Snelling Race Report

Keith Lyon making the breakaway at Snelling Road Race. Photo by Mark Adkison

I am new to the team - having joined in late December last year. I have enjoyed a few of the Saturday race rides and hope to make some of the weekday rides later this year, work and family permitting. I am 47 but raced in the 35+ since by the time I went to sign up in the 45+ 4/5 there were 35 on the wait list, and open spots in the 35+ cat 5.

What a tremendous day. All the more tremendous considering the week leading up to it. It started with the Bike Shop telling me my rear wheel was cracked and unsafe to ride. Thankfully a friend loaned me a rear wheel for the time being. Then the weather was terrible. At one point I saw a prediction of 24 degrees and snow for race day. Then it warmed up to a 35 degree rainy prediction. Then on the day before the race the prediction was 20% chance of rain but assuredly it would be 40 degrees. Given that, a dry and 46 degree day was fantastic. 

I carpooled with a friend from work who is with the Sacramento Golden Wheelmen. As we drove into the parking lot I could see people eying my rear wheel. Someone even said, "Is that a Shimano WH-R500. They wished they could afford a sweet $40 wheel like mine. I mean an aluminum wheel with about 100 spokes for strength - how could you beat that. And it weighs less than 1/2 a ton too! 

 The course itself is four times around a 12+ mile loop. The roads are closed to cars during the race and it really makes a difference being able to ride across the whole roadway. Any time you want to move to the front you can, on my other 2 races the narrow single lane did not allow such flexibility. Anyway, at a critical time in the 2d loop I moved up from the middle and Stan politely let me into the single file paceline. It is great to have teammates. Anyway, a mile later I decided to try a move off the front of the group (which I could not have done if Stan had not let me in). Earlier, on the first lap one guy had gone off the front and built a 50 second gap on the group. I saw that the group really did nothing to catch him, but also that one guy really couldn't make it on his own - he blew up. So I decided I would try the same thing!

I pounded down a small hill at 33, maintained 28 in the short flat after that, and held 24 up the next small hill. And I gapped the group about 20 seconds. Just about when I was ready to give up and be sucked back 3 guys came up and said, "good job - hop on behind." I grabbed the last wheel and prayed we could stay in front. Two of the four were very strong from the Sierra Nevada team, myself and the 4th guy, Fun Bikes, were not as strong. I would estimate the two of us combined added to the pulling power of one of the Sierra Nevada. Nevertheless, these were the cards we had. The two Sierra Nevada set a grueling pace. 

At the end of the second lap the race monitor said we had a minute and forty second gap. Previous reports had our gap increasing each time. He also said, no more reports would be provided. So we had to ride fast and hope the peloton was not gaining. . . .

 About the time I was thinking, "I cannot keep this up for another two laps" I saw a sign that said 1 lap to go. My legs were burning, "shut up legs." Turns out I was able to stay with them to the end. When it came time for a sprint, none of us really had much gas left. I wouldn't say I coasted into the finish, but I just did not have the energy to pass any of the other 3. We finished in a pretty tight group. A fourth place finish, and personal best! 

Lessons learned 

1) Even if you don't think you can hold the pace - you probably can. 

2) Have a good teammates. 

3. It's better to have any wheel on your bike than no wheel (thank you Ebers). 

4) If the race official says that a faster group is coming up from behind - try for a breakaway: smaller groups are not slowed down like a large peloton is when being passed and even if the breakaway doesn't stick then you can rest while waiting to be passed and have fresh legs. 

5) It's better to be in the front. 

6) Figure out how many laps before the race starts. 

7) With a 3 minute gap I can hold off the peloton at the sprint. 

8) Cat-5 Breakaways never work - except when they do.

Summary

• 47 degrees and 0 rain
• 1300 feet uphill
• 52.5 Miles
• 33 MPH Max
• 20.2 average
• 4th place
• 100% fun.