Connecticut Stage Race, Cat. 2/3/4 M50+
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David Andersen
Posted Jun 7, 2010 4:40am
Colebrook, CT 26 guys entered the 50+ race, and we were combined with the 26 guys in the 40+ race. Even though we were combined I was only competing against the 50+ year old racers. The tough part was that many of the 40+ “youngsters” are so strong they kept the pace high and many of the 50+ guys went with them for the sake of drafting, etc. There was a national champion in the 40+ field and the current Time Trial World Champion in the 50+ field. And then there was me, a first year (Cat 4) racer. I was in over my head racing these guys. I wished there were 50-75 guys in the 50+ field, but apparently not many “old” guys want to torture themselves like I do. Stage 1 (Saturday morning) Individual Time Trial (8 miles): I actually beat 2 guys to get 24th place! Stage 2 (Saturday afternoon) Circuit Race (31 miles): I kept up for a while but every lap there was either bonus seconds for Sprints or KOM (King of the Mountain). So, every lap there was attacking and there was not a flat section to be found on the 3 mile circuit. The KOM hill was long and steep. In keeping with my philosophy of not dwelling on the negative but putting a positive spin on things, I beat several guys and came in 20th. So that was day 1, and it was a hot one – 86F with 90% humidity. Sunday was the Road Race (91 miles) which included nearly 9,000 feet of climbing. I kept up with the leaders for 55 miles. Shortly after the KOM I was dropped from the dwindling lead pack. Then it began to thunder, lightning, and rain. I was in the middle of nowhere all alone. I took a wrong turn when it was unclear which way to go. Ugh! I eventually finished 16th. When a competitors 3 race times are combined together you get the GC (General Classification). The fastest time determines the overall winner. I finished 16th in the General Classification. That sounds kind of nice. I won’t dwell on the detail that only 16 guys managed to finish the 3-stage event in the 50+ field. |
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