Perry Roubaix Race Summary

I think that bike racing is 50% physical and 40% mental. There are a lot of other factors that go into racing, but most of them fit into those categories. What is the other 10%? Luck... it is a major player in winning races. "Bad luck" comes in a few ways during a race... two race ending bad luck issues are crashing and mechanical problems. Great racers make their own luck. They position themselves toward the front to avoid crashes and they avoid road hazards and are meticulous in their bicycle maintenance. Sooner or later a crash or a mechanical will turn a good day into a bad day for even the best. For a guy like me... I cant complain when bad luck finds me and it is a mechanical... I am just glad that I didn't crash when my luck turned south yesterday... that can ruin a season rather than a single race...

Alright... the weekend...

We started out with a 10 mile TT with rollers and one climb to work through. This was my first time on my new TT ride and I really did not know what to expect. I had ridden it three times and made major adjustments to the bike each time through. I did not have my computer set up on the bike, but used my HR monitor to gauge effort... or at least make sure I was working as hard as I felt like I was. I felt good... in a lot of pain... and really worked my tail off... I felt like I left everything on the course for sure. In hindsight, I probably took it too easy on some of the uphills... I was trying to make sure that I didn't blow up, but I think my mind was on the FTP efforts of the offseason, rather than an all out 20 minute... that is not the same as a 45-60 min effort and I have got to get that through my head. Anyway, the results came out and put me in 8th position for the TT. The good news is that Robert killed it with a 2nd place result and the Security boys took 5th through 8th places in the TT. A great team effort that has us all looking forward to the team time trial later this year...

The circuit was a mile long loop that had a few bumps but was mostly flat. The overall classification would be determined as an omnium rather than as a stage race format. This means that points are awarded for finishing places and MARs and KOMs. It really turns it into a sprinters weekend if you are willing to go for it (not a climbers weekend... the climbs are too short and there are not enough of them to have a major impact). I decided to make a run at the general classification and go for MAR points during the circuit. I worked my tail off. I received points on almost every MAR sprint, but worked myself over in the process. Doug got in a break with a couple of strong guys and stayed away. I worked for position on the last lap and found myself around sixth or seventh into the last corner... I thought this was probably too far back, but it was all I had left. I found my legs in the sprint and worked the left side passing 3 riders and securing a 6th place finish. Jake was 4th (3 in a break) with other teammates close behind us. Evidently the guy in between me and Jake was bumped down due to an infraction, so I ended up with a 5th place finish in the circuit race. The MAR points I raced for ended up bumping me into 4th place in the GC heading into the RR on Sunday.

The RR is a 14 mile loop that we were to complete four times. KOM and MAR points would be awarded on each lap to help determine the omnium placement for the GC. Our strategy was our typical... kill it up front from the word go and get to the dirt first. The KOM was 2 K from the start line and we hit the hill hard. I raced for points and got second on the KOM. After the hill, there was a long rolling section with a agricultural field to the right. A stout wind coming across the field hit the pelaton so we positioned ourselves at the front on the left edge of the racing lane to keep everyone working in the wind. When we hit the dirt road, me and all of my teammates were on the front. We got some help on the dirt road from other teams and came out the other side with our entire team in tact. The pace was crazy fast and everyone was in difficulty. There was a 2-3 mile section back to the start... about 3/4 of a mile from the finish line (MAR), a guy breaks out of the group to capture the points. I hesitated just long enough in my chase to give him a nice gap and give a few sprinters time to get on my wheel... PERFECT! I chased to about 300 meters from the line and realized that I was pulling the guys behind me into perfect position to kill me in a sprint. I sat up, moved to the left and made a hand motion for the guys to come through... as expected they sat up so the guy in front of us got first... at the last second, I jumped up and sprinted and captured second from the wheelsuckers. It was a nice point reward but at an extremely high cost. I was in trouble... tired from a sprint and the all out two minute effort to close the gap... pretty stupid really but I wanted the points. Guess what... the KOM is 1 K away.

Right when we hit the hill, I see my MAR friends shooting backward in the group... they were feeling it the same as me. I was working back when suddenly there was a gap between me and the pack... I look back and realized that our group consisted of only around 20-25 riders. I guess that we started with 50-60 or so... they must have all quit... they were no where behind us. I struggled up the hill, and started to regain composure as we went past the ag field. I worked up through the group to the front and found myself in perfect position again to hit the dirt (third man). Doug had broken off the front with around 7 other riders and they had around 5-10 seconds on the chase group I was in. There were a lot of guys around me that were energized to chase at this point and I was doing no work since I had a guy in the break. Perfect situation and I suddenly felt strong. Then... a look ahead... we were at the end of the dirt... the break was right in front of us... I felt great... I chose the wrong line through the turn and hit a 6" deep hole that ended in an asphalt wall. I avoided the indo, but managed to pop my front tire so bad I could hear it whistling. I waited for the tire truck... they had decided to sit behind a 250 lb guy that entered this race thinking it was a "ride". By the time I got back on the road, the race was over... I was over 5 minutes back without a soul in site except the fat guy who was stopping for a sandwich. DNF...DNF...DNF...

Good race though... I am really ready to go again...