I headed out to Donaldson Center a little late. The bike came out of the car in a rush. The helmet got slapped on my head and the shoes on my feet. The tires were just going to have to make the ride on the air I had put in the night before. I DID NOT want to get left behind by the A group.
The group was just finishing up listening to the announcements as I pulled my bike up to the front. After having a few seconds to say hello to some of the riders around me, we heard that wonderful sound of “click. click. click.” as riders mounted their bikes for a fun 35 mile ride around Perimeter Road. The weather was beautiful and the group was large.
There was a good contingent of POA Cycling riders in the group and as we began the ride we took some time to catch up a bit. This was great, but I was a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t because of the guys. It was because of the bike.
This was only the second ride on the road for me and the Giant TCR Advanced. My muscle memory was still treating this new bike like the Specialized Tarmac Pro. With the Tarmac, my movements could be rather abrupt and the reaction of the bike would soften my actions.
With the TCR each movement would cause a quick reaction. Now, that isn’t a bad thing — it is a good thing. The only problem is I needed to learn this new bike and riding in tight formation is not a comfortable thing when you are unfamiliar with the sted you are astride! I didn’t want to take out my teammates!
I drifted to the back to avoid being a danger to anyone and stayed there for about a lap and a half until I started to not think about how the bike felt and movements became more of a second nature. By the end of the second lap, I wasn’t thinking about the bike anymore.
Well, except for one thing. I had ridden the first lap in the small ring. When I moved up to the big ring I started having all kinds of trouble with the chain slipping. My cables must have stretched and shifting was a mess!
On the second and third lap I was fighting the gearing. I would shift for climbing and could not get power because the chain kept slipping. The group would gap me and then I would have to work to catch back on. Finally, I found that if I rode the big ring and stayed in about three of my smaller rear gears, I could avoid the slippage.
Going into the fourth lap, I was feeling pretty good. As we came by the golf course and started up the next climb, I noticed an attack. I moved to cover it because it was a rather large group and I did not want them to get away. For a bit I dangled near the rear just to look back and see I had the main field right behind me.
At this point I realized that the next lap was going to see a pick up in speed. If I was in the same state I was in at this point, I was going to get killed. So, I eased up and moved over to let the field come by. I figured I could recover a bit and then work my way back to the front.
A little over half the field came by when John James passed me and said, “Stay up here.” I was feeling better by this point, so I moved back into the group and decided to work my way back up to John. By the time we reached the fire station, I was able to tap John’s back to let him know I was there.
The bad news at that point was that while my lungs and quads were feeling good, my right calve muscle was twitching on that final climb. I was able to spin through it and as we passed the start finish line, I was thinking things were looking good. Maybe my first Donaldson Center ride of the year would be a good one!
As we made the first turn after the start finish line, I heard John say, “Let’s go!” He took off and I just hung onto his wheel. By the time we reached the golf course we had reached the front of the field. Hey! If I could just be smart here, I would have a really good finish!
Just about that time the cramp returned. This time with a vegence! As we made the sweeping left hander by the golf course, my calve just pretty much locked up. I couldn’t spin out of it. My ankle wouldn’t bend! I motioned that I was moving to the right and unclipped so I could try to shake it out.
The entire field moved past me. I tried to catch back on up the climb and into the next right turn. It was no use. I was right on the edge of another one of those cramps. Then the same thing started on the left leg. It was weird! I could look down at my leg and actually see the cramp “rolling” up my calve muscles.
I just had to get out of this big ring! I dropped the chain once, but was able to pull it back on without stopping. I did my best to keep from locking up the muscles again and by the time I reached the railroad track, I was putting out about 280 watts again. Still, all the way to the car, I could feel that “just about to seize” feeling.
Overall, it was a good ride. I checked my numbers and the ride at Donaldson Center took more work than my 4th place finish at River Falls earlier this month! If I can hang out around the front of the pack going around Donaldson this year, I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble being there at the end of a Category 4 race.
My take aways? 1) I have simply got to hydrate more leading up to the ride. Sure, drinking during the ride is good, but I need to have it in my system as well. 2) Patience. It was obvious that I pretty much could have conserved a lot of energy and still been there at the end. The fact that John pulled me all the way to the front from near the back proves that. That move to bridge the gap was actually a stupid one.
On the positive side, I ended up feeling very comfortable and happy with the handling of the bike. I just need to have a tune-up — which is to be expected. I also worked through those times when it feels like you are going to explode and then you come out on the other side feeling ready to take on the world. Without the cramp I was in a very good position for a front of the pack finish.
Maybe next time.
