Walburg Classic, Cat 5
(2/25/2006)

"Wet and Wild"
Scott Fasse

Walbuuuuurrrrrg: Wet! Cold! Windy! The start for the 1st Men’s Cat 5 race was at 8:30. I woke up early that morning to load up the car and make the 45 minute drive from Northwest Austin up to Walburg. The weather did not look promising.

Upon arrival I saw Doug and Joyce. It was sprinkling and cold but the worse was to come. With about an hour go before the start, the sky opened up and it poured. I sat in the car keeping warm and getting stuff together. With 30 minutes before the start, I went out to warm up. It had already poured so everything was soaked. It was a steady drizzle at the start and it was going to rain the entire race with some drizzle here and there.

I started on the front row and I am glad I did. I was able to match the acceleration at the front a whole lot easier when the usual guys came to the front to pick up the pace. The pace sky rocketed (like it always does) but this time I was prepared, I dug deep and I held on to the front 10 until all of a sudden, we just slowed down. IT IS true! It can't last, they DO slow down! The pace yo-yoed like that over the entire course. There were no crashes but quite a few flats.

Coming into one of the more dangerous turns we all were flying down a hill coming into a nice right hand turn. It was pouring and I was on the brakes just trying not to slide into the guy in front of me. Coming out of the corner a guy cut me off and his hip hit my arm while I was in a standing sprint to hold the pack. Nothing happened, but it was a close call. The race was kind of a blur… it really was. It was nothing but rain and grey, we all were on alert so I only had a few moments to hold a conversation with a guy I met in the line at packet pickup the night before.

The moment of truth for me happened at about mile 16 of 24. There was a nice wet turn that took us into a tailwind. The Pack exploded and four us worked to get back on but I eventually popped off. You could painfully see them on this wide open course. The other three never caught back on either.

I was feeling lonely when at about 2 miles to the finish a La’sport guy comes around me and I instinctively jumped and grabbed his wheel. He was hauling but I didn't let go – I couldn’t let go. He never motioned for me to come around so I didn't. I probably couldn't even if I wanted to. All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see it – 1K to go. A million thoughts go through my mind all in instance – this will be the first heads up finish for me in a real race. 

At 800m to go, the road kicked up for the climb into Walburg. He stood up on the pedals to start the climb and I stood up to match his acceleration. Once I was on his wheel again I just sat down and spinned the legs as he continued to stand and crank it out. I was feeling it, I was no longer cold, I was burning! My legs were on fire. I was not sure I was going to be able to ever come around this guy. The whole time we are going in slow motion – was it the hill or did my brain slow down? At the 200m to go I still sat there anxious to go. At about 100m to go, I decided it was go time! I had nothing left, but I didn't want him to see me creep by him so I figured I would swing to the other side of the road, closer to the officials. I darted across to the other side. I couldn’t even see the line; just the official holding the clipboard next to the scaffolding. I just went as hard as I could – I glanced over to the right hand side, He was still there. I still didn’t know where the line was. So I kept going until I passed within a foot of the clipboard in the official's hand. Sure enough, I nipped him at the line – good enough for 23rd. Officially, they marked me 7/10ths of a second ahead of 24th. That was a GREAT feeling!

I decided to start the second race. It was nothing to write home about. The rain had stopped but it was still cold and windy. The first race in the cold had done its damage. I was tired. I got popped off at about 5 minutes into it and I just came in solo. I eased up because I knew tomorrow was another day – a much sunnier day. The best part... Doug and Joyce cheering me on at the finish! Yeah, Her group started after me and she passed me halfway through the course and she finished it in time to watch me finish.