Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tour of The Valley

As race reports go, this one will be brief. Not that there wasn’t quite a lot to tell you about the three day of racing in Youngstown, Ohio, it’s just that the results were slim.

This race is just in its second year and it has the potential to be a great race. The event is run quite well and has many happy/helpful volunteers. Question: why volunteer for our local Columbus races and then act like a wanker? Only criticism was the high (higher than normal) entry fees. 

The Godfather and I signed up for the omnium (forget spell checker, it means all three races). Friday night was to be a 9 mile time trial. We drove all day through pouring rains, never thinking to bring a turbo trainer to warm up on. Needless to say, I wasn’t about to warm up in a downpour, so I raced ‘old school’ flicked my cigarette out and whispered “avanti” as a heard the countdown , “5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” Conti went old school too, Laurant Fignon- style, traditional bike, while others sported Greg Lemond-inspired solid disc wheels, aero helmets, and real TT bikes. Conti flats right outta the start house (lucky bastard) and I have to endure 26 minutes of rain, and emolument-cover aero-racers passing me. 

Saturday was a 33 mile road race, we were joined by Dave "Marilyn" Chambers and Dan Rhule(s)! When we line up the skies had cleared BUT the turnout was quite low. Where was everyone? We soon learned that participants from year 1 opted out of what might have been the toughest course of the 2010 road schedule. There was a 2 mile climb at 10-12% that destroyed the field, even half the cat. 1 / 2 field dropped out. (note to self: skip RR next year)

Sunday was criterium in downtown, it was flat, fast (we avg. 25.5 mph) and fun. I figured, I finished 15th about 40 yards behind the winner. 

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