Winchester Circuit Race – Masters 35+ 4/5 and Masters 35+ 3/4
Race: Winchester Circuit Race – Masters 35+ 4/5 and Masters 35+ 3/4
Date: Saturday May 13, 2023
AVRT racers: Shai Traister (35+ 4/5, 35+ 3/4) , Colin Karpfinger (35+ 4/5), Hoss Hayati (35+ 3/4)
Top Results:
35+ 4/5: Shai 2nd, Colin 3rd
35+ 3/4: Shai 4th, Hoss 5th
Course: The course is a ~4.5 mile road loop with an excellent pavement. There were only two 90° turns, and it’s a series of rolling hills. No hill is longer than a couple minutes, and they are all followed by fast, safe descents, so you can (and should) carry your momentum to the next climb. There was almost no flat moment on the course. The biggest descent (segment title “Tuck and Lol”) is a bit over 1 minute and super fast! A series of undulating climbs (~350ft gain total) takes you to the finish, which is before the top of the climb after a fairly steep section.
Pre-race: First wave of races started at ~8am, and this was at least 3 hours away from the bay, so Jeremy rented an AirBNB just 3 miles from the race. Highly recommended.
Nutrition: Not much nutrition needed for a one-hour race. Pre-race breakfast at 6am (coffee + oats) and one bottle of Skratch. I had one hour between the races during which I had more coffee + one banana. I didn’t want to over eat and feel sluggish, but I feel that this probably wasn’t ideal either (read more below)
Recap
The race starts with a neutral (yet fast) roll up the steep hill from the parking lot – so be sure to have a good warmup - and then the actual racing starts.
The first race was for 4 laps and we mostly stayed as a group. A couple of racers attacked on one of the hills after the right 90 degrees turn, but they got brought back on the descend. Colin and I did our best to stay close to the front, just in case gaps open up. A couple of unaffiliated racers went to the front and started pushing the pace, but for the most part we stayed as a group.
On the last lap I had a quick chat with Colin, and we decided that one of us should attack and try to get away while the other will stay and follow. Colin wanted to attack, and he did over the top of the 2nd to last climb. He got a separation, and I stayed behind. We passed him on the climb just before the short downhill section. Final push to the line, and I came in 2nd. Colin finished 3rd. Great teamwork on a fun race!
Some chitchat at the finish, and back to the car to prepare for the next race.
Even with the 1st race being less than an hour, I was feeling some fatigue in the legs. I regretted not paying more attention to recovery nutrition between the races. Lined up to the next race which was a combined field with the Elite 4/5s (and more AV racers – yay!). To my total surprise, only then I learnt that the Elite 4/5 was doing 4 laps while we were doing 5 (I wasn’t the only one who only realized that on the line). Aren’t races chaotic enough? I started thinking about how that changes my race strategy and wished we had discussed this before.
Race starts and the pace is definitely harder than the first race, with a larger combined field. My legs feel heavy which annoys me. I decide to do my best and keep my position near the front of the race. Big surge on the main climb on the 3rd lap. Gaps opening, but I manage to stay with the front group with 3 other riders from my field (inc. Greg who won my first race). Another one bridges up on the descent. Drew attacks with another rider and gets a good gap. The pack continues rolling behind, and as we near the final climb Ian attacks and rolls away dancing on the pedals. I knew there would be attacks on the final lap for the Elite field, but I hesitated too much on whether to follow Ian (and then it was too late anyway). It was probably for the better anyway, because Ian kept pushing strong to win his field! It was beautiful to watch.
I continued rolling with the 5 at the front of the masters field. I briefly saw that Hoss bridged back to us, but then he disappeared again. Final climb. We go hard on the first section, then I hear from behind me “oh s$?#t”. It was Greg. I guessed that he started cramping, so I thought “great. one less. now I only have to beat 3 others”. Downhill section and the final climb to the line – after the change of cadence after the downhill I can’t produce high power and I open a gap to the other 3. Greg passes me from behind and ends up winning the race. I finished 5th, that later became 4th after one guy got DNP’ed. Hoss rolled behind me to 6th / 5th.
Overall, super fun course and a great format that allows multiple races in the same day. Definitely worth the drive!
