Last Sunday I participated in the annual Sea to Ski relay race in Bellingham Washington. I did this race last year and the conditions were miserable. The course starts off with about 7 miles of downhill with just enough rolling hills to make you work, the rest of the 38 mile course is flat with just 2 hills that really slow you down. My goal last year was 1:37:00 or less but I ended up at 1:43:39.
Based on last years performance and the fact that I am not in as good condition now, I had a goal of 1:50:00. I set the goal a few days before the race. I had been sick for nearly 2 weeks with a mild cold and cough that I just cannot seem to shake. If I were not part of a team I would have skipped the race altogether. Cold medication can sometimes make my heart race but I took the risk of Niquil the night before, I figured I could be rested with an elevated heart rate or spend the night with a dry cough and get no rest at all. I was staying at one of my teammates house and ended up not sleeping all that well I was able to get rest since I was not coughing.
I was up the next morning a 4:30 and on the way to the race by 5. On the way I picked up the runner and we met one of the skiers at the road bike staging area by 6. The race started at 8:45 my runner did not come in until about 10:30. It was a long wait but this year the weather was beautiful with clear skies and plenty of direct sun to keep me warm.
Our team number was called when our runner was ¼ mile out; thats when the excitement starts. Last year we had a perfect transition since I was one of only 2 bikers in the chute. This year there where at least 10 other bikers in the chute and the runners were arriving in packs. Our transition went fine but I could not find my left pedal and had a shaky start until I clipped in. Once underway I set about faking it I did not pedal at speeds over 36, I just tucked in and saved my energy for later. Last year I spent much of the race in no-mans land, this year I was almost always in between chasing and getting dropped that made things interesting and fun. I would sandbag (I mean rest) behind slower riders (18MPH) until a nice train came along and then I would chase and hang on for as long as I could. When I began to tire I would drop off behind a slower group and rest until the next fast train came along. This tact worked pretty well for 2/3rds of the race. One large train was pulling me along nicely when we came to a steep hill and began to break one female rider was forced into the guardrail she tipped and slid under it and came to a crashing stop. She shouted Im good or something so no one stopped she was back up and riding pretty fast but the pack had left us both behind. Bad for her but good for me since she caught up to me and we shared the effort for a 5 mile section that was exposed to 15 MPH headwinds. She was waiting for a good train and when one came along we both chased if not for her I would never have been able to catch it. We touched 30 to catch them and then settled back to 28 as we caught the tail she was able to hang on but I could not, after about ½ mile I was dropped and came crashing back down to about 22 MPH. A short time later a different female rider was dropped and seemed to be struggling more than I was. I caught up to her and said lets work together through these hills. There would be about 2 miles of rollers. Due to my greater weight I was able to pull us down the hills at 40 plus while she sheltered me from the wind and allowed me to recover while we climbed. At the time I knew I could climb the hills faster then she was pulling but made the strategic decision to stay with her on the hills and save what I had left for the flat finish. As we crested the last hill I pulled beside her and told her that we only had 5 or 6 miles to go and suggested she hold on as long as she could. She was able to do so for about 1.5 miles when we were both overtaken by a solo male rider - I motioned for her to step it up before I gave chase and she was able to hang on for maybe ¼ mile more before she got dropped. I had no other opportunities so I had to hang on to this guy at all costs my left calf and right began to cramp and I was nearly dropped when I had to pull back. Fortunately this guy needed me as much as I needed him he purposefully slowed down and allowed me to recover so that I could pull. About 2 miles form the finish I began to run out of gas and drop below 20MPH, then 18MPH. The guy I was pulling made a break but I was not surprised so I held on for about ½ mile while he pulled us back up to 20MPH. By that time my cramps had gone and there were cheering people as we pulled into town this really picked me up I move up beside the guy I was working with and said lets hit it! He replied that he was cramping now but would try to hang on. Turns out he could not and I pulled away solo as I gave every ounce that I had left (HA! About 22MPH flat with no wind ) I put about 6 seconds between us in the last ½ mile. I pulled the wrist band from my arm, spotted our canoe team and rolled past them for a perfect hand off. I finished in 1:47:17 but was really happy at the time because I thought I had done it in 1:42:00. DOH! When in doubt look at your cyclometer.
