3/11/06 by Benjamin Kuhlman
Yesterday was the annual Tour of Granville, a rolling to flat course that usually ends in a field-sprint in each race. I was the lone entrant in the 3-4 race for ADRT, and it being my first 3-4 race, I was somewhat nervous. The weather was supposed to be decent - we all knew it was going to rain sometime, but it was going to be warm regardless. The rain came earlier than expected, and didn't stop until today, as I am finally writing this race recap. The pace was high from the start, which was good since only about 5 riders had trainers out to warm up at the entrance to the school. While most of the riders had jackets and leg warmers on, I neglected to bring either (bad idea, I know) so I was left with my bibs and two jerseys with two pair of arm warmers and fingerless gloves. I tried (successfully) to stay warm by riding at the front or near to it for the first few laps to keep my heartrate and core temp up. By the third lap, however, my arms and hands were so cold that I was having trouble getting a bottle out to take a drink - kind of troublesome! Luckily for me, but not for him, Jim Mullins was a little late getting to the starting line, so he came back to our race. Jim was great, giving me advice on what to do during the race. Coming from an area where 99% of the guys ride mtb-only, I don't have anyone to "learn" from. Jim was great - I really appreciate his insight during the race. The pack really stayed together for a majority of the race, and when we were about 2km from the finish, two riders went off the front on a little rise, causing a big reaction. One racer flatted in the middle of the pack, causing a large shift toward the left side where I was at. A GPOA rider just to my right actually sat on my right hood, catching his shorts on it as he corrected back to the right! This caused a great decelleration, which then caused one racer behind me on the right to rub tires with me, and one on the left to hit my left shoe - how we all stayed up I don't honestly know! I worked my way a few places up at the finish, to finish mid-pack, around 20th. Overall it was a decent race - I went in to the race with little expectation, and left with confidence that I can hang with these guys. It's a long season, so I hope I can continue to grow and learn. Thanks for reading!
Ben