What a SOB of a race.
My goal was to make it over Hamilton with some sort of a lead group. Figured I, at all costs, needed to be in the main group for the remaining 40 miles or it's Good Game.
Started out with a quality 50 minute warmup. Then we were off up the 20 mile climb that's the front side of Mt Hamilton. 15-20 minutes into the climb, the person in front of me veered into the person next to him. They both went down hard. WTF GUYS. We are climbing at 13 miles an hour. I wish I could send you back to Cat 5.
Group came back together. Everything was going fine until about 40 minutes into the climb. Attacks off the front. Faster pace. Pain. About 50 minutes in, I cracked and fell off the lead group. Most others in the 60 person field already had at that point.
Suffered up the remaining 82 minutes it would take me to climb Hamilton. A number of E4s passed me.
Railed the 5 mile descent on the other side in less then 9 minutes. Almost made top ten on Strava for the segment.
Suffered for a good 15 miles or so, mostly solo, before being caught by a guy I knew from some other races. We worked together for the remaining 20 miles. Passed a lot of people.
Ended up 23rd out of 60.
As for the CAAD, it's pretty spectacular. 15.2 lbs with race wheels. Super stiff bottom bracket. Super stiff front end. Begs to be ridden in anger.
Speaking of weight, I'm down to 150lbs at 6'1". Race weight for sure. Just need a little better form.
Don't suppose you saw who went down in that crash, or who went into who?
ReplyDeleteAfraid not. Pack was about three wide. Guy in the middle went left into the guy next to him for a reason that's unknown to me. They both went down pretty hard. I remember seeing broken sunglasses. It was all very slow motion.
ReplyDeleteI had to put a foot down, go around, then catch back on to the group.
Unfortunately, I left my ContourHD at home. Climbing weight!
Ah thanks.
ReplyDeleteI was the guy on the left in the yellow and black. From what I remembered someone came over into me from the right, hooked bars, and then tried to yank them free. Still trying to put all the pieces together of how things went down after.
I imagine those were my sunglasses... damn.
Sorry for the extra wattage you had to put out to get around. Thanks for the report. Nice new bike.
Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAny damage? Are you Andrew Smith? If so, good job getting up and finishing!
looks great,.
ReplyDelete