Power file: tom_DraffenTom8122007.wko
After the three hour drive to Nakayama circuit on Saturday, I found my way over to the race course and got myself a quick sneak peek at what the course would be like the next day. Here's the course map and course profile:
I'd never been on this course and was pretty surprised at how... um.. hilly it is. Out of the start you're uphill for a hundred meters, downhill into a really hard headwind that blows up the mountain valley that the course is in. Hit the bottom corner and climb for 500 meters, and climb hard. The only "respite" you get is at the crest of the high point. You would think that when you come down the hill to the turn to the start/finish you'd get a break, but with the 10+ mph wind coming at you it feels like you're working to get down the hill. Extremely frustrating.
Anyway... the race director was floating around and before "ushering" me out to the parking lot to my sleeping spot, he said I could get just a "skoshi" bit of riding on the course. I did two laps in my sandals and
casual shorts by myself and moved the van out to the parking lot to sleep.
After a horrible night's sleep, I (and the others that were now lined up to get into the race area) drove up to the staging area and got my "work area" set up. Trainer, bike, etc.. etc... I hung out for a bit eating some granola cereal before changing into some clothes to get a couple GPS laps of the course in (which is what provides the course profile). Finished my couple "non-laps" and dropped by the sign in table. I had signed up for the 15 lap / 30 km race and the 3 hour "enduro race" on the same day. The race book had me signed in for the 10 lap "novice" race and I was content with that, as there was a bigger break between races for me to get some recovery. Sandbagging today!
I watched some of the early races and hopped on the trainer to warm up around 9:30am. Got off the trainer in time to do the 10:15 "novice" race and lined up. Boom! Off to the races. One lap down, nice slow pace. Second lap half over and I pushed off the front. This was going to be an easy win. I felt great! "Tom-san! Stop!" the race director yells to me.
"Crap... I got DQ'd!" I thought.
"No, no... we made mistake. Your race is 'open' category. This is wrong race. We are so sorry!" he says.
"Oh well, no problem. This can be 'warm up,'" I tell him. I pack it in and wait for the 15 lap, 30km race to start after this one finishes. Almost glad cause I lost the first lap and a half on the powertap :P
Wash, rinse, repeat. "Boom!" We're off for the real event. Three guys looked ready to get a break right away so I hopped out on their wheel to feel them out. By the time we hit the base of the bigger of the two hills, we had a 30-40 meter gap on the pack. These three seemed to have a plan and that was to destroy the pack fast, so I just held on to get a feel for where they were going.
I can tell you that every time we hit the hill, it was on our feet and hammering. By the end of the start/finish line hill starting the second lap, we'd officially broken away. Crossing the start/finish on the third lap, we'd dropped one of the four and it was time for me to start working. By the start/finish line on the fourth lap, it was one rider and me. I thought for sure it was time for him and I to start working together. I pulled along side him and signaled to him the 1-2 finger gesture of working together. He smiled, we hit the hill. He attacked. I hung until lap 6. He attacked every time we went up hill and this time I just wasn't staying.
When I got to the top of the big hill that lap I looked down and behind me and looked for the peloton that was sure to be eating me up soon. No one in sight. In fact, over the next three or four laps as I looked back to see if I was getting caught, the only people I saw were the ones my breakaway friend and I were passing. I kept the breakaway guy in my sights for the rest of the race. He never got more than 200-300 meters ahead of me, almost teasing me every time we hit the climb, but there was just nothing more I could give that would close the gap. Lap 9, 10, 11... looking over the shoulder I realized there was nothing left of any peloton. The first 4 or 5 laps' pace had completely destroyed any chance of a group coming in together.
Lap 14 we passed the two fellas that were in our initial 4 man breakaway. I had not been so happy to see a last lap as I was this time and when we came around and finished our last lap my breakaway friend and I shook hands, smiled and turned in our electronic tags.
Final results? We lapped everyone. They stopped the race on our lead lap. Our other two-some from the initial breakaway came in 20 seconds behind me one lap down. ( I was 20 seconds off first place )
It took me about 10 seconds after the race was finished to decide I wasn't racing the 3 hour circuit race on this course today. No way, no how. 15 laps in 45 minutes of this up/down was bad enough. 3 hours would have been close to 60 laps. No chance that was happening.
I got my podium spot though! My prize... a six pack of Asahi Draft Beer! Think I'll be tipping one of those back tonight.
Race file attached. Bet you can tell when we were going up hill!
