One More Time With Tulsa Tough

Photo From Manuel of Speed. I sported Lucky Lucky Lucky 13

There are few races similar to the Tulsa Tough NCC Weekend. Unlike many of the other race weekends of the year, Tulsa is unique in the sense that it is one of few that many racers attend for its renowned pre- and post-race shenanigans. It’s reputation has earned hashtags such as #takeMondayOff, #spandexRodeo and #cryBabyHill - this event has enough quirks to keep the racers and fans returning year after year!

This was my 4^th time racing Tulsa Tough, and my 3^rd time racing in it’s NCC event. In 2010, I raced with Metro Volkswagen, followed by Super Squadra in 2012 and 2013.  This year, I’m rolling with Astellas. With my previous experiences, I was able to share some pre-race knowledge to the table. 

Friday Night (Blue Dome District)

Of the three races, the Friday night race is typically the fastest and easiest course: a wide figure eight with smooth turns that allows the pack to stay wide for the entirety of the race and hold speed without using brakes. This also made the course exceptionally dangerous as more than the usual number of riders were jockeying for position towards the end of the 60 minute race.

Today was a sprinters delight - everyone knew it.  Racers coming to the Blue Dome District for years to come will too. The plan for the day was to put all of our eggs in one basket and race for a field sprint, with Justin as our main sprinter. Our plan was to take over the front heading into 2 laps to go on the downhill back stretch. From there, we would crank it up to 100% til the end.

After a quick start, I jumped early and made my way up towards the front taking the fastest lines that I could. From here, I did my best to conserve energy. I watched as Justin fought Athlete Octane and the other big teams for the back of the UHC blue train.  I took a free lap after getting caught up behind a crash and was was able to get right up on the front with Justin. I did not last long up there with the crazy amount of aggression going on. As I faded back to my other teammates, I did what I could to help them out in the final laps. Inside of 10 laps to go, I was doing everything I could to get myself to the front, but as the speed increased so did the ferocity of the group. I was able to get near the front but I used too much energy to get there as the speed rarely dipped below 33 mph. By the time we got into 3 to go, I saw the team was shattered throughout the group.  We were not riding with one another… We ended up getting five out of our six guys in the top 30 positions.  With much room to improve, we prepared for battle again on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday (Brady District)

Heading into the Brady District, we had a completely different plan.  Yesterday, we lacked media exposure. We were pack fillers, missing out on primes and breakaway attempts from yesterday thus we needed to make up for it today. I volunteered to sacrifice myself for TV time – it was going to be a killer.

I started near the tail end of the pack, but I was motivated to get a call out by Dave Towle. Within four laps, I went off front countering a move by my teammate Cory Williams – who was in an early break – nabbing 2^nd in a prime sprint in my first attempt off the front. With confidence, I went up road three more times. My legs were feeling the best they had all month! Knowing my teammates, family, and friends were watching the race on Live Stream, it was time for me to throw down and earn some TV shoutouts. Mid-race, UHC went to the front.  Just like clockwork, they cranked up the speed.  With 20 laps to go, it became a crash fest, and luckily, I threaded the needle through three of them. My teammates could not say the same – three guys went down, two got caught in the wreckage twice. 

I was heaving up a lung with 7 laps to go (I should’ve saved myself for the finish).  With the unexpected crashes, we were down to just Brandon, Thomas and myself. I rolled up in the sprint finished, satisfied that I did my job and got many callouts on TV.  Both Brandon finished top 10 and Thomas top 20.

Sunday (Cry Baby Hill)

Tulsa Tough Sunday’s Cry Baby hill is truly unique: racers sprint up a long 15 percent climb into and out of a mosh pit of drunken men and women, only to come back down a steeper back side into a pinch turn that opens up for the last 250 meters. 

Rain all morning and non-stop crashes in all the races prior to the Pro race was a little nerve wrecking. Though the roads were damp from the morning, but the sun peeked out about an hour before our race started. Tire pressure itself was a gamble – low or high pressure? I went with an “in-between pressure” - a psi to accommodate semi-wet conditions. The rest of the team played it safe and went with a pressure suitable for wet roads.

Cry Baby Hill is a course that suits my style of riding: one that is hard and withers down the field. Unlike the past two races, CBH is the one that truly dwindles down the size of the pack, allowing the non-sprinter type of riders to rise to the occasion.

After a quick start, I slowly made it it to the front of the group. Bad luck put me on the wrong side of the peloton several laps up cry baby hill and I was using more brakes than I would’ve like. In a race where momentum and early conservation is key, I was already sewing my fate of a lackluster finish in the first 20 minutes of the 75-minute criterium. 

My one big effort of the race occurred mid-race, as I bridged to the leaders from the peloton to keep the team represented off the front. Once I made it across, I put in a small counter to keep the momentum going. But I lost some snap in my bridge and could not get the gap that I wanted – like a puppy with its tail between its legs, I reeled back into the group. 

As the race progressed, the weather made a turn for the worse. The consistent downpour caused crashes all around me, probably because more people were running a higher tire pressure than needed. Gaps were starting to open up in the final 10 laps of the race. I got gapped with about 4 laps to go. From there I would roll in to the finish line and glide up to the party at the top of Cry Baby Hill. 

Brandon got 2^nd place on the day -  an amazing result for the team!  This was a podium we were expecting since Wilmington.

The Result we wanted

CBH concluded my first month of travels with the team in 2014, and I am anything but tired of racing. I have never had as much fun racing my bike, nor have I learned so much about racing in such a short period of time. 

Back to Texas for now for a week and half until my next big trip of racing. This second trip will be a bit longer, consisting of Tour of America’s Dairyland, U23 national championships, and Prairie State Classic. Bring it.