Hell's Kitchen and Heaven in the RV

Sunday, March 18th was a great day to be alive and an even better day to race a bike. The previous day JD McCay, Evan East, and yours truly loaded up the RV in Little Rock and headed north to the Hogeye area which is just south of Fayetteville, Ar. The area is a well known and often used venue for hosting bike races not only because of the rural roads, but also because of the incredibly hilly and challenging terrain.

Moments before entering "Hell's Kitchen"

We arrived at the small church in Hogeye that has been used for registration for at least the last ten years for the Hell's Kitchen event. This race is always well attended and is an excellent gauge of one's early season fitness. We were able to pull the 40' Tiffin Allegro Bus right up into the gravel parking lot of the church which would be the scene of organized chaos that is the two hours before all bike races. JD and I had already done our leg openers Saturday morning but Evan had not yet ridden so he took off on his bike to reconnoiter the critical parts of the course where we had told him the smack would go down. JD and I went about the process of setting up camp, if you can call it that. First the jacks go down to level the bus, then the four slides go out turning the bus into what seems like a double wide, then the awning rolls out over the "patio" where we place a 15' X 15' sheet of astro turf, then the outdoor chairs and table. This basically completes the setup which makes for a very comfortable "camp". By the time Evan returned from his ride JD and I had whipped up a batch of Ground Elk Meat spaghetti which I am convinced makes you ride faster! After an awesome meal we cleaned up and settled in for an evening of watching old bike races on some new DVD's on the Flat Screen that occupies a large portion of the front of the bus. Knowing that Fabian was going to win the 2010 version of the Tour of Flanders I decided to turn in early.

The next morning dawned cool but far from cold. The race organizers were already scurrying about placing cones and setting up registration tables etc... After an espresso and a Jimmy Deans Sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit, we began to get ready to race. Being the first one's there we registered early and got our numbers pinned on, always a critical part of preparation! A floppy, flapping number is not desired and frankly the first indication that someone is doing their first race ever. During our ritualistic race preparation the parking lot slowly began to fill up and our Teammates started arriving en masse. I think our team, OKC Velo, had twelve participants which I would speculate was more than any other single team. We decided to divide and conquer so four of the guys did the Cat 3 race and the rest of us raced the Masters 40+ and Masters 50+ race which all started together. Evan was racing in the Cat 4 race flying the CARVE colors.

The Masters race finally started and we rolled out to begin the three lap circuit which would total 52 miles and three times up the 1.3 mile long climb that gives the race its name. As the neutral start vehicle sped ahead after getting onto the race course Janne Hamillian immediately put in a hard, vicious attack literally from the gun. Janne is a well known strong man and has a National Championship jersey in his closet from winning the Masters Nationals Road Race a few years ago. He has been on the podium at Nationals multiple times so is regarded as a threat in any Masters Race in which he participates. He also still holds the 1500 meter track and field record at the University of Tulsa (distance and school name might even be correct?) where he was recruited from overseas.

 When Janne put in his attack I was at the back of the group but immediately recognized the danger. Janne took about four other guys with him but he was driving the pace. I started making my way towards the front but it took me a little time to navigate through the traffic. When I finally got to the front I saw another rider trying to bridge to the leaders about 100 meters off the front. I accelerated hard with the goal of reaching the guy stuck in the middle. When I made it up to him he was already getting close to the break and the field had still not reacted. Once we joined the break I was happy to see one of my teammates, Frank Jackovich, had made the selection and we both just rolled through trying to figure out how to play it. Janne and two others were really drilling it and we were definitely putting time into the rest of the field. Two Tyson riders had made the break but were sitting on doing no work. Not long after the break was established I heard a yell from behind and recognized it to be a fellow Pirate (our team logo). Frank and I went to the back hoping the teammate could bridge with us sitting on but he was unable to do so. Once we knew the break was established and no other teammates could bridge the gap Frank and I began helping Janne establish a winning gap to the field.

