Tour de Waterloo Race Report

Provisionally a 130km road race, the Tour de Waterloo didn't go exactly as I thought it might have. At the start line, I recognized a lot of fast guys, so the plan was really just hang with the front pack until it started to get stupid, then ride it in with whatever gruppetto I could keep up with.

However, the race ended for me at 12km in when someone veered hard left under braking as the pack accordioned up a hill, crashing into myself and another rider. The two of us went down onto the shoulder, luckily out of the way of the pack behind us. My bike was pretty banged up, but mostly cosmetic, except that my rear wheel was bent enough that it wouldn't turn through my brakes. I had some nice road rash on my leg, and a couple cuts from random rocks / pointy bike bits.

Luckily there's some pretty good support on this course, and after about 10 minutes the mechanics came  by and managed to true my wheel up enough that I could continue. By that point, I had pretty much stopped bleeding, and the adrenalin was still going pretty strong, so I decided to push on.

I was now at least 25 minutes back of the last group of riders, and was now going to start a 118km time trial. On a road bike. With a really bruised knee.

Finishing the climb at Hawkesville:
way off the back, but upright and smiling.
Pics thanks to Ron Head

Over the next four hours I managed to work my way up through some smaller groups and a few individual riders, just trying to hold a steady effort (140-ish bpm). I also had lots of time to practice my nutrition (which went pretty well: hour 1 was a banana plus a power bar, hour two was a power bar plus a honey waffle, then hour three to the end was gels). 


I'd like to just point out here how well this event was managed: All the traffic control was still there, the rest stops were still manned, and the volunteers were there helpfully telling me which way everyone else had gone 40 minutes ago. There was even some pulled pork left when I managed to roll in 1.5 hours after the winners had sprinted through the finish line. Additional thanks to the St. John’s Ambulance team who patched up my cuts/road rash.

So the total damage report is a very bruised knee (I have an impressive limp now), some minor road rash on my leg, butt and side, torn-up saddle, and a rear wheel badly in need of some service.

Not really what I was planning when I woke up.