Race Report: Elite State Titles Road Race (and a cross road in the season)

Well today was just a straight up shit day...

I have been battling this cold on and off since the Cunningham (three weeks). It gets better, it gets worse, it gets better, it gets worse, but I don't stop coughing. And before you ask, yes I have already had nearly a week off the bike trying to get rid of it.

I coughed like an old car on the hills today. Heart rate goes up = me coughing my guts up. It's not an ideal state for racing. 

The other part of my dilemma was a rear derailleur that today decided I needed some strength training. I say 39 x 23, it says 39 x 19. I say 39 x 25, it says 39 x 21. If you know the Kalbar course, 39 x 23 and 39 x 25 are just a little bit handy (well, for a tall unit like me anyway). 

So it was all over for me on the second lap. The frustrating thing is that if you have a real close examination of my power data today, there is absolutely nothing that says I should have got dropped (well, that early anyway).

So methinks another short break off the bike to rid self of this cough is necessary. And possibly a new derailleur. 

The problem?

Masters State Titles are in two weeks. The individual time trial especially has been a target event for me all year. I have done plenty of specific preparation for it and I believe I have a very good 20 km in these legs. I was intending to make a decision on whether or not I train on until October for the Australian Masters Titles in Goulburn, based on my results in two weeks.

You see the problem? At this rate, I may not even get to the start line in two weeks, effectively meaning that my 2013 season may well be finished right...NOW. 

Maybe I 'll just get healthy and got to Goulburn anyway? Who knows. At least I'm not a fat slug on the sofa (gotta stay positive about this whole cycling business).

Here's me looking ragged:

Race Report: Charles Coin Memorial

A funny old day...

I had pretty good legs. Not great but not bad either. I had almost a week off the bike sick after the Cunningham and I think I could feel a little of that in my form. Anyway...

The day was very warm and there was minimal wind. The course was also fairly straight forward with little challenge in the way of hills or climbs. There was a little berg inside 2km from the finish but it was not really steep or long enough to do much damage. 

The pace was up and down but the third lap was very quick (blew the Strava record for a lap of the course out of the water). The bunch had dwindled to sixteen by that point. 

A break of four went down the road soon after and I had a team mate there, so it was effectively tools down for me right there. That break established a good lead and stayed away until the finish (my team mate came second). 

On the last lap a split in what was left of the bunch happenned with another four riders going off the front. I considered going with that group but made a mistake and stayed in the bunch (I didn't think they would stay away). I chased hard but we missed making contact with the second break by about thirty seconds. There were only six of us left sprinting for 9th and I ended up 11th.

I'm actually disappointed with this. I had better legs than 11th in this race and I am very hungry for better results in Elite A.

Race Report: Cunningham Classic

What a day! It had been exactly 15 years since I last lined up in the Elite A Cunningham Classic - I won't mention the result in that particular race ;) I was 25 and was a fit and lean young bloke. Here I was, 40 years old, on the come back trail and looking for some challenges. I wasn't to be disappointed.

The 171km race had a KOM at about 50km and then the rest of the course was plagued with a very strong cross-head wind that seemed to destroy most races on the day.

The KOM was tough. The climb itself started out very steady but (well in my mind anyway) exploded about half way up. I can tell you that the bunch reduced from forty-nine starters to maybe thirtyish by the top. 

There were some tough cross winds just before Pilton that really stirred things up. I actually had a little 'wise old man' moment right about there. If you know the course there is a long and tough drag right after Pilton. I knew I was in trouble at the bottom of it. I also knew that there was a long downhill straight after and a pretty big convoy of vehicles behind us. I actually dropped off the group before I redlined and rode my own pace over the top. I lost maybe 20 seconds or so but was very quickly and easily able to slot into the convoy and get back on during the downhill stretch. Problem solved!

The rest of the day saw a steady stream of attacks with the decisive break of six heading down the road with about 40km to go. Regrettably for them, two riders fell in the Allora feed zone, leaving four in the break. The chase group had been reduced to less than twenty riders by this point, due to the tough cross winds. This was pretty much how things stayed until the finish in Warwick.

So where did I finish? That's an interesting question. There were four in the break, and our chase group saw two sets of two riders sneak off the front in the closing kilometres, meaning we were sprinting for 9th. I sprinted hard and finished very near the front of the remaining bunch. I was either first or second in the group (I honestly can't remember, it was a bit blurry because we ran up the back of 7th and 8th, and I am pretty old). The rider who I just pipped on the line was on Strava saying how happy he was for coming either 9th or 10th. So I guess I was also about 9th or 10th. The club wasn't able to provide places beyond 5th. So in the interest of making a good story better, I am claiming 10th place! I think that's a safe bet. Maybe 9th? Maybe 11th? Whatever; it's really irrelevant. The point is that I spent nearly five hours on the open road with the best young road riders in the state and had the legs to play with them. To top it off people are calling this 'the toughest Cunningham Classic in years'. I'm pretty happy...

Me on the KOM:

Me right before the finish (guy in blue is the one saying he was 9th or 10th):