Winding Down the Road Season

With almost 90 races between us for 2010, we headed to the Triad this past weekend for our last pair of weekend road races before hitting the off-season.

Saturday, September 11: Old Salem Criterium, Winston-Salem

The Carolina Cup weekend is typically a big date on the NC racing calendar, with many racers across the state wrapping up their seasons with the popular Carolina Cup on the second Sunday in September. Saturday of this weekend has typically featured a criterium in Winston-Salem, although the Walnut Cove crit of recent years was replaced this year with a new event, the Old Salem Criterium. Held in conjunction with a town festival, the race took place right in the heart of the historic Moravian settlement.

With our travel schedule making it difficult to get to Winston in time for the Cat 4 race, I chose to enter the Masters 35+ event. While I have raced in Masters events with just Cat 4/5 masters-age cyclists before, this would be my first time racing in an open masters field. For those new to all of these racing categories, the open masters field is often the fastest field outside of the Pro/Cat 1/Cat 2 field, and arguably more experienced. Thus, the joke that masters 35+ racers are just Cat 1/2s who finally got a job. Nevertheless, being a Cat 4 and just slightly older than 35 made me eligible to race in this category, so I paid my bux and threw myself to the wolves with the likes of Carolina Masters, Mock Orange Bikes, and so on.

Grinding up the 7% hill toward the start-finish stretch. With the A-listers working over even those who have earned their masters stripes on a weekly basis, my outcome was pretty much a given. Nevertheless, I considered it an honor to line up for my beating with some of the deepest race resumes in the region. The speed of the top half of the field was both sobering and inspiring. Being lapped several times over, I was inspired often. In actuality, with better form I would have hung with back of the field, and gaining more experience racing in this division is a goal of mine for 2011.

Cruising up the finishing straight toward the end of the race. Although I was the last finisher in 17th, I continued my effort through to the end of the race and took pride in not dropping out, which was the fate of 5 others in the race.

Amy entered the Women's Cat 3/4 race, which was held simultaneously with the Women's Cat 1/2. With PBR teammate and state criterium champ Bergen Watterson in the 1/2 field, Amy entered the race with dual goals of hanging with the 1/2 field to help Bergen and making life difficult for her 3/4 competition. The Old Salem course was dangerous, being short (0.5 miles), having tight corners, and having been repaved, oh, maybe once since the invention of the automobile. To make matters worse, the light on-and-off rain turned into a steady shower in time for the women to race.

As the race comes through the start-finish area after the first lap, Amy charges away from the other two in her field to bridge up to the 1/2 bunch.

Heading up the finishing straight after catching the 1/2 group.

Carving through the 4th corner before hammering up the 7% hill toward the start-finish area.

Descending the back stretch of the course in an aero tuck.

While Amy would eventually lose contact with the 1/2 field, she never let up on the gas pedal, lapping the other two 3/4s multiple times. Above, one of her competitors tries to hang onto Amy's wheel after getting lapped, her facial expression saying it all.

Amy keeps the pressure on as she continues to solo away from her field with 2 laps to go.

Borrowing from Joe Parkin's excellent read, A Dog in a Hat, Belgian cyclists aspire to win with "no one in the picture." The video above captures Amy crossing the line with no one in the picture, in weather that would make any Belgian cyclist smile.

Post-race smiles from Bergen, who took second place in the 1/2 race, and 3/4 winner Amy.

The merchants of Old Salem were clearly thrilled to be hosting the race, and I can't count how many times I was asked about the race, if I was having fun, if I would come back, etc. As I was walking down the course at the start of the women's race, I had one such conversation with three ladies who stood in the doorway of their shop and watched every bit of the racing action for the day. When I mentioned that I was watching Amy, they immediately declared their loyalty to her and took it upon themselves to cheer loudly for her every time she came by. Once the race was over, we had to get a photo of Amy with her new fan club.

Sunday, September 12: Carolina Cup, Greensboro

The following day, we set out to the site of what was in 2009 my first race since 1994 and just the second road race ever for Amy. With the previous day's rain giving way to crystal blue skies, we were eager to measure ourselves against where we were just one year ago. The Carolina Cup typically attracts large fields of racers eager to end their seasons on a high note.

