For the State Road Race this year, organizers moved the race from Liepers Fork to a new location in Watertown, Tennessee. Although the road course was void of a significant climb, the 15 mile loop was full of rollers that when combined made for a difficult race.

The Masters 30/40+ group began 15 minutes late with a total of 39 riders. Little did we know the heat would reduce the field quicker than the attacks. Temps were moderate when we began and quickly soared near 90 and then to 94 within two hours of the start. The heat index was 104 – which reduced the ability to recover after hard efforts.

Lap one was marked with several attacks and counter-attacks. In fact, four riders were off the front within the first mile, but were reeled back in by mile 8. Coming through the feed zone as we completed lap one, I elected not to take a bottle. This was tactical mistake number one, and a serious one. In retrospect, I should have taken a bottle on every lap. The temperature was warm enough that a cold bottle of water would have lowered my core temp and allowed me to conserve some of my glycogen reserves. Live and learn.

As we cruised into lap 2, the attacks began again so I chimed in with my own and a group of 8 riders broke away from the pack. Within a mile the entire peloton was back together again; less another 7 riders. On the back section of the course, three rollers (back to back to back) were steep enough and close enough together that it was difficult to recover between them. This section allowed for a serious push by the strong men – and we dropped 3 more riders. Nearing the feed zone on lap 2, I moved over and snagged a bottle. “Whew – thank you cycling gods” was all I could offer. The bottle was a HUGE help. Most of it went down my jersey to cool my body and a few drops were my refreshment.

It’s not common to attack in a feed zone, but the leaders did just that – and we were pushing pretty hard before I could stuff the bottle into my jersey. The constant push from the front made it difficult to maintain contact with the leaders – and I truly believe it was more difficult because the heat was unbearable.

At one point I looked at my legs and arms and it seemed as if I had just stepped out of the shower. My sunglasses were stuffed in my helmet because the sweat kept pouring down my face. All I could think about was stopping the insanity by literally stopping. Yet, I kept moving.

By the time we hit those triple rollers, the lead group was down to 15 riders and we kept pushing. I maintained a mid-field position just to ensure I wasn’t yo-yoed at the tail end of the peloton. In the feed zone I attempted to snag a bottle but nothing was handed up. The leaders attacked again (just to make it interesting I’m sure) and I fell off the back. Thank goodness they sat up on the next downhill section to drink — that gave me enough time to rejoin them along with Dave Hickson.

At this point the peloton totaled 13 and none of the other riders were in sight. They had either dropped out of the race or were creeping along. Ahh, the triple rollers were coming again and I knew my expulsion off the back was forthcoming. I stayed intact on the first two, but the third roller came and I sat up. My body felt ‘cooked’ … I got chill bumps on my legs and arms (a first sign of heat exhaustion). I slowed and realized the last 9 miles would be soloville. Stars were moving in front of my eyes and I felt dizzy – my stomach cramped and I wanted to stop oh-so-bad. But somehow I kept rolling, keeping the air flowing over my skin. And too, I was concerned that anyone we had dropped might come up behind me and pass me. (Like that mattered at this point.)

Near the end of the race, I noticed a woman in the feed zone – and she was packing up her bags. I asked for a bottle and she said, “all I have is Gatorade and it’s sorta frozen.”

Had I not been in a race I would have stopped and hugged her. I said thanks and got moving again.
The icy drink felt so good tucked in my jersey – and I would have fought anyone for it at that point. Looking ahead I could see the finish line, so I zipped up my jersey and put my glasses back on. Passing over the finish line, a photographer pointed his camera my way and snapped a photo – I smiled big and showed him the “prize” I had been given. Frozen Gatorade. WooHoo!

When I stopped on the other side of the finish line, I opened the bottle again and within three gulps the bottle was almost empty. Stopping wasn’t such a good idea – so I kept moving. Heck, it was three miles back to car! I laughed out loud as I wondered why the hell I was riding around in Watertown, Tennessee in the middle of a HOT August day.

It remains a mystery.

After returning to the parking lot, I located a water hose nearby and stood under the cold water for about 15 minutes. Several other riders came over and did the same. We laughed at how “cold” the water felt — even though it wasn’t. The impromptu shower lowered my core temp and my heart rate too. What a day.

RACE SUMMARY: 5 miles of warm up (like we needed that). 60 miles of racing – average speed 22.9 – average heart rate 156 – over-maxed to 188 one time. Finished 13th overall and 3rd in Masters 45-49 – so I earned the Bronze medal. What I really earned was a 16oz cold Coke and another and another.

It’s hot out there. Ride with plenty of fluids.