My First Ever Road Race....Sort Of....

This past Friday was the 26th annual Town Mountain Hill Climb, a individual time trial up Town Mountain, about 5 miles from town to almost the Blue Ridge Parkway. For locals, its a standard climb to get out of town and into a great loop and once a year, it becomes a way for a fast few to earn a few hundred dollars. I've never been in Asheville for it, and I think I forgot about it this year, so went for a 3 hour road ride with Art and Jeremy Hargroves, who has as many good stories as he does tattoos, which is a lot.

At some point between the end of the road ride and 6 pm, I remembered that the time trial was going on, so rode into town to watch some folks go all fast up hill. I only lasted about half an hour before I decided I wanted to race, too. Bystanding sucks, despite what is apparently popular opinion. And luckily, I had my road bike, since my townie currently has a flat and a slippy rear axel, and was wearing silly girly stretchy jean shorts, which sort of simulated spandex bike shorts, only longer, hotter, and more fashionable.

First time women (i.e. women who have never raced a road race before) got to race for free, which my friend Camille commented on with, "sometimes it pays to be a virgin." I only had to buy a day liscence, which I later determined is a load of crap and now I'm once again pissed at USA cycling for ripping me off** (see footnote.) But it was only $10, which I quickly withdrew from the nearest ATM, then rolled up to the starting line as the last rider to go off that evening.

I finished in 23 minutes or something, which placed me in 1st in the first time women's group, but would have placed me first in women's B (which is where I should have been, had I realized at the time the $240 I already paid to USA cycling this year has me as at Cat 4 roadie automatically.) Or I would have been 3rd in women's A, or 3rd of all the women there, I suppose. I'm pleased with that, but still a little disappointed that I didn't roll up to the time trial prepared to go. I probably had 45 lbs of pressure in my tires (which is great for training, but bad for racing) and I did it in street clothes, which I didn't really care about, but everyone else seemed bemused by this:

I cross the finish line at the top of the hill, timer man says,
"23:47! And you did it in shorts!"
And I say, "But everyone did it in shorts...."

Besides, riding in cotton is amazing. I think roadies are so uptight all the time because their clothing is always so tight. So riding up a hill in a cotton t-shirt was really not that big of a deal. I just wish I had been rested better and such, just to see how fast I really could have been. But still, the brash mountain biker in me would like to say a big "Ha!" to all the non-smilers at the Tuesday Night Turbo Nerd ride that are always so pompous and unwelcoming. I may not be a roadie, or have any desire to be one, but I can handle a bike, and its nice when people realize that, even when I show up to a group ride (or a time trial for that matter) in a little league baseball t-shirt and pretty darn worn out shorts.

I should stop hating on roadies, though....this same snootiness has appeared at mountain bike races, too. Which is really discouraging.

Anyway, I won a Mountain Dew and a water bottle, and everyone gave me their coupons to some running store that they all won because they don't need running shoes. I also got a medal. Yey. But more importantly, I think I realized that I'm not too bad, which sometimes I think I am, and that maybe I should take somethings a little bit more seriously, just so I don't get to the bottom of the hill and get all disappointed with myself because I know I could have been faster...

Whatever. I had a good road ride earlier that day, and an awesome night ride back home from Town Mountain afterwards.

**I'm livid with USA cycling for charging me double for an international liscense because of my untimely upgrade last year. My fault, I realize, but shoot...$240 just to have the title Pro for a season!?! That's stupid. I can't believe I fell for that. More about this later though.