Prospecting for Gold in Utah

     I read recently where Peter Sagan said that it was difficult for him to express how he felt having won the world championship road race. He just said the feeling was indescribable and incredible. He did say that it was the biggest win of his career so far and that is really saying something given his stellar record. I only mention this because people have been asking me the same thing recently, "How does it feel to be the National Champion?". OK, so my Masters Nationals Championship gold medal isn't even in the same Universe as Sagan's achievement, but it is an achievement about which I have trouble expressing how it makes me feel. I can definitely say it was the most important win I have ever had. For us amateur hacks here in the USA there really isn't another title more coveted than to win a National Championship in your respective field and in your respective specialty, whether it be the time trial, road race, criterium, cyclocross, or whatever. I don't care if your specialty is checkers or tiddly winks, if you win the National Championship you have accomplished something special. My initial emotion immediately after crossing the finish line in 1st place in the 50-54 Criterium was an incredible sense of relief. I think that emotion slowly evolved into elation, then finally, appreciation for all the work that it took to get there, and for all the people that helped me along the way.

     My burning desire to win a National Championship started way back in 1996 which is the first time I lined up to see how I would fare against the best amateurs in the country in the 30-34 age group. I got 5th in the crit but it lit the fire to someday be able to win. I went back probably seven times over the next 20 years and landed on every step of the podium but the top one. So, for 19 years I could only come close, but I could never win. Maybe that's why it was so incredibly special for me to finally get it done. In fact, I remember yelling a few times after crossing the line that Saturday in Ogden, Utah, "Finally", "Finally"! The feeling really is indescribable, so at least in that sense, I know how Peter Sagan feels!

The Podium

     The 2015 season was a fun one for me. I had some good results, but more importantly, I got to spend time and develop relationships with my son and great friends. Initially, I had decided that I was not even going to go to Nationals this year. I had raced since January and the prospect of trying to stay fit through a hot summer in Arkansas was just not something I looked forward to. After an unexpected good result at the Elite Nationals Road Race in June, I began to ponder the possibilities , but eventually decided I wasn't going to put the Masters Race on the calendar. Fast forward to the Hotter'n Hell Road Race and Crit in late August where I got 2nd in the Road Race and 1st in the crit, and I started to reconsider my decision. With Masters Nationals being scheduled for September 9-12, I thought I could try to just coast on the form that I had at Hotter'n Hell and at the last minute decided to give it another go!

     I arrived in Ogden, Utah on Thursday morning, September 10th,  at 2:30 A.M. after some major flight issues. The road race wasn't until 3:00 P.M. but my pre race regimen was a little less than ideal having gotten to bed so late. I also did exactly what I said I would not do and got myself into two or three breakaway's before the climb at the end of the race, thus sealing my fate. I ended up with a terrible result but I really wasn't to surprised given how everything played out before and during the race. The result, however, did not exactly boost my confidence for the crit on Saturday which is typically my best event. It took a good pep talk from my good friend Curtis Tolson to get me out of my funk.

     I picked up Curtis at the airport in Salt Lake City on Friday morning as he was only racing the crit on Saturday. I gave him the full download on the road race and expressed how bummed I was about how awful I felt. He just kept telling me over and over that I could win the crit and not to worry about it. Since Curtis and I are such good friends I knew a certain part of his encouragement was just him being a good guy, but I could also sense a certain level of conviction in his voice. It made me feel a little better about my chances but I was still really worried given how terrible I felt in the road race. We would both find out soon enough as the crit was at 1:00 the next day.

     When Curtis and I got to the crit course and started warming up, I saw Brendan Sullivan who had won the time trial the previous Wednesday. He had also won the road race in our group the previous two years in a row so I knew he was a super strong boy. He knew who I was because he had finished one place behind me in the Elite Nationals road race in which we had both participated in June. It was a fortuitous conversation because he told both me and Curtis that if he was not in a break late in the race he would do all he could to help the two of us as he is not a sprinter. At the time I really didn't think much of it because it is rare at Nationals to have someone sacrifice their race for a teammate, much less an acquaintance! 

     The race started and within five laps a large break of seven guys had gotten off the front with a small gap. I really wasn't that worried initially as there was still lots of horse power left in the field. After several laps, however, the gap went out to 20 seconds, then 30, then 45 at its maximum. At one point I tried to bridge across with one of the strongest guys in the field, a guy named Kevin Metcalf. Kevin has won National Championships in the time trial so when he went after the break I went with him. When we went the field panicked and after four laps of chasing it all came back together but we had gotten the gap to the lead break back down to 25 seconds. Unfortunately, with only seven laps to go, the gap had gone back out to 35 seconds and I truly thought the race was over and that I was racing for 8th place. That's when I saw Brendan Sullivan come to the front!

