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El Tour de Tucson - CycleCentury


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Tucson, Arizona
United States
Perimtere Bicyling
71F / 22C
Sunny
Total Time = 5h 57m 40s
Overall Rank = 851/3485
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Wake up @ 5 AM, drink a sugar-free Red Bull and eat a nutrition bar on the way to the race. Everyone said to get there at 4:30AM to get a good spot in the section you want to be in. I got there at 5:30 and lined up in the 'gold' section (sub-6 hr) since I don't have a 'platinum' card. I ended up about halfway up in the gold pack which was fine.
Event warmup:

Exercise my mouth while chatting with fellow competitors in the line-up.
Bike
  • 5h 57m 40s
  • 109 miles
  • 18.29 mile/hr
Comments:

Lost my left knee about 33 miles into the race. The week before, it acted up during a training ride but I thought it was healed up. I think it's just tendinitis, but it hurt off and on throughout the rest of the race. A little ibuprofen helped but I didn't want to load up on it too much. I broke out of the pack I was with after taking my final turn pulling and slowed down a lot. Still joined with other packs as I could. Around mile 80 I started getting cramps on the inside of both thighs. They were painful but there was nothing I could do so I just kept pedaling. Eventually they worked their way out.
What would you do differently?:

I should have taken better care of my knee in the week leading up to the race. Ice/heat, etc. Also, my longest training ride was only 52 miles. I think that's why I ended up cramping later into the ride.
Post race
Warm down:

Get off the bike, find some water and buy a piece of pizza with Gatorade.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Bad knee and cramps in my thighs did not help my performance. Before the knee pain, I was on a sub-5 hr pace with a good group. If my knee had not hurt, I think I would have finished under 5 hours. It's all supposition now.

Event comments:

The race was a lot of fun. I wish my body would have held up better, but it happens. It's very pricey so I'm not sure I'll do it again. It's easier on the pocketbook since I don't need to spring for a hotel or food but still costs a lot more than other organized century rides.

It was pretty cool to be cruising along and a steady pace and glance back to find someone drafting me. After a few miles, I'd wave them up to take their turn only to find out a group of 20 people were latched on. This happened several times during the ride and made me a little proud each time. It was a good mental boost.

The headwinds for the last 40 miles were a killer! I ended up getting with a group for some of them, but for a while I carried a good number of people who told me they were just hanging on and couldn't take a turn at the front. I was totally cool with that since I was just riding my pace but as soon as a group rode by that I was comfortable with, I left the rest behind.

I also need apologize to the guy I blew a snot rocket on. I have never done a farmer's blow in my life, and I had just taken my turn pulling in a group of two (sorry for dropping everyone else on the hill). I took my spot in line and decided it was a good time to let one go. I had no idea you had caught us! I know I apologized like 20 times on the bike, but I want to apologize again.




Last updated: 2010-09-24 12:00 AM
Biking
05:57:40 | 109 miles | 18.29 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/3485
Performance: Average
Wind: Strong with gusts
Course: The course was good. A few hills but nothing extraordinary. Some roads were in poor condition, and there are two washed that are very sandy and nearly impossible to ride across. Most people walked or carried their bikes. Traffic was well controlled. Roads were a mixed of freshly paved and very rough, to be expected over a 109 mile course.
Road: Rough Dry Cadence:
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Average Hills: Average
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4

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2010-11-22 10:46 AM

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Master
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Sedona, AZ
Subject: El Tour de Tucson


2010-11-22 1:13 PM
in reply to: #3221434

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Extreme Veteran
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Albuquerque
Subject: RE: El Tour de Tucson
Nice job!!  Yeah, that headwind on the last 20 or so miles was just mean.  But, you can't beat the atmosphere for this road race, it was a blast!
2010-11-22 3:41 PM
in reply to: #3221781

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Master
1484
1000100100100100252525
Sedona, AZ
Subject: RE: El Tour de Tucson
megtrow - 2010-11-22 11:13 AM Nice job!!  Yeah, that headwind on the last 20 or so miles was just mean.  But, you can't beat the atmosphere for this road race, it was a blast!


Thanks Meg, it really was a good time! The crowd was awesome, and the other riders were all supportive. Overall, the race was a great. Just the registration fee stung a little...

I should also throw some props out to my wife, brother-in-law, 13-yo niece and 10-yo nephew who did the 40 mile ride together. They were the real heros, as they had never ridden that far and my wife just started riding last year. They all rode mountain bikes and ended up MOP. They finished in 3.5 hours, which is great considering most of their ride was into the wind!
2010-11-23 1:00 PM
in reply to: #3221434

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Master
1696
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Surprise, Arizona
Subject: RE: El Tour de Tucson

Wow - congratulations on the gold qualification.  Under those circumstances (the crowds, the wind, the washes, and your knee giving out), that is incredible.  You should be very proud.  Way to go!!!

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