Savage Hill Stage Race - Sugar Grove Road Race

There were only 5 people in the cat 5 field. Apparently everyone else was doing the real race. Anyway, the first time up firetower I gapped everyone pretty badly on the steep pitch. So on the ridge traverse I keep it down to a moderately fast pace and wondered at what point they would catch me. Which three of them did on the last decent. So the three of us cruise around the circuit alternating pulls till we hit firetower again. Sensing a little blood in the water from the last climb I picked up the pace about half way up. At least one guy was still holding on at the bottom of the steep pitch. Then I put the hammer down. And thats the last I saw of them till after the finish line.
So in sumary:

The hill was tall,
the field was small
so I got to play.

We started the day about a minute down with Bret 4s behind me. We couldn't get enough time with Bret picking up KOM's and with me picking up bonus on the final sprint. We had to get away to win, but the bonus would reduce that gap required. One thing for certain, we weren't going to give up without a fight.

Since I wasn't going to get away, I did my usual harrasment duties and the others attacked. I could tell who was motivated. Stark Velo and the two Lake Effect teams were intent on keeping things together. I blocked, let out gaps when it benefitted us, and attacked every chance except on the hill.

Bret put in one final attack over the last climb trying to stay away. That lasted until 3-4 miles out. The last option was to go for a sprint win and collect a little more cash.

Bret and I talked about it before the race, but Bret wasn't there to contribute. Don ended up attempting the leadout and it went too soon. There was a headwind, one guy up the road a few yards and we were a good 4-500 yds away with the banner out of sight.

After all the cards were on the table, I went with everything I could to discourage a heated chase. The gap grew quickly and when I couldn't hold my pace, I could feel someone right behind me. He gave me a 'thank-you' for the leadout. I think he ended up winning and I finished 3rd.

After feeling extremely fatigued before the race, we all fought hard to get the last thing that eluded us- the yellow jersey. We had the climbers' jersey, the TTT victory, the Chicken Coop RR victory, the team classification, and 3 of the top 4 placings overall. You can't have everything. If this race were done on points, we would have won, but it would have reduced the impact of a successful break away. That early break away coupled with a strong team to keep things together through the other stages is what allowed the Yellow Jersey to stay with Lake Effect.

Strong competition makes the victories sweeter, enjoy it. Good Race guys!

The support crews were great, thanks for putting the race on. Thanks to JoMay for providing race support, food, and all the hard work so I could just concentrate on the race. She deserves something special for that!

I had been baking in the sun for the past two days, marshalling the men’s stages. Despite my attempts to keep hydrated, I saw signs Sunday night I was slightly dehydrated. My easy ride that night with Wendy, Jim, and Amy was rough. Even on the baby climbs in Pickerington, my legs had nothing. So it was with trepidation I approached this race. Amy’s hysterical laughter when I told her we were climbing Firetower twice didn’t help.

Erin of Bike Source and Carrie of Godspeed started us up Firetower at a good clip. By the time we were halfway up, there were 4 of us. Three fourths of the way up I got popped off, and I saw Pascale get popped off not too long after. It took me almost the entire descent to bridge up to Pascale; she and I were closing the gap on the leaders the whole time. At the hard left, we caught them. The sweeping crew did a fantastic job on the course, but especially on that corner--on Thursday there was so much gravel I know they needed shovels to clear it.

The rest of the first lap, then up through Firetower, we four worked together. This time it was Pascale who got popped off first. I had delusions of staying with the other two, but about halfway I had problems. This time, worse than the first. I dropped out of the big ring, and just a minute later Pascale was passing me. I tried to muster my resolve, but the lungs were in the beginnings of another asthma attack. I settled for a slow, steady climb, and even that hurt. I had lost sight of Erin and Carrie, but I could always see Pascale. Thanks to all the folks at the kick at the top who cheered me on. I so much wanted to get off the bike!

I whittled away about half of Pascale’s lead on the descent, and it took me until the final corner to reel her in (thanks to everyone at the other corners who also cheered me on). From there it was a few games until the last hundred meters, with me riding all over the road to keep her from getting a good draft, and then the final sprint. I’m pleased with my average, and vowing I will do more hill work next year to learn how to climb better.

We had a great turnout from our women’s team, and it was fun to race with Katherine. I can’t imagine tackling that hill without all the miles I have under my belt this year. You go, girl!

My thanks go to all the SHC members, friends, and family who worked today, allowing me to race. It was a nice way to end the holiday weekend.

I was given third. I took a corner too quickly and got off course. I am fine. Wait til next year...

According to the official results I was eighth. But, Amy, Katherine and I crossed the finish line together with our front wheels matching, so that we would all be 6th. We decided to do that after riding a lap and a half together and working as a team.
This was a tough race after being out in the sun for two days working at the other stages. It was rough to go out and ride that course. I must say that Firetower is a very interesting hill and not one that I really care to ever see again, twice in a row.
It was fun spending time with team-mates, not only racing, but helping each other. Shari and I had fun doing the kids races. Maybe next year we should have them do a time trial, sprint and crit?????

This stage possibly hurt worse than the Savage Chicken stage. The course was fairly challenging and the pace was very high the entire time. There was little chance for recovery after the climb. Even the descent, being narrow and technical, seemed tough. It wasn't until Horns Mill Rd each lap that things were finally manageable...and even then the jumps out of the corners were killing me. My legs were destroyed by the 2nd lap and I just clung on until the 3rd climb where I totally blew up even before the steep kick. I almost dropped out, but I found a few guys to work with and we were determined to finish the stage. I was surprised to learn that there were groups behind me after the finish.

I'm glad to finally be done with the season. I definitely didn't pace myself well enough during the year to be ready for this race. But, despite having so-so form, I still had a good time. I am so proud of our team for putting on such a fantastic event. This event definitely ranks up there with any of the major stage races I've attended around the country.

I had hopes of contesting the sprint finish today, but didn't have quite enough steam for that. Might have been a little impatient on the last lap chasing the main pack. Our 10? man chase group seemed to making progress, but then I saw guys on the front coasting and I had to try to bridge on my own. It wasn't successful, though it was about 50?yards short. I still don't know if the group got back on. I was disappointed with how this race turned out for me but I was happy with my riding for the weekend. Chris, Ryan, Larry and company did a great job pulling this race off. I think they all should complimented with how everything seemed to go this weekend. Thanks for all the encouragement during all the racing this weekend. Aaron, Blair, Mitch, Will, I enjoyed racing with you guys this weekend.

I was so far off the back today that I would put down "DNF" but for seeing the USCF official at the finish taking down my number as I crossed the finish. I haven't commented under any of the other stages so I'll just sum it up here. The only non-brutal part of this race is the team time trial and I'm sure it could be brutal too with the wrong (most would say right but I like easygoing) team make-up and peer pressure. I was determined to finish the crit but kind of wish I didn't-the bricks 'n' dips did a number on my back only my chiro can fix. The cheering I got from the team, particularly the women, was great. Thanks to all concerned-it was a big help. 3/4 of the way through, the rider in front of me turned around and sarcastically said "you must be Mitch". High on finishing the crit with the field, the TTT was easy for me. I don't have much to say about the Chicken course-except it's nuts. I don't have much to say about today's course, which I call the "Sponagle course" except it's nuts. My overall comment on the stage race-incredibly well-run (thanks everybody) but it's nuts. Congrats to Aaron for being so strong and consistent and thanks for racing with us.