Mild Start, Wild Finish!

Mild Start, Wild Finish!

Some races have been just a matter of an individuals having good bike handling, pacing and fitness in order to do well. Others have had the whereabouts of other riders - being able to work with and against them - as the critical factor to what determines who stands on the podium at the the end.
The WWR was the latter.

Initially I planned to do the Wagga 6 hour enduro as I did last year, but as my friend who I'd gone down with couldn't make it, I decided to accept Jonathan's (JP) offer to head up with him so I could squeeze in a race to kick up the adrenaline for the Kowalski. At 60km, it's shorter to what I'm used to, and knew I could be up against some of the more endurant XCers, but as it involved some major uphills and general undulations - something I'm used to from regularly riding Quarry Rd Track - I felt that I had a good chance of an overall podium if I entered, so arrived with the mentality to win!

Although I'd lost my virginity to racing in the wet at last year's Highland Fling, I wasn't particularly encouraged when JP picked me up at 5:40am when it was raining steadily, so we were both very happy to have it clear by the time we reached Wollombi at 7am.

So... I line up at the front of the pack and we're off. Although I don't get a great start with the guys next to me cutting me off, I'm soon at the front pack of about five. The initial speed seems mild, and two years ago, I would have broken away. Now more experienced, I know that it's better to conserve energy, and tail whichever riders are currently at the front.

7km in we hit the first 250 vertical metre climb, which is certain to filter out the bunch. Suddenly a guy comes from the back and hits it 30% faster than the lead group! I can't let him get away, seeing as these hills are my strength, so hold onto him until its first plateau. As we reach the next segment of the hill, another rider comes from behind and overtakes us. So I tail him instead. This is all a risk for me, as never having ridden here before, I have no idea how steep or long the hill will continue for so have to rest in faith on my ability, and continue behind him as the hill continues for another 1km or so.

Now it's time to plan what I'm going to do. I figure I'll have the ability to keep up with him for the remaining 50km and that we can churn a pace that's too fast for anyone to pick us up, and in the final 10km, I'll slowly increase the pace to fatigue him so in the final 1km I can make my break using my sprinting ability.

But as we all know, even the best laid plans don't always work, particularly if there comes an obstacle in your path. In my case, it's a physical obstacle; going up the final part of this ascent, I lose traction on a rut in a very steep sketchy section, and not reacting quickly enough, I watch him get further and further away as the descent approaches.

As I knew the next major ascent was in several kilometres, I am hopeful that I can catch him up with my climbing ability, but annoyingly, I don't see him so have no idea how big the darn gap it, but in my dismay, see the gap closing in behind me, with two riders now in my sight as I begin the second ascent. This one isn't as steep, but is longer so is tiring in a different way.

3km later I'm up on the top of the ridge again. Really nice scenery, actually; reminds me of Womerah, but like in Convict, I don't really have time to stop and get a nice photo! Soon the other two catch me, inevitably, and we start riding together. I start to become optimistic, hoping that maybe we can work together crank up the pace and gun down the guy at the front, but I am aware that they are just as tired as I am, and this is unlikely.

Shortly before it starts descending rapidly at the ~45km mark (where the 30km loop joins), we are joined by two more riders who catch up, and suddenly the pace picks up, but before I experience the benefit of it, I get dropped on the decent and a group of three is now 20 metres ahead of me. From seeing the elevation chart, I know the remaining 12km is fairly flat on dirt road - like the end of Convict, and I smash the pedals to catch up to them, but to no avail. The next 10km is a time trial - nobody (except 30kmers) to work with, but I remain 100m metres behind them the whole time, determined to catch up (though unsure if I'll then have the legs to make a break at the finish).

At 55km, I see that one member of the trio has been dropped - a younger guy who is obviously fatiguing - and quickly get ahead. At 56km, up a hill, I reach the another guy. Giving up hope I'll reach the one coming 2nd, I conclude that if I can stay with him for another 2-3km, I'll be able to make a break just before the finish and come 3rd.

WOW! Although the course is advertised as 60km, when my computer reads 58km, the finish line is in sight. As the final 200m zig zags across a field, I have no chance to make a sprint finish and watch helplessly as he crosses the line 20m metres in front of me. 4th. Seconds off a podium finish. Dammit.

I was happy to see I'd nonetheless won the Senior category, and that I was within 3 minutes of the overall time (a rider who I'd beaten in Convict) was both satisfying and disappointing. Satifying because it showed that had I not goofed up on that ascent, I could have stayed with and possibly beaten, but disappointed because I couldn't.

After a fairly structured program, over the past month and a half, It was satisfying to see how all the things I've been working on have come together. The regular 3 gorges road rides and QRT have made me much stronger on the hills, as was seen in today's effort; practice on sprinting up pinch climbs on my training rides made them more manageable, and regular high intensity cadence repeats on the exercise bikes made it possible to break the pain barrier whilst on the final kms in my attempt to chase the group down. And I've definitely learned from the mistakes so hopefully I won't let them happen again.

I'm glad I gave the ride a go. It reminds me of the Convict 50 course with a similar sort of elevation, terrain and scenery, and although there was no singletrack, I'm glad to have been able to get some more racing practice, and recommend it to anyone who's looking an event that really feels like a race!

Also great work to JP - who was only 15 minutes behind me and came in the top 20; a great improvement from other recent efforts!

I'm definitely pumped for Kowalski, so see you there!