6/27/10
Burlingame Crit- 40 minutes
Race: 35+ Cat 4
65 Riders
Course: Flat, through downtown Burlingame. Multiple turns with wide roads and mostly good pavement
CoreTechs Team: Just me…Andrew (Christian raced the Open Cat 4 race, so would love to read a race report Christian!)
I was a bit nervous about this race for a day or two before. The last three races I was in all involved a crash (not by me, but within the race). I like Crits, but they can be a bit scary (or possibly I am getting a bit soft. Probably this is the case). Anyway, I wanted to stay upright this race and assuming that, then see what happened.
Race starts promptly at 9:30am. We have the largest field in the Burlingame Crit series with 65 guys. I would say there were four or five Wells Fargo riders and four or five Talleo riders. Other than that, I did not see a lot from any one team. I recognize a few guys from the Noon ride and say hello to a few. Seems everyone is fairly relaxed.
Race starts reasonably fast. Since I have already mentioned above the onset of being a bit soft, I did not want to ride in the pack, so I opted to ride within the top four or five as long as I could. Come the fourth lap, they ring the bell for a Preem. Did not catch what they were offering, but since I was up front, figured I would give it a go. I was on a Los Gatos riders wheel (Alan from the noon ride) and we took off. I get to about mid bike of Alan but can not catch him so finish second on the preem (which means you get absolutely nothing. Well, you get out of breath, so that is something). Anyway, he and I fist bump and let the pack catch us.
Sometime mid race, two guys get off the front. I am third wheel in the pack and another rider shoots out to catch the two. I jump on his wheel and he and I work together and catch the front two. The four of us now have a gap of about 10 seconds. I start acting all stupid and telling the guys what to do. I am urging them to work together and take a hard pull at the front each so we can stay away. We do this for a lap. On my pull I go hard for 15 or 20 seconds. I turn to look and it is only two of us. The other two opted to slink back to the pack…wimps. With that, myself and the other guy sit up and get back in the group.
With two laps to go I have been riding in the front five all race. Suddenly I find myself leading the pack through the start finish line with two laps to go. Not where I want to be. So I ease up. Unfortunately, I guess I ease up too much. I get swamped. About 15 riders go by me on each side. Great, one lap to go and now I am in 15th to 20th position. Crap! I almost give in and say f… it. After a few beats though I figure I might as well go down in a steaming heap of lactic acid, so I get to the side of the pack and sprint for the front into the wind, by myself. I get back to the front five with about half a lap to go. As we enter the straight away, two riders sprint hard. Darn, they have a decent gap. I jump and come close to catching the second place guy when I notice another rider catching me on my right. He and I cross the line together neck and neck. After the announcer says it is a "photo finish for third", they give it to him…I get fourth. Ah well, such is racing.
With fourth place I won a fantastic prize package. Well, not so much. I won a pair of bike gloves, pair of socks and a box of Girl Scout Cookies (not kidding, really). I also earned another 7 points and can now upgrade to a Cat 3 if I want (you need 20 points in one calendar year to upgrade. If you get 30 points, you have to upgrade. So far this year I have 24 points.) For all of you just starting out, it is very possible to upgrade fairly quickly. In January I was a Cat 5, so not that hard to do if you are into it. Oh, and most importantly, I stayed up right and had no close calls this race! There was however a crash in the race I learned later. I did not hear it, but a few guys went down in one of the turns…got to stay away from those big group turns!
Looking forward to riding again soon. If you have not picked up your hats, feel free to drop by or ask Gordon if he has any left (I left a bunch with him).
Andrew
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
New Sponsor: Team Bike Shop: Menlo Velo
Menlo Velo (www.menlovelobicycles.com) has stepped up and offered the team a sponsorship. They are offering great discounts on service, accessories and bikes. If you were on the fence about racing with us, this should put it over the top. Must be a team member to get benefit.
2010 Pescadero Road Race by Chris Scheetz
Pescadero Road Race – 06/19/2010
Race Day Conditions – Overcast with temperatures in the low to mid 60’s, negligible wind, road was dry.
Course – 47 miles and approximately 3,620 feet of cumulative elevation gain.
Bike Ridden – 2004 Airborne Zeppelin, Titanium frame, running a compact crank set, 50-34 with a 12-23 rear cassette.
