February 19, 2005, Valley of the Sun RR/SR
W of Phoenix, AZ   42.0 miles

This is the second stage of a 3 day stage race, a 42.0 mile road race. Since it was a third of the way between Phoenix and Tucson, I went back to Tucson after the first stage. Not knowing if there would be any traffic problems on the drive up, I left at 4:45 and arrived at 6:05 am. It was still pitch dark, the sign-in table was not ready yet, spare wheels were not being accepted yet and it was lightly raining. So I searched for my car in the dark and decided to just rest. I ended up falling asleep and was awoke by the bull horn at 7:05 (5 minutes before my rider sign-in closed). From here it was a race to get my spare wheels ready and put in the follow vehicle, get my bike setup and put on my clothes. I decided to go with my aluminum rim wheels rather than the carbon ones, since the carbon setup doesn't brake well in the rain, but this required changing out the brake pads as well and I only had time to change the front ones.

I got to the start line with 2.5 minutes to spare and was of course at the back of the line. I didn't need a warm up since we start downhill and have about 15 minutes of riding before the climb. Because we might get wet, I wore 2 jerseys, arm warmers and light tights.

The course is a triangular 16.3 mile loop with one climb of about 415 feet (see profile below). We start on one side of the course and do 2.5 laps, finishing on the opposite side at the top of the climb.

With almost 100 riders on a narrow road (and we have to stay on the right side) it is extremely difficult to move forward. I try to work my way up and by the time we hit the second corner which is 3.6 miles from the top of the climb, I find myself in dead last; that's how tough it was to move up. By then we are all soaking wet in the medium rain. My prescription sunglasses are difficult to see through and occasionally the right lens also fogs up. Because of the large pack, there are constant changes in speed and the riders at the back are constantly braking to avoid running into the slowing riders; very tense.

The first time up the climb is not too bad, but we shed a few of the weaker riders. But as we start the gradual descent and don't have to work so hard, it gets bitterly cold. My muscles tighten up so much from the cold that it's difficult to steer efficiently. I try to reach into my back pocket for an energy gel, but my arms are too stiff to reach that far back and I don't feel secure steering with one barely working arm. We're not racing hard either, so I'm not generating any heat from within.

We round corner number 2 for the second time and of course theres a catch-up surge for those of us at the back. I can accelerate pretty well, so this is not normally a problem. However, my chilled legs were so tight that it was hard to get the proper reaction out of them. They had plenty of strength and my lungs were fine, but it was difficult to get my legs to cooperate in their frozen state. As the climb steepened, some riders would start to falter and I'd have to go around them and close up the gaps they left in front of them. About 3/4 of the way up, some riders left a gap of about 50 feet. I went around them and started to close the gap, but it wasn't happening. As we crested the top, I was still only about 75 feet from the pack, but my legs would not let me get back in.

I hooked up with another rider and he and I caught up with 2 other riders about a mile up. We worked together, seeing the pack temptingly in front of us for the next 3/4 of a lap. On the last lap on the second leg, we eased up and 4 other riders joined us. Although we could still see the front pack just up the road, there was no way we could muster the speed to close the gap.

As we hit the steepest part of the climb, the other riders began to falter, so I rode on solo to the finish line. My friend Jesus Lamb was in the front pack and while in third just short of the finish, he bumps with other riders and goes down. I'd rather get dropped than crash. I met up with Jesus after the race and he looked like he was going to be fine for tomorrow's race. Putting my bike away, I find that my aluminum rims are half filled with water.

Hopefully I have not exhausted myself too much for tomorrow's criterium in the morning. For some reason, I am not showing my best form this weekend.

Summary
Start
Time		 Distance
(Miles)		 Starters Duration Weather
(Deg F, mph)		 Climbing
(Feet)		 Speed avg
(MPH)		 Speed Max
(MPH)		 HR avg
(BPM)		 HR max
(BPM)		 HR waking
(BPM)		 Calories Burned
(Kcal)
7:40 am 42.0 99 1:50:50 53, Rain 1420 22.7 34.3 145 175 47 695

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