Pinecone Race Report

What’s with all the crappy weather! The season is just over a month old, and I raced in 2 of my top 5 worst weather races ever. Sunday it was in the low 40’s and pouring rain for the entire race. It wouldn’t have been that bad if it was a short race, but for a 2 hour road race, it was pretty damn miserable. With 2 laps to go, I just kept thinking, OK if I pull off now and get in the car, I can be warm and on my way home!

I’m trying to think of some of the worst weather races I’ve done and these are the ones that quickly come to mind;

• A few years ago at the 33rd & Diamond circuit race, we started and it was decent weather (somewhat overcast and in the 50s). A rainstorm blew in and it was in the low 40’s and pouring. No one dressed warm, including me, and I couldn’t feel anything for hours afterwards. I just remember crawling into the back of my car and shivering for a ½ hour before I could even change.
• During a RR at Superweek a few years back, a nasty Thunderstorm (with gale force winds, light hail, and lightning all around us) blew through us. Luckily it came and went pretty fast as we were out in the middle of nowhere and there was no way to neutralize or cancel the race.
• The 1st race of this year; in the 30’s and raining.

Of course I remember some white out snow squalls during races, but those came and went fast. I don’t mind racing in the rain; that is if it is above 50 degrees!

Sunday’s circuit was essentially a 6-mile crit. The course was just over 6 miles long, flat, and 4 right hand turns. Most racers hate courses like this, but I tend to do real well in these flat, ‘longer’ races. The Cat 3’s did 7 laps for ~44 miles. I didn’t bother to warm up as I was trying to delay the inevitable - getting soaking wet and freezing cold. By the end of the race, my gloves and shoes must have weighed an additional 2 pounds each from the water.

Pretty much an uneventful race. Break always tried and failed. When I tried to get in a break, I pulled through at 29mph, looked for someone to pull through, and no one could hang. At that point I decided to play the sprinter role and just sit in. 3 guys roll off with ~4 miles to go. 5 guys bridge up. The break really didn’t get that much time on us, but no one was really working to get it back. One other rider tries to bridge with just over a mile left and holds it in no man’s land to finish 9th. I take 2nd in the field sprint to finish 11th on the day. Guess what? They paid 10 deep. My second dick spot of the year and my 3rd 11th place of the year. The way I felt and sprinted, just makes me wonder what would have happened if they field stayed together…