Thanks to the delightful weather it was a local version of the Spring Classics. Gusting winds up to 50KPH blowing over the AMP race track with the home stretch to the start/finish line a false flat facing a headwind. Just before the home stretch was two back to back climbs...the first one not so bad but followed by a steep descent with a hairpin turn then a beast of a hill that, once crested, exposed the rider to the brutal headwind.
Add to it the heavy rain that started 3 minutes before the warmup lap that left a track very wet with puddles and runoffs.
My Cat(Masters B) cycled 60 minutes and 2 laps BUT you got pulled if you got lapped. The pace was fast and I soon found myself hanging off the back after only the first lap and soon found myself losing touch......there were many riders behind me but not close enough to justify waiting for. As a result I rode 3 laps solo trying to catch another group of 6 riders, including a teammate, who were also dropped due to the torrid pace.
Eventually my teammate was either dropped by the group of 6 or sat up and waited as I had started getting good form and was riding better and had closed the gap.
Note: There was no pre riding the course due to a tight schedule and the race track was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a dirt parking lot accessable by a dirt road.With all the rain it was muddy and nasty.As a result you lterally hit the "go" button after standing around cold in the wind and the rain. Some guys brought trainers...lesson #1 learned!
Once with my teammate we worked together and managed another 4 or 5 laps before a breakaway group lapped us on the big climb. I think we managed about 40 minutes of ride time so at least we now have a benchmark for next year.
Funny thing is we all figured one of two things would happen...either the pace would be moderate with the group staying together(until the last 2 meaningful laps) cause the conditions were bad or some of the fast guys would go hard and blow up the field and eliminate riders. Considering it was a breakaway group that lapped most folk I guess I know which one it was...lol.
Decided not to wear my glasses cause the sun was not shining and it wasn`t raining......until 3 minutes from the start. If I grabbed someone`s wheel I was getting the spray and my contacts were literally "floating" on my eyeballs. A very ugly feeling, especially in bad conditions. Lesson #2 learned! Bloody things will always be on my person, regardless of the conditions.
All in all it was a good experience to race in the wind and rain, especially with the tight corners that comes with a motorcycle racing track. Felt comfortable with my bike handling skills and learned a couple valuable lessons.
Add to it the heavy rain that started 3 minutes before the warmup lap that left a track very wet with puddles and runoffs.
My Cat(Masters B) cycled 60 minutes and 2 laps BUT you got pulled if you got lapped. The pace was fast and I soon found myself hanging off the back after only the first lap and soon found myself losing touch......there were many riders behind me but not close enough to justify waiting for. As a result I rode 3 laps solo trying to catch another group of 6 riders, including a teammate, who were also dropped due to the torrid pace.
Eventually my teammate was either dropped by the group of 6 or sat up and waited as I had started getting good form and was riding better and had closed the gap.
Note: There was no pre riding the course due to a tight schedule and the race track was in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a dirt parking lot accessable by a dirt road.With all the rain it was muddy and nasty.As a result you lterally hit the "go" button after standing around cold in the wind and the rain. Some guys brought trainers...lesson #1 learned!
Once with my teammate we worked together and managed another 4 or 5 laps before a breakaway group lapped us on the big climb. I think we managed about 40 minutes of ride time so at least we now have a benchmark for next year.
Funny thing is we all figured one of two things would happen...either the pace would be moderate with the group staying together(until the last 2 meaningful laps) cause the conditions were bad or some of the fast guys would go hard and blow up the field and eliminate riders. Considering it was a breakaway group that lapped most folk I guess I know which one it was...lol.
Decided not to wear my glasses cause the sun was not shining and it wasn`t raining......until 3 minutes from the start. If I grabbed someone`s wheel I was getting the spray and my contacts were literally "floating" on my eyeballs. A very ugly feeling, especially in bad conditions. Lesson #2 learned! Bloody things will always be on my person, regardless of the conditions.
All in all it was a good experience to race in the wind and rain, especially with the tight corners that comes with a motorcycle racing track. Felt comfortable with my bike handling skills and learned a couple valuable lessons.
