Race Report: Oxbow Classic 2006
Gotta love the internet wayback machine for finding things you thought were gone forever. The following is a reposting of the race report for the 2006 Oxbow Classic.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Oxbow Spring Classic
Gunnar Soroos got the better of all other C race favourites at the spring classic (dirt/gravel road) race: After an unplanned gap opened at the right moment, Gunnar beat the other favourites in one impressive time trial effort. -Tounge in cheek.
In my first race in 9 years (not counting alley cats) , I was pretty nervous about racing. Part of it was my ablilities (since moving to the area I've gone on maybe 3 or 4 of the local group rides, always getting shelled off the back and never feeling confident of being able to hang in a race), plus questions about the age and condition of my racing equipment, added to just normal racing jitters. It was so bad that I was ten years off in filling in my age on the one-day liscence/entry form. Yes... I wrote in 26 instead of 36 as his racing age for 2006. Hah. And it took me about 10 minutes to pin on the race number. But everything got done.
I did a quick spin to loosen up my legs, riding out and up the "killer" hill about 3 miles in from the start. Some riders were flying up the hill, I guess wanting to really get the blood flowing. Not me. I tend to not want to tax myself prior to an event (unless it's an actual time trial), I'll loosen up, but actually find my legs and warm up in the race.
Speaking about warming up, I really don't understand using a trainer to warm up for a road race. Again, I understand for a time trial, and even for a crit, to maybe target a certain percent of max for a certain amount of time as a warm up. But for a regular road race, just ride down the road. Uh... whatever. Maybe I'll show up at the next alleycat with a wind trainer to warm up on. Heh-heh.
Anyway, I loosened up. Then I found out that the finish line would actually be at the top of the "killer" climb. Meaning that riders will ride the climb one time more than the amount of laps thier race was doing. In my case it was twice.
It also ment that if the family wanted to see the finish, they would have to be at the top of the climb. So I tried my best to explain where it was, while manouvering the van out of the parking lot.
I then waited (ten minutes) for the start. The official for my race said that there would be a KOM (King of the Mountain) prime of $25 on the first climb (obviously the KOM on the final climb is the winner).
My original plan was to stay in a group, near the front, try to control the pace, and make a move late in the race. Remember, I really have no idea of what kind of shape other riders are in, plus not sure where my fitness falls in compareison to them. I mean I felt stronger than in the same time of year last year, but what that ment, I wasn't to sure. Well just before the start I decided that if I was with the leaders at the climb, I'd at least go for the prime. Then no matter where I placed, I almost paid for my entry fee.
So the race starts, we're rolling along easily enough. I find myself pulling a group of eight or so riders along. Ugh... Heck if I'm gonna pull you guys only to get dropped at the halfway mark. I do the elbow notification to get the next guy to pull through. It took a couple of tries to get him to go, but it worked.
Mind you it's not like we're flying along or anything, but I'm still not gonna pull the train by myself. And this is just the first two or so miles. We approach the hill and I'm near the front of the group with about four riders around me. You hear all kinds of gears being shifted and we start going up. Now this "killer" hill is not very long, maybe a little over 200 yards. But it's steep. And it's rough and loose, though it's "paved". The best way to do it, is to get into an easy but comfortable gear while standing and just grind it up. Two riders drop, while I am just marking a rider with a Bianchi/Grand Performance jersey on. I figure that if I stay with him, I can jump ahead and take the KOM, pull for a bit and get him to pull through.
We're pulling when I see/hear my girls, they're yelling "Go - papa -go! Go - papa -go!" So I take that as my cue to jump. I get the KOM, and keep the pace up, but not hard. I look to the left for the guys shadow........ and I don't see it. Hmm....
Then I just figure, I'd keep the pace up so he/they have to work to catch me. I'm pushing along, the wind is at my back, so I'm mindfull not to expend it all now, as I'll have to go into it soon enough. I'm thinking it's still to early to get away.. Like I said... I don't know how strong these others are, or myself. So I'm just putting a good (by good I mean fairly hard, but not too hard) tempo.
