Madera -- Darin Olde

Cat 4 Madera Report – WARNING: Maximum MAXIMUM verbosity!

Truthfully, I didn't want to race Madera. Having raced last year in
the blistering heat and having to hitch-hike from the crit to the TT
only to have the race results botched (after a timing mishap) made
the whole thing lackluster. But, this was a team RW event. Spencer
Erickson was lobbying hard for support, and with Cat 4 races filling
up nearly a month in advance, I decided to jump in.

My motives were somewhat different. I needed only 2 more mass-start
races as a Cat 4 to upgrade, hence this would seal the deal,
regardless of the result. That means I was free to do anything – a
proverbial loose canon – an unpredictable wild card to harass and
harangue anyone content to hang in the pack – a completely free
ticket to mess it all up for conservative favorites. Oh boy!

Not to say I wasn't going to work. Dimitri Hallerbach switched
categories to join Spencer and I. So I was clear with the group in my
intentions: Force a break, block, or provide leadouts - and hopefully
with advance notice.

Crit: Everybody was saving energy for the TT. Nearly 15 minutes deep
into a 45 minute race and not a prime to be had, nor an attack. I
launched off the front. No one chased. Dimitri blocked. Of course, on
that lap – ding, ding, ding – and the pack would chase catching me on
the final corner heading for the prime. Spencer then countered. A
break began to form. I stayed in the pack and attempted to block. No
dice. Later, we would try again with other riders, but the pack
wouldn't have it. In the final lap Spencer was in good position. I
attempted a leadout on the inside, but there were too many strong
riders willing to do the same. I finished 7th, Spencer just outside
the top 10, and Dimitri not far behind. More team practice and
communication on my part would definitely have helped.

TT: Heat, heat, heat. I decided to do a little research on heat-
related emergencies. A common thread: Heat Cramps may often be
followed by Heat Exhaustion, and in the worst case, may progress to
Heat Stroke. We were all strong enough to drink beer later that
night, so I don't think we suffered THAT bad. But holy freakin' hot!
Both heat emergencies, among many other symptoms, may be accompanied
by Altered Mental Status. And this, friends, is my long-winded,
highfalutin way to explain why I missed my first turn and went off
course. The real reason, of course, is that I'm an idiot. But, had I
NOT borrowed Paul Gossi's aerobars and TT helmet, I might have been
dead last – (save the rider who took a tour of the women's prison –
which you may also hear about). Stupid bike racing, indeed. Spencer
faired slightly better, finishing about 2:30 back, but suffered from
the heat as well. And Dimitri… I think we might need an exclusive
report here – and don't spare any details, please ;)

RR: So with nothing to lose, the plan would be simple: Attack as
often as possible, hopefully with enough non-GC contenders in a break
that the leaders would allow. Or make them chase – ALL DAY. And
attack we did, on the flats, on the crappy concrete, on the hills,
and on every lap save the first. Fortunately, there were enough
riders with the same idea. And while a break never succeeded, the
leaders, or their teams chased ALL DAY. With the pack now cut in
half, Spencer and I sat in on the last section of crappy pavement,
knowing that the field was tired, but would continue to chase. As the
pace ramped up, and the rollers approached we stayed out of the wind,
but near the front. I approached on Spencer's left, letting him know
that I was there. He moved onto my wheel and as the final roller
approached we sprinted, passing several riders. I pulled to the right
and continued driving. There were three wheels jockeying for the
line, and as I pushed the bike forward in that final moment, I was a
half-wheel ahead. I turned to the second-place rider, and saw Spencer
and his big %&^# – eating grin staring back. We finished 1-2, with a
simultaneous "Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaah!!" to punctuate the finish.

Ah… bike racing.