Amy toes the start line first for the day for the Women's Cat 4 rumble.

The Cat 4 field cruises by early in the race. Amy raced hard at the front of the field during the race, trying unsuccessfully to break away with others at the front. She did take a mid-race sprint prize, winning a pair of cycling socks. Don't laugh, cycling socks are important. Really.

Crossing the finish line in 3rd place. After the top part of the field stayed together for most of the race, a last-lap crash split things up. After finishing last in this race last year, Amy was thrilled to have finished on the podium and to have been a major protagonist.

Getting ready for the Cat 4 race. I struggled with my asthma all weekend, ending my season with a thud. Nothing to see here, move along.

Wanting to wring the most out of her excellent late-season form, Amy entered the Women's Open race at the end of the day to test herself against the Cat 1/2/3s. Above, Amy is keeping pace with the bunch as they wind through the uphill section of the back of the circuit.

Above is a short video of the field as they race through the section pictured above.


Amy stayed comfortable with the Open field and even stretched her legs at the front a time or two during the race. She dug deep and stuck with the race even as her energy was waning, crossing the line in 9th place, pictured above. She again raced with her teammate Bergen, who avenged a narrow defeat from yesterday with a stylish sprint win on Sunday.

It was a highly successful weekend for Amy, who tallied two podium finishes, including a win on Saturday, and a fine effort to finish 9th in a strong field in her second race on Sunday. As for me, I'm heading into the off-season with lots of experience and goals to work toward. We still have a couple of mid-week events (one last Ring of Fire and Lowes TT) before we hang up the road bikes and get ready for cyclocross.

City of Lenoir Triathlon 2010

Saturday, September 4 was the second year in succession that Amy contested the City of Lenoir triathlon just north of us in Caldwell County. Held at the Lenoir Aquatic and Fitness Center, the sprint-distance triathlon consisted of a 250-meter swim, 16k bike, and a 5k run. Amy's overall goal for the event was to improve on her 4th overall placing from 2009. As was the case in 2009, conditions were nearly perfect as the region experienced its first stretch of low humidity and crystal-blue skies since spring.

With the advantage of being the first swimmer off after a 2-min break to allow the lanes to clear, Amy had time to splash around and give a thumbs-up before setting out.

Halfway through the last of the five 50-meter laps.

Running toward the transition area after clocking a 7 minute, 25 second swim leg, a few seconds off her pace from the previous year.

Ready to jump on the bike and set out on the 16k (10-mile) bike leg after a 1 minute, 23 second swim-to-bike transition.

Last year, Amy opted for her road bike due to the three steep climbs. Feeling that there were more seconds to be shaved on the flatter sections of the course, she chose her time trial bike this year, set up with a 50mm from wheel for aerodynamics and a standard rear wheel to reduce weight.

Never one to take great pictures, I am even less competent with our new camera, even though it's close to idiot-proof. However, there's something about this photo of Amy cresting the final 16% hill to the Aquatic Center that I like. After completing the bike leg in 29 minutes, 48 seconds, we would have to wait until the end of the race to see how she stacked up compared to last year, as the bike leg was shortened by two miles from 2009.

Two legs down, one to go, as Amy sprints out of the transition area after a 1 minute, 9 second bike-to-run transition.

Smiles are mostly non-existent as runners hit the line after running up the 1/4-mile climb to the finish, which ends with a 16% gradient. Amy notched a run time of 24 minutes, 47 seconds, trimming 27 seconds from her 2009 5k leg. Amy met her overall goal of improving her placing, finishing 2nd overall female with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 30 seconds, and 18th overall out of 101 total competitors. Another important goal of hers was to do a strong bike time, which she also met; she clocked the fastest bike time among all women by almost two minutes, and she was also the only female to negotiate the course in less than 30 minutes. Her bike time was the 9th fastest overall among all competitors, placing her in a select group of only ten who broke 30 minutes.

