Tour De Toona-Stages 5 and 6

by Tim Henry (West Virginia)
Aug. 1-2, 2003

Stage 5 of the Tour de 'Toona was an 80 mile circuit race of four laps around Martinsberg. It rained overnight and stopped before our race start but the road was nicely coated with water. Our race began at 8:00 am so it was a bit chilly as well. The plan was to try and make the break today. Scottie told me that this was a good day for non-GC riders to get a good
result because the real contenders would be saving themselves for the next day's monster mountain stage.  My legs felt good and I was active for most of the first lap. Luck was not on my side, however, as the winning move got away without me in it. I tried an attack early in the second lap once Navigators had gone to the front to set tempo and was quickly reeled
in. Scottie then informed me that I should not attack when there is a team on the front setting tempo.  Something about professional courtesy. That would at least explain the dirty looks I got when I was caught. So I took my jumpy legs to the back of the peloton and hung out conversing with friends for most of the rest of the race. Coming into the finish another
situation arose. This will definitely sound cocky but it needs to be said. There were many, many Cat. 2's who had delusions of grandeur for the field sprint on this day. They all kept trying to move up and get to the front. The problem is that they get in the way of teams (not just pro teams, but organized teams) that have a reason to be setting up for the finish. They stand no chance of winning the field sprint but think they can. My complaint about them is that they get in the way and when the pace gets tough they let gaps open up, causing time splits in the field at the finish. The last few miles before the finish of this race were fairly slow so the natural pecking order did not appear. The final 1.5k is very technical and the ground was wet, not a place for timid bike handlers.  Long story short, the white-knuckled last few corners turned out ok but only because people were on the ball and closed gaps when they opened. The break of 8 stayed away and the winner of the stage moved into 3rd
overall. But he also used a lot of energy and will be tired for the next day's killer stage. 

Stage 6 is a course with two different loops to complete that both start and finish in Altoona. The total race distance is 93.8 miles with three major mountains. The plan today was to try and make the early break. If I could get up the road I might make it over Blue Knob, the really tough climb for the day, ahead of or near Scottie so I could give him a hand.  I did not have much to lose because I knew as soon as we hit Blue Knob I was going off the back of whatever group I was in. The first loop of the course took us through rural Altoona for 28 miles before heading back through the Start/Finish for the first intermediate sprint. At least half the peloton had the same idea as I did so the early break was tough to get going.  Team Snow Valley also chased anything down to set up their man for the sprint. So we finished the first loop in somewhere around 45 minutes and it was very hard. Immediately after the sprint I tried to get up the road again. There was a good group of riders with me but the pack chased anyway. Going up the next steep climb Scottie attacked and took about 8 guys
with him. This was the early break and I missed it once again. Oh, well. Scottie is on his own and all Robbie and I have to do now is finish. Blue Knob was a killer. 3 miles with grades up to 20 percent in places and the very top was the steepest. The second mountain was not nearly as bad but was still a gradual climb leading to a 1k gravel road that pitched up all
the way to the top. The final obstacle for the day was a 6 mile gradual grind with some kicks in the middle and at the top. The last 10k of the race course took us down the TT mountain from Monday and proved to be a symbolic completing of the circle for a very tough week of racing. I felt almost sad and very introspective coming into the end of this adventure.  Robbie and I rolled in with the grupetto 22 minutes down but happy just to finish. Scottie finished 8th on the day and 8th overall, a pretty good result. My final overall placing was 58th, just over a half hour down on the winner, Tom Danielson of Saturn. 
Although the men's stage race ended Saturday, there was a Pro 1,2 crit on Sunday. Most of the racers went home or to the New York City Cycling Championships.  Robbie and I decided to race the crit since we came to race our bikes. This course was not great, it had lots of tight turns and to top it all off the skies were threatening to rain at any time. Only 30 riders
lined up for the start of our race. There were many attacks and I was in a promising move that got brought back right before another good move went. Robbie dropped out early and most other teams were represented so I was left to chase on my own. Then the bottom fell out. It started pouring rain and in one lap, half the field crashed. I avoided falling and kept on rolling. This was to be the greatest mistake of the week for me. Unfortunately the officials, in all their splendor, put all the guys
who crashed in the field (the group I was in before the crash) in front of my group of four (who were the only guys in the field that did not crash). The rulebook says that they are supposed to be put in with the group they were with before the wreck, which was us. I thought they must have put the group in behind us and considered us a breakaway so I kept rolling,
thinking I had money locked up as long as I stayed upright. After the race I was furious to find out that the officials had actually put the crash group back in in front of my group, putting us last on the road. I risked busting my butt with 130 psi in the rain on a tight course for 20th place! I was so mad I had to cool off for 45 minutes before I could talk to anyone. So anyway, I think they were wrong but there is not much I can do.  

For my final thought I would like to reflect and mention that I learned a great many things this week.  I learned mostly about racing but I also learned some interesting things about people and how they work, useful stuff on and off the bike. I hope I can apply these lessons in the future and become a better racer and a better person because it's not all about the bike, it's about growing up. I hope you have enjoyed this adventure as much as I have. 
Thanks for reading, 
Tim