Raced in the CAT 4/5 45+ Category
The field was full; we started at 9:45am. It was a controlled start with a promenade of the peloton from Pescadero High School through downtown Pescadero, the whistle blown for the start of the race on the outskirts of town. We headed north on Stage Road and we were faced with basically seven miles and 800 + feet of climbing over two 400 foot hills. One thing I am not, is a proficient fast climber, and I faced difficulty during the first climb on Stage Road. As we ascended the first climb, the peloton quickly strung out on the narrow two lane road. I made my way over the first hill at the back of the field. I made good time on the decent and passed a hand full of less confident riders. As we hit the second climb, there was less traffic, but the majority of the peloton was well on their way over the second climb. I was not overly concerned at my position at this point as my primary objective was just to finish the race. There were seven of us at this point.
As we turned right on Highway 84, we could see the peloton at large only some 100 meters ahead of us. As we quickly figured out, now was the time to work collectively and endeavour to close the gap. Unfortunately for us, after a couple of miles, it was apparent the peloton was pacing faster than us. It was then that I looked at the riders around me and figured this was to be my race within the race.
As we raced east on 84, all seven were taking our turns at the front. To my surprise, half way on 84, we were passed by a group of seven plus that had started with us, but fared worse on Stage Road. Now we were fourteen plus but the peloton was out of sight.
We worked as a group until the right turn on Pesacadero Road and the approximately three mile accent of Pescadero Road/Haskins Grade. As mentioned earlier, I am not a not a proficient fast climber. With the group I was in, some riders moved forward, some moved backwards. I ended up somewhere in the middle. I read an article one time about racing in the hills and the author said it was all about the individual tempo and that is was I concentrated on. Three miles is was a long grade for me, validated by the movement of riders going past me and riders I pass. It was a relief when I reached the sign that said “2K” to the top. I felt good I was close to the crest, but then again, I never fully grasped the metric system. That was a long 2K. Then came 1K, then the 500K, 200K, 100K (what is this........ a sprint, we are going uphill at some reasonably difficult grade). I finally crested at what was ultimately to be finish line, problem was, I had another approximate 20 miles of racing.
The good thing about reaching the top of Haskins Grade was I had an approximate 10 miles of downhill, a good part being a fast technical decent. Numerous riders were passed on this decent.
On the decent, the group I was riding in was basically that same group as I stared the climb with plus a handful of riders caught on the decent. We rode collectively back to the town of Pescadero. (We even passed the group of CAT 45+ 1-2-3 that stared before us, how could that be???)
We passed back through the town of Pescadero on Stage Road. No more than a mile into Stage Road, we were passed by the CAT 45+ 1-2-3, drat!!. We road sensibly over Stage Road as a group took our right on 84. On 84, we caught and passed several other tired riders. We all knew when we reached the right on Pescadero Road, the race was on...
On queue, as we turned on Pescadeo Road, acceleration was increased and it became a function of how long can you sustain the pain! For me, it was all about tempo. Riders mover ahead of me and riders fell back. The defining moment in the race for me came at the “2K” to the top sign was reached. I knew metrics now! I increased my tempo and actually had in my sights, a hand full of riders in front of me that were within reach. Steady as she goes, 1K to go, passed a rider, 500K one more rider, 200K no one, 100K to go, yikes, two more riders ahead of me, if I do anything now, I need to beat these two guys to the top. There are advantages to accelerating from behind your opponent, take them by surprise, that is exactly what I did beating them to the finish line only to be greeted by another 10 miles to get back to my car.
While I did not have a podium or top ten finish, I completed an epic race in an epic venue that is open to anyone who has the desire test their racing abilities.
Overall time and speed per my computer was 2:29:56 averaging 18.8 mph.
Race Day Conditions – Overcast with temperatures in the low to mid 60’s, negligible wind, road was dry.
Course – 47 miles and approximately 3,620 feet of cumulative elevation gain.
Bike Ridden – 2004 Airborne Zeppelin, Titanium frame, running a compact crank set, 50-34 with a 12-23 rear cassette.
Raced in the CAT 4/5 45+ Category
The field was full; we started at 9:45am. It was a controlled start with a promenade of the peloton from Pescadero High School through downtown Pescadero, the whistle blown for the start of the race on the outskirts of town. We headed north on Stage Road and we were faced with basically seven miles and 800 + feet of climbing over two 400 foot hills. One thing I am not, is a proficient fast climber, and I faced difficulty during the first climb on Stage Road. As we ascended the first climb, the peloton quickly strung out on the narrow two lane road. I made my way over the first hill at the back of the field. I made good time on the decent and passed a hand full of less confident riders. As we hit the second climb, there was less traffic, but the majority of the peloton was well on their way over the second climb. I was not overly concerned at my position at this point as my primary objective was just to finish the race. There were seven of us at this point.
