A New England Masters Cycling Team

Having plunked down my $42 earlier in the week, I felt obligated to race at Ninigret despite the impending weather yesterday. Sure enough, en route to the race, the first of many raindrops started showing up on my windshield. I arrived and picked up my numbers amid a gentle shower with a not to unseasonable 50 degrees. Not too bad, I thought as I headed back to the car and pin numbers on jerseys.

As I sat, the showers got a bit heavier, and I waited until about 2 to go in the cat 5 race before actually changing up and putting the bike together. I got a quickie ten minute warm up in and lined up for the Cat 4 race.

Right off the bat, I'll have to admit that I did not take Matt's advice to sit back and save energy for the sprints. In my defense, it was getting too cold and wet and I didn't relish the idea of sitting in an hours worth of wheel wash. On top of that, the field was way more motivated than I might have expected on a wet dreary day. Attacks started within the first lap and I had the distinct feeling that something would work. I got involved in a 7-8 person break (well, almost more of a split) that did not really get a good rhythm going. After dangling out in front for several laps, I figured we were going to get caught and that perhaps a break wasn't going to work after all. I sat up and got ready to suck wheel spray for a while.

That was my first mistake of the race. Two of the other riders in the break countered and got a gap. One had a couple of teammates that proved to be pretty effective in blocking. I made a few bridging efforts but never was able to get off the front without one of the blockers latching onto my wheel. Nobody else was really dealing effectively with the blockers, so I sat back and regrouped for the sprint.

At about 4 or 5 to go the guy in the break with the assisting teammates blew up and started coming back at us. The pack smelled blood and picked up the pace but the other breakaway rider started moving away. A single rider managed to bridge up and then there were two leaders again. With 3 to go, it looked as if those two were gone, so I started setting up for the pack sprint. I had essentially no idea who the strong riders in the race were, so I set myself up in the top five and worked to stay there.

Things bogged in the turn on the approach to the finish as people up front started anticipating the stiff headwind, so I took the opportunity to jump there. I got good acceleration out of the turn only to turn up into the wind and realize that I'd overgeared because I was sheltered in the turn. Rather than mess with a gear change, I kept pounding to minimize the number of people picking we off. Only 7 others got by so I held out for 10th, which was like deja vu all over again.
Well, no upgrade points, but 13 bucks in my pocket. No a bad season start.

For the cat 3/4 race, I made a quick change of my soaked upper kit at the car. I probably should've just dropped trou' too and made the full change just to get full dry. I sucked down a gel and grabbed a full water bottle and headed back to the start line.

I'd definitely worked too hard in the first race, so I did opt to hang back and take a cold shower in the middle of the pack. With the rain coming down harder and standing water in many places on the track, it was impossible to stay dry. A break went off fairly early on and looked like it might have stuck. One team (not sure who - solid black kit) seemed to be working to keep the break away.

About 2/3rds or so into the race, we had the one accident I saw that day on the exit of the 2nd sharp left hander. Being an opportunist, I saw the ensuing chaos as a potential to bridge up. I attacked and drove for about a half lap, only to realize I was dragging the field back. Unfortunately, that was nearly the last of my available efforts for the day. The break did end up getting caught, but by 4 to go, I was trying to shake off cramps in my semi- hypothermic quads. At 2 to go I was keeping forward and tested standing going through the back turn. Not good, the right leg was really trying to lock up. I spun high cadence looking to keep up position, but knew a sprint was out of the question.

When the field accelerated in the back stretch of the final lap, I was keeping up, but far enough back that I wasn't remotely in contention. I spun in and started a cool down lap. Halfway through, I experienced leg lock again for the second time this season. The right quad lock up and I had to get off the bike and kneel to work the cramp out.

Now, that probably should have been the signal to call the $10 entry into the master's race a donation and pack up, but I didn't. I changed into warm clothes, collected my $13 from the Cat 4 race and sat in my car to try to get warmed up and eat. Some 30 min later, I had finally stopped shivering. By the time the P/1/2/3 race ended (which looked like absolute misery on a bike) I decided I might as well kit up and try out the 35+ race. It was now about 40 degrees and still raining, so I layered in two shorts, a long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve jersey, winter jacket and wind vest and I was actually almost warm. I took a few laps to see whether the cramps were past and lined up to start.

Unsurprisingly a break went off within minutes. I spent the next 12 minutes dangling at the back of the pack until I was fully detached. Meanwhile, Todd Buckley had TT'd off the front of the break and was steadily gaining on the pack. By the time I was leaving, he'd lapped the field.

To all who passed on this race, smart move! It was one of the coldest, wettest races I've done; including day one of CX nationals! By the time I got home and showered, it was dropping rain plus all manner of frozen precip. out of the sky! Nonetheless, I was happy with the 10th in the 4's and got an extremely good workout to boot (parts of me are still aching!).