Renfrew Ras, Butler, PA, July 12th, 2009

I competed in the Renfrew Ras this past weekend, a 33 mile road race in Butler, PA. This was my first USAC sanctioned event and I was thoroughly impressed. The race had a "full rolling enclosure", meaning there was a motorcade leading the way in front of the first rider, and support vehicles in the back following the last rider. The motorcade led us through the intersections, pointing out road hazards along the way. The intersections were staffed with at least 3 or 4 volunteers at each one, waving us through as we rode by. Now this, is what a race is supposed to be like!

There were about 8 or 9 girls competing in the Open Women classification. 3 or 4 were from Steel City Endurance, a local Pgh cycling team. Upon registering I saw that I was up against Cat 2 and 3 riders so I knew the competition would be stiff. At the starting line, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I anxiously waited for the count, and before I know it we're off! I immediately took off, thinking the rest of the pack would be right behind me, but to my surprise they weren't. I held a steady pace: fast, but comfortable, yet still no one is gaining on me. I told myself before the race that this is exactly the position I didn't want to be in; out there in the front, on my own. I should hang back with the pack and let them take the lead, but I didn't feel like I needed to slow down. I knew they must be thinking I'm such an amateur, attacking at the beginning like that. They were probably back there thinking, "she can't keep that pace the entire race, it won't be long before we catch her". And, catch me they did.

The course was an 8 and a quarter mile loop which was mostly rolling with one killer climb, 5 miles in. The climb was a 250 foot vertical ascent over half a mile, and right as I was beginning the climb I heard them coming behind me; the dreaded click, click, click, click of their gears shifting. They're close now and I can hear someone breathing down my neck. I wanted the King of the Mountain points at the top so I stood up and picked up my pace, trying to stay ahead. After just a few seconds though I couldn't hold it any longer and didn't have any gears left. I sat down and tried to shift into my small ring and suddenly my legs started spinning uncontrollably..NO! I tried pedalling backwards to see if I could get my chain back on but no such luck. I had to jump off my bike and put my chain back on. As I'm doing so the group goes flying past me. I jump back on as quick as I can, as the last rider is approaching. So much for the KOM points.

I spent the rest of that loop trying to catch up. I caught one rider, Sharon, and rode with her until we caught up to the Steel City girls, Patty and Barb. Soon after we caught them we were at the hill again and they completely dominated us. I was taken by surprise at how fast they climbed this hill. I thought I was a strong climber but I didn’t seem to have near the power they were producing. No chance of me getting any KOM points this time around either. Since they put a distance on me on this hill, it took another half a lap just to catch them again. I left the rider I was working with and chased them down. It wasn’t easy, but I knew I had to do it. When I finally caught them I was so relieved; I needed the help. We worked together well for the next lap and a half. I stuck with Barb on the hill the next time but right as we approached the KOM line, she sprinted past me. I was impressed with the explosive power they had.

I had the rest of the third lap to think about my strategy. It was great that we were working together but at the end of the day this is a race and I want to improve my standing (I knew 1st was already gone as we hadn’t seen the leader, Grey, since that very first climb). I decided to make my attack after the last killer climb. I stayed on Patty’s wheel the whole way up, and right when she let up, I took off. I hammered as hard as I could for as long as I could, until Patty caught me. We worked together for the remainder of the lap until the final turn to the finish line.



Patty was in front and as soon as we made that turn, she took off up the hill. I sprinted after her, staying close to her wheel, but just couldn’t close the gap. As the hill leveled off there was about a 100 meter sprint. I put my head down and rode hard but Patty took 2nd, by about 5 seconds.

Race Stats: 3rd Overall
Course Length: 33 miles
Finish Time: 1 hr, 40 minutes
Heart Rate: Mixed – some in Z3, Z4 and even Z2. About 6 minutes in Z5.

I wonder if I could have finished higher / faster if I had been working on my own. Should I have left the comfort and safety of the group I was working with? Could I have maintained a lead on them? I suppose as I get more experience racing I’ll begin to be able to assess these situations and make the right decision at the time. But for now, I’m happy with my results!