San Luis Rey – VERY LONG!
Posted on May 4, 2008
Came in as prepared as i could have been (means nothing).
Got there early, got warmed up, everything checked, bike was good, had a good opener at Barrio yesterday and the timing of everything was great. Stretch a bit and off we went.
I knew there were some heavy hitters in the race, but MY plan was to stick to racing, not quit and pick guys up as I kept rolling.
First lap and the pace was easy. First time up the steep grade was just fine. Downhill was scary as hell. Flats, meh, not much there, but I knew what was coming. I go to the front and try to discourage a faster pace. We hit the climb and we are still OK. I do my fat man float but I am still in the group. Perfect.
I survive the steep part, a bit back, but still in there. And then boom. It felt like someone stuck a pole up my butt. My back seized up and it started to cramp and completely debilitated me. I have never had this happened before. I have back pain from nerve stuff and I have been very sore, but this was different. I just could not function. I was feeling great, my legs were goood, my heart was way low, so I was pissed.
In order to get the back not to hurt I had to stand up. Well, standing up and riding into a headwind is not exactly aero or efficient. I suffered like a dog in that stretch. One guy caught up to me and I was sure I was going to finish but the pain was getting out of control. I told him to keep going.
So I let off, completely. I went up the climb in my 25, spinning it out. Bullshitted a whole lap like that and then all of the sudden I was good again.
Started to ride tempo and the next lap was MUCH better. Caught up to the guy again and a teammate in the last lap. We rolled it.
With about 700 meters to go this car comes by and almost hits us. This older couple. We all yell and the car comes to a stop. The guy with his stupid accent tells us to get of the road, we send him to a nice place and tell him to do something nicer to himself and he starts to ride into us. He asks us what the hell we were doing on the road and we tell him that there is a bike race going on and that if he has any issues he can talk to the cop. The timing of this altercation could not have been better. As the guy comes after us for a second time, the cop by the finish line makes him stop and by the tone and volume of his voice he might have ripped the old man a new one. It was classic!
In the meantime, my teammate gets a bit ahead.. like 20 meters. I start to call him out on the move cause we were not going to sprint. All of the sudden he picks up, I look back and the other guy is sprinting and I am caught in the middle. So I sprint. It was pretty funny. It was quite the scene for the people looking at the ending. Cops screaming, people screaming…
My goal today was to finish in a decent place. Did not happen. I talk to a friend and he said something that made a lot of sense. It wasn’t hot enough for the skinny tiny guys to get uncomfortable. It was just not hot enough. If next year it is not at least 100 degrees I am not doing the race. Period. Not enough people quit and I finished close to last. SUCKS!
On another note, I hope Bakersfield is a little oven. I hope it is 110 degrees, that would be awesome. BTW, did anyone check that video? Did you see the cracks on the road!!!!!!!!
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BTW, I haven’t had CLIFF blocks and gels since the beginning of the year. Today I had both and I typed the whole entry sitting on the John. I know, gross… but my stomach is a mess right now.
I Watched your finish yesterday, it was pretty funny everyone was WFT?!
Word up on the Bakersfield front man. I too wish it to me 110, and for the roads to some how disintegrate, and for 30 mph head winds… I need all the help I can get!