As far as racing goes, we're in the middle of Crit (criterium) season right now. My crit season started mostly during our local Wed night races held in Burns Park towards the end of May. They weren't going so well for me from the beginning. I was feeling unusually tired about halfway through each one and completely spent by the end. I'd had a productive cough since before the Joe Martin Stage Race and the cough was getting worse, not better, 6 weeks later. After some encouragement from Shelley, I decided to go see Dr. McGowan. Dr Bob ordered a thorough exam which included chest films and lung function tests and it was concluded I have asthma, and at the time operating on roughly 80% lung function. Well, that could explain why I'd been feeling so poorly in some of my races, especially the crits where there is only a block or two between hard efforts which leaves very little time to recover. The good news is this has happened to me before when I lived in Colorado and the culprit was allergies, which appears to be the same problem now and relatively easy to fix. I normally don't have allergy issues here in Arkansas but this year is different. Maybe the long, warm and winter and spring has caused some pollen types to be worse than normal, and coming out earlier than usual too. So, after a little rest and some good meds, I was losing my cough and starting to feel good again on my rides.
The time had come for the Tulsa Tough races, which our team has high on it's priority list and one I had committed to racing way back in September. I promised my doc I wouldn't race for two weeks after the asthma diagnosis but I've known him for over 30 years and watched him disobey his own docs orders and run injured and sick. I figured he wouldn't really respect me if I didn't race in Tulsa. So off to the races I go... docs orders be damned.
Hunter and I set off for Tulsa and had a great weekend racing with our teammates. We have such a good group of men (and their families) on our team and I thoroughly enjoy everyone's company. They're all incredibly strong and humble to boot. The races in Tulsa had large fields and very deep competition. Our Masters "A" field was made up mostly of Cat 1 and 2s from around the country which always makes for a fun race. Not only is the competition good, but you never really know all of the guys and who to watch. Not knowing who to watch means almost everyone gets chased down until the field is so tired they can't chase anymore. With my new found lung capacity, I felt fairly good on Saturday and managed 28th place after not contesting the sprint. Frankly, I was a little worried about Sunday's race which has a difficult hill known as Cry Baby Hill located just past the finish line. Good lungs or bad, this course challenges one and all. With so many talented Cat 1s in our field, including ex World and multi-National Champ (as well as ex pro) Jame Carney and other ex pros, it was definitely going to be a tough race. I had decided on a race plan and was happy to have my legs, and lungs, working well, finally. As the race progressed, our field of 70+ quickly became about 25. I managed to stay in the front group until a break went up the road including Hunter. Hunter ultimately won the race out of the break and was admittedly overwhelmed with his result. The men he beat were truly awesome competitors and it was on a super tough course in very hot, humid conditions... oh, and not to mention the wind was blowing at a consistent 20 mph throughout our race. I was happy to have managed to stay in the dwindling main group and ultimately ended up 23rd. Fun weekend and great results for the OKC Velo Pirates all around.
One more thought regarding the Tulsa Tough races... these are very well run and promoted events and the weekend is super fun from both the racer's and spectator's point of view. Every race is a party, and especially so with regards to the final day and Cry Baby Hill. Cry Baby Hill is essentially a huge block party and reminded me of something we see on TV during the big mountain stages of the Tour de France. People are out in the street having a great time and being generally drunk and obnoxious. I've often wondered how the Pros handle this distraction while racing at their limit, and while our little race was nothing in comparison to the Tour, it did give me a little perspective on what they deal with, and it was FUN! Cry Baby Hill is a very steep and tough little climb and we did it over 20 times at race speeds. Having those people there really helped keep the juices flowing and while I was focused on what I was doing and couldn't see most of what was going on at the party, I could certainly feel it. If only more races were like this more people would get involved in this awesome sport.
Me - #450. Cool shot from above at the beginning of Cry Baby Hill. Photo Courtesy of Cindy Porter. Thanks Cindy!
Second half of Cry Baby Hill with Jay Hawkins (teammate and awesome Viola player, so I'm told :)
Cool video from racer's perspective of Cry Baby Hill
Another well edited video of Cry Baby Hill
After Tulsa, I had the Arkansas State Time Trial Championships to look forward to. It's a 40k (~25 mile) flat, out and back race that would prove to be a major suffer fest. I knew I was riding better and better by the day with my allergies/asthma coming under control, but I was nervous about riding so long on my new TT bike. The position I ride in is so aggressive I really needed a few more weeks to adapt to it, but because I've been racing so much, there's been little time to do specific training on this bike. Sunday morning, Father's day, and riders start leaving the start line at 7 a.m. at 30 second intervals. My start time was around 7:15 which meant I had to wake up much earlier than I would really care to. I ate a light breakfast of oatmeal and coffee at some awful early time and Shelley and I hopped in the car and drove outside of Little Rock to Galloway, AR for the race start. Got in a decent warm up and lined up for what would be roughly an hour of pain. I'm sent off the start line with a few friends yelling encouragement and in only a few seconds, I'm buried in a silent world of focus. Like most races, I feel good at the start and usually stay this way for quite a while until some of the harder efforts begin building up in the legs. But in a time trial, this good feeling doesn't last long and in only 4 or 5 miles I'm already hurting. It's amazing how quickly the pain begins but even more so how long I can endure it when my head is in the right place. I ride towards the turnaround passing people along the way. My speed is very slowly dropping as I move closer to the 12.5 mile 180 degree turn. I can see it up the road but like the oasis in the desert, it doesn't seem to get any closer. Finally, I make the turn around and I'm on course for a sub 58 or 59 minute 40k time. I take my time drinking water and getting some nutrition before getting back on the pedals and back up to speed... as soon as I'm riding at my limit again, I notice my speed is higher than before the turn around. I wasn't sure how long this was going to last, but I'm happy to take it for as long as it does. I manage to keep my speed up fairly well in spite of the pain. I finish the last 5 miles strong and end up with a time of 58:55. There was only one other guy in my category so I ended up as State Masters Time Trial Champion (45-49). Ha! Next year should be a little more difficult to get a Gold medal result. The 50+ age category maybe the most competitive of all here in Arkansas so I'll need to buckle down and work on this discipline over the next 12 months.
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The day after the TT, I'm reading an email from my coach and he's telling me that after the turn around, I lost a minute. I guess I spent too much time drinking and eating before I got back up to speed. It's possible I could have broken 58 minutes if I'd been a little smarter. Oh well, it was a good day and again, I got to share it with good friends.
Well, the heat is here much like last summer when we set a lot of new records for high temperatures and the most consecutive days above 100 F. It's getting tougher every year to acclimate to the 100+ temps and high humidity, but to be honest, I really do prefer these hot days to the cold ones of winter. Our state Criterium Championships are this Sunday and the temps are again forecasted to be in the low 100s. Right now I'm planning to do our Master's race and then the Cat 1,2 race. Not sure if this is smart given the conditions, but for now, this is the plan. If you're local, come out for the race, it's held in North Little Rock along the River just down the street from Argenta. We had big crowds last year and everyone seem to have a good time. Here is the link to the flyer (below) with directions to the course. Parking is good and easy but make sure you bring some chairs and a tent to keep out of the sun.
http://cstashuk.aristotle.net/carve/flyers/Dr_Feelgood_Star-Spangled_Classic_AR-Crit_2012.pdf
