Hi Team,
This is year two of the CoreTechs Cycling Team, presented by Fitness 101 and Ironkey. Thought you would like to know a bit about where we are currently. We will call it our "State of the Brain" address. Hold your applause till the end please :). By the way, the logo on our kit is a "brain". CoreTechs = cortex = a brain…thus the logo (just in case you are asked and did not get it yourself).
There are 34 of us on the team. 21 of us are registered with USA Cycling who will/have/intend to race this year. We have 15 podium appearances this year already! Though our emphasis is on getting out there and just having fun with it, it is impressive to see the results. That said, do NOT be intimidated to jump in a race. We really do not care how you do, just that you do. Nobody on this team is getting paid to race, so have some fun with it.
We are well represented in local group rides as well. Yesterday (Tuesday) we had 6 team members out on the noon ride. Very fun and cool to see the kit in action and so well represented. I think the new "black" kit has been well received too. I have had a few guys both at races and in the group rides comment that they liked the look. It is all subjective of course, but I do think it is one of the better looking kits in the peloton, and looking good is more than half the battle…right? The kit is well made and I have received good reviews from most about the quality, though I have also heard from a few that there are some issues with cut and pocket sizes. Before ordering the next go round, I will send out a poll to see if we should try out another vendor. Personally, I think the shorts (the pad specifically) are very comfortable and the jersey is good too (though it could use bigger rear pockets).
We will be donating $500.00 this month to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in the name of the team as well.
Laura is leading our Wednesday and weekend group rides. She always comes up with some great routes, though expect hills in everything she does. Those rides kicked off this past weekend with seven team riders starting it off. Everyone is welcome to these and feel free to bring along a riding buddy if you want. Gordon runs a Thursday late morning ride at a sedate pace. If you are looking for a really easy/social spin, check out this ride.
We have a few "Key" races coming up for those that like to race. This is an event that I would love to get as many team riders out as possible. Nothing is mandatory, but it is highly encouraged! First "Key" race up on the agenda is the Top Sport Stage Race June 4/5. This event starts with a road race Saturday and then a circuit race and TT on Sunday. I did this race last year and thought is was very well run and a lot of fun. We have a free place to stay Saturday night 45 minutes from race site (race is in Copperopolis). It will be a fun, good bonding event. Registration is now open, so commit! (http://www.topsportcycling.com/events/topsport-stage-race/).
The next key race for the team will either be Dunnigan Hills or San Ardo in August. We can debate which one and choose closer to race date. We may also look at Winters as a key race. The final key race this year may be the Henleyville Road Race in September. John P. says this is a great race. It is fairly far away though, so we will have to figure that out closer to race date. In between there are many other races that we will be doing. Email each other when you are racing and of course, look for the race reports post race.
Finally, we will end the season in Santa Rosa this October at the Levi's Gran Fondo. We have 24 riders registered for this event right now! That is a huge number of us. Will make for some great team photos and should be a lot of fun. The Gran Fondo is closed for new registration, but you can probably buy entry on Craig's List. Also the other, shorter rides are still open. If you are not registered for this, think about getting registered. Don’t miss the fun.
In addition to our main sponsors (CoreTechs, Fitness 101, and Ironkey) we also have Menlo Velo as a shop sponsor. Rainer (owner of Menlo Velo) is offering the team great deals. Make sure to take advantage! We have Leopard Bikes and Clean Bottle sponsoring the team too with significant discounts on their products as well.
I update the team web site- www.coretechscycling.com - (blog page) with the race reports as well as the pics page with current pics. We also have the Face Book page that auto updates from the Blog as well as gets updates from us at least once or twice a week. Make sure to "like" the FB page to see the updates. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CoreTechs-Cycling-Team/180873784101
I am always looking for ideas to improve the team. If you can think of something that would be fun or have seen something other teams do that looks interesting, please let me know.
We are always recruiting good people. If you know someone that would fit in with this group, recruit them! Finally, I will do another gear order in a month or two. It takes almost 2 months to get a gear order, so plan in advance (especially the Levi's riders).
See you on the road soon. Enjoy the sun!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Menlo Park GP Report-By Chris Scheetz
Masters 45+ 1,2,3,4 Also had the 55+ guys in the race
The entire field was 50+
I did this race with Devon
This crit is theoretically about as safe as a course can be for a crit, wide roads, turns, couple long straights, overall a mile + in lenght, but then you throw in the "x" factor and anything can happen, see Mark Foster report.
Devon and I set ourselves at the line for the start. Looking around, there were quite a few SJ and Webcor guys in the group. At the whistle, the pace was brisk, but nothing severe. Given SJ and Webcor had such large numbers in this race, they were the ones that kept launching attacks on the first long stretch, which btw, had a good head wind. The peleton would stretch out, then the guy(s) up front would do a dramatic swing to the right or left, depending on which side of the road the group was on so the group would do this big serpentine motion. You just needed to pay attention to the folks around you. The race was pretty benign for the most part, but the pace high, we averaged 25+ mph. The most technical part of the course was a quick left to a quick right hand turn to the start/finish line so if you wanted to be in the money, you had to be well positioned in the group before you went into that section. With 5 laps to go, the pace picked up, with 2, the pace really picked up so jockying for position was tedious. On the final lap the group was still pretty tight and as you can imagine, those who made it to the quick left/right turns were invited to the drag race to the finish. Devon was up front, I was mid-pack. At the line Devon placed 4th for the CAT 3's and I placed 5th for the CAT 4's (28th overall).
Chris
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Menlo Park GP-written by Keith S. (P/1/2 Race Report)
Menlo Park GP p/1/2
Sat. 4/23/11
I retired from M35+ racing last week after Santa Cruz crit was way too short and easy.
