Tuesday, September 02, 2003
University Road Race
Race: University Road Race Santa Cruz
Date: 8/31/03
Cat: Sr. 45
Field: 50
Teammates: None
Distance: 45 miles, 15 laps
Weather: About 80 degrees, slight W wind.
Result: not last
Race profile (pdf)
My second ever race, a circuit through UC Santa Cruz. The course is very tough, a three mile loop with no flats. About 300'-350' of climbing per lap. The night before I was asking myself why I'd signed up for a climber's race. I'm still not sure...
I got dropped off the back just the second time up the hill. After that, it was one lap at a time... I kept thinking, "Just one more, then you can quit." But I never did. Maybe it's because my wife was watching me and I didn't want to drag her out there to watch me ride only a handful of laps.
I ended up riding with a lot of the time with a guy from SCCC and another from Larkspur Velo (or something like that), which helped us on the descent. We got caught first by the 123 women about halfway through, then by the field a little later, and then the women again with about 3 to go. (I'm still not sure how this worked-- the women were doing 14 laps, the men 15, and I ended up doing 13.)
There's not a lot more to tell, other than I dropped a chain on one of the climbs, but climbed like hell to catch back to my two new buddies. I finished, and I know I finished ahead of some people. I heard a lot of people dropped out, so I'll look forward to seeing the final results to see how many.
Given that I'd just come back from vacation (9 days off the bike) and was fighting a head cold, I think I can be satisfied with my result. The next time I invite the wife out, however, I'll do it on a course that better suits my abilities (or lack thereof).
Date: 8/31/03
Cat: Sr. 45
Field: 50
Teammates: None
Distance: 45 miles, 15 laps
Weather: About 80 degrees, slight W wind.
Result: not last
Race profile (pdf)
My second ever race, a circuit through UC Santa Cruz. The course is very tough, a three mile loop with no flats. About 300'-350' of climbing per lap. The night before I was asking myself why I'd signed up for a climber's race. I'm still not sure...
I got dropped off the back just the second time up the hill. After that, it was one lap at a time... I kept thinking, "Just one more, then you can quit." But I never did. Maybe it's because my wife was watching me and I didn't want to drag her out there to watch me ride only a handful of laps.
I ended up riding with a lot of the time with a guy from SCCC and another from Larkspur Velo (or something like that), which helped us on the descent. We got caught first by the 123 women about halfway through, then by the field a little later, and then the women again with about 3 to go. (I'm still not sure how this worked-- the women were doing 14 laps, the men 15, and I ended up doing 13.)
There's not a lot more to tell, other than I dropped a chain on one of the climbs, but climbed like hell to catch back to my two new buddies. I finished, and I know I finished ahead of some people. I heard a lot of people dropped out, so I'll look forward to seeing the final results to see how many.
Given that I'd just come back from vacation (9 days off the bike) and was fighting a head cold, I think I can be satisfied with my result. The next time I invite the wife out, however, I'll do it on a course that better suits my abilities (or lack thereof).
