Date: March 3, 2002
Event: McLane Pacific Cycling Classic Road Race
Category: Senior 4/5
Laps: 2
Miles: 46
Place: ~15th

There must be passion to make someone wake up at 4:30am on a Sunday morning and drive 2 hours to race.

Yes, I’m addicted.

But, let’s not dwell on that fact and instead focus on the event itself. The McLane Pacific Cycling Classic is a two day event. On Saturday is the criterium and Sunday the road race. I chose the road race as my poison for the weekend. I had only done two other road races and was itching to try another. So, I awoke early, packed the bike and gear, and headed towards Modesto over in the central valley.

The course is located in the middle of prime central valley farmland between Modesto and Merced. Lots of nut tree groves line the area. And at this time of year the trees are blooming. This also means that the bee hives are everywhere to help spread the pollen of love. Of course, along the road up to the registration area, there was a blooming grove and bee hives spaced every 100 yards or so. Early morning is chilly so the bees weren’t out yet. That didn’t fool me, I knew not to park near those white boxes.

Though it was cool in the morning, the day would soon warm up. Picked up my registration, porta potty stop, and then broke out the gear and the bike. Brought the rollers and warmed up on them for 25 minutes. Nice and toasty by the time I headed off to the starting line.

I met up with my teammates Stephen and John near the start. We covered a few race strategies before the Senior 4/5 field had to line up. Then it was our turn and we rolled up to the start. I lined up on the front row and looking back saw a sea of about 80+ riders. It was a big group.

After a few jokes by the official, we were off. Off fast! It was obvious in the first 5 minutes of the race that we were not going to be content with cruising the first part of the race. Not only that, I think Slinky was the unofficial sponsor of our race. If not, it should have been since that is how the pack was riding. Surge forward, slow down, bunch up, surge forward, slow down, bunch up! repeat this for the whole race! Just when there was a feeling of settling, a rider would sprint up from the side and cause the pack to chase after. What the heck for? A solo break with more than a lap to go? So, this continued throughout the race.

Ah, but lets not forget the spice in this stew of riders. The squirrelly ingredient. I was bumped, pinched, and cut off. And then there were the crashes. Oh that sound. The scraping, grating sound of a road bike contacting with another bike and then the pavement. I can’t even reproduce the noise. Think dragging your fingernails on the blackboard but using a bike and the pavement.

I had hoped that after the first lap things would have settled down a bit. We were averaging around 25 mph. The surges and the speed didn’t break up the pack. So, we began the second lap with almost as many as we started with. The riding style of the first lap continued into the second. Although the pace dropped slightly.

On the back stretch I tried a break on the second half of the “hill”. This hill is really a two-step roller but hurt a lot of riders. I got a good jump with a couple of other guys to the top and then around the left turn. But there wasn’t going to be any real help so I slowed and dropped back into the pack. Several times I would surge forward on this back section and then hear Stephen yelling over to me to “get out of the wind’. I, of course, would be coaching the same to him when he would get himself in that position. Stephen was riding strong and easily staying near the front of the pack.

Soon we were near the last corner, a tight left, before the leg to the finish. I was in the front of the pack and cleaned the corner nicely. As I straightened out and started sprinting forward, there was that sound! Just ahead, two riders bumped and swerved and then it was a tumble of riders and bikes. And I was heading right into them! Now switch into slow motion and here were my chain of thoughts in real time (tenths of a second):

0:00.00 – Oh sh*t, a crash!
0:00.02 – Which way are they falling?
0:00.05 – I might be able to split them.
0:00.08 – No, don’t fall in my line!
0:00.10 – Go left or right? No!
0:00.12 – Bunny hop the rider? Um, um, um!
0:00.15 – Ok, brake!

So, I braked since that was my only option. I cleanly braked, without skidding or crashing, and stopped just before the pile.

Then I heard skidding and BOOM someone clocked me from behind. Literally, they ran right into my butt and sent me over the bars! I’m now on the ground. Riders are whizzing by left and right. I stand up and look down at my bike for a split second. There is momentary brain freeze. Then someone yells “come on! Let’s go!’, and I react. I grab my bike, quick look at the wheels, and then run and jump on. Chains off but I simply shift and it’s back on. I look forward and the pack is now up the road. Crap, crap, crap!

I jump on it and start sprinting hard. I start picking riders off one by one. Using their draft and then jumping to the next. I’m closing in on the main pack. Then I’m with them. But there’s no time to sit in. I can see the finish line ahead. I see the pack bunching up on right so I move to the far left. Some guy almost bumps me off the road and into the dirt. I surge forward. The pace is picking up and there’s going to be the all out sprint any moment. And it happens! The two guys ahead of me jump and I join them. We leap ahead and fly forward. The pack reacts and they are surging after us. My left calf is now screaming. Oh crap, why is it cramping now?!?! I dig deeper and keep up the pace. The lead rider is slowing so I make my move to pass. The second rider does the same and cuts me off! I have to brake for instant so I don’t clock him. Damn! I fall out of his draft and really have to dig hard. My legs are burning. My calf is screaming. I can feel the engine topping out and now I can see riders catching up. There’s the finish line, dig dig dig!
And across I go. It’s over. I roll down the road, the pain subsides, and I catch a breath.

Well, it was fun. I learned some lessons. And I will be back.

Cheers!