jimcmillan
Full Member
member is offline
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 131
|  | Carolina Cup and the arrival of Post-Peak
« Thread Started on Sept 22, 2009, 10:01pm » | |
I couldn't let the Fall season proceed any farther without a report from the Carolina Cup weekend. Brian Jones and I teamed up in the old boyz races on Saturday and Sunday and Janet Trubey was there representing NCCX. There were a few other Ashevlleans there riding races in other categories.
Saturday saw the return on Ken Putnam's pre-Cup race in Walnut Cove just north of Winston-Salem. This quaint small town was the host of it's first race venue last year, running the race down main street all day. This year they switched the course to run on only a small portion at the end of main street with a 'L' shaped 6-turn course, winding around and up Summit Street. Yeah, a significant hill each lap on the 0.9mile course. It turned off Summit to descend down only 25 yards and then a hard left into an alley. Yes, a 10 foot wide alley with a house sitting just several feet off the sloping tuft to it's front porch with a lawnmover staring you right in the face each lap. You really didn't want to go there! Ken had placed several pylons in the apex of the turn. It only took a few warm-up laps to realize the reason for this was to keep the speed down in the treacherous turn. The alley finished in turn 5 then quickly turn 6 for an S- turn back onto main street and a short sprint to the S/F line. I couldn't believe it, there were no wrecks on the front porch all day and only a few pedal plants coming out of the S-turn for home by some of the Cat.5's. What a day! Brian and I were already feeling the call of the Post-Peak and rode smoothly in the shattered 50+ field to finish with our dermis intact. We elected to only watch the other races from the tent of one of the 'big teams'. David Leduc was cashing in both days in his actual age group and the return of David Proctor from Greenville made for an enjoyable reunion with some of the ancient elites!
Thanks to Will Sagar's son's restaurant recommendation, Brian and I had a great meal in Greensboro as we prepared for the Fall showdown at the Carolina Cup. In true Master's racing style, we turned out the lights at 9.45pm as the football frenzy droned on the TV. The 8am start for the 55+ had me focused to be on the highway early for the cool start at the park for the Cup.
The next day I got there ready to go with the 55+ first off at 8am sharp. Only 9 old guys showed up, but the racing was fun and accident free. David Leduc and I were the only geezers to pin on another number and race the 45+ race of 50 lean, race faced competitors. I had good intentions and was prepared to utilize my favorite minimal training modifier- the MFL (McMillan Free Lap). In my early years of racing with competitors that always raced more races and trained more hours, I realized that the one component you couldn't overcome was that first 10 minutes of zero- to max heart rate. But, if this unfortunate occurrence was encountered, and I was dropped with sweating blood and heart rate in the red zone, you sit up after being dropped and wait for the peloton to return. I had come to race, not ride alone. I hung on for 2 laps and out the back I went. I cruised slowly around the course and rejoined the group from the front with only missing one lap of intensity. I was able to hang in four of the final 6 laps with the group. What a great feeling to be with the large group of elite 45+ men screaming and streaming up and down the fabulous Carolina Cup course once more. But, out I came once more and I pulled into the pits to watch the final laps. Brian took a prime with 2 to go and had the ABRC jersey proudly displayed up front for the finale.
Janet toed the line for the Cat.4 women and led a happy birthday song for the Kerry Shield's twin girls who turned 16 that day. I remembered Kerry's wife coming to some of the spring classics very pregnant with the girls 16 years ago. Man, life is grand!
Bicycle racing. Just gotta, gotta do It!
| |
|
![[Home]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif)
![[Help]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif)
![[Search]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif)
![[Calendar]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/calendar.gif)
![[Login]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif)
![[Register]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif)
![[Search This Thread]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s1.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author
Logged