Morrow ~ Queen City Wheels

Start of today's race I sat in the first lap, as planned. The second lap I couldn't stand the sight of just two riders ahead by only 15 sec. So on the downhill half a mile past the start finish I passed the field and proceeded by the two man break. One mile later two of us were away. My legs were already tight every time I took a pull. The other rider, Obrien Forbes, helped me so much today.

Obrien told me to grab his wheel and hang on, he pulled for about 10 min. It seemed like an hour. He told me not to come around, but when I do just ride tempo. What is tempo anyway? All I know is smash the pedals till my legs can't move! Needless to say he did 99.9% of the three lap break at 24 mph avg. When I got caught with less than two to go Obrien took off with another break, what a jaw dropping experience!

My legs hurt all day and when it came to the sprint, cramping didn't help either. Thank you Lord for a beautiful day! My Dad and Brother raced today as well. To my Team please forgive me for staying in the break, when I knew I would be caught. Savage Hill Teammates and Obrien deserved more than that today with all the hard efforts they did. Many thanks to Obrien for towing me around today, and to Savage Hill you guys are the best!

It was a real pleasure to race in warm conditions (65). Nice way to kick off the racing season. The Cat ¾ peloton had 67 riders with the usual powerhouse teams represented. First two laps, (Indiana) Joe, Larry, and I hovered near the front covering or going away with half hearted breaks. There seems to be less aggression in the peloton this year. Along with the usual left of center crap too! I’m retracting the “powerhouse” word and replacing it with “creampuffs”!

Into the second lap, a Team Dayton and an unknown rider got off the front and the two stayed away. The peloton (Creampuffs) took no interest in this and just doodled around. Will tried in vain to organize the other teams (Creampuffs) to work together…there wasn’t any interest in reeling in the two escapes. I think with the warm spring weather, birds singing, and with love in the air, it tempered their aggress spirits. At the half way point, Larry, Will, Joe, and Mitch worked the front off and on with little help from other Creampuffs.

Not sure when we caught the “Unknown Escapee”, maybe with two laps to go. At one point the Team Dayton guy had 3 minutes on us. My hat goes off to this rider, job well done.

Going into the final turn, prior to the short but painfully stiff climb, we had all of our team members (Larry, Joe, Will and Mitch) near the front. Game plan was to set up Joe for the final run in. We hit the climb flying, but people began to hit their red zone and began to slow to a crawl. Off to my far right, riding near the edge of the berm, I see two riders hit the pavement. It was Joe and Will. Joe nails one of those crawlers. Somewhere near the top of the climb, I hear this loud voice, look up towards the sky and see nothing. The voice says…“You’re it Todd”! CRAP (S#@t “edited out”) I think! I’m the only Savage Hill in the break and I’m deep in the red zone or is it purple and seeing stars. But the break slows, thank God; I catch by breath and pick my way through blown riders to end up 8th. Thanks Larry for that all inspiring words of wisdom. You kids inspire me, it’s great to be Fifty! :)

10th place turned out to be 13th when all was said and done.

Hats off to Ryan Gamm for sticking in the race while stuck in his little ring, when most others would have quit. Grimm is a beast!

I'll try to put a positive spin on what I really feel like saying.

Too many people must have suffered brain freeze this winter. The left-of-center crap must be stopped. I complained to John about it but, really people, this isn't about the officiating, it's personal responsibility.

If it doesn't change, someone will die. There is no sugarcoating this.

So please, to anyone who reads this, do your part, whatever it takes. We are just a bunch of people having fun, lets keep it fun.

Yellow line rule? What is that?...It's a joke right now. The race officials mention it before the race, almost out of habit. But once the field rolls out of site of the start area, it's every man for himself. This race, in particular, was terrible. I have never seen such careless disregard for the center line, even over blind hills and around curves.

I have been involved in two events in recent years where cyclists were killed instantly after they crossed the center line and hit cars head on. It's not something I can just shake off. Each time I see people playing chicken with oncoming traffic I have flashbacks to those horrific crashes and the tragic loss of life that occurred because of a momentary lapse in judgment. The center line rule is not "feel good" lip service created purely for liability purposes. It is the essence of racing safety. Crossing the center line is not a strategic choice. It is a life and death choice. Let's all make the logical choice and keep it right of center.

Title: I fell down and broke my crown and Will came tumbling after.

The weather was excellent for the first race of the year. There were many people who were in good shape. I felt pretty strong, but I'm not used to high efforts for that long.
I stayed near the front most of the race trying to get into a few breaks. None of those breaks materialized. The winning break was made after going up the hill maybe with 3 laps left. He got out of sight and few people were willing to organize and bring him back. It was really sick to watch. We could maybe get 4-5 guys to start rotating, but they wouldn't come around for a second pull. I also made a new 'friend' on Dayton's team while trying to keep them out of the rotation.
Going into the last hill, I was cramping a bit, but was in a good position. The race was shot for me when I tangled wheels with someone who was climbing at a walking pace. The worst part of falling was the cramps that ensued.
I know what I need to work on for my training sessions. I'd better not let the spring racing get in the way of improvement.

Awaiting confirmed results. 18th might be hopeful.(it was, officially DNP)

In any event, Blair is the real story here. It began with a cat 4-5 field of 70 plus riders, a frightening concept. After an initial false start upon which several riders attacked on the climb during the rollout (which I thought was hysterical), Blair and I worked at the front for much of the race. Joe B. was held fast in the pack waiting for us to make something, anything, happen. After several chases and sorry attempts to get away, it came down to the last lap and final climb. Joe B. and George made their way to the front. I made a sad, feebled attempt at an attack down the last stretch and in to the final turn with a hope of putting Blair or Joe B in position to power up the climb. Blair is a monster and Joe B. was passing guys like he was going downhill on the climb: I was gasping for air and seeing stars.