As we turned right on Highway 84, we could see the peloton at large only some 100 meters ahead of us. As we quickly figured out, now was the time to work collectively and endeavour to close the gap. Unfortunately for us, after a couple of miles, it was apparent the peloton was pacing faster than us. It was then that I looked at the riders around me and figured this was to be my race within the race.
As we raced east on 84, all seven were taking our turns at the front. To my surprise, half way on 84, we were passed by a group of seven plus that had started with us, but fared worse on Stage Road. Now we were fourteen plus but the peloton was out of sight.
We worked as a group until the right turn on Pesacadero Road and the approximately three mile accent of Pescadero Road/Haskins Grade. As mentioned earlier, I am not a not a proficient fast climber. With the group I was in, some riders moved forward, some moved backwards. I ended up somewhere in the middle. I read an article one time about racing in the hills and the author said it was all about the individual tempo and that is was I concentrated on. Three miles is was a long grade for me, validated by the movement of riders going past me and riders I pass. It was a relief when I reached the sign that said “2K” to the top. I felt good I was close to the crest, but then again, I never fully grasped the metric system. That was a long 2K. Then came 1K, then the 500K, 200K, 100K (what is this........ a sprint, we are going uphill at some reasonably difficult grade). I finally crested at what was ultimately to be finish line, problem was, I had another approximate 20 miles of racing.
The good thing about reaching the top of Haskins Grade was I had an approximate 10 miles of downhill, a good part being a fast technical decent. Numerous riders were passed on this decent.
On the decent, the group I was riding in was basically that same group as I stared the climb with plus a handful of riders caught on the decent. We rode collectively back to the town of Pescadero. (We even passed the group of CAT 45+ 1-2-3 that stared before us, how could that be???)
We passed back through the town of Pescadero on Stage Road. No more than a mile into Stage Road, we were passed by the CAT 45+ 1-2-3, drat!!. We road sensibly over Stage Road as a group took our right on 84. On 84, we caught and passed several other tired riders. We all knew when we reached the right on Pescadero Road, the race was on...
On queue, as we turned on Pescadeo Road, acceleration was increased and it became a function of how long can you sustain the pain! For me, it was all about tempo. Riders mover ahead of me and riders fell back. The defining moment in the race for me came at the “2K” to the top sign was reached. I knew metrics now! I increased my tempo and actually had in my sights, a hand full of riders in front of me that were within reach. Steady as she goes, 1K to go, passed a rider, 500K one more rider, 200K no one, 100K to go, yikes, two more riders ahead of me, if I do anything now, I need to beat these two guys to the top. There are advantages to accelerating from behind your opponent, take them by surprise, that is exactly what I did beating them to the finish line only to be greeted by another 10 miles to get back to my car.
While I did not have a podium or top ten finish, I completed an epic race in an epic venue that is open to anyone who has the desire test their racing abilities.
Overall time and speed per my computer was 2:29:56 averaging 18.8 mph.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Race Report: Dash for Cash: Pleasanton Crit
First, the reason for these race reports is if anyone wants to race these races next year, they will have some info going in to better help them understand the course and possibly the tactics. Also, I need a break from work so here is what I do on my break. Enjoy if you care too.
Race: Dash for Cash (Pleasanton Crit)
Course: about a 1/3 of a mile lap around Pleasanton Office Parks. Road is close and both lanes are open (as is the case with most crits)
Length: 45 minutes. Usually about 24 laps depending on groups speed
Teammates: Chris Scheetz in the 35+ race, none in the Open 4's race
The thing about this crit that made it attractive was that it was reasonably close to home and that it started at 1:50pm! Was very nice to leave for a race at noon, rather than the typical 5:00am! Got to race site with an hour to spare. Brought my rollers with me and did a 1/2 hour warm up. First race I did was the Open (they call it the Elite) 4's, meaning any age Cat 4's can race. We had about 50 guys racing.
