So there we were lined up and ready for the very first ascent of the 'wall'. I pre-rode one lap just to sneak a peak, and it did not seem that bad. Definitely steep (23%) wall, 75 meters long and I rode it in my 39x25 sitting. So there I decided to keep my 11-23 on for the race. It proved to be a good decision, as I found myself cresting it in my 19 or 21 for most of the race, with the exception of the last few laps. You need a good hefty gear to power up the steep slope. You also had to choose your lines carefully, as the white markings on the road became road hazard and I found myself spinning through these on a few occasions. We started with 92 on the line and I was sneaky enough to get pole position. A good move, as we were strung out for the first 10 laps or so and it was near impossible to move up. So the race is ticking along, 10 to go, then, 8, 5 and there we are with 2 to go and BAM! (copyright Stone "Cold" Beck), as I pass the last right-hand turn before the wall, my wheel got stuck in one of the billions of cracks I've been good about avoiding to that point and ... there was the end of my race (and a second pair of bibs :-(
I've got couple of pictures and it seems like we had about 50 guys left with two to go. I wouldn't have been there contesting the sprint, but it shore woulda' been nice to finish :-((
I hear Ed got 9th and Aaron a respectable 14th in the prosey's race. Congratulations to both of you guys!
Here are a few pics.
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