2013 has seen me participate in more Cycling WA sanctioned events and March 2nd & 3rd was my first participation in the Pemberton Classic. For those not familiar with the Classic (I'm sure there aren't many), this event comprises 2 races, a Criterium event on the Saturday afternoon and a Road Race on the Sunday morning. AP had arranged some amazing accommodation for Saturday night which was to provide a comfortable night's rest between the Crit and the Road Race. We opted to drive down on Saturday morning to arrive by around 2pm. I expected that the drive might not be the best preparation for a Criterium but this was not really a concern as my focus was more for the Road Race and whatever was to happen in the Criterium was fine with me.
After arriving at the homestead on a small acreage just out of town, we prepared ourselves and then rode into town to register. Of course, in all of my preparation madness prior to leaving Perth, I successfully managed to forget my race licence but thankfully one Mr. Ian Lee was officiating the day's event and was able to vouch for me that I did indeed have a licence and was able to confirm my identity. Thanks Ian, you're a life saver!
With numbers pinned on the jersey and a few nerves building up I jumped on the bike for a bit of a warm up before the course was closed and racing commenced. Juniors were up first with some combined age-group racing and I was happy to watch the youngsters rip around the track for a while. It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm in each of them and is encouraging for the sport to see parents prepared to support their child by bringing them all the way down from Perth to allow them to participate.
With the women's events on course, I headed to the small climbs around the town site and started to stretch out the legs and get the blood pumping. C grade would not have as big a field for the Crit as it had registered for the Road Race but I still anticipated a hard race with the likelihood that some B graders had dropped down a grade given the Cycling WA grading enforcement was not in place for the event.
A quick briefing from the Commissaire was in vain given no-one could really hear anything over the top of the PA loudspeaker right next to us but I listened for the roll call and responded accordingly and moved up to our start line as the last of the women riders crossed the finish line. We were given a short count down and we were released and as anticipated the attacks came from the outset. Thankfully I had managed to get a position on the line so I was ready for it and went with the pace immediately.
The immediate downhill allowed the pace to pick up very quickly and held for the duration of the first lap. However, the climb up to the finish line for the first time slowed things up a little and the average lap pace dropped to around 35km/h. It was a brute of a course that starts well enough with a rapid decent to Railway Cres intersection that incorporates a sharp right hand turn before straightening and then bending right again as it follows the tram/rail yards. The stretch of road along there was very patchy and probably resembles riding on cobbles. The road is completely flat allowing the pace to pick up and test the mettle of riders before beginning to sweep right again which also signified the start of the climb.
Through various laps, I tested the course to see what was the best line to hold up the climb to ensure I would be able to take an optimum position for the last lap sprint to the finish. With 12 minutes completed, Ryan Willmot got away from the bunch with a punishing sprint effort up the climb to the line which he continued with over the top and down the hill. This was a decisive move that allowed him to open up a gap that would be very hard to close. The bunch weren't too interested in chasing him down either which meant it would be Ryan's race unless a solo attempt to cross the gap was forthcoming.
Unfortunately it was not to come as even my legs were seemingly not up to the task and I preferred to avoid any energy sapping moves in an effort to have as much as I could for the Road Race the following morning. With about 3 laps to go, the bunch looked settled and for some reason I didn't anticipate a jump coming with the "two to go" sign being shown. I missed it completely when Matthew Tidy made the break as we crossed the finish line for the 3rd last time. I must've been dozing at the back of the bunch and by the time we reached Railway Cres again, Matthew had put a significant gap on the rest of us that would also be unlikely to be pulled back by a group that was feeling the effects of repeatedly climbing the hill.
As we received the bell, I moved up to the front of the field to ensure I had good position on the corners, or at least able to get into a good position before we started the climb for the last time. This kicked the pace up again from the average 35km/h we had been holding for the best part of the race and I could tell that it put some sting in the legs of some riders while others managed to go with it and one or two came around me as we approached the corner into the climb. I had figured out by this stage that the inside line would be the one to take as we took the corner onto Vasse Highway. No one seemed keen to go through that line as it involved a slightly higher gradient.
I rode through the last turn as close to the inside of the corner as I could (without getting into the rough) and hammered it. It was enough to allow me to move over onto the front of the group and continue to put the pressure on them. This moved popped most of the bunch and the sprint up the hill to the finish thinned the group out into a long ribbon of riders behind me and I finished in 3rd place.
