Callville Classic Stage Race, 2011 - More to Come And a Correction

Friday: Hillclimb TT

I was scheduled to go off at 4:29:30, nearly the last rider off. The wind had been howling in the 20-30 mph range all day. It was still stupidly windy as my turn came up to ride, gusty and at a cross, slightly tail wind in portions of the canyon we were to climb. The times all day had been fast as a whole, with the earlier times faster than they were later in the day. I took off and hit the edge of my ability all the way to the finish. I rode a 9:57, which was 56 seconds faster than last year, and a minute, twenty six seconds faster than 2009. It was good enough for 7th in the 55+ category. Gary Shuey from the San Diego based Swamis club took first, Kenny Fuller, the 60+ World TT champion (amongst many other accomplishments), took second.

Kenny Fuller, Gary Shuey, and me.

Dirk Cowly about to go off...

Vic Miera at the speed of light...

Me, T -5 seconds

Off!

Saturday: Road Race

It rained pretty much the whole time. Temperatures were in the mid 40s, and there was a stiff crosswind pretty much always. It started out at a blistering pace and we started shelling people off the back of the 70+ rider field from the start (the 45+ field of 52 riders was combined with twenty 55+ riders). We passed a bad crash about ten miles into the race, and we were funneled into a narrow corridor to get past it. Not surprisingly, the riders at the front attacked, stringing out the bunch and gaps started opening up. I had to close two hard ones prior to the turn around. Things continued fast and furious, but I was moving up in the bunch, when we came across the same crash scene and once again we were funneled into a narrow corridor and the front runners attacked. I came off in this, as did several others; at this point nearly forty riders had come off within the first twenty miles of the race; the front bunch looked to be down to about 30 - 35 or so as they rode off down the road. That's how it is with a very strong 45+ field. They don't play nice! In the lead group was Gary Shuey, Kenny Fuller, Warren Wicks, Robert Wilcox, Dirk Cowley,  and Bill Pinckard; the other 14 were spread out behind me.  I was pretty blown and was considering pulling off at the entrance to Callville and calling it a day when Kim Bleth from Swamis and some other guy caught me and we started working together. I figured if a heavy weight like Kim was dropped, well... so we pushed on, caught two 45+ riders who had been dropped out near the second turn around and Kim and I were pushing the pace pretty well on the way back. He did most of the work on the way out, too. On the last steep roller (it is a 9% big ring beast), I pulled away and ultimately gapped everyone before the summit. I had a little over a mile to go on a slightly down hill section, then a sharp left turn and another four tenths of a mile to the finish. I was caught by the two 45+ riders, and sat on them until about 50 yards to go and I blew past them on the slightly uphill finish (it didn't change the outcome of the 55+ race, but it gave me a great deal of satisfaction). Kim came in a few seconds later. He still had a few seconds on me from the TT, so he was 7th in the GC at this point, and I was 8th (I was seventh in the RR, and Kim was 8th).

Kenny Fuller, Me, Gary Shuey  back against the fence in Swami blue, and the Big Orange guys...

And away we go.

Sunday, February 27: 40 Minute Criterium, 29.438 mph average speed, according to the official results.
Start time, 7:00 a.m. Morning temperature: 39 degrees, wet, and intermittent rain.

We took off in a roar of speed. I was seeing spots by about the 5th lap, but my legs finally opened up and I found a rhythmn. Bill Pinckard (a surprise guy who managed to stay with the lead group in the RR) dropped out; I'm not sure why. Several more were dropped, Vic Miera dropped out also, and I thought it was Robert Wilcox from UC Cyclery who flatted with about a lap and a half to go. He was third in GC at this point, and had to finish the race on his rim, which dropped him to 8th in the crit for sure. It may have been another UC Cyclery guy because the final GC results show Wilcox still in third. I was so oxygen deprived by this time, I'm no longer sure of much of anything!  In any case, the final GC was Gary Shuey, Ken Fuller, Robert Wilcox, Dirk Cowley, Warren Wicks, Kim Bleth, me, Michael Birditt, and Mark Ainsley. The results haven't been posted online yet. Once again, a hard and relentless race with atrocious weather. It was snowing at my house when I left for the Crit. There was snow on all the mountains, including some that were not much higher than 2000'. It was about 39 degrees at the start, wet, and still raining lightly. My bike looked like I'd just finished a cyclocross event when we were done!

Snow at Lake Mead

A nice, clean, sweet ride.

All bundled up.

Off at the speed of flying.

I have had doubts about publishing this early, in that the final results have not been posted yet, and there are several personalities and events in the race that should be written about, but I decided to write another entire post when that information becomes available.  What I will say now, though, is that this was an intense experience, not only for me, but for everyone involved.  Now that it is over, I wonder how I ever survived it.  More to come.

All photos courtesy of Lorraine Wajda.