Proctor Cycling Classic

It was a long drive down to the Proctor Cycling Classic in Peoria, Illinois, but well worth it. Dave Thomas and I headed out of Chicago bright and early to catch the Masters 30+/40+ 4,5's race at 9:05 am. Neither of us had done this race in the past so all we knew going in was that it was an hourglass course. We lined up with 35 other riders at the start with a gusty wind on the backstretch. The race was fast, later reports showed 25 mph averages accounting for the slowed pace into the wind. I really wanted to take an attack in this race. I had been thinking that I need to be more aggressive as a new Cat 4 rider and test myself. I moved up to the front group to find the pace is fast enough I can't get the legs to make a break for it. William Pankonin is chasing down any attempt from other riders to break away. I quickly adjust my strategy to hang out in the top 10 and block if xXx sees the opportunity to escape. The wind along the backstretch offers no where to hide and the potholes and manhole covers give my bike and legs a beating. The final lap I grab Mike Seguins wheel. I think this is the best place to be at the moment. At turn 7 he rockets up the inside, I go but there's no room for me to follow. I ease up and pedal fast up the incline. At turn 8 I'm on the inside with room to maneuver. I give the final stretch everything I have to finish 9th in the 30+ (~15th overall) Mike takes the win for the State Championship.

Now, we wait until 5:05 pm.

The Cat 4 race is 39 riders at the start with a great xXx lineup. William, Mike, Brian, Nick, Liam, Ryan, Jared and Chris. Many of us are new to Cat 4 but that didn't seem to be of any concern. I noticed a slight headache as we lined up that could have been from the heat, it was 6 pm and still 85 degrees. Liam and Mike were talking about keeping it fast, and that they did. xXx sent flyers off the front 4 times with teammates blocking behind while my legs were struggling to keep up with the pace. I noticed the pack was dropping a few riders as the lap counter ticked down. On the second to last lap the pace slowed and I was able to move up a little on the 'ever so much more gusty backstretch' In about 10th position for the rest of the race, I went outside on the last two turns thinking I would have a little more space to work. Up the incline. Around turn 8. Head down. Out of the saddle. 25 meters into the final sprint my legs said, "No more" and began to cramp. I had a suspicion they would do this so I rolled into the finish in the saddle ending up 30th. I was done.

Great race by the Peoria Cycling Club. The best part about sitting around and waiting all day was getting to meet more xXxer's and then racing with them a little later. Finally, on to Culvers for burgers and melted ice cream (ah yeah)