[douglas]

in 6 weeks I'll be racing my 1st real road bike race (I did a TT before)

Cat 5 of course, I was the last of 100 to sign up in that Catagory. Looks like they are splitting us into 2 groups

2 of my friends are entered but I'm thinking they will be not be in my group.

BATTENKILL-ROUBAIX
Presented by
CBRC

SALEM, NY

Saturday, April 15, 2006

'The Hell of the North'

Rolling 55 mile single loop with many dirt sections

Profile


2 pics from last year

 

[Mackie]

Rolling 55 mile single loop with many dirt sections

What kind of tires do most folks run for an event like this?
Light CX tires? Fat road slicks?
Good luck with the race!

 

[douglas]

What kind of tires do most folks run for an event like this?
Light CX tires? Fat road slicks?
Good luck with the race!

I have no idea, but that is a good question


I do think I need to do a preride soon as it gets a little warmer out

 

[SuspectDevice]

I've done Battenkill 3 times. We always run normal 23's

 

[The Toninator]

woohoo! looks like fun.

 

[Heidi]

Nice! Good luck with the first race. Here is my rambling advice: watch out for the other guys without skills, and stay towards the front if you can.

Have fun!

 

[douglas]

Nice! Good luck with the first race. Here is my rambling advice: watch out for the other guys without skills, and stay towards the front if you can.

Have fun!

thanks

yeah, I heard Cat 5 can get a little sketchy..........maybe for the race I should throw on my full face DH helmet

 

[T-Dog]

Right on Doug-good luck!

 

[tomvan72]

Cat 5 = Crash 5.
be careful!!

 

[douglas]

Right on Doug-good luck!

thanks, should be fun in a painful kind of way


...........and after the race, I'll let you all know how bad my butt was kicked

 

[Heidi]

thanks

yeah, I heard Cat 5 can get a little sketchy..........maybe for the race I should throw on my full face DH helmet

LOL -that would be hot!

Just fight to stay towards the front.

 

[splat]

Good Luck Doug . I did that as a Cat 4 back in 1990 ( ? ) if the courese is the same that is a brutal climb ,but a 55 MPH down hill on the other side.

 

[splat]

Oh and those dirt sections ( especilly tyhe ones toward the end , suck the life out of you. and I Ran with 25's

 

[sanjuro]

My advice:

Get to the start line 5 minutes early, so you can be right in front.

First crash: during the clip-in.
Second crash: first high speed corner.

After that, you should be good.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

My advice:

Get to the start line 5 minutes early, so you can be right in front.

First crash: during the clip-in.
Second crash: first high speed corner.

After that, you should be good.

i second that advice.

 

[douglas]

Holy Crap!!

That was so freakin tough! the hills just kept coming, the 20 mile wind pretty much either blowing in my face or a crosswind, the struggle of being in no mans land desperatly trying to find a paceline to work with, the dirt roads, the dirt road climbs, the sore achiles, lower back, legs and painful side stitch......wow! but I finished, and I wasnt last!

I did feel slightly better - talked to roadiechick after the race, shes been racing road for many years, & said that was the toughest course shes ever raced

I better sleep good tonight, tomorrow=2 hour mtn bike race

 

[LordOpie]

back-to-back races?

Were you happy with your performance?

 

[douglas]

back-to-back races?

Were you happy with your performance?

no, not really

its weird, this year I feel strong riding mtn but on the road, I "got nothing"

 

[splat]

SO doug , how long did it take you to do the 55 Miles ?

 

[Serial Midget]

No mans land is where I spent much of my last two races - its a crap place to be. I think we need a more in depth review so the we can, uh... feel your pain!

 

[douglas]

No mans land is where I spent much of my last two races - its a crap place to be. I think we need a more in depth review so the we can, uh... feel your pain!

I'll see what I can do

heres one form Buck, he was one of the dudes I did a century w/last weekend

A human rainbow of color, an archaic two wheeled invention infused with the latest cutting edge technology, hundreds of numbers, one number--262; my number. For today, I became a "bike racer".

