Appalachia Visited

APRRS #7


The final race in the Appalachian RR Series is the vaunted Appalachia Visited Road Race.



The start/finish town is Rowlesburg, a quaint hamlet sitting along a bend in the rocky Cheat River. It's a nice spot to start from and to mill around afterward.

The course is a true test, and worthy of it being a state championship, at 60 miles with 5,000 feet of climbing and lots of technical sections, including a twisty descent into the finish. It is tough.

We set out masters, juniors, and women 1,2,3. The first 8 or 9 miles are flat, so the group held and we put in good time. The first hill, as usual, broke things up. I felt strong but the elastic still snapped, and I ended up riding with various people over the next 50 miles. The downhill coming into the finish is exciting, and a nice reward for all the climbing in the first 55 miles.

Photo: Fred Jordan

I definitely became much stronger over the course of the season, but I am still not where I need to be to compete with the big guns.

My 11th place paid 15 points, which was not enough to keep the 5th place in the overall standings that I held coming into the race. Actually, I dropped two spots in the overall classification to 7th place, one spot lower than last season's (2010) final standings.

I'm not disappointed really; I do this mostly for fun and not results, at least at my ability/genetic ceiling. But...next year I would like to crack the podium, and I feel like I can do it if I stay healthy and have a productive off-season. The addition of cyclocross should help toward that end.

Next up: Hills Are Your Friends!