Rooted Vermont Gravel Race 4 August 2019
Official time and results: 3:08:22.8 – 27th place out of 258 Short Course competitors, 9th among Females.
Wahoo Element Bolt Bike computer results: 48.33 miles, moving time 3:04:48, 4320 elevation.
I was not completely satisfied with my performance but I cannot say enough nice things about the Rooted Return to Gravel Race and the people behind it. I plan to be a part of it for many years to come. It is fair to say that I have a new “A” race. It was certainly not my best athletic performance; I really struggled with this race and felt every mile, but with the start line being 3 miles from my home. I am leaning towards targeting it for next years “A” race. The weather could not have been better. The vibe of the event, the hard work by Laura & Ted King, Kristin Motley, the Vermont Overland Crew, and so many others created a superb event. Amazing Food, vibe, and people. This event (along with Catamount Wednesday Night Worlds) are my hands-down favorites. Yes, I will admit it…I am in Love.
My legs were a bit tired and I could tell by the time I was at the top of Wes White Hill that I would have some difficulty with the ride. The strengths of my gravel bike is sketchy gravel and class 4 road but the short course (48 miles) featured more pavement than I expected therefor those gravel bikes that featured more roadish geometry quickly left me in the dust. My current bike is great but is designed as a commuter/gravel bike and lacks the race-oriented geometry. It was a bit dispiriting to witness Joanne Grogan’s crash but I chatted with her on-line later and she will be fine. She went far left on the Taft hill decent to pass a rider, I think, and caught a rut that pulled her too far left into the shoulder at speed her wheel caught and she was thrown over forward in a somersault.
Kim Coleman passed me on the pavement and invited me to jump on her wheel along with the five other riders she was pulling. I fell off pretty quickly, and felt the effects of the wind, as my legs were feeling pretty heavy and I think this might have been because I moved about 1300 pounds of water the day before working aid station prep at my volunteer shift, but I’m not sure. Cramping hit me much earlier than ever before and I suspect some of the medication that I am currently on is what caused this. My secret weapon against cramping (kosher salt and pickle Juice) did help but it took some time. I stopped at the first aid station and brought on two untapped gels to supplement the homemade gel recipe that I use. I felt waves of cramping rise up in my legs and then a moment later they would suddenly be gone and I could pedal harder for a while then, I imagined an inner battle inside my legs. I began to rally myself on Big Hollow road, caught a small group of riders, and did my best to hang with them. As I was getting a handle on the cramping and felt I had enough liquid to finish, I dared not stop for grilled Twinkies and charged on. I was hit again by a wave of cramps on Taft Road and lost the group. At the top of Dugway Road, I finished my last water and was, therefore, a bit short with 5 miles remaining. I try to plan hydration so that I have less than half a bottle left but I had definitely run short here. I really SHOULD have stopped at the grilled Twinkies and gotten more water while I was at it. Even at 51, I make the odd rookie mistake. Pushing down Dugway road as fast as my legs would let me, I saw a rider approaching from the other direction and then recognized my wife Sarah. We exchanged greetings and passed as any other riders would.
I savored the very brief class 4 climb at Cochran’s ski area, Laura King greeted us at line with some other race officials. Speaking to Noah Tautfest after the race we agreed that the food at this event was 5 stars and the very best we’d had at any cycling event.
Medication creates complications in my racing; the previously mentioned medication a testosterone blocker dehydrates me and has leg cramps as a side effect. The plan has been to race the male category for the first year of transition and then switch after October of 2019. I am attempting to comply with UCI’s policy on Transgender athletes to the best of my ability.
I’ll add that I despise the notion that women are somehow weaker or lesser than men when it comes to bicycle racing. Having ridden with and been beaten by many strong women in the last 27 years, I know that this has never been the case. Institutional sexism, societal and family burdens mean that less women can devote the time and resources they need to excel at the elite level. Many pro-men can devote their lives to cycling full-time while most pro-women also have to work full-time. Gender/Sex aside, I have definitely felt the financial side of this. I could be much better in my cycling, most of my limits are due to training time, equipment costs, entry fees, and associated costs. C’est la vie.
RooI had originally intended to race the 82-mile course but for complex reasons and equipment problems, I could not train to the standard that would allow me to make a serious attempt at that distance. Based on how I felt post-even, I am a bit relieved but next year I will target the longer race and I WILL stop for Twinkies. -Roxy Bombardier
