Zachary Hilton
Knights Ferry RR 35 +4's
Knights Ferry RR 35 +4's
Oakdale, CA
Place: 12
Field: 17
Place: 12
Field: 17
Weather: 64 wet roads, no rain luckily!, sun was out in parts and warming
Start Time: 12:15 pm
Start Time: 12:15 pm
Total Time: 02:56:00
Power: 169 W avg, 809 W max, 181 W NP
Power: 169 W avg, 809 W max, 181 W NP
Average Speed: 19.96 MPH, Top Speed 38.71 MPH
Average HR: 165 Max HR: 189
Elevation Ascent: 2,457 ft
I'm riding my new 2015 Specialized Tarmac with Ultegra 6800 11 speed group set. I ride a 53/39 11/28 for most races. I am also racing with my Race Rim 46's Carbon Tubulars, and Vittoria Corsa EVO CX Tubulars. I arrived early and warmed up on the trainer for around 20 minutes. It was a long ride in the car for 2+ hours. I should have allowed extra time to stretch after that. The rain stopped by the time the whistle blew, but there were still lots of water on the course. I carried two bottles of Hammer Nutrition with me.
This is my first time racing Knights Ferry RR. The course is comprised of rollers, flat, good pavement for the most part, and a few 180 degree turns on a really small two lane road. One of the turnarounds you have a driveway to use, but the other is all road and a big shelf if you miss it! This course is built for power and speed. The total elevation is descent but thats accumulated over 59 miles. Each roller is no more than 1 mile and 100 plus ft of climbing. If you are a power climber, then this is your course. My goals were to stay with the group until the end. I would try my best to be smart and conserve energy. I didn't know the course or many of the racers so I wanted to stay upfront to see where hazards are. I wanted to always have a wheel to stay on, and lead into the 180 turns. I had them charted out in my mind with mileage and there were 200 meter signs. We started off and I was sitting 4th wheel. I figured with this masters group not much was going to happen in the first lap. No teams with more than two were present. We reached the first turn around and I led us through. We were heading straight back in to a head wind. I slowed to the right and allowed others to come around and no one would. MM/Specialized racer Richard Gonsalves (this guy was the eventual winner, he went off the front on lap 2 and had a good 7-8 minute gap on us for the final lap) came flying around us and I jumped onto his wheel. One other joined us and I was hoping the chase was disrupted by the wind and no one paying attention, but the group caught us. As we made it back through the start/finish there are some rough train tracks to go over. We all made it through. MM/Specialized and TopSport tried another attack and I jumped onto it also. There were 5 of us in a great echelon trying to split the group up again on a windy section, but failed to keep it going. I was burning matches doing this, but I wanted to be apart of it. I always made sure that I was drafting. With no teammates I was wasn't content just sitting in the entire time. Team Revolutions sent a guy off the front with several miles left before the 180 turn. We left him out there and he ended up with a good 1 minute lead, but we brought him back in right after the turn. I led the group on the 2nd 180, and then MM/Specialized just took off. I was sitting 4th wheel and putting it all out there on the course to stay tucked and in line. He must of pulled us for 7-8 minutes. He was clearly stronger than us but he wouldn't leave us yet. Maybe that was his strategy to wear us down like that? As we came back across the tracks again someones water bottle jumped out and luckily no one was taken down. I think one other rider got a pinch flat. No real attacks as we led up to the finish line for the final lap. I didn't make it up front in time to lead us through the 180 turn. I was trying to eat before the turn around. As soon as we came through there were attacks that the entire group followed. MM/Specialized was trying to break us all down again! We let him go off the front. No one wanted any of it anymore, and no one could really hold onto his wheel anyways. I began to get some pain in my left upper leg and gluteus. I did some stretching on the bike but wasn't sure what was up. it took me about 10 miles to finally get the pain to go away. That was a huge distraction. Something on the bike or shoes was off. Probably due to the fast race pace also. We all became more aggressive in the chase though. Everyone was talking short pulls and we had a great pace line all the way back to the finish line. As we approached the 2K to go I was cooked. I faded off and just wanted to finish. The ride back was so windy. Luckily I had a group to keep shelter. I used two bottles of Hammer Heed and didn't need any of the Neutral Water that was provided.
I've been doing a few 50 plus mile and 3 hour rides recently, and that definitely helped to compete in this race. So I ended up finding out the next morning while on my trainer that my left cleat's toe clip was just a little loose. It was time to change the cleats out. After doing some research I found that the abductor that connects the thigh to the gluteus was stained just enough to seize up and cause the pain while seated. That threw my pelvic and hips off while riding with a loose cleat too. So many things to review and remember prior to a race. Thats why these reports are useful in the future!
I've been taking Race Caps Supreme from Hammer Nutrition for a year now and I am hooked on the benefits. On the longer distance races I used to get burnt out from the racing after two hours, but the race was for three hours. I added some longer days of training, and with Race Caps Supreme I am now able to compete for an entire 3 hour road race. I am also still a believer on a scoop of Hammer Nutrition Whey Protein mixed with water 30 minutes before bedtime. I can wake up the next morning after a hard day, and do the same workout or race.
My next race is Snelling RR on February 21. It's our SJBC Race Team race for the month. That's usually my first road race of the season. I should be coming into it in good form. It's a little shorter than Knights Ferry RR.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks to Race Rim Wheels!
Thanks to Hammer Nutrition!
Thanks to SJBC Race Team!