The Exhale Races

August 21-22, 2010, North Wilkesboro

I remember being a student at Appalachian State, driving back to Boone from Durham and getting stuck in the famous race-day traffic jams on US 421 just east of North Wilkesboro. During this era, racing fans were still able to make a twice-yearly pilgrimage to the Brushy Mountains, dubbed "the moonshine capital of America," to watch the sport's best racers duke it out in the cradle of stock car racing. North Wilkesboro Speedway was built in 1946 to give moonshine runners a place to race their heavily modified cars, and it soon hosted races in the fledgling NASCAR series. The speedway remained a symbol of the humble roots of of the sport until 1996, when massive growth and a change in NWS ownership led NASCAR to larger and more modern tracks.

Although the speedway no longer hosts the highest levels of stock car racing, the track is still used for local late-model events. And in 2010, it became a cycling venue. In the fashion of the Ace Speedway Series and our own Ring of Fire, Pirate Race Productions began hosting twice-monthly crits on Wednesday nights at NWS, and capped off the first year of the series with an all-you-can-race weekend smorgasbord called the Exhale Races. Pirate Race has quickly developed a reputation for producing unique and challenging events in our area, and after participating in their Tour du Life in May, we had the Exhale weekend circled on our calendar. With Pirate Race offering a single flat fee for entry into any race for the whole weekend, we carb-loaded and headed to Wilkesboro to race until our legs fell off.

Saturday, August 21

After two years of time trial racing at the modern, polished superspeedway in Charlotte, arriving at North Wilkesboro Speedway was like stepping back in time. Weathered, wooden press boxes perched atop the faded metal seats of the grandstand. The single-lane road leading to the interior of the track wound behind the splintered backstretch bleachers, now overgrown with brush. We drove into the infield, not through a lit 4-lane tunnel, but straight over the track and past the red-clay stretch used for tractor-pulls. As we parked outside the metal, open-sided pit garages, it was easy to see why the speedway was no longer used by NASCAR's elite. Still, it was a thrill to be preparing to race, not around a faceless industrial park, but in a historic sports venue built for racing.

Women's Cat 4
Family life dictated that we ease into the Exhale weekend with just one race each on Saturday. Amy led things off with a 20-minute contest in her category. Toeing the line with just 4 other competitors, the quintet became a trio after just two laps of the 0.6-mile track. Amy and two others proceeded to trade pulls for the remainder of the race, choosing to forgo any attacks and hunker down for a final sprint. As the trio began the final back stretch climb (a shortage of funds available to finish grading the track during its construction resulted in a climb up the backstretch and a downhill finish line on the frontstretch), the rotation found Amy in the unenviable position of the leading the group in the last lap. Unable to shake the other two off her rear wheel, she came across the line in third.

The women's Cat 4 field heads out of turn 4 toward the start-finish line.

Approaching the 3rd turn. This shot shows the grade of the backstretch climb.

Men's Cat 4Rounding out the first day, my category shot off the line, sprinted through turns 1 and 2, and hammered up the backstretch hill. Despite my improving fitness of late, a year's worth of getting dropped early in races left me uncertain of my fate for the weekend; the fact that the track had a slight climb didn't help matters. So as the field accelerated into turns 3 and 4 on the first lap of the 40-minute affair, I began to worry that my all-too-familiar pattern was going to remain intact. As the track tilted downward toward the start-finish line, I held my position in the field and caught my breath, determined to hang with the field as long as possible. As we hit the backstretch for the second time, the field settled into a rhythm that would characterize almost every lap I raced for the remainder of the weekend: a rapid acceleration out of turn 2, followed by the entire field sitting up and slowing just before turn 3. This flow gave non-climbers like myself the chance to stay with the field without going beyond their red line. As the laps clicked by, I continued to stay with the field, albeit still antsy about whether or not the field was still toying with me and would eventually wake up and rocket away. I began to race harder at the front of the field, hoping I would lose as little ground as possible when things got frantic toward the end of the race. As the race entered 10 laps to go, I still felt good, although I was yet to realize that I was expending a ton of energy staying near the front in my still-somewhat-paranoid state. But I was already feeling that my first event of the weekend was a success, having stayed with the field longer than any race since spring. I saw the junior who won the crit at the WNC Grand Prix hanging out near the front with me, and I entertained the thought of jumping with him if he launched an attack. Sure enough, with eight laps to go he made his move, and after a split second to decide if I really wanted to jump, I went for it. Alas, my split-second hesitation was my downfall, and instead of catching on his wheel, all I achieved was upping the pace in the now-chasing field. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I settled back in the pack to try to conserve energy and hold on without getting dropped. I stayed with the field into the last lap, and as the field would up for the sprint after catching the breakaway, I realized I had burned all my matches in my failed jump a few laps earlier. I crossed the line in 21st place, but very happy to have not only stayed with the field but to have actually been racing.

