I used to fancy myself as a strong climber, passing my competition on the uphills only to be passed on the downhills again. It wasn't until I started road racing that I realized I'm a mediocre climber at best. (And with that reflection, I realized my slow swim likely meant I was way behind the fast triathletes and was actually just passing the slower cyclists that beat me out the water).
Yet going into Tour de Bowness, I thought my best finish would be in the road race. Going into the hilly 88km race, my game plan was to hold on to the lead pack on both climbs up the biggest hill. Lap 1, mission complete. The climb up to the finish on the first lap saw a few guys pass me, but I was still where I wanted to be, firmly mid-pack. I raced the "out" of lap two well, getting myself in good position just before the turnaround. But when the lead pack hit the big climb the second time around, my legs couldn't execute. About halfway up, I started going backwards through the lead pack of about 25-30 fellow Cat fivers. As soon as you lose touch with a group that size, regaining contact is near impossible. As soon as I crested the hill, I dropped into the drops ('cause how else would you get in to the drops?) and focused on catching another wheel. I closed the gap on a few stragglers and we ended up with a group of 6. A couple of us did the brunt of the work to minimize the time loss. And once we got to the final 4km uphill to the line, my execution was that strategic thing of beauty I've been struggling to find over the last 2 years. Okay, "18th place" and "beauty" maybe don't go hand-in-hand. But I was happy with the way I rode the last 15km. So there.
C.O.P. hill climb? You can imagine how well that went. 4mins and 54 seconds of wishing this thing was over. I may have left half a second on the course, but not much more than that. I was spent. At least the cat 5s all got their ride in. The faster guys and girls were rained (lightninged?) out half way through the Cat 4 run. 30th place.
Thus far in life, I had competed in 2 criteriums. In both I was right up there for the sprint. Of the second group. After about 20 or 30 other guys had already crossed the finish line. And so, expectations were low as we lined up for a 20 lap, 27 minute race around the streets of Bowness. But by lap 10, I realized I had a chance of doing alright. The legs felt strong, the lungs were doing a good job of managing the whole oxygen in-carbon dioxide out thing, and this time I didn't mishear Brent "The Crit Monster" Topilko's advice and managed to execute. I moved up to the top ten on the small climb, positioned myself on the Bownesian pavé and came out of the final turn still in top 10. I was a bit too far left when the road narrowed, meaning my straight path to the finish was cut off by a racer in front of me. But a quick flick to the right allowed me to accelerate and come around 2 guys at the line to secure 6th place. First upgrade points from a crit. And yet as I rode my cool down, I was disappointed in missed opportunities. Which is a good thing; satisfaction with 6th won't make me better.
So yeah, I'm not much of a climber.
Yet going into Tour de Bowness, I thought my best finish would be in the road race. Going into the hilly 88km race, my game plan was to hold on to the lead pack on both climbs up the biggest hill. Lap 1, mission complete. The climb up to the finish on the first lap saw a few guys pass me, but I was still where I wanted to be, firmly mid-pack. I raced the "out" of lap two well, getting myself in good position just before the turnaround. But when the lead pack hit the big climb the second time around, my legs couldn't execute. About halfway up, I started going backwards through the lead pack of about 25-30 fellow Cat fivers. As soon as you lose touch with a group that size, regaining contact is near impossible. As soon as I crested the hill, I dropped into the drops ('cause how else would you get in to the drops?) and focused on catching another wheel. I closed the gap on a few stragglers and we ended up with a group of 6. A couple of us did the brunt of the work to minimize the time loss. And once we got to the final 4km uphill to the line, my execution was that strategic thing of beauty I've been struggling to find over the last 2 years. Okay, "18th place" and "beauty" maybe don't go hand-in-hand. But I was happy with the way I rode the last 15km. So there.
C.O.P. hill climb? You can imagine how well that went. 4mins and 54 seconds of wishing this thing was over. I may have left half a second on the course, but not much more than that. I was spent. At least the cat 5s all got their ride in. The faster guys and girls were rained (lightninged?) out half way through the Cat 4 run. 30th place.
Thus far in life, I had competed in 2 criteriums. In both I was right up there for the sprint. Of the second group. After about 20 or 30 other guys had already crossed the finish line. And so, expectations were low as we lined up for a 20 lap, 27 minute race around the streets of Bowness. But by lap 10, I realized I had a chance of doing alright. The legs felt strong, the lungs were doing a good job of managing the whole oxygen in-carbon dioxide out thing, and this time I didn't mishear Brent "The Crit Monster" Topilko's advice and managed to execute. I moved up to the top ten on the small climb, positioned myself on the Bownesian pavé and came out of the final turn still in top 10. I was a bit too far left when the road narrowed, meaning my straight path to the finish was cut off by a racer in front of me. But a quick flick to the right allowed me to accelerate and come around 2 guys at the line to secure 6th place. First upgrade points from a crit. And yet as I rode my cool down, I was disappointed in missed opportunities. Which is a good thing; satisfaction with 6th won't make me better.
So yeah, I'm not much of a climber.
