MT. Hamilton -This race is Tough - Version 1

By Katie Kelly

Included on this e-mail list is Dave Waco, who won
this race in 1961. I needed to race this course first
hand before I could do an honest interview with him,
to quiz him about the training techniques of yore, and
their racing tactics. Now I know the stuff he is made
of.

The course is very simple: it starts in San Jose near
the Alum Rock exit off of I-680, and proceeds straight
up almost without relief to the observatory, before
dropping down towards Livermore, by way of rolling
hills, and some very tight, off-camber turns. Added
obstacles include skittish wild squirrels, snakes, and
roaming helicopters looming overhead, waiting like
vultures to carry away people who ride off the road,
likely to avoid the squirrels.

My main competition, among other people, was Suzy
Pryde, an Australian Olympic silver medalist, and her
professional Jazz Apple Cycling Team, along with
several other teams that have an acual race presence.
I was there in my Team Mako shark uniform, because I
know it is intimidating. Teams with actual mascots
look the most fierce. That is a little racing tip
probably most people don't know.

I gave her the evil eye minutes before the start, just
so she'd know I meant business. And that's actually
pretty much the last time I saw her, because after the
first five minutes of the race, I thought it is just
not humanly possible to ride twenty miles uphill at
that this pace. They most be doping. All forty of
these women, some of them even my good friends.

I decided to press onwards, despite my distinct
disadvantage (some might call it lack of ability, but
let's not get too critical). I thought with any luck,
half of them will flat, or avoid a squirrel, and there
may be hope for me yet.

Sooner or later I did catch a few riders. They were
wearing Camelbacks. And they were on mountain bikes.
Come to think of it, I think they were stopped on the
side of the road, taking pictures. They urged me to
keep going and I did.

I'm leaving out the part where I actually really did
catch and ride with two friends of mine, Sarah
Lightfoot and Samantha Taylor. Out of the three, Sarah
was hurting the most, but she also lasted the longest
with the main peloton before blowing up, and confessed
that she was paying for it. See, if she had wimped out
when I did, she'd feel much more fresh and optimistic
about the whole thing. I was feeling great.

I only felt uneasy on the descents. For whatever
reason, even without squirrels in my way, I was all
over the road. I seriously questioned my descending
skills.

Sarah and Sam and I continued through the flats and
rollers, with very strong pulls and smooth rotations.
There was no stopping us now.

We went over a cattle grade, and it seemed a little
extra rough, so I said, with great reluctance, "Hey,
do I have a flat?"

"You're fine, Katie," said Sarah.

"Well, it looks a little low," said Sam. "But you'll
make it."

The reason why I was reluctant about verbalizing my
fear of a flat is that I did not want to have happen
what happened the last time I thought I had a flat.
Readers of my past race reports will remember my bout
with Brain Flat. It is AWFUL. Read this, if you need a
refresher:

http://tamracingreports.blogspot.com/2006/05/brain-flat-one-racers-experience-at.html

But on the other hand, what if it really was a flat.
These are borrowed carbon tubular wheels. It was not
worth risking damaging them.

I stopped, and noticed that there was, basically, no
air in the tire. I mean more or less.

And then I noticed that the back wheel was my very
heavy training wheel, with the all-purpose,
all-weather tires. Someone forgot to switch it.

I really don't want to talk about that, but no wonder
Suzy Pryde was looking at me so funny.

In fact, as it happens, she was parked next to me at
the finish line. I'm fast forwarding past hitching a
ride to Livermore, and waving at all my competitors,
which was fun.

Suzy Pryde's rent-a-car was parked next to my ride
home's car. Her team manager noticed the puncture.

"Yep," I said. "It happened right at the start, I
reckon. That was a bitch of a climb with no air in the
tire, let me tell you."

"Why do you only have one tubular wheel on your bike?"
said her team manager.

"Oh, no," said Suzy. "How'd you forget-"

I decided to fake a stomach cramp at that moment.

Suzy Pryde was very pleasant, actually. I have decided
NOT to enter the Carrera de San Rafael this year,
because no doubt she will enter it, and I can just
feel that I'll have both racing wheels on the bike and
no flats, and I am just too afraid of what my presence
in the race will do to her psychologically, especially
if I can last maybe ten laps of the race, instead of
the five I did last year.