Race Report: Prospect Park USCF Cat 4

By the numbers:
Final position: 8/57
9 laps @ 3.4 mi/lap = 30.60 miles, averaging 23.9
Average HR: about 150 (low!); Max HR: about 178.

Overall: A good race! I placed! I even won $30!

Cat 3 Upgrade Status: 0 upgrade points, 1 top 10 finish, 3 pack finishes. (Needed: 20 pts OR 25 races.)

I was exceptionally well prepared for this race. I took yesterday easy by working from home, and took a nap during the middle of the day. I got enough sleep, ate properly, and hydrated properly. I even managed to empty the ol' digestive tract before the race. The single bottle of Perpetuem I had for the race proved to be a good idea.

Thumbs up on the equipment, too. I decided to run my Flash Point FP60s. What an efficient, wonderful wheelset. What a good idea.

It's amazing how much I can tell about a racer just by looking at cues. There are the obvious tips - such as a person's body fat percentage and cadence - that tip you off to major things. But, the subtlety in looking at someone's pedal stroke to see how tired they are, or of looking at how out of true their wheels are to know how technically savvy they are, that's just cool.

After reading Prehn's book, I learned that it doesn't take strength to win a road race, just smarts. I made a point of sitting in with the pack and staying out of the wind whenever possible. I knew that each and every break would be caught, and I was right! I was lazy, but stayed toward the front with the rubber side down.

A major part of my win was just spotting someone who knew what they were doing, and staying with them. I noted early on that rider 423, a man named Austin, knew what he was doing and had an easy time of staying toward the front. Instead of thinking about staying forward, I just remembered to not let Austin out of my sight. This meant not dropping too far back, and not passing him. It turned out to be an awesome tactic.

Dave was right there with me for this race. He should have stayed out of the wind a little more.

Always learning. Always improving.

Race Report: Prospect Park

By the numbers:
Temperature 29F, winds north 15 MPH
Place: about 60/80. Back of the pack.
Distance: 35.54. Time: 1h37m13s.
Speed: 21.93 avg, 35.63 max
HR: 155 avg, 182 max
Cadence: 84 avg
Power: 237 avg, 1103 max
Calories: 1380

Overall: Keeping pace with the pack is easy. No punch for the field sprint.

I entered this race not really knowing what the outcome would be. I train at Prospect Park regularly, and know the course exceptionally well. I've even memorized the location of all the potholes. Dave Miller stayed over, and we left for the park at 6am.

Most of the race was disappointingly routine. The pack held a pretty easy pace. Lots of people were blocking, and everyone knew it and went around the blockers. Every break got caught, including the one I attempted in Lap 8. (Where were you, Dave? Oh, right - OTB.) I had no trouble staying the pack, as the pace is substantially easier than my training rides.

It came down to a field sprint. I had an okay position, but just didn't have the punch to keep up with the pack as it accelerated hard with 1000m to go. I finished behind the pack, not last, but not proudly.

I want to be out of this Cat 4 purgatory. I'm strong enough to hold on to a Cat 1/2/3 pack. I'm not strong enough to time trial off the front of the Cat 4 pack and hold them off, and as it stands, I've become a climber and lost my sprinting power. Five years ago, I would have averaged 175 BPM for this entire race, not 155. I need practice, experience, mentoring, and motivation, all of which are in short supply.

Next race in three weeks. More of the same. Yippee.