LANTERNE ROUGE Season V: Taking One for the Team

I originally wanted to take a pass on the 4 Aug Škoda Velorace in Dresden (German Cycling Cup event 10 of 15).  I did not think I was up to a circuit race in Germany.  However, after riding strong during the Bochum, SpakassenGiro, I had to make this happen.  After all, it was a series and I was up to completing the task.  I started committed and I will end just as committed . . . so went the “Plan” 

Two distances were offered and the original plan called for Coach Quest to complete the shorter distance (63 K) and I would drop the longer distance (105 K).  Well, my lack of true German skill needed for registration had us both signed up for the longer (105 K) event.  So, to make good on my mistake, I promised to stay with Coach Quest and ensure he made it through the distance.  I put aside my Evolution Cycling Club p/b Long & Foster and packed my Stuttgart Local Area biCycle Riders (SLACR) kit.  I was all in for a DragonQuest Racers effort.  That was Plan Change 1 . . .

I reached out to the Ponies that carried me over the roads of the Neuseen Classics back on  19 May in Zwenkau.  Team Steile Wand would be in the house and I looked forward to catching their wheels.  A great solid crew and legs of pure heat . . . this was taking into consideration as I added an amendment to Change 1 of the Plan . . .

Coach Quest got a late start (it took me longer to get pretty) on our 5+ hour drive north by northwest.  We loaded the bikes in the car and made great time on the road thanks to well manicured Autobahn in the former East Germany.   We hit Dresden in a little over 6 hours after a stop for grub.  PERFECT!  The Plan was in full swing . . .

Dresden . . . what an awesome city!!!  The rebuild since the fall of the Wall is simply majestic.  Despite the intense heat (97 F) this is renaissance living at its best.  An awesome venue to as Jennifer Call stated...“Bring the Action!”

Majestic Dresden!

Coach and I walked the START/FINISH noting the slight uphill after a long straight away along the river.  Regardless of where we were in the field, I planned to lead Coach out on a good sprint finish.  In my mind he would take the field spring of whatever group we were in.  This was plan Change 2.  It was going to be epic . . .

Race day temps were in the mid 80s so this was doable.  As we pedaled up to the START/FINISH  my ears were blessed with a load “TURTLE!” from Team Steile Wand (a.k.a The Ponies) great Dirk Dießel.  It was good to see the crew and the Pony ranks were swelling.  Team Steile Wand was sitting no less than 8  or 10 deep and ready to bring the heat.  SWEET!!!

We quickly found out that they were staged a block ahead of us . . . I had to hide the UNHAPPY TURTLE FACE.  In my rather extensive day dream, I believed we could catch them and sit in.  Oh how I was dreaming . . .

We hung out in the shade waiting for out start.  Once again I dreaded the “line up and wait” but was becoming use to it within the German Cycling Cup series.  Right on queue, cats started moving to the line 30 minutes prior as stated in the program.  There are rules and rules must be followed . . . say that with a German accent and laugh with me.  I need the humor . . .

The sun was baking us.  My farmer’s/biker’s tan was becoming even more defined.  My mocha brown base was receiving a few milk chocolate sections or razor sharp tan lines (Rule #7 // Tan lines should be cultivated and kept razor sharp).  I was loaded down with no less than 4 water bottles to ensure Coach would make it through the 105 K without dehydrating.  King domestique I thought to myself.  I planed and was executing the plan.  Did I not say this was going to be epic?  It was . . .

We added to The Plan a concept of sitting in the first lap to get a true feel for the course.  As the course went against traffic in sections it was impossible to pre-ride.  We had 5 laps to make 105 K happen and leveraging public math in my little TURTLE brain, plenty of time to move up in the field.  This was Plan Change 3 . . .

All Aboard the TURTLE Train

The start was a typical German Cycling Cup “shotgun” with cats hammering off the line.  I made sure I knew where Coach was and starting sitting in.  I took turns wide to get away from crazy wheels . . . I was surrounded by crazy!!!  I had enough strength to sprint out of every turn with little to no effort.  It was on and I was in it . . .  