After the three hour drive to Nakayama circuit on Saturday, I found my way over to the race course and got myself a quick sneak peek at what the course would be like the next day. Here's the course map and course profile:
I'd never been on this course and was pretty surprised at how... um.. hilly it is. Out of the start you're uphill for a hundred meters, downhill into a really hard headwind that blows up the mountain valley that the course is in. Hit the bottom corner and climb for 500 meters, and climb hard. The only "respite" you get is at the crest of the high point. You would think that when you come down the hill to the turn to the start/finish you'd get a break, but with the 10+ mph wind coming at you it feels like you're working to get down the hill. Extremely frustrating.
Anyway... the race director was floating around and before "ushering" me out to the parking lot to my sleeping spot, he said I could get just a "skoshi" bit of riding on the course. I did two laps in my sandals and
casual shorts by myself and moved the van out to the parking lot to sleep.
After a horrible night's sleep, I (and the others that were now lined up to get into the race area) drove up to the staging area and got my "work area" set up. Trainer, bike, etc.. etc... I hung out for a bit eating some granola cereal before changing into some clothes to get a couple GPS laps of the course in (which is what provides the course profile). Finished my couple "non-laps" and dropped by the sign in table. I had signed up for the 15 lap / 30 km race and the 3 hour "enduro race" on the same day. The race book had me signed in for the 10 lap "novice" race and I was content with that, as there was a bigger break between races for me to get some recovery. Sandbagging today!
I watched some of the early races and hopped on the trainer to warm up around 9:30am. Got off the trainer in time to do the 10:15 "novice" race and lined up. Boom! Off to the races. One lap down, nice slow pace. Second lap half over and I pushed off the front. This was going to be an easy win. I felt great! "Tom-san! Stop!" the race director yells to me.
"Crap... I got DQ'd!" I thought.
"No, no... we made mistake. Your race is 'open' category. This is wrong race. We are so sorry!" he says.
"Oh well, no problem. This can be 'warm up,'" I tell him. I pack it in and wait for the 15 lap, 30km race to start after this one finishes. Almost glad cause I lost the first lap and a half on the powertap :P
Wash, rinse, repeat. "Boom!" We're off for the real event. Three guys looked ready to get a break right away so I hopped out on their wheel to feel them out. By the time we hit the base of the bigger of the two hills, we had a 30-40 meter gap on the pack. These three seemed to have a plan and that was to destroy the pack fast, so I just held on to get a feel for where they were going.
I can tell you that every time we hit the hill, it was on our feet and hammering. By the end of the start/finish line hill starting the second lap, we'd officially broken away. Crossing the start/finish on the third lap, we'd dropped one of the four and it was time for me to start working. By the start/finish line on the fourth lap, it was one rider and me. I thought for sure it was time for him and I to start working together. I pulled along side him and signaled to him the 1-2 finger gesture of working together. He smiled, we hit the hill. He attacked. I hung until lap 6. He attacked every time we went up hill and this time I just wasn't staying.
When I got to the top of the big hill that lap I looked down and behind me and looked for the peloton that was sure to be eating me up soon. No one in sight. In fact, over the next three or four laps as I looked back to see if I was getting caught, the only people I saw were the ones my breakaway friend and I were passing. I kept the breakaway guy in my sights for the rest of the race. He never got more than 200-300 meters ahead of me, almost teasing me every time we hit the climb, but there was just nothing more I could give that would close the gap. Lap 9, 10, 11... looking over the shoulder I realized there was nothing left of any peloton. The first 4 or 5 laps' pace had completely destroyed any chance of a group coming in together.
Lap 14 we passed the two fellas that were in our initial 4 man breakaway. I had not been so happy to see a last lap as I was this time and when we came around and finished our last lap my breakaway friend and I shook hands, smiled and turned in our electronic tags.
Final results? We lapped everyone. They stopped the race on our lead lap. Our other two-some from the initial breakaway came in 20 seconds behind me one lap down. ( I was 20 seconds off first place )
It took me about 10 seconds after the race was finished to decide I wasn't racing the 3 hour circuit race on this course today. No way, no how. 15 laps in 45 minutes of this up/down was bad enough. 3 hours would have been close to 60 laps. No chance that was happening.
I got my podium spot though! My prize... a six pack of Asahi Draft Beer! Think I'll be tipping one of those back tonight.
Race file attached. Bet you can tell when we were going up hill!