I decided to do p/1/2 field today at Menlo Park crit - flat 60 min. short and very easy reintroduction to p/1/2 racing.
Beforehand, I watched Brianne coast in the women's small pack and try 6 different moves/attacks in the race unsuccessfully and she sat up on the final lap without sprinting to avoid some of the local squirrely riders that are still left over in the mix at the end of non-selective races. It wasn't a race made for her.
I do flat lunchtime crits all of the time though, so I'm okay with that stuff mostly.
We had a good field of about 60 riders or more. There were some good guys out there, current pros, former pros, guys that have won lots of races, current US elite national crit champion, yada yada yada. Without teammates, I just go into mercinary mode. Follow strong guys if I see them and try to follow a train at the end. Get lucky if possible.
The race was fast, but easy. Pack was easy to move around. I tried a few breakaway attempts by sitting on the wheels of the national champ and a norcal pro rider that has won lots of races this year. Since there were about 4 teams there with multiple riders, there was the chance of something sticking. There was also the chance of getting in a longer break and collecting a prime sprint or two. I just missed out on a $100 prime and it was taken away by Logan Loader that got 2nd today (I'm surprised that he didn't win). There was a nice crash caused by a Metromint rider trying to pass the pack along some cones and really bad pavement that we passed every lap. It was a dumb move that took down several guys at speed on the flat. I think that rider should get downgraded for that one. I'd sign that petition.
As the laps wound down, I gradually moved up near the front and tried to maneuver through the ebb and flow of the pack without getting swarmed too much. Surprisingly on the last lap, I was easily sitting in the top 20, but didn't make that final dagger move on the backside to top 10. With 4 right angle turns (left, left, left, right) after the long straight, not many positions changed once we hit the turns. The guy in front of me had a little mechanical in the last turn and instead of exploding for top 10, we floated to 12 and 14th place.
So, I have finished 14th in M35+ circuit race, 14th in M35+ crit, and now 14th in p/1/2 crit. Seems that I need to find a race that will pay 14 places (or more) deep soon. They only paid 10 deep today.
Sat. 4/23/11
I retired from M35+ racing last week after Santa Cruz crit was way too short and easy.
I decided to do p/1/2 field today at Menlo Park crit - flat 60 min. short and very easy reintroduction to p/1/2 racing.
Beforehand, I watched Brianne coast in the women's small pack and try 6 different moves/attacks in the race unsuccessfully and she sat up on the final lap without sprinting to avoid some of the local squirrely riders that are still left over in the mix at the end of non-selective races. It wasn't a race made for her.
I do flat lunchtime crits all of the time though, so I'm okay with that stuff mostly.
We had a good field of about 60 riders or more. There were some good guys out there, current pros, former pros, guys that have won lots of races, current US elite national crit champion, yada yada yada. Without teammates, I just go into mercinary mode. Follow strong guys if I see them and try to follow a train at the end. Get lucky if possible.
The race was fast, but easy. Pack was easy to move around. I tried a few breakaway attempts by sitting on the wheels of the national champ and a norcal pro rider that has won lots of races this year. Since there were about 4 teams there with multiple riders, there was the chance of something sticking. There was also the chance of getting in a longer break and collecting a prime sprint or two. I just missed out on a $100 prime and it was taken away by Logan Loader that got 2nd today (I'm surprised that he didn't win). There was a nice crash caused by a Metromint rider trying to pass the pack along some cones and really bad pavement that we passed every lap. It was a dumb move that took down several guys at speed on the flat. I think that rider should get downgraded for that one. I'd sign that petition.
As the laps wound down, I gradually moved up near the front and tried to maneuver through the ebb and flow of the pack without getting swarmed too much. Surprisingly on the last lap, I was easily sitting in the top 20, but didn't make that final dagger move on the backside to top 10. With 4 right angle turns (left, left, left, right) after the long straight, not many positions changed once we hit the turns. The guy in front of me had a little mechanical in the last turn and instead of exploding for top 10, we floated to 12 and 14th place.
So, I have finished 14th in M35+ circuit race, 14th in M35+ crit, and now 14th in p/1/2 crit. Seems that I need to find a race that will pay 14 places (or more) deep soon. They only paid 10 deep today.
Santa Cruz Crit-written by Keith S.
It was really fun to see Brianne racing competitively. She is very talented in climbing and accelerations. She hasn't trained like we used to train when she got her cat. 1 upgrade, but the form is still there and she's a threat on any difficult training ride. I have encouraged her to do some local races sometimes even though she might not be in mega-brianne racing shape because it kind of forces her to race conservatively. When this happens, she races really smart and does a great sprint at the end. For a while, it looked like she was effortlessly hanging in the pack and I thought she might win the race on Sunday. Axel and I were very happy to see her do so well and we had lots of fun cheering for mommy.
My race in the M35+ 1/2/3 was a bit different. Most of the racers there are former or current p/1/2 guys and there are some significant masters teams out there. It makes the race a little more strategic than difficult. I'm used to doing about 40 laps in the p/1/2 and surviving the first half of crazy fast racing to start racing in the 2nd half. The issue is that the masters race is simply equal in distance to the first half of the p/1/2 race. I wasn't warmed up until about 4 laps to go. That's a good place to be warmed up though.
Racing started with Andrew saving a spot on the line for me. Thanks! That helps. If I see a hole during a race or a chance for a move, I like to go for it. "Sometimes I attack" (famous quote by Abdujaborov sp?). Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets you warmed up. It is good to do an effort or two to bridge or attack in the first few laps to practice for the final sprint or final selection when it is needed. A safeway rider went off on the first lap and he was out there by himself. With my good start spot, I took off the first time up the little hill to bridge. It took about 1/4 lap to get to him at the hairpin. However, just when I caught his wheel, although we had a little gap, he stopped pedaling completely. Occurances like this are why I am going to retire from 35+ racing and go back to p/1/2. There was no reason to stop pedaling and we could have made a little run of it for a few laps at least. Strategic non-racing is a little too negative for me.
