On Sunday September 29th
the already great cycling town of Harrisonburg, VA became infested with
cyclists, all here to ride Jeremiah Bishop’s Gran Fondo. The group ranged from adventurous
cyclists to the hard-core amateur racers to the pros, the lucky ones who get
paid to ride their bike. Not to mention nearby pros Ben King and Joe Dombrowski,
not just any pros, but big time pros riding for the top teams of
RadioShack-Leopard-Trek and Team Sky, respectably. Many in the large group of
riders would tackle the feared Alpine Loop, with 4 main climbs, 107 miles, and
11,000 feet of climbing. It was going to be a long day in the saddle.
Living
just minutes away from the race, on the campus at James Madison University, I
had the pleasure of riding straight to the start. With the 8 am start I set my
alarm for 6:30 so I could get a big breakfast and have plenty of time to get
ready. I had already picked up my number and timing chip the day before so I
could get that extra few minutes of sleep. I have to say trying to go to bed
early on a Saturday night in a college dorm is a little challenging, so to say
the least I did not get the best night of sleep. When I arrived at the start
many people were already there getting ready. It was a toss-up as to what to
wear due to the cold morning start, but the forecast said it would heat up come
afternoon time when most of us would be finishing. I chose to wear just bib
shorts on the bottom, and on top wear two layers of Nike, one short sleeve and
one long sleeve, and then a summer jersey on top. It was a good choice—I never
shed any layers except my gloves and was not too hot at the finish. As I rolled
around the parking lot looking for people I knew I saw Joe getting ready and came
upon a good friend Gonzalo. I was pretty excited to ride with him because we
had “thrown down” together a couple of times at the CycleLife Thursday Ride. As
8 am neared, we were called to staging. Even though there were multiple routes
everyone would roll out of town together. I made sure to get a spot up front so
I could ride with pros, at least until they dropped me.
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| Rolling out of town and riding up front with Jeremiah and Joe. Pretty amazing how far the pack of riders goes back. Photo Courtesy: Jeremiah Bishop |
The First Test
The first serious climb did not begin until about 20 miles or so into the ride, but from the start I knew it was going to be a tough day for me. My legs felt absolutely awful. They were heavy, fatigued, and I just could not produce my normal power. When the group hit the first climb the race was on. For one glorious moment I was on Joe’s wheel before I popped off settling into my own suffering pace. I knew the climb well having trained on it many times before. I was going as hard as I could go, but still everyone just kept on passing me. The 4-mile climb seemed to go on forever. I knew the descent well and because there was an aid station at the bottom I knew my chances of getting back to the pros was pretty good. As I pulled into the aid station the pros were just picking up their bikes to roll out so I did a 180 and rolled out with them.
Who Makes a Road This
Steep
The
next climb on the list was the feared Fultz Gap. It’s 2.9 miles with a 9.3%
average, climbing 1300 feet. Oh, and by the way, it’s also gravel. The group I
was with rolled slowly towards the climb chatting. As we came around a bend at
the base of the climb a gravel wall loomed over us. The climb was absolutely
brutal. I stayed with the group for about three fourths of the climb and then
popped off. The pros went up the climb chatting away as if it were a normal
training ride, while I was red lining. By the top of the climb my legs were
finished, I was pedaling squares, and most of the miles were still in front of
me. As with the first climb I bombed the descent, taking many risks on the
corners in an effort to make it to the aid station before the pros headed out.
I didn’t know the descent, never having ridden it before, so I just channeled
my inner pro descending skills. It worked because when I got to the aid station
the pros were still sitting around chatting. I got the chance to refill my
bottles, get some food, and talk with a bunch of my buddies from the Miller
School of Albemarle who had made the short trip from Charlottesville to tackle
the Alpine Loop.
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| Fultz Gap is brutal. I'm somewhere behind them suffering like hell |
A Push From a Pro
I
rolled out of the aid station with the Miller guys. I looked part of crew with
my high-viz Charlottesville Bike Camp (CBC) jersey, which looks remarkably like
the Miller School team jerseys. The coaches of the Miller School team run CBC.
I rolled along easily, enjoying the fresh mountainous air. Everyone along the
route was kind of taking a breather and enjoying the scenery after those
back-to-back difficult climbs. Ben King eventually joined up with us, which was
pretty sweet. The third major climb was a long one that wound its way upward.
It didn’t become steep until we neared the top of the climb. The pace lead by
Ben was pretty relaxed, but my legs were absolutely fried. It was just one of
those really bad days. Had it been a training day I probably would have cut the
ride short, but this was the Alpine Loop and I was going to finish it. Toward
the top of the climb I popped off the back. Ben, who saw I was suffering,
dropped back to push me back up to the group. I was really appreciative, and
yet pretty embarrassed. For me, being pushed on the bike feels like cheating
and I am not a cheater. I accepted his gesture of good faith though and got
back up to the group. The second time I got dropped I told Ben and the guys to
just go on ahead. I told them “I’ll get back at the aid station, I always do”
and I did.
Coming up in Part Two
The Dark side of
Reddish Knob awaits. At roughly 12 miles, 4.2% gradient average, and all on
gravel. It defines the Alpine Loop and boy is it an adventure. I find the
Miller boys, attempt to pump my tires to my weight, Hayden gets lost and oh so
more. After hours on the bike the mind begins to go……INSANE!!
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