Overall Takaways:
1. GMSR: I envisioned GMSR being a capstone to the season, and it was. Finished 36/43 (49 started). I was hoping for top half. The rookie mistakes cost me at number of places. But very happy that I started and completed all the stages.
2. Goals: Exceeded, including races started and completed, cat’ing up, increase in total power, miles ridden and staying upright.
3. Next season: Will be more aggressive in the races along with more focused training. I’ll continue to take a week or two off here and there to not get burned out (like I did in March, beginning of June and mid-July). Cross should keep it fun too.
4. Team: We’ve got a great crop of riders for next season in the 5’s and the 4’s. Stoked for the 5’s to cat’ up and have a solid group of 10 or more shredding it, and see some of the 4’s bump into the 3’s.
5. Traveling: Battenkill and GMSR. Two unforgettable weekends with great teammates.
Individual stages:
Time Trial: I had no idea what to expect. Last time I was in a timed race, I was 15 years old and doing a Super GS course somewhere in Colorado, ski suit and all. This time, no ski suit (or skin suit), no preview of the course, just good discussions with Bruce, Vanilla Forum, and the GMSR crew. Jeff noted to shoot for wattage over threshold power for the first 2.6 miles and then motor through the final three miles as fast as possible. I kept great cadence and clean power, but finished 2:59 behind the winner. I’d like to think that I could have had a better time if I didn’t have a wicked headwind (I was 2nd to last to start for the entire day), an aero helmet, a skinsuit and correctly pinned numbers I’d have shaved many seconds off.
Takeaway: I exceeded my threshold numbers and that is all I could have asked for. However, while I like TT for just knowing what the body can handle I find them relatively boring and one of the reasons triathlons have never excited me. I’ll be a-ok if I do them but just once a year.
Circuit: Oh man, I was digging this and felt strong … but
got too excited and blew a gasket second half of the 2nd lap. First lap, up front, kicking it on the climbs
and whenever I started to fall back in the peloton, I could easily grab 10
spots at a time by just timing the acceleration correctly and with no effort by
hiding behind folks (some breeze was present).
Nearing the final hill on the first lap, I punched over the hill ahead
of the pack bridged up to two guys starting a break. One of them (Sasha Smiljanic, who won the GC)
passed me and said “work together?” I said absolutely, and grabbed his wheel. But after a minute I couldn’t hang and the
group caught up. Not but one minute
later another guy went with him and they took off. I stayed near the front of the group and at
one point Jeff and I were 2 and 3. The 1
worked and once he pulled to the side Jeff took off. I slow pedaled and let him break and off he
went for a while (this is when I wish I knew how to block a little
better). Eventually the group caught up
with him, but it was fun to play around.
Niall and I spoke a bit what to do during the next opportunity … but
didn’t have it.
Halfway into the 2nd lap I just couldn’t keep up with it. We weren’t going that fast but my power kept dropping and my breath was extremely labored but my heart rate wasn’t peaking. Something was up and my body just quit. Yep, bonked, and bonked hard. I managed to latch on to a few others for the last half and we split pulls until I dropped further and finished solo.
Takeways: Bonking. What a rookie mistake. I realized that I didn’t eat at all during the race but for a handful of blocs. Stupid me, especially as I felt strong on this one. Lesson’s learned to make sure to eat and keep some calories coming. Otherwise, I’m more than confident I would have finished with the pack or at least just behind it in a chase group. However, again, exceed power numbers for the year, this time my 60 min wattage.
Road Race: I was
equally stoked for this one, but a rookie mistake doomed my efforts. Started off easy, mellow pace until the
beginning of Mid Gap and the group started charging. As the grade began to climb I was dropping
into my lowest gear and then sought a lower gear. No such luck.
Cadence drops to 80, then to 70, then to 60, then to 55. I’m maxing effort but wasting
efficiency. I mean, who brings a 39x28
to 25 minute climb with 18% grade?? This noob. Atop the hill, picked up 7 guys on the rollers
and the downhill and we started doing 15 – 20 second pulls, mashing the
pedals. We worked pretty well together,
and when the peloton was in our sights the effort picked up. But by that point I was maxed out. I drifted from the chase group and tried to
work with two other guys, yet one felt it would be fine to just surf behind us
until I was done again and he just continued on his way. I kept watching the peloton inch further away
until out of my sights. A pothole then knocked
my full water bottle out and I watched in horror as I ran over it, blowing the
top off. Disgusted and out of liquids, I
soldiered on to Notch Gap, picked up a coke from nice kids and then, found a
full water bottle in the middle of the road!
Couldn’t have been happier, picked it up, poured the contents into mine
(while riding of course) and got new life.
Passed the guy who had been surfing me a couple of miles later and made
my way to Baby Gap then App Gap. Think
39x28 doesn’t suck? You’re nuts. That was awful. I only successfully made it up App Gap by
switchbacking the last 500m. Made it to
the top and nearly collapsed on my bike.
