Masters 40+ 4-5 Signal Hill Race Report

Race Report by Jens Wallrabe

Crit: Signal Hill

Race: Masters 40+ 4-5

Date: 5/2

Who raced: Hugh Templeman, Mike Myles, Nick Hare, Kevin Hinton, and Jens Wallrabe

Results: Jens Wallrabe 14th, Hugh Templeman 15th, Nick Hare 18th, Kevin Hinton 20th.

Ok. We lined up at the start all feeling like shit (combination of colds, no sleep, maybe a hangover, although no one admitted that), APART from Kevin, who had rolled to the line straight after finishing the prior race. ..AND doing the Breathless Agony Race (2nd race in the King of the Mountain Series) yesterday, which consisted of 114 miles and over 12500 feet of climbing with over 40 miles of that uphill. What the hell!

Anyway, the race started, we went around and around. Around some more, for about 35 minutes. The wind was brutal on about 50% of the course, creating significant head wind!!...the speed varied from 30+ down to around 20 mph. The NOW Masters’ Team did some work during the race closing down any attacks, so nothing stuck. The advantage of that was we did not have to chase anything down later in the race. The disadvantage of doing that was the peloton, on the whole, stuck together and moved around the race course like a big lump of Jell-O…

On a side note, we are a newly formed team and have only been racing together since the beginning of this season. We have been practicing a number of basic tactics and lead out strategies. Things have been slowly coming together and we are beginning to work more as a cohesive unit. Every race, particularly over the last three, has been getting better…

…Finally, we got the command “five laps to go!” As soon as we heard that we all looked for and found each other. I must say the kits look really good in a bunch near the front of the peloton…I don’t know why but I could not get my eyes off the Sierra Nevada logo…

Mike Myles made the first AGGRESSIVE jump around the outside of the peloton, I instantly followed him, behind me was Hugh, behind him Nick, and behind Nick was Kevin. Mike did his job after a super strong attack/pull and then I took over, I was 4th at that point, level with another rider. At well over 30mph we hit the final corner; Hugh was clued to my rear wheel like a barnacle on the underside of a boat, he was ready to launch himself like Apollo 12!

I felt REALLY strong; I am talking about walking through a 3 foot thick concrete wall strong! As we go around the corner, the bozo next to me apexes the corner and then catapults himself across the race course, inches from taking out my front wheel!!! I had to sit up for a second to slow down, since I did not want to hit my brakes with Hugh and the boys behind me! Close call…in that millisecond of me sitting up, about 10 riders came around us Before we could get our momentum back again it was too late…so close and yet so far (going around that last corner, I was already envisioning a podium spot for us!!!!)…oh well, there is always the next race.

…and yes, I did talk to that “I-do-not-know-how-to-keep-my-line” rider after the race. He probably won’t be doing that again anytime soon!

I just want to give a shout out to Hugh, Kevin, Mike, and Nick, my racing buddies today, who put so much effort into racing like a team. This is what makes it so much fun, to be racing with friends who always give their best!