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May 6, 2008
Marty RR - Windy, Windy, Windy... Hard!
O.K. the Marty RR was windy and hard. The group got off to a slow start as Jens and another guy went up the road from the gun. I was sitting back in the pack, just trying to warm-up and get my legs spinning. The wind was a major factor as the whole group was fighting for wheels. As we turned toward the penultimate climb on the course I was keeping pace with the front group. About 1/2 up the hill I found myself in the gutter and pedaling in grass. I had to wait until just about everyone passed me to safely get back on the road. By that time the front group was off. I hooked up with a few Loons for a while and it looked like we were going to chase back on, but after the decent as we came onto the back of the course, I looked around and I was by myself (not smart). So I put my head down and kept pedaling. I came upon a lone rider, who simply did not have any legs to help. I got within a few hundred yards of the group and was starting to lose steam so I sat up and waited for the broader chase group to catch me. As I was caught, I immediately started working in the front of the group. When we made the right hand turn into the wind, about 4 of us (with 3 Loons) pedaled hard and fast and found ourselves with a small gap. We kept pushing forward, but one by one we dropped off. It was left to Jens and I for a short while, and I simply could not keep pace. I told Jens I was dead and I sat up again and waited for the group to catch me.
The chase group had about 8 riders and in that group where Cobra and Skibby. It was good to see some Loons. i entered into the rotation and was completely on the Rivet. Over the course of the next lap as we fought the wind the group worked well together. I started to recover and felt good going over the hill the second time. It looked like we were within a 1/2 KM to the main group and maybe if we had better organization over the hill we would have caught them, but it was not to be. As we entered the 3rd lap we kept about the same gap to the main group as the prior lap, but as we hit the hill the third time, the main group accelerated away from us. The final lap I was starting to cramp pretty bad. My back and hamstrings were really starting to hurt. I knew that there was one guy who still looked strong who I expected to take the sprint for our group. As we went up the hill the final time that guy and another guy broke off. Cobra helped me chase back on and we were on the final stretch. Cobra and another guy joined up with us. As we neared the finish line, the one guy I thought would take the sprint went, Cobra was next and I chased cross-eyed to grab Cobra's wheel. Cobra sat up just before the finish and nodded me through for 23rd. It was nice that Cobra let me lead across the line, though we all deserved a great finish. Thanks to Cobra and Skibby for keeping me motivated in a hard race. I think Marty was one of the hardest races I have ever done. The wind took its toll hard. Racing in the 35+ 3/4 group was faster than I had experienced in the past and the teams more organized. The Loons have been bantering back and forth on what our strategy was for the race. We definitely have some room for improvement, but it was still a fun race.
Posted by kermisch at May 6, 2008 9:44 PM