Bike Racing, What?

 So, I did a bike race, my first one - the first road race, that is. I have four gravel races but road racing is a whole different beast. I was hoping for a large group to ride with, taking turns pulling, drafting, etc., but with a starting list of seven, it didn't quite play out that way. I purposely avoided jumping into a crit or massive race with a high risk of crashing since this is a D race (and I'm not exactly a pro cyclist here).

Boulevard has been around for years, taking a sabbatical during Covid, but thanks to Koz Races, it made a triumphant return. The 44-mile race consisted of two laps with 1,800 feet of climbing each, starting way out east at the Golden Acorn Casino. Registration was a bit of a cluster, and despite arriving 45 minutes early, I rolled to the start without a warm-up and missed most of the meeting. Not my MO, I am early and know ALL the rules, not this time. 

My biggest concern was the course, but I was assured it was well-marked with only a few turns: a big circle, rollers for 4 miles, descend 11 miles, climb back up, and do it all over again. I had no strategy and went out hard, really hard, just to see if I could shake up the group. They sat in and let me do the work, even on the descents. A few miles into the climb into a headwind, I dropped back. There were three of us now, and I let her set the pace, 15 watts lower than mine, which was smart since I was starting to feel the effects of my early efforts. It was over 90 degrees and I had two bottles - it suddenly occurred to me there were probably no aid stations. Oops. I started rationing my fluids, tried to drop her again in the last few miles, but she hung in there.

Starting the second loop, I saw people offering bottles to their riders and noticed big water bottles on the ground. I didn't want to stop, but I figured that John could help me. He drove up and handed me a water bottle when I saw him. I yelled that I needed salt++. A few miles later, he gave me the bottle I needed, and the official asked what he was doing. Turns out there was a feed zone, and we were well outside of it. Oops, again. He said I would be DQ'd.

I pretended I didn't hear that and continued to push, but I was dying - blowing up hard. Watts were down, it was 92 degrees, and my legs were on fire. In the middle of the last 4 miles, my buddy fell off, but I'm always afraid of a comeback, so I pressed on, making animal noises, sweating profusely, and remembering why pacing is important. I made it across the line and nearly fell off my bike.

Well, that was an epic implosion, but you know what? It was really fun! My strategy was awful, but I got a heck of a workout and the transition run was to get cold fluids and an ice-cold Monster.. My kit was salt-coated, and my legs seized up so badly. What I did well was fuel: two bottles with 30g carbs each, +1,500 mg sodium (needed more), a 60g Maurten Bar, and a 90g Precision Hydration gel with a bite valve for easy eating - 84g per hour.

It turns out they didn't DQ me. Not sure why. I want to do more, but not any massive, risky races,