The trip through Cleveland was unusually easy and I got out to the bus garage parking lot with plenty of time to get ready and warm up. I took a few easy laps to get a feel for the wind and weather. The wind was ripping out of the east northeast at about 10 mph, so there was a massive headwind/crosswind on the Ranney Parkway section of the course, and a strong tailwind on the finishing stretch. The wind stayed full strength for the duration of the race. It wasn't too hot, but it was uncomfortably humid.
In spite of the weather, a big group turned up for both the A and B race. I didn't count, but there were probably about 50 in the A race. 24 laps/48 miles were scheduled.
The race followed it's typical pattern. It was fast until a break went clear, then settled into a manageable pace. With the tailwind, we were flying through the start/finish straight. I hit 35 mph on one of the first few laps.
I felt pretty bad most of the time. The gatorade I drank before the start and during the race felt like a brick in my stomach, and I was steadily getting dehydrated. I'll have to switch to mineral water next time, that's easier on me.
For about the first half of the race, I had difficulty moving up through the field. I was stuck on the back, but was managing the turns with efficiency, so I was always in the draft, so I just relaxed and stayed there instead of taking chances to move forward.
The most difficult section of the course was Ranney Parkway. When the front of the field hammered out of the turn, the pack would string out in the gutter to escape the crosswind. On the upwind side, it was a tough slog at 27 mph. On the sheltered side, it wasn't too bad. On a particularly violent lap, I got popped off the back and thought I was done, but I guess it wore everyone out, because the field slowed to a crawl, and I was easily able to get back on.
Eventually I made an effort to move forward and managed to maintain my position near the front of the field for most of the race.
I was relieved when I saw the single digits on the lap cards. I was so bored of sitting in the field that I thought about making a pointless attack. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. Folks were jumping off the front into the void one by one and two by two. The field would chase them down, so the average speed popped up again.
Finally! Two laps to go. I made it. As we were heading up Ranney Parkway just before the "S" curves, I heard shouts, clatter, and the chirping of skidding tires to my immediate right. A group was going down like bowling pins. A rider got knocked down right in front of me at 25 mph. It was bunny hop, or swerve. Swerve! I was on the left, so I managed to squirt around. I got back in the group and went down the road a little before stopping and checking back to see if everyone in the crash was alright. A group was gathered at the spot helping out.
Nobody was seriously injured, but some skin was left on the road, and bikes were damaged. Bill Marut's frame looked like a formula one car that hit the wall at 200 mph. That totally sucks! Even though I was lucky enough to avoid the crash, I'll have that sound playing in my head for the next few races I do. I hope everyone who crashed recovers quickly and not too many dollars go flying out the window.
- Distance: 46.2 miles (I cut the last lap short)
- Time: 1:49
- Energy: 1272 kJoules
- Average Speed: 25.3 mph
- Average Power: 196 Watts
- Max Power: 1347 Watts
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