Whew! Hard race for sure! Felt good, not super-fresh, but solid. Good pre-race nutrition and on-bike as well, eating a Honey Stinger Protein Bar for breakfast, then using Honey Stinger Gels each hour during the race. The bike was equipped with the new Bontrager Aeolus 6.5 wheels (tubular), which performed flawlessly! 50+ riders lined up with Mountain Khakis, Pro-shop, Cannondale, and UHC all with 3+ man teams. It was just Emory and I for ACE-Highland Brewing. The course was comprised of small loop-big loop-small loop x 2. It started with a relatively flat section, then a gradual climb before a decent and then built speed into the first "pave" sector with large chunks of gravel! This was the first section where the field started to splinter as riders flatted left and right and I tried to avoid losing teeth as chunks of rock flew by my head! The course then rolled quickly into the first uphill dirt climb, followed by a paved climb. The backside of the course had a long paved climb followed by a steep dirt section that blew the race to pieces!
I got popped on first big lap up the first major dirt climb, mainly because I was too far back leading into it, but was able to chase back on relatively quickly. The group was shattered from about 50 to less than 20 at this point only 30 minutes into the race! We settled into a nice pace until the uphill paved/dirt section where I stupidly at at the top of the paved portion (this is where good course knowledge would be handy as I would then have avoided throwing up on myself as my heart rate hit close to 190bpm within 1 minute after eating!). It was at this point that I was left alone to chase back on, but was quickly caught by Chris Emory as well as a group of a few more that were able to catch back on again. In a race like this, course knowledge, equipment, fueling, and fitness are ALL key!
Heading into the final lap, Mountain Khakis controlled the front with Hamblen setting pace, Neil attacking, and Hekman seeming to wait, looking strong. A group of 3 went up the road, but was mis-directed off course, which was unfortunate for them. It was at this point, the second time up the big dirt/paved climb going into the big loop that my legs started to cramp from the effort necessary to climb a 15% dirt climb I had to pull back into my own rhythm. I joined a group of 6, including Chris Emory that paced ourselves through the last lap together. We could see the action up ahead (in the distance) led by Hekman taking the win. After Chris' earlier attacks softened the group a bit, I was able to win the (halfhearted) sprint from our group for 10th. Chris rolled in for 15th on the day.
Check out Carolina Cycling News report here: http://carolinacyclingnews.com/2010/04/05/boone-roubaix-an-instant-classic/
Overall, I was pleased with our performance. As usual, it's hard going up against pro-caliber teams, but we put in a decent showing with both our men in the top 15. I plan on doing this race again next year, but would go into it about 5 lbs lighter and fresh, instead of in the middle of a training block!
1 Mark Hekman Winston-Salem, NC Team Mtn Khakis fueled by
2 Pascal Bussieres Quebec, QC Team Spirit/Cannondale pb
3 Spencer Gaddy Team Ion - United Healthcare
4 Jon Hamblen Winston Salem, NC Mountain Khakis - Fueled by
5 Pete Custer Alexandria, VA Your Ad Here p/b Bicycle Pro
6 travis livermon winterville, NC Champion System / Cannondale
7 Thomas Ziermann Wilmington, NC Window Gang Cycling Team
8 Edward Adamy Southern Pines, NC Carolina bicycle company
9 Brad Perley Kennebunk, ME Lees-McRae College
10 Christopher Larsen Asheville, NC
Full results here: http://booneroubaix.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/BR-p123M1.pdf
As always, thanks to all of our sponsors - check them out: Highland Brewing, Trek & Bontrager, Liberty Bikes, Rudy Project, PML Pathology, Mosaic Realty, Honey Stinger, Swiftwick, Carmichael Training Systems, Dr. Steve Miller DDS, Crossfit Brevard, Joe Lilly Photography, and Affordable Home Inspections.
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