My First Road Race

Photos courtesy of Maxi and Igi Maximo of www.pabolfc.blogspot.com

It was a different Saturday morning. I woke up before 6 am to prepare for my third race this year. It may not be a major race but it was definitely unforgettable.

I have not felt this excited to join a race since I joined the last Aviva Ironman 70.3 in Singapore last March. I arranged my uniform, prepared my shoes, filled up my hydration bottles and placed everything in a bag.

Before loading everything in the car, I checked the most important equipment I will use the next day. Lara.

She is a Scott Speedster S20 road bike which I acquired through a teammate at a very good price. Unlike riding a triathlon bike, a road bike maneuvers differently and needs a different set of skills. Sudden accelerations, sprinting and drafting are all new to a trained triathlete. Keeping up with the peloton is not as easy as it sounds. Road bikes so close to each other that your elbows almost touch. Your front wheel is less than a foot away from your competitors rear wheel. Setting or maintaining the pace when your turn comes to lead the peloton. These are not part of triathlon bike racing. In an Ironman Triathlon, drafting is illegal and violators will be given penalties. Also, sudden accelerations are seldom seen and sprinting almost never happens on the bike course.

I arrived at the race venue a little early than most cyclists. Unlike many participants, I arrived in a car while most riders started to warm-up by riding their bikes from home. Big mistake for me. While they were already preparing to start the race, I still had not warmed-up. I had to ride slowly at the rear end of the peloton to warm-up when the race started then rode with friends early in the race to familiarize myself with all the rules and techniques during a Criterium race.

I was wrong to think that the races held every Saturday morning in North Reclamation Area behind CDU University were free of traffic during the race. The races start after 7am and some of the CDU morning classes had already began. Cars were parked diagonally behind the main CDU campus and other buildings in the area. I prayed for a safe race. Actually, I always pray before and after every bike ride.

Despite my inconsistent training, I managed to keep up with the peloton and was lucky to have caught the break away group. After a few loops, I had the opportunity to ask a fellow cyclist how many loops we needed to complete before the race ends assuming that the course was 8 loops. The man gave no reply. Suddenly, a race marshal shouted “8 loops!” when I completed a lap. “Yes! I will survive” I said to myself thinking that I was on my last lap. But nobody began to attack. My legs were burning and I needed to push harder to finish the race strong.  I was looking for an opportunity to launch my final attack when a friend rode beside me. I asked him “How many laps?” A brief pause was followed by a quick reply. “Fifteen!”

In the last few loops, I rode with 2 other Category D cyclists to make the lead group. I struggled to keep up with the pace and was in agony when it was my turn to lead the 3-man group. The last lap went by so fast that all I can remember was drinking my water as I crossed the line. My legs felt really sore after the race but I was ecstatic.

An elite cyclist/ friend warned me when I told him my plans to try one of the Saturday races in Recla. He said “Criterium racing is addicting”. I agree. I can’t wait to join the next race.