As we neared the climb we all knew this group of seven would be whittled down after the first time up. We all hoped that both of the Tyson guys would come off as they were still not contributing to the break. At the top, a $50 Schwag Bag from Cliff Bar was on offer. Frank was leading the way with Janne behind and then me. Everyone else was gone. Once we got within 50 yards from the top I put in a little more effort to take the Schwag which I would later share with my teammate for his efforts. Once we hit the flats we were rewarded with about a 20 MPH tailwind. We could see two guys behind us trying to bridge and one of them was a Tyson rider. We decided to stay away as we did not want the dead weight of the Tyson rider with us. They stayed within sight until we took a left into the crosswind section and then noticed the Tyson rider had been dropped so we decided to sit up and let the other guy on so he could help with the work in the upcoming headwind section before the climb. The guy got on and after a short recovery he began contributing to the pace.

When we hit the climb the second time we decided to ride tempo so as not to drop our fourth man. As we went over the top he got a flat so we put our heads down for what was the final lap. To Janne's credit, he never skipped a pull as most people would have when racing against two teammates. We decided to work together and the best man would win the final time up the climb. At that point I was certain that it would not be me. As a matter of fact, I felt like I would probably be 3rd out of this small group as both Frank and Janne weigh 135 lbs. each and are both regarded as excellent climbers. As we got onto the climb I was happy that Janne was going fairly easy on the lower slopes. He was riding a steady pace which was right at 350 watts according to a subsequent review of my power file. As we hit the steep sections about half way up he turned up the pressure to 500 watts. I was under some pressure but was still on his wheel and felt I could hold the pace to the top where I was confident I could come around him. Not long after the steep part began Frank came off much to my dismay. As we neared the top I was still at 500 watts but still felt I could hold the pace to 50 meters to go. Janne is not only a very strong rider but a smart one as well. He told me later he knew if he did not drop me before the 200 meter cones that I would win. At about 300 meters to go and on the steepest part of the climb he upped the ante one more time and I was having to put out 590 watts to stay on his wheel. By now I was way into the red zone and way beyond what I could hold for vey long. I popped off right at 200 to go and Janne went on to take 1st Place and I took 2nd with Frank getting 3rd. We finished almost ten minutes ahead of the next group and Frank and I were both pleased with the results considering who beat us. We also had three or four other teammates finish in the money so it was a good day for OKC Velo.

While I was recovering from my efforts at the finish line I was anxious to know how my son, Evan (15) was fairing in the Cat 4 race. I had no idea if he had been dropped on the first climb, gotten a flat or what. After the last of the Masters racers had finished we were all looking down the hill to see which Cat 4 racers would appear first from around the corner. Finally, a tall kid came churning up the hill on his way to an impressive victory. Evan had targeted this race as an "A" race and I was just praying that he would at least be in the main field to finish in the top ten. So, I was ecstatic to see him come around the corner next with his mouth open and jersey unzipped. He was way in the clear as 3rd place was nowhere in sight. He came across the line to take 2nd place and I was so proud at that moment that it was all I could do not to tackle him. He was mobbed by his teammates as they came acres the line and he received the kind of accolades you might expect a 15 year old to get that had just beaten 50 or so grown men in a damn hard race. I have long dreamed of a day like that to share with my son and it happened. I am still shaking my head.

As the winner of the 40+ race (Janne is 50!) I received an engraved devils pitch fork (from Home Depot) for my efforts. After getting my pitchfork and collecting our prize money we began the 8 mile ride back to the RV whereupon I learned from JD what had happened in the Cat 3 race in which he had participated. John Lasorsa had taken 3rd but JD had one of those days that happen to all of us at least once per season where he just felt awful. JD has a great attitude and like any strong competitor he is just that much more motivated for the next race. We got back to the RV and while packing up to leave countless people came by to offer their congratulations to Evan and me. What a race, but more importantly, what a day in our life to be treasured and remembered forever! Thanks for reading.

Rouge Roubaix: AKA... The Hell of the South

This is my first attempt at "Blogging" so please forgive any shortcomings in this virgin piece. Before I launch off into the detailed description of the pain and agony that defined the 2012 Rouge Roubaix, let me first explain why I race bikes.

Many of my friends wonder why cycling occupies such a significant part of my life. I guess the answer is not so simple but after many years of riding and racing I think I have figured out that I just love the lifestyle. I love living a healthy life and being outdoors. I love the feeling of being fit and my mental health is closely tied to my physical health. Secondarily, I enjoy the competition as well as the camaraderie in the peloton. What has been the "cherry on top" the last couple of years is riding and racing with my son, Evan. Getting to hang out with my 15 year old and watching him interact with other adults in a manner that makes me almost flush with pride is a feeling I really cannot put into words. My wife, Dustin, has helped shape and mold our baby boy into a young man and we both feel fortunate to have Evan as a son. We also have two other younger children that have passions of their own. Hannah (12) is a horse women extraordinaire and Dustin supports her in that passion 100%. John Collier (10) inherited my love of the outdoors and rarely ventures from our house without his pellet gun or his "survival kit" that he bought because Bear Grylls has one. So, to summarize, I love the cycling lifestyle more than anything and if good race results come along with that lifestyle then that is just gravy on top!

