Ft. Collins Road Race - 06/09/07

This was an interesting one, for sure. A head scratcher.

When I pre-rode the course the previous weekend, I thought without a doubt that it would be a race for the pure climbers. During the roughly 60-mile race, there is a short climb that smacks the legs in the opening miles followed by a 10-mile climb from Mile 7 – 17. This 10-mile climb up Rist Canyon is moderately steep, averaging 6-7%, with several pitches along the way above 10%. The final 1-2k of the climb are also above 10% with some fun switchbacks thrown in to boot. The descent down the backside is awesome – no brakes necessary and speeds in excess of 60mph are easy to achieve. The next 15-20 miles are downhill to flat to inconsequential rollers. But then the fun starts again as a series of dams are hit. Each dam brings with it a climb lasting 4-7 minutes and each is in excess of 10% average grade. Go up one, descend, go up the next, descend, go up the last one, descend. Then just one more grunt of a climb lasting about 2 minutes before hitting the flats the final handful of miles into the finish line.

Greg Ross and I, the best climbers on the 3s team, pre-rode the course together and hammered out what we thought would be the master plan to launch one of us to victory. Toward the top of Rist Canyon, we would sit in until just before the final switchbacks and then blow it up. It was critical to hit the descent on the front where it would be safe and fast. Through the ensuing 20 miles or so, we would see what was what in terms of who remained with us. Then we would attack again and again going up and over the three dams. Surely by the top of the last dam we would whittle down the pack to a handful or fewer riders.

On a gorgeous day for a challenging race, our plans were unfolding brilliantly. I was feeling great and frisky, ready to let out the reins when it was time to attack. Till then, I would be “tranquilo” as they say in the European peloton. Relaxed. From the beginning of the race, the pace was aggressive. I was thinking that the instigators must believe we were going to remain on the flats the whole day. It was that aggressive at the beginning. Heading up Rist Canyon, many cyclists wanted to strut their stuff at the front. Perfect for me and Greg. We just sat in and let the others do the work and burn their legs out. About halfway up, Derrick Hatten (one of the better climbers in the peloton) was huffing and puffing pretty heavily. I looked down and saw a HR of 145. Nice! Derrick looks over at me and says, “Nate, you’re not even breathing.” I actually laughed out loud and said, “Give it a couple miles, Derrick.”

As the switchbacks loomed, Greg and I hit the front during one of the lead-up 10% pitches to “stretch the legs” and see how the others would respond. A gut check more than an attack. The field strung out but there were no separations. That’s fine. This was just the prelude to the first act. Now we saw the switchbacks up ahead; time to attack!

I shifted down two gears, stood up and jumped. Greg was right there with me. One guy from the Echelon team came with us. Everyone else was immediately off the back. From the switchbacks to the top of Rist Canyon is less than 2-and-a-half minutes, yet we crested the top with a huge lead. I blew down the descent, hitting 61-62mph, loving it and letting out a cheesy “Yee haw!” about halfway down. At the bottom of the descent is a 90-degree left hand turn which then starts the subsequent and forgettable 20 miles. As I turned left, I looked back up the road to see where everyone was behind me. Greg was stuck behind the Echelon guy about 300-400 meters behind me (turns out the Echelon guy can climb but can’t descend for shit). Behind them, there was no one in sight. So I pressed it hard but in control. They would catch me or they wouldn’t, but now was not the time to make a break for victory. Too much hard racing left to do. . .

About 5 miles later, I got swallowed up by the chase group, which had first sucked up Greg and Mr. Echelon. Now THAT was frustrating. Looking over my shoulder and seeing 30+ guys instead of 5-10. The field had definitely split up big time, but there were too many people at the front. This should have been my first clue to save all my energy for the finishing sprint.

Nothing happened of note until we hit the 3 dam climbs. At the base of the first one, Greg and I again went to the front and hammered it up. This time at the top there were about a dozen of us cresting the top together. Perfect! “This is the race!” I thought. But it was not to be. Once we crested the top, the pace shut down. Except when we tried to press it and then, of course, everyone was motivated to stick with us. But it was up to us to press the pace. Screw that! We hit that first dam a little conservatively since it had been close to an hour with no climbing. I wanted to see where my legs were at. They were tired but still punchy. Leading into the second dam climb, I took stock of the group. “Nate and Greg attack, Take Three. And, action!” The Echelon nut bag (who was with us up the first dam) decided to press it up the second dam. Greg and I jumped on him and about halfway up took control and blitzed it up. We crested the top of this dam in a group of only five. “Now, THIS is the race!” I again thought. I quickly herded the cats and tried to get us into an efficient paceline. Unfortunately, aside from Greg and myself, no one seemed to know what a paceline was or how to ride in a pack. Or maybe they didn’t want to work with us since we were two-strong. Whatever the case, it was a big time cluster fuck. Five became 20-25 before we hit the bottom of the second dam

The climb up the third dam was fairly uneventful. While we pressed it, we didn’t attack. We realized it was futile to try and so started saving our energy for the end. There was still one stinger up the backside of Biggin Hill (that final 2-minutes climb) before an easy stroll to the finish line. Biggin Hill was challenging for me. My inner quads cramped a bit, after taking the brunt of my efforts throughout the day. Still, I was in the mix at the top of that last climb and no panicking at all. With about 6-8 miles to go, I was confident I could calm the legs down and prepare for the final sprint.

There were 17 of us for that final sprint, a long, straight drag about 500m long after a 90-degree right hand turn. Dead flat. I marked who I thought were the top 2-3 riders and decided I would jump on their wheels when they wound up the sprint. I saw the guy who ended up winning jump and jumped after him. Unfortunately, my legs were quite flat. While I was confident I’d bridge up to him, my lack of spunk allowed a small gap to open up. When that happened, two other riders faded across the road and blocked my way. I lost my momentum as I worked my way around them and spent the rest of the runway just digging deep. I didn’t even get out of the saddle at this point. I crossed the line in 9th, with Greg right on my wheel in 10th. Tim Malton, new to the 3s group due to a mid-season upgrade in May and arguably our most explosive sprinter, crossed the line a few minutes later in a very respectable 20th.

So, what did I learn? I learned that next year one of two things needs to happen. Either 1) we hit Rist Canyon HARD from the very bottom and decide the race right there and then; or 2) we conserve every bit of energy until the dam climbs begin and then drop the sledgehammer. We press it up that first dam climb and never relent. I’m not sure which is the right thing to do. Both tactics have their positive and negative aspects. Maybe the race day conditions will dictate what ultimately happens. If it’s hot like it was this year, then conservation is the key. If it’s cool or raining or windy, then attacking early might be the thing to do. We’ll see.

The cramping thing has me a little concerned. I never cramp in training and so I think I’ve got my replacement needs “dialed in”. But this is not the first race this year in which I’ve cramped and I cramped during a couple races last year, too. Invariably, when it’s hotter out, I cramp. It’s a function of the effort as well as the conditions. I’ll be playing with my replacement strategy, fine-tuning it for both in-race as well as the days leading into races. My big race of the season is still 6 weeks away, so plenty of time to fine-tune things.

The biggest positive of this? Greg and I clearly established ourselves as the strongest climbers in the 3s. With our next 3 races being for the pure climbers, I am anticipating some top results from both of us. Keeping the eye on the prize – Mt. Evans – but any successes before then will surely be welcome.

Till next time . . .