The race continued at an okay pace with a bunch of 'teams' sending a few guys off the front and then others chasing them back quickly. There wasn't much reason to go chase, so I hung in and enjoyed the short race as much as I could. I told Andrew before the race that I would not chase 2 or 3 guys, but that if a selection of 10 occured, I wanted to be in it. I drifted back and found Andrew in the middle and he seemed to be doing just fine. As the race went on, I found my groove up the hill and could move up if I wanted. I practiced inside and outside of the final turn and sitting on the left of the road and going up the right into the small wind. At about 10 to go, I saw a good move with 5 guys - old teammates and top 5 regular finishers. Around the final turn and one or two had just bridged, so I decided to do a solo bridge. With no teammates in the field, the goal is not to drag the pack, but instead to attack hard enough at an opportune time to open a gap and get yourself to the front group. You have to have the motor to go alone and you have to make the bridge quickly - otherwise, you are just wearing yourself out and possibly killing the chase. If you drag everybody up, then you have helped all of the other teams in the pack and worn yourself out. With my practice bridge at the end of the first lap, I knew where to go. I went a little harder this time and TT'd across to the break before the downhill hairpin. They seemed disorganized and I made the bridge easily. Unfortunately, I inspired one or two in the pack to try to do the same. They were not on my wheel, but soon after I made the move, everybody else made the move. I think it was growing too big for the teams to feel comfortable. So, we were all back together again. Had I not gone, I think that the move would have stuck and the pack would have ridden slow. If one guy would not have been inspired by my move, I think that the break would have stuck. oh well. Its always a gamble.
After that, I just sat in, realizing that the finish wasn't far away and there was too much chasing. With several laps to go, a small group of 2-4 was just off the front and guys weren't really chasing. Were they tired? I don't know. I decided to not stir things up because I have too many 'buddies' in the pack that would not let me get in a move at the end with the pack close. I was hoping it would be brought back out of ridiculosity of how small the race was. I think it was sort of caught on the last lap. I didn't fight for position with 1 to go and came out of the last turn in poor position. I finished around 15th
My race in the M35+ 1/2/3 was a bit different. Most of the racers there are former or current p/1/2 guys and there are some significant masters teams out there. It makes the race a little more strategic than difficult. I'm used to doing about 40 laps in the p/1/2 and surviving the first half of crazy fast racing to start racing in the 2nd half. The issue is that the masters race is simply equal in distance to the first half of the p/1/2 race. I wasn't warmed up until about 4 laps to go. That's a good place to be warmed up though.
Racing started with Andrew saving a spot on the line for me. Thanks! That helps. If I see a hole during a race or a chance for a move, I like to go for it. "Sometimes I attack" (famous quote by Abdujaborov sp?). Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets you warmed up. It is good to do an effort or two to bridge or attack in the first few laps to practice for the final sprint or final selection when it is needed. A safeway rider went off on the first lap and he was out there by himself. With my good start spot, I took off the first time up the little hill to bridge. It took about 1/4 lap to get to him at the hairpin. However, just when I caught his wheel, although we had a little gap, he stopped pedaling completely. Occurances like this are why I am going to retire from 35+ racing and go back to p/1/2. There was no reason to stop pedaling and we could have made a little run of it for a few laps at least. Strategic non-racing is a little too negative for me.
The race continued at an okay pace with a bunch of 'teams' sending a few guys off the front and then others chasing them back quickly. There wasn't much reason to go chase, so I hung in and enjoyed the short race as much as I could. I told Andrew before the race that I would not chase 2 or 3 guys, but that if a selection of 10 occured, I wanted to be in it. I drifted back and found Andrew in the middle and he seemed to be doing just fine. As the race went on, I found my groove up the hill and could move up if I wanted. I practiced inside and outside of the final turn and sitting on the left of the road and going up the right into the small wind. At about 10 to go, I saw a good move with 5 guys - old teammates and top 5 regular finishers. Around the final turn and one or two had just bridged, so I decided to do a solo bridge. With no teammates in the field, the goal is not to drag the pack, but instead to attack hard enough at an opportune time to open a gap and get yourself to the front group. You have to have the motor to go alone and you have to make the bridge quickly - otherwise, you are just wearing yourself out and possibly killing the chase. If you drag everybody up, then you have helped all of the other teams in the pack and worn yourself out. With my practice bridge at the end of the first lap, I knew where to go. I went a little harder this time and TT'd across to the break before the downhill hairpin. They seemed disorganized and I made the bridge easily. Unfortunately, I inspired one or two in the pack to try to do the same. They were not on my wheel, but soon after I made the move, everybody else made the move. I think it was growing too big for the teams to feel comfortable. So, we were all back together again. Had I not gone, I think that the move would have stuck and the pack would have ridden slow. If one guy would not have been inspired by my move, I think that the break would have stuck. oh well. Its always a gamble.
After that, I just sat in, realizing that the finish wasn't far away and there was too much chasing. With several laps to go, a small group of 2-4 was just off the front and guys weren't really chasing. Were they tired? I don't know. I decided to not stir things up because I have too many 'buddies' in the pack that would not let me get in a move at the end with the pack close. I was hoping it would be brought back out of ridiculosity of how small the race was. I think it was sort of caught on the last lap. I didn't fight for position with 1 to go and came out of the last turn in poor position. I finished around 15th
Canada Road TT-written by John P.
When: Saturday April 16th
Where: Canada Road TT
Distance: 10 miles (the flyer said 9.7, but my GPS got exactly 10 miles both times I did the course)
Teammates: John P.,Mark, Keith and Brianne
I wasn't planning on writing a recap, because I was embarrassed at my time. However, I changed my mind as the week has gone on.