Blair jumped on to the lead group. Some guy crashed going up near the top right in front of Joe B. and myself. I lost contact with Joe B's group and finished just behind him.

Hats off to George and Jim for gutting it out. Nice Job Blair (4th) and Joe B. (10th).

I began the race still dazed from the fumes I sucked in while stuck behind Larry’s van the whole drive down. That’s my explanation for chasing the break that happened halfway in the first lap, right after a corner. Thanks, Will, for suggesting those cornering drills. I passed 4 women on the inside, and got by the junior who blocked Wendy. I stayed with the peleton until we got back to that nice hill, then dropped.

I solo’d the next lap and a half, debating the wisdom of continuing to ride as hard as I could, especially when I lost sight of the peleton. If I slowed down, I could save some energy, hope to work with whoever caught me, and then make the hill the deciding factor. Nope, I decided to keep going it alone. Thanks, guys, for shouting encouragement as you flew past me. It helped.

With half a lap to go, Wendy passed me, pulling another woman. I had already admitted defeat, but Wendy’s encouragement made me grab her wheel, pick up the pace, and then wonder how I was going to finish. When it was my turn to pull, Wendy wanted to rescue me, but I told her I’d pull as long as I could. I knew I wouldn’t have legs for the end, and hoped I’d spell her long enough that she would.

We flew down one of the hills with a slight bend, came around the other side, and saw the van and a car parked in the middle of the road on the uphill. C’mon, didn’t anyone teach them to park on the SIDE of the road? We were less than ladylike as we passed them, and finished the climb. That was all I had left, and I dropped. I labored the last few miles to the finish, glad that I didn’t have anyone right behind me.

I’m kicking myself (which is kinda hard with my sore quads and glutes) for letting the mental aspect of the hill beat me. However, since I’m still on my old bike, I’ll say it wasn’t a bad race.

How is my fitness? Can I stay with the group? Will they hammer me into oblivion? The “first race of the year” worries were huge since this was my first race in years. Add lack of training, and I figured it should be an exciting race.

Luckily, aside from some nutcases flying up the left side of the yellow line, it turned out to be uneventful. Until the end, that is.

Since I was cramping badly each time up the hill, before the last climb I made my way to the back so as not to be in the way during the last mad dash up. On the climb I heard a crash and was immediately disappointed to see yellow: 2 SHC riders were on the ground. Damn.

I considered continuing, but that plan was aborted when I heard what sounded like the guttural wailing of gravely wounded animals coming from the riders on the ground. When I arrived, it was like a scene from the Nam*: Will wailing loudly in pain, caught in his pedals, writhing; and Joe N shrieking, “I CAN’T STRAIGHTEN MY LEG! I CAN’T STRAIGHTEN MY LEG!” Cars screeched to a halt, bikes were tossed aside, medics swarmed, frantic attempts to save broken bodies…

Luckily, everybody lived and there were no broken bones (or bikes). Just a couple cases of bad cramping. Whew.

But an exciting first race, it was. Looking forward to the next one!

*Footnote, source used: Larry

It was a really nice day for a ride. Shari and I decided just to ride and see what happened. There were at least 20 women at the start of the race, Cats 1-4, plus the juniors. Starting pace wasn't all that bad, but things got interesting on that one lane farm road. I got stuck behind a junior and lost the pack. Spent almost the rest of the race riding by myself, slowly picking off other women riders that were left behind. Finally caught up to Shari with the help of I believe a Dayton woman rider, on the beginning of the farm road, third lap.

The three of us made a nice little train for the next several miles. Had a scare moment going down into one of the quick dips and finding a car and mini-van in the middle of the road, with doors open, picking up some rider. The three of us screamed, lost some momentum, then used adrenaline to get going again. We lost Shari after her pull, not to far from the end. Managed to outclimb the Dayton woman up that last hill.

Shari and I quite enjoyed getting to see all the guys finish. Sorry we couldn't tell more of you apart in the helmets and bikes. We though mabe we could put names on the jerseys, like football players- just kidding.

After being dropped by the pack I found a pair of other riders to work with. Bridged them up to the next group where I popped on the climb, recovered then caught one of my bridgemates. After leading them down the descent after the start/finish line was told "man, you are one BIG draft!". On the start of the 3rd lap the referee rang the 1 lap to go bell so I felt encouraged, but that enevitable climb hit again this time both quads screamed in agony cramping so I drank most of what I had left, went across the line myself only to be given my 1 to go bell. Defeated I pressed on, shook out the legs and managed to catch a few more of the 4/5's on the last lap. Then that hill came again...bigger cramps this time right after I see Mitch on the side with Will. I finished up the hill to my lovely wife and Shari cheering where I was in a line of about 5 cars to cross the finish line.

At least the weather was good. Loved the new tires, thanks Kurt.

1) Today was an amazingly nice Feb day for a race
2) Mr Grimm is a beast.....off in a break for 2 laps then laying the smack down in the field spring
3) I am an idiot, my left crank arm fell off of my new bike (completely my fault too, sorry guys)
4) My new Bianchi Carbon XL Rules (this is after the crank fell off, thats how cool it is)
5) I had to ride the whole race in my little ring
6) I will never forget to double check my bike before a race again
7) After the race someone asked me if I was a Cat 5 (no offense to any cat 5s intended)
8) I completely deserved #7