Raw Talent Ranch

The Tour of Tucker County is no joke.   It was voted one of the top ten toughest road races in the country by Velo News, and lives up to the billing.

The distances sound short–52 for the 1/2/3 and 37 for the 4/5–until you are out there doing them at race pace.  Because of the tricky winding descents there is limited recovery.  You are either grinding up hill or using all facilities to control your machine on the down slopes.

The course is a lollipop loop with a 15 mile circuit that the 1/2/3’s do twice.  The race stages from on top of a mountain and rolls out to the loop.  Coming back in, beside the multiple big climbs already done, there is a long steep finishing climb.

I went with low performance expectations, due to my on going bronchitis recovery, even though I had fifth the previous year.  The field had grown significantly, from ’08’s 17 to 42, and it may be that word has gotten out to the climbers.

On the first pass through the opening circuit, between losing riders on the climb and descent crashers exiting, there was an expected selection, though on the second lap as we started going up the bunch was still twenty strong.

I struggled to stay with the group the first go-round and I was hanging on hoping I would feel better or maybe the pace would ease.

As we climbed the pack rode steady and I continued to fight my body.  Seeing the numbers I dug in thinking that some of the surges would ease.  They didn’t.  After about three miles up with many more to go I pulled the plug.  My chest is still sore and my breathing is not up to this kind of action.

Though it was not unexpected it is always disappointing to make that ‘hatch door’ decision.  Usually there is an immediate relief at being released from the pain, followed quickly by the greater frustration of no longer being part of the event, and confronted with whether or not you could have dug deeper.

Mostly I just wanted to go to the event.  It was still worth it.  It is a great race on dynamic roads in a cool place.  Thomas and Davis WV are right next to each other and have plenty of stuff going on so the trip was not a wash, despite my performance.

Sometimes I hear folks taunt the value of road races by contrasting them against ‘another boring office park crit.’  ‘Thing is, I like office park crits.  I probably would have stood a better chance of doing something at Sterling last week anyway.  Also, beside the practical aspect of staging, they have evolved into their own niche version of American racing–speed and quickness–almost a track environment on pavement.

That said, a road race like Tour of Tucker County is a treat.  Bona fide epic racing in the traditional sense, as well as a chance to fully test your skills and see some new scenery.

We are lucky that there are some serious mountains within a two to three hour distance from the DC Metro area.  For the same amount of time spent driving up and down the I-95 corridor from Richmond to New York chasing races, folks can have their own ‘Alps’ experience just by pointing the vehicle westward.

Props go out to the WVMBA for putting Tucker County together and I hope that by drawing big fields of interested riders from DC, MD, PA, VA and OH, as well as WV, these races will remain viable and able to grow.

The Lost River Classic, which I am involved in, is another chance to get the pure mountain experience.   Though degree of difficulty may be comparable, the race is much different then Tucker County in that it is a circuit race.

We are hoping to grow into a full blown road course for 2010.  The benefit of the circuit course is that you can learn the turns and descents through repetition and there is not as much unknown when plunging downhill.

The Lost River Classic http://www.ncvc.net/lostriver/Wiki%20Pages/Home.aspx is ten miles with 1000 feet of climbing and two small ring climbs.  It is not unlike a World Championship lap with its compactness and climbs it should prove to be a full racing test and I hope folks come for the adventure.