You all know the road very well. The TT course starts on the flat section midway between where Canada road goes under 280 near Edgewood and the stop sign at Jefferson road. It finishes at "the tree" that signifies the top of the hill going south (some call it the boneyard because the "bones of cyclists" that can't make it up that section, with the noon ride, are scattered all around there).
Anyway, I will keep this short. It is 10 miles out and back and the reason I was embarrassed is because I used to do this in under 25 minutes and I felt I was in good enough shape to at least be around that 25 minute mark. My time was an excrutiating 26:33!
It turns out there are two reasons for my pitiful time:
1. I went out way too fast. My time at the turn was 11 minutes and 13 seconds. I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't keep 20 mph up the little hill before the descent to the water temple. So, since I was 11:13 out, that means I was 15 minutes and 20 seconds on the way back! Not so good.
2. I mentioned to Mark and Andrew that I was not happy and there must be something wrong with me. I have been training and riding well, but I can't seem to get as strong as I feel I should be. Well, Sunday night I started getting sick and by today I have a sore throat and my muscles feel like I just lifted weights and then ran 5 miles. So, I am going to use that as part of my excuse and hope to do better next time.
Where: Canada Road TT
Distance: 10 miles (the flyer said 9.7, but my GPS got exactly 10 miles both times I did the course)
Teammates: John P.,Mark, Keith and Brianne
I wasn't planning on writing a recap, because I was embarrassed at my time. However, I changed my mind as the week has gone on.
You all know the road very well. The TT course starts on the flat section midway between where Canada road goes under 280 near Edgewood and the stop sign at Jefferson road. It finishes at "the tree" that signifies the top of the hill going south (some call it the boneyard because the "bones of cyclists" that can't make it up that section, with the noon ride, are scattered all around there).
Anyway, I will keep this short. It is 10 miles out and back and the reason I was embarrassed is because I used to do this in under 25 minutes and I felt I was in good enough shape to at least be around that 25 minute mark. My time was an excrutiating 26:33!
It turns out there are two reasons for my pitiful time:
1. I went out way too fast. My time at the turn was 11 minutes and 13 seconds. I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't keep 20 mph up the little hill before the descent to the water temple. So, since I was 11:13 out, that means I was 15 minutes and 20 seconds on the way back! Not so good.
2. I mentioned to Mark and Andrew that I was not happy and there must be something wrong with me. I have been training and riding well, but I can't seem to get as strong as I feel I should be. Well, Sunday night I started getting sick and by today I have a sore throat and my muscles feel like I just lifted weights and then ran 5 miles. So, I am going to use that as part of my excuse and hope to do better next time.
Monday, April 18, 2011
SC Crit Race Report from Womens P/1/2 Race-Brianne
Brianne's Race Report
Santa Cruz Crit
W1/2/3
5th out of 20-30 women
I haven't raced since 2009, where I did 4 crits after having my son, so I haven't "really raced" since June of 2008, but who's counting? :)
I was quite nervous to say the least, but to my surprise the .9 mile race for 20 laps was much easier than expected. My goal was to finish and stay upright, so I didn't plan on doing a lot of work. The first laps were slower than I what I remember. I sat in the middle of the pack and as the race went on I found myself getting more comfortable so I allowed myself to hang out at the back. At about 10 laps to go I was getting ready to go for a prime, we crested the top of the 'hill' and up ahead I saw two riders. I ask the girl next to me if they were dropped riders and before she could answer she took off to win the prime. If you were there you would have seen me tap my helmet for being so stupid. that is what I get for sitting near the back and not knowing exactly what was happening at the front. So no $10 for me. No breaks or moves got or stayed away. it was quite a local field of women with a couple of girls who were very strong so the race was slower than in past years. With 2 laps to go the Swiss National champion attacked the field and rode away. Two breaks of 4 quickly formed to chase her down. I, sitting at the back, had to make up a lot of ground. I was able to bridge to the first group within 100 meters and the second group by the time we made it around the course to the hill. I was sitting about 7-8th wheel as we went up the hill. I wound up and jumped as hard as I could. I thought for sure I was going to get third, but unfortunately, my "sprint" wasn't what it use to be and I crossed the line 5th. I was still happy the race picked up at the end to give me the surge I needed to position myself and be able to sprint. Being a road racer I am not much of a field sprinter, so the faster the end of the race the better I do. I am really glad I raced because I almost chickened out. Hopefully this can motivate any of you out there who are on the fence.....just remember to have no expectations.......to dig deep/suffer hard and then at the end to GO! before your brain can tell you to hesitate.
Thanks for reading!
Brianne
Thanks for those of you who were there cheering Keith and I on. It was fun seeing the kit out there!
Santa Cruz Crit
W1/2/3
5th out of 20-30 women
I haven't raced since 2009, where I did 4 crits after having my son, so I haven't "really raced" since June of 2008, but who's counting? :)
I was quite nervous to say the least, but to my surprise the .9 mile race for 20 laps was much easier than expected. My goal was to finish and stay upright, so I didn't plan on doing a lot of work. The first laps were slower than I what I remember. I sat in the middle of the pack and as the race went on I found myself getting more comfortable so I allowed myself to hang out at the back. At about 10 laps to go I was getting ready to go for a prime, we crested the top of the 'hill' and up ahead I saw two riders. I ask the girl next to me if they were dropped riders and before she could answer she took off to win the prime. If you were there you would have seen me tap my helmet for being so stupid. that is what I get for sitting near the back and not knowing exactly what was happening at the front. So no $10 for me. No breaks or moves got or stayed away. it was quite a local field of women with a couple of girls who were very strong so the race was slower than in past years. With 2 laps to go the Swiss National champion attacked the field and rode away. Two breaks of 4 quickly formed to chase her down. I, sitting at the back, had to make up a lot of ground. I was able to bridge to the first group within 100 meters and the second group by the time we made it around the course to the hill. I was sitting about 7-8th wheel as we went up the hill. I wound up and jumped as hard as I could. I thought for sure I was going to get third, but unfortunately, my "sprint" wasn't what it use to be and I crossed the line 5th. I was still happy the race picked up at the end to give me the surge I needed to position myself and be able to sprint. Being a road racer I am not much of a field sprinter, so the faster the end of the race the better I do. I am really glad I raced because I almost chickened out. Hopefully this can motivate any of you out there who are on the fence.....just remember to have no expectations.......to dig deep/suffer hard and then at the end to GO! before your brain can tell you to hesitate.