Sunday, August 22

Masters 35+ 4/5

With my spirits buoyed by my race the previous day, I was excited to be at the speedway and racing early on Sunday morning. My confidence was soaring as I warmed up, although my legs still smarted from the efforts from Saturday that I now knew were unnecessary. I entered the 30-minute masters race knowing that I would need to be smarter in the field in order to conserve energy, not only for this race but for the Cat 4 race in the afternoon, which at that point I still considered my "main" event for the day. So as the gun went off, my goal for the race was to manage my efforts better though my position in the field and to avoid wearing myself out chasing breaks down at the front. Fortunately, a 5-man break went up the road midway through the race, and with a combination of tired legs and the prospect of lots more racing ahead, the field was content to let them stay away. I succeeded in my goals for the race, staying with the field, having some gas left in the tank for the final sprint, and coming across the line in 14th for what would be my best result of the weekend.

Masters under-35 4/5

Lining up for the under-35 cat 4/5 masters race

One of the nice things about the Exhale Races was its emphasis on racing as many events as possible. To that end, women were eligible and encouraged to enter men's events. Amy, being just ever-so-slightly younger than me, had targeted this race as a good warmup for the day along with her teammate Erica Chard. However, in talking to a fellow racer from my first race, I learned that masters-age racers can race down in younger masters-age races, meaning I had the rare opportunity to race with Amy. I quickly registered and got ready to do my second race in a row in support of Amy and Erica in their attempt to go Thelma-and-Louise on the dudes. Going into the race, Amy's plan was to hang in as long as possible, and my plan was to hang with her and help her if necessary.

Now, Amy has raced with guys before, but only at the Ring of Fire, where the women get lumped in with the Cat 5 guys. These races, which typically have fewer than 15 participants, tend to be a bit disjointed in that the women ride their race, the guys ride their race, and it doesn't typically feel as if they are really racing each other. This would be her first honest-to-goodness crit against the hombres, and to add to the challenge, the field was the largest of any race that weekend and included Cat 4s. My repeated beatings by her in time trials have taught me not to doubt her; however, the expectation that she would eventually get dropped seemed realistic, not due to her ability but simply that this was her first go-round in a race of this kind. So we set out at the back of the field at the start of the 30-minute event relaxed in our modest expectations. Amy was energized by being in such a large and potentially faster field than she was used to, and I excited to be racing side-by-side with her.

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the finish line: it turned out that Amy didn't need any help from me at all. Apparently in her element in a bigger, faster field, she worked her way through the pack as if she had been doing it all year. She moved easily from wheel to wheel, deftly managing her efforts and responding to every acceleration. I morphed from a deputized SpokesWomen Syndicate domestique to an excited spectator, sitting on her wheel and watching her stick her nose in the middle of the pack as if she were one of the guys. The joy in watching her finish the race with the field was overwhelming, and although her placing said 30th, she finished ahead of 9 other men and achieved the most significant result of the weekend among the two of us. It was also the most fun I've had riding or racing a bike.

Amy and I cruising with the under-35 Cat 4/5 masters field.

Women's Cat 4

After the underwhelming women's Cat 4 race the day before, Amy felt that she had a point to prove in Sunday's race. After considerable debriefing of Saturday's race, her main goal for Sunday was to spend less time at the front in an effort to make the race hard when it counted. Although the field remained small, three more-experienced racers joined the three podium finishers from the previous day, resulting in a much more animated race. Multiple attacks were launched on the prime laps, including a two-up breakaway attempt by Amy and another competitor, and although none stayed away, it did serve to keep the pace high. Despite the more attacking nature of Sunday's race, the race again came down to a bunch sprint between the five who were still left. While one of Amy's Cat 4 compatriots scored a deserving double-win for the weekend, Amy punched the clock in second place after a long sprint out of the 4th turn.