This race is unique in that every lap is a "prime" lap. Meaning that the winner of every lap won something. In this race it was $10/lap. For some reason I was feeling a bit cocky and decided I was going to go for the lap sprints. Second lap a guy shoots off the front. I chase, I don’t catch him and come across second. Ok, now I am a bit mad at myself for chasing and not attacking. So I recover a lap and then go for it again. This crit is a four corner crit, meaning that you go around a square block. Like auto racing in reverse, there were only right hand turns. I took off before the final turn. After you make that turn you have about 400 meters to the line. I made it in first for about 385 of those meters, only to be passed on the line. Second again, and there is no prize for second. Now I am frustrated and deeply winded. I sit in about another six laps, trying to get my breath back. I finally feel ok and so go for it again. This time I follow a guy that took off before the final corner as I had done last time. With about 200 meters to go I give it all I have. I won that sprint…finally. So that was cool. After crossing the line, I look back and a Third Pillar rider came up on me. It was just the two of us with about a 500 meter gap on the field. As he goes by he says, "let's go" and powers past. I jump on his wheel and sat there for about five seconds. Problem was I was so gassed from my sprint I could not stay there. Truth be told, I thought I was going hurl whatever lunch I had eaten two hours before. I sat up and waited and tried to breathe. Now there was about three laps to go. The pack finally caught me and went by at full speed. I mustered up whatever I had left and stayed with the pack. That really hurt.
We go into the final turn a full field (50 guys riding about 28+mph and taking a right hand turn). I am seeing double at this point but still in the field. As we make the turn, some guy on the inside drifts out and clips the guy next to him. I see a bike start to somersault past me and hear the metal hit pavement sound. Best thing you can do in this situation is to hammer and keep your bike straight. I jammed on the gas and got through the wreck, only then have a Pen Velo rider who did not speed up start to drift right into me. We get our bars tangled and we both do that high speed wobble. Luckily we got untangled in time and both help it up. By this point top finishers were up the road and so I sat up to finish in the pack. I was darn tired but had won $10 bucks and a water bottle!
As I am sitting on the curb trying to stop from being dizzy, Chris Scheetz showed up. He looks down at me and with his kind words of encouragement said, "dude, you look like shit", and he was right!
Second race started an hour after the end of my first race. We had a field of about 50 guys and Chris was racing with me. I told Chris, not sure I have anything left, but I will start and pull out if I just don’t have it or get dropped. This race I told myself I was just going to sit in the pack and see how I felt. After about seven laps, I actually started to come around and feel ok. Again, I got a bit cocky with that feeling and decided I would win a lap. Being the amazing tactician that I am showing myself to be, I went for a sprint starting from mid pack. As I was passing the field on the right I kept thinking to myself, "this is a far way back to sprint from". What a smart guy I am. I ended up getting to the front of the pack save for one rider who sprinted off the front to take that lap. Hey, now that is the way to do it…sheez. So now, I am again winded and have nothing to show for it. I sit back in the pack for the rest of the race.
When we get to that final lap I had one goal, don’t be next to five guys taking a right hand turn at 28+mph. See, I can learn from previous races. Then, just before the final turn one guy goes shooting by on the far left of the pack. I jump on his wheel and he and I get some separation from the pack. We take the turn at 30mph. Again, showing everyone what a bike handler I am, I pedal through the turn. What happens when you take a turn at 30mph and pedal through it you ask? Well for me, I catch my pedal on the ground. Now I am in a bit of panic as my rear wheel starts to lose traction. I straighten by bike out to recover from the turn, but I am headed directly for the opposite curb at full speed. I get the bike around and literally skim the far curb as I compete the turn. I could not have used up anymore road. Had I been in the pack with guys next to me, it would have been interesting.
I look up and the guy I had been chasing has a gap on me now and two more had taken the turn correctly and were on my inside. I sprint and give what I have left to hold onto 4th place. I was fairly happy with that. Would have liked to placed top three, but keeping the bike up and still getting fourth was ok. Ended up winning about $40 worth of gear for 4th, so that made the drive home more fun.
Race: Dash for Cash (Pleasanton Crit)
Course: about a 1/3 of a mile lap around Pleasanton Office Parks. Road is close and both lanes are open (as is the case with most crits)
Length: 45 minutes. Usually about 24 laps depending on groups speed
Teammates: Chris Scheetz in the 35+ race, none in the Open 4's race
The thing about this crit that made it attractive was that it was reasonably close to home and that it started at 1:50pm! Was very nice to leave for a race at noon, rather than the typical 5:00am! Got to race site with an hour to spare. Brought my rollers with me and did a 1/2 hour warm up. First race I did was the Open (they call it the Elite) 4's, meaning any age Cat 4's can race. We had about 50 guys racing.