Thanks for reading!
Brianne
Thanks for those of you who were there cheering Keith and I on. It was fun seeing the kit out there!
Santa Cruz Crit Report-by Mark Foster
Race: Santa Cruz Crit
Race Date: 4-17-11
Class: Masters 35+ Cat4 (Mark Foster/Devon Joos)
So I meet Devon Joos at the park and ride on Pagemill and 280 at 7:15am Sunday morning and we bomb down to Santa Cruz to go have some fun. He was supposed to get his Cat 3 upgrade for the weekend, but Larry Nolan never got back to him, so unfortunately he was riding in my class. I’m kidding of course, it’s always nice to have a team mate to ride with; but Devon can put out so much power, that beating him to the finish line would require some sort of divine intervention.
I think there were about 50 racers in our class. I was told by a reliable source to ride Santa Cruz more like a motorcycle race than a bicycle race. By that he meant get a good start, stay at the front. I don’t think he meant ride it like an AMA superbike race. Which means try to get the “wholeshot”, lead as much as you can and if you have a wheel on somebody, it’s your line, chop him.
So as I go to line up, the Penn Velo group had around eight guys on the front row. I go along the sidewalk and then drop into a ten inch gap between the curb on the right and the now irritated rider on my left. He asks me, “would you mind if I went ahead when the whistle blows since there’s not room for both of us”…”no problem”. After all, I was the one poaching his space. The whistle blows and he clips in and gets rolling just before me as we agreed. I hammer and get a great start. I was third into the downhill hairball hairpin turn. I was told by one of our experienced teammates to stay in the drops when ever it gets crowded so you don’t get your bars taken out. So that’s what I did pretty much the whole race…stayed in the drops. I wondered where Devon was? He came by toward the end of the first lap and the two of us stayed in the top five to eight positions the entire race. Up the hill one time I had a guy yell at me when I moved over and stole the wheel he wanted to follow. Devon pulls up next to me and says laughingly,”They’re yelling at you”. I respond, “Whatever”. The race goes on and is a ton of fun bombing around these tight turns with a 300 yard hill in between. Some guy gets all squirly and does a tank slapper(motorcycle racing term) and almost takes out Devon, but saves it. With two or three laps to go I hear a terrible sounding crash behind me…bummer. With one lap to go the pace picks up dramatically up the hill and I briefly fall back to about tenth or so but hammer on Devon’s rear wheel and we’re comfortably in the top few going into the hairpin. This was fun! I don’t really know or understand the etiquette of bicycle criterium racing; but I certainly didn’t want to take anyone out. Nor did I want to get taken out. As we came up to the corners, I was concerned about getting stuffed(again, a motorcycle racing term meaning to get passed on the inside). So although I left a foot or so on the inside, I took more of an inside line than Devon and the guys he was following; effectively closing any chance of passing with out causing a crash. There was one more area right next to a bush covered wall, right before the final corner on to the straight; where there had been a bunch of passing throughout the race. I pulled to the right out of the draft, but cutting off any aggressive attempts to pass coming into the last corner. Again somebody yelled at me, but last I checked, we were racing. We came around the last corner and I held Devon’s wheel as I saw more than a few people around me powering up the climb for the last time. At this point it is all a blur. About halfway up the hill there was only Devon, one other dude named Ricky Lucero, and me. As we crested the hill I think Ricky was on my left. Devon started to gap me and Ricky got his wheel. Oops, now he’s leading out a very fit strong dude instead of me. And worse than that, a guy is starting to pass me on the right. Now I’m digging as deep as I can. The hill is flattening out, Devon and Ricky are side by side; the guy on my right is about half past me. I’m continuing to upshift and with twenty yards to go the guy on my right lets out a thunderous scream and gives up. I finish third. I couldn’t tell who won, but it ended up that Ricky beat Devon by a tire. Good result for Coretechs, although Devon a bit disappointed, I was happy. -Mark
Race Date: 4-17-11
Class: Masters 35+ Cat4 (Mark Foster/Devon Joos)
So I meet Devon Joos at the park and ride on Pagemill and 280 at 7:15am Sunday morning and we bomb down to Santa Cruz to go have some fun. He was supposed to get his Cat 3 upgrade for the weekend, but Larry Nolan never got back to him, so unfortunately he was riding in my class. I’m kidding of course, it’s always nice to have a team mate to ride with; but Devon can put out so much power, that beating him to the finish line would require some sort of divine intervention.
I think there were about 50 racers in our class. I was told by a reliable source to ride Santa Cruz more like a motorcycle race than a bicycle race. By that he meant get a good start, stay at the front. I don’t think he meant ride it like an AMA superbike race. Which means try to get the “wholeshot”, lead as much as you can and if you have a wheel on somebody, it’s your line, chop him.
