La Rue-Denzer-La Rue

This race was a major goal for my season and with my recent  race mechanicals(flat, broken rim), I came super motivated!

Plan for the race. Set a hard pace from the gun, stay together over the first two climbs , stay out of the wind, and get to the final long climb ready to go.

Race conditions- 45 degrees with a 25mph wind out the NW. At the staging Pat points out to me that he is probably the only guy in the field that weighs over 150lbs. I turn around and take a look, and yes its beanpole city.

The first climb is a stair step over two miles long with 6/7 % grades.  After a fast start Pat and I are on the front when the climb starts, I set a tempo we can both handle over the first part and the group stats to thin, we drill on the false flat and the second part of the climb, Pat myself and two WI riders have a gap and we go. Just like Baraboo the race selection is done in the first 5 miles. After the climb we settle into a pace line with all 4 of us sharing the load trying to increase the gap. Here the winds were brutal but we were able to increase our gap. After the first lap we head back up the stair step, I set the pace and make sure Pat is on my wheel or at my side, once over the climb we head into Denzer for meeting with the BIG climb 8% for 1.5 miles.

Denzer- Pat is taking some huge pulls while keeping me out of the wind. We scream down the decent into Denzer, I hit 52mph, Pat told me he was at 55mph. With the final climb looming in the distance we start to play our numbers. Pat goes off the front into the wind and gets a large gap, the other two are forced to chase him down while I sit on their wheels.

A sharp right turn and the climb looms, up a short kicker one guy accelerates we all follow, now about 1/2 mile until the climb Pat takes all the wind so I can save myself.  The climb starts and the tempo starts to pick up, one guy attacks I counter, unfortunately this causes Pat to lose contact. We continue to this up the climb and get a gap on the other guy in the break. I attack one last time then the two of us crest the climb together. We start to work together, but the guy we dropped on the climb is back. With Pat still on the climb we agree to work together until the finish. The wind is too brutal to solo the last 5 miles.

The finish is after a very fast downhill so I made sure I was on the right wheel well before we hit the sprint. Down the hill he drills it I stay on his wheel, the other guy comes around and starts to sprint I shift to his wheel and wait for the cones marking 200 yards to go. Once we hit them I drilled it and came around him to win by a few bike lengths!!

Pat came in alone a few minutes later for 4th, and Tom with the main group for 14th.

Many thanks to Pat for taking some huge pulls, attacking, and helping me stay out of the wind whenever possible.

Doug