Joseph Sheehan RR (written by Brian Luce)
What a morning, clear sky and sunshine in April. I’m sitting in the truck in Leavenworth. Nervous! I always get nervous before a race. Sometimes I talk a lot, sometimes not at all. My stomach is full of jitters. It’s chilly! What should I wear? Dressing right for bicycle races can be challenging, I always want to overdress when it’s cold. You can pay early (cold at beginning), the smart choice, or you can pay later at the end of the race and be hot. Pay early! Speaking of which, I have to pick long sleeve or short, and get crackin!
Registration goes ok except there was a fire at the Roadhouse where the race was going to start and end, so they changed the venue around. I realize I have no real clue about the course. Panic. Study big map and get a few ideas, but it won’t really stick. Seeing a lot of familiar faces and teams in the crowd. This is going to be tough. Look there, teammates Kyle and Adam are here. Man it’s good to be with teammates in a race! Things are looking up now!
Everybody’s suited up and staging. I am totally jazzed for this race. Oh no, I have to go! Why do I always have to go right before a race starts? No place, no chance to slip back into registration building or even over by the trees. Just going to have to deal with it. Nice lady from USA cycling is giving race instructions, and then a Minister says a quick prayer. Hey, did I get energy bar and gels? No time to look now, “15 seconds” is announced loudly. Look at the Garmin, heart rate is already 105 and we haven’t even started. The whistle blows, we’re rolling!
Ok, things are normal now. Just pedal and don’t cross tires while we follow the pace car out of town. The peloton is talkative this morning. Kyle, Adam, and I exchange a few words. Oh no! The Pace car made a wrong turn and the peloton disintegrates into chaos. It’s okay; everything comes back together, no big deal. We’ve hit the primary race route, and now it’s on! Pace ramps up as Big D and ShoAir make their way to the front. It’s moving fast! Kyle and Adam are ahead of me. They always look smooth.
The Surges – there are some strong riders in this race, about 50 guys in total. Every so often a few guys in the front group will take off really fast. One of two things is going to happen. Everyone will push and struggle to keep up, or the front riders will create a gap between them and the field. Nobody wants to let others get away off the front. So this cat and mouse game pursues. It’s kind of fun, but after a while those hard efforts take their toll.
What a race! Kyle, Adam, and I are still plugging away, nearly half way done. Oh no, huge cutout through the road filled with gravel. It’s marked, but we hit it at full speed. Tires seem to be holding. Everyone is not so lucky. Friendly rider from Boulevard team is off to the side with a flat. Too bad, he was looking really good for the finish today.
Some people believe Kansas is pancake flat. Part of it is. The area around Leavenworth and Atchison is not flat. We have hills. The way my legs are feeling, the hills in Atchison are tough. Another team is on the front now, InATub Cycling. We are flying out of Atchison. Legs burn and it’s hard to get enough air. Have to remember to relax - upper body is tense. It’s a waste of energy and wears you out. Relax arms, shoulders, and chest. That’s better, legs are still working hard, but everything else is ok. I’m holding onto the drops and maintaining as low a profile as I can. The field is strung out single file for the first 20 riders. Take a quick look at the Garmin and notice - we’re flying. I love racing bicycles!
The Headwind – you can count on the wind to blow in Kansas, especially in spring. Today is no different. We have about 8 miles of straight up headwind in front of us, and it’s blistering. The field comes back together into a tightly packed group. It’s an open course, so the officials are minding the centerline carefully. We’re packed in like sardines. If you get caught on the front, you might be there a while. Oh no. Kyle is trapped on the front. He’s a tough rider. Got to be hurting. Okay, he’s off the front, but just in time as we turn out of the head wind.
Pace is ramping up now. Feels like we’re getting towards the end. Big hill. Legs still have some snap, could be a decent finish. Descending fast and moving towards the front of the group. Notice 2 junior riders from the Boulevard team. Man those young guys are tough, fighting for position. Looking ahead, race is up the road. What is that? Is that the finish banner? Sign says 500 meters. This is it. It’s an uphill finish. Group is surging forward. Hang in there you can do it! 300 meters left. We’re going top speed. Oh no, handlebars lock up and 2 riders go down in front of me. Hard dodge to the right. Still pedaling. Passing 200 meters. This is it! Stand up out of the saddle and give it everything. Legs are in agony, go, go, go. Finish line.
Sit up and try to breath. Catch up with Kyle and we spin easy back to the parking lot. Meet up with Adam. Shake hands and congratulate the fellow who won the race. Say a few words with other riders you know and give congratulations where they’re due.
We didn’t win the race today. I may never win a bicycle race, but I’m always proud and feel good about giving the effort. Racing bicycles is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Many people don’t understand why we do it. Meeting good people, taking on monumental challenges, and gaining a better sense of self. These are the things I find racing, even if the perspective isn’t from the podium.
Addendum from Kyle Guinn
We started with 51 riders but two got DQ'd (probably for blatantly blowing the centerline) and we all moved up two spots. Brian stayed in the pack in excellent position the whole time, I still wasn't really feeling it (see the TT results the day before) and got dropped several times but chased back on until the final two hills did me in. We got separated from Adam somewhere before the turnaround in Atchison.
Brian: 8th / 49, Cat. 4
Kyle: 20th / 49, Cat. 4
Adam: 31st / 49, Cat. 4