CoreTechs Staffing Cycling Team

Where – Copper Town Square Circuit Race, Copperopolis, CA When – February 19, 2012 Race – 45+ Cat 4 Stats – ~1 Hour, ~20 miles, 30 riders CoreTechs Teammates - Mike Whitlatch, Alan Takahashi and Chris Scheetz There is nothing like going into a race with high expectations - with maybe a little good natured pressure from Kate (who is my wife) and some incentive from knowing that CoreTechs is "sponsoring" the race. Also, I've been getting some good natured ribbing after my lack of tactical prowess at the Knights Ferry race. So, I'm anxious and excited to do well! My day starts early. There are races throughout the entire day and as a CoreTechs volunteer, I am to be a corner marshal assigned to the first turn as racers come onto the town square portion of the circuit. The promoter even gives me a whistle. (Their mistake, I can make some serious noise with a good whistle!) My job is to notice when the racers are coming onto the town square, blow my whistle and make sure spectators are safely off the course. This turns out to be great fun! I have an excellent view of the action, I get to educate a few visitors on bicycle racing and I get to hang out and chat with fellow racing friends. I spend the morning executing my duties with gusto. A little more than an hour before my race, Kate takes over as marshal for my corner. Huge thanks to Kate for doing this. Seeing as she is my sponsor, nutritionist and loving wife, "volunteering" as a race marshal is way over and above the call of duty! I rush to the car, get my bike squared away, get my tires pumped up and begin to get myself ready. So, I pin my number on the wrong side of my jersey, take the number off, pin it on the correct side but upside down, start over and finally get the stupid number pinned on my jersey correctly. This takes up most of my warm-up time but I'm finally ready and I have enough time to ride the town square portion of the circuit before my race starts. I've been having fun all day and now, I'm ready to race. There are 30 of us lined up at the start. The referee gives us our pre-race briefing then blows his whistle (almost as good as mine!) and we're off! I decide to lead the first section of the race. This gives me a chance to really get warmed up after which I plan to move back into the first three to five riders in the pack from whence I will execute my well planned tactics. I ride on the front for a few minutes then a couple of riders take over and I begin to settle into the pack. So much for an easy start to the race... I don't even get a chance to check-in with my teammates and a Major Motion (MM) rider makes a solid break off the front. He is solo and I know he can't stay away for the whole race. Nevertheless, he looks strong so I make the jump and bridge up to him. We have a quick chat as I wonder if he really thinks he has what it will take to break-away for the whole race: Me, "What have you got?" MM guy, "I got a lot!" I'm thinking, "Crap. This guy will make a good break-away companion and I feel strong but this is going to be a lot of work... and I'm not really warmed-up". But, here we are, so I decide to go for it. I begin a strong pull to, hopefully, open up some space between us and the pack. Then, as I let up so MM guy can pull through, two more riders bridge up to us; a rider from Team Polli Veloce (TPV) along with the ever present and always strong, friend Jeff Andruss from Monta Vista Velo (MVV). This is good news, more riders to share the work means we're more likely to hold off the pack. All four of us are pretty strong and each does a good share of the work. Even so, after the first lap, MM guy starts doing a bunch of aggressive attacks. Maybe he is just testing us but if he gets away, there is no way he will make it all the way to the finish by himself. TPV guy also tries to attack but, just like with MM guy, the four of us eventually get back together. The problem is, with these attacks, we're not as fast as when we all cooperate. I notice that between laps two and three, the pack begins to get closer to us. Then, Jeff declares a truce and says, "Hey guys, let's work together. I don't care where I finish but if we stay away, I'm happy with fourth. It'll be my best finish ever!" This seems to satisfy our breakaway companions and they settle down. But I've been keeping track of the attacks my competitors have been making and I'm keeping track of the "matches" they've burned. Let's just say I'm trying to keep all of my matches for the final sprint. Because of the course layout, at about three quarters of each lap completed, we can see the space between our breakaway group and the pack. We can also hear the pack as we go by. At this point on the final lap, we've gained substantially on the pack and there is no way they can catch us before the finish and I get a cheer of support and encouragement from my teammates! Tactic Number One complete and successful. My assessment of my breakaway competitors: MM guy is riding well, he is wily and may have a good long-duration sprint. Both Jeff and TPV guy are big strong dudes who look like sprinters. I'm not sure I can out-sprint TPV guy in a head-to-head short sprint and I know Jeff is strong and is always a worry in a fast finish. So, early in the final lap, I've moved to the front to do my pull so I can then move back into the draft and save energy for the sprint. After the final turn-around, I go to the front again but the others in the break move ahead of me almost immediately. This is fine with me as I plan to make a long sprint effort and will need all the energy I can muster. As we approach the one-kilometer-to-go sign, MM guy starts to get anxious and seems prepared to attack. If I'm to win, I feel it is critical to preempt his sprint (tactic number two). As we pass the one-kilometer-to-go sign, I sprint. I sprint with everything I've got and I go as hard as I can for as long as I can. As I'm cresting the final hill, I'm running out of gas and I take a quick look back. I have a lead of about 30 meters but with 100 meters to go, I'm afraid they'll catch me so I stand up for one last surge across the line. I win! I am psyched!! The race was hard but really fun. I've redeemed myself for my poor tactics at the Knights Ferry race, I raced as smart as I could and my final sprint leaves me with a huge dose of confidence. I head back to the town square to cheer for the CoreTechs crew in the next race. What a great day! I truly enjoy riding with this team! Thanks for reading. Tom Rice Bicycle Racer CoreTechs Cycling Team