Getting slapped by French Broad
Saturday was the French Broad Cycling Classic in Marshall, North Carolina. It is one of the few road races around the area this season. I wanted to be a part of it.
I met up with my teammate, Matt Tebbetts, on Friday evening. He and a couple other of the POA Cycling Team riders were participating in the Time Trial portion of the three stage race. John James and Mark Caskey were also there in their alien helmets. We talked for a bit and then headed out to dinner.
We debated going out to view the course in our cars. However, it was starting to get late and I figured I needed food and sleep more than I needed to drive the course. Looking back, I’m kind of wishing I had!
My number for the Frend Broad Cycling Classic Road Race
Turns out I didn’t sleep that well. Perhaps I was too keyed up for the event. Word was the the course was pretty tough. However, I was feeling pretty good and really thought it was going to be a good day for me.
Matt and I headed from Asheville to Marshall. While in Asheville, we tired to find a place to eat, but it seemed everything was closed. We settled for an egg sandwich from McDonalds. It wasn’t what I would have preferred, but it was something in the stomach.
Marshall is a cool little town. It reminded me just a bit of a small Swiss town. There was the main street running along the banks of a small rushing river with a bridge crossing it and then heading up in the mountains overlooking the town.
Things were well organized. I was able to get registered in no time. The only issue was the fact that there were only two portable toilets for the hundreds of people on hand. I waited in line for sometime, but finally gave up and rode into town to use the facilities at a local coffee shop.
Matt, Randy McCreight, and I then went out for a warm up. Matt started having trouble with this shifting and after we tried to make some adjustments, it only got worse.
Still, we had to line it up as it was about time to start out. Around 8:41 AM, we rolled off. Almost immediately after we rolled out of town we started a climbing a slight elevation. This set the stage for the entire ride.
Randy moved up to the front – he was racing with the Masters 50+ group that was racing along with us Cat. 4 riders. Matt and I hung around about 20 riders behind him. Our goal was to sit in there until the first climb when we would move toward the front to join him and try to stay with the leaders to the top.
It was interesting in there! We had a good amount of easy climbing and often we would find ourselves on larger four lane roads. There were some sections with some downhill runs through winding roads. At those points, it got a little scary as you did not know how well the guys around you would be able to control their bikes. Thankfully, there were no incidents.
On one climb up a larger road, I heard someone yell out, “Chain!” I wasn’t sure, but I thought it might be Matt. The good news was that we were just about to crest the hill and I knew he would be able to catch back on.
Before long, we were nearing the bottom of the first climb. The only real incident up to that point was the dog that came running out in to the peloton. It happened while someone was calling out that there was gravel around. It led someone to joke that the dog’s name must have been Gravel and he came running when the rider started calling out his name.
Matt and I started making our way toward the front. Randy was moving back a bit and before we started the climb, the three of us were together. Then it was time to select the guys who would be there for the final climb.
This was a section I was looking forward to. I still had a good feeling as I started up right on the wheels of my teammates. However, the feeling didn’t last very long. I tried to get in a cadence that I could maintain for the climb I had heard would be five miles long. Watching the very front group take off made me concerned because I knew I could not sustain that for five miles!
My rhythm kept me there for a bit, but then I noticed that Matt and Randy were slowing moving away from me. I fought the urge to go chase after them. Red lining at this point would be bad. I kept moving along catching some riders and being overtaken by others. It was my hope that more ahead of me would falter and I would be able to stay in contact with the larger group ahead of me before we crossed over the top.
Then it hit. I felt an empty feeling in my stomach. I knew then that the gel, power bar, and egg sandwich were not giving me the boost I needed. The accelerations were gone from my legs and I was just slogging to the top. As I got over – it came up much sooner than I thought it would – I could see ahead of me that there was no group. I had a rider just behind me and one up ahead.
The three of us hooked up and started to chase. As we continued I would move in and out of feeling good and feeling like crud. I tried to do my best to share the labor with the other two guys. It was hard.
Then I saw a large group just going into a turn ahead! With that encouragement, the three of us picked up the pace hoping to get to the group so we could recover a bit before the climb. Then there were only two of us as our third member dropped. We got ever so close – within 80 yards – but it was too close to the bottom of the final climb to try one last dash. We would catch them right at the base and be too tired for the climb.
We started up and once again I tried to find a cadence to keep me going to the top. I knew this one would be about two miles for sure. This should be about like Paris Mountain. However, as we continued the climb my Garmin showed that we were holding to a 9% to 10% grade. This was tough!
I tried to pull myself up to the riders ahead. My hope was that they would be the motivation I needed to keep going. However, I found my greatest motivation in seeing the riders coming up behind me! I did not want to add insult to injury by having people who I dropped coming around me.
I did get caught. I watched a couple of riders come around me. I looked at their numbers – each one started with a 7. That meant they were Master racers. Didn’t bother me to let them go. Then a rider passed me with a 4** number. I determined he would be the last one. Through the 13% grade and on to the finish we continued.
Before the top I passed some other riders who had passed me earlier. When I neared the turn at the top that would take us past the finish line, I stood and did my best to catch a Cat. 4 rider before the line. Unfortunately, he saw me coming and held me off at the line.
I didn’t even stop at the top. I just kept rolling knowing that the road would take me back to Marshall. At first I was kicking myself and declaring that I would never race again. Every decision of the day was second guessed.
However, it was a beautiful day and the road was enjoyable. It was hard to keep a bad attitude in that environment. I also had some riders come by me that I knew had finished behind me. They were happily chatting amongst themselves and having a good time.
It was childish of me to throw myself in a funk. Sure, I finished 34th – my worse road race finish ever – but at least I wasn’t last and I was closer to my teammates in the end than I thought I was. The course that was unknown to me when we started was now more understandable and I know how to race it next time. Yes, I’ll do it again.
What will I do differently? I will give everything I have to stay at the front on that first climb. The long downhill following will give me time to recover. Trying to save myself during that first climb didn’t help because I had to give energy on the climb and then even more trying to chase back on. I will also eat more during the first half of the race.
As I look at my data from the race, I realize that I did have more to give. My heart rate during the 3 or so miles of the first climb was a high average 174 bpm, but I know that I can get away with up to 180 for that period of time. On the final climb I should have just thrown myself at it like I do when I assault Paris Mountain. I should have crossed the finish with a heart rate of 190 bpm – that would have been an all out effort.
Either way, the farther I get away from the race the better my feelings about it. Shoot, at 41 years of age it was kind of cool to be racing up that final mountain with guys half my age – and beating a couple of them. I’m also glad that I am not satisfied with my finish. That is what gives me the motivation to improve.
Tags: French Broad Cycling Classic, Matt Tebbetts, POA Cycling, Randy McCreight
Sounds like it was a good race. We were thinking of you! We’re thankful that no one was injured. Sounds like that dog could have made things interesting! Glad to hear that you will race again…