     Brendan calmly took the pace up to about 29 MPH. I was second wheel with 60 guys strung out single file behind me. With six to go the gap was down to 30 seconds, five to go, 25 seconds, .... I kept thinking that any second Brendan would pull over and flick his elbow indicating he was done and for someone else to take over the chase. He never did, and with four laps to go the gap was down to 20 seconds. He kept going.... three to go 15 seconds and with two to go the gap was only 10 seconds and Brendan pulled off knowing the field would pounce on such a small gap. First one guy jumped then another, I got that guy's wheel and took a free ride across the 10 second gap. It was all back together with only 1 1/2 laps to go!  As soon as we tagged onto the back of the lead break I came around and slotted into about 4th wheel. I got lucky in that a Hammer nutrition rider representing the team with the most teammates in the race was on the front and he ratcheted up the pace leading out one of his sprinters.... perfect for me as I was able to get totally recovered from the effort to jump across the last 10 seconds to the original lead break. 

     When we came through the start/finish with only one lap to go everything became very clear and focused. The pace was high enough to discourage attacks and I had gotten myself into a winning position. I knew I didn't want duke out the sprint with some of the big 190 pounders through the last two corners so I gambled and launched my sprint from about 600 meters out with three corners to go. I jumped really hard with about 50 meters to the first of three corners to go and when I came out of that corner I opened up full gas to the next turn. From there it was 200 meters to the last corner so I sprinted to that turn as if it were the finish line. Upon reaching the last corner I knew I had a winning gap and sprinted the last 150 meters to the line. I couldn't believe it. I had finally won a National Championship. The feeling as I mentioned above....  was indescribable. 

     Curtis found me immediately and nearly tackled me with a bear hug! I told him how happy I was that he was there to share the moment with me. He later confessed that he knew he wasn't fit enough to compete for a podium spot but that when he thought about not coming, the only reason he didn't back out was that he was so confident I could win. He knew he didn't want me to be there alone if I did. I will never forget that gesture from a guy that normally would have been competing for the win himself. Curtis has close to 40 National Championship titles on the track that he has accumulated through the years so he is always a force to reckoned with in a criterium. The fact that he would travel 1000 miles simply to be there for a friend, even though he knew he would not perform to his standards, speaks to his character and why so many think so highly of him. The next person I sought out was Brendan Sullivan. I found him and gave him a bear hug and thanked him for laying it down for over 12 minutes at 29 MPH to catch the break, which is what allowed me to win. I bought him a beer and a slice of pizza later, a small price to pay for the services rendered!  

     The 2015 Masters Nationals criterium was indeed a special moment for me. Even though the feeling was indescribable, I hope I at least provided a small glimpse into the emotions stirred by the single biggest win of my rather long bike racing experience. Thanks for reading!

Finally!

     

       

2015 Elite Nationals Road Race and a Huge Black Bear

I haven't posted anything in quite a while because I guess I just didn't think I had anything to say that others might care to read. This post will probably also fall into that category but I feel compelled to write a little blurb for the sake of posterity. I flew out to Lake Tahoe, California on Tuesday, June 23rd to watch my son, Evan East, race the Junior Nationals Road Race on Wednesday, and the Time Trial on Friday. Evan would race a 75 mile out and back course at 11:00 Wednesday morning, and since I was there anyway, I would hop in the Elite Race at 3:00 that same afternoon which would be 103 miles out and back. My race would include many of the top Cat 1's in the country so I really had no aspirations, especially on a course that was as brutally hard as this year's edition of the National Championship proved to be.

I had my whole family in Lake Tahoe, including my Dad and Step Mom. We all loaded up in the mini van Wednesday morning to drive up to the top off the first big mountain to watch the boys come over the top. When they finally came into view it was apparent that a group of ten had broken away from the peloton and Evan was not in it. I was concerned because I had recognized a couple of the stronger riders in the break and they already had two minutes on the rest of the field. Once they passed we hopped back in the Swagger Wagon (minivan) and headed to the finish line. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant close by and then made our way to the finish area for the anticipated finish around 2:00. The announcer said their were two guys off the front with six guys chasing and the field further back. We had no idea where Evan was at that point. After watching several of the top places come across the line, (including Evan's teammate Micah Milne in 5th!), we began to worry. We finally saw Evan and he came across the line in 32nd place. He was disappointed as he was expected to be a top ten and possibly even a podium finisher. He had spent basically the entire month of May racing in Europe and was just "cracked" upon his return to the states. He unfortunately never regained the form that carried him to a 1st place GC in the Category 1,2 race at the Joe Martin Stage Race, held right before he left for Europe. He was in Europe for a month to race with the US National Team in five races in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Belgium. While he was very disappointed about his performance at Nationals, he has had a fantastic season overall.

