Thursday, May 26, 2005
Racing up Four Mile Canyon
I had never ridden up Four Mile Canyon before last week and now I've ridden it three times, each time at a faster pace. Today we had a group of six including four Excel riders: Rob Karman, Billy (Cat. 1), Eric (just won the Cat. 3 race at the Coal Miner Classic by soloing the last lap), and Ira (key organizer of the Boulder Stage Race). von Coppock and I represented Rocky Mounts - IZZE.
After Eric adjusted my rear derailleur so that I couldn't use my 27 (that would be cheating), we headed west on the bike path at a slow pace, hoping that Jeb would catch up and even up the numbers. Once we hit Boulder Canyon there was no getting on and Jeb couldn't make it today. I led up the canyon for just a bit, waiting for the Excel train to come to the front. I didn't have to wait long until Eric came up and started pushing. After a minute or two it was Billy's turn and I was hurting trying to hang on.
We turned up Four Mile, still altogether, and Rob's cuts the corner across the dirt, cyclocross-style, and takes a turn at the front. A couple of minutes later, he pulls off and Eric takes a turn. We're hammering and I'm wondering how long I'm going to hang on to these guys. Ira's not out for that type of workout, so he drops off and heads up Poorman (a much steeper dirt road). So now we were down to five. Billy takes a turn and I started to slip off his wheel at a steep section. von Coppock comes around me, trying to maintain his pace but doesn't try to close down the gap. Rob goes from the back, hard, and tries to close the gap, but the front two are going hard. Rob blows up before he can get on and that's unfortunate, because the front two sit up a bit after the steep section and I close onto their wheel, as does Eric, but now the pace is on again.
Eric and Billy turn the screws and von Coppock gets dropped. I go to the front to take a turn and keep the pace high. The Excel boys are probably riding an easy tempo pace but for the rest of us, we're working hard, very hard. I don't lead long before Excel takes the front again. We top the first rise in 12m10s from the start of the road in Boulder Canyon and the Excel guys sat up and asked, "Should we wait?" "Heck, no," I said, "We have a gap on Coppock!" I wanted revenge from when Eric embarrassed me on Linden a few weeks ago.
I went to the front and worked hard on the descent and into the next hill. After a minute or so of climbing, the Excel train comes by to the front again, except on the end of this train is von Coppock! "How'd he get back up here?" I thought. Apparently I wasn't going that hard down the hill. Eric is a great pursuit man and chased us down. Now I was on the back end and the pace was high. I knew I couldn't hold it for much longer. Eric came off Billy's wheel and a gap opened up. Then I see Eric extend an open hand toward me. I wondered what the heck that was about. Did he want to high five me, for staying with these guys so long? Did he want to shake hands? Hmmm? I reach out and grab his hand and he immediately slingshots me forward and onto Billy's wheel. Eric was giving me every advantage to stay with the two horses. And I was trying to drop him... Hmmm. That isn't right.
I stayed on the train for only a minute or two longer before getting dropped for good. I continued to work hard so that Eric wouldn't catch me and drop me again, like he did on Linden and I barely succeeded in doing this. I averaged 162 bpm for this second section of the climb and finished to the end of the pavement in 23m18s from Boulder Canyon. Billy and Eric were at least a minute ahead of this time. My previous best time on this climb was 26+ minutes, so having an Excel train to ride is a huge advantage. And fun!
We descended a bit and saw Rob climbing up and he was happy to turn around to join us. We regrouped with Eric and Billy at the V-split a little ways down. We rode out casual until the rise up to the first crest. We always hammer sections like this and I was ready this time after Jeb smoked me the last time I rode here. Everyone was ready and we ascended very fast and in a very tight pack of five, with no one off the front or the back. A little ways after cresting the hill, von Coppock attacks and there is no reaction from the peloton. He gets a big gap and still no one is interested. Finally, as the road starts to descend steeply, Excel takes up the chase. All five of us are absolutely flying down this canyon, leaning big into the constant curves, dodging the potholes, hugging and occasionally crossing the double-yellow line. The gap is coming down, though. We're reeling in von Coppock a little bit at a time. Excel surges and the chase group is split into two groups of two with me the rear of the second group, behind Rob. We're only fifty feet back or so and remain that way for quite awhile. Eventually, Rob seemed to be tiring and I go by him and close the gap to the Excel boys just as they caught von Coppock, we all sit up and Rob catches on and we finish to Boulder Canyon, groupo compatto.