What in the hell was I thinking? As I look around I see nothing but super skinny, super fit, super youthful racers on top end, high tech gear. Even the "old farts" look super skinny and super fit. I have only been wearing spandex, bike shoes, and these colorful jerseys less than a year myself. I am 47 years old so I am starting in the "Masters group". In comparison to this group, the few miles I have in my legs makes me feel like a master of nothing. I hear this course is tough (that's a gross understatement by the way!) and as we roll out at the 2 mile mark I notice we are running about 27 mph. What did I get myself into! The first hill ended all those comparisons though...I don't think I ever saw any of those individuals again.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines "race" as - to compete against in a contest of speed. I am quite sure that many or most of the people that showed up today "beat me in the contest of speed". But I like to think of it this way: I beat "everybody" today, who for whatever reason signed up but didn't show up. I beat everybody who thought about racing but said nah, and didn't even bother to register. And I certainly beat most of modern America who were too busy driving to the mall or Home Depot in their SUV smoking cigarettes and talking on their cell phones. ...but I digress, for you see I truly wasn't competing today with anyone that was or wasn't there. Today I was competing with two psychological demons--fear, and the notion that as we get older we must get slower and weaker. I woke up this morning with the worst case of butterflies ever. Will I finish this course? Will I crash? Will the bike I built all by my self and that has never been even checked by a bike mechanic survive such a course? How bad will I get dropped? Will I do something stupid and ruin a "real racers" day. The second demon was way more subtle. What are you doing here? This is not the time in life to take up such a folly. Go home and ride around on your lawn mower and gain 2.5 to 5 lbs a year for the rest of your life. Well let me tell you, I kicked those two opponents ass today! For I was 262; bike racer, and I finished that course and although it wasn't the toughest thing in my life it was easily the toughest thing I have done in the last 10 years. I am not AFRAID of that course anymore and I KNOW I am stronger, faster, and tougher this year then I was last. Time can't be beaten...but it can be slowed down!

O.K. this is titled "thoughts and reflections", those were the thoughts, here are the reflections:

I was/am proud of my bike. It was extremely comfortable and had absolutely no mechanical problems...maybe I should become a "bike mechanic" instead of a bike racer. Many other "professionally built/maintained" bikes didn't fair so well.

I got dropped on virtually every hill and ran away from quite often on the flats, but NO ONE ever passed me or even came near on the descents. I showed quite a few racer boys the fastest line down some of the nasty dirt descents.

I never even thought about getting off and walking up a hill. I saw people doing it...I heard about even more. I pedaled my way up every rise no matter how steep or slippery. I knew I would have to answer to Heather if I got off the bike, I didn't want to do that.

I felt really good with my bike handling skills. There was no situation where I didn't feel that me and the bike were one and no matter what the terrain was I felt totally in control.

I set a new personal top speed record today-- 50.7 mph. That was a RUSH!!!! Anyone that hasn't gone over 50 on a bike might not get it, but that is as close as a human can feel to flying without wings.

My last reflection is more of a prediction. I am going to try to do one of the crits this summer, but other than that I think my bike racing "career" is about over. I enjoyed the "training" while it lasted, but now I want to just get back on my bike and ride for the pure enjoyment of it. I still want to push to go faster and I want to get better on hills but I beat my biggest two opponents today and I don't want to give them a re-match

I want to thank some folks now:
Chad, for seizing my ignorance, hyping me up and getting me to sign up for this before I knew what I was doing
Nick, Mike, Chad, and of course Tommy boy for "training the hell out of me"
Dieter, for designing such an awesome, soul testing course
Heather for scaring the hell out of me, then building up my confidence and making sure I NEVER walk a bike up a hill
Kevin, for teaching me how to see the fastest, easiest line through the dirt and talking me into a titanium frame...the sexiest bike material ever made in my opinion
All those wonderful folks who sat and cheered us on...cycling IS alive and well in America thank you very much
And finally and most importantly, my family for understanding my compulsion for all things bike.

 

[douglas]

SO doug , how long did it take you to do the 55 Miles ?

results

yeah, not last!


ps: I'm sticking to mtn bike races

 

[TreeSaw]

results

yeah, not last!


ps: I'm sticking to mtn bike races

CONGRATULATIONS!!! That's a REALLY tough course (to say the least). You should be proud to have finished--especially in the wind!!!