstrous 5 mile hill and things broke up as expected. Behind the main pack was another sizable pack and then little patches of riders trying to get back on. That's were I landed. A super garrulous gray haired Montrealer told me to get on his wheel and helped me catch my breath. We descended like two missiles, hitting 48 mph in a crouch to finally catch a group of 4 as we hit the gravel section. I flew down that rough road with lots of loose spots not knowing if me or the bike would survive. Apparently, the 2nd big group was only 20 secs up the road but we never caught them. Still, the 6 of us booked up the main highway in a mean, and proudly geriatric, pace-line. Mr. Montreal kept smiling and carrying more than his share of the load. It was like a spirited group ride. Fun stuff. 

For the finale, there is one more monster climb. The worst of the day. 4 plus miles with 15% pitches. Saw a few of the younger folks walking their bikes at that point. I was tempted, but somehow managed to keep my cleats locked in. At this point, it was everyone for themselves. I hit the finish line 25th, a slight improvement from the day before. James followed a little later and we took pics together with the still snow clad Killington mountain skiiers behind us. I was tempted to roll in the snow and felt good about the day. 

Day 3: Time Trial by Fire. My first time trial to go with my first stage race. I clipped on the aero bars and did some planning with BestBikeSplit, just to be obsessive about it. Of course, I didn't have my phone with me so the race plan wouldn't load on the Garmin just as I pulled up the starting gate. I let that mishap go and got my heart pumping into the 160s fairly quickly, stayed there for the next 11 miles. The course is great, with a long, steady incline to help keep your power up, then a shorter fast section to the finish line. James was two spots ahead of me and I almost caught him on the hill, but then he punched it and disappeared. I rolled into 22nd place, basically executing my race plan exactly. Just to give BestBikeSplit some kudos, it was only 7 seconds off what my final time was. It knew me better than I know myself. Science does works, folks.

And that was it. I placed 25th out of 30 in the GC. A wonderful weekend. Great to have fellow Kissenaite, James, to share the journey. I only wish it lasted longer. May have to do Green Mountain in the fall! 

It's true, and the end of stage 3 we were like, is that all? we have to go home now??

It was awesome to do KSR with Adam (3rd time for me; 1st time with a teammate). What he didn't know is that on stage two while he was patrolling the front of the peloton and going for the sprint, I was successfully chasing back on (zero speed wobble). Dropped again when they went for the KOM but that's how it is racing with the cat 1-2s.

Love this race and 100% want to do it again.

Adam after the TT:

Great reports guys. Love that race.

For sad to learn just now that KSR won't happen this year. I started training in November with this great stage race as my motivation. Now I have to rethink my 2023 racing plans. Super bummed!


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Ouch.

I think it was also the goal of @James Reeder and @GregHoge for their spring campaigns as well.

Yea.  I'm not too mad about it.  My prep hasn't been great and probably wasn't going to be in good form for it anyway.

Reg opens this weekend for this year's race.  I'd love to get a group together for this!  Who's in?

https://www.bikereg.com/killington-stage-race

I might be, not sure yet

I've been planning to do this! I have a car now so happy to provide transport and share some housing. Excited to do this again. 

For those who are waiting until the last minute, here's your chance

Go on lads, get your photo on the front page!

No KSR this year.

Fucking hell, that's a shame.
https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-8Lzbp