So as I go to line up, the Penn Velo group had around eight guys on the front row. I go along the sidewalk and then drop into a ten inch gap between the curb on the right and the now irritated rider on my left. He asks me, “would you mind if I went ahead when the whistle blows since there’s not room for both of us”…”no problem”. After all, I was the one poaching his space. The whistle blows and he clips in and gets rolling just before me as we agreed. I hammer and get a great start. I was third into the downhill hairball hairpin turn. I was told by one of our experienced teammates to stay in the drops when ever it gets crowded so you don’t get your bars taken out. So that’s what I did pretty much the whole race…stayed in the drops. I wondered where Devon was? He came by toward the end of the first lap and the two of us stayed in the top five to eight positions the entire race. Up the hill one time I had a guy yell at me when I moved over and stole the wheel he wanted to follow. Devon pulls up next to me and says laughingly,”They’re yelling at you”. I respond, “Whatever”. The race goes on and is a ton of fun bombing around these tight turns with a 300 yard hill in between. Some guy gets all squirly and does a tank slapper(motorcycle racing term) and almost takes out Devon, but saves it. With two or three laps to go I hear a terrible sounding crash behind me…bummer. With one lap to go the pace picks up dramatically up the hill and I briefly fall back to about tenth or so but hammer on Devon’s rear wheel and we’re comfortably in the top few going into the hairpin. This was fun! I don’t really know or understand the etiquette of bicycle criterium racing; but I certainly didn’t want to take anyone out. Nor did I want to get taken out. As we came up to the corners, I was concerned about getting stuffed(again, a motorcycle racing term meaning to get passed on the inside). So although I left a foot or so on the inside, I took more of an inside line than Devon and the guys he was following; effectively closing any chance of passing with out causing a crash. There was one more area right next to a bush covered wall, right before the final corner on to the straight; where there had been a bunch of passing throughout the race. I pulled to the right out of the draft, but cutting off any aggressive attempts to pass coming into the last corner. Again somebody yelled at me, but last I checked, we were racing. We came around the last corner and I held Devon’s wheel as I saw more than a few people around me powering up the climb for the last time. At this point it is all a blur. About halfway up the hill there was only Devon, one other dude named Ricky Lucero, and me. As we crested the hill I think Ricky was on my left. Devon started to gap me and Ricky got his wheel. Oops, now he’s leading out a very fit strong dude instead of me. And worse than that, a guy is starting to pass me on the right. Now I’m digging as deep as I can. The hill is flattening out, Devon and Ricky are side by side; the guy on my right is about half past me. I’m continuing to upshift and with twenty yards to go the guy on my right lets out a thunderous scream and gives up. I finish third. I couldn’t tell who won, but it ended up that Ricky beat Devon by a tire. Good result for Coretechs, although Devon a bit disappointed, I was happy. -Mark
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sea Otter Race Report (Crit)
Mark Foster's Sea Otter Race Report
Race date:4-14-11
Race location: Laguna Seca
Class: Masters 45+ Cat 4 Criterium
Distance: 40 minutes
I’ve ridden and raced at Laguna Seca many times over the years, but in full leathers at the AMA superbike nationals. The track seems much bigger without 180 horsepower at the rear wheel. I always had bad luck at Laguna, but I felt my luck changing. I chose to ride the criterium there because it looked fun and it was on Thursday giving me two days to recover before the Santa Cruz crit. The crit goes back and forth between turns 11 and 2 running the track backwards and then through the hotpit(the correct direction), over turn one(still in the hotpit lane), down to turn 2 via the downhill left turn “hotpit exit” on to the track, then a sharp right back up through turn 2 over the gradual right(running it backwards) turn climb at turn 1, cresting the hill, then back down to a 90 degree right hand(again backwards) turn 11, then twenty yards to a 180 degree right setting you up for a 90 degree left on to the hotpit lane to the bicycle crit start/finish.
They combined the cat 4 and 5 riders and the grid was still maybe only 20 riders; not a big turnout probably because most racers wouldn’t want to miss a work day for an event like this. We lined up for the start and when the whistle blew, I found myself floundering to get into my new carbon Dura-ace pedals. Note to self, “Don’t change equipment right before a race”. By the time I got clipped in, I had already fallen about a hundred yards off of the back of the pack and it looked to me that a couple of guys were already trying a break…bummer. I sprinted hard to catch back up and was on the rev limiter when I came to the technical little downhill chicane leading onto the track. I caught up to the leaders by the time we finished the first lap but was panting much harder than all of the guys I was riding with…Oops. I followed about five guys through the downhill chicane I keep talking about, and noticed that they were very timid through there and then we’d accelerate around the right hander(turn 2) all the way to the top of the hill and then we’d all soft pedal down to turn 11. Next lap, being in third or so, I passed the leaders going into the chicane and carried a ton of speed into and through the downhill left hander. When I turned the bike back to the right onto the racetrack, I looked over my shoulder and had a ten bike gap on second place. Note to self, “They are slow through the fast technical section”. This time I soft pedaled up and over the hill and the guys caught and passed me on the downhill. I finally recovered from my crappy start and tucked behind a guy into 3rd or 4th place and carried that position through the less technical turns back onto the hotpit and followed them up and over the hill. Then again passed them all and gapped them in the fast downhill “chicane” and had the same 10 bike gap. So this went on lap after lap. It was nice to have a section of track where I could make up ten bike lengths and rest a bit. The next thing I knew there was 1 lap to go.
