Battenkill: Masters 30+

The mourning is over and I wil live to fight another day.

I have had some motivation issues this winter and am about a month off of where I should be. My “friend” wanted to do Battenkill. Him being a 4 and I a 3, he suggested we jump into the masters to race together. I reluctantly obliged. My first issue, aside from overall lack of fitness, was my head. Knowing I was not in shape to compete, I had already mentally checked out of the race before I even lined up. This is a huge mistake. If you are lining up, be ready for the pain and be ready to compete, regardless of what you think the outcome might be. Your mindset matters. It was a gorgeous day when we rolled off @ 12:25. The only issue was the wind, but I thought I could just tuck in to the pack and hide. This lasted until mile 12. The first of the big hillclimbs in the dirt. I huffed, I puffed and I rolled backwards. Thinking back, I’m blaming this on my head. I just was not mentally prepared for the pain. I have tolerated much more in the past 2 weeks of training, but it didn’t come together. As the pack (all of them, litterally) rolled away, I was shattered. Rather than chase, I gave up. I solo’d the remainder of the course and finished 40 minutes back and 2nd to last. I spent the 3 hours enjoying the course and the scenery and having a nice little conversation w/ myself. Actually, it wasn’t much of a conversation. It was more of lecture from myself to myself. We ended amicably and vowed never to be in this situation again. I have been training ever since.
As for the race itself, it is well worth it. Do this race, even if just one time. Forget about the fees, the drive, etc. and do the race. It is an adventure/experience not to be missed if you enjoy racing or even riding your bike. The dirt this year was in excellent shape. Save for a few potholes, it was smooth and firm. The organization was spot on from my experience. Registration took 5 minutes, you get a t-shirt, toilets aplenty, parking aplenty and support throughout the race. There were Mavic tents on the course that were there for service and had cases of water. There were volunteers in the feed zone offering up neutral water and neutral gatorade (needed as I dropped a bottle) and there were shouts of encouragement around every corner.
I wish I had done better, but I didn’t. I will live. Looking forward to the local “classics”.
Random Commment: I “taped” the Paris Roubaix race and watched it recently. They posted Fabian Cancellara’s “profile”. Six foot one inch, one hundred and eighty pounds. Look out boys, I’m headed to the ProTour.