I’m happy to report my first win of 2015, and it was quite the epic! I rode from Birmingham to the training race up near Gadsden, won the 50 mile A race, and then rode back home to Birmingham for a grand total of over 200 miles and just under 20,000 feet of climbing on the day. This was in the middle of a very heavy block of training with the following rides:
| Day | Distance | Climbing | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 155.6 mi. | 32,618 ft | February climbing challenge |
| Sun | 203.9 mi. | 19,377 ft | Camp Sumatanga training race |
| Mon | 18 mi. | 2,700 ft | Short commute recovery |
| Tue | 209.4 mi. | 18,392 ft | Tuscaloosa locks touring adventure |
| 4 days | 586.9 mi. | 73,087 ft | 4 day block totals |
The Camp Sumatanga training race series put on by GS Montagna Rossa of Birmingham has been a stalwart of early season racing for the Alabama cycling community for many years. Bill Seitz and his crew of GSMR teammates do an excellent job putting on this race year after year. For the second week in a row, the weather was not very cooperative with an annoying light misty rain for most of the day. At least this week, though, it wasn’t quite as cold with temps hovering around the upper 40s most of the day (and night).
I timed my ride to the start pretty well picking a 75 mile route that included Walker Gap and Chandler Mountain (if time allowed). I was running a little bit ahead of schedule so I went ahead and climbed Chandler Mountain at a very easy pace to kill some time before the race and to see the climb one more time before we race it for real at the finish of next week’s training race. By the time I finished the climb and headed back down to the camp for the race, I had just enough time to pay for the race, sign the waiver, and roll to the start line.