Audrey Scott Race Report - Tour de Toona 2011 Stage 3 - Altoona/Blair County Road Race 91 miles/146 km
Or so they said it was going to be. And, I am using the word "race report" loosely here. For me, it was really just about survival.
My bike computer actually registered 97.4 miles today. And this doesn't include the 3 miles each way to the start/finish in downtown Altoona and back. There's a church along the way, and that is what one side of the sign out front said. The other side said: "You are not too bad to come in or too good to stay out." Neither were much solace.
After the thunderstorms of Thursday and a spin in the rain on the rest day, I was glad that it was going to be dry and sunny today, but of course this meant it would be hot. I suppose it was to avoid some of the heat, but the 8:10 start time came awful early this morning.
The course had many many twists and turns, 3 KOM/QOM climbs, including the long 10 mile climb up the back side of what we climbed on Thursday, two sprints, and huge twisting descents. In a word: demonic.
After a rest day, it was hard right from the start. Rollers and many turns in the first 20 mile loop, and a break was gone already. Almost all the teams were represented but ours. I went to the front, but to no effect. All I was managing to do was wear myself out quick. And there was a long way to go. So on we went. And went. And went off course and had to turn around. Twice. What a mess. We spent a total of 45 minutes standing on the side of the road while they had to figure out what was going on. At the second stop, our increasingly panicky Australian teammate Laura, who was flying home on a 6:00 flight out of Pittsburgh, had to get her stuff out of the car and ride back to the rooms in order to make her flight. We had also lost Jenn earlier when her back seized up, so we were down to 5. And the climb loomed.
We finally got there, and again, I settled in to work my way up. As the pack blew up, Jenny and Jane were well up ahead, and Amy was up there as well. Hardest and longest climb that I have ever done. Over the top was a 1.2 mile gravel section. And then, the descent. I got picked up by a group, and we picked up Amy and another. Some worked, many didn't. The second KOM was steep and twisty. The third began out on a highway, with a shallow grade but it was like being out in the lava fields. I just kept willing my legs to turn over, and stick to the few wheels we had in our little group. 20k to go. 10 k to go. We descended into Town, with a crystal blue reservoir on our right. We cross the line, and found our tent. Jenny and Jane had finished in the third group. We were around 19 minutes back. Marjolein came in behind us.
I am now 48th on GC.
They imposed no time cut, and the 5 of us will all start the crit tomorrow.
Hoping we all come through it safe and sound.
-a
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