Boise 9 to 5 Race Report

Boise 9 to 5 Quick Stats:
6th Place Men’s Open
8 laps in 7:12:00
75 miles
10,200 of climbing
Max speed – 40.6 mph, yeah baby!



Last weekend went by way too fast. The Boise 9 to 5 race was a great excuse to leave the marginal weather of Teton Valley, ride dry dirt in the warm sunshine, and see our friends Tim & Chellie who recently relocated to Boise. It was all over in the blink of an eye and I don’t feel satisfied. I need more sunshine, more Tim & Chellie time, WAY more Henry time (pics to follow), and more downtown Boise time.

This race was primarily a pre-Cream Puff training race but I would be fibbing if I said that I didn’t want to have a solid race with so many of my friends and teammates there. The Fitzy team rallied in fine fashion and fielded 10 racers who would go on to claim several podium places. How cool is that?

The most interesting race tidbit for me was the pace of my first two laps. I tend to be a bit conservative early in long races but I went out pretty hard in this one. It was a strategic advantage to be ahead of the masses in the opening singletrack so I thought I would give it a shot. Throughout the first two laps I was surrounded by friendly adversaries who I watched carefully and was surprised by their comfort level. I wasn’t pinned…but my HR was on the high side. The guys around me were speaking easily and looked really good. Hmmm.

By the fourth lap I knew that the heat was going to be factor even though it was only in the high 70s. I just haven’t ridden in the heat this year so I adjusted on the fly and started taking two bottles per lap even though the laps were only 53-55 minutes. The Carbo Rocket continues to impress me and I went through 8 bottles of it during this race along with some EFS Gel for additional calories.

Throughout the second half of the race I simply kept the diesel motoring at a consistent pace and tried to stay strong on the climbs. With two laps to go I could see a dilemma unfolding. Will I be able to do 9 laps? This race has a rule that states you have to FINISH your last lap before 5pm for it to count. Well, my last four laps were all 55 minutes and I was working harder each lap to keep them there. When I crossed the line after lap #8 it was 4:12pm which meant I would have to uncork a 48’ lap for it to count. Race over. Crap. I needed a few more minutes somewhere but I honestly don’t think I left a few minutes out there this time.

The Boise 9 to 5 was a blast and the Broken Spoke Cycling Team put a lot of great energy into it. It has a grass roots feel to it but the race was run efficiently. Nice job guys!