Leland Kermesse

Mark that one up as the toughest course I've done to date.

75 Miles long, half the course on gravel, and some serious wind...add being dropped with half the pack 4 miles into the race and you've got yourself one hell of a day.

Race started - I was near the back and forgot to think about wind direction. We made a gingerly right hand turn and instantly felt that I was shielding every guy to my left from the wind and using way too much energy in the first mile. I sneakily tried to move to my left and let someone in on my right to shield me, but no one decided to come through. At about that moment the pace ramped up. It wasn't terribly devastating except for the fact that the riders in front of me started to single file themselves, and then gap themselves. At that moment I tried to go around a few only to find myself diving deep into the red riding straight into a crushing crosswind/headwind. The gap kept growing...

Houston, we have a problem.

At this point I have a few options, and none of them are very attractive. 1) Sprint up to the pack in front of me, pray that it slows down a touch, and hopefully recover - but realize that you likely will burn all of your matches with this one move 2) Keep at a constant pace and hope to regroup with a few others and pace your way back or 3) Sit up and quit. #3 seemed the most logical at the time, but I opted for #2 being too mentally weak to go for #1.

After riding alone for a minute or so, a group formed and started to pace itself back up, but the gap was only slowly diminishing. Every second in that paceline I was having a Strong Man - Weak Man debate with myself. One side saying "those guys up there are stronger than you AND currently working less than you, if you catch them, you're still screwed" and the other saying "keep going, if you catch them you'll have to do less work AND you'll go faster".


I never caught them. The gap diminished, but I broke down just before a guy or two from that line was able to catch on. At that point I would like to think that I pressed on with the next 65 miles solely on will power and determination, but I think in reality I just didn't know how to get back to the car or where the start/finish line on the course was as it wasn't marked well, so I just kept riding.

I caught and passed some riders; some caught and passed me. But I entered a cycling mind-numb like never before. 70 of 75 miles essentially by yourself gets pretty lonely.

*Turn, look at some fields, ouch a headwind, look a big farm machine, pedal, pedal, pedal...pedal, pedal, is that the next turn up there on the horizon?, nope, pedal, pedal...pedal, pedal, there it is, turn, "ooo gravel", stay on the right side of it - got it, pedal, pedal...I see someone in the distance, I might be able to catch them in the next few miles...maybe not...pedal, pedal...lets act like the finish is 10 miles away and count down...10 miles away....9 miles away...8.5 miles away...8.25 miles away...8.1 miles away...*

Maybe one of the things keeping me going was that I was sure Tim was still riding in the 4's race that started right after mine, so I figured, I might as well keep going for at least another hour or two and get a good workout in instead of waiting around. But maybe it was just because I literally couldn't quit. I just kept pedaling. I had merely one decision point: (when I realized where the turn off was for the start finish/line was) make a right or make a left. Go on or quit.

I just kept making rights.

And passed everyone who made lefts.

I finished the race. That final left hand turn was just about as gratifying of a moment as I've had cycling in road races. I crossed the line and made sure the judges new that #12 had crossed.

I finished 25th of about 60 in the 1/2/3 field, Lanterne Rouge position. Last of those who finished. A fighters position.

Excellent race and I definitely got better, but it really put in doubt my ability to finish the Joe Martin Stage Race in 3 weeks. I'll make a decision sometime next week.

Until next time Leland...