Another Dead Dog Notch on the Ol' Belt

The Dead Dog Classic has come and gone. This year's edition was a success with some very large field sizes in a number of different categories. The P/1/2 race had 60+ starters this year which was sort of nice to see, except for the fact that it also seemed like there was a larger number of guys who just ride bikes unlike us workaday schleps.

The trip up to Laramie was relatively uneventful, we all made it out on time . . . on time to get pounded by the storm of the day, as it passed through the northern half of the state. There were a couple stops on the way to the border, Longmont to drop off some dogs, Loveland to pick up some forms for registration to help out some friends who weren't coming up until the next day. Timing ended up being perfect. We got to Laramie with enough time to hit the store for some grocery shopping before packet pickup. By the time we got to Albany, the clouds had cleared and we were able to get out for the quick, pre-dinner ride. We avoided the debacle that was last year's arrival and that was a good thing. I had forgotten how much cozier the Gregory Cabin is than the Rose House Doublewide. The night and following morning, pre-race were just delightful.

The road race was another story . . . we watched out the window as the wind started to pick up a little earlier than usual. On the plus side, it kept the mosquitoes at bay, but it also meant the last eleven miles would be just as bad, if not worse than in years past. Over our sumptuous pasta dinner, we had discussed the loose race plan for the day. The plan was to float, play it by ear, keep an eye on Zac, sit in for the climbs, conserve, etc., etc. I had sworn off all early move antics. There were a couple early "attacks" and the Ciclismo bunch were kind enough to get to the front to keep things in check. With all seven of them on the front, it was relatively easy for one of their guys to roll off with a rider from the RM Elite bunch. When Stefano Barberi jumped, I was on his wheel and took the free ride across the gap. That would be the only work he'd do in our group for the day, but with our lead growing as we turned onto the highway, the rest of us kept it steady approaching the first round of climbing for the day.

Stefano had no teammates and no real reason to work, I had no desire to sit up and rejoin the main group where I'd likely get popped on the steeper part of the climb through Centennial. We dumped the RM Elite guy on the first pitch which left me, Dan Workman, Phil Mann, and our passenger. Knowing exactly what to expect having gone the early break route the past two years, I kept my tempo steady and focused on keeping my cadence a little higher than normal, just to keep the legs from loading up on the first trip over the summit at 10,800'. Shortly after making it over the summit, we were joined by Dan Porter who was looking as strong as ever. I tried to recover as much as possible on the descent, but with the wind, the only consolation I could take was that we'd have a tailwind for the climb.

At the turn around, we still had a respectable gap, but our group dynamic quickly became every man for himself. I stuck with Porter and Stefano for a bit after the other two popped off, but there was no way I was going to be able to maintain the pace that either was setting. Pretty soon, the gaps between the three of us grew and I was in no man's land just like last year. I focused on maintaining cadence, but put it in a higher gear whenever possible, hoping that I would make it over the top before getting caught. I got caught and passed by the first chase which included all the heavy hitters at pretty much the same place as last year. I didn't really have too many expectations of staying with that group, especially getting caught in one of the steeper parts of the climb. I latched onto the next group which contained places 12-19 and cruised back towards Centennial, aided by wind and gravity.

As expected the wind on the highway and the section leading back to Albany was bad. The last eleven miles of the race always feel like torture, especially with the 1k uphill finish. I made it very clear that I wasn't pulling through and even stayed well out of the way for guys to rotate through, but when guys started opening gaps, I had no choice but to jump across and resume sitting on. On the approach to the finish, our group was whittled down from eight to four. I did my best to hold on as we noodled in endlessly towards the finish, hoping to hold myself together enough to keep it close, knowing that with a good TT effort the next day, I could pick up a few places in the overall. I finished six seconds behind my "tow truck" and four seconds up on the guys who were still chasing.

After a thrilling evening and a few rounds of the waiting game in the morning, it was finally time for us to go in circles for 50 minutes. With the crit being as short as it was, there was very little doubt that guys would hit it pretty hard and keep it consistently fast. Brian said the average speed was still in the 28 mph range, which isn't bad for a short, 6-corner crit in the middle of a stage race. A break got away midway through the race, unfortunately with two of the guys I was hoping to keep close in the mix. In the end, they stayed away with a gap of eight seconds. In the brief discussion between the crit and the TT, it became clear that we still have to work on our team communication/ESP. Zac was watching out for me, but probably could have made it across in the last two lap and definitely would have taken anybody in that group for the sprint. I'll keep the TT write up short, it was hard. We had a tailwind for the downhill leg out and a miserable grind on the way back. I tried my best to stay focused and go hard. It hurt, I finished 8th, beating some guys who I needed to put time into, but getting beaten by some guys who I should be faster than.

In the end, I finished 13th overall which is my best result by far in the P/1/2 category for this race. Hopefully with a few days of recovery, I'll be flying for the Tour of Lawrence this coming weekend. There are no pictures of the cookies as promised, they disappeared quickly and efficiently, but were enjoyed by all.