July 17, 2004, Mill Bay Circuit Race
Mill Bay, BC   32.5 miles

This was a BC Masters race, where the only categories are for those over 30 years of age and broken up by 5 year age groups. I was in the Masters 50-54 age group race, which had only 3 entries out of a total of 19 participants. Since this was a small turnout, we were all started together, rather than the typical 5 minute handicaps.

The course included a .8 mile uphill controlled section to the loop and then 5 laps (6.4 miles per lap) with the finish just short of completing the final lap. From that first corner, the course climbs 183 feet over the next 1.5 miles, which is only a 2.3% average, but the final 80 feet of altitude gain are at 5%. From the base of the finish line to the first corner it is all uphill, making the total climb 225 feet over 2 miles. There was a 90 degree turn about a mile after the climb through the small village, shortly followed by a mild turn to another road. The course was not closed to traffic and we constantly had to watch for vehicles and pedestrians darting out in front of us or stopped ahead at the intersections. About 1.5 miles from the finish was an extremely sharp turn where we slowed down to a walking pace (we had to stay in our own lanes). Nobody attacked out of this corner, so it was pretty safe and inconsequential. The sprint had about 1 km of slight downhill with a few mild twists and then just a short 30 meter uphill to the line. Earlier in the season, I excelled on climbs of greater difficulty and the distance of the race was just about perfect for me. Over the last month I had been concentrating on my sprint, so I was looking forward to this finish.

The weather was very sunny, with temperatures in the upper 80's. There was a slight headwind and crossing slightly from the left at the finish.

The .8 mile leadout was supposed to be controlled at 15 kph, but the leaders were doing over 18 mph. On the first time up the climb, a small group of 3 had an eight second advantage at the top, with one of them (Duane Martindale) from my age class. Not wanting to lose the race in the first 3 miles, I chased them down rather quickly and we had 4 away. This chase produced my highest speed of the event (38.4 mph) and my highest heart rate (190 bpm). However, the pack was chasing on the decent and the break was not well organized and didn't seem to have their heart in it at this early stage, so we were soon all together again.

After passing the climb for the second time, I was surprised to see that we had shed many of the riders and were down to about a dozen. Bill Yearwood from my age class was missing, so I only needed to watch Duane from this point.

After the third time up the climb, we were down to 6, including Duane. We were all taking turns and no one attacked, although Duane sometimes tried to egg us on to pick up the pace. I was beginning to feel somewhat fatigued and appreciated the times that we eased up slightly.

On the fourth time up the hill, I was beginning to suffer. I was having to work hard, my breathing definitely becoming noticeable and I seemed to have not much extra power in my legs. I was wishing that we did not have to do this climb again. I kept track of Duane to make sure he didn't attack during the back stretch; he seemed to be having an easy time of it. But if I can just keep with him until the sprint, I can probably take him.

One last time up the hill. No one had attacked and we were just riding a good pace. Time to focus on making sure I draw my energy to keep Duane from getting away. We got to the 5% section and all six major muscles in my legs cramped. I had to ease up and watch the other five drift away. I tried desperately to find some speed to get back in contact, but nothing worked. My breathing was somewhat labored, but not extremely so. I just needed to be able to use my muscles, but the cramps kept turning them off.

For the immediate decent after the climb, I could see the lead group and did my best to pursue. But the cramps would return if I tried to put out more than 80%. I did my best to limit my losses in hopes that the leaders might ease up, but I was disappointed that I was not able to contest the sprint.

I got the silver medal for my age group and 6th overall. Duane got 4th out of the final 5, so possibly his sprint is not all that great. The race only averaged 22.1 mph, so it was not a blistering pace, but the effort was a bit high as my average heart rate was 171.

I had again consumed more water than usual to try to prevent cramps and had consumed a bottle prior to the race as well. I had eaten properly prior to the race and consumed 2 gels during the race, much more than I would normally need for this short a race. I had only averaged about 6 hours of sleep over the previous week and this may have taken some of my strength away. I'm going to have to try my electrolyte supplements again to rid myself of this cramp problem. Cutting my training time back to work on my top end speed has probably cost me some endurance and climbing ability; but after I get the speed back I can switch back to longer rides and more hills, probably next season.

Racing page     Bike page