First Race of 2010 - Hell of The North

The first bike race of 2010 is in the books. This was the second annual Barry Roubaix, held in Middleville MI. I am dubbing this the U.S. version of The Hell of the North (the real Paris Roubaix) Here are some of the numbers for the race. Up at 3:50 a.m. loaded the car and headed to pick up Josh J. and Nicole B. to head up for the race. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees at start time which was backed up a little due to the large field. Last year the race had a little more than 200 racers and this year they went over 700! The options for this race were a 23 mile option, 35 mile and 65 mile. I choose to due the 35 mile race since it is early in the season and the race was being held on gravel and dirt roads with a mile long sand and rock garden section thrown in for good measure. Here are my numbers for the race. I burned 2367 calories with a finishing time of 2:05 for 34.5 miles. I averaged 247 watts and a 159 heart rate. Average speed was 16.75 mph. Maximum speed was 33.57mph and my max heart rate topped out at 174bpm. My finishing time put me in 29th place out of 50 in my field.


Now a little more about the race. Like I mentioned the race was mostly held on gravel and dirt roads. The race started with all 700+ riders in a neutral rollout. This was not the smartest thing to do and they even promoted the race with staggered starts based on category. Even though they asked the riders to stay within their category during the rollout most riders tried to move to the front which caused a few wrecks. Once the escort vehicle cut us loose the race was on, that was until we hit the mile long section of 2 track sand and rocks. I was probably mid way back in the field and the wrecks started coming left and right. I had opted for road shoes and pedals and this was a mistake. I had to shoulder the bike and run around people on several occasions. This caused my cleats to get filled with dirt and rocks and made the task of clipping in nearly impossible. I can say that the riders who were wrecking probably should have read the race description a little better and not brought a bike with slicks. Most riders in this race opted for cross bikes or mountain bikes. This mile long stretch cost me several minutes and most likely a spot near the top of my category since the winning time was 1:51.

The rest of the race was probably the most interesting race I have ever done with dirt and gravel roads, lots of climbing and some very beautiful scenery. I worked with a few other riders during the race but mostly picked my way thru the field trying to regain the spots I had lost. About 22 miles into the race I started to experience a lot of cramping in my calf muscles and I am not sure if this was from not taking in enough fluids or the climbing but they finally worked themselves out. I felt great other than the cramps so with about 10 miles to go I put the hammer down and let it fly. I came across several of the elite riders that were also on their first lap and ran into my travel partner Nicole B who had opted for the 65 mile version. Nikki is coming off another strong cross season and also another major ankle surgery which has put her training a little behind but nonetheless she was battling thru it. After getting around this group I kept the power up. I finally reached about 7 miles to go and had another rider sitting on my wheel. I tried to ignore the fact that he was sitting there and I was doing all the work but I really did not want to sit up. Coming into the finish I was cruising at about 26 mph and feeling good when in the last 50 yards the rider that was on my wheel wanted to sprint me for the finish. I was not too happy with this since I had just pulled his ass along for 7 miles but hey I’m game. We ended up crossing the line at the same time.

When I got back to the car Josh J. my other traveling companion for the day was at the car. He had opted to do the 65 mile course but after the first lap pulled out due to some fatigue issues. He was pretty disappointed but Nikki and I assured him there are plenty of races left this year and he will do just fine.

After a few more hours Nicole rolled in taking 4th place for the elite women. She expressed that this was the hardest race she has done in her 20 years of racing.

All in all I am pleased with my decision to do the 35 mile expert race and feel really good about my fitness right now. There is a lot of racing left this year and I know I will only get stronger.

Happy Mid Feb Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Yep it’s here. Feb 14th. I am not really a big fan of holidays like Valentine’s Day but I am a fan of the midway point of Feb. My riding outside has been non-existent. I am not a fan of riding when the temp drops below the freezing point and at this point in the year don’t see the need to. I am also not a fan of riding on the roads when you do not have a lot of room to maneuver due to an out of control driver…You know with all the texting and people on their cell phones added to the slippery roads. Not a good combination.


I have been putting in miles on the trainer but have to admit I am getting a little tired of the basement. My office is in the basement so when I am not on the road I am working there. When I am finished with that I head back to the basement to ride. Not much fun.

I have a lot of projects going on in the house right now that should last for a few more weeks. I am remodeling the half bath on the first floor plus putting in new counter tops and adding a window/storage seat in the kitchen. I am also going to add an above the range microwave and need to do a little electrical work and add a new cabinet to make that happen. We are giving most of the rooms a new coat of paint and adding some other new decorations and such. All in all it will take our all white house and make it our home.



Until next time ride safe and think warm thoughts!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well it is a new year. What do we call it? Twenty Ten, Two Thousand and Ten? Whatever we call it doesn’t it have to be better than last year? If you are a reader of this blog and are in the RV or Boating business you know what I mean. 2009 was the worst year in our industry that many can recall. Many plant closures and layoffs. This affects us all. But hey, it’s a NEW YEAR and I plan to make the most of it.

I have big plans or should I say I am planning big things for 2010. Nancy is doing the same. She has signed up for a very challenging race in September. I know she will do well. I will let her go into details in her blog after all, this is my space!

In 2010 I plan to start by increasing my training level in the winter months to be ready to do some spring races in Indiana and Ohio. My focus for road racing this year will be the three day Tour of the Valley hosted by Carbon Racing in Youngstown, Ohio. This will be the second year of this race and from what I have heard it is a great race. There is a time trial and crit on Friday, a road race on Saturday and the final crit is on Sunday. It should be fun!

After I wind up my road racing season it will be back to cross. This year I have several races planned but the highlights will be at least 3 USGP races and nationals. Nationals will be in Bend, OR again so this will be a stretch but I hope it comes together. Cross season will be another busy one but that is half the fun. I so enjoy going to new race venues and meeting the local race organizers. Visiting local restaurants and pubs is also a favorite thing of mine.

Speaking of restaurants, this year I pledge to cut down on the trips through the fast food windows. If you travel a lot like I do then you know this is always the easy thing to do. I have to stop, or at least reduce the amount of times I do this. Of course Starbucks does not count!

Well, that is all for now. I hope to post more updates as time allows. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! Make it a good one!