A few photo's from the race.

Race number...and a small palindrome.

Cat. 5 field lined up at the start

Starting the second lap, pretending I just won the race

On the final climb, I don't remember seeing anyone with a
camera so I don't quite know where this was.

Blacksburg Cycling Classic Road Race

Last Sunday was the road race in the Blacksburg Cycling Classic, an Omnium event put on by Rouges Racing that consisted of a Criterium, Time Trial, and Road Race. I didn't participate in either the Criterium or the Time Trial, but I did race in the cat. 5 road race, and it was an eventful day.

Woke up at 6:30 and got out on the road with Garrett by 7:30 to drive to the start. We got to the start at 8 (an hour earlier) so we could warm up a little and get our one day licenses and sign in.

The race started at 9 and the course was 2 laps of a 15 mile loop and a finishing climb of about 3 steep miles and a little extra to get to the climb so around 34 miles in all. The route is below if you want to take a closer look. I found a new mapping site that lets to move along the profile and see the exact elevation and a little bike rides around the course to show you were you are. It is pretty cool. You can also use street view and there is a switch back about a half a mile from the end that you should look at to see the gradient.

At 9, Garrett and I were at the start line in the middle of the group of around 30 riders. Once the race started we decided the middle wasn't for us and moved to the back. The reason, at least for me, that I went to the back was because I knew I couldn't be at the front pacing so I figured I could hang on to the back and just observe in my first race. It was a pretty high pace going along the first stretch (probably around 25 mph), but then came the first little "bump" of the course. A little hill on the connecting road that shattered the group we had going.

This is were it is not good to be at the back of a group. When a split happens (like what happened on that hill) and you are at the back it is a lot harder to fight through the people falling off and reconnect with the front than it is to just stay connected since you are already at the front with the stronger riders.

But anyway, the group got split into the lead group of probably around 8 riders and a chase group of about 5. I started going hard, trying to fight my way to the chase. I eventually picked up another rider and we took turns on the front trying to get in contact with the chase but this was around mile 13 and the high pace took its toll and I fell off.

I held a high tempo until the first lap ended and averaged 21.6 mph for those 15 miles, which is really good for me. I then slowed it down and and did the next lap with Garrett and our pace after 30 miles dropped down to 17.4 but I wasn't too worried because I wanted to have some legs left for that final climb.

The climb up Johns Creek Mountain was brutal, but I passed a couple riders (including at least two sitting on the side of the road). There is almost no place that is remotely flat (to me) that gave my legs a rest and it has one intense switchback about half a mile from the finish. I finally made it to the top in 26 place with a time of 2 hours and 7 minutes and Garrett finished in 28 about 5 minutes behind. And as a side note we saw racers walking their bikes up the hill when we were going back down it.

I didn't win but I did finish my first ever road race (and wasn't last) and that was a win for me.

Bike route 624560 - powered by Bikemap