Pace Bend 2024 Post Mortem

Regular readers know I really don't like racing at Pace Bend.  Don't get me wrong, it's a great place to ride. It's a 10k loop with twelve or so inclines, a couple in the 8% range.  I just get dropped so quickly my ego takes a beating, and has for the last ten plus years.  I looked at who signed up in my age group and had a good news/bad news moment.  The good news was that Fred and Bob were coming.  I hadn't seen them in a couple of years (but follow on FB and Strava) so we could commiserate getting old since that's what old people mostly talk about.  The bad news was that both of them are faster.  Fred is two years younger so I only compete against him for three years but he is much faster.  Bob is my age and is faster in the road race but I can usually beat him in the time trials.  There were three others signed up but two of them were not competitive and the third was totally unknown (I tried looking him up but was unsuccessful).  So, I anticipated competing for bronze.

The racing order (with which I totally disagree) is 40k road race, 20k road race (clockwise), 10k time trial (counter clockwise), 5k time trial (counter clockwise start, out and back).  Fifteen minutes between the last place finisher and the next race.  I skipped signing up for the 40k, as did Fred.  Bob raced it, but the other riders didn't show up, so he had no one pushing him.  This is a difficult course to start with and a stout south wind made the first two miles and the finishing mile quite a challenge.  That may have been a bit too much for Bob's legs.

In any case, after a warm up lap, I lined up for the start.  In other races, the younger riders are at the front and the older riders, in age order, behind, then the women.  They might start the different age groups with maybe thirty seconds between and then the women.  Here they start everyone together.  I was only five or so riders from the front, on the outside.  Fred, on the inside, another three back, and Bob also on the inside another two back.  It never fails that some riders won't get clipped in on the first (or second) revolution.  I took my time and clipped in quickly and moved up a few more spots and found a broad back to hide behind.  While it wasn't chaotic, the first two miles were quick.  I think Fred got caught behind some clipless guy and missed the first group.  We got to the first turn and picked up the south wind as we climbed the hill that usually gets me dropped.  I put in the effort to stay with the group and did so for the next three climbs but the fourth one gapped me.  About that time I saw Fred in my mirror.  Not long after, he had closed the gap, along with a younger rider.  We let this young guy pull us for about five miles, until the second time up the backside hill, when we couldn't keep up.  I pushed hard up the remaining hills, into the downhill and the finishing straight.  Fred easily pulled away.

My stats for this race show 99.4% of the race at threshold and 13 seconds anaerobic.  My speed, 18mph, was higher than the last two years, as was my heart rate and max heart rate.  A lot of that had to do with staying protected longer, and the wind.

Before the races I bemoaned the fact that I had given up a sure silver by not racing the 40k, and would get a bronze in the 20k.  As it turned out, Bob had fatigued his legs in the 40k, so I still wound up with a silver.  But it turns out that I had also worked Fred above his limit, so he skipped the 10k time trial.  In the time trials,  you just line up without any structure.  The computer sorts you into the proper age group.  Therefore, in either race was I able to get a feel as to position by seeing Bob or Fred.  I wasn't feeling all that chipper, but still managed to come in first by a comfortable margin.  In the 5k, I controlled what little oomph I had left going up the one hill and gave a burst at the turn around and going back down it.  The finish was the same as the road races, wind in your face, but I was able to put some power in the legs in the aero position and ended strong.  As it turned out, four seconds faster than Fred, so I  brought home two golds and a silver.  

My stats for the time trials reflect how tired I was.  In the 10k I only produced 82.5% HR at threshold and no anaerobic.  I averaged 18.5 mph. My time of 20:04 was 1:40 slower than my best time, which btw is second fastest in the 75+ Strava records.  My 5k is 51 seconds slower than my best time, which btw is fastest in the 75+ age category.  But I still held a 19mph average.  My 79.8% at threshold was acceptable, in that the lower numbers were at the start and I didn't slack off in the middle of the race. Training Peaks gave me gold medals for 1 minute and 5 minute HR.

I slept well last night, didn't ride today, and had a power nap this afternoon.  I'm learning that I need more down time as I get older.  I find this post is a bit rambling, sorry.