The Second Half-Ups and Downs

Green Mountain Crit

Too long since my last post. Sometimes I feel like writing, sometimes I don't. Last couple of months, just not in the mood. So, a bit of catch up is in order.
After finishing up the first part of the season at Housatonic, I got some long term chest congestion crap that lingered for about 6 weeks. Hacking and spitting up globs of shit for a long time. Not sure what the deal was, but it did put a damper on my mid season block of training. Just took forever to get rid of.
The real season, my favorite part of the year when all the hard 'hot' races happen beckoned me, and I was read to rock and roll. Or so I thought.

July 23- Tour of the Hilltowns
Hot and  muggy, just my kind of day, this is one of my favorite races and one I was aiming for the podium.
That little dream was dashed early in the race when I flatted on the rut-strewn downhill about 12 miles after the start. Chase chase chase for about an hour, sweat literally pouring off me, dehydration and ride in with the laughing group, little or no motivation, sitting on the back of a 10 man group, I crawled in finishing 31st, 17 minutes back. Good lord, not the way I envisioned my second season starting.

Aug 5-7 Tour of the Catskills
One of my major goals for the season, I was again, looking to finish in the top 3.
TT- Felt OK, but it seemed slow and I really figured that out when Dan Fitch, the rider who started 1 minute behind me, caught me with about 4 miles to go. Like someone whacking you with the reality pan over the head. The 'you suck' pan. Ouch. 19th, 3 minutes down on winner Buben. This was going to be bad. Not sure what the problem was, but my system was shut down and the legs not firing at all.
Stage 2- Devils Kitchen RR-Hit the Kitchen and it hit me. perhaps I could have walked up faster, then, on the 7 mile downhill run to the finish, I had nothing. barely pushed the pedals. Another misfire day. legs empty.
19th, 4 minutes down on winner Mosher. Completely pathetic.
Stage 3- A bit better form, but still just awful. This is probably the hardest road course I have ever ridden. Brutal. Ordinarily I would have liked it. I lost major brain cells in the last 10 miles trying to stay with group 2. Some of the hardest shit I have ever done, and this was to just stay on a wheel!. Holy crap, pathetic.
12th 2 minutes down on lead group.
Overall-11th, 9 minutes down on winner Mosher. I was not a player, barely a rider. WTF.

Postscript-The day after, I had virtually no leg fatigue and I should have been nearly wheelchair bound after my efforts. This told me something in my system was really not letting my legs work. Not working means sucking. I sucked so bad at Catskills it was embarrassing. The upside was I roomed with B Thompson and B Roldan, got to know those Keltic boys and had a great time.

Aug 14 Tokeneke Road Race
Made some adjustments to diet and hydration in the desperate hope to find out what was ailing me.
Hard day, cool and light rain and a killer field, but the legs were firing better, not great but better. The final climb saw me hanging on to Mosher, Clapper and Funk and that was the company I expect myself to be in.
So hard the last K, I was cross eyed.
5th 36 seconds behind solo winner Pfeifle. Plus I won the Men's 55 plus Regional Master Road Champion. Much better.

Aug 20 Capitol Region Road Race Albany
Hoped to see the upward form trend continue as this would be a really tough day, 50's and 40's riding together. I was going to use this race to decide whether I was even going to do Green Mt.
Warm and windy, and lots of hard pace, left me wallowing at the back on the climbs, keeping up and not much more. Held on, but never put my nose in the wind, not a particularly pleasurable way for me to race. It is called the 'I suck and can't do more than follow' strategy.
5th, 7 seconds behind winner Funk. Looked better in the box score than it was. Really hard day. At least my legs were tired the next day.

GMSR Sept 2-5
TT- The rocket K Mosher started 30 seconds behind me, so there was my motivation. If I could keep away from him, my time would be good.
It almost worked, he did catch me, but not until 500M to go. Effort was steady if unspectacular.
6th 36 sec behind winner Mosher.
Stage 2 Circuit Race- Road damage from Irene sent us onto the old circuit route used 3 years ago. Hot and muggy day, I used to do well in these conditions, but my body has changed a bit(my face, more than a bit!) and late in my career I am having cramping and hydration problems. Never cramped in my first 20 years of bike racing, now it is a factor. WTF.
First indication of form was on KOM 1, 4 of us went for it and I was clearly 4th, hell I had to sit down at 200 M to go, just did not have it. Not good. Did make a few forays off the front later on, and felt pretty strong though, to no avail. Group finish.
5th
Stage 3 App Gap
Ther are 2 stages, 2 moments in my cycling season that for me define success or failure. The final climb at Killington and App Gap. Killington went well. App Gap was a disaster. Waited and lurked for 2.5 hours before we hit the Gap and the legs felt like they did on Devils Kitchen. Someone could have said '10 million bucks for you at the top if you win!" and it would have made no difference. Had nothing. Plodded at 6MPH all the way up. Sad spectacle, and you should have seen it from the inside. Podium aspirations gone gone gone.
10th 3 minutes behind winner Mosher.
Stage 4 Crit.
This was my 11th GMSR and I have never had to race this tight technical course in the rain. Until now. Rainy and wet and off we went. Carnage on lap 2, race leader Mosher and KOM Sarci gapped and chasing. CCB guys off and pushing it, and no one in my group of 7 seemed all that interested in chasing. T Monroe won solo, too bad because he took the jersey from Kevin and I had the best legs of the race. I should not have deferred to my group companions and bridged up to the CCB boys and I reckon I could have won this one. Oh well. Stayed upright and felt good. Mosher lost race lead, no one wants to lose the jersey on the last day to a crash.
5th on the day
9th overall
This was a race I should have finished on the podium. App Gap blew me out of the box. That was 5K I would like to erase from the hard drive..

Second season sum up-
Really quite a disappointment. I was primed and ready to really get some good results, the weight was excellent, I like the courses and the hot weather, but not much went right. Mechanicals, flats,  flat legs, cramps and system failures doomed me.
Make no mistake. I don't like losing, but I can stomach being beaten by guys better than me. I can deal with losing to Funk, Mosher and Sarci to name a few. Those guys are younger and faster than I am and that is just the way it is.

What I have a really hard time with is not riding the best I can ride and beating guys I know I can beat, guys I have beaten and should beat. That is the tough pill to swallow. This off-season I face some real questions. how to get my body back on track and ride up to my current abilities. Puzzles abound this winter. We shall see.