10kms. Who even trains for such a thing? I have never in my life done 10kms slower than I did this weekend. Forget 32kms average, try under 20kms! I had no idea what I was up against, even after looking at the profile ( http://www.toj.co.jp/toj4/shuzenji_e.html ) I was quite confident that my 250km+ training a week would suffice.
Two laps of this course and I was begging to go home. The race started out quite slow, going up a long steep climb. I was feeling great having pulled the entire way up and leaving the peak in first place knowing that my downhill skills (i.e. like a bat outta hell sans bodily regard) would give me a slight advantage. I hit a top speed of 63kms/hr and was waiting for disaster. There were 3 or 4 dangerous curves that left 3 riders (by the time of my race) taken home by ambulance. This course gave no breaks....either techincal downhill or legs-are-on-fire burning hills. It was fun to say the least. I finished 7th in the field behind 4 of Japan`s top female riders.
I have never heard fans during a race, but you could hear them yelling `ee-ch ni ee-ch ni` {one two one two} to help pull riders up hills, it was INSANE. The mens race was great to watch, if you like carnage. A peloton going through windy downhill curves (and after a slight mid-afternoon sprinkle) at 60+km/hr left one or two riders on the side of the road each pass!
Only if I have a death wish or the need to relieve some built up Karma will I join this race again.
I bent over, took it not once but twice, and am now going to try to regain my dignity.
10kms. *sighs
e
Two laps of this course and I was begging to go home. The race started out quite slow, going up a long steep climb. I was feeling great having pulled the entire way up and leaving the peak in first place knowing that my downhill skills (i.e. like a bat outta hell sans bodily regard) would give me a slight advantage. I hit a top speed of 63kms/hr and was waiting for disaster. There were 3 or 4 dangerous curves that left 3 riders (by the time of my race) taken home by ambulance. This course gave no breaks....either techincal downhill or legs-are-on-fire burning hills. It was fun to say the least. I finished 7th in the field behind 4 of Japan`s top female riders.
I have never heard fans during a race, but you could hear them yelling `ee-ch ni ee-ch ni` {one two one two} to help pull riders up hills, it was INSANE. The mens race was great to watch, if you like carnage. A peloton going through windy downhill curves (and after a slight mid-afternoon sprinkle) at 60+km/hr left one or two riders on the side of the road each pass!
Only if I have a death wish or the need to relieve some built up Karma will I join this race again.
I bent over, took it not once but twice, and am now going to try to regain my dignity.
10kms. *sighs
e