While I am not particularly proud of my performance I am not ashamed either, I had fun and employed tactics I have not used in 20 years or better. This was probably the most fun I have had in a race in a long time.
Based on last years performance and the fact that I am not in as good condition now, I had a goal of 1:50:00. I set the goal a few days before the race. I had been sick for nearly 2 weeks with a mild cold and cough that I just cannot seem to shake. If I were not part of a team I would have skipped the race altogether. Cold medication can sometimes make my heart race but I took the risk of Niquil the night before, I figured I could be rested with an elevated heart rate or spend the night with a dry cough and get no rest at all. I was staying at one of my teammates house and ended up not sleeping all that well I was able to get rest since I was not coughing.
I was up the next morning a 4:30 and on the way to the race by 5. On the way I picked up the runner and we met one of the skiers at the road bike staging area by 6. The race started at 8:45 my runner did not come in until about 10:30. It was a long wait but this year the weather was beautiful with clear skies and plenty of direct sun to keep me warm.
Our team number was called when our runner was ¼ mile out; thats when the excitement starts. Last year we had a perfect transition since I was one of only 2 bikers in the chute. This year there where at least 10 other bikers in the chute and the runners were arriving in packs. Our transition went fine but I could not find my left pedal and had a shaky start until I clipped in. Once underway I set about faking it I did not pedal at speeds over 36, I just tucked in and saved my energy for later. Last year I spent much of the race in no-mans land, this year I was almost always in between chasing and getting dropped that made things interesting and fun. I would sandbag (I mean rest) behind slower riders (18MPH) until a nice train came along and then I would chase and hang on for as long as I could. When I began to tire I would drop off behind a slower group and rest until the next fast train came along. This tact worked pretty well for 2/3rds of the race. One large train was pulling me along nicely when we came to a steep hill and began to break one female rider was forced into the guardrail she tipped and slid under it and came to a crashing stop. She shouted Im good or something so no one stopped she was back up and riding pretty fast but the pack had left us both behind. Bad for her but good for me since she caught up to me and we shared the effort for a 5 mile section that was exposed to 15 MPH headwinds. She was waiting for a good train and when one came along we both chased if not for her I would never have been able to catch it. We touched 30 to catch them and then settled back to 28 as we caught the tail she was able to hang on but I could not, after about ½ mile I was dropped and came crashing back down to about 22 MPH. A short time later a different female rider was dropped and seemed to be struggling more than I was. I caught up to her and said lets work together through these hills. There would be about 2 miles of rollers. Due to my greater weight I was able to pull us down the hills at 40 plus while she sheltered me from the wind and allowed me to recover while we climbed. At the time I knew I could climb the hills faster then she was pulling but made the strategic decision to stay with her on the hills and save what I had left for the flat finish. As we crested the last hill I pulled beside her and told her that we only had 5 or 6 miles to go and suggested she hold on as long as she could. She was able to do so for about 1.5 miles when we were both overtaken by a solo male rider - I motioned for her to step it up before I gave chase and she was able to hang on for maybe ¼ mile more before she got dropped. I had no other opportunities so I had to hang on to this guy at all costs my left calf and right began to cramp and I was nearly dropped when I had to pull back. Fortunately this guy needed me as much as I needed him he purposefully slowed down and allowed me to recover so that I could pull. About 2 miles form the finish I began to run out of gas and drop below 20MPH, then 18MPH. The guy I was pulling made a break but I was not surprised so I held on for about ½ mile while he pulled us back up to 20MPH. By that time my cramps had gone and there were cheering people as we pulled into town this really picked me up I move up beside the guy I was working with and said lets hit it! He replied that he was cramping now but would try to hang on. Turns out he could not and I pulled away solo as I gave every ounce that I had left (HA! About 22MPH flat with no wind ) I put about 6 seconds between us in the last ½ mile. I pulled the wrist band from my arm, spotted our canoe team and rolled past them for a perfect hand off. I finished in 1:47:17 but was really happy at the time because I thought I had done it in 1:42:00. DOH! When in doubt look at your cyclometer.
While I am not particularly proud of my performance I am not ashamed either, I had fun and employed tactics I have not used in 20 years or better. This was probably the most fun I have had in a race in a long time.
my team placed something like 323rd, we're slow