Minnesota State Fairgrounds
St. Paul, MN
Race Date: June 2, 2009
That's right. It's been just over a month since my last race. My excuse:
Son #2 was born on May 6 at 3:15 am. Baby's healthy. Mom's healthy. Big brother is adjusting to having a second little person in his space. And we're all a little sleep deprived, but doing very well, and are very happy.
I took two full weeks off of work, and a little over one full week off of the bike. I'm not going to lie, it was great.
But, I hopped back on and was still able to get some decent mileage in May. The break also brought about the discovery of my transmission going out, so I've been commuting to work by bike daily, which is where the majority of my mileage is now coming from (~25 miles a day; more if I extend a ride).
I targeted the Massacre as my return to the pursuit of Category 4. This would be my fourth race ever, leaving me six more before I have the ability to upgrade.
After figuring out the logistics of being able to take the (now) family car (a VW Beetle...for two adults and now two car seats) by myself so I could fit the bike in the back, I made it to the race in time to watch the start of the final NVGP Qualifier race.
When the race flyer was posted a few weeks ago, I knew that this was a race series that I wasn't going to miss. Just a quick glance at the Cat 6 guys' site and the race flyer made me pre-register for the whole series, thus committing myself to going to all of the races.
And I wasn't disappointed.
The 1/2/3 race was very exciting to watch...if you consider the winner winning by over a half a lap, and gapping the entire field for the last 8+ laps. Something like half of the field was pulled before the race was half over, leaving just the lead pack and a few stragglers going for about a half hour, chasing the eventual winner. He put on quite a show, and made it look easy.
The Cat 5 race lined up next. At registration, they said that Cat 4 riders could register for either the Cat 5 or the Cat 3 race, thus making them both mixed category races. I'm not sure how many 4's actually lined up with us, but there were a few comments as we lined up from others on the sides pointing out "sandbaggers," mostly in jest I'm sure.
From the moment I stepped out of the car in the parking lot, I thought this was the most organized and well thought-out race yet. For one, they had an emcee at the start/finish, both announcing the race, and heckling and joking with racers. It made for a much more organized and relaxed atmosphere, in my opinion. Everyone knew what was going on, when to line up, who was doing what, how far into the race we were, and which jersey/kit was the announcer's favorite (mine, by the way). Secondly, it was an actual closed course, with barricades at intersections and everything. From what I have to compare to thus far, it was very comforting to see.
But, what really put the icing on was the ninja wailing on his axe at the start. The pre-race announcements told us that there would be surprise "ninja primes" throughout the race. If you crossed the line and the ninja was jamming on his electric guitar, it meant you just won a ninja prime, and will receive a four-pack of adult beverages after the race. But, in addition to playing during primes, he also played some Stairway to Heaven during the race announcements, and a few other random licks here and there. A much different atmosphere from the roundy-round OPUS where the only sounds you really hear are other riders warming up on the outside of the course yelling "Bus coming on your right!" (the OPUS course was/is not closed to traffic).
The course itself was different from what the flyer posted. Apparently the Fairgrounds staff started doing some roadwork on the north end of the original course, grinding out some potholes in the corners. They hadn't been filled yet, so racing over 3-inch deep grooves wouldn't have been pleasant.
Half of the course was now moved down to the warm-up area, making a 180-degree hairpin turn leading back up a slight uphill to the finish. From a spectator's standpoint, it was a pretty good arrangement, as you could see the entire course from the start/finish, making it much easier to watch and follow the race.
Our field was capped at 50 (as Cat 5 races are supposed to be), and we started right on time with the start of the race noted by a very loud jam from the ninja. For the first time in a race, I had a hard time clipping in, and actually didn't get in until just before the first turn. After the first two tries, I just stepped on the pedal with the arch of my foot to keep forward momentum and to keep in the pack, then finally stepped up and stomped down to clip in successfully.
A few guys went off the front almost immediately. Either they knew there'd be a ninja prime on the first lap (which there was), or they just felt like shaking things up right away, or they were sandbaggers, but either way, they were off. I held my position (about 16 or 17) for most of the race, and actually was able to work a few drafts and took turns with a couple guys pacing each other through the slight crosswinds on the back hairpin.
This was taken about halfway through the race I believe, just after turn 3. I'm the guy to the right/at the back of these three:
Thanks to the Cat6 guys for taking such great pics. Go here for more of his pics of the race.
With a few laps to go, me and one other guy were going back and forth pacing each other over the course alone. We could see the small lead pack coming around the third turn as we headed towards the finish, so we knew they were about a half a lap ahead of us, so we just held our pace to the finish.
One lap to go shot of me (on the right) and "the other guy":
The emcee actually cheered me on as we crossed here. "Here comes my favorite jersey of the night!".
The kit has actually gotten a lot of compliments at the few races I've done so far, ranging from "That's a pretty bold statement" to "That's kind of poseur, yet it's not." At the start, the emcee said he felt it was "So pro, yet so not." It's safe to say that most people get it. I have yet to see anyone else wearing it around here.
The final results ranked me at 21 out of 50. Pretty much all of the races around here are now using chip timing and posting the full lap data online. Shows that only 27 of the field finished 14 laps. I finished about a minute and a half after the winner...about 15 seconds from being lapped had there been more laps.
Again, I like seeing this data after the race, despite the classic racers' opinions out there. I know I need to work harder, but with this basic data, it is nice to see how I'm stacking up in my early stages of racing.
I am seeing progress though, and I definitely feel my comfort level growing within the pack.
My goal for next week is to finish closer to the top yet, stick with the leaders longer, and to actually put myself in position for a sprint for an early prime, just to try it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment