NOR CAL NEVADA HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP - MT DIABLO 10K - SAT. JUNE 25 2016
I have never seen a Nor Cal HC Championship race before - but this year it is on our schedule, and so, off I go! My workouts lately have improved and I’m feeling stronger, so I throw the race wheels on my bike and head out at 4:30 am for a lil adventure. It is truly “lil”, as in a mere 10k, but Strava lists that segment of Mt. Diablo as a cat 2 climb, so I look forward to a solid, tough race. It is so short that I have only a piece of toast as I drive, and I save my power smoothie till after, when I’ll add Recoverite and chug it down post-race.
Back roads all the way to Mt. Diablo - I’m in heaven - the rolling hills are bathed in a golden glow of early morning light, and my race tunes add to my joy. I roll into the parking lot and get a spot right next to registration! Love that!
The course is about a mile up the road, starting at North Gate, and I head out to warm up. Most racers are on their trainers, but I love the road and feel like I can get a better warm-up on the course, even if it does involve some climbing. It is so beautiful here - the warm up feels pretty good, although my quads are tight and I hope I won’t have to hold back to protect them. At the 5 mile mark, I turn back so ensure I get to the start on time, and I finish my warm up with 11 miles and some jumps in the flat area. I feel relaxed and ready, eat a Hammer Espresso Gel, and watch the racers in front of me as to the stability of the holder and the timing of their starts. All looks smooth and predictable, and soon I am the one on the line. I’m excited and calm all at the same time - and my holder adjusts ever so slightly as I ask. The Hand counts down my last five seconds and I’m off! I LOVE racing and there I am, shifting into higher gears on this opening rolling section, sooooo much faster than I expected! It’s a RACE - and it always goes fast! The others in my age group started right behind me, and Laura Lundgren is a multiple national TT champion and record setter. All I can hope for is that she doesn’t pass me before the halfway point! And I will have to work hard if I want to hold off Narda Roushdi, as she’s just returned from a successful TT at nationals. So I ride hard and hit the steeper parts, and my legs feel strong and I am free to race to my max, no holding back, no protecting weak quads. I am solidly inside the race, no distractions, and I pedal hard and breathe hard, and just race. At two miles, Laura flies by and I try to keep her in sight, but she is phenomenal and she quickly fades into the distance. At five miles we hit The Hairpin, and of course Craig Huffman, race photographer, is there to capture the pain. It is the steepest part - 12% I’ve heard, but I don't look down, I just ride thru it knowing that there is a mile left and it doesn't matter how much it hurts because it is only a mile. I round the final bend and push hard thru to the line, too tired to u-turn or clip out, so I ride on up the mountain for awhile, while my breathing returns to normal. Time to descend - not normally my favorite thing, but that goes smoothly and I join the others racers to cluster around the posted results. Laura wins our age group with a crushing 34:47, I’m second at 38:25, and Narda is just 16 seconds back. Because Laura is from SoCal, she wins the race, but I take the Nor Cal Nevada championship title in the 65+ category - sweet! That means podium pics, and my bike gets to be in the shot, too! My bike loves that! I drink my recoverite/power shake and drive away at 10:30 am - racing is never done this early! I am happy, but somewhat frustrated in how much of a gap there is between Laura and me. But, my main focus is on longer events, and this was a sprint of a race - a “sufferfest” in fact, twelve minutes in zone 4, and 25 minutes ANEROBIC zone 5! Holy Moly - and Garmin tells me I’ll need a 40 hour recovery! (Well, that’s not happening, but it is an indicator of a tuf ride!)
So - off to Sacramento, where I get to visit a dozen bike shops and promote our TBF Women’s Cycling Class with posters and handouts. A fun way to wrap up a Fun Day! Frozen yogurt and a stay-over with Julie, my sister in law, wrap up the day, and TBF Women’s Cycling Class is up next! My focus now turns entirely to Long Races: HooDoo 300 Stage Race, Silver State 500 2x, and the 12-hour Worlds, where I hope to defend my title and ride about 30 miles further than I did at last year’s event.
Race Photos courtesy of Craig Huffman - thank you for taking these!
