The race was a bit of a dissapointment. My legs were ok, but not great, and I needed great legs to do something in the race.
The racing was super aggressive right from the gun. We hit over 35 mph just a half mile into the race! I covered several attacks before we hit Fillmore the first time, but it was extremely challenging to pick the right move to follow. So many of them seemed really promising with a combination of riders that could be the right ones.
The attacks continued unabated for the first three laps. I joined several small groups, but didn't seem to pick the right one. Finally, a group of 12 escaped the clutches of the pack and made up some serious time without our team represented in it. I tried to go with some counters, but I couldn't seem to pick the right one to follow, and my legs were really starting to hurt. I was good, but just didn't have the power to make the difference.
I got gapped off on the descent down Broadway from Fillmore on the 5th lap when Scott Moniger sat up. I chased through the cars and made contact just as we exited the marina and headed back to Fillmore. My legs were starting to cramp at this point, only 55 miles, and a little over two hours into the race. I emptied my pockets of food to my teamate Ted, dragged him to the front of the pack just before the climb began, and said goodbye. There was a big crash at the bottom of the climb - one rider fell over on the left side of the road, and riders fell down like dominos all the way across the road. I had to clip out, descend down, and then restart the climb. I thought it would be too hard to try and clip in and ride. You can actually see me heading down and looping around the Mavic car in the TV coverage of the event. A few riders in the crash made it back on, but my legs were done. I pulled out at the end of the lap when it was obvious my day was done. I averaged 271 watts for those two and a half hours, with an average heart rate of 155 BPM, and an average speed over 25.5 mph. What an incredible pace on a course with so much climbing!
My teamate Ted rode a stellar race, and was active in the finale, but still had enough energy left to take 19th against such a tough field of riders. Patrick and Marc both were dealt some bad luck, and were forced out of the race with crashes. I think they had the legs to be protagonists at the end of the race, but it just wasn't to be.
Even though I was a bit dissapointed personally, it was still an amazing day. The weather was perfect, the crowd was insane, and the brutal course provided the spectators with a spectacle to match their enthusiastic cheering. This race really has become one of the biggest and best races in the states. Only Philedelphia can compare.
I've posted my complete SRM data file from the race online. It provides a bit of insight into just how hard racing at this level can be.
The racing was super aggressive right from the gun. We hit over 35 mph just a half mile into the race! I covered several attacks before we hit Fillmore the first time, but it was extremely challenging to pick the right move to follow. So many of them seemed really promising with a combination of riders that could be the right ones.
The attacks continued unabated for the first three laps. I joined several small groups, but didn't seem to pick the right one. Finally, a group of 12 escaped the clutches of the pack and made up some serious time without our team represented in it. I tried to go with some counters, but I couldn't seem to pick the right one to follow, and my legs were really starting to hurt. I was good, but just didn't have the power to make the difference.
I got gapped off on the descent down Broadway from Fillmore on the 5th lap when Scott Moniger sat up. I chased through the cars and made contact just as we exited the marina and headed back to Fillmore. My legs were starting to cramp at this point, only 55 miles, and a little over two hours into the race. I emptied my pockets of food to my teamate Ted, dragged him to the front of the pack just before the climb began, and said goodbye. There was a big crash at the bottom of the climb - one rider fell over on the left side of the road, and riders fell down like dominos all the way across the road. I had to clip out, descend down, and then restart the climb. I thought it would be too hard to try and clip in and ride. You can actually see me heading down and looping around the Mavic car in the TV coverage of the event. A few riders in the crash made it back on, but my legs were done. I pulled out at the end of the lap when it was obvious my day was done. I averaged 271 watts for those two and a half hours, with an average heart rate of 155 BPM, and an average speed over 25.5 mph. What an incredible pace on a course with so much climbing!
My teamate Ted rode a stellar race, and was active in the finale, but still had enough energy left to take 19th against such a tough field of riders. Patrick and Marc both were dealt some bad luck, and were forced out of the race with crashes. I think they had the legs to be protagonists at the end of the race, but it just wasn't to be.
Even though I was a bit dissapointed personally, it was still an amazing day. The weather was perfect, the crowd was insane, and the brutal course provided the spectators with a spectacle to match their enthusiastic cheering. This race really has become one of the biggest and best races in the states. Only Philedelphia can compare.
I've posted my complete SRM data file from the race online. It provides a bit of insight into just how hard racing at this level can be.
posted by James Mattis at
9/17/2002 01:12:00 PM
