Sublime Sublimity 2.20.10

This week was the early addition of a second day of a dedicated LT work. Tuesday morning was spent punishing my lungs, heart, legs, and whipping my mind into shape for suffering. The rest of the time was spent loosening the legs up for Saturday. I had 10 hours on my legs going into Sub-Sub. I felt normal, well as normal as possible. I am still using these early season races to get me into shape, while trying to get points for an upgrade. Tough to do. This is still my first real season after coming off a good winter. I am excited to see how the plan pans out.

Saturday started like any other race day prep. I woke up with out the alarm and felt like I good night sleep. I wandered out to the garage to get the bike cleaned up and prepped for the race. I ended up taking it apart working on the bottom bracket, shortening up some of the cables and cleaning the bike thoroughly. After all I am on my “B” bike after last weekends fiasco with the bike flying off the car at 70mph. Will and I were set to launch from the house at 10. I would have liked to been off my feet most of the morning the day of a race but I was walking around doing laundry, working on my bike, packing, doing dishes, and just generally being my ADD self. I got energy people what am I going to do?

Will and I launched on time and headed south for Sub-Sub. Beautiful weather too. You would have thought it was July had you not rolled down the window. The heater was on but the sun was up and just a blue bird day. Wow what a beautiful day. We got there around 11:30, making pretty good time. We lounged around and BS’d with the other guys on the team. We got suited up and got on our bikes to roll out we were going to have an hour on our legs before race started. These races for me are all about time and training, trying to get ready for Cherry Blossom. I wasn’t nervous about this race. I’ve noticed that one thing about this year is that the preparation for the season has left my nerves in the dust. I feel prepared and I feel like if or when there is a move I can follow. I have confidence in my body this year.

The normal whistle sounded and we meandered through the country side. I was in the back a bit out of position. I wasn’t happy about it but I figured the first climb I would be able to work up to the front. That plan almost worked. I got stuck behind this “Pat” was have trouble with the neutral descending roll out. Oh boy he can’t hold a line, I’ve got to get around this person. I won’t say that this field is sketch because of the 5’s because I know of some 2’s that can’t hold a line or don’t know some of the simplest things like telling people “STANDING!” to ensure that you don’t wipe out an entire field because you’re stretching you legs. Hughes found his way over to me and I locked onto his wheel like a little leach. “Mush!” Hughes and he did. That boy pulled my ass right to front making his way through some of the smallest cracks that Emmit Smith would’ve shied from. If Al did only one thing right that day it was his Concord escort to the front of the Peleton. I didn’t leave that position the rest of the race… well almost.

I had a plan of course, and if you’ve read more than this page blog you know that that plan is always to stay in the bunch and not attack! And I swear I am getting closer to that coming to fruition. The first lap was a painfully slow pace. There were no attacks to speak of. A few fliers but nothing worth writing home about. We approached the first steep pitch and real test of how the boys would handle the rise in elevation. I danced on those pedals and had little to no trouble, in fact I remember oo take it easy only go as hard as necessary to stay in the front and not off the front. There was one guy who flew off the front just before the climb and he went backwards so fast you would have thought he was descending. We all made it to the top for the most part and descended the back together. The second lap I was at the front for some of the pace making trying to deter attacks but I didn’t want to spend the next 40 min pulling the bunch right before the finish so I faded back and watched. We slowed to a crawl. My plan was working and I was sticking to it, regardless of how painful it was.

We approached the steep pitch again and I was going to just stay in the front keep an eye on things and then I saw some guys go up the road. Three guys, I had a lane, they were pulling away, they looked strong, they looked good, I exploded and went. People tried to follow us but they couldn’t respond. We crested the top of the climb, I looked back, we had a conversation, well as much of a conversation as you can have while coughing up lung, “Are we going?” the response was the junior looking back and seeing the same thing I did, a huge gap, and a nod of the head. With that we dropped the hammer. Until someone rides up to you that you don’t know and says "hey you really hurt us" you may not be able to relate to this. It is a good feeling having that kind of form even if it is in the 4’s.

We continued down the descent as we crested one of the rollers I looked back for the second time and saw a nice sized gap with the field shattered. It felt good to realize that the four of us were causing it, and we were going to try and cause more of it. I was spun out on my 53x11 on that descent. We left with about 8 miles to go and we got caught with about 3 or 4 to go. I tried to sit in the rest of the way to the finish. The finish was a typical sprinters finish with a nasty little pitch at the end. I had nothing left in my legs from that attack. I got 18th.

Great day on the bike! Beautiful day. Great race… I will learn to stick to the plan at some point.