The club allows one "free" race without joining the club, but for this race I had to join the club for $90 (Aussie dollars are currently within a couple percent of US Dollars) but the races themselves only cost $6. The low cost undoubtedly relates to no road permitting, no police presence, etc. The gang just shows up, puts up a start/finish sign, makes a few announcements, has a few volunteers at intersections and the turn-around point, and starts the groups (biggest group was 12 riders) a couple minutes apart. Traffic control isn't much of an issue on the Tassie roads - I think we saw perhaps 5 cars on the 50 km race.
Today's course was similar to the previous: relatively flat with a total of only a couple hundred meters of climbing consisting of a few short steep hills, superimposed on a long gradual and imperceptible rise to the turnaround.
The stated goal of the races is to have each group matched evenly enough to finish pretty much together and ride most of the race as a group. So within a few hundred meters of the start, in each race, a double pace line forms up and continues most of the way except for breaking up on the hills. Later in the races, some folks gradually drop out of the rotation, but the double paceline action in general stays to near the end. Interesting concept.
I was having a nice race without any high stresses until 20 km from the end got a bad cramp in my calf and eventually had to pull off and stretch it out - so I was gone. I heard later that 8 of our original starters finished in a group sprint. One was unconscious on the grass when I got there, but seemed to recover pretty well - I'd love to know what his actual blood pressure was!
Very different style of racing, but entertaining.
I work next weekend, so won't race. But, the 17th is apparently the "big race" of the year - and is run as a "handicap race". Groups start in reverse order of their speeds, and are seeded a few minutes apart. I presume average speeds are higher, since you're always trying to catch the group in front or escape the group behind. Must be major chaos if you happen to catch a group anywhere near the finish! Stay tuned for a report.
I'm off for a few days off heading to Cradle Mtn National Park.
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