On Sunday May 30th I raced the road bike leg of the Ski to Sea relay race in Bellingham, WA. I had never ridden the course or even been in the area before but I was assured that the course was very steep and down the side of a mountain. Based on what others told me about the course, I figured I could do it in less than 1:40 and also set a goal of 1:35 or less. I was wrong and didnt even come close either!!!
My race day started at 4AM team logistics required that I be on the mountain by 6:30AM my leg wouldnt start until sometime around 10:20AM. I was lucky that I had a car to stay warm and dry in because most bikers were dropped off at the staging area and had to stand around outside until their runner came in. At about 7AM it began to rain, light and steady at first but that eventually gave way to waves of showers that were pretty constant.
At 9:50AM I went to the staging area to collect my bike, do a last minute check and put on my road shoes. About this time the first runners were coming in they had even worse rain farther up the mountain. I waited with the wife of our runner they called his number at 10:17 indicating that he was a ¼ mile out. I moved up into the chute and my heart starts to race like mad I am always paranoid that I will miss the handoff, fall off the bike or have a bad start. Our two skiers and runner were above average and I was about the 50th bike out of the chute. This seemed like a good deal except I am outclassed by nearly all the bikers already on the course I spend the bulk of my effort in no mans land.
Anyhow my start was a dream we could not have had a better transition and I passed three riders off like a shot. The downhill bits of this race were not as steep as I had expected I pedaled in 53/14 or 15 for most of it and never exceeded 42MPH most of the steep bits were in the 35 to 40 MPH range. As I said before the rain was constant and heavy my arms were exposed and the drops stung.
I held my place for the first 8 or nine miles I didnt pass anyone and was only passed by aero riders who were competing in a different division. I would tuck in behind whomever I could but it was a lost cause with these aero guys they were simply too fast. I concentrated on gaining as much advantage from the downhill as I could I was just railing and never felt uncomfortable with the wet pavement. I never once touch my brakes on the downhill.
By the time I got to the rolling hills portion of the course trains of racers were beginning to overtake me I would catch their draft and hang on for as long as I could, usually not more than a mile at a time. When I would catch a draft the bike in front of me would throw off so much water it was like a faucet in my face. I breath through my mouth when I am near max so I had a constant mouth full of grit because the spray was so heavy I couldnt avoid getting it in my mouth.
After about mile 15 we are in farm county basically flat with a slight descending grade. On my own I am pedaling at 23 to 24 MPH but when I have the opportunity to draft the same effort would net 26 to 27 but I could not hang on to anyone for very long. There are two hills that can destroy your speed coming up to the first one I was passed by a big guy with a broad profile and a hell of a draft I held onto him, he noticed and suggested that we team up for a bit. I had to be honest and say that I could not contribute very much as it was all I could do to hang on. He said fine and pulled me into the first climb and dropped me like a rock as I began to struggle up the hill. My lowest sustained speed was at this point something like 8 MPH for nearly a ¼ mile. My recovery from the short but intense effort wasnt so hot I forced my self through he gears and brought my speed back up to the low 20s but it was rough and took too long. I clipped along in no mans land for another couple of miles before making a turn for the last half of the course this section is basically flat and straight it was here that it rained the heaviest. There was a headwind as well not horrible but with the rain it was very demoralizing. After about a mile of this I was slowly passed by another racer who was also feeling the pinch hed been drafting me for about ½ a mile before he made his move. He wasnt that much stronger than me so I held is tire until the next turn the spray off his real wheel was like a hose in my face it was awful but I need the draft so bad that I risked it.
