Race Result

Racer:	Richard Gendron
Race:	Fort Ritchie Criterium
Date:	Saturday, May 10, 2008
Location:	Cascade-Highfield, MD
Race Type:	Bike - Other
Age Group:	Male 40 - 44
Overall Place:	14 / 46
Age Group Place:	4 / 26
Comment:	First 2008 Crit - Great Course - Injuries a Factor

Race Report:

Late in Saturday night I told myself, "If I can hear rain on the window when I wake up, I'm gonna take a long indoor spin instead of racing". When I woke up at 5:00 all I could heat were birds, so up I went.

Since my wreck on Monday I've been fighting whiplash. I've had several bad accidents in my life, but other more serious issues always overshadowed whiplash, so I've never thought about it much. It has always worn off before I could even start to get out of bed. This time, A slight AC separation seems to be the only lasting medical issue. So, while everyone knows whiplash hurts the next day, what they don't tell you is that it hurts for a week or more. (Can I hear an "AMEN" from the CT-Scan crew ...Rusty). I've been on serious Ibuprofen and Vicodin all week.

During the drive up there, my windshield wipers were on high and I still had some trouble seeing. I started thinking, "what if I crash again?", and "this just isn't safe". I was determined to turn around at the halfway point, but the next exit took more than 10 minutes to show itself, so the rational thoughts passed. "At least I can get two more starts for 8 total, which leaves only 2 more till I CAT up"

CAT 5 - 30 plus
Conditions: high 40s, very wet, standing water on the course
Result: 4th/26

This was a rare opportunity to enter a CAT 5 age group ride. I fancied my chances, especially if it came down to a sprint. We started with what looked like 27 or so riders, no large group from any one team except NCVC. Jeff Lange from WWVC was looking good about 10 lbs lighter then when I saw him last and the new Tommaso was smokin.

I felt that Matt from Colvita Racing, was a good bet for a break or at least a strong ride, so I was determined to look for his wheel. It started off slow and comfortable, if a little squirrelly. After about three laps, Colvita attacked on the back stretch, and I hopped his wheel. The pace got faster from that point on and we started dropping riders. I was generally 4th or fifth the entire time. Every lap I'd look back and see that the group was getting smaller. With four to go I looked back and there was no one. We were down to four riders, and I was last.

With 5 to go, I started having trouble closing the gaps. By the time we reached 4 to go, I had lost about 10 yards. I knew if I let go I would lose any chance to podium, but the engine just would not rev like I'm used to. The pace was not any harder than I am used to on Leesville or Hemming, I just couldn't perform.

After dropping, I went into Time Trial mode just in case one of the lead riders made a mistake. To my surprise I was caught by a group of two NCVC riders and an Evo rider working together. Now I seemed to remember watching the same scenario play out on TV the week before in Belgium (Andy and Frank Schleck vs Damiano Cunego, wasn't it).

With about 2/3 to go, I sat in and fully expected an attack from an NCVC rider, so Evo and I would have to work to bring him back, and then the counter from the other NCVC rider. It never happened. In fact I could not have asked for a more perfect lead out into the last turn by both NCVC riders. I gassed it just before the turn, took the inside line and exploded into the finishing lane. I started in too small a gear, so I had to spin spin, but won the sprint by about 10 yards going away.

Matt from Colvita had lost a $2,000 set of porcelain front teeth on the course, so I spent a few minutes in between races looking for them, but we never found them. It made me feel selfish for worrying about my broken Kestral frame.

CAT 5
Got Warmer, but still "rooster tail" wet
Result: 14/46

AS I lined up with Wiki Mike, I was still shaking from the sprint (12 minutes prior) and my stomach was revolting. I told mike that if I was still around, I would waste myself on the back stretch to get him into position for the sprint. Big If.

Lucky for me the pace started out slow and easy. My HR settled in and I thought, just maybe, that my stomach would settle. This race went a little like the first, I was sitting about 13th most of the time, and as I looked back the peleton was getting smaller and smaller. I decided to move up with 9 laps to go and was right on wiki-Mike’s wheel. Soon after that big Evo guy up front started dishing out the pain. With 7 to go I found myself at the back of 11 or 12, having trouble closing gaps. The rubber band effect was seriously hurting. With 6 to go had dropped in the finishing lane and seriously thought about DNF/. All kinds of weird hurts. Well this will be good triathlon training if I can TT to the finish, not get lapped and not get caught. There was a group of Three NCVC riders behind me about 100 yards and I held them off for 2 laps.

At some point in here there was a wreck in the lead group, if it was inside 6 laps, there were no free laps and a few riders dropped out of that lead group (thus my confusion about results)

With three to go, the three NCVC guys caught me. So this time, I thought, I'm toast. These guys are going to peck me apart. To their credit, they tried. The fight renewed my spirit and I pulled them around a full lap with 3 to go. On the last lap, they sent their strongest rider to attack, but I was on him right away. History repeated itself, as the NCVC rider on a, Colnago C50 no less, provided a great lead out. I pulled around just before the corner and saw another rider in front of me about 20 yards. I started sprinting, but he heard me and got across the line before I could reach him.

Except for the two bad spells mid way through both races, I can't complain. A look at the PT graphs show that I was doing fine on steady or average power, but my peaks were much lower then normal. My 5 minute power max was right on queue, but the short bursts were way below normal levels in a race.

On the drive, my neck and shoulders stiffened up something awful. Rusty and Dave, I'd be interested in how you felt the weeks after your wrecks and how you came back. I may need to take an unscheduled week off and aim to come back Memorial Day weekend. (Kelly Cup, RFK and PSU crit)