It feels good to cramp - Deer Trail RR 04/28/07

When I've put in a hard effort, forced a break and did my job... it feels good to cramp. Now don't get me wrong, cramping sucks! However, what's worse is getting to the end of a race feeling like all I did was 'sit in' and let the group pull me along. I made up my mind that this race would be different.

Today was the first time I've really made an effort at a breakaway. Usually I surf the pack, stay in the top 20 and then try to contest the field sprint at the end - very very rarely with any luck. But today I watched my teammate Barry fly off the front with a group of 10 or 12 and stay away for over 30 minutes. When the peloton caught Barry and the other escapees, I took up the reins and moved off the front enticing 3 others to join up. We created a 2 1/2 minute or so gap and for over 30 minutes we pace-lined. The rollers were tough, especially since we had a 5280 junior with stick legs and huge power that I had to keep asking nicely to ease up on the hills so we could work together on the flats and downhills.

We finally got caught, right as I cramped bad. The cramps started in my calves and when I stood up to stretch, they moved above my knee and infiltrated every muscle fiber in my legs. Somehow I hung with the pack for another 10 minutes, but then as another wave of cramping arrived, I sat up and limped home by myself.

But I had done my job... like the team members of the Pro Tour teams we watch and read about, I had forced a break, kept the pace high (average speed for our 4 man/30 minute break was 26 mph, my heart rate averaged 180 bpm and power averaged 285 watts... hey this is kinda fun having a Power Tap). The fact that I cramped and 'blew up' for the last 10 or so miles of the 73 mile race was fine with me, my job was done.

Bike racing is painfully fun!