More Photos Below!Gallery
Wow, what a day! I did the 36-mile Barry-Roubaix and had a dandy time.
Here’s my report…
So, I didn’t go too hard and kept my wits and could smile and chat. And I didn’t crash on all the ice and I found folks to draft on the road. I really enjoyed the chances for fun bike handling. I was cool and didn’t scare anyone but I got some cheers the others on the crowded road. Fun!
All-in-all: a thrill!
2800 crazies did this thing!
So much ANXIETY for so many in the days leading in. The weather was flipflopping every couple days, totally changing gameplans. Quite a few racers actually didn’t show due to the panic about the ice’n’mud. During the thaw the day before 4WD trucks were having trouble driving the dirt backroads of the course. In the end we got a few miles of ice instead of mud. Icy, rutted downhills — crazy!
Bro Tim chose to use his MTB for his first BR and he suffered a bit, but he was trained less than me. Still, he finished in good shape. Our carpool-mates, Andrew and Jenny, each used vintage Schwinns converted to SS and they did great — amazing!
Quite a few folks did crash and I saw bloody noses and such. In the early sections of washboard dirt the road was strewn with bottles, tubes, food. And riders looking dazed sorting themselves out on the roadside.
Early on I saw the COOLEST thing: a guy in my old-man wave was bunnyhopping at speed and flicking bottles off the road with his rear wheel like it was a hockey stick!
The biggest prize, tho, is our gratitude to the doc and other trained riders who stopped for a youngish team guy who had a heart attack. I hear he’s stable now.
The race took up all downtown Hastings. I hope the locals liked it. The nearby watering holes were full. It was COLD and hundreds of racers were still at the main stage hours after. I guess there was a band, but I was too cold and our gang wanted to leave after awhile. There was one big bonfire. They said there’d be another next year. They need, like, 6 of them. Late March is TOTALLY unknowable!
Here’s the other deal: B-R is a one man show. Rick Plite started it a few years ago with a couple hundred dudes around a BBQ in a park. He’s grown it to this. And he keeps the one-dude touch, still. People like us, who answer the telephone, and email. Now, I’m sure he delegates and has built up an army to make it happen. But it still has a “locals” feel. And it went off without a hitch. With deluxe features like a “team tent row” along the finish. And trade show. And, of course, beer tent. Oh, and the course marshalls were great. And local drivers seemed to handle/accept the bikers without a snag. …Congrats!
I got 2:07:36 based on yard skiing fitness alone. I suppose the main trick is keeping with a fast group. I never found a ‘home’ group to ride with. Now I know to start at front of wave next yr.
I was happy to finish with a guy on a double top tube fixie riding a huge gear. Actually, I thought it was Jeff Jacobi on his 1922 Iver Johnson. I see now that it wasn’t him.
I wonder how this race would go if waves were self-seeded by pace or previous results, like I think lots of events are. Or maybe age-seeding is more common now. ? I’m guessing the traffic “boluses” might be more teardrop shaped where now they’re tapered on each end with a lump in the middle. : ) So maybe this way is best, spreading the traffic out. Just, if you’re not in your “right” group it’s a Time Trial with no feedback — seems like ya can’t know or even have a feel for how you’re doing. I suppose it’s pretty obvious though: catch a train that rolls by ya, if ya can! — and you’ll be doing better than ya were!
A friend recently gave me rollers. Next year! I’ll also plan on doing a few rides beforehand. Wish we had local hills.
My 1976 Nishiki Comp worked great. Some operator error, tho: I didn’t check beforehand that I could shift into the 34 — I couldn’t. Ugh — a *little* more maint and I woulda had fast, low-stress hill-spinning rather than the cramp-up honking in the 28 like I had to do. Also, I forgot my small ring is a 44. Ugh. Also, I only had a 16 for a hi — the cage interferes with the 13 for some reason. I don’t see what good that part of the cage does so I might saw it off. Then I’ll be “ready” for next year!
My wool tweed kept me “just right.” My classy OYB saddlebag was a bit heavy though — I’ll duct-tape my spare to the saddle next time. (31 lbs, battle ready.)
I use this whole rig for dialed-in performance but it’s nice that it’s entertaining to other riders — I got lots of “Go oldschool!” remarks. I do enjoy showing folks that retro can work well.
My handmade CX sewups are KEY! As is the snazzy lo-trail handling of the Nishiki. It’s a smile-machine.
I still can’t picture where all these bikers came from. Maybe someone can help explain it. My impression is that local bike races of all types only get a couple hundred max to show. Add em all up (from road, CX, MTB) and you get maybe 1000. Well, it’s crazier that I did it since it’s probably the only race I’ll do until CX in Nov. : ) Yeah, it’s funny to me, too.
Here are a few pics that my bro Tim took…
The density of intensity! …This is much like what it was for me half the time. Plenty of fast traffic! Now remember that the brown stuff is actually ICE! And sometimes it wasn’t brown but the usual clear pale blue… Yikes! And then I could see more groups on up the road…
The Schwinn riders afterward. Stalwart!
Apres’ race. Jonny just finished — in good spirits. He got Lanterne Rouge!
Tim’s view of the road. (Mine was usually more chaotic, jammed full of riders going every which speed.)
A tiny part of the start. All waves probably stretched 1/4 mile at the start. After the start for just my wave I saw riders crowded for a 1/2 mi ahead of me. It was nuts.
Friend Dave and me. (I dunno if this is the start or finish. I think we looked the same both times! Moderation results in equanimity.)
Battle wagon, fully loaded.
Brother Tim, our photographer, ready for action in his Big Blue winter suit.