Sprinting for the line

Sunday's women's Cat 4 podium

Men's Cat 4
With Amy having secured two podiums in two days among her gender, it was time for more fun. Still buzzing from the men's race earlier in the day, Amy entered my last race of the weekend, the men's Cat 4 race. Brimming with confidence, she had every intention of going for it. Brimming with lactic acid, I was shot before the race even started. With nothing left in the tank, and now knowing that Amy could take care of herself, I drifted to the back of the pack at the start and settled in to watch Amy race. The slightly smoother pace of the Cat 4s allowed Amy to deftly move around through the field, taking wheels, and even defend her position with an elbow here and there. By the closing laps of the race, she was riding in 8th position at the font of the field. She would eventually cross the line in 16th, again finishing with the field and ahead of six others. As for myself, with my tired legs unable to respond to the late-race surges, I sat up on a couple of laps so that I could jump on the back of the field when it came back around and watch Amy finish her amazing weekend.

Men's Cat 4 action

By the end of Sunday, it had been a fantastic weekend. We got to race in an historic setting in an event produced by one of the better race promoters in the Southeast. We did eight races between us in a little over 24 hours. After a season of training with little to show for it, I was able to finally stay with the field in my races and left with new confidence. Amy scored two podium finishes in the women's races and displayed the depth of her talents by racing shoulder-to-shoulder with the men. I guess that's why they call it the 'Exhale' Races...

Western NC Grand Prix

July 30-31, 2010, Black Mountain

We spent our final weekend in July racing in the Western NC Grand Prix in Black Mountain. The first leg of the WNCGP consisted of a hill climb time trial from Old Fort to Swannanoa Gap, just outside of Black Mountain. The hill climb features a very scenic and interesting route that is worthy of a short history lesson. The 3.5-mile climb (4.5% grade average) is part of what used to be the only road from the east to the Asheville region, NC 10 and later US 70.

Photo from http://www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/old10/lookout.html

Once the new 4-lane US 70 was built (which would later become I-40), Old 70 fell into disrepair and was eventually gated off from vehicle traffic. The crumbling road, as seen in the photo below, remained a popular path for both hikers and mountain bikers, and most recently was paved over to make a greenway for pedestrians and cyclists. The scenic road winds alongside the Western NC rail line, which crosses under the famous Swannanoa tunnel at the top of the gap.

Photo from http://www.gribblenation.com/ncpics/old10/lookout.html

So up Old 70 we went, one by one, to see who could ride to the top of the mountain the fastest. Amy crested the peak in 19:55, good for 5th in the Women's Cat 4 division. I stopped the clock at 18:35, finishing 12th among the Cat 4/5 men.

Saturday's contest was a criterium around Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain. The counterclockwise course is very technical, boasting a nasty left-hand corner leading into a long climb featuring a switchback. To add to the difficulty, the gray and overcast day gave way to rain about an hour prior to our races, making the roads greasy and treacherous.

Above, the men's Cat 4/5 race gets underway. Although the road was drier at the start line, the heavily shaded course was still mostly wet for the 30-minute event.

On the climb early in the race.

Rounding the switchback. With only a few laps to go, I crashed in this section when my rear tire slipped on the white paint in the road.

Racing through the only real straightaway on the course, just prior to crashing. Despite the crash, I finished 9th after an unspectacular but consistent effort.

The women's race immediately followed mine, and the decision was made to combine all classes into single women's open field.

Motoring down the straightaway before the diabolical left turn.

Mashing up the hill after the switchback.

Amy finished 3rd among the Cat 4 women in the race after surviving the technical course without incident. Her consistency over the weekend netted her some cash and a crit prize of an indoor grill!

Lowes Time Trial Update

As our busy summer winds down, I again find myself way behind in race updates. Below is a summary of the last two time trials at Lowes.

