7th place Masters 40-50 category; 61.7 miles; 3:08:28 (19.7 mph)
Barry Roubaix is part of the American Ultracross Series, it's the biggest gravel road race in America with nearly 3000 participants and it's only a 4 hour drive from home - This would be my 3rd time racing in 4 years. The atmosphere of the race is unique, the whole town of Hastings gets into the spirit, the main street is closed with barriers just like a Tour de France finish. There's a huge after party well lubricated by title sponsor Founders Brewing which reinforces the carnival atmosphere.
Hastings is a small Michigan town about 50 miles north east of Kalamazoo, at the start of March the weather conditions are unpredictable leading to big variations on course conditions between editions of the race - however the course has been largely the same for the last 3 years and consists of about 70% gravel roads over rolling terrain. The long gravel segments are connected by short stretches of pavement (the inverse of the race namesake!). This year because of a hard freeze leading up to the race, the Sager Road segment was included, this rutted double track "road" provided the most technical challenge on the course, it's less than a mile long but you definitely needed to be close to the front to avoid being delayed. Sager Road is only 18 miles into the 62 mile course, a bit too early for a selection to be made, there are no real hills to create separations either so the finish has typically been a bunch sprint.
The nature of the course and the bunch finish really suits road racers who have the experience of "reading" the race from within a large group and are practiced at reserving their energy for the critical moments, and the finish. I have none of these attributes! I rarely race on the road, I lack the strategic experience to "sit in" at the right times, and I always seem too eager to work hard on the front. Despite knowing all these things, and telling myself to sit in & be patient, I still think I failed to "race smart".
 |
| Me, not racing smart, off the front of the bunch! Picture from Snowy Mountain Photography |
This year, it was very cold (17 deg F) at the start. I tried to get to the staging area as late as possible and had to sneak over a barrier to get a front row position, despite this I still chilled quickly. I'm sure everyone else was the same, at the start the pace was high as everyone tried to warm up. It didn't really feel like it slowed down much either, so the race was mostly neutralized. After 60 miles of attrition, it all came down to the pavement run into town and who had the most left to kick on the last hill. Then it came down to who could keep the power going through the crit style sequence of 90 degree bends around the high school. The answer was Robbie Ventura. He won last year as well, with years of pro racing experience and pro level power, he chose the right moment to go and rode away from the fast charging, but fatigued group of wannabes. Even though I was found wanting in the final moments of the race, it was a great experience to see it unfold in front of me, knowing I could do nothing to respond. It's still my best finish in the race and the points go towards the minimum number of races needed to qualify for the Ultracross championship.
I rode my Trek Boone in the same configuration as the Gravel Grovel - you can learn more about that in the Gravel Cyclist feature here (link)
Some details about the race (my race diary, probably not very interesting...)
17 deg F at the race start, 28 deg F at the finish. Mostly sunny; rodes frozen in places; Hard pack gravel
Clothing:
North Face long sleeve thermal base; Bicycle Station jersey, Rapha Pro Team Soft Shell jacket (awesome); Bicycle Station gillet
Castelli thermal leg warmers under Bicycle Station thermal bib-knickers
Rapha merino socks, Bontrager RXL shoes, Garneau over-shoes
Nutrition:
Pre-ride
1 x Ugo cherry & cacao
1 x Macha & Lemons Skratch labs drink
On the ride:
4 x Orange & Caffeine Cliff shot bloks
1 x Hammer nutrition apple & cinamon gell
(too cold for Ugo bars!)
2 x Skratch labs hydration mix (Orange)
Post ride:
1 x Ugo Nutter bar
1 x Skratch labs hydration (Rasberry)
Check out UGo Bars for great gluten free, vegan, home made energy food
Check out Skratch Labs for great exercise hydration
Bike:
Boone Di2
CX0 tires @50 psi warm as I got them out of the car (figured they would lose ~5psi as they cooled down to the 17 deg F ambient)
Brake pads need replacing