We took a turn and were greeted with a small hill not a climb but enough to slow you down. The two of us were overtaken by a large pack of 15 riders who were working like a team. They began to break up on the hill but the big dogs actually held back and allowed the weaker riders a chance to catch up this struck me as odd at the time but it probably was good strategy because big packs can really move. I busted my ass to get on this train by the time I got to the top of the hill they were about 300 yards ahead. I managed to catch them and held on for dear life for probably 3 miles the pack was awesome pulling me along at 30MPH + on a section were I would have been hard pressed to pull 25. It was very exciting and put some energy back into my bones. It was about this time when we hit our last serious hill due to the dynamics of this pack I was actually able to hang on and stay with them. About ½ mile over the hill one of the big dogs blew a tire and quickly swerved off to the left skillfully avoiding a huge pile up. About this time the other big dogs took off and the pack broke up. The excitement of the last few miles kept me going strong but at a reduced speed I wasnt able to catch them but I did manage to work my way up to midpack before it broke up. I poured it on, creating a gap and once again found myself on no mans land. I maintained the gap until about 5 miles out flat farm country with no trees to shelter you from the wind which was in your face at 10 to 15MPH. I began to run out of steam and slowed down considerably running a sub 20 for the first time in the race. The gap I tried to create narrowed and I began to be passed by some of the slower aero riders I tried to draft them but didnt have the strength for even a little sprint I was going to have to pull myself in. By the time I got into town my body was screaming in pain, the rain had stopped and I was sheltered from the wind, still I could only pedal at 20MPH and there was about a ½ mile to go. I was determined to finish as strong as I could but I was spent no sprint finish for me. I rounded the last corner and spotted my hand-off. Again we had a smooth transition Id pulled the band off my arm with my teeth and handed it to my teammate without stopping or crashing. And then I was done.
My time was 1:43:30 or 8 ½ minutes slower than I would have liked. The rain slowed everyone down but not by 8 ½ minutes Id obviously over-estimated my ability on this course. Such is life I was disappointed at first until I began to talk with the other racers. My odometer read 37.2 miles and I was sure Id reset it properly. I asked around and everyone had about the same distance Id estimated my performance based on about 36 miles. Doesnt really matter though I still didnt do as well as I would have liked.
In the end I ended up finishing 44th out of 135 for our division which is just barely in the top 1/3. Overall I was like 177th out of 420 or 42.1%. My team finished 9th out of 135 in our division and 75th out 420 overall. My performance cost us 7th place.
Here is my official picture once again in no mans land.
My race day started at 4AM team logistics required that I be on the mountain by 6:30AM my leg wouldnt start until sometime around 10:20AM. I was lucky that I had a car to stay warm and dry in because most bikers were dropped off at the staging area and had to stand around outside until their runner came in. At about 7AM it began to rain, light and steady at first but that eventually gave way to waves of showers that were pretty constant.
At 9:50AM I went to the staging area to collect my bike, do a last minute check and put on my road shoes. About this time the first runners were coming in they had even worse rain farther up the mountain. I waited with the wife of our runner they called his number at 10:17 indicating that he was a ¼ mile out. I moved up into the chute and my heart starts to race like mad I am always paranoid that I will miss the handoff, fall off the bike or have a bad start. Our two skiers and runner were above average and I was about the 50th bike out of the chute. This seemed like a good deal except I am outclassed by nearly all the bikers already on the course I spend the bulk of my effort in no mans land.
Anyhow my start was a dream we could not have had a better transition and I passed three riders off like a shot. The downhill bits of this race were not as steep as I had expected I pedaled in 53/14 or 15 for most of it and never exceeded 42MPH most of the steep bits were in the 35 to 40 MPH range. As I said before the rain was constant and heavy my arms were exposed and the drops stung.
I held my place for the first 8 or nine miles I didnt pass anyone and was only passed by aero riders who were competing in a different division. I would tuck in behind whomever I could but it was a lost cause with these aero guys they were simply too fast. I concentrated on gaining as much advantage from the downhill as I could I was just railing and never felt uncomfortable with the wet pavement. I never once touch my brakes on the downhill.
By the time I got to the rolling hills portion of the course trains of racers were beginning to overtake me I would catch their draft and hang on for as long as I could, usually not more than a mile at a time. When I would catch a draft the bike in front of me would throw off so much water it was like a faucet in my face. I breath through my mouth when I am near max so I had a constant mouth full of grit because the spray was so heavy I couldnt avoid getting it in my mouth.