I was in second place with one lap to go and two guys go blowing by me on the far left side of the hot pit. I missed that break, but then a third came by in hot pursuit. I grabbed his wheel and told my self not to panic and used him to close the gap up and over the hill in the hotpit. He closed it a bit, but those guys had twenty bike lengths or so as we crested the hill. I passed the third place rider as we crested the hotpit hill for the last time and kept good power on, upshifting into the downhill left hander. I carried massive speed into the turn and told my self “dude, you can definitely crash going this fast into the corner”, but managed to keep it on two wheels and reeled those guys back in as we made the right back onto the racetrack. Nice. They sprinted up the hill and I had no problem hanging on, though my pulse was near redline. I looked over my shoulder and we had a big gap back to 4th place. Then our leader decided to not keep the hammer down to the final corners…bummer. I thought we were going to get caught by the final turns, but I wasn’t willing to stick my nose out into the wind, preferring to save it all for the final three hundred yards from the final turn to the finish. They caught us(I think), but didn’t try to pass as we entered the final corners. The guy in second and I immediately blew by the leader coming off of the last turn and now it was game on! I slowly was passing him into the finish..inch by miserable inch. I was within a half a wheel length from passing him when we crossed the finish line. Oh well, second is good. I should have followed him for a hundred yards or so instead of trying to make the pass immediately out of the last corner. But I must admit, I had a blast! -Mark
Race date:4-14-11
Race location: Laguna Seca
Class: Masters 45+ Cat 4 Criterium
Distance: 40 minutes
I’ve ridden and raced at Laguna Seca many times over the years, but in full leathers at the AMA superbike nationals. The track seems much bigger without 180 horsepower at the rear wheel. I always had bad luck at Laguna, but I felt my luck changing. I chose to ride the criterium there because it looked fun and it was on Thursday giving me two days to recover before the Santa Cruz crit. The crit goes back and forth between turns 11 and 2 running the track backwards and then through the hotpit(the correct direction), over turn one(still in the hotpit lane), down to turn 2 via the downhill left turn “hotpit exit” on to the track, then a sharp right back up through turn 2 over the gradual right(running it backwards) turn climb at turn 1, cresting the hill, then back down to a 90 degree right hand(again backwards) turn 11, then twenty yards to a 180 degree right setting you up for a 90 degree left on to the hotpit lane to the bicycle crit start/finish.
They combined the cat 4 and 5 riders and the grid was still maybe only 20 riders; not a big turnout probably because most racers wouldn’t want to miss a work day for an event like this. We lined up for the start and when the whistle blew, I found myself floundering to get into my new carbon Dura-ace pedals. Note to self, “Don’t change equipment right before a race”. By the time I got clipped in, I had already fallen about a hundred yards off of the back of the pack and it looked to me that a couple of guys were already trying a break…bummer. I sprinted hard to catch back up and was on the rev limiter when I came to the technical little downhill chicane leading onto the track. I caught up to the leaders by the time we finished the first lap but was panting much harder than all of the guys I was riding with…Oops. I followed about five guys through the downhill chicane I keep talking about, and noticed that they were very timid through there and then we’d accelerate around the right hander(turn 2) all the way to the top of the hill and then we’d all soft pedal down to turn 11. Next lap, being in third or so, I passed the leaders going into the chicane and carried a ton of speed into and through the downhill left hander. When I turned the bike back to the right onto the racetrack, I looked over my shoulder and had a ten bike gap on second place. Note to self, “They are slow through the fast technical section”. This time I soft pedaled up and over the hill and the guys caught and passed me on the downhill. I finally recovered from my crappy start and tucked behind a guy into 3rd or 4th place and carried that position through the less technical turns back onto the hotpit and followed them up and over the hill. Then again passed them all and gapped them in the fast downhill “chicane” and had the same 10 bike gap. So this went on lap after lap. It was nice to have a section of track where I could make up ten bike lengths and rest a bit. The next thing I knew there was 1 lap to go.
I was in second place with one lap to go and two guys go blowing by me on the far left side of the hot pit. I missed that break, but then a third came by in hot pursuit. I grabbed his wheel and told my self not to panic and used him to close the gap up and over the hill in the hotpit. He closed it a bit, but those guys had twenty bike lengths or so as we crested the hill. I passed the third place rider as we crested the hotpit hill for the last time and kept good power on, upshifting into the downhill left hander. I carried massive speed into the turn and told my self “dude, you can definitely crash going this fast into the corner”, but managed to keep it on two wheels and reeled those guys back in as we made the right back onto the racetrack. Nice. They sprinted up the hill and I had no problem hanging on, though my pulse was near redline. I looked over my shoulder and we had a big gap back to 4th place. Then our leader decided to not keep the hammer down to the final corners…bummer. I thought we were going to get caught by the final turns, but I wasn’t willing to stick my nose out into the wind, preferring to save it all for the final three hundred yards from the final turn to the finish. They caught us(I think), but didn’t try to pass as we entered the final corners. The guy in second and I immediately blew by the leader coming off of the last turn and now it was game on! I slowly was passing him into the finish..inch by miserable inch. I was within a half a wheel length from passing him when we crossed the finish line. Oh well, second is good. I should have followed him for a hundred yards or so instead of trying to make the pass immediately out of the last corner. But I must admit, I had a blast! -Mark
Monday, April 11, 2011
Calaveras TT and TTT-Keith and Brianne represent!
We each did the solo and then we teamed up for 2person. Each of us has not raced a TT in about 2-3 years. We started riding our TT bikes the last few weeks and got our equip together for this race since Berkeley was cancelled. There were no real prizes for 2person, but we did it for team building. We each rode quite a pedestrian pace in the solo TT and we were unimpressed with our own times. However, we also understand the process of training, racing, and getting better at TTs and this is a little of a start. For the first (or 2nd for me) race of the season it was great for nothing to go wrong and nothing to be forgotten at home. Making your start time is very, very important for a TT and we were flawless today.
