Islands - Bermuda and Long

It is all about the islands.

I haven’t updated for some time now, and much has happened. My trip to the Bermuda Grand Prix was killer . . .in many ways. I got smoked everyday by pros with hangovers. In many ways it was infuriating, in many ways it was humbling and in many ways it was motivating. The racing was short and intense with nice weather most days. We did get 40 mph winds and 2-3” of rain during the circuit race . . .but that’s bike racin’. It seems like so long ago at this point, I don’t have much else to say. I guess I would say if you ever get a chance to go to the Bermuda GP, you should go. If you ever get a chance to go to Bermuda to sit on the beach and sip rum drinks with little umbrellas, you should go. The island is amazing.

One more word to the wise regarding Bermuda:
If you are a 135 lbs. Uruguayan bike racer, beware of the little pink drinks that cute girls hand you anytime after 12:00 am. Just ask Jerry.

Next island on the race itinerary: Long Island.
We left Friday after work bound for New London, CT to catch a 9:00 am ferry on Saturday for the first day of the Whitmore Cup. I heard great things about this UCI weekend: lots of money, small fields and the lure of getting UCI points early in the season. Martha, Daisy and I took 7+ hours of travel to get to this race, but it was worth it.

Day 1
I had a third row start position, the gun went off and I was a little lethargic out of the gates. The course had a long pavement/grass drag to the first hard turn and a vicious uphill (the first “obstacle”). The field was about 40 guys and I came onto that hill in 30th or so. Not exactly ideal!

Two things to note here about the start: First, this was my first Elite UCI race with a stacked field (McCormack, Anthony, Wells, White, Hamblen, Kraus (!!!), Shriver, etc). Second, when I was racing “Amateurs” if I had a bad start, I would simply wait for a fast section on the course, hit the gas and usually find myself in the lead group. Note to self: We not in Kansas anymore.

So the hill was ridable. I rode it every time during course inspection/warm-up. However, when approaching it 30 deep, I was running. By the time I dismounted, the front 10 or so guys were already over the top and gone. From then on, I went backwards. I never felt like I could get going and basically sucked for about 45 minutes. While the race was scheduled for 60 minutes, I was pulled with 2 laps to go as McCormack blazed by me. I do mean blaze. I was looking for a fire extinguisher.

I ended up 27th . . far from the points . . .far from the money . . .and searching for my pride.

Day 2
I was determined to get it together. Day 1 was disappointing, but I saw glimpses of hope. My bike handling was good, my barriers/dismounts were good, etc. What I didn’t have was the killer instinct, the “snap” required to be a good crosser. I haven’t been “in the zone” for a while now. When road racing in August, I didn’t have it. I probably had convinced myself that it was “training for cross” so I didn’t need that fierce attacking mentality. Guess what . . .wrong. The first cross race came and went and I still didn’t attack the race. Day 2 . . .different approach. The starter gave us the nod, I got into my pedals immediately and charged. I again had a 3rd row start due to no UCI points, but moved up pretty well in the first 200 meters of pavement. There was some serious pushing and shoving, most likely due to the $4k prize list but I came thru unscathed. I managed to be ahead of the boys that decided to hit the barriers and came to the first sweeping grass/sand corner in 20th or so. As we approached the second 120 degree corner just before the off camber uphill, I dove to the inside moved up 5 slots and was able to ride the hill. This was HUGE. Good for the adrenalin, good for the moral, good for positioning and in general I was showing my cross mentality of old. The front was still significantly faster than is comfortable for me, but this start allowed me to be ahead of many of the guys that dusted my yesterday and settle in.

Lap 2 was tough. I jockeyed for position, hit the gas when I could and tried to compose myself from the first lap effort. I settled into a group that was 15th to 20th place. Lap 3 saw me loose contact with that group, but I kept plugging. I ended up doing battle with a few dudes, and even found myself attacking my little group in areas that suited my strengths. In the end, I was 22nd. The results show me as 24th, but they are wrong. I beat the two dudes show in front of me, but I was trying to catch the 5:00 ferry for my 7+ hour jaunt home and the extra $10 I would have made in prize money, wasn’t worth missing the ferry. I was 2 slots away from my Top 20 goal and 7 slots away from UCI points, but I had good sensations. Plus, I got paid. Reason enough to try and run with the big dogs. At a UCI C1 race, they pay 30 deep. There were 40 or so starters so I was pleased.

Final thought on the weekend: KRAUS.
Matt had some sick results this weekend with two Top 10s against a stacked field. Insane results in my book. I never saw him on either day. He was on a different plane.

What next?
NAV Canton Cup on Sunday and maybe Jamestown RR on Monday. Thanks for reading.