2010 Smith Dairy Milk Race

Yesterday, August 15, was one of my all time favorite races, the Smith Dairy Milk Race in Orrville, OH, the home of Smuckers. It's a great 10 mile loop that's gently rolling with only one hill that's not real long or steep but can be made hard by attacking it hard and hurting your competitors every lap.  We had around thirty people in our race and accompanying me was my teammate Mark Briercheck.

At 10:05 the race started and we rolled off for the 40 mile battle, or four laps around the course. The first lap went well as nobody really attacked the group until the hill about 7 miles into the 10 mile loop. To my knowledge no one was dropped on the first lap.

On the second lap I really started to notice, "Man, it is HOT and muggy," as sweat was really starting to run down my face and leave streaks on my glasses. The pace picked up on this lap but Mark and I were right there in it.

The third lap got even a little harder and the sweat was really pouring now. I heard someone behind me say, "Someone's really sweating up there. It's hitting me."  Haha... he was probably talking about me. I was making sure to drink heavily to replace what I was losing. Still, Mark and I were looking good and feeling fresh.

Fourth and final lap, the pace was all over the place. We would speed up dramatically and after a little bit we'd slow back down, waiting to see who would make the next attack. Guys were starting to get weary and tired and mistakes were starting to be made with two one-man crashes throughout the lap. When we got to the "big" hill we charged up it and my left hamstring started cramping. Ow! But I got to the top and rode through it. I noticed a few other guys shaking and rubbing their legs, trying to get their cramps out too.

About one kilometer or so to the finish I was right at the front of the group, behind one or two guys, and we were going S-L-O-W. No one wanted to go first only to get caught and passed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Briercheck flew past all of us looking like he was going for a solo win. Well, that perked everyone up and at that point we were off to the races!

Okay, so here we go. But the problem was that the guys I was behind didn't jump as quickly and they were leaving a gap, and riders were starting to pass us on the outside, to the left. I was looking everywhere for a hole I could get through to pass these guys. Arrrrgh! Nothing! And then one guy started to fade and drifted just a little to the left, but just enough for me to squeak by on the inside on the edge of the road.

I got around him and then a few more holes started appearing. I passed other riders, dodging around them, but nowhere near where I needed to be for a "in the money" result. I tried to muster all the violence I could conger up, but it just wasn't enough. And at the same time the inner muscles of my left thigh were on fire with cramps. Crossed the finish line... 12th place.  Eh, I'll take it. Guess I have no choice. Next time I'll be sure to be on Briercheck's wheel having him lead me out. If I had done that here, I'm SURE I would have been... in the money.

On another note... today, the day after, my inner thighs and upper body are pretty sore. It was a good battle.