Okay, okay, I'll start out with the prerequisite "it's been way too long since I've last updated the blog." It's been way too long since I've last updated the blog. Since we last spoke, I've raced two hill climbs, Whiteface and Okemo, New York and Vermont. While I wish I could report better news, I'm afraid I've got some lackluster results to share. I got third place overall in both races, second in my age group at Whiteface, first at Okemo.
It seems the BUMPS competition will be just that this summer, a competition, which is a great thing for the series. Back when series was in its infancy (it's now in its toddlercy), it seemed that each race would be dominated by one or two climbing superheroes who might show up for two races out of the series. This summer, however, there are a number of folks showing up to each event, and they want to win. Based on their performances thus far, and based on the confirmed riders lists on Bikereg.com, there are some really talented athletes who want to wear the white with red polka dots BUMPS Series Overall Leader's jersey.
I want that jersey. But a young gun by the name of Paul Runyon (yes, that's Runyon with an R) is slowly pulling away from me withe jersey. This kid is good. When he was 16, he tackled Mt. Washington with a time somewhere around the 1:01 mark. If I attempted to climb that mountain when I was 16, I might have done it in under 1:30. Paul is talented, a persistent climber who I've really got to mark if I'm to have any chance at the overall.
At Whiteface, Paul was in a different wave, but I had 2009 Canadian Elite Road Race Champion Aaron Fillion to contend with. I felt decent enough for the first two miles, and the two of us pulled away from the rest of the field and one other dangler before forming our own rhythm. I thought I might be hurting Aaron as he was coughing and sputtering the whole way up. He rides bent over like an unfurled fern, his arms like they're reaching for levers that are far out beyond the ends of his shifters. Halfway up, Aaron's pulls began to hurt me a bit more, and he wasn't letting me control the pace when it was my turn at the front. Suddenly, it just felt too fast for me. He didn't really attack, but I just couldn't stay on his wheel. I decided to cut the corners to my advantage, take the inside line, draft off of riders from previous waves and use all of my experience to keep Aaron within seconds. I'd get him at the top where it flattens out and we could sprint. But Aaron must have been pedaling 10 watts more on average than me, and by the top, he beat me by more than a minute and a half. What I didn't realize in thinking I had second place in the bag was that Runyon, in the 20-29 wave, crossed the line :30 seconds fast than me. The block headwind prevented any chance at challenging Dan Cassidy's 2007 record, but Fillion's time was fairly close considering the gusty conditions. Third place for me. Okay, well, at least I've got my starting point.
Okemo. Third again. Runyon and I attacked early on, with Mainer Judson Cake taking a couple of pulls at the beginning of the climb. Runyon knew he had to hurt me early on as I was perhaps a little too eager to show my cards within the first few miles. He put in an attack on the deflating stretch of the climb that ascends the lower ski slope at Okemo which didn't make me want to cry, but certainly made me pout. If there was anything nice about it, the attack wasn't impossible to chase down, wasn't too fast, wasn't Tom Danielson or Anthony Colby in front of me. I knew if I could just keep a high pace going, I could reel him in. Which I did, except that Gerry Clapper, 49 years old and capable of putting out enough wattage to pick up where Vermont Yankee will leave off, began to challenge me. This was just like last year. I was riding defensively since the third mile and I was not recovering. I was deflecting, actually, and suddenly another rider caught the three of us, Ian Gordon, from Rhode Island, a flat lander! This was not going well. Gerry, thankfully for me, began to fade but Runyon and Gordon decided to put the nail in my coffin and attacked, quickly opening up a five second gap. From there, Runyon put in one more slow motion attack and dropped Gordon. By the top, Runyon had about :30 seconds on me, and Gordon had about :15. Third again. Grrr.
Newton's Revenge is up next and word on the hill is that Tom Danielson, left off of Garmin-Transition's Tour de France list, will be there, as will a number of other high quality pros and Cat 1s. Yay. I've looked at my training and some adjustments have been made, specifically that I need to begin a much more structured training pattern.
Paul Runyon leads the BUMPS series by a point over me. I hope I can accrue a few more than he will at Newton's on July 10.
Great report
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