edgar soto - stage 4

Man, it's taken me a long time to get this up. Two issues, most likely, have contributed to my procrastination: (1) I was disappointed with Monday's result and (2) so much steady blogging got me bogged down, dampening my enthusiasm.

Anyway, Stage 4 was a quality event. Seventy-seven miles of up-and-down along rural Tennessee roads ending in a 5K climb up the Cumberland Plateau. I predicted before that everything would come down to that climb. About that, at least, I was right. What I wasn't right about was my prediction about how well how many people would be riding once we got there, and how well I wouldn't be riding against them.

I played it casual through the whole race. I kept my nose out of the wind and moved up near the front before the bigger hills and the long downhill section. I stayed watered, fed, and for the 20 miles or so before the finishing climb felt increasingly good. I mean, I felt good, but I also felt good in comparison with how I perceived those around me to be feeling. It seemed like with each roller I was riding stronger and the field was losing steam.

A long two-man break was finally reeled in maybe 15 miles from the finish. When we hit the climb there was one rider off the front, but I assume he was reabsorbed on the climb. Anyway, I hit the climb in perfect position--about 10th wheel. The pace was steady, no one was attacking, and all seemed well. Except that all seemed well for too many riders. About 1/3 the way up the climb the lead group still had about forty riders together en masse riding tempo. The wild attrition that I had expected didn't materialize, the pace stayed high, and ultimately I couldn't hang on. I'd slip a rider or two, then another few positions, and finally there I was at the tail end of this lead group trying desperately to hang on, but knowing I'm just not going to be able to pull it off.

I finished the day 32nd, 1:44 off the pace of the stage winner. With that result several riders jumped me in the GC, and I finished in 21st place. Fat. Old. Slow.

One has to put these things in perspective, of course. I'm not the flyweight climber I was in high school...and as I pulled across the finish line and took a look at those that finished in front of me I couldn't help but notice that many of them looked much more like that--long legs and narrow torsos, skin so thin you can see the veins across their ribs. I'm a good 10 lbs lighter than the last time I finished this race, but my ribs would still make much better eating. The biggest disappointment is that what for me was a sensational TT result feels squandered. After that TT I felt like a finish in the money (Soto paid out 15 places) was guaranteed; a top 10 finish highly likely.

Anyway, now that some time has past I feel better about the result. And motivated. Which is good, I suppose. An overall satisfying effort, but just dissatisfying enough to work a little harder.

I've only finished in the money once since upgrading to Cat 3. That needs to be corrected.