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A Day of Firsts...!? |
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Written by Michael Green
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Monday, 02 June 2008 |
Das Tour de Frankenmuth
This past weekend I competed in my first road race – Das Tour de Frankenmuth. This was not on my original race plan for the year, but I decided to add this event to fill a space created by my cancellation of my first triathlon of the year, due to my wife participating in the “Race for the Cure” on the same day.
As I have no mass start events on my USCF license I would be racing Cat 5. The weather was sunny, a little cool, a NNE wind and 50 other racers. Not knowing what to expect in my first Tour, I knew I needed to keep out of trouble, and at least in the first 20 racers for the first lap, and in the top 10 on the second. I stuck to the plan pretty rigidly, but for the first time in a bike race found it very claustrophobic being stuck in the middle of the peloton, so tried my best to stick to the outside.
The first lap was very uneventful, sat in, watched the wheel overlap kept out of trouble. Just as we hit the second lap, the first break occurred. I was first to jump the break, and dragged a couple of others with me. The peloton responded a little slower, but no break was going to get away today. Shortly, thereafter, another first occurred, the first time I’ve heard the scraping of skin on pavement and the crashing of carbon at the rear of the peloton – glad is wasn’t me!
The pace picked up over the final lap. The peloton broke into two, I remained in the first group and knew that any chances of placing high in the race, I needed to remain attentive to breaks and must fight for my place in the first 5 or so riders. Things went well and I felt good for the remainder of the lap. As I didn’t feel my sprint speed is particularly high snd my strength being in a TT situation, my goal was to accelerate up the hill that brought us into town, lift the speed a little more and try to drag myself through the finish line among the first five racers. Everything went as planned, which is a first for me. I had the inside, coned off, lane on the final bend, had some high speed, no-one drafting. BUT, as we hit the finishing straight I realized the finish line was a little further way than I had first noted. THEN out of the blue, another racer came through the cones, from outside the race lane and into me!? Another first, I have NEVER had another just ride into me. All speed lost, all focus on staying upright, my objectives changed in a flash – “don’t wanna hear the scraping flesh again” especially mine. I maintained upright, perhaps related directly to my mountain biking background, and free wheeled across the finish line with a buckled front wheel.
Yes, certainly a day of firsts. Disappointed, but a new experience.
Michael
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