I tried to organize a few groups and failed.  Perhaps I need to work on my German to clearly articulate my intent as it was just not working at all.   At some point Coach had enough of the slow pokes and started to bridge up to a group up the road.  I went with him.  It was impressive!  He was hitting it hard on the first lap to close a gap . . .

We caught a nice sized group and instead of sitting in to recover, we went straight through them.  I went to the front and started to set the tempo.  I motioned for help and go little to none so I just plowed on.  Coach took advantage of the effort and sprinted out in front of me and the group on the lap before sitting back in right behind me.  So there we had it, the two of us leading the pack and chasing Team Steile Wand up the road.  I asked Coach how many was I dragging and his initial answer was 50 . . . it was more like 30 but I took the 50 and got even more motivated.

I was learning to suffer and it felt great!  I have not had this level of focus in a long time.  My legs did what they were told without complaint.  It was on!!!

The course had a few rail road crossings and cobblestone sections.  I hit them hard and made ground as others went for their brakes.  It was all coming together and this was my time.  The last time I felt this good during a race as the Ride Sally Ride Criterium in Sterling VA.  I was determined to make this a solid effort . . .

I sat out on the front of the main group for a large portion of another lap.  I drifted back to recover a bit and noticed Coach moving to the front as the tempo slowed down.  This is where communication started to breakdown.  What should have occurred is an effort to leave the slower group and bridge up the road.  What happen was far from that . . .

Domesticated TURTLE

Coach burned the entire match book to include the wet ones.  Nothing was left.  He was cooked after the effort and I drifted back with him.  I sat up to make good on my promise and watched the group I was leading ride away from me.  I was stronger than every rider in the group and it was hard to let them go.  But I made a promise and I would stand by my word.

On our next to last lap the leaders of the field caught us.  It was awesome to see the power and speed fly by.  I will be in that group next year.  I need to build on my current base and it will come.  It will come.  Of this I am certain . . .

The Plan survived first contact but fell apart near the end.  A great learning experience and lesson in communication within a team.  Lesson learned . . .

The year of the bikeROCKstar is within my grasps.  Sunday’s race showed me just how close it was.  I will not let this opportunity pass.  As one guy stated as we waited to start, “Anyone can watch a bike race on TV . . .” 

No further words are necessary . . .

LANTERNE ROUGE Season V: TURTLE on a String -- SparkassenGiro (GCC 9 of 15)

I find myself truly missing the US Criterium racing scene.  Lots of go fast, turn without touching your breaks, and go faster.  The previous German Cycling Cup event on the Hockenheim Formula 1 track brought some of that back and this past weekend was a bit more sweetness on the bike. . .

The SparkassenGiro in the northern German town of Bochum set the stage for pure racing madness as riders covered a 13 Km lollypop circuit through town.  Two lone members of our DragonQuest Racers p/b SLACRs took the 4+ hr drive to make this happen . . . dedication to the cause at its best.

After a late start getting on the road, we opted for a early packet pickup and got an early glimpse of the START/FINISH complete with distance markings and barriers.  With Elite and Pro racing on the docket, a couple of stages with live music, and a scheduled fireworks show in the evening . . . this was a day in cycling heaven.  I was so happy to have fresh shaved legs.  Their test would come.

Warm-ups for races in the German Cycling Cup Series are almost impossible as once you line up; you are often standing around for 45 minutes or more.   This was no different.  Coach Quest had the fortune or placement in BLOCK 1 of 3.  I was at the back of the bus in BLOCK 3 and at the very back of that.  And we were at the start 30 minutes early . . . UGH!!!  Over 1000 cats lined up and I was sitting in position 999.  Need to have someone show me the algebraic formula to get near the front of the bus.  Fighting from the back was getting old.  But I digress . . .

