Asheville E-Fondo | Results and Recap

Another Sunday has come and gone, and with that another E-Fondo - this one centered on the roads of Asheville, North Carolina. With 30 miles, a bit over 3000ft of elevation gain and four timed segments, this one proved to be both a challenging and fun race. 

Things got interesting even before the race began: as I was logging into RGT, I was reminded that there was a mandatory update that needed to be applied to the platform. After going through the necessary steps, I quickly learned that steering - yes, steering - was now compulsory. Pretty big change to apply in the middle of a national series, but whatever. Surprised and a little disappointed, I hurriedly set up a keyboard near my bike and was ready to ride with only a minute or so to spare.

Like last week, I moved with purpose across the start line, determined to stay with the front of the race. I was able to make the connection quickly, and before long the first segment was underway. Split between a fast descent and a moderate climb, I was able to hold pace with the front of the race right up until the grade turned positive. It didn't take long for the lightweights to outpace me, and I fell back with another group. This was probably the most disheartening of all the segments, as I got passed a lot on this first climb...and I really do mean a lot. Having to remember to steer didn't help, but when I actually did remember I could see its advantages. I squeaked out 37th place in real time results and kept pressing forward. 

With only a short break between the first two segments, I continued to push fluids and carbs, knowing that a monstrous climb was waiting for me at the end. Pacing a few other riders and pushing hard up the slight climb, I took 29th for the second segment, and kept the momentum going for the third segment. The third segment was short and sweet, much like the second. An even 12:00 minutes put me in 26th in real time results for segment 3. 

And then came the final segment - a beast of a climb. With more than 3000ft of elevation gain in the race,
this climb accounted for nearly half of it in one shot. Surprisingly, my legs still felt fairly strong leading into the segment, but they wouldn't for long. This segment had sections stretching up to 10% grade, and a few very brief moments at 14%. To say this created some strain was an understatement. I had enough lactate forming to build a small house with, and there was still plenty of climb left to go. Still, if I was suffering, I knew everyone else was as well. Unlike the first segment where I was being passed repeatedly, I was able to hold pace with those around me, and even catch a small handful of other racers. Needless to say, it was a welcome sight when the end of the segment drew near and I finally passed under the arch - after a painful 26:27 working my way up the virtual twists and turns of Asheville. Although I placed 30th in real time results for the ascent, that matched my position in the race overall - making it hard to tell how I really did compared to my peers. 

Crossing the finish line in 24th overall, I had pretty mixed feelings about my performance in the race. I lost a lot of time on the first segment but managed fairly well in the remainder. Although on the surface I placed well in the final, massive climb, it matched my position in the race - meaning I was truly among the slowest that had already finished. So what do the final results say, after my race had been combined with the other two time zones? 

With all time zones merged, I finished 39th overall out of 164 racers, regardless of age or gender. Within my age and gender group, I managed 12th place out of 23. 

With five races in the series now complete, I'm ranked 13th overall for series points for my age group. This is a slip from last week, but I'm still pretty pleased. While I always want to do better and compete harder, I can't complain about the results thus far. This is the first time I've participated in a series quite like this, and I truly did not expect to place as well as I have been. This gives me a lot of hope for when the real life races begin in a few months. 

In terms of race analysis, here's what Strava shows for the event:

There's one final race in the series next week, but it remains to be seen whether or not I'll be able to participate in that one - still working out my schedule to see if I can make it fit! Stay tuned for more.