Hitachinaka Tour Of Japan 2009 Stage 3: Class D: 30km ( 6 laps of 5km).
Since I came 3rd in Saiko about 4 and a half years ago and went from E into D class there has been a very long dry spell in the JCRC races. Lots of excuses and missed opportunities. Today it finally ended and I can kiss D class where the sun don’t shine ‘goodbye’.
[D2クラス] 第1版6/29
着順 番号 SID 氏名 年齢 所属クラブ名 周回 タイム トップ差 km/h
1 D2-236 4595 八田 広治 34 セマス新松戸 6 0:43:26.323 00:00.000 41.44
2 D2-237 5544 山本 英門 32 ヤマダレーシング 6 0:43:26.813 00:00.490 41.43
3 D2-227 4591 MCENTYRE PETER 45 セマス新松戸 6 0:43:26.970 00:00.647 41.43
4 D2-214 7563 坂内 康史 36 レーシングクラブカズ 6 0:43:27.020 00:00.697 41.43
5 D2-244 7294 脇坂 琢一 39 いそや友の会 6 0:43:27.184 00:00.861 41.42
6 D2-235 8626 安西 博司 41 セマス新松戸 6 0:43:27.201 00:00.878 41.4
Lots of good sprint training over the last year really helped today on the physical side but this was more a mental race for me. I had blown it two years in a row and I really had to think today. Actually, I had been thinking about this race for the last two years and it finally all came together. (almost).
On Thursday my Aunt died and her funeral is to be held tomorrow in Perth. For the last few months there had been a daily visit to this blog from Perth and I thought it might be my Aunt but wasn’t sure. The Perth visits to the site seemed to stop last week and I can only assume. I said to myself I’d ride for her today since I knew I wouldn’t be able to go all the way to Perth and she deserved I try my best and do my best. がんばります！
More on the mental side were the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and then Michael Jackson this week as well as my Sister’s grandfather in-law. Although we knew Farrah was going to die, M.J was a total surprise and with all the death around, there was a lot of thinking going on about living as well. M.J’s song ‘”Man In The Mirror”, had also been reverberating in my head for the last few days as well.
“I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .”
On Thursday a book I ordered from Amazon also arrived and I managed to get halfway through it by last night. Mark Cavendish’ autobiography “Boy Racer”. It was great reading and a lot of it hit home with me. Especially about his weight problem!
Mentally, I was more prepared than ever before!
Today:
Up at 4a.m and in the car by 4:40a.m.
Half a bottle of expensive apple juice in my water bottle and the other half I drank as I drove.
Stopped off at McDonald’s for a set of pancakes, coffee and a hash brown just before the Joban Expressway entrance.
Stopped off at a 7/11 for doping and my lunch for later. 2 cans of Red Bull, a bottle of Pocari Sweat and a bowl of chicken-spaghetti.
Warm-up: 3 laps of the track 15km and 15kms riding around the starting area.
10km more warming up than I usually do. I also measured the last 200 to 300 meters of the course twice taking into account the red traffic cones, the tree positions and getting a feel for everything and making mental notes of where those things would be on the Wednesday night sprint training course.
Filled up my now half bottle of apple juice with Pocari sweat.
Downed my Red Bulls within the hour before the start time as I watched the S, A & B class races.
9:13 a.m.
The race: Mantra: Conserve all energy: Don’t get stuck at the back: Keep out of danger:
I noticed my left arm trembling with nerves at the start. That was on top of the loose toilet trips in the morning, that showed I was quite nervous and taking this a little too seriously. Just as I noticed my trembling arm one of my supporters yelled out (embarrassingly) that I had my NEW Semas shoe covers on the wrong feet. Left on right and right on left…. ‘Ssshhhhhhhhhh’ was what I was thinking…’don’t jinx me.’. I guess she would know though as she sold them too me!
I had a few problems with the HRM too. Didn’t bring my Polar chest strap so was going to rely on the Garmin. It must have froze near the start and my heart rate was stuck on 144 for the whole race. I knew deep down that the HRM was frozen but the psychological advantage of seeing it so low, all race, made it all feel even easier than it was.
Except for one part of the race where I was yelling at an old bloke in front of me who looked like he was going to crash about 3 or 4 times I kept my cool. Very rarely do I yell in a race. It was a good sign!!!
I managed to race to plan and coming around the last bend I was kind of stuck in the middle of the pack. I didn’t panic and just kept looking for little gaps and jumping into them. With about 3 or 4 hundred to go I had got across to the right hand side and was sitting behind this little weedy looking kid. (no apologies to him). He was going as hard as he could out in front off to the right but he was not going to help me and I knew that was going to leave me out in no-mans land. As he started wilting, I aimed myself for the race motorbike that was about 20 or 30m ahead, right in front of me, hoping to get a little draft off him.
I could see to my left the breaks starting and a guy had gone out in front with 2 or 3 hanging on to him. They were too far away from me to get any drafting happening. I still felt good and wasn’t going to give it everything yet, as it was still more than 200-250m away from the goal line and I only had about 150m off gas in the tank. Right then a team mate who had been hiding at the back for the whole race came flying from behind me at about 60kph (confirmed the speed with him after the race) and out into the front. I had no choice but to give it all I had. I was in the wrong gear for that but went for it anyway. I got it up to 57 and knowing I wasn’t going to beat 2nd and sure nobody was going to pass me for 3rd I threw myself at the line and finished in 3rd.
0.647 away from 1st. The first 23 places all within the next 2 seconds.
I can’t complain, can I?
I also went in the 10km Team Time Trial but didn’t care how I went in it and after it finished and I had my lunch I got in the car to get home to the puppies.
I’m sure my Aunt was watching and I apologize to her for not being able to make it to her funeral tomorrow. I had a bit of a cry in the car on the way home.
R.I.P
Auntie D. I love you!
72kms on the clock for the day.
Will post pics later tonight.
C class is going to be tough!
Friends & Team mate’s results today:
S class. Murata-san 2nd.
A class: Tomo-san 3rd
B class: Yamaguchi-san 2nd.
C class: Kazu-san 2nd Suzuki-san 5th.
D class: Yatsuda-san 1st, Yasunishi-san 6th.