2018 Race The Lake

And I thought I had a good ride last year!

Today I did my first race of 2018: Race The Lake, Wisconsin’s biggest road race. I first did the race back in 2016, and I had a pretty good result despite a rear tire puncture with just a few miles to go. I went back last year for the 10th Anniversary edition—a 100-mile course instead of the normal 88 or thereabouts—and I had an even better result. But today … wow!

After performing so well last year I was willing to move into Wave 3 on this year’s starting grid. Wave 1, a.k.a. the Pro Wave, seemed beyond my ability. Even Wave 2 seemed like a stretch, so my first thoughts were not positive when the race organizers announced that Waves 2 and 3 would start together. But I soon lost any concerns that I didn’t belong. We flew up to High Cliff State Park, the halfway point of the race and home to its only real hill climb. And even the hill seemed easy this year. I was on a storming ride: fit, confident, and sitting atop a perfectly-tuned bike.

I think a lot of people get fooled by Race The Lake. The climb at High Cliff has a reputation that exceeds the reality. Getting up it is good, but don’t think the worst is behind you. The west side of Lake Winnebago is pan-flat, but the east side features a succession of rolling hills. They’re not hard when considered individually, but their cumulative effect is the difference between a good race and a bad one. I met every challenge. On a couple of occasions when others faltered, I rode across gaps to stay with the leaders of the wave. And if I stuck my nose into the wind only briefly, I was always within a shout of the front.

In the final miles I was contemplating a repeat of the move that was so successful last year: descend hard into Taycheedah and then time trial on the flat roads back to Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance. A terrible crash in the Pro Wave left carnage on the road ahead. Law enforcement stopped us, then directed us onto the sidewalk for a brief detour. We resumed quickly but much of the cohesion in the group was gone.

I finished the 88-ish miles in 3:33:32, averaging 25 mph. That’s good for 88th Place out of more than 930 overall and 9th out of 109 men in my age group …

At least, I think it’s good for 88th Place. The race organization has altered the results since I left Fond du Lac late this morning. It’s trying to be fair to the fast riders in the waves that started after mine, some of whom were stopped at the crash scene for more than an hour when law enforcement demanded that the race be neutralized to allow emergency crews to do their work. I was lucky to pass that point just after the crash. I don’t really know who won; I know only that I had great race.

My day got even better when I saw that Laura Van Gilder was the undisputed women’s winner. Like me, she’s 53 years old and a native Pennsylvanian, so it’s easy for me to root for her. We spent a few minutes talking after the race and she couldn’t have been nicer. Not sure if she remembers meeting me at Tour of America’s Dairyland races at East Troy and West Bend in years past, but she does follow me on Twitter, which counts for something!

So, that’s my one road race for 2018. Back to cyclocross …