The 2019 Barry Roubaix 100 was quite the battle. Qu’est-ce que c’est? Luckily it wasn’t a battle with myself to remove the Talking Heads on repeat from my mind.
I came to Barry this year with a couple goals and smashed through them. After last weekend at Rough Road, I knew I was up for a battle of different sorts. Typically, endurance “racing” has been about the challenge of the distance and the course, but this year I feel like I have the fitness and the experience to turn the dial to “compete.”
Rain all week with a windy finish left the course fairly hard packed and fast. The race day conditions were good, a bit chilly for our early start, and a bit windy later in the race, but after the spring snow dump on Sunday, we were thanking our lucky stars. It was sunny.
I love the BRX format. Our morning is quiet. The pomp and circumstance of the main race start at 10am is a stark contrast to our 350 person, 7am Psycho Killer start. Giving us a 3 hour head start lets us enjoy the finish line celebrations with everyone else!
This time, it took 6 hours and 18 minutes and 53 seconds to reach that party. What happened during those hours, minutes, and seconds left me a shell of a person once I crossed the line.
The 2019 course had zero changes from the inaugural year, so I found it comforting to remember each of the sectors. To know where to push and where to hold back, as I’d need to use those savings soon. The sand. Obviously the defining feature of the 100 mile course. There is a fine line between speed and safety and I crossed that line, heading over my handlebars into a soft pile of sand. I screamed as it happened and jumped back up, laughing, saying “I’m okay!” without really knowing. Shifter was bent in, but I pushed it straight as I kept running, hopping back on and riding through. I think I kicked either my pedal or handlebar with the top of my ankle during my ungrateful dismount (crash) and was worried it’d bother me later. I think Christine crashed twice in the sand, and each time, battled back to me.
Christine is my good friend and training partner, and a classy badass mother. She got into Kanza knowing this would be my last year here in Illinois to train with her. So obviously, I made her register for Barry 100, knowing how much it helped me prepare for DK last year. She got a flat early on at Rough Road, otherwise I’m sure it would’ve been a similar battle.
We rode together for almost the entire race. We checked in on each other. Rallied the Freds around us. And we kept throwing friendly punches, ensuring we would keep our lead over the women behind us. We congratulated each other on every sand sector, especially when we dropped all the men around us, riding through as they had to get off and walk.
Battling the sand, then the head and cross winds, I was feeling the fatigue set in. I had dropped my glasses earlier when trying to remove my cap, and lost contact with the group when I turned back for them. It was a pivotal moment and I didn’t want it to be. I battled back solo, and caught the group at the second aid station as Christine was taking a pee break. She caught back up shortly after and we tried our best to hide from the wind at the sides of our Freds.
But I didn’t have it. At mile 80, I watched her and 3 guys ride away and my legs couldn’t respond. I rode solo. I rode with my green bike friend, Eric. As the courses merged, I was swept up by 3 different men’s fields, experiencing the free ride for a couple pedal strokes, but was suffering badly. I counted every mile. Suffered through every pedal stroke, trying to keep the power consistent. My hamstring almost seized at the top of the final hill, and I’d never been so happy to see the pavement. {okay, DK pavement was the same relief.}
The relief of the pavement and the wind at my back, my smile returned. The closing song to Rocky IV blasted me up that final hill. I was so happy to hear it, I gave those spectators fist pumps and high fives. I turned the final left hand into the finish chute and was overcome with tears. Sobbing. Rode right to the grass. Collapsed. A shell of a person. Sobbing.
Am I okay? Yes. No. I don’t know. I can’t be trusted to make decisions. Staggered to my car, and drove to Christine’s hotel to shower and find myself again.
So what’s changed? 509 vs 511 TSS, but 37 minutes faster? 10 lbs. I don’t often talk about weight, because it’s a sensitive subject and I think it’s something that every athlete ‘struggles’ with, male or female. I’ve struggled myself, since gaining that freshman 15, even with swimming way more than I ever had. Unlimited pasta and cereal bar be dammed. Ahem, maybe the introduction to alcohol, too. This year I’m working on that relationship with food and drink. Not withholding as you can see by my obsession with mid-ride donuts and scones, but with an approach that makes me more aware of the calories in/out. And I felt it. Every hill felt about 10 pedal strokes shorter than last year. Pedaling over the top, accelerating through, rather than falling back, I worked on my technique. My mind frame and positive self talk. And it paid off.
I’m so happy for Christine. She’s an amazing competitor. She crashed 3x and the last being fairly bad, solo, near the last large puddle across the entire road. She got back up and raced, winning by 4 minutes. I’m stoked for her progress and her AG chances at Dirty Kanza.
Two midwestern gravel podiums have left me grateful. This community is so fantastic, and it makes it all the more sentimental, knowing we have to leave this soon.
Thankful to the Union cycling team for letting me be a non-redacted honorary member staying at the amazing Chez Union all weekend. Fantastic food, friends, fires, and festivities. 
And I’m so thankful for all the work behind the scenes to get me to these start lines. To Kyle’s unwavering love and support even when he can’t be with me in person. These races are slightly less sweet without him there to celebrate with. To Velosmith and Brendan, Tony, Bobby, and Elliott who keep me and my bike in check and ready to go. And to my team! It’s so rad how much support we are given to race our bikes off road! I’m having a blast this season, thanks to the support from some pretty fantastic people + companies. The Meteor // Intelligentsia. Fizik. Stan’s No Tubes. POC. Jakroo {2 week lead time?!}. Ridge Supply. MucOff. Clif. Bruce Paly Dentistry. Strava. Stages Cycling. Thank you.
Be First to Comment