This past weekend Brady and I (Omar) raced at the Wild Frontier Road Race in Crockett, TX. My legs were feeling great and I had my mind set on a win. The course was a lollipop loop full of rolling hills, 17 miles out, 2 loops, and then 17 miles back for a total of 65 miles. It was pretty cold at the start line (as usual for January racing in Texas) with a decent wind blowing as well. The course was well covered with trees, with only a few sections exposed to the wind. We lined up next to 25 other guys. The big team at the race was Team CCR Roofing, so Brady and I focused on 2 riders each.
The race rolled off with a neutral start, and about 10 minutes in the attacks started coming from left and right. Pretty quick 2 guys (Kyle Swanson from Richardson Bike Mart and John Bain) slipped away off the front, not to be seen again for 50 miles. I stuck to the plan and followed my two assigned CCR guys. There was still plenty of racing left, so the field didn’t react aggressively to it by chasing. Rather, the attacks and surges kept coming non-stop for the first 2 hours of racing. Eventually, one of the punchier climbs right before a turn led to a split in the field. I found myself in the front group with 11 other guys. I raced conservatively from this point on, taking quick pulls and hiding from the wind wherever I could. With about 10 miles to go we caught the 2 man break. This is where all the “games” started. CCR sent guys back and forth trying to split up the newly formed lead group, until eventually Beau Edwards (CCR Roofing), Eli Husted (Hot Tubes Junior Cycling Team), and a Shama Cycles rider got a gap with only 5k to go. I sat in the group and was waiting for Michael Pincus (CCR Roofing) to attack, since he had been conserving for a while and seemed to be the guy they were working for. Nick Minnery (Super Squadra) took a hard pull, Pincus followed, and as soon as the pace slowed back down, I attacked. With only 3k to go I was going as hard as I could to chase down the 3 man break. I got close, but not close enough to catch them before the finish line. I knew I had the legs in me, and if I had been in the winning move it would’ve been a different story. Ultimately, it came down to tactics, but I was happy with my 4th place in the Pro/1/2 category. I learned a lot and definitely had fun on such an awesome course. Looking forward to Sealy Road Race on February 11th!
Also, below is the link to a video of the last 3k. Fortunately, Michael had a GoPro and caught the attack on camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTE3R6yqFjM
Numbers (Strava link)
Distance: 64 miles
Elevation: 3500 ft
Time: 2:42 hr
Average Speed: 23.5 mph
Average Power: 237 watts
Max Power: 1144w