Saturday’s race was yet another episode of the Watch Chad Try To Stick With Rich And Brad For Three Laps show. The plot, which is getting kind of old, only had a few twists. I stuck with them for most of a lap and a half. Then I got dropped on the twisty, dusty, rutted descent during the second lap.
Here's Mags handing me a water bottle at the start of the second Lap. That's Brad in front of me and Rich is ahead of him.
There were a couple a minor incidents early that could have really changed the outcome, but they didn’t. First, from the start something was rubbing on Brad’s bike. It sounded like he had a baseball card stuck in his spokes, (which gives me an idea for next week). You might say he had an audible tachometer.
Then my bike didn’t want to stay in gear, especially the big cog. It kept changing gears at crucial moments so I did something I almost never do—used my granny gear. Then on the descents I felt my rear tire rub on the chainstays several times. It wasn’t until five minutes into the second lap that it occurred to me that these two symptoms might be related. I stopped to check my rear skewer and sure enough it was loose.
Did mention this course was dusty?
Like I said, those two incidents could have affected the outcome of the race, but they didn’t. Rich won, which is what he gets for training all winter, but Brad, poor Brad…
There is a short but steep climb half a mile before the finish line at Soldier Hollow. Some riders call it the wall. It has been known to bring riders to tears. Not because it’s too steep or too big or too loose, but because after 26 miles your legs just don’t want to climb any more. Only the strongest riders climb it cleanly after three laps. That’s why, when I came to the bottom of the wall at the end of my third lap, I was shocked to see Brad walking his bike up. He might as well have gift-wrapped second place for me.
It was back to the granny gear for me, and I passed him three fourths of the way up then held on for dear life through the final descent, a couple of switchbacks and the sprint to the finish line. I could feel Brad’s anger as he gained on me. He wasn’t going to give me this gift without a fight and he was coming on fast but somehow—well now I know how—I held him off.
Needless to say, he was pretty ticked off. He showed Rich and me his bike. He was in the smallest chain rings, front and rear. That, friends, is not a good gear for sprinting. He said something about his shifter not letting him back up, which is why he was walking, and then he muttered a few things to himself and stomped off.
I don’t know Brad very well, but I know him well enough to say that he’s not the kind of guy to let something like this upset him for very long. By the time they were handing out our ribbons he seemed over it. I kind of feel sorry for the guy, considering the streak of bad luck he’s had at all the races this year. But I don’t feel too sorry about his bike failing him. He does own a bike shop after all.
Then there is Ryan. I don’t feel sorry for him at all. Two weeks ago he wimped out (his words) and signed up in the sport class, citing the wind and cold at Five Mile Pass that day. So Saturday’s race at Soldier Hollow was his first Expert race—ever.
He finished dead last.
He tells me the conversation in his head went something like this during his third lap:
“Just call it a day Ryan.”
“No way. Chad will call me a Nancy boy if I drop out.”
“What’s the use? The Clydesdales are catching you.”
“Why won’t Chad take me to more Bees games?”
“Daisuke is pitching today. Wouldn’t you rather be watching him?”
“Boy my legs are tired, that tree looks like a shady place to rest.”
He says the conversation was in his head. I’m pretty sure it happened out loud.
Like I said, I don’t feel sorry for Ryan at all. In fact I’m a little envious. He entered the race knowing full well he didn’t have much of a chance. But he entered because he wanted to have fun, challenge himself and find areas to improve. He said he felt greater satisfaction in finishing an expert race than in collecting another ribbon in the sport class. He didn’t even care when I told him the guy who finished right in front of him, the guy who was second-to-last, was on singlespeed. He had different expectations than the rest of us and that’s why his race was such a success.
Rich won, I was second, Brad was third. But Ryan went home with the biggest prize.
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