The Elite National Road Race started not even one hour after the Juniors finished their race. Unlike races where I am expecting a decent result, I was completely calm and at ease. I had no support from the standpoint of getting water hand ups so that was really the only thing about which I was apprehensive. It was unseasonably warm, over 90 degrees and close to 100 down in the valley into which we would descend after the day's first climb, so getting enough water during the course of 103 miles was my major concern. The race started where it would finish which was in the ski resort of Northstar in the Lake Tahoe area. We would descend off that mountain then climb up and over another mountain, then once in the valley on the other side of the pass, we would make a large loop then climb back up the other side which was a 7.5 mile climb, then descend back down into the town of Truckee, Ca., then climb back up to the finish in Northstar. It would prove to be the hardest course I have ever raced when combining the terrain and the conditions.

After the neutral start of about 3K down the steepest part of the descent the race started full tilt down a fairly steep descent into Truckee. I was initially positioned toward the front but with every one of the 130 or so starters trying to be in the front down the long straight hill I started drifting backwards as the speeds approached 55 MPH and we were packed together like sardines in a can. I don't mind fast descents, and even consider myself fairly competent at the discipline, but I will admit that I was scared shitless in that situation. Until that point there had just not been any hard racing to spread the field out before the hairball descent. Once we hit the bottom things calmed down a little and I was able to settle in and re-position towards the front before staring the climb up and over the pass. I was pleasantly surprised not to be under much pressure up the first part of the climb. There were enough riders to let others absorb accelerations and to be able to ride a consistent pace. About five miles before the top where the first feed zone was located I found myself in a six man break that got close to a 45 second gap on the field… up a climb! I knew then I was on a good day but still decided to ride conservatively and put very little effort into the break. As we crested the top of the climb I was literally begging for water but no one would give me a bottle. Towards the end of the long line a nice lady finally gave me a small bottle of water with a screw top. Better than nothing but I needed a lot more water if I hoped to even finish the race.

As the small breakaway group began the descent down into the large valley, the rest of the pack started bearing down on us quickly. It wasn't long before we were reabsorbed but at least I was in the front of the of the long single file line. Towards the bottom of the 7.5 mile long descent I noticed that one team, Mike's Bikes, had gathered at the front. It seemed they were very purposely keeping the pace high down the last part of the descent and I decided they were going to try to control the race in the crosswinds that would possibly exist in the large valley below. I was right, as we entered the valley the wind picked up and immediately upon making a turn where the winds were across the road they put it in the gutter. For a long time I was able to find a draft by riding on the extreme edge of the road. Behind me was carnage. Over half the field was dropped after only ten minutes or less in the very strong crosswinds. After another ten minutes I was in a select group of only about 30 riders but I was under pressure as I was no longer able to draft. The wind was cross tail so we were going about 34 MPH for what seemed like an eternity. The guy in front of me, Evan Bybee, finally popped. I urged him to fight back on but he convinced me to drift back to the next chase where we could get in an echelon and get a draft. Once we were in the echelon it was so much easier as were were able to rotate through and get a draft. We kept the front group within close reach and then, just like on TV, a rail road crossing barricade dropped and the entire front group came to a halt in front of us! The barricades were only down for a minute but in that time a group of about 60 reassembled.

By now, we had turned back toward the mountain and the crosswind had turned to a headwind and our group stayed together until the climb began. The other factor besides the wind was the heat! All of the major teams had vehicle support and guys were dropping back to the cars and collecting water for their stronger riders. I was completely out of water and was literally begging for bottles from anyone that had access to it. One guy on Elbowz gave me a bottle and I have never been so grateful. I found him after the race and told him he may have saved my life! As the climb began, a group of about 35 or so began to to separate from the rest. While I didn't make that front group, I found myself in the second group up the climb and ended up in a six man split, including my Louisiana buddy Johnny Brizzard, that rode away from the larger group. At this point I was encouraged that there were close to 100 guys behind me. I never imagined I would find myself in such a position and I was determined to keep it. An Arapahoe rider in my group dropped back and got an ice cold can of coke and gave me about half of it. Another life saver! Before the top of the climb we looked up to see a large black bear in the middle of the road! As we got closer it became apparent that he had been hit by a car and he was injured and quite agitated. He was also huge. I would estimate between 500-600 lbs! When we got even with him we skirted around him on the far left side of the road. The poor thing finally scrambled up the embankment so we didn't get eaten at mile 80 as I feared might happen!

Once we began the descent we all worked together to try and stay away from any chasers. Unfortunately, about 20 guys rejoined us towards the bottom before we got back to Truckee. I was thinking that I would now be lucky to finish in the middle of this group which would probably put me in the top 50. As it turned out, I was able to stay with a couple of the stronger guys in the group and held on for 37th place. I was very happy with that result considering I really didn't think I could even finish the race given the distance and the amount of climbing, not to mention the competition! I think the thing I really appreciated the most is that I have always considered myself more of a crit rider, without the physiology necessary to hang with the best in harder road races, especially if there is any real climbing. This result proved to me that we shouldn't pigeon hole ourselves into only being able to do this or that. Start every race knowing that anything can happen. You might end up having the race of your life on any given day and get a result you never expected! If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Exhausted After 103 Miles