Sierra Road, Race Day

I didn't bring my skis, I signed up for a bike race!

To appreciate Saturday fully, I must start with Friday. Friday was not the best of days, as I spent most of it sitting quietly at home, dehydrating, suffering from an apparent "24-hour bug," aka food poisoning. I ventured out on a rainy San Jose night to claim my race packet. If nothing else, I would collect my schwag, as it seemed increasingly unlikely that I would be racing the next morning. Now I was committed to a return trip, though, to turn in my timing chip. Well, I could always watch the Criterium.

Heavy rain woke me during the night, but there were scattered, moonlit clouds when the alarm went off. A radar map survey revealed rain not making it over the ridge of the Santa Cruz mountains. Next up, a physiological survey: Well-rested, got enough sleep. A pulled muscle in my left inner thigh - how did I manage that, in my sleep? Some residual aches from Friday, but definitely not miserable. Lighter weight, but disadvantaged - somewhat dehydrated.

I am not a professional bike racer; no one is paying me to ride when I'm under the weather, or when the weather over me is nasty. But I am currently reading Arlene Blum's Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life; she has climbed huge mountains while suffering from hepatitis or dysentery. This, after all, is just a bike ride and a little food poisoning. [Thanks, Arlene.] Get on with it.

The turn-out for the San Jose Cycling Classic KOM Race was so low, I joked that I might place third in my category. When the final results were sorted out, I missed finishing in the top ten for the Category 4 Women - landing in 11th place with my time of 47:08.84. Faster than some of the Cat 4/5 Men, I finished 99th in a field of 107. Slower than my Low-Key 44:50, but my fellow Low-Keyers suggested that everyone was slower today due to the strong winds. I did let my heart rate dip a couple of times, but averaged 177 bpm (peaking at 184 bpm). Definitely not a conversational pace, but comfortably shy of my actual maximum. Note that my average heart rate was considerably higher than my theoretical maximum according to the oft-cited formula (Max HR = 220 - my age), so don't put too much stock in that. On the other hand, if I can use that to calculate my theoretical age . . .

I knew I was moving at a stunningly fast speed when I flew past some of my fellow riders on the return to City Hall, but that's no time to look at anything except the road ahead (definitely, not my bike computer). I probably had a touch of tailwind to reach 44.5 mph descending Felter Road. Luckily, I was traveling a bit slower when I passed a police car at the side of the road, no ticket for me.

Overall, a fun day - six miles of rolling road closures to the base of Sierra Road, thrashing myself up the hill, a fabulous descent once the tricky crosswinds were behind me, and enormous pans of paella for lunch back at City Hall. And yes, I raced with my camera (<200 grams). At my ability level, it just can't matter that much, and I would have regretted missing every one of these shots.