Mead Roubiax Race Report 45+

In the weeks preceding this race I wasn’t sure how it would play out with our elite team. A few of us had interest in doing the race but in the end we sent four riders to Utah for Tour of the Depot come Mead only Kit Recca was racing the Pro-1/2. So early in the week I opted for the SM45+ sensing I had a more realistic shot at a full day of racing.

I had done three different recon rides of the course before the race. Each time the roads were a little different and the previous Wednesday the roads had improved with some moisture. I’m glad I did those numerous rides as it helped tremendously in the tough sections of dirt and sand. Maybe 40 or 50 riders began the SM 45. I felt I had a good chance to win or at least podium in this race but knew I would be outnumbered by the larger teams. But halfway into the first lap just before the second dirt section I was dismayed to find my rear 25mm tire was going soft! My plans were changing in a hurry. I changed out the tire fairly quickly thanks to a CO2 cartridge and began chasing.

I may not have pursued on if not for a few different things. One, I had put in a lot of time preparing for this race so I didn’t want to throw in the towel so early. A day before I had read where Pete Webber had written that if you flat, just change it out and start chasing because you could catch riders all day. So, chase I did. For half a lap I had help from Kit who had also flatted in the Pro race. There were riders everywhere, falling, getting shelled and being battered by the wind. By the end of lap one I could see a group of my race in front of me. Into the vicious headwind I fought on alone and made one big effort to regain a group of 15 by the right hand crosswind. I asked how many were ahead and the response was “lots”. Great, I thought.

The rest of the day was riding in group, resting and then making efforts in the dirt. By the third lap it was just one guy from my race and myself. We caught a guy on the first dirt section and he told us he had been in a group of eleven in front and got dropped. So we knew we were top fifteen, at least. We plugged along, caught two more riders from the Great Divide team and subsequently dropped them in dirt section number two. By the last drag up the hill, holding off cramps, I rode it hard to the top of CR7 catching and passing one more rider. At the finish, all alone, I ended up 7th for the day. After checking the results I conceded just four minutes to the winner even with the flat. I wonder how much time I spent changing that tire out?

It has been decades since I rode that hard for that long. But it was worth it. With family obligations I can’t race as much as my younger teammates. So I’m looking to make the most of the races I can ride. With what has been a peculiar beginning to my season with equipment and canceled races I was glad I had persevered to finish this one. A big thanks goes to Jared Berg for tips he offered on how to best ride in the deep sand on a recon ride a few weeks before. It made a huge difference in staying in my pedals for the entire race.