This race is unique in that every lap is a "prime" lap. Meaning that the winner of every lap won something. In this race it was $10/lap. For some reason I was feeling a bit cocky and decided I was going to go for the lap sprints. Second lap a guy shoots off the front. I chase, I don’t catch him and come across second. Ok, now I am a bit mad at myself for chasing and not attacking. So I recover a lap and then go for it again. This crit is a four corner crit, meaning that you go around a square block. Like auto racing in reverse, there were only right hand turns. I took off before the final turn. After you make that turn you have about 400 meters to the line. I made it in first for about 385 of those meters, only to be passed on the line. Second again, and there is no prize for second. Now I am frustrated and deeply winded. I sit in about another six laps, trying to get my breath back. I finally feel ok and so go for it again. This time I follow a guy that took off before the final corner as I had done last time. With about 200 meters to go I give it all I have. I won that sprint…finally. So that was cool. After crossing the line, I look back and a Third Pillar rider came up on me. It was just the two of us with about a 500 meter gap on the field. As he goes by he says, "let's go" and powers past. I jump on his wheel and sat there for about five seconds. Problem was I was so gassed from my sprint I could not stay there. Truth be told, I thought I was going hurl whatever lunch I had eaten two hours before. I sat up and waited and tried to breathe. Now there was about three laps to go. The pack finally caught me and went by at full speed. I mustered up whatever I had left and stayed with the pack. That really hurt.
We go into the final turn a full field (50 guys riding about 28+mph and taking a right hand turn). I am seeing double at this point but still in the field. As we make the turn, some guy on the inside drifts out and clips the guy next to him. I see a bike start to somersault past me and hear the metal hit pavement sound. Best thing you can do in this situation is to hammer and keep your bike straight. I jammed on the gas and got through the wreck, only then have a Pen Velo rider who did not speed up start to drift right into me. We get our bars tangled and we both do that high speed wobble. Luckily we got untangled in time and both help it up. By this point top finishers were up the road and so I sat up to finish in the pack. I was darn tired but had won $10 bucks and a water bottle!
As I am sitting on the curb trying to stop from being dizzy, Chris Scheetz showed up. He looks down at me and with his kind words of encouragement said, "dude, you look like shit", and he was right!
Second race started an hour after the end of my first race. We had a field of about 50 guys and Chris was racing with me. I told Chris, not sure I have anything left, but I will start and pull out if I just don’t have it or get dropped. This race I told myself I was just going to sit in the pack and see how I felt. After about seven laps, I actually started to come around and feel ok. Again, I got a bit cocky with that feeling and decided I would win a lap. Being the amazing tactician that I am showing myself to be, I went for a sprint starting from mid pack. As I was passing the field on the right I kept thinking to myself, "this is a far way back to sprint from". What a smart guy I am. I ended up getting to the front of the pack save for one rider who sprinted off the front to take that lap. Hey, now that is the way to do it…sheez. So now, I am again winded and have nothing to show for it. I sit back in the pack for the rest of the race.
When we get to that final lap I had one goal, don’t be next to five guys taking a right hand turn at 28+mph. See, I can learn from previous races. Then, just before the final turn one guy goes shooting by on the far left of the pack. I jump on his wheel and he and I get some separation from the pack. We take the turn at 30mph. Again, showing everyone what a bike handler I am, I pedal through the turn. What happens when you take a turn at 30mph and pedal through it you ask? Well for me, I catch my pedal on the ground. Now I am in a bit of panic as my rear wheel starts to lose traction. I straighten by bike out to recover from the turn, but I am headed directly for the opposite curb at full speed. I get the bike around and literally skim the far curb as I compete the turn. I could not have used up anymore road. Had I been in the pack with guys next to me, it would have been interesting.
I look up and the guy I had been chasing has a gap on me now and two more had taken the turn correctly and were on my inside. I sprint and give what I have left to hold onto 4th place. I was fairly happy with that. Would have liked to placed top three, but keeping the bike up and still getting fourth was ok. Ended up winning about $40 worth of gear for 4th, so that made the drive home more fun.
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