Having never been to Ipswich before let alone Willowdale I didn’t really know what to expect. Although I didn’t get out of the house as early as I’d hoped I did (a) get a parking spot relatively close and (b) have enough time to pre-ride the first couple miles of the course to check out what the start would be like. As predicted it was fast, fast, fast with maybe a half mile of cart road before a hard right into the single track with a short little uphill. Some rolling single track led to another shorter cart road section before hitting the fun stuff. Last year, in sport, I had a lot of success killing myself in the beginning of races to get out in the clear and not caught up in traffic. Of course, last year I was one of the faster riders in the group. This year, not so much, but hey, you don’t know if you don’t try, right? Being last into the woods last week didn’t work so well, so I thought I’d try something different. What’s the worst that could happen?
Staging was a bit of controlled chaos, but in the end went surprisingly smooth given the size of the fields (30+ elites, 30+ single speeds, etc.). We had close to 20 in the Expert Vets. I got a front line position on the right. The race started and I went into time trial mode. I was 2nd wheel for most of the start with Brian Currier and a guy in a Bicycle Express jersey going by just before we hit the single track. This turned out to be a good thing for them as they quickly disappeared up the trail. I was sitting in 4th going back into the 1-track behind some guy in a black and green jersey. We start to hit the twisty stuff and the outrigger starts coming out on the corners. He clipped his pedal on one of the turns and I manage to get by. I’m still going at near TT pace and hoped to put some distance between us, but we started to catch some of the senior 2’s, I got caught up in traffic on one of the rock walls and he and another guy go by. I got to watch them go down the loose switchbacks before the extended cart road where they promptly dropped me. I was trying settle into some sort of reasonable pace when Aaron and Brian came by along with Bob Carney. I now know it was Bob Carney from looking at the results. He sort of looked like the guy that schooled me last week at the Grind, but I wasn’t sure. In fact later in the lap I asked him his class. I swear he said Vet2 although it was probably Vet “too”. Meaning I’m a Vet 1 like you, dumbass, don’t you even know who’s in your group. Anyway, I wound it back up again and caught on the end to get a nice pull passing a half dozen people or so leading back into the single track. Aaron and Brian pulled away shortly after and I spent the rest of lap one just trying to stay on Bob’s wheel.
Coming through the feed zone I got by as Bob grabbed a water, but he was back on me and ahead as we went back into the woods. Man he looked fresh. At some point he just floated away as I got caught up I some traffic before the extended cart road. Once I got by I hit the gas again but he was nowhere to be seen. Still feeling surprisingly strong I kept the hammer down hoping to catch site of someone, anyone. After last week where there was always a few people around it felt weird to be all alone for a stretch. Finally, about half way through the lap I see Bob up ahead hung up behind the outrigger. Within a few minutes I managed to close the gap and it’s the 3 of us just bombing along as lapped riders get out of the way left and right. Remembering what both these guys have done to me on open ground I decided my only chance was to get by and put some distance between them while there was still some single track left. I found my spot as we went by a couple more SSers and just gassed it. I had no idea how much was left but I was hoping it was enough to get a gap, but not so much the parachute would open up and it would all be for naught. I never looked back but I could hear someone right on my wheel the whole time. We hit the cart rode to the finish and I somehow found I still had something in the tank. I came across the finish line with Bob just a second behind. It’s only after looking at the results that I now realize he and I were racing for 3rd place. That was by far the best race I’ve ever ridden. I’ve never gone that fast for that long and every time I had to take the effort up a notch there was something in the tank to do it with. It certainly helps that that was some of the funnest single track I’ve had the pleasure of racing. I guess it’s easy to kill yourself when you’re having such a good time doing it.
Thanks again Aaron, Derek, Catp’n, Dennis, Maz and everyone else who had a hand in the race yesterday. Despite the huge turnout everything seemed to go smoothly with big smiles from everyone I saw.
