The 2010 UMCA racing season has begun! Training really started in earnest in late December, when I took delivery of my latest toy, a Cervello P2 time trial racing bike. I immediately put the Halloween colored training wheel on, clamped it into the CompuTrainer, and began pedaling. Averageing only 10-15 hours per week until we left for Florida the last Thursday in January, I had some misgivings about how I would tolerate the new tighter geometry of the new bike. We included the trusty Waterford, sporting a shiny new paint job, on the bike rack behind the RV, and headed south through miserable weather, with dreams of warm, sunny Florida dancing in our heads.
Rarin' to Hit the Asphalt
After some time with Carrie, who was visiting South Carolina from Alaska, we completed the trip in time for about a week of riding on the asphalt. This would be the first time the Cervello would touch pavement. It proved to perform as advertised: fast and responsive, albeit a bit “twitchy” on turns. There were no major orthopedic issues from the more crouched, aerodynamic positioning, except for a sore, tired neck after a 3 hour ride. I was most happy that I had the Waterford for a back up.
After setting up the RV at Lake Josephine in Sebring, I eagerly set out for the International Speedway, the venue for the race. I saw another biker checking out the newly installed RV facilities at the track, and discovered to my delight that it was Bernd Kral, a fellow UMCA racer from Maryland, who won the UMCA Ultracup in our age category in 2009. I had come in fourth, despite several sub-par performances. Needless to say, we spent the week before the race riding together. The nice, warm, sunny Florida weather never materialized. There was some sun, but it remained breezy and the temperature only rarely topped 60.
The day of the race dawned cloudy and windy with a temperature of 42. I donned my lobster mittens for the first three 3.7 mile loops around the race track, then switched to regular biking gloves. The sun did come out in the afternoon, but the wind never abated, and the temperature hit 50, but not much more. I kept my jacket, long sleeved jersey, and long leg warmers on the entire race. The last hour, I switched to my wind-proof jacket, and back to the lobster mittens.
After the first three laps on the track, we headed out into the Florida countryside for a 90 mile loop, up to the north side of Lake Reedy and back. The wind was out of the northwest, so fortunately, the toughest part of the race was the first. I found a group about my speed and hung with them for the whole loop. We took turns pulling, so shared the work load, and managed to finish this first 102 miles in 5 hours, 28 minutes. In the group were two “kids” with baggy pants, with ipods who looked for all the world like local teenagers out on a lark. The girl was singing along with her music, so provided great entertainment. As I got to know them, it turned out that they were a couple from England, who decided to do a race to celebrate the end of their 9-month bicycle trip around the world! What an honor to ride with them, on and off, most of the day. Also in our peloton was 77 year old Lew Meyer from Berwyn, PA, an endurance racing legend who last year completed the Race Across America as part of a four man team, all in their 70’s.
After returning to the RV at trackside, I started the first of seven 11.7 mile afternoon loops. The Cervello continued to cut through the wind, making good time, but the 63 year old neck was showing the strain of the extreme crouch, and after the first loop, I switched to the Waterford.
Back on the Trusty Waterford
What a relief: it felt like an easy chair in comparison. I spent much of the afternoon alone or drafting with Lew Meyer, and with one hour left, the race shifted once again to the race track, where I hunkered down and completed four more 3.7 mile laps. The resulting 196.7 miles was good for third place in my age group. I was most pleased with the results. A real bonus was friendships made and renewed.
Around the World in 9 months!
A word about nutrition is in order. Last year, this was a major contributing factor to my dropping out of several races. I decided that this year, I would go with what tasted good, and went down easily. I discarded the scientifically correct but unpalatable endurance energy drinks in favor of old standby stuff. Gatorade. Hostess Twinkies. Granola bars. Tapioca pudding. Chocolate pudding. Yogurt. Water. It worked.
One more word. I continue to be personally committed to God’s work in Bangladesh. It would be a tremendous encouragement and motivation to me once again this year to have folks sponsor me. Even if it’s a token amount, like 5 cents a point, it would mean a lot. So just click and commit!
