Hydration was a major issue, so I spent most of the day drinking juice and water. Last week, I had gatorade. When it's hot like that, I have a hard time absorbing it, and get more and more ill as a race progresses. I found mineral water, Gerolsteiner, doesn't cause that problem, so I brought a few bottles of that along and filled my bottles to the brim, and drank about 16 ounces before the start.
The fields were huge. The B field was about 20 people, the A field was over 50, I think. Prior to the start, everyone took time to sign Scott's Get Well Soon card.
We started at a leisurely pace. Only a few people were willing to jump right into the 50 mile race, and a small group TTed off the front. Apparently none of the big guns went, so we rode a leisurely tempo while the group pulled away.
I wanted to follow one of the riders who always gets in the break, so I looked around for Brian Batke, Rudy, or Chris and made it my goal to latch on to their wheel no matter what. I rode with Brian for a while, but in the shuffle of the field, I ended up on his teammate's (Tris Hopkins) wheel as he made his way forward to launch an attack. Perfect! He launched just before the turn off Ranney Parkway through the sweeper before the straightaway.
The attack was powerful, even though I was just following a wheel at around 30 mph for a minute, I was pumping out as much power as I do over the last mile at Leroy. In spite of the big effort, the field managed to latch on. I retreated back into the field and kept my eyes open for Chris or Brian, but was still a little tired from following the attack and missed the next move.
In the A race, the breaks gel quickly, and it takes a while for a successful one to get away. I don't think I have quite enough mojo to attack again and again at that speed, but I'm actually pretty close.
Once the break went clear, the field settled into a manageable pace. Nobody seemed able to organize a chase. I helped pull for a while, way, way too late to actually close the gap, but we only managed one rotation before teammates of the attackers broke it up.
The last lap finally rolled around. I made a point of getting the hell out of the way of the melee. I decided to just cruise the last lap without getting involved in the sprint for Nth place.
Now that we're past the solstice, the races will be getting shorter. I'm looking forward to the 20 lap races. Even more, I can't wait to ride with my peers to test out my legs.
Total Distance: 50 miles
Time: about 2 hours
Energy: 1347 kJoules
Avg. Power: 191 Watts
2 comments:
Nice Job Kevin! I should be joining you very soon at Leroys and Westlakes. I'll start in the 'b' race but once the races get shorter consider the 'a' race. And you just broke my time from leroy so i have to get out there!
Thanks! I'm glad I can provide a little motivation!
I keep trying to shave off a little time at Leroy every week. I think there are a couple of sections where I can improve.
The Westlake "A" race has been a good experience and has boosted my fitness quite a bit. It took several attempts to get used to the speed compared to the "B" race.
Have you guys been out to the Lorain Thursday night races? I will probably head out there once or twice this season.
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