Yesterday was the annual Melon City Bike Club Criterium held at Weed Park in Muscatine, Iowa. This first picture is the Masters 40+. Our club had three riders enter this race: Bill Ford, Greg Harper and Bill Harper; all on the front row. Ford got 4th place and Greg got 13th place.
I decided to enter in the Masters 50+ division to get some experience. This was my first race and at 56, I guess you can say I am a later bloomer. Perhaps, you can say that I am getting so old I don't have any sense anymore.
I knew that the racers that enter this event were all seasoned veterans that have been bike racing all their life and they come from some of the surrounding States in the Midwest. I believe the guy that placed first place was on the Olympic cycling team when he was younger and most of the others are former Cat-2 and Cat-3 riders. I was the only local participant in this age group from our local club. Keep in mind that I was 52 before I purchased my first road bike and the last 4 years I have been putting in the miles to start building my fitness. I guess everyone has to start somewhere. It looks like I have some more base building to do.
The pace was fast and furious and I was in the middle of the pack after the first lap. By the end of the second lap I was dead last and hanging on (picture shows me in last spot). Then on the big hill on the north side of the course on the third lap I couldn't keep the pace and the other 15 riders vanished. Since it was still early in the race, I made a decision to give up rather than ride around for the next 11 laps by myself with a good possibility of getting lapped by the pace car. On
I knew that the racers that enter this event were all seasoned veterans that have been bike racing all their life and they come from some of the surrounding States in the Midwest. I believe the guy that placed first place was on the Olympic cycling team when he was younger and most of the others are former Cat-2 and Cat-3 riders. I was the only local participant in this age group from our local club. Keep in mind that I was 52 before I purchased my first road bike and the last 4 years I have been putting in the miles to start building my fitness. I guess everyone has to start somewhere. It looks like I have some more base building to do.
The pace was fast and furious and I was in the middle of the pack after the first lap. By the end of the second lap I was dead last and hanging on (picture shows me in last spot). Then on the big hill on the north side of the course on the third lap I couldn't keep the pace and the other 15 riders vanished. Since it was still early in the race, I made a decision to give up rather than ride around for the next 11 laps by myself with a good possibility of getting lapped by the pace car. On
the 3 laps I rode our pace was running between 23 and 25 mph average per lap. My top speed was 38.1 mph on the downhill portion of the course, which has the speed bump at the bottom. I did ok going over the speedbump and going around the curves; although I lost a little position on the 90 degree corner on the south side of the course; so I need some practice going around this curve at high speeds. On the uphill portion we were running 18 to 20 mph, which is amazing for a 4 1/2 to 5 percent grade hill that runs for 1/4 mile. As I watched some of the other racers ride the rest of the day this hill is where many a racer was dropped.Looking at next year, I know what I need to do if I want to be able to stay with the pack for all 14 laps. I need more stamina and strength so I can keep my heartrate down below my anaerobic threshhold level. I guess I will worry about that later. My next race is June 14 and is the Quad City Triathlon event. I am participating in the team event and I will be doing the cycling portion. This is a 15 mile route (out and back) that has 3 hills in it. This will be my third year and I am hoping to improve upon last year's ride.
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