Quabbin Reservoir Road Race Report

Masters 35+
11th/81

After an ice bath, a personal size pizza, meatball, chocolate milk, salad, mixed fruit, a gallon of water and a fitful night’s sleep in Cambridge, I awoke early @ 5:45am. First impressions of the morning were I would love to call it a trip and head to the comforts of home. I didn’t pre-reg for the race so the thought was even more appealing. However, I rallied and loaded up the Rav and headed west to Ware, MA. Where you ask? Ware. You know you’re pretty spent when you don’t have to take a crap first thing in the morning! Walking up stairs was a bit of a humbling experience as well, the legs were still smoldering. Today’s strategy was survival, pure and simple. My goal was to stay in the pack and see where I ended up at the finish.
The park was gorgeous. But, driving UP to the start/finish snapped me back to reality that this climb was going to be painful. The course already had ample elevation change. I was concerned how I could stay hidden in the pack since you still needed to put out to get up the climbs.
Anyway, I paid my $45(!) bucks, kitted up, and had the same wishes as Saturday: sunscreen, more hydration, 3 bottles. There was no need for warmup. It was friggin warm enough already @ 9am! I hopped in the pack with my fellow compatriots Fred and John and we gave each other that look of “Hmm, yeah, my legs are barking. Go for it if you want.” Fortunately, we had a few other guys with us in the mix so we were hoping 1 of them might be in a position to do something. I knew there was nothing I could do to help so I said nothing!
Our field was sizeable and powerful. There may have been a couple of break attempts, but I seriously couldn’t tell or care from my comfort position in the pack! There were several instances where I was sure I would get dropped while we were climbing. But, miraculously, the pace would ease and we were soon descending as a unit again and it was all good. I conserved fluids as best I could, ate a granola bar and drank a Boost and somehow found myself at the base of the climb with the main field roaring up the hill reeling in a 5-man break that included, who else, Fast Fred! John, who did more work than he should have, was near the front of our group and accelerated with the front runners. Soon, the break was caught and riders spread all across the road as the varying abilities to climb reared their ugly head. I was huffing and puffing and looking ahead saying over and over to myself “When is this going to end?!” I caught the wheel of a big guy as he was picking his way through and suddenly I found myself with the top-10 in sight. I dug deep and stood to the finish, narrowly nipping 10th. Fred won (again!) and John rolled in 8th to cap off an amazing day and weekend. The OA/CycleMania team had a banner day, also winning the 45+ and 55+ fields! This is what makes riding for a team fulfilling!
Looks like I’ll be laying low for the next couple of weeks. Next big event may be a mtb race!