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Race description:
The CAT 4 field did 8 laps of a 6 mile loop. The course starts off on slight
downhill rollers (about 1 1/2 mile). Then makes a right hand turn into
hell.....it a gradual uphill to the base of the climbs. There are 4
climbs in a row with short flats/slight downhills between them. Each
one is short/medium power climbs, but by the last one you want to die
(about 1 1/2 miles total). After the hills, there is a long downhill
with a number of turns (about 2 miles). Then you turn onto the
finishing road. It is fast rollers. The finishing line is on top of
one of the rollers (about like a freeway overpass, but it has a fast
downhill leading to it.
My Experience:
As you can tell from my race description, I didn't like the climbs at
all. This race can be described by how I felt on the hills each lap.
Lap 1 hurt a little because it was cold and my body hadn't adjusted to
the effort, but I stayed with the lead group. Lap 2 hurt even more
than lap one, but once again I hung on to the lead group. By this time we
lost about 15 riders. Lap 3 for some reason felt really good. Lap 4
hurt the worst. I actually fell off the lead group on the last of the 4
climbs. However, I was able to work my way back to the group on the
downhill. We again dropped some more riders. Laps 5 & 6 felt great, I
was really falling into rhythm sticking with the leaders. On the 3rd
climb on Lap 7, I broke a spoke on my Zipps so I was done. They didn't
have a wheel truck. I had to hitch a ride from someone in the feed
zone.
Overall advice:
- I ran an 11-23 cassette. On the hills, I wish I had a 25. However
had I made to the finish, I'm sure I would have used the 11 on the hill
just before the finishing line. Sorry, I can't offer better advice on
gearing. Unless you have an 11-25 (campy doesn't make one).
- Don't have a mechanical because they don't have wheel truck
- Bring warm clothes (it was in the 40s when we started)
- Bring a trainer (it was very cold and dark when we were warming up)
- Bring your climbing legs, this course is very hard.
-Craig Streit
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