Heather and I drove down to Utah yesterday for the State Road Race and Time Trial Championships. The TT course is the same one that will be used for Masters Nationals in two weeks so riding the course was the main reason we came down. The road race was just going to be some more training miles for me. Heather didn’t race the road race because she had her collarbone pin taken out on Wednesday and was told, “don’t crash for three weeks.” OK, doc!

Having Heather available to give feeds was a bonus for me since my race was 99 miles and it was supposed to be 97 degrees today. I knew I wasn’t going to have a good day when I got on the trainer to warm up and just felt awful. I didn’t sleep well the last couple of nights and was tired when I got up this morning. But I thought maybe things would pick up once I got my HR up. No luck…my legs felt heavy and I just felt tired.

The race started pretty chill and we just cruised up the first and the only real hill of the 9-mile circuit of which we were doing 11 laps. There was a strong south wind which created a nasty crosswind for the second to last stretch before the start/finish area. For the first couple laps, I moved to the front on this section, so I wouldn’t be caught in the gutter and get gapped off. This worked well and I actually felt OK in that section that I actually led the pack on it for laps one and two without much effort (wattage was like 240). Then the by the third lap there were attacks and the pace picked up. I managed to stay on for the climb, but on the crosswind section everyone, and I mean everyone, was to the left of the yellow line. I decided that I would continue to honor the yellow line rule and stay to the right. I ended up getting gapped, but I knew they would probably slow down when they hit the right turn and hit the wind head-on. I was right and I was able to catch fairly quickly.

Once I was with the pack, I couldn’t believe how slow they were going! I didn’t get why they hammered the crosswind, over the yellow line, but then are content with going 13 MPH when the same break was off the front. Out of pure frustration, I do a pseudo attack and they didn’t react. So I kind of work it and get pretty close to a 2-person chase group in between the pack and the break. I thought maybe if I rode steady I would catch them, rather than push it and potentially blow by the hill. Well, I ended up in “no man’s land” until after the feed zone. I thought I had at least enough of a gap to make it to the top of the hill before the pack reached me, but nope, they came flying by halfway up. I was lucky to finally latch on while the end of the train was going by. They were booking and I realized that I didn’t have the legs to really do much this race.

Then during the descent, everyone knew that they had to be in the front before the turn into the crosswind section. I was near the back again and watched as they all moved over to the left gutter as we hit that section. I stayed to the right of the yellow line and watched the pack ahead of me as they would move to the right to let oncoming traffic by, then slide right back to the left shoulder. I’m amazed how little regard some people have for their own safety, especially in an amateur event. I can see if you’re trying to make a living out of bicycle racing and if you don’t do well, then you can’t feed the family. But aren’t most Utah Cat 1’s and 2’s doing this for fun? Whatever!?!

So for the second time, I get dropped, but this time there were a couple of riders behind me who must have gotten dropped earlier. I jump in with them and we work together to catch the pack halfway down the start/finish stretch. Again the pace of the pack dropped to slower than a group of women who were dropped from their race!?

So by this time I’m feeling tired, so I just cruise with the pack until the feed zone where I hesitate for a while, trying to decide if putting in more miles a while then finally decide to call it a day. I ask Heather, who has been jumping on the trainer between my feeds if she wanted to do an easy lap with me and she says yes. So Heather and I take an easy lap. It was nice to have her there and it was fun to ride that lap with her.

I’m not usually one to quit races but I had to look at the bigger picture. This was just training so I can peak in a couple of weeks for Masters Nationals, so there was no need to dig myself into a hole if I wasn’t feeling up to it. Besides, tomorrow is the time trial, and riding that at almost 100% would be better preparation for Nationals. I still can’t believe how dangerously people ride and I can understand how motorists become irritated when cyclists essentially play chicken with oncoming traffic.