Fremont
Peak HC San Juan Bautista, CA (35+ 4’s)
Field
Size: 7
Placing:
3
Start
Time: 10:20am (Finishing time 00:48:39)
Teammates:
Andy Crews, Manny Managbanag
Average
Speed: 18.6 MPH, Top Speed 47.8 MPH
Average
HR: 183 Max HR: 194
Power:
243 avg 768 max
Elevation
Ascent: 2,451 Ft.
Weather:
82.2 deg avg, sunny no wind, warmer on the top of the mountain
This is my 3rd time
racing Fremont Peak HC. Its a great
course to see how well I am climbing for the upcoming Mt Diablo Challenge on
Oct 4th. My goals were for a
sub 49 min, carry no water bottles or cages, and survive to the top. Mile 1-6 (3-6%) rollers similar to Calaveras
Rd, mile 6-8 (10%) attack point right before mile 8 when gradient levels and
rollers come back. Mile 9 flattens and
you can drill it to the finish. You dont
need drinks and food for anything less than one hour. I also wanted to arrive
earlier to races, and have time to do a long warm-up. You need to be firing on all cylinders from
the start. My pre-race meal routine has
been the same for a few races now. See
other race reports for that info. I have
added some super foods to the dinner plan the night before. Kale and Arugula Salad. It has lean turkey meat, sunflower seeds, avocado,
and fresh roasted beets. Email me for
the recipe.
I
arrived 2 hours before my race started.
It was really hot here in the valley this weekend. I brought a pop up tent with me to warm up
under. There is no shade here at the
start line. I got a one hour warm-up on
the trainer, and it felt great! Legs
were open and I was hydrating well.
Packed it all up and got a 10 minute road warm-up and was at the
starting line 10 minutes before the start.
We were combined with the 55+ 1,2,3s, and the 45+ 4s. Like always its hard to know who is in which
category so you just race hard, and at your own pace. You don’t want to blow up
in this race because you went with the wrong guy. Race starts out double wide and center line
rule is in place the entire race. Miles
1-6 were pretty tame. I managed to stay
7-10th wheel for most of it.
Some accelerations at the front but nothing was sticking. At mile 4ish Alexander K and a few stayed
away from the main group. They were
brought back though right before we started to get to the climb…with no help
from any SJBCer! I began to fall off the
front group right before mile 6. I couldnt
hold with that group and I new the hardest part was coming up. No cramping and still feeling great on the
bike. I settled into my climbing pace
and still had no idea where I was placing in the race. I knew 2 35+ guys were ahead of me, but that
was it. I always tell people to attack
right before mile 8 on this course because if you don’t know this course it
looks like the climb keeps going, but actually it turns into rollers as you
crest over mile 8-8.5. From miles 6-8 I
was by myself and using the entire road.
Always using the shortest line on the road to reach the next turn. You can actually gain a lot of time doing
this when no one is around you. Around
mile 8.5 I was beginning to burn out a bit and looking for some
inspiration. The views up on Fremont
Peak are amazing! I turned around to see
if anyone was behind me, and I saw Andy C. on the wheel of a rider chasing me
down. Thats the motivation I
needed! Dug deep and as I reached mile 9
and shifted into the big ring for the rest of the race. Andy C. did a great job by staying on that
guys wheel. He conserved his power and
didn’t contribute to chasing down a teammate.
The last mile is super fast and technical. Before you know it you are at the finish
line. No time to waste here, just bury
yourself. I ended up in 3rd
place by only 8 seconds. My first podium!
Now it’s time to recover and keep the
freshness for Mt Tam HC. I PR’ed the
course by over 4 minutes from last year.
I didn’t need any water on the way up.
It slows you down when drinking it on a short climb like this and its
added weight you don’t need.
My next race Mt Tam HC September 14th.
Thanks
to SJBC!
Thanks
to my teammates!
Thanks
to Clif Bar!
Thanks
to Concept Cyclery!
Thanks
to Specialized!
Thanks
for reading!
