Western New Jersey is a nice very nice area, although honestly the climbs are not really what I like. I prefer much longer and somewhat less steep climbs. Short and steep really isn’t my favorite kind of climb, I just suffer with them.

The four of us did not get off to the best start. One of us had forgotten water bottles, so we opted for going back for the water bottles over staying with the lead group. We also made an early wrong turn, effectively putting us 30 minutes behind from the start.

At about 25 miles, we had an average speed of just under 19 mph, about 1 mph less than the lead group, but they had over twenty racers vs. four. While this is a very, very hilly course, there are significant flat-to-rolling sections where high speeds are possible. In fact, to put in a good time you really need to hammer in the flats and take risks on the descents, not kill yourself in the climbs. I have a power meter and we used it to measure our efforts such that the last climb would be climbed at the same power as the first. In essence, hi-tech Audax! For the most part, we were successful at this, but we did run into some problems.

At 50 miles, our average speed was about 18.5 mph, still about 1 mph off the lead pack, but not bad for 4 racers given the course. Fiddler’s Elbow hits you around mile 65 or so. The lower part is not so bad – about 12 –13 %; this section can be managed in the saddle with a 39X27. The last quarter mile is brutal. Very brutal. Well over 20% average grade. Trust me; I don’t exaggerate. I suffered every inch of it. Many walk this section. One of us unclipped and had to go back to the bottom, forcing us to stop and regroup at the top. I somehow damaged my cleat pulling up on the steep section and could not clip back in. These problems cost us another 15 minutes, so that while we still had a high average speed at mile 80 (over 18 mph), we were now well off the main pack’s time. Then it rained a bit. Not enough to cause real problems, but enough to cause serious concern with the area’s tricky descents, especially given we were now an hour behind the main pack and not in contention. The rain also caused us to lose a bit of focus as well, as we were less effectively working as a group.

I had some concerns about my form, but felt very strong all day. By mile 90, it was apparent our cohesion was gone, and I decided to hammer the last 10 miles, keeping to my plan of finishing as strongly as I started. This of course means the inevitable wrong turn, somewhere around mile 93. My wrong turn lead Peter and another racer astray; during our backtracking we met up with Greg, who had also taken the wrong turn. Only Timothy made the correct turn. With bad weather looming and know idea where I was, I called for a sag. Peter decided to ride on, feeling he knew how to get to the finish. Peter finished, but got soaked. For Greg and I, officially a DNF. I am already planning on next year.