Race the Lake - CycleRoad Race


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Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
United States
Midwest Sports Events
60F / 16C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 5h 06m 14s
Overall Rank = 1096/1599
Age Group = 40-44 Male
Age Group Rank = 1088/219
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 3:15. Ate a bagel with peanut butter, a couple of hard boiled eggs, and some orange juice. Jumped in the van at 3:50 to meet and drive the hour or so to the event site.
Event warmup:

Ummm, do you warm up before riding 90 miles? Seriously, some light stretching, hit the porta pottie, walked the bike to the staging area, and let the nerves move the blood.
Bike
  • 5h 06m 14s
  • 90 miles
  • 17.63 mile/hr
Comments:

This was my first large scale organized bike event and it was a blast.
About mile 75 or so in, I entered that dark place that I sometimes do on rides where I am getting tired and get a little tunnel visioned but pushed through it and got a second wind. I remember a moment of doubt at one point when I crested a hill thinking we were nearing the downhill back to the lake only to see another hill waiting. At that point, I just sucked it up and road.

Oh, about the same time, some guy locked onto my back wheel and stayed there all the way to the finish without offering to pull at any point. He tried to pass me over the flat last three miles and I just kept digging deeper because I wasn't going to let that JackWagon beat me to the line after drafting me that long. I beat him home!

Things were well organized, rest stops were plentiful, and well stocked. Most importantly, after missing all of tri season due to shin injuries that kept me out of the pool, I finally got an event under my belt this year. I can say this much for certain, I have made a lot of progress since a 14 months ago because the sprint tri I did then whiped me out way more than this ride.
What would you do differently?:

I have got to find a way to lose some weight so that I can climb better. Well, that and train on some more hills. I probably would not plan to stop at mile 30 again and blast through to mile 60.
Post race
Warm down:

Rode back to the van, loaded up, changed clothes and headed back to watch some teamates finish and partake in the post race spaghetti feed.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Climbing ability...plain and simple.

Event comments:

I would definitely do this event again.




Last updated: 2012-05-11 12:00 AM
Biking
05:06:14 | 90 miles | 17.63 mile/hr
Age Group: 188/219
Overall: 1096/1599
Performance: Good
Wind: Little
Course: This a really a two headed monster. The first 45 miles are flat and fast. Group I ended up in was averaging right at 20 mph or so through this section. Riding through the cities of Oshkosh, Neenah, and Menasha with a string of bikes, traffic stopped and wide turns on the city streets is such a rush. The back half is rural and starting with the bluff at High Cliff is significantly hillier with a bunch of rollers and a long climb away from the lake beginning at mile 60 or so.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Below average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4