The Green Mountain Stage Race is and will always be one of my favorite races of the year. From the beauty of summertime in Vermont, to the international competition and the legendary road courses, to the fans lining the road and meeting friendly people everywhere you go, what’s not to love?
It’s no secret that I set a target on GMSR (the Green Mountain Stage Race). The courses suit me, the hilly terrain plays to my advantage, and it all kicks off with a challenging time trial the Friday before Labor Day weekend. Coming into the race, I wanted to win, not only for myself, but also for my team – I would be guest-riding for CS Velo – a Domestic Elite team based in Pennsylvania – during GMSR, and we would have a dual-GC threat in Will Cooper and I.
The day before the time trial, motivation was at an all-time high. I was ready to turn myself inside out, to push through the pain barrier and then past it, and to cross the finish line completely cross-eyed with lactic acid filling up to my eyeballs – absolutely empty.
Stage 1 Time Trial:
Course: five minutes uphill, followed by two more minutes slightly uphill into a five-minute false-flat descent, and then, The Dip.
For those who like the details, read this paragraph: The first minute of the time trial (TT) included two short, steep pitches of 10+%, followed by a two-minute climb at 4% – for us Pro/1 riders, that meant keeping it in the big ring for the first few minutes. After that was a steep section of road that forces even the strongest of riders into the little ring. Once you crest that climb, you are 5 minutes in, but be careful, because you still have (at least) 8 minutes to go. The false-flat descent is a weird one to pace; five minutes at -2% means that everyone is going fast, everyone. Pushing 50 more Watts here will only gain you a couple of seconds; going hard on the climbs is more advantageous.
Now let me tell you about The Dip. The last-minute of the TT begins with a fast descent into a +15% wall. The wall doesn’t last long, but the gradient only eases ever-so-slightly and stays positive alllll the way to the finish line. Think of it this way: go and do a 15-minute power test. But as soon as you see 14:59 on your Garmin, do a 1-min all-out MAX effort – if cycling were ever used as a torture device, this would be a great technique.
Race Day: With an 11:41AM start time, I had plenty of time to sleep in, eat, and kit up before performing a thorough warm-up ending exactly 13 minutes before my start. My warm-up consisted of 3, 2, and 1-minute threshold efforts, increasing in intensity over time. I finished it off with a couple of seated sprints, downed a Roctane GU gel, and I was ready to go.
Pacing Strategy (The Plan): I planned to go out at 400 W for the first five minutes, try to hold it over the top of the climb, back off (slightly) on the descent, and then give it everything I had from The Dip to the finish.
Execution: I ended up doing 416 W for the first five minutes (a new power PR, and not according to the plan, but not a bad thing either!). I died a little bit/a lot on the descent, and then blasted up The Dip and all the way to the finish. I hadn’t gone that deep in a very long time, and I was gasping for air and feeling the fire in my lungs those last few hundred meters.
When I crossed the line, I knew that my time was good. Little did I know just how fast everyone else was that day, including my teammate, Will Cooper, who smashed my time by 28 seconds and took 3rd on the day! Despite my best efforts, I came away with 8th place. Surely, I thought, I would be top 5, maybe on the podium. Winning would be a dream; I was way off. I was simultaneously happy and disappointed – I had beaten a lot of great riders, many of whom I’d looked up to over the past few years. But I wanted to do better, and I really thought I did. But simply put, I just wasn’t fast enough.
Tomorrow’s race report: GMSR Stage 2 Circuit Race – a fast day and a winning breakaway…