Cantua Creek RR M35+ 1/2/3 Report

I was really looking forward to this race as I had a win here last year (different category) and was stoked to race with my teammates. We had a small group, but it got more interesting at the start line as the officials decided to add the four P/1/2 guys (their results picked separately) into our group since their numbers were so low.

Initially I thought about attacking on the beginning descents from the start/finish line, but I waited until we crossed over the first I-5 overpass. I took off and got a nice little gap. No one was attempting to come across so I decided to back off the pace. A few minutes later I was back in the pack chatting with teammates. No other riders/teams were attacking, so I just sat in and noticed how strong one particular P/1/2 guy was (Kevin Klein). If you don't know Kevin, he raced last year with Rock Racing. More on his antics later...

After the first turnaround there was a slight slowing of the group and I attacked again. This time a couple of guys jumped on my wheel. We ended up having 5 guys (including Klein) in the group. But for some reason these other guys couldn't figure out that we needed to paceline to stay away. I guess they had forgotten this skill over the winter. Klein was real pissed at a few of them for not getting their act together...nothing like having a pro berate you!

As we got caught Matt took a flyer. I stayed at the front and kept the pace reasonable so it would give him a chance to get away. As folks came around me to pick up the pace I stayed in the top 10 to keep an eye on things. Matt was able to extend his break and was up the road for a long time.

We hit the hill pretty hard and got mixed up with the 3's. Matt was caught too as we sped up the hill. On the descent things were pushed because we wanted to get separated from the 3's. Some AV/Webcor guy was riding next to me from the 3's so I told him to get his butt to the back. I'm sure he didn't like me telling him this because he sure was enjoying his free ride with our group.

Back on the flats I attack again. My other attacks were at 90%, but this was 100%. I figured it was going to be guts or glory. I knew somebody was on my wheel, but not sure who or how many. After about a minute of pain I feel a tap on my hip and it's Klein! I'm gassed, so I can't tell how many people are in our break. Klein rotates through, then a few others, then Daryl and Matt. Damn, we've got 3 guys in the break of 9. Sweet! We pushed it real hard for the next 30 minutes to make the break stick. When you have a pro in your group you gain a new appreciation for their strength and speed. On several occasions Klein would give menacing looks to people who weren't pulling hard enough. Thankfully I didn't receive any of those glances.

With about 3 miles to go Klein attacks the field, and Matt jumps on his wheel. I was at the front of the pack hoping nobody was going to chase. Knowing how strong Klein was riding I wanted him to drag Matt to the finish line for the win. Matt looked back at me and I mouthed, "GO, GO!!!". I don't know if he could interpret what I was saying, but a few seconds later our pack decided to shut it down.

At this point Klein was feeling frisky so we just let him roll off the front and get his P/1/2 win. I had to laugh because one of our breakmates didn't realize who he was and he was killing himself to stick with him. Back in our pack it worked out that Matt and I were on the front as we hit the hill. I was feeling pretty fried but knew that I had enough to put some hurt on the pack for some part of the climb. I hit the first hill hard and the second hill harder. On the short descent people slowed so I hit them again.

As we hit the final hill I blew, and so did my chain! Poetic justice having my chain drop as I physically blew up. I got things fixed and noticed that Matt was dropped. We rode together up the final hill hoping that things had gone well for Daryl up the road. We crossed the line together.

I was more gassed than I thought I'd be for the race. Our break stuck, I attacked enough to probably be labeled "crazy" or "stupid" by some (not that I care), got a top 10 result and I had a great time with my teammates. For you powermeter geeks, my normalized power for 2 hours of racing was 334 watts.