Its been nothing but rain here in NC for the past week which started with our road race weekend at Wake Forest and will conclude just in time for my first mountain bike event of the year at the 6 hours of Warrior Creek.
We elected as a team not to attend the road race on Saturday at Wake in an attempt to save money for our Conference Championships at Virginia tech two weeks. I wouldn’t have been able to attend either way as I had an obligation with the law school. That obligation being a hockey game, that I got paid 1000 dollars (in the form of a scholarship) to attend. Sorry couldn’t turn that down. In hindsight we probably shouldn’t have went to the race period because Marsahll and I dint get in until almost midnight and by the time we got to bed (separately) it was almost 3 am which left only two hours of sleep until it was time to head to Winston Salem for the crit. As a side note the conference meeting was held Saturday night and in order to ensure our interest were represented Marshall drove up. What affairs you ask?? Well Campbell Cycling will be hosting both a collegiate mountain and road race next season. Now I know we have promised a race before and things fell through but it was a last minute effort. These races will have the backing of the conference and we will have more time to plan them. The mountain race will be a collegiate only race but we will be teaming up with UNC-Wilmington for the road event where they will host a road race and time trial on Saturday and we will have the crit on Sunday. We hope to have public categories open for the crit on Sunday but there will be more details as the day approaches. And speaking of next season Campbell Cycling has just got a deal with a pretty big name sponsor for the rest of the year. I wont say who yet but we are really excited and will make the announcement when we get everything finalized.
So Sunday Marshall, Linley and I drove up for the race on Wake Forest’s campus. It was a .8 mile mostly flat course that was soaked by the rain. Temps were in the low 30’s at race time and I felt horrible. Im not sure if it was something I ate at the hockey game or what but my stomach had been tore up since the night before. I tried to put it out of my mind though and concentrate on the race for the next 25 minutes. I pushed my way to the front row and lined up alongside about 20 other D racers. The field looked strong with some familiar faces from mountain bike season but I was committed to making the break. When the whistle blew I took off and jumped onto the second wheel right behind an NC State rider who I had battled in the Duke crit. I didn’t see marshall but I could see there was going to be no parade or warm up lap in this race like some of the previous crits. It became apart quickly that the nc state guy I had hooked onto was intent on going off the front from the start. I instantly regretted jumping on his wheel but put my head down and tried to hang on as we barreled down the back straight at over 30 mph. By the time we got back to the start finish the field had pulled us back in and it was like my legs were dead. I got sucked in and spit out the back of the field like I was sitting still. A moment later marshall came around me with a loyala rider in tow. I had nothing in my legs to jump on their wheel and I spent the next two or three laps gradually losing ground to them as tried to recover and in the process died a slow death off the back. Around the midway point of the race Marshall had pulled a gap on me around 200 yards while still pulling the Loyola rider. It was about this time when another NC state guy caught me and as he passed he really stood on it to prevent me from catching his wheel. I dug deep and gave it all I had to jump in line. He kept the pace really high and when I looked up we were passing the Loyola rider that Marshall had dropped as he attacked. Within a lap we were only about fifty yard off the back of marshalls wheel when the NC state rider slowed considerably. I sat there for a moment not wanting to pull the state rider back up to marshall but at the same time wanting to bridge up to him where we could work together to make it through the rest of the race.
I decided to punch it and go hard enough the NC state rider couldn’t catch my wheel. So with a huge effort I closed in and caught marshalls wheel. He said “where you been” and all I could say is “ im done man”. I rode his wheel for a lap and looked up as we crossed the line to see 3 to go. Marshall looked his shoulder and said there was no way we were catching anyone in front of us and he though we were safe from the riders behind us. I quickly told him that the NC state rider had enough to catch us pretty fast and sure enough within the next quarter lap he was within 20 yard of our wheel. I knew marshall had had a better ride than me today so I knew I would try to take him at the line or anything. Mt main goal was to make sure that we didn’t let anyone else by us. I jumped off the front and decided to bury myself for a lap to try and pull us far enough ahead to be safe. I really had nothing but did what I could to give marshall a break. When we came across with one to go the NC state rider had caught our wheel and so around turn one he jumped ahead of us with marshall following and me falling to the back. The state rider put in an attack and as we rounded the corner to the last 100 yard straight to the finish I screamed for marshall to hit it and he did. I had no sprint and rolled across behind the NC state rider. It was a pretty horrible race where I was just trying to survive. I had nothing in my legs..just one of those days. It seems like in road you can really notice whether it’s a good day or a bad day for your legs much more than in the mountain bike. The results were messed up so Im not sure how I finished but im pretty sure it was about ¾ if the way back. Maybe next time.
We have a rest weekend this week from the rigors of ACCC road racing and so as you know if you consult my schedule on the sidebar Ill be heading to my hometrails in Wilkes for the 6 hours of warrior creek. Iv been really looking forward to this ever since snagging a spot back in October. This will be my second year at the race with last year being my first race ever. I enjoy the more laid back atmosphere of an endurance mountain bike event where you are racing against yourself as much as anybody in the field. It should be wet but these are some of my favorite trails anywhere so it wont matter much. Since this post has already gotten a bit long winded ill give a full report next week.
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