Barry-Roubaix

Middleville, MI
Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Race Saturday March 27, 2010
by: Jake Pangle

Barry-Roubaix Recap
I have to start out by saying Rick has done a top notch job with the Barry-Roubaix event. This is the third year of the event and it has continued to grow. This year there were I believe 928 people pre-registered for the event.

The race started on a very brisk Saturday morning, 17 degrees was where we sat for my 10:02 start time. The neutral roll out is anything but, everyone was on throttle from the start. I swear 100 people passed before we even hit dirt. I worked my way back through the pack and found a small group that I could paceline until we hit Sager Rd. I was sure what to expect here each year it has been slow and almost treacherous. Last year I remember seeing people flying over there bars in some of the deep sandy sections. This year was completely different most of the road was hard packed and very passable with the exception of the giant ice puddle. I found a good line along the right side and was able to work my way up a few spots before exiting back out on the main roads.

For the first 20-25 miles I felt really good, it wasn’t until one of the last long dirt roads climbs where I really began to bonk. At that point I had little to nothing left to give for a while I thought I was on track for a 2:00 hr finish, but when I hit that last section of pavement it just seemed to go on for ever. Even though the hills into the finish were nothing like the grueling dirt roads early in the course. I just couldn’t muster enough energy to push the pedals around. My dreams of a 2:00 hr time were quickly fading as I couldn’t seem to gain any ground. I am not sure how long that pavement section going back into the finish actually was, but I tell you it felt longer than the entire race at this point. I couldn’t even manage to rally one last attack on that final stretch into the Gun Lake unit. I think 10 people passed me on the way in and there wasn’t anything I could do to hold them off.

I manage a time of 2:21:51, which was good for 61st/84. I was slower than last year, but that can be expected since I spent almost a year off the bike. The good news is my legs felt pretty good, breathing was way better than I expected especially with the temp, and most importantly I had fun today.

This race is just what I needed to get me back on track for training too. Next up is the Yankee Springs TT. I would love to get a podium finish at this race