At the start gun I slowly began to move forward, cross the START/FINISH and hit the TURTLE TURBO . . .

Much like Hockenheim, the fist turn was NASTY!  I knew this and planed accordingly . . . I decided to take the outside and avoid the bunch up.  It worked! Something finally worked.  Happy TURTLE DANCE on the pedals.  Confidence started to swell.  This was a good thing.

After a few more turns we started a slow burn up.  WHAT?  I thought this was a flat circuit!!!  I was not mentally prepared to climb.  I should have done a better study of the website.  I had no idea where the rise would end.  NOT GOOD!!!  However, I found myself in a group and not going backwards so I stayed on the big ring (a compact) and pushed on over a stair step and to the top turn around.  I’LL TAKE IT!!!  There were even markers on the side of the road calling the distance to the top of the climb.  I’m a guy and visual aides are KOOL ‘n da GANG.  I was not only going to survive this, I was going to make it happen.  Oh yeah, confidence was hitting a new high . . .

Making the turnaround at the southern most point of the course I noticed that we did not loop around the traffic circle.  We cut it short with a hairpin 180 and down the climb we went on a virtually straight shot to the START/FINISH with only one 90 elbow at the 250 m marker.

After one lap I knew how I needed to ride the course and started doing my best to work up from the back of the bus . . .

Coach on the other hand was rocking the house.  Being at the front of the bus has its privileges and he took liberty of them all to channel a cycling hero, the German, Jens Voigt . . .

Coach attacked off the front and led for a few hundred Ks.  There was strong Kung Fu in the Peleton and they pulled him back spinning up the climb at almost 40 kph.  A moment is glory is a moment in glory and it was simply awesome . . .

Working hard myself I began my leap frog effort from the back of the bus.  Bridge to a group, recover, bridge to the next group, and so on.  All while trying to stay out of the wind.  Not easy to do.  I was in NO MAN’S LAND way too much . . .

About lap 2 of 6 I latched on to a group that was moving along pretty well.  On lap 3 I found myself leading the group of 20 up the climb.  I looked under my arms and I had gapped them.  I almost fell over.  This has never happened.  I have never gapped anyone on a climb . . .

Well, not wanting to waste the effort I made the turn and buried it.  Well at least I thought I did.   I was swarmed by the group I broke away from.  I jumped behind the largest guy and hoped to put his gravity advantage to use in my favor.  NOT!  The cat was hitting his breaks!!!  Who uses breaks in a straight downhill?  

I wanted nothing of this and passed as hard as I could only to lose the Force = Mass x Acceleration (F = ma) battle.  The giants (and there was more than one of them) easily pulled me back to the fold.  I was not happy.

On the very next lap I once again led up the climb.  As we turned my led from my little group was pulled back.  We were moving along and picking up riders as we rolled.  On this lap will picked up Coach on the first descent.  He blew through our group and I latched on to his wheel.  I could barely stay on it.  He was crushing it!  We picked up a few more riders and I took a few pulls as he and I led the growing mass.

This was motivating and on the next lap and just 2 to go, I decided I was going to leave and push off the front of this group.  I once again gave it a try but failed.  UGH again!!!  I was feeling pretty froggy and perhaps a bit full of myself so at the 1K flag and my heart about to jump out of my chest, I buried it.  I called out the name of one of the strongest guys in my group (our names are under our numbers) and told him to come with me . . .

TURTLE Heart Rate vs Elevation -- Guess who won?

We took some short, fast pulls but soon found out we lit the afterburners a bit too soon.  With 300 m to go we both faded and the group that had keep me on a string for 4 laps let go and shot to the finish ahead of me . . .

In short, this was perhaps the best venue of the Series to day.  An awesome course that I will do my best to dominate next year.  My confidence on the bike is at an all time new high.  Need to keep it that way as I will lay it all on the line during the 3-days of Rothaus RiderMan . . .

My quest for bikeROCKstar status is in reach . . .