The Iola Race

Saturday I drove to Iola to pre-ride the course. I started with a 34x18 gear which was too big. I could not climb any of the four major climbs on the course. So I changed to a 34x19 gear. This made the climbing better but I could only do 1 of 4 climbs. Then I went to a 33x19 combination. This achieved 2 of 4 climbs. By that time I was too tired to try another lap.

Saturday evening, when I was back home, I changed to a 32x19 gear. Then Sunday morning I decided to just put my 1x9 geared setup back on the bike for the race. I felt that I needed some off-road single speed time before trying to race. Single speeding is more than just a bike, there is a definite technique to successful riding.

At the start of the race I was positioned at the front of my wave. The race started very fast and by the first climb I was in the middle of the wave. However, I started passing riders even on the first climb. At Iola you pass through the ski bowl twice each lap. The second pass consist of a fast descent followed by a quick, steep uphill. It is essential to hit the bottom of the hill as fast as you can to make good time to the top. On the first lap I descended at 31 mph. However, when I reached the bottom of the climb the course was filled with walking riders and no way around them. I had to skid to a halt and run my bike up the hill. After that the course was clear for the rest of the race and it was a "go as fast as you can" for the race.

At the end I finished 5th out of 9 in my age group (60+). I was 4 minutes from the winner of the age group. Each lap was faster than the previous lap which is a good sign. It was a good time and it was great to see everyone after a long winter. The one sad note was that the fastest rider in the 60+ age group, Wayne Fish, passed away over the winter. Wayne was a real competitor. I never beat him but always looked forward to trying to close the time gap each race. Wayne will be missed.

As to the single speed, I plan to get some off-road training rides in now that the trails are open and hopefully be really to try a race on the single speed next time.

Mike