Front Range Cycling Classic

"Be a short dog in tall grass until last climb."

Those were the last words of wisdom I was texted by a friend before yesterday's 51-mile road race down on the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

I call him a friend because he knows my methods all too well. I'm a triathlete by nature, what can I say! I get a bit antsy when the peloton is too big, especially when there are hills involved in the course and I like to break things up.

Halfway through the 4-loop rolling hill course, that also hosted the '86 world championship road race, I forgot this wisdom, got on the front of the peloton and drove hard up the steepest climb. Even though the group shattered and dissolved from 90-plus riders down to a select group of 11, I likely extended myself too much. Throughout the next 1.5 laps, I continued to antagonize the remaining riders with perky efforts in both the flats and on the climbs, even convincing fellow triathlete, XTERRA pro Brandon Rakita, to take stabs at the front with me in an effort to further splinter the remaining front group.

During these efforts and within the last five miles, I started cramping pretty bad. It was probably a combination of the 5 hour energy shot, the pot of coffee, the lack of water, and the Red Bull I had on the drive down from Boulder, but nonetheless, it was happening. My legs locked when the winning move was made and I played the part of a cracked rider trying to hold his s*&t together. I did manage to recover in the lead up to the final three climbs towards the finish and worked together with another Boulder local from the Excel team to pick off a few riders who started to fade. In the end, a group of four, including Brandon, stayed away and I crossed the line in 8th or 9th (results aren't posted yet).

Talking with Brandon after the race, he mentioned the course is part of their local Sunday group ride and it was obvious he was strong and knew the course well. He finished 4th on the day and shows he will be ready for a good showing on the XTERRA tour this year.

A quick shout out to another former XTERRA pro Greg Kraus who let me stash my car keys and passport in his car after the guards at the base gate wouldn't let my car on since I had left my license at home (shhhhh). Instead, I got a nice three mile uphill warm up ride to the starting area, thinking I was going to have to race with constant rattling in my pockets. Greg showed he is back and riding strong after breaking his collarbone in the final 200 meters at Valley of the Sun in Phoenix in February while leading in the GC standings. Like many other XTERRA pros, he has decided to focus on bike racing this year as the racing organization has changed their allocation of prize money, spreading it thin and expanding their US race tour, forcing athletes to spend more money on traveling with less available money to earn.

Next up is Deer Trail road race next weekend (hopefully some of my VeloNews team members will show up to race) and then Wildflower 1/2. I need to start running!!!