There are riders from the B race that I'm catching up to. I figure that's a good sign. They can be used to block for me. I pass a couple, then there seemed to be a guy that's trying to bridge a gap solo. I get on his wheel for a moment. I just want to catch my breath. Then I pull through. But not too hard that I'm trying to drop him. Here's the thing. You're not supposed to work with riders racing in a seperate class (or lapped riders). You can get a DQ for doing so. But not all officials make the call the same. And what's to say that I just happen to let off the pace to catch my breath at the same time that the other rider want's to kinda pull ahead. But anyway, the official told me not to work with this other rider. So I pull ahead.
I make the transisition to the first real pavement streatch, and see other packs of riders to try to bridge up to. Just before we turn onto a section that runs on a bike path, I contact a group of two riders trying to catch a rider that has a slight gap on them. The trail is somewhat narrow, and the officials truck can't go on the path, so I use it as another oppourtunity to catch my breath for a second. I announce that I'm pulling through, and try to be encourging by saying come-on you can catch that guy as I pass. I make it up to the next rider, and pass him too.
The rest of the race is more of this catching B racers, passing them and stuff. I do get reminded to not work with other class racers as a rider and I are climbing up this one section of road. Again, all I'm really doing is trying to catch my breath a second, and would've probably done so even if I didn't catch the rider. But it make's it just a little more convient to catch a little draft for a hundred feet or so.
As we get inside the last six or so miles, just before the last paved section, I'm catching larger packs of riders. One pack I could tell the guy pulling on the front was loooking to jump on my wheel as I came around. (again I pulled up behind the pack, drafted for 10 seconds or so and pulled through). As I passed I said I couldn't work with him, that I was in the C race. He then gave up trying to get my wheel.
I got on the pavement, and tried to use the corner to see if I could see any of my chasers. No dice, so i just used the pavement to build some speed. Then it's back to the gravel roads for a slight rise for a bit, a downhill section, a bit of flat and then the "killer" climb for the finish.
Once off the last pavment section, I'm feeling like I can win, but nothing can go wrong and I have to keep the power on up the clinb. The downhill section starts off as a gradual downhill with a right hand turn. I must have bumped my frame pump with my knee, as it popped out at the seat tube. Luckily it's strapped near the head tube, so it doesn't fall off. But I'm like what the hay is that about. Pop it back on, only to have it pop out again on the more downhill section.
I reach the climb feeling good. I get into a good gear and start honking up. Sometimes when I'm going near all out, I'll breath kinda like I'm in labor. Focusing on the exhales, and really pushing out the whole breath on every third of fourth one. See you can't just cross the line like you're dead, as a winner you have to cross with conviction. At least that what I see when watching the euro-pros on TV.
So recap- it was baisicly a 3 mile race with a 14 mile time trial afterwards. It was fun, but more like a mountain bike race, in that I didn't have anyone to work with or pace off of.
Sandbagging Sandbaggers
I couldn't help but somewhat feel like a sandbagger. Wife, organizer, and shop guys told me (reassuringly) that I had no way of knowing what to expect. Here's the thing. If I race more this year, I'll have to try to do B races. Or do time trials. The race of trueth gives a good indication of how strong you are compared to everyone. One distance, everyone against the clock. See with a race like this (the spring classic) there's always the question of "well, where would I have been in the B race? Especially since it would have been twice as long, with three times up the hill."
Ah well......... at least for now, I'll bask in the glow of victory. Not.
Results
Mens C
1 Gunnar Soroos
2 Rick Fuentes
3 Eric Lanners
4 Elliot Wrenn
5 David Hallaway
6 Todd Trembley
7 Greg Bond
8 Michael Halasy
9 Ron Kapaua
10 Paul Cox
11 Philip Nelson
12 Alan Styndl
13 Craig Swanson
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Wednesday 12/19/2007 | 12:31 pm
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