Hup was invited for the second coming of the east coast Rapha gentleman's race. The first iteration was a challenging bonding experience in New Paltz, NY. This one was an even more challenging route starting and ending at Mohawk "Mtn" just outside Litchfield, Connecticut. A similar version of the route was ridden by the Rapha crew a few years ago. Rumor is that some of them couldn't even finish it. For some unknown reason, PVB decided to up the ante for the Gentleman's Race. The route was increased to 116 miles and it included close to 40% dirt and gravel roads including three Zoncolan-esque climbs that had to submitted in the saddle to avoid spinning out in the dirt.
The crew below lined up along with 15 other teams to tackle the monster. We started at 9:45, 15 minutes behind the first wave and 45 minutes ahead of the last wave.
Impressively, we held them off for another 10 or so miles until we once again hit some hills. We rolled together into the first really steep gravel road climb where they pulled away, not to be seen again.
The descent was fun. It was mostly smooth dirt and then turned to paved road. We had a warning on the cue sheet that there were some tight switchback turns along the route but it wasn't until I was nailing the brakes, extending the leg moto style and praying not to hit the camera man in the apex of the first turn that I remembered about these. That was a close call. I definitely thought I was going to nail the Honda Pilot parked in the corner (hopefully there is some video of my horrendous descending skills).
We came up on the actual rest stop at mile 71. We topped off with water, signed in, and exited ahead of the three teams that had passed us since our last ascent. The checkpoint folks promised only a small climb still ahead but our cue sheet seemed to imply otherwise. I wasn't in a mood to challenge them so we rolled off expecting that the worst was behind us. We rolled for about 3 miles on a gentle uphill as the faster teams once again passed us.
At the top we regrouped again. I had time to look at the profile in more detail and it was clear that the worst of the climbing was behind us but despite a lot of descending to come in the next 30+ miles, we definitely still had a few short steep efforts before the finish.
With all six teammates in tow, we set off down a gravely descent that was not nearly as steep as the ascent had been. We got the paceline going and ticked away the next 20+ miles with relative ease, even catching some teams while they addressed mechanical issues.
Then, flat #2 hit us. Chip was off the bike, changing his front flat in no time. Letting him work on it himself, he was back up and running in less than 2 minutes. PRO. On we went until around mile 95 we spotted a random bate and tackle shop with sodas and water for sale. We refueled, unloaded our bladders, and got back to the task at hand.
Before the finishing hills, we were routed onto a dirt road along the Housatonic River. There were a lot of people fishing and a lot of railroad crossings but very few cars. We took up the whole road, just trying to keep the pace above 16 mph and get to the finish line. Despite the shattered feeling in my arms and neck, that stretch was among my favorite parts. I felt like I could ride for hours as my Zank just floated over the rough surface. Truly magical, in the zone type of moment.
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When we got back on paved roads we were around mile 105 I think. That's when we hit the appropriately named Everest Hill. Thanks PVB. What we really wanted after 8 hours and 9000 ft of climbing was another .5 miles and 400 ft. At least it was paved though.
After we climbed Everest, the rest was easy cruising. We saw Mohawk Mtn about 1.5 miles before the turn back to the finish but that 1.5 miles didn't matter. We survived. We finished in good spirits, with only 2 flat tires, and no in-fighting.
We were recorded as the 7th team back but 3 of those teams - Pedros, Adler, and BH/Louis Garneau had dropped riders along the way so they were dsq. Officially 4th place. Not bad for a bunch of riders focused on the feel good side of bicycle racing. Hats off to the Eastmans for never being caught and taking the victory. I hope I still have that kind of stamina in 15 more years. Well ridden!
The post ride bbq was a perfect end to the day. Hot dogs, salty chips, and beer. And of course, time to retell the stories with others and watch as the salt-crusted teams continued to trickle in.
3 comments:
You never said what happened to the old guys on that Eastmans team. Are they OK?
Haha! They wooped everyone to take the win and the glory. Definitely proved we misjudged the book by its cover. Hats off to the Eastmans.
Damn, wish I had been there!
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