Sunflower State Games Crit

Went to Forbes Field in Topeka on Saturday for the Sunflower State Games Crit. The course was super-flat at 1.5 miles. There was a 15 mph headwind on the final stretch coming out of the North. It was an awesome day for racing with temps at 80 degrees and I was feeling great.

I went by myself to the race. My wife, Karen, was working and no one from the team was racing this weekend so I had little pressure to really go out and get a win. This was also my first race as a Cat 4 so I wanted to just go out and see what it would be like.

The race started and the pace for the first two laps was painfully slow. We'd just be leisurely riding along, hit a corner, sprint like mad out of the corner and then immediately slow to a crawl before the next corner. This was nothing like the Cat 5's at the Tour of KC. Those were fairly fast, seemingly, at the get go and we dropped a bunch of people as the race wore on. Today there wasn't any of that. The issue was that nobody wanted to do the pacing. No one would stay out front and take their turn.

After two laps of this crap, I got tired of sitting 10th wheel and decided to spend a little time out front seeing if we could get the speed up. When I went out front the pace did pick up and everyone was obviously feeling good as they hung onto my wheel and we went around the course. Me, not wanting to over work myself so early in the race, decided one lap pacing the pack was enough for now and I'd let someone else have a go. Share the work you know? Nothing doing. I'd pull off and wait for the next guy to take my spot, but no one would go. I wasn't about to be the dofus out front the entire race using all his energy just to hit the wall and get killed at the line. So I slowed way down and fell to the back of the peloton when someone finally HAD to take some time at the front.

This went on for the entire race. I was either doing all of the work at the front or I was sitting 15th wheel or so. I'd have to say I probably did 80% of the work this race. That may be a little over-estimate, but it sure didn't feel that way. In fact, everyone I talked to at the end of the race said the same thing. "Gee, you sure did a lot of the work there today." Gee, big guy, it was sure nice being on your wheel." Really?

No one went for a serious break and when someone did make a seeming attempt I went with them in hope of getting two or three of us out front, but once I caught them they just shut it down. I knew I wasn't fast or fit enough to hold a breakaway myself, I needed at least one other to come with me. Again, no one was wanting to put in any equal amount of effort today.

Well, that's how the race ended. The entire group, save for a few stragglers, hit the last corner all together and as usual I was first wheel which is not at all where I wanted to be. I was straight into the headwind and at the line five guys used my slipstream to slingshot around me to give me a sixth place finish. Sure wasn't a good finish for all the work I did.

All in all is was a good race. Low turnout though, but I had fun. I just wish that if people aren't going to step up and do some of their share of the work that I had the fitness and speed to just go away and stay away. Road Race on Sunday. Should be just as flat. 46 miles.

Stay Dirty.