The Masters 55+ LSBR group was quite large compared to previous years. The pre-reg listed 42 names and from the looks of the group at the start line most all showed up. We had a nice neutral start off the mountain drive-way and no more than ? mile into the race a guy goes off the front. The group seemed fine with that and no chase took place. I can only think that most thought this is a long hilly course and 45 miles solo in these windy conditions is not likely a winning combination. They were wrong about that. After about 2/3 of the first lap was completed we never saw the lead car or the guy again. My plan was to stay with the front group as best I could and to be up near the front on the larger climbs. First lap no problem and I was able to do it on the second lap also but it was very hard since a couple guys kept putting in surges on the hills which blew up most of the peloton stringing out the riders. I kept waiting for the half dozen guys that were involved in these moves to continue with a breakaway but they never did. On the second lap just before the hill in Sunapee a rider went off the front. There was some talk up front but no chase. He stayed away. We now had two away and about a dozen of us together heading towards Newbury on 103A. During this stretch of the course there were several surges. I was able to stay with all of them and made sure I didn?t waste any energy leading one. I tried to stay #3 or #4 during these efforts using all the draft I could get, I was getting very tired and I was concerned about my sprinting ability since I started getting quad cramps on some of these surges. As we turned onto Rt.103 we were down in numbers and the surges continued until we reached the downhill just before we turned onto the mountain driveway. The finish on this course is torture. We were all spread out on the hill and my quads were on fire. I pushed as hard as I could to the finish and ended up finishing 8th overall.
I saw many CCD jerseys today, no others in my group but we had good representation across the classes. Saw lots of friends along the road working and watching the race and thanks to all of you for the words of support and encouragement. The race was run splendidly Chris and John have got it down. Helen was working the race with her camera and she captured as many CCD riders as she could. I have seen some of the pictures and I think you will be happy with the shots she did an excellent job as usual. She should have them up for you on the Team Pinnacle site in a day or so. It was a great day for racing maybe a little windy but the temperature and humidly was no problem.

This was my first race in awhile and my first Road Race ever, so I definitely had some uncomfortable feelings. Would I be able to push for 46 miles, will I stay with the main pack, can I climb the hills, will I get to sprint to the finish?? The first lap was pretty slow and easy, the group broke up a little on the hills and then came together on the downhills. I made sure to stay in contact with the front pack on every uphill just to make sure that I was with them if the chase group couldn't catch up. I was able to do this without a lot of work on the first lap. The hills coming out of Sunapee Harbor weren't that bad and Cardiac hill felt like a bump in the road. First lap done and i'm still feeling good. A couple miles into the second lap, the 35+ group came by and there was some confusion that Jason already explained. Everything got cleared up and the race restarted. We got into Sunapee Harbor and started the climbing and I could feel my legs starting to give in to the pain. I tried pushing as hard as I could to not get dropped. I was able to stay with the group for a little while, but by the time I got to the top of the climbs, the peleton had pulled away. I tried to catch them on the downhill to Jobs Creek road, but it just wasn't going to happen. I came within 50' of the group but just could not make up the last bit. Even if I had, I'm pretty sure I would have just been dropped again on the next hill or cardiac hill. I rode solo till the top of cardiac hill where a couple people caught up to me. The 3 of us road together for a little bit and we caught up to a 4th person. I could tell the 3 other people I was riding with were pretty tired, so I did most of the pulling and only took short rests, just enough to get some energy back. By the time we got back to Mt. Sunapee, only 2 were left with me. We make the left hand turn onto the access road and one of the 2 guys behind me told me "good pull man" and the other guy passed me thinking he was going to get to the finish before me. I let him use his energy to pull away a little on the hill leading up to the finish, but not too far. When it flattens out a little just before the finish, I started sprinting. I knew it wasn't for the win, but its still fun. I caught the guy and by the look on his face he must have thought I was done for when he passed me onto the access road. He stood up and started sprinting, but I beat him to the line.

So, the race was a blast and I can't wait till next year. I still have weight to lose and strength to gain, but I am happy with how I felt on my first road race, and I am especially happy just to be racing again. I need to start doing longer hard rides so I can last more then 30+ miles. The best part about it was to hear my son yelling "GO DAD!!!! HI DAD!!!!" as I was coming across the finish line. I was happy to see the whole family there at the end.
 
"If you brake, you don't win." Racer Mario Cipollini

Results are up.

http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2009/05/16-Lake-Sunapee-Bike-Race.asp

until I can have a respectable finish these will be brief: :evil:

Masters 35+

engine failure 3/4 thru 1st lap on a hill that preceded a long fast downhill??

joined a small chase group of 10 or so, never caught back up

finished 48th/61

+15:28 from winner

TRAIN HARDER---

TIm,

That was cardiac hill. Fairly short but pretty steep, You can get revenge on that hill, as that is the one where we will give points on next Wednesday.

good job, and Lauren nicely done as well. We can probably figure out a time for you during your effort to post on the stage race.

Ken, Dan, Jason well done.

PJ

Good job everyone, looks like there were a lot of hard faught battles out there.