Rob heads west to scout photo locations and the rest of us head east, back to work. Now that was a one fun ride! You shouldn't have missed it. Let's do that again next week.
Bill
After Eric adjusted my rear derailleur so that I couldn't use my 27 (that would be cheating), we headed west on the bike path at a slow pace, hoping that Jeb would catch up and even up the numbers. Once we hit Boulder Canyon there was no getting on and Jeb couldn't make it today. I led up the canyon for just a bit, waiting for the Excel train to come to the front. I didn't have to wait long until Eric came up and started pushing. After a minute or two it was Billy's turn and I was hurting trying to hang on.
We turned up Four Mile, still altogether, and Rob's cuts the corner across the dirt, cyclocross-style, and takes a turn at the front. A couple of minutes later, he pulls off and Eric takes a turn. We're hammering and I'm wondering how long I'm going to hang on to these guys. Ira's not out for that type of workout, so he drops off and heads up Poorman (a much steeper dirt road). So now we were down to five. Billy takes a turn and I started to slip off his wheel at a steep section. von Coppock comes around me, trying to maintain his pace but doesn't try to close down the gap. Rob goes from the back, hard, and tries to close the gap, but the front two are going hard. Rob blows up before he can get on and that's unfortunate, because the front two sit up a bit after the steep section and I close onto their wheel, as does Eric, but now the pace is on again.
Eric and Billy turn the screws and von Coppock gets dropped. I go to the front to take a turn and keep the pace high. The Excel boys are probably riding an easy tempo pace but for the rest of us, we're working hard, very hard. I don't lead long before Excel takes the front again. We top the first rise in 12m10s from the start of the road in Boulder Canyon and the Excel guys sat up and asked, "Should we wait?" "Heck, no," I said, "We have a gap on Coppock!" I wanted revenge from when Eric embarrassed me on Linden a few weeks ago.
I went to the front and worked hard on the descent and into the next hill. After a minute or so of climbing, the Excel train comes by to the front again, except on the end of this train is von Coppock! "How'd he get back up here?" I thought. Apparently I wasn't going that hard down the hill. Eric is a great pursuit man and chased us down. Now I was on the back end and the pace was high. I knew I couldn't hold it for much longer. Eric came off Billy's wheel and a gap opened up. Then I see Eric extend an open hand toward me. I wondered what the heck that was about. Did he want to high five me, for staying with these guys so long? Did he want to shake hands? Hmmm? I reach out and grab his hand and he immediately slingshots me forward and onto Billy's wheel. Eric was giving me every advantage to stay with the two horses. And I was trying to drop him... Hmmm. That isn't right.
I stayed on the train for only a minute or two longer before getting dropped for good. I continued to work hard so that Eric wouldn't catch me and drop me again, like he did on Linden and I barely succeeded in doing this. I averaged 162 bpm for this second section of the climb and finished to the end of the pavement in 23m18s from Boulder Canyon. Billy and Eric were at least a minute ahead of this time. My previous best time on this climb was 26+ minutes, so having an Excel train to ride is a huge advantage. And fun!
We descended a bit and saw Rob climbing up and he was happy to turn around to join us. We regrouped with Eric and Billy at the V-split a little ways down. We rode out casual until the rise up to the first crest. We always hammer sections like this and I was ready this time after Jeb smoked me the last time I rode here. Everyone was ready and we ascended very fast and in a very tight pack of five, with no one off the front or the back. A little ways after cresting the hill, von Coppock attacks and there is no reaction from the peloton. He gets a big gap and still no one is interested. Finally, as the road starts to descend steeply, Excel takes up the chase. All five of us are absolutely flying down this canyon, leaning big into the constant curves, dodging the potholes, hugging and occasionally crossing the double-yellow line. The gap is coming down, though. We're reeling in von Coppock a little bit at a time. Excel surges and the chase group is split into two groups of two with me the rear of the second group, behind Rob. We're only fifty feet back or so and remain that way for quite awhile. Eventually, Rob seemed to be tiring and I go by him and close the gap to the Excel boys just as they caught von Coppock, we all sit up and Rob catches on and we finish to Boulder Canyon, groupo compatto.
Rob heads west to scout photo locations and the rest of us head east, back to work. Now that was a one fun ride! You shouldn't have missed it. Let's do that again next week.
Bill
