There was a huge turnout in the Cat 4 Women and Cat 5 Men fields, prompting the race organizers to improvise a bit. But our Cat 4 pack was a manageable size of 75 and got underway at 10:06:03 AM, with seven from SCCA/Starbucks in the mix.
The initial jostling to get the pack going was relatively innocuous, but there was a lot of "hurry up and brake" once we got rolling. Perhaps that's what led to a rider going down within the first mile. It was behind me, so I could only hear the impact and hope this wouldn't portend to how the day would continue.
I didn't do much on the first lap, content to stay in contact with teammates and learn the Tour de Dung course a bit. Despite the flat terrain, the course affords opportunities to move throughout the pack. There are many wide shoulders, and the peloton frequently strings out on the lengthy straight stretches. The wind was hitting us from the east, so the opening portion of each lap had a headwind, while the tailwind return along Woodcock Road was more of a drag race.
On the second lap, after being sheltered within the pack until now, I made a more concerted effort to get up and do something. I got my nose into the wind on Anderson Road and drove out in front for a while into the wind. It was refreshing to hear the whoosh of the breeze, instead of the din of wheels surrounding me. I kept up near the front and was able to mark a move by two Recycled Cycles riders. I had enough left to put in a dig on the hill on Sequim-Dungeness Way, thinking this would be my little contribution to turn the screws on the race a bit. It was an insignificant moment in the race, but I was pleased to be able to get about 10 minutes of high-end work in that stretch.
After the crest, another teammate (Mark M.) took over the reigns and drove the pack down the hill. But he didn't notice the lead car's right turn and continued straight. The pack yelled to alert him and he started braking before his U-turn to return back to the course, just as I made the right turn myself. I hoped he would be able to get back latched on, but wasn't sure how much effort he would have to burn up to do so.
While I was at a comfortable place near the front, the ensuing miles taught me that I am still not very good at maintaining pack position. I kept finding myself gradually slipping backward not due to fitness, but due to lack of courage. As the course and pace was not shedding riders, this skill would be a key differentiator. I reverted to the opportunities to move up on the shoulder or when the pack was strung out, with my biggest objective to be near teammates.
But, a race isn't continuous fretting over position. There are peculiar moments that ease the tension. On this course, it was the three pavement cutouts on Woodcock Road, dug deep enough to rattle the most inebriated and/or somnolent driver to an imminent stop sign. The first approach was a bit of a surprise for many, including yours truly. Crossing these mini-trenches at 28 - 30 mph while perched on a bike saddle isn't particularly recommended. The pack was a bit more aware on future laps and a good laugh remained for those unfortuntate to miss a good line around the pain pits.
Midway in the third lap, Mark M. returned back up into the fold and recounted his tale of being dropped about 300 yards following his wrong turn episode. I was really happy and inspired to see he made it back. He wisely rested in the pack, but continued his ultimate voyage toward the front. It was outstanding that he survived the encounter and still had something in the tank.
On the approach to the three trenches of terror, another surreal moment. A gumball-sized pebble pin-balled its way through the pack, struck my bike's head tube and ricocheted forward. That pebbles kick up and bounce off bikes and wheels isn't unusual, as high pressure tires catalyze the gravel launching process. But the physics behind an object of this size and apparent velocity were daunting to consider. It was enough to make me check my bike frame after the race, and be very grateful that my shin wasn't the place where the rock hit.
As the 4th and final lap began, we seemed destined for a pack sprint. I worked my way forward, with the thought of marking any attacks, but didn't get in a position to do much. One of our teammates (Mark T.) valiantly sacrificed himself on Sequim-Dungeness Way, trying to unhitch some. But, the giant pack continued rolling together on Woodcock Road, with every racer having a few tailwind miles to consider how to get situated for the final right hand turn to Kitchen-Dick Lane, and where to be when we eventually had the full road with at 200m to the finish. This scenario didn't play into my strengths at all, but I did my best to stay near the front 3rd of the pack as the race wound up.
Rounding the turn to the finishing straight, we had a little over 1km to the finish, with an ever so slight uphill. I was on the right side of the road, hoping that at the 200m sign the pack would fan to the left and I would have room to advance. But I was really too far back. The sprint became a mess of people who went too early and I tried to navigate through them. I got the incremental joy of picking off a couple of positions and subsequent motivation to keep plugging all the way to the line, but then I saw it. A green shape ahead on the far left--a body in the air and undeniably one of my teammates. The sound of bikes going down accompanied this and I was placed back into the scramble of having to navigate another crash, but this time at over 30 mph. I shut down my effort right about the time I crossed the finish line while working to the right side of the road and hopeful safety. But like a wave, the crash unfolded from left to right and washed over me. By the time of my impact, I had been able to decelerate, but I was even more lucky that my crash path was down a small grassy embankment. I was dumbfounded with having my second crash in my second road race of 2010, but a quick inventory showed bike and body to be stunningly okay again.
As I became aware of the world around me, there were a several crash victims who weren't so lucky. Our teammate (Jordan) who went down got a healthy dose of road rash on his legs and back. The rider near him ended up with a broken collarbone and another racer had head cuts and was moaning quite a bit. The aid car came for him. Quite a terrible way to end the race.
The results showed that our sprint dogs were well up to the task, earning 1st, 3rd, and 4th on the day! That Mark M. survived the wrong turn and won the race anyway showed just how strong he was today. I rolled in at 27th, but the bigger takeaway for me was being able to ride back to the car after the race and be able continue on for another day. I give my best wishes to those who will need some more time to get back into the saddle.
A "normal" Cat 4 sprint finish, moments before going terribly awry:
Results:
http://gcracingllc.com/Documents/2010-TOUR-DE-DUNG-1-REV-B.pdf
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