It’s been three weeks since my big end-of-season race and my last blog. If you are loyal reader of my two previous blog entries, I sincerely apologize. The shop has been keeping me busy, plus a trip with my wife to Berlin and an attack of the flu. I’m sure we can all attest to the busy lifestyle we amateur endurance racers lead both on and off the trail!
I’ll take you back to Sunday, October 31. The weather has been pretty bad all week, lots of rain. The alarm rings and as slumber gradually gives way to clarity I hear is the rain, trying to make it’s way through the bedroom window. This is not going to be a pretty day for a 90 kilometre marathon. I have asked my friend Steven to be the support crew. Scherpenheuvel – Hapert is a high speed race, and there is definitely no time to stop at food stations for refueling. He is also the one that can bring us back to the start of this point-to-point race.
Fortunately, upon arrival in Scherpenheuvel, the rain had stopped and the team was ready to rock. One of our team superstars Hans Nuyens has positioned himself at the front of the starting box at 7 a.m., 90 minutes before the start; a true hero. Elite level road racer Mathieu van den Briel shows up and joins me with the other racers 200 meters down the road, from where we will take off as soon as Hans comes in sight. ‘The Flemish Jan Ullrich’ decided it was not a day for racing in the mud. A pity, I would have loved to meet the man.
As I mentioned in my previous blog: this race, which isn’t in fact a race, takes off at warp speed and is usually decided after the one hill in the course after 10 kilometers. Men jumping left to right over the grass hill in the center of the double track road to gain positions, people flying off the double track when the jump does not work out and all executed at 95 per cent of maximum heart rate.
According to my own tradition, I lost the leading group and take my position in one of the groups behind that, legs feeling like they will explode at any time. The legs stay together, but my group is blown to pieces. I hit the bottom of the famous Poggio all alone and decide that I need to be with some other riders by the time I summit this beast. Vision first turns blurry, then goes into tunnel mode. Did I mention that this climb is only 300 meters long? How can it hurt so much?
I catch some riders and we make a non-verbal agreement to work together, taking turns at pacing the group. At this point I overtake a former teammate, Harold, who tried to stick with the leaders but could not hold it. More confidence for me. Some people at the side of the road tell us that my group is riding for 16th position. Not bad at all, considering the 1600 registrations.
Chasing another rider on single track, I miss a turn and lose at least a minute and ten positions. By now everybody is riding without brake pads, discs are dragging loudly, shifting gears seems impossible and we have 20 kilometers to go on soggy sand roads. Harold shows up from behind and drops me like I’m hot. Confidence takes a decent punch in the stomach but I decide to push on. Seeing people drop out with mechanicals restores a bit of faith. Among them, Guido de Jong, another former teammate and the recently crowned national champion in the masters category. He yells something about a derailleur and spokes.
Racing into Hapert on the road in the middle ring with legs spinning like a tumble dryer, I see the finish arch. Hundreds of spectators and a finish in a bar. Amazing. First I receive the medal (remember that everyone is a winner at a touring event) and then my pasta ticket. The ranking system of this event is based on pasta vouchers that are numbered according to your finishing position. Mine read ’18’ and put a big smile on my face.
Hans came in second, letting his friend take first. They had a five minute lead over the third rider, I consider this a very successful launch of the Sprocket Scientist race kits. Not that anyone could read the logos by the finish. Mathieu had been in a group where a rider crashed badly and decided to take care of him until the ambulance showed up.