After about mile 15 we are in farm county basically flat with a slight descending grade. On my own I am pedaling at 23 to 24 MPH but when I have the opportunity to draft the same effort would net 26 to 27 but I could not hang on to anyone for very long. There are two hills that can destroy your speed coming up to the first one I was passed by a big guy with a broad profile and a hell of a draft I held onto him, he noticed and suggested that we team up for a bit. I had to be honest and say that I could not contribute very much as it was all I could do to hang on. He said fine and pulled me into the first climb and dropped me like a rock as I began to struggle up the hill. My lowest sustained speed was at this point something like 8 MPH for nearly a ¼ mile. My recovery from the short but intense effort wasnt so hot I forced my self through he gears and brought my speed back up to the low 20s but it was rough and took too long. I clipped along in no mans land for another couple of miles before making a turn for the last half of the course this section is basically flat and straight it was here that it rained the heaviest. There was a headwind as well not horrible but with the rain it was very demoralizing. After about a mile of this I was slowly passed by another racer who was also feeling the pinch hed been drafting me for about ½ a mile before he made his move. He wasnt that much stronger than me so I held is tire until the next turn the spray off his real wheel was like a hose in my face it was awful but I need the draft so bad that I risked it.
We took a turn and were greeted with a small hill not a climb but enough to slow you down. The two of us were overtaken by a large pack of 15 riders who were working like a team. They began to break up on the hill but the big dogs actually held back and allowed the weaker riders a chance to catch up this struck me as odd at the time but it probably was good strategy because big packs can really move. I busted my ass to get on this train by the time I got to the top of the hill they were about 300 yards ahead. I managed to catch them and held on for dear life for probably 3 miles the pack was awesome pulling me along at 30MPH + on a section were I would have been hard pressed to pull 25. It was very exciting and put some energy back into my bones. It was about this time when we hit our last serious hill due to the dynamics of this pack I was actually able to hang on and stay with them. About ½ mile over the hill one of the big dogs blew a tire and quickly swerved off to the left skillfully avoiding a huge pile up. About this time the other big dogs took off and the pack broke up. The excitement of the last few miles kept me going strong but at a reduced speed I wasnt able to catch them but I did manage to work my way up to midpack before it broke up. I poured it on, creating a gap and once again found myself on no mans land. I maintained the gap until about 5 miles out flat farm country with no trees to shelter you from the wind which was in your face at 10 to 15MPH. I began to run out of steam and slowed down considerably running a sub 20 for the first time in the race. The gap I tried to create narrowed and I began to be passed by some of the slower aero riders I tried to draft them but didnt have the strength for even a little sprint I was going to have to pull myself in. By the time I got into town my body was screaming in pain, the rain had stopped and I was sheltered from the wind, still I could only pedal at 20MPH and there was about a ½ mile to go. I was determined to finish as strong as I could but I was spent no sprint finish for me. I rounded the last corner and spotted my hand-off. Again we had a smooth transition Id pulled the band off my arm with my teeth and handed it to my teammate without stopping or crashing. And then I was done.
My time was 1:43:30 or 8 ½ minutes slower than I would have liked. The rain slowed everyone down but not by 8 ½ minutes Id obviously over-estimated my ability on this course. Such is life I was disappointed at first until I began to talk with the other racers. My odometer read 37.2 miles and I was sure Id reset it properly. I asked around and everyone had about the same distance Id estimated my performance based on about 36 miles. Doesnt really matter though I still didnt do as well as I would have liked.
In the end I ended up finishing 44th out of 135 for our division which is just barely in the top 1/3. Overall I was like 177th out of 420 or 42.1%. My team finished 9th out of 135 in our division and 75th out 420 overall. My performance cost us 7th place.
Here is my official picture once again in no mans land.
