Road Race
This was the hardest road race I have ever done at masters level. Our field was extremely strong and included an ex-professional who has raced in the Giro d'Italia, the current world number two in our age group and a big handful of riders from New South Wales and Victoria who are still racing Elite A grade in their respective states.
The course was a good one for me (17 km completed five times), with a long power climb and strong winds. My form was also on point, so I was looking forward to a good race.
The pace was solid from the start. We lost half the field on the climb on the first lap and by the second time up the climb, amazingly there were only twelve of us left. It was a huge confidence booster to still be in the front group at that point. A quick glance over the shoulder showed me a trail of dropped riders in small groups and solo spread across the countryside.
The group stayed at twelve for pretty much the remainder of the race with plenty of attacks and aggression. Tom Leaper from Victoria (Giro guy) broke clear near the end of lap four and stayed there. Another rider slipped off the front on the last climb and took the silver. This left me in a group of ten sprinting for the bronze. I finished 7th in that group for a 9th place overall.
An exceptionally hard day out and I was very satisfied to be top ten in Australia:
Individual Time Trial
The ITT included the same climb we used in the road race. The course was basically downhill for 9 km and then (of course) a 9 km uphill return.
I felt good and did everything right. It was blowing a strong wind again so I made sure I stayed locked into my aero position, which I successfully did (even up the climb). My power numbers were where they should be, so all was good.
I did however, make a stupid mistake. The turnaround point was not the simple, single marker we use in Queensland, It was a bit more elaborate and there was actually a car there surrounded by markers. My mistake was that instead of turning around at the front marker, I went around the whole 'set up', effectively adding an extra few seconds to my time. After that 'mess', I remember thinking to myself, 'If I miss a place by a second or two, I'm going to uppercut myself'.
In the end, I finished up 8th. Another top ten that I was satisfied with. But (prepare for a whine about how much of an idiot I am), that turnaround mess cost me at least one place. I was 0.67 of a second behind 7th place and 4.27 seconds behind 6th. It is hard to not let your mind wander to 'what could have been'. In any case, I will take my 8th (it is a good result):
I would also like to make mention of my two Bikeline Racing clubmates who also competed in Griffith. Richard Macavoy (the masters version of the 'flying mullet') had a very consistent weekend with a 5th in the combined 30 - 39 years Road Race and a 5th in the 35 - 39 years Criterium. Trent West worked hard for Richard in the Road Race and then produced a solid 6th in the Individual Time Trial (in the same divisions as Richard).
So there it is. The 2016 road racing season pretty much done. Overall, I am very pleased with what I achieved this year on the road. Even more than that I am happy to have had a great run with health and injuries that has resulted in me being on the bike and not in recovery mode. I would also like to thank my coach Mark Brady for his persistence with me.
Next up I have my Everesting attempt on 8 October and I am really looking forward to getting back on my track bike not long after that.
No comments:
Post a Comment