Takeways: Gearing, duh. If I could have kept a 70+ cadence at a minimum I would have been able to make it over Mid Gap in less time and most likely caught the peloton. Eating wasn’t a problem and I was consistent. Exceeded power numbers yet again, this time my 20 minute wattage (and better than my TT).
Crit: I was not looking forward to this. My body was crushed. But Niall, Jeff and Sean got the spirit back
into me. I lined up at the front with
Jeff and Niall. Now, Jeff had remarked a
couple weeks back that a neutral start is anything but that. “Get to the front and stay, max out, and hang
on.” And I did. Right after the first corner, it was off to
the races. I managed to hang for 5 laps
with the group until my brain took over my body and I partially gave up. I really thought I was dropped for good as I
saw no one behind me (couldn’t see anyone around the corners), but a group
caught up, and we worked together until we got pulled with 10 to go (one final
groupeto was pulled at 9 to go). Jeff
and Niall looked great and stoked on their finishes.
Takeaways: Stay with the group for whatever it takes! Also, watch out for self-defeatism. I gave up on myself when I shouldn’t have, and while I still would have been pulled, I would have been with the last groupeto. The crit was a blast, cornering on the last lap I could do over and over again.
Race Report
Stage 1: My goal was to go sub 17. Went out a
little too hard but did a decent job of smoothing it out after the first half
mile or so. Tried to keep it steady in the flats, but was really feeling
it the last 1k and I definitely think I lost a little time there. All in all, a
solid result at 17:01 and 24th in the GC.
Stage 2: This definitely did not go as planned at the start. Snapped the arm off my glasses putting them on after wiping some sweat off with my jersey. Lost my position and started at the very back of the pack and was not able to get up front for the first attempt at some KOM points. Since I lost out on those I thought what the hell, I’ll go for some sprint points. Went a bit too early and burned a match for the 2nd time up the KOM so didn’t contest that either. Finished with the pack. Moved up 2 spots in the GC to 22nd.
Stage 3: This is where the real racing got underway. Just about everyone stayed together until Mid Gap. A group of about 15 rolled off the front about halfway up the climb. Then a group of 6 or so broke off from there. I held onto the back of this group for a bit but once I started to go cross eyed decided to dial it back and latch on with the 8 or so riders behind me. This led to a group of about 6 of us going over the top of Mid Gap and we picked up three of the leaders, 3 more got away, before halfway down the descent. This group stayed and worked together until Baby Gap. Someone crashed on the flats trying to eat I believe. Then we stayed together and didn’t work all that well when we figured out we were well back of the 3 leaders and had no chance at catching up. To App Gap…
We dropped a couple riders in the first few km’s and then it really started to turn up with 2k to go. A group of about 7 or 8 started to pull away. I started to blow up and decided to keep the pedals churning and possibly sacrifice a few seconds to shield a true implosion on my part. I tried keeping my power at about 250 and passed a couple of folks who were exploding at 1k to go. Kept it steady and conserved, then picked up the cadence and power with about 150m left and rolled over the line. Collapsed on my handlebars and tried to figure out exactly where on earth I was. All in all I was happy with the result. I wish I could have eaten more, but felt bloated and full, and just couldn’t get more than about 600 calories down throughout the race. Lost a bunch of time to the leader (about 10 minutes) but no more than 30 seconds to anyone I was close to in the GC. 10th on the stage and 10th in the GC going into the final day.
Stage 4: 25 laps of pure torture with some fun mixed in. I rode 23 and ¾ laps of one of the best crits I’ve ever ridden. Was closing gaps and stayed mostly within the top 5. Not sure exactly where, but I would say somewhere between 15 and 20 to go there were only 8 of us left. The GC leader escaped at some point, but we reeled him in. I was about 6th wheel with two turns and a full lap to go when the GC leader, who is a beast moved over looked like he was getting ready to make a move. I jump on his wheel and he proceeds to hit his brakes in the final corner. This was the beginning of the end of my chance at a podium. I wind up 7th or 8th wheel. Cross eyed and trying to figure out how to make a move without puking. I got nothing. We head into the last downhill corner and I decided I was going to try and swing it out wide and see how many places I can get. Well, so did the guy in front of me, he went a little in to out, and I could either try and elbow him for seventh and risk going into the barrier or take my poor tactics lumps and finish 8th. I took 8th. Bummed at the finish, but pretty darn happy with the race. We averaged 27.2, dropped 50ish guys and it was a ton of fun. I was one of two from the stage before, besides the three leaders, to not get pulled from the crit. This gave me 1:33 over the next group and a bunch more over some others leading to 5th overall in the GC.
Takeaways: This race is the cream of the crop. So much fun, and well organized. I highly suggest anyone who is on the fence to take part. We all had a great time at the race, but also hanging out in the mountains, going cliff jumping, eating like savages, and drinking a few beers. I also need to learn how to close better. Have had a lot of solid finishes this year, but could not convert. Motivation for next season for sure. Looking forward to GMSR 2017.