While the course was difficult in terms of work load, I felt that I would still have enough to be competitive in the morning's Road Race, however I also knew that those that did not compete in this Criterium would have an advantage over those that did. It was time to rest up and recover with a good meal and a solid night's sleep.
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The conditions for the morning's Road Race were perfect! There was very little wind and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It would make for a great race. Unfortunately, I didn't anticipate getting my chain jammed between the large sprocket of my cassette and the wheel hub as I rode down to get to the start of the C grade road race who were due to start first. I tried everything to get the chain free and eventually had to use a stick to wedge it out and I finally got it free. By this time, the C grade bunch had put 2 minutes on me as I approached the line ref to get clearance to start. It was given, but I was about 3 minutes down with a lot of work to do if I was to consider getting back onto the bunch.
I knew I had the Pump Hill climb to start with and having to do this on my own was not going to be easy given I don't climb hills as well as most. I had heard that the climb was brutal but I managed to get up it reasonably well this first time and I queried some spectators at the top of the hill for an indication of time - it was hardly helpful when some suggested 2 minutes while others said 5 minutes. I took it as three and a half but it was going to be difficult to tell until I could lay eyes on the group up the road.
As I passed the Stirling Rd turn off for the short loop that would be used by the B grade riders, I caught a glimpse of the yellow flashing light of the broom wagon behind the bunch and figured I would be around 2 minutes behind them. This incentivised me to work a bit harder to try and bridge the gap but two minutes on a rolling course is hard work and I could only sustain the extra effort for a short while and I was mindful that this was still only the first lap. Would I have enough time to bridge the gap before the finish (assuming the group didn't put the pressure on and lift their pace)?
As I got to the other side of a very enthusiastic farmhouse owner who had setup some large hay bales spruiking a "Vive le Pemberton Classic" sign, I managed to get a better view of the group ahead and figured I was down to about a minute and a half behind them but they were moving quickly and I was now struggling with a bit of wind coming across me. This would really test me if I wanted to get across as I had nowhere to hide from it and no-one to help me get there.
I rounded the corner which took the course back onto Vasse Highway and the rolling hills worsened into somewhat more difficult climbs. It started with a nice descent which did nothing to prepare for the climb that was to follow. While not as steep as Pump Hill, it was certainly longer and still sapped a fair amount of energy from my reserves. I passed Lee Potthast at the top of this climb and he indicated to me that the group had really put the pressure on up that hill and they had put a large gap on him. I couldn't be sure how far but I expected I was now losing ground to them. The road rolled over a few similar (but shorter) climbs and eventually guided me back into the town site where I crossed the line to begin the second lap, starting with the climb up Pump Hill again.
I completed the climb OK, but had nothing to gauge how competitively I completed it and how much time I had lost. One spectator had indicated I was gaining time but I highly doubted it. I rode the second lap as strong as I could passing through all the familiar sights of the first lap. I also heard the familiar sound of the A graders coming up behind me and Cameron Meyer, Sam Davis and Adam Semple overtook me at a frightening pace. It took a little while for the main group to catch up to me and I went with them for some assistance and I held on to them for about 10 minutes or so before a short climb sorted me out.
I made my way back onto Vasse Highway for the last time and gave it everything I could getting up the climbs and attempted to keep the power going as I rode down the other side of each. I had collected one or two other C grade riders on the segment and one in particular made the attempt to stay with me. He seemed to climb better than I did as he would gain ground on me up each ascent but then lose it again as I kept the power on along level ground and down the descents. I could feel cramp creeping into the legs and I sucked down as much fluid as I could for the last 5 kilometres to the finish and it seemed to keep any significant cramping at bay until I dragged my weary carcass across the line completing a solo effort of 70 kms at an average pace of 34km/h. Brutal!
It was a shame to have had a mechanical incident before I could even get to the start as I would very much liked to have been amongst what looked like a great C grade event. I don't anticipate being in C grade next year so I will mark it down as an opportunity gone begging. As it turned out, I don't think any of the top 7-8 finishers rode in the previous day's Criterium event so having the fresh legs was clearly an advantage.
The Pemberton Classic is a very well staged event and I thank the organising committee for putting it all together and making it a most enjoyable weekend. I look forward to getting down there again next year.
Thanks for reading.
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