Lowes TT #3, July 7

The third leg of the series found us in the middle of a serious heat wave, with race-day temps near 100 and track temps too frightening to think about. Our household competition was knotted at one race each, with the coveted Lakeview Cup in my possession after last month's tilt. Determined to regain the lead in our grudge match, Amy came out fighting and finished in 25:43.64, maintaining her consistency for the year and finishing first in the women's Cat 4 division. It also gave her a decisive victory in our duel, after I limped home with a time of 27:18.74. Amy was all smiles after wresting the cup from me and taking a 2-1 advantage between the two of us.

Lowes TT #4, August 4

The fourth event in the series was official start of vacation for us, as we loaded our truck to the gills and prepared to drive straight from the speedway to Virginia Beach for a few days of fun in the sun. We faced another sultry night at the track, with temps again in the mid-90s. Fueled by excitement over vacation plans and motivation to erase my miserable performance from last month, I stopped the clock at 24:58.24, a new personal best at the speedway. Amy finished her test in 25:47.08, good for second place for the night. She also put herself squarely in the driver's seat for her second series title, amassing a commanding 30-point lead in the women's Cat 4 division.

Photos by Paul Gamewell

So with two events left in the 6-race series, Amy sits atop her division, and our household battle is knotted at two events each.

French Broad Cycling Classic

The French Broad Cycling Classic is a 3-stage omnium that takes place in the greater Asheville area. The race is one of the highlights of the NC/SC racing calendar and draws nearly 1000 racers from the Southeast. Amy's Performance Bicycle Racing team circled this date on their racing calendar as a major team race for 2010, so after recharging our batteries at the Outer Banks for a week, we headed up to Marshall, NC for the omnium.

Friday, July 16: Cane Creek Time Trial, Marshall, NC


The first stage of the FBCC omnium was a 20k (12.2-mile) time trial along the French Broad river. The out-and-back course is generally flat and fast, and Amy was well-prepared for the course after her efforts in the Lowes Time Trial series. Despite our week of leisure at the beach leading up to the race, she crossed the line in 32:44, placing her in 4th place out of 21 competitors in the Women's Cat 4 division.

Saturday, July 17: Liberty Bicycles Road Race, Marshall, NC

In 2009, the FBCC replaced the Saturday criterium with a road race designed to showcase the very thing that makes cycling in Asheville what it is: mountainous and challenging. The Asheville Bicycle Racing Club (organizers of the FBCC) devised a punishing 40-mile route featuring a climb over Murray Gap and finishing atop Walnut Creek gap for a total of 6100 feet of climbing. Having previewed the course a handful of times, we knew we were in for a hard day in the saddle.


The first selection of the route actually occurred during the first 10 miles of the route, which consisted of a mostly uphill grind to Mars Hill. This resulted in several racers simply dropping out of the women's Cat 4 race, turning around and heading back. Although Amy (pictured above 300m from the finish atop Walnut Creek road) lost contact with the front of the race during this first stretch, she battled on to finish 24th after 2 hours and 40 minutes of racing.

While I did not contest the overall omnium, I did jump in on the road race in the men's Cat 4 division. In hindsight, I may have been a bit too relaxed following a week at the beach, and I limped home in last place at 55th.

Sunday, July 18: City Of Asheville Criterium, Asheville, NC

The omnium concluded with a criterium staged in South Asheville. While flat compared to the previous day's route, it nevertheless consisted of a long, gradual uphill stretch for about half of the 1.1-mile circuit. With the air thick and humid from daily thunderstorms and legs still smarting from the previous day's torture, a challenging contest lay ahead. The women's Cat 4 field started out at a steady but relatively moderate pace for their 35-minute race, and the field mostly stayed together for the first few laps. Just as the field was beginning to increase its speed, two riders went down, and Amy was caught behind and a gap formed. Left to chase mostly by herself, she was unable to catch back on to the field despite a furious chase and finished 13th.

In what was only her second omnium, Amy finished 14th out of 37 total competitors, anchored by her excellent time trial result. In addition, Performance Bicyle Racing had an outstanding weekend, with the elite team landing 7 top-10 finishes among the three stages, a win in the Sunday crit, and a second-place in the overall women's Cat 1-3 omnium.

The four photos above were taken by Paul Christopher. Please visit Christopher Graphics Event Photography to view additional photos of the FBCC, as well as photos of other cycling events from the area.