I have raced Rouge Roubaix now six or seven times and have always told anyone that would listen that it is my favorite race of the year in spite of the fact that the early March race date is usually to early in my Spring campaign to get a good result. I was determined this year would be different and went into the 2012 year with the confidence that comes with hard work and training. I started the process in October with a workout program different than anything I had ever done before. It focused on core strength and lower body utilizing newer training techniques and plyometrics that I was not familiar with, but that paid dividends. I then started riding in December and started training in earnest in January.

The morning of the race was 65 degrees or so with a southeast wind that would build to 20 MPH throughout the race. Shortly after the neutral start Peter Beland and I blasted off the front of the 70 man Masters field. We were soon joined by Donnie Davis and were working smoothly at mile 15 when I got a rear flat. I was able to get a wheel change within about two minutes but the field was at least a minute up the road before I began my chase. I got lucky as there were a few follow vehicles I could see up the road so I got in TT mode and rode up to the first car and paced my way up through the cars to get back on before the first dirt section which started at mile 25. We hit the dirt with 70 guys and 8 miles later came out on the black top with only 10 guys left! Attrition in this race is ugly and many times the race will play itself out without any real attacks as attrition slowly shapes and molds the final results through the sheer difficulty of the course. The group of 10 stayed together for the next 30 miles until the next dirt section at mile 65 where a one mile long dirt climb usually separates the wheat from the chaff. I, unfortunately, began to experience cramps before we even hit the climb which was extremely frustrating given how good I felt otherwise. I have since learned that my electrolyte balance needs to be supplemented with magnesium and potassium or I will experience these premature cramping sensations. Anyway, back to the race. I fought my way up the climb trying to deal with the cramps in both groin muscles and right calf muscle. I was not the least bit fatigued and got to the top third wheel in spite of the cramps. Seven of us remained after the climb but I had a big problem. The rear wheel I had gotten at mile 15 had come loose and the skewer was open and the wheel was rubbing on each brake pad whenever I tried to put any power to the pedals. Finally I hit a bump and the chain got lodged between the drop out and the rear cassette so I had no choice but to stop and fix it. By the time I got the chain dislodge and the skewer tightened properly the group was long gone. I got back on the bike and started Time Trial number two from mile 70 to mile 78 where I reached the leaders again to my own amazement. My cramps had subsided and I immediately attacked the group into a fierce headwind. My goal was to reach the third dirt section with a lead on this group to try and get over the top of the steepest climb at mile 83. I hit the climb with about 45 seconds on the group behind and was able to ride the whole thing which I found out later very few were able to do this year. A few miles later I was told I had two minutes on only one chaser! I thought "I might win this thing"? No sooner had that thought gone through my mind than I was wracked with cramps in both legs again. This time, however, they were much worse, and not anything I was just going to pedal through and have them go away. I backed way off the power and was caught at mile 90 by the lone chaser, Donnie Davis. Shortly thereafter I was caught by four other riders and was able to latch on the back of that group. The only way I was able to stay on was to be out of the saddle most of the time with a low cadence. Any slight change to that protocol triggered immediate and debilitating cramps. The next ten miles were hell but I hung on for a tough 4th Place finish in the 40+ Masters Race. Donnie Davis was the deserved winner as he was the strong man on the day. I obviously paid too high of a price with my flat then subsequent mechanical issue, but that is what makes the race unique. After the race I learned Evan had flatted in his race and could not chase back on, JD had flatted in our race and could not get back on, and Kris French flatted twice in the 1,2 race and could not get back on. That is Rouge Roubaix but we definitely had more than our share of bad luck. We then climbed back in the RV for the road trip home and were lucky to have Wes Wolfenburger at the helm to deliver us all home safely through some atrocious weather. Rouge Roubaix is arguably the hardest one day race in the country each year and I can't wait for the 2013 edition! Thanks for reading.