2013 Iris Stagner Stage Race, Mineral Wells , Texas

     Friday, February 15th started out similar to most race weekends with a mad scramble to get everything packed in the RV, and then get in some "leg openers" before departure so that the legs are not "blocked" the next day when the race starts. Inevitably there are also work related issues that need to be addressed, along with other "must do" chores that have to be completed before we get out of town. With everything on the "to do" list, it is a wonder we ever make it to the race with everything we intended to bring... oh yeah, we NEVER  make it to a race with everything we intended to bring! On this particular trip, I may have set the bar for "most critical gear forgotten" in my rather long history of bike racing. I think the only way it could have been worse would have been if I forgot my bike! I pack two bags when I head out for a race weekend, one for my regular cloths and a large back pack with all of my cycling gear, cloths, helmet, shoes, etc... Two hours out of town as we were rolling through Texarkana on our way to Mineral Wells, it dawned on me.... I had left my back pack in my closet with freakin everything I needed to race a bicycle. After I stopped cursing, we began to frantically call everyone we knew from Little Rock that was coming down for the race. We got lucky and the Lavergnes had not yet left town. They graciously agreed to go by my house and grab my stuff. Disaster averted!

Major crosswinds in the road race Sunday!

     JD and Evan were both along for the trip and we all took our familiar places on the RV for the trip to Texas. Amazing how comfortable we have gotten with our respective responsibilities on these trips. Everyone knows their job and with very few words exchanged we can load and unload, fill water tanks and gas tanks, put away groceries, and perform the myriad of task necessary to roll a 40' RV down the road. The road trips themselves are as memorable as the races, and all of them have their "memorable" moments, although some we would just as soon forget!
     The Iris Stagner Stage Race in Mineral Wells is a race that was on the official race calendar for the Slipstream Craddock Junior Development Team for the Cat 2 members of that team. Since Evan is still a Cat 3, he would be racing with no other teammates in the Cat 3 event, but he would be receiving support from his Team Director, Christian Williams. JD and I both registered for the Masters 40+ race, as did 8 of our teammates! I ended up deciding to switch categories and race the Pro 1 event in order to reduce our already overwhelming numbers in the Masters race as well as to test my fitness against the best in this early part of the season.
     The race had a crit and Time Trial on Saturday and a road race on Sunday. When we woke up Saturday morning for the crits, it was 26 degrees! Evan's crit was first at 7:30 and mine would start at 8:30. While we were crit racing JD would be racing the Masters Time Trial about 4 miles away from where we were parked at the crit course in downtown Mineral Wells. The crit course was very rough with one particularly bad corner coming into the finish straight. There were a few crashes in Evan's race, and a lot more as the day progressed. I would speculate that there were more crashes per racing lap that day than in any other crit in the state the entire year previous, and that is saying a lot given that the course was dry. Evan ended up flatting, but he was able to get a free lap, and get back into the group and finish a respectable 12th place in a field of over 50 guys. He is becoming more aware of his need to attack before the last lap in crits in order to have a shot at the podium. He has a big motor, but at this young age, he still does not have the kind of sprint he will develop later. I on the other hand have the exact opposite physiology, a relatively small motor where I have to follow stronger riders, but a decent burst of power towards the end of a race that can sometimes produce a result if I make a string of good decisions in the race by following the right wheels. This particular crit ended up having a lead break of six guys that resulted more from attrition than from attacks. The course was just hard enough, and sketchy enough, to reduce the numbers throughout the race. I ended up winning a small field sprint for 2nd Place which was a very good result for me at this stage of my racing career. When one of the guys asked me how old I was at the end of the race, he was rather disgusted to have been beat by a 50 year old! I have to admit I took great pleasure in his reaction.
     After the crit, it was time to get ready for the TT. The course was about 7.5 miles long with some rolling hills with the last hill being about a one mile long climb. The course suited Evan very well and he was confident he would do well. I, on the other hand, with my smaller motor, was nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs, knowing I would lose my 2nd place spot in the overall or GC (General Classification). JD had ridden a very good TT earlier that morning for 8th place in the Masters 40+ . He has trained very hard this year and deserved the result. Evan's start time was about 30 minutes before mine so he hopped on his TT bike to ride the 4 miles to the start of the TT. He had not gone 500 yards before slamming into the back of a van while he was looking at the crit going on parellel to the road on which he was riding. He hit very hard and went down. Amazingly, he was relatively unhurt other than a scrape and a bruise, and his bike also escaped with no damage. He was lucky, but very emabarrassed!
     I later rode to my start and had no such mishap, however, about three minutes before my start my skinsuit zipper blew out like the hulk when he turns green. I was able to quickly borrow some safety pins to close the front of the skin suit just in time to roll up to the start. I felt decent during the effort but my time was only good for 12th place in the TT, a result in which I was not terribly disappointed considering the competition.
     When the Cat 3 times were posted Evan had gotten 1st Place and had beaten 2nd place by 30 seconds, a huge margin in a relatively short TT. His time would have placed him 3rd in the Pro 1 TT, which made it that much more impressive. While he was confident of his chances before the race, I don't think he knew he would crush it the way he did. The Time Trial is often referred to the race of truth, as more often than not, the winner is the strongest man in the race. I was so happy for Evan because he has worked so hard this winter training, and this result was his just reward. Needless to say, he got quite a bit of attention as his result was impressive, especially for a 16 year old racing against grown men. Dad was extremely proud, in spite of having been beat by son by an entire minute over the 7.5 mile course!
      That afternoon, JD would race his crit and be a victim of the carnage that defined the day. He crashed twice, yet still managed a decent result in the race by placing just outside the top 10. His wounds were relatively minor but the impact took its toll on him the next day in the road race. He made the lead break but ran out of steam coming off the lead break, but still managing a 7th place. Evan flatted in the road race and never got back in the field, so his GC result was not great. He was happy with his TT, however, so all was not lost. I also made the lead break in my road race and held on for a 4th place result which propelled me back up into 4th place GC. A result that frankly far exceeded my expectations for the weekend.
     The trip home was uneventful with all of us reflecting upon what could have been. Probably the exact same conversation being had by virtually every participant in the race, other than all the winners. It's probably what keeps us all coming back, the hopes and dreams of improving one's lot. If I can just get a little faster! Ha, I love it. Thanks for reading!