Ryan

I got an excellent race education today and it only cost $25!

We'll start things off at the start finish line (seems fitting). All week Bob, John and a host of others after finding out that I have never raced a bicycle before in my life have been giving me helpful hints (and inserting paranoia) into my brain. Most of these hints are revolving around NEVER PULLING under ANY circumstance.

As we line up, all of the nervous energy seems to just go away and I set myself up w/ Ken, Robin and Luke (all the CCD guys in my group) in the middle of the cluster of riders. The whistle is blown and the race is under way. The entire first lap is just a casual group ride kinda feel. No one is exerting too much energy or doing anything brash. My wife and daughter are watching from the park next to the Fire Dept. at the base of the hill in Sunapee Harbor... Seeing them cheer me on makes me feel great! This is why people race, Im sure of this now. The rest of the first lap is more of the same. The pack gets separated on the big hills but only momentarily and then quickly regroups on the downhills. We enter the traffic circle and we're all still together... but only for a bit longer...

A couple of miles before you turn right on Rt. 11 we are overtaken by the entire pack of cat 5 35+. Once past us they kinda slow a bit and now they are just hanging out in a pack about 30 or 40 yards in front of our pack very gradually moving away from us. At this point there is talk in the group of some guys bridging up w/ them to gain some distance away... There are about 12 (maybe 14) riders that break from our pack and bridge up to theres (Robin, Ken, Luke and I are invoved in this break). Then the unthinkable happens... No we didn't crash... The pace and wheel vehicles, now confused as to who is riding w/ what group, stop the race! We are now completely stopped and they are sorting out who belongs in what group. There is yelling, people peeing over the guard rail and I'm taking stock in feeding / hydration and making sure that I've got that part taken care of.

After several minutes we are back up and running again. This is where I make my biggest mistake of the race. When the regrouped us, I was in the front of the pack waiting for the restart. I realize the problem w/ this when we are like 3 seconds away from starting... And I know this is NOT A GOOD THING!!! I pull for the next several miles and regardless of how much I slow down, no one seems to be passing... And I really don't blame them! We make it to where my family is watching and I'm still up front... then the hill... I make it to about half or maybe 3/4 of the way up and I'm starting to loose smoke and want a wheel to chase. I now slow down a bit and get swallowed up by the pack. I'm unable to catch a wheel to hang on to and get dropped... From that point on I am basically riding alone. I can see the pack but am unable to bridge up to them.

We must have dropped a couple riders because I finish out of the peleton but don't come in last... Goal attained: Didn't crash and didn't lose.

It was great to ride w/ the team, Ken and I really rode well together along w/ the other CCD guys in our class. It really makes a difference (for me it did anyway) to have someone there that you can work with.

I had a great time and a great first race experience, I'd do it again for sure.
 
www.masonracing.com
www.gtbicycles.com

Saturday was gorgeous, a little chilly and windy, but a really great day for racing. It was a lot of fun to see Dan and Ken at the race - and Tim and I are still excited to be able to get out to some of these events again after focussing so much on parenting for the last few years. My field had 17 women in it. We started just before the cat 4 women's field and we started pretty slowly (not that I am complaining). So the cat 4's caught us at the beginning of the long, gradual climb (I have no idea where anything is on this course still - as I am a somewhat geographically challenged individual - totally unlike my spouse). There was some general grumbling about the 4's catching us, but nobody offered to do anything about it, and I was focussing on just staying in the field so I wasn't about to up the pace! :>. The fields mixed together for a moment or two and then several of the 1,2,3 women launched an attack from about 1/2 way back in the pack, swirling out towards the yellow line and up up up the road. I surprised myself by jumping up and into this attacking group. All hell broke loose then and the field blew apart in several groups. I broke after a couple of minutes and couldn't stay with the large-ish group of women riding up off the front heading the rest of the way up this hill. But I managed to cling onto a couple of other women and ended up finding someone to work with by about 1/2 way through the first lap. We worked together and slowly reeled in about 7 other women, including 3 from our own field. By the end of lap 1 the cat 4's in our group peeled out and raced for their finish, and there were five of us starting lap 2. At the long gradual climb we broke up again, with two stronger women riding away (they were not attacking, I just fell off by attrition on the hill). I again worked with the same woman (red/black uniform, I'm not sure of her team right now), but by half way through the second lap she started to crack and I ended up riding the last 1/2 of the second lap on my own. I finished 13th in my field of 17, and was 18 minutes off the winning time. I'm OK with this because the women up the road from me are categories up from me, and a lot, lot fitter at this point. I was pretty happy with being able to push hard for 46 miles, with being able to jump for at least a few minutes in the initial field-splitting attack, and with the great time I had working with some other women. It just feels so great to be out there racing again and I feel like I'm getting my legs back again a little more every time I get out there.
Congrats to all the CCD finishers - Dan I predict a win in your near future!
Loren

How are the pictures coming along?

-- Ken
 
"If you brake, you don't win." Racer Mario Cipollini

PICTURES ARE UP

71 pictures of CCD jerseys