The (very predictable) NJ State Road Race

At the beginning of the season I was instructed to identify a handful of "goal races" to make structured training more purposeful. I picked the PA and NJ State Road Races.  

3969 miles later I had checked out. The majority of the 243 hours I had spent on my bike since January were alone. It was cold, then it was windy, then it was windy again and then it was hot. 

"Will race for cookies." True story. A friend promised to bake me snicker doodles in exchange for my race entry. Done deal. 

Start time was 12:15PM. It was hot. 

The race consisted of two, eighteen mile loops. There were twenty five women in the Cat 4 Race, fourteen of them were from the same team. We got off to a slow start. I looked down and saw 14mph, then 16mph...and it stayed there. Seriously? Is this a "C" Ride? 

Fifteen minutes was about all I could stand of that. I moved to the front of the field and turned on the gas, which was exactly what I was instructed NOT to do. I stayed on the front, trying to be aggressive and pushing the pace for most of the first lap. After one last attack through the feed zone, I settled back in to recover. My thought was we'd either finish with a group sprint or someone would make a move on the set of rollers with nine miles to go. It was the latter and I was on the wrong wheel. The lead group of five stayed in sight but I never caught them. I time trialed my was to an 8th place finish. which was a place or two better than I had expected. 

When it comes to road racing, my downfall is that I race hard, not smart. I'm counting down the days until CX season.

NJ State Road Race Championship

The NJ State Road Race Championship consisted of two, twenty-two mile laps for a total of forty-four miles. I started the race in an unfamiliar place...on the front. My legs were feeling pretty decent, but I quickly realized that forty-four miles is a long time. So, I alternated between riding mid-pack and then drilling it on the front.  

I was on the front when we came to an intersection at around mile twenty. Unfortunately, I only got half of the turn correct and steered off course, taking a good portion of the field with me. We turned around and time trialed to catch back on. The lead car was in sight and so was the field. They were no more than 100 meters away, far enough back to watch a crash unfold. The rider who went down was a friend of mine from another team. Prior to the start of the race, I told her where my phone and ID were and she told me where hers were. I stayed with her until someone arrived to take her and her bike back to the parking lot.

I rode back up to the start/finish line and found her teammates. An ambulance was called and she was taken to the hospital. While I was packing up and changing at my car, a guy who rides for another local team rolled up. I asked him how he did and he responded that he came in third. He seemed somewhat disappointed by this so I questioned him. He told me that if he had had another fifty meters he could have won. My friend just left in an ambulance and here he was, complaining about fifty meters. I congratulated him and headed off to watch the conclusion of the race.

Two of my friends from NY (Innervation Fitness/Stan’s No Tubes) crossed the line in first and second place. A local rider who I have become friendly with in the past year crossed the line in third. She was the first NJ rider, which earned her the State Champion’s Jersey. All three women are incredibly hard workers and it was great to see them on the podium.

It was time to move on to bigger and better things, namely the celebration of National Ice Cream Day and a swim in the ocean with my NY buddies.

On the drive home, I thought about the day and the friendships that I have made this season. I tried to explain it to someone a few weeks ago, how fortunate I feel for having so many good things come my way. I just hope that I'm doing my part to show others my gratitude.