Georgia Tech Race Weekend Race Report

Georgia Tech Race Weekend
Race Report
Saturday March 14th 2009 – Road Race

Going into this weekend we knew the weather was going to be miserable. 90% chance of rain both Saturday and Sunday, with highs expected in the high 40’s during race times. We made a quick stop at Trailhead to load up on rain gear we might need before heading out of town, which ended up being a wise investment. This weekend was just Joe and I, as we were leaving straight from the race to embark on a weeklong training camp in the mountains near Boone, NC.

The Saturday road race dynamics were changed by the arrival of multiple schools, most notably conference powerhouse and multiple nation champions Lees McRae. The centrality of the race to most of the conference enticed what would likely be the best turnout next to the Championships (April 18th-19th). Brevard, Cumberland, Auburn, Alabama, UAH, West Virginia (out of conference), Clemson, Florida, USF, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee were all represented as were many others. (Mars Hill, forgot that one). The A field was stacked with talented riders, and almost 40 strong. We had 62 miles over a very rolling and challenging course ahead of us, with the guaranteed prospect of rain. While warmer than the hellish NGCSU race 2 weeks ago, there were certainly no comments about the great weather… With Lees McRae, it’s a totally different bike race. From the gun, all 8 of their guys were on the front and driving. I was on the back, even though I swore I would not be there. From the back I watched 3 guys roll up the road and we never saw them again. Unlike other A races though, the racing did not stop. Cumberland, Clemson, Georgia all tried to drive the field up to the breakaway, with LMC covering every move, executing teamwork as its supposed to be done. They had 2 riders in the breakaway. Meanwhile, I found I did not have legs. One massive attack by Clemson and Georgia strung out all 35+ riders single file for about a mile or two at 30+ mph. The pace was blistering, and it took all I had to hold on. I rubber banded off the back but pulled back on once the attack seized. That effort did me in though, and 2 laps later the rubber band snapped. After 5 laps of racing, I made the typical bike racer decision to pack it in and hope for the best tomorrow.

Joe, however, was playing it safe and tactical in his first ever B race. A fairly large field, a hilly course, and a more challenging team structure were against him, but Joe had the legs and the smarts to play the game right. He slowly moved from the back of the pack into the top 5 by halfway through, and remained close to the front, never taking a pull. Several breaks got up the road, but courageous “Ricky Bobby” from Cumberland drove the B field back up to every break. When it came time for the sprint, an uphill sprint, Joe moved his way into perfect position and launched himself up the 100yd roller, just barely getting nipped by a Clemson rider for 3rd place. Clearly Joe established he was deserving of moving into the B’s, and with more results like that he could easily find his way into the A’s by conference.

Sunday March 15th 2009
Road Race #2

Georgia Tech had 3 races this weekend, and ITT and 2 road races. We passed on the ITT for energy saving, and based on the hassle of dragging Curtis’ TT bike around North Carolina for a week. Oh, and ITT was at 9am and the road race was at 1PM. So we slept in Saturday. NO such luck Sunday though, as our road races started at 10AM.

I didn’t feel fantastic at the start, but I typically ride better the day after a hard workout, so I was optimistic. I tried a new strategy this time, starting in the front for the neutral rollout and making sure to keep on the leaders’ wheels. In this case, I wanted to remain on Lees McRae riders’ wheels. And it was working great. One of their guys got up the road, but we really didn’t care. Either Cumberland or Clemson or whoever would move up and drive the train. Many attacks ensued, and I quickly found out riding in the front is much more efficient. I could immediately respond to the attacks and be done with the counterattack much sooner, using less energy by hanging on faster wheels. I was riding in the top 10 comfortably, doing no work and being sure to stay right on LMC wheels. Then I made a fatal error. There was a 2-man break about 30 seconds up, and then a lone Florida rider 15 seconds up the road. I felt like I had good legs, and the pack was cruising. I attacked. I made it up to the Florida rider pretty quick and looked back. The pack wasn’t following. The UFL rider, who was dying, jumped on my wheel. I rode for a while, continuing to tempo towards the breakaway. I looked back and the field was completely disinterested. I moved aside for the UFL rider to pull through and he did nothing. I sat up. I wasn’t going to drag him up the road to the break, uphill, without help. He had no guy in the breakaway, and no reason not to pull. I had better chances hanging in the pack and letting the big guns take over. As soon as the pack caught me though, they attacked, and fast. I popped into the middle of the pack and held for a bit, then ANOTHER attack was launched after the 2 riders up the road. A small gap became a big gap, and before I knew it I was sliding back. I pulled out of the pack so the riders behind could bridge up easier and tried to stick close to the field to get some draft and pull on the very back for some needed rest. The attack continued up the hill. Kyle McElhaney from Florida yelled some words of encouragement ,but in a split second I was dropped for good. In my weakest moment, the pack made its strongest move. I continued to tempo for a few miles, hoping the pack would ease up and I could move up, but soon they were out of sight, and I went from hoping to catch the pack, to hoping the pack would break up and I could pick up stragglers. Not much later, I caught up to Sam Barr (Alabama), my virtual teammate in the pack, who had also been spit out the back after an attack up a long hill. We teamed up and decided to finish the race and try to snipe everyone who got kicked off or quit, praying for a top 20 finish by attrition. After 20 miles though, those sentiments faded. It was 45 degrees and absolutely pouring rain, and with no protection from the pack, and no possibility of catching it, we decided to pack it in. The weekend had already been a mess for us (Sam got dropped 1.5 laps from the finish Saturday….but finished), and 40 solo miles in the cold rain sounded lame. We packed up and waited for Joe to finish.

Perseverance was the name of the game in the rain. The C field absolutely self destructed, finishing in pieces. The B field remained a bit more cohesive, with an early break of 5 guys getting up the road. Joe says it was 5 and that 3 of them got caught, leaving 2 up the road. Sam and I counted 3 at least up the road from the main field, including a Less McRae B Joe didn’t even know was ahead. Those LMC riders are very sneaky, and strong. Finally, Joe and the B field rounded the corner towards the downhill sprint. With sore legs and no gravitational advantage, Joe held his position through the sprint to finish top 5 in the field sprint. While exact placings may never be known (No one apparently likes to officiate collegiate races…so the same person is at every one, which we certainly appreciate), it looks like a definite top 10 for Joe, amounting to a very impressive first weekend as a B racer. Depending on how Joe feels about it, we may see him in the A field at Conference. Continuing his dominance of the lower categories is definitely making us look good though…

So now Joe, Sam and I are driving up to Knoxville for the night/tomorrow before rolling on to Boone, NC for the week. Stuart is going to put us through hell, and we are almost certainly facing our toughest week of training all year. Next week we head to Athens for some better weather (hopefully) and with tired legs. Be sure to check the team blog all this week (and twitter of course!) for daily updates from our training camp, as well as pictures and possibly some training data via Sam and Curtis’ Garmins.

Also, we would like to take this chance to thank the community and the school for all your support. The amount of interest and congratulations in our results has been extremely motivating for all involved. Without the support of the local cycling community, UAH Cycling would not be possible, and we hope to become a vital part of the cycling culture in Huntsville for years to come. RideStrong.