Ravensdale-Cumberland Road Race

After finally getting back my Raleigh Race bike from Calfee after the repair, and sporting a new set of Neuvation C48 clinchers with my Powertap built in, I was excited to race today! This was a B- race, so all I wanted to do was to ride hard and finish with the group. I also wanted to try a break or to bridge, to see how my legs would feel.

I got to Ravensdale at about 7:50 am, and my race was set to start at 9:10, Mens Cat3. I got a lot of good stretching in and got ready for the race, short warm up, then lined up. RC and Dustin were both there to represent BI. One other rider, Roe?, was there too but he may have dropped out because we did not see him for long. Maybe a mechanical?

I am not sure how many guys were there, but I'd estimate 50-70 or so. The race had a short neutral roll-out, then the pace picked up and I was getting pushed towards the back. I found it pretty tough to move up, and the only way to do it was the shoulder when there was one. The course is pretty flat with some rollers, no real hills, and breaks just could not seem to stick. After 1/2 lap I made an attempt to bridge up to a break of two riders but the Garage brought me back pretty quickly.

My legs felt good, and cramps were held at bay with active stretching during the race, a good stretch for warm up, tonic water, cramp-stop, and a crystal that I shoved up my ass before the race started. Maybe next time some aroma-therapy, Lavender or jasmine might help a lot...

Anyhow, the finish line was up a side street and was after the parking lot. The 3 miles before that were fast and everyone was jockeying for position. We never rode the finish until the actual finish, so it was hard to know what to expect. At the turn I was in about 15th spot and I decided to try to big ring it. I stood up and felt OK but was still getting passed, and RC passed me there. I did not see the 200 m sign so I held it back a little and then hit it harder there. I ended up in twenty-something place, after re-passing RC!

All around, I'd say this was a successful race. I did not find it very difficult, and my fitness felt right on. I think in the future that I will want to ride the finish before I actually have to ride the finish, because I think I would have been better off staying seated and sprinting just at the 200m sign... But, hey, no crashes, had a lot of fun, and finished in the top 1/2. A good day. Powerfile is here. Average speed (not counting the neutral roll-out) was 24.8 mph! By far things are different in the threes... Average power was 209 watts.

Dustin flatted in the last 5 miles, which sucked because he would have killed that finish, and RC did well. I say Dessa and the Cycle U crowd, all looking good and racing well. Good to see such a big team from Cycle U!

I will be posting some photos of the repaired frame, which looks nearly perfect, and the wheels. The entire set up, including the PT is about 17.5 lbs. That is about a pound heavier than the dura-ace Carbon 50 tubulars... 400 gms.