Podium shots from Nor Cal Cycling.
I have never seen a Nor Cal HC Championship race before - but this year it is on our schedule, and so, off I go! My workouts lately have improved and I’m feeling stronger, so I throw the race wheels on my bike and head out at 4:30 am for a lil adventure. It is truly “lil”, as in a mere 10k, but Strava lists that segment of Mt. Diablo as a cat 2 climb, so I look forward to a solid, tough race. It is so short that I have only a piece of toast as I drive, and I save my power smoothie till after, when I’ll add Recoverite and chug it down post-race.
Back roads all the way to Mt. Diablo - I’m in heaven - the rolling hills are bathed in a golden glow of early morning light, and my race tunes add to my joy. I roll into the parking lot and get a spot right next to registration! Love that!
The course is about a mile up the road, starting at North Gate, and I head out to warm up. Most racers are on their trainers, but I love the road and feel like I can get a better warm-up on the course, even if it does involve some climbing. It is so beautiful here - the warm up feels pretty good, although my quads are tight and I hope I won’t have to hold back to protect them. At the 5 mile mark, I turn back so ensure I get to the start on time, and I finish my warm up with 11 miles and some jumps in the flat area. I feel relaxed and ready, eat a Hammer Espresso Gel, and watch the racers in front of me as to the stability of the holder and the timing of their starts. All looks smooth and predictable, and soon I am the one on the line. I’m excited and calm all at the same time - and my holder adjusts ever so slightly as I ask. The Hand counts down my last five seconds and I’m off! I LOVE racing and there I am, shifting into higher gears on this opening rolling section, sooooo much faster than I expected! It’s a RACE - and it always goes fast! The others in my age group started right behind me, and Laura Lundgren is a multiple national TT champion and record setter. All I can hope for is that she doesn’t pass me before the halfway point! And I will have to work hard if I want to hold off Narda Roushdi, as she’s just returned from a successful TT at nationals. So I ride hard and hit the steeper parts, and my legs feel strong and I am free to race to my max, no holding back, no protecting weak quads. I am solidly inside the race, no distractions, and I pedal hard and breathe hard, and just race. At two miles, Laura flies by and I try to keep her in sight, but she is phenomenal and she quickly fades into the distance. At five miles we hit The Hairpin, and of course Craig Huffman, race photographer, is there to capture the pain. It is the steepest part - 12% I’ve heard, but I don't look down, I just ride thru it knowing that there is a mile left and it doesn't matter how much it hurts because it is only a mile. I round the final bend and push hard thru to the line, too tired to u-turn or clip out, so I ride on up the mountain for awhile, while my breathing returns to normal. Time to descend - not normally my favorite thing, but that goes smoothly and I join the others racers to cluster around the posted results. Laura wins our age group with a crushing 34:47, I’m second at 38:25, and Narda is just 16 seconds back. Because Laura is from SoCal, she wins the race, but I take the Nor Cal Nevada championship title in the 65+ category - sweet! That means podium pics, and my bike gets to be in the shot, too! My bike loves that! I drink my recoverite/power shake and drive away at 10:30 am - racing is never done this early! I am happy, but somewhat frustrated in how much of a gap there is between Laura and me. But, my main focus is on longer events, and this was a sprint of a race - a “sufferfest” in fact, twelve minutes in zone 4, and 25 minutes ANEROBIC zone 5! Holy Moly - and Garmin tells me I’ll need a 40 hour recovery! (Well, that’s not happening, but it is an indicator of a tuf ride!)
So - off to Sacramento, where I get to visit a dozen bike shops and promote our TBF Women’s Cycling Class with posters and handouts. A fun way to wrap up a Fun Day! Frozen yogurt and a stay-over with Julie, my sister in law, wrap up the day, and TBF Women’s Cycling Class is up next! My focus now turns entirely to Long Races: HooDoo 300 Stage Race, Silver State 500 2x, and the 12-hour Worlds, where I hope to defend my title and ride about 30 miles further than I did at last year’s event.
Race Photos courtesy of Craig Huffman - thank you for taking these!
Podium shots from Nor Cal Cycling.