Well i'm back from my 3 day stint in Louisiana. It was a fantastic weekend filled with seeing old friends, hitting up my old stomping grounds in New Orleans, and oh, yeah, doing a 100 Mile road race in the backroads of Louisiana!
I'd like to take a moment to mention a new vow I've took upon myself two weeks ago:
I, CJIA, hereby swear that I will not eat any bacon* until i win a bike race this season. I was hoping to wrap it up by winning the roubaix and then eating a plateful of delicious, delicious bacon, but alas, didnt quite happen.
Let me start off by saying that results aren't up yet, and i have no idea how i did. To be honest, in races like this- my main goal is to beat any teammates that are racing with me!
i got in on friday, put the bike together, and took it for a light spin to make sure it was ready for the abuse i was going to put it through in two days. so i rode over to Cooter Brown's with some buddies to have a few oysters and an Abita (how can you NOT?!)
as we were sitting outside eating raw mollusks, a cold front hit us- it got down to 34 or so- which i was totally unprepared for. I'm in New Orleans! why is it as cold as NY right now?? However, in the back of my head i was hoping the weather would be cold and miserable for the roubaix as this would be a distinct advantages for northerners like Tim and I. From what I heard about the races that went down in NYC this weekend, we northerners are just a little hardier about racing in nasty weather- (Congrats to my teammate Matt Richards on taking the win at the freezing, wet CRCA B race btw!)
The next day my buddy Luke and i headed to baton rouge to stay with some friend of my teammate, Tim, who had also decided to take on this race with me. after an awesome lunch at my friend's restaurant in Donaldsonville, we headed to Baton rouge.
As we prepped for the next day's race, we decided to bring extra bottles with us. we knew there were going to be feed zones, but didn't want to rely on them. That turned out to be a great idea. Tim also had the idea to unwrap all the clif bars ahead of time so that you didn't have to fuss with the wrappers during the race. (more on that later)
The next morning, we arrived at the hotel where the race was slated to start. there were tons of people- i believe both the A and B field had about 100 people in them (more of less). As Tim and I got ready for the race, I made every effort to pee as much as i could before the start. I ended up going about 4 times in 30 minutes, right up until baout 3 minutes before the start. it was going to be a long race, and i didn't want to stop to pee, or try and pee on the bike for the first time (i didn't want any body parts getting caught in my chainring, har har). The temp was at about 34 at the start but was slated to rise to about 65 later in the day. in weather like that, it's all about the base layer. in retrospect, the Helly Hansen base along with the long sleeve jersey was perfect for the race.
As the race started, the (really large) field was relaxed. I chatted with people who had come from various parts of the south to do this race. Everyone was pretty nice and it was a great way to start a long race. i made an effort to stay near the front to avoid any pile ups or trouble once the dirt sections came.
Note: The race was broken down as follows: there were three dirt sections (about 20 miles of un-pave') that started at around mile 27, 63, and 79. each of these sections had super steep, short (sub 1 mile) climbs full of loose gravel and other refuse.
As we can about 20 miles into the race, lo and behold, i HAD to pee again. I've got the bladder of a 4 year old girl. i quickly stopped and did my thing and started chasing. I hooked up with a group of riders and we rode to the first major dirt climb. as the climb started, i put my head down and just pedaled steady and consistently. being the "sprinter" (ie: shitty climber) i had relegated to the fact that i was going to get dropped on these sharp climbs. after about a minute, though, i looked back, and i had dropped the group i was with! my only guess is that #1 there isn't much to climb down south, so even though i might be a pretty terrible climber in the NY scene, i was faring well down there. #2- i definitely think cyclocross skillz were coming in handy on this ride- riding up gravel/dirt on a grade that steep is something you're more likely to see in cross racing, and it kind of felt like that. when you try and ride out of the saddle like you normally would up a hill that steep, your back wheel is much, much more likely to slip out.
This was getting ridiculous...
i kept riding along, hoping to catch a group and get a solid paceline formed. i rode with a few people and we picked up stragglers bit by bit. I eventually caught up with my teammate Tim, (who's as strong as a horse). i wanted to stick with him as we could work well together and play catch up.
We approached the second set of unpaved hills at around mile 63 with about 4 or 5 people. all of a sudden another super steep, windy, messy climb shows up. i start doing my thing again, pedaling along at the lowest gear, (thank god for a compact) and just concentrating on staying upright and not having to walk. I started pulling away from the group again, and all of a sudden was all alone. again!?
as i got to the top of the hill i started hitting the equally hairy descent. then i heard it- pssssssssst. a flat. after all that work!
i flipped the bike upside-down and changed the flat in about 2 minutes. jumped back on and kept going. about 10 miles later i caught up with Tim again. I kept biking along solo, catching people and trying to get a good paceline working. i ran into three dudes that looked like they were hurting, but we organized for a little while and i was able to rest as everyone shared pulls. I decided to keep pushing on, and as we hit the 3rd set of hills i took off again. i figured i should appreciate the fact that I'm a decent climber in SOME part of the country (just not the one i live in). at the third feedzone i saw luke who had been waiting to cheer me on. he's a great friend (and a crappy photographer).
The gravel was a killer. my lower back was hurting for most of the ride due to the crappiness of the roads (but hey, that's why we signed up for this, right? When it wasn't unpaved gravel, it was chip seal. Whenever you DID ride on nice asphalt, it was like you were riding on glass.
the last fifteen miles were the hardest. even with the four bottles i brought, i had refilled two bottles at the feedzones. i ran out of water with about 5 miles to go, but right before i did i slammed some espresso Gu for a little caffeine. after about 2 hrs into the ride, the unwrapped and broken up clif bar pieces in my back pockets has melded together to form a giant cliff-poop-turd-tumor. thats really the best way i can describe it. didn't stop me from taking a bite out of it- I'm just sayin'...
by the time i saw the sign for 1Km to go, i pushed as hard as i could- there was a guy behind me that i had passed a few miles back, and he was about 500m away, and i didn't want him to catch me at the end. i held him off and got to the finish. luke and our friends were there, and it was a pretty happy sight. i finished in one piece, had ridden well, and felt pretty good after the longest race I'd ever done.
After chugging two bottles of water i went back to the finish to wait for Tim to roll in- we were both happy we were finished. luckily- the finish was right by a huge local mexican joint. Some nachos, quesadillas, and a corona later, i was feeling much, much better.
Overall, this race was a ton of fun, and I saw some scenery that you just won't see anywhere else. Louisiana backcountry is devoid of the culture we're all exposed to daily- it's like you're in another country- or in an America from years ago that never quite changed with the times. it was really a great change of pace. The people are great, and it was fantastic to race with such friendly people. It was also a pleasure to briefly meet Randy, who had given Tim and I some great advice on how to race the Rouge. This race is one I'm definitely doing again, and its a great primer for Battenkill. I'm pumped and ready to go.
After the race we sat in a hot tub for 3 hrs, shotgunned a few cans of Tecate, and swung by raising Cane's (the race sponsor) for some chicken fingers. Is there a more fitting end to that kind of race? I don't think so.
Grant's tomb is next wk. hopefully the CJIA bacon strike will come to an end there.
*pork belly excluded from this promotion