For the 10 miles, Brianne rode 28min and I rode 24:27. I was over a minute off my old time on this course I believe. I will have to look it up. I still have some winter weight to burn and Brianne is just starting intensity. We had crazy weeks of normal working parents and we really did a great job to do everything right on Saturday. The girl that Brianne is coaching finished in front of her by 1.5min. That was great for us to see. Neither of us was in or close to the top 3. I chose M35+ instead of p/1/2 due to later start time, and I'm glad because I would have been at the end of the p/1/2 field.
During the TT, I was catching my minute man before the turnaround so I thought I was having a good time. However, I got passed before I caught him. Three of us were a little congested for a bit on the twisting downhill, but then it spread back out for the 4 rolling miles back. The course was 5 miles out with last mile as a 3-5% climb. The other 4 miles were rolling and tailwind out and rolling and headwind back. It hurt.
For the 2person, our goal was to try to catch the team in front of us. However, our other goal was to ride as a good team and that meant that I would pull hard and Brianne would lock on my wheel. When we are going well, Brianne commands me by telling me to speed up, slow down, move left, move right, or that there is a gap formed. No gaps, only one 'move left'. I got a 'I can go faster' command 2 miles in, so I offered to let her pull, but that would not have been smart because her job is to save it for the hill and then if she's feeling like I'm too slow on the hill to come to the front and drag me up. As it was, it worked out just perfect that we both suffered equally well with me pulling hard and her sitting on tucked in. We finished 25:08 and had our minute team in sight and our two minute team in sight. We were the 3rd 2person team, but there was no podium or prizes for that. We were beat by very respectable teams, but there werent' enough teams to actually make a real field. There were only 3 coed teams I believe and we were top of that group. So we still have not been beaten by another coed 2person team.
Turlock Lake RR, 45+ 1/2/3 April 9th 2011
50 Riders: Cat 45+ 1/2/3 : Just me (no teammates): April 9th 2011
So, let's first get this straight; Turlock is not close to the Bay Area. This is a good 2.25 hours each way. It is a haul. Anyway, 8:40am I meet up with Daryoush and Greg Shores for the journey. We get there with an hour to spare for my 12pm race. I guess there was a crash on course that required them to shut the course down for a full hour. That means my race did not start till 1pm, so much for getting back in time for dinner.
Four pees later, we finally start. For my cat this was a two loop affair. Each loop was about 26 miles. This course is very much like a long Monterey Circuit race. The rollers are very similar. Not too steep and not too long…Goldilocks rollers, just right. I would say the route was rarely flat, but there were no climbs that were rough either. This was not a course for 145lbs climbers. Much better suited for the bigger riders. The road conditions were pretty good as well. They did have their share of cow country pot holes, but in all, I really thought this was a fun course.
I learned my lesson from Copper last week. No chasing breaks first lap. Sure enough, there were about five or six attempts, but each time the pack brought them back. I stayed tucked in and comfortable. Second lap much of the same. Finally with out 10 miles left, one of the Noon riders I know (Rick on SJBC) took a flyer. Since SJBC had about 10 riders in the field and was by far the biggest team and Rick is a strong rider, I thought I should go with him. We had one other join us. With about a 100 meter gap, I rolled next to Rick and asked, "you want to go for it?" Response was, "my team will not chase". I figured that meant "yes". Turns out it meant "no, you kill yourself and I will watch". I went to the front of our three man break and put my head down and went hard. After a few minutes (probably two, but felt like five or six) I gave the elbow to have someone else pull through. No one does. I look back and I am by myself by a good 25 meters or more. Hmm, ok, I sit up and let the pack catch me.
Final right hand turn and we have about 1 mile left. SJBC rolls all their riders to the front. They have an impressive 8 man train going. Problem is, while it looked impressive, they seemed to slow down. Now the pack was a mess. We had five guys across the road and ten rows deep. Guys are ramping up and all over the place. 1k to go and I am surrounded by potential winners all acting crazy and throwing shoulders and elbows. Lots of curse words. Had it not been for all the lycra, I would have believed I was back in Marine Corp boot camp. 500 meters to go and I am still boxed in. I am close to just giving in and having a mid pack finish. With about 150 meters to go I have a bit of an opening. My old pal Rick comes by full sprint and I jump on his wheel. 50 meters to go I get by him and have some daylight. I see four guy ahead but they have a half a bike length gap. Can't catch them. I roll across 6th. Last spot in the money. I am $10 bucks richer and add a T-Shirt to my stunning collection of 80's beaters.
This is a fun race and a great course. Had this race not been across the country to get too, I would be back next year without doubt. I still will probably be back. Nothing like a high quality T-shirt to motivate me for 5 hours of driving.
Andrew
So, let's first get this straight; Turlock is not close to the Bay Area. This is a good 2.25 hours each way. It is a haul. Anyway, 8:40am I meet up with Daryoush and Greg Shores for the journey. We get there with an hour to spare for my 12pm race. I guess there was a crash on course that required them to shut the course down for a full hour. That means my race did not start till 1pm, so much for getting back in time for dinner.
Four pees later, we finally start. For my cat this was a two loop affair. Each loop was about 26 miles. This course is very much like a long Monterey Circuit race. The rollers are very similar. Not too steep and not too long…Goldilocks rollers, just right. I would say the route was rarely flat, but there were no climbs that were rough either. This was not a course for 145lbs climbers. Much better suited for the bigger riders. The road conditions were pretty good as well. They did have their share of cow country pot holes, but in all, I really thought this was a fun course.
I learned my lesson from Copper last week. No chasing breaks first lap. Sure enough, there were about five or six attempts, but each time the pack brought them back. I stayed tucked in and comfortable. Second lap much of the same. Finally with out 10 miles left, one of the Noon riders I know (Rick on SJBC) took a flyer. Since SJBC had about 10 riders in the field and was by far the biggest team and Rick is a strong rider, I thought I should go with him. We had one other join us. With about a 100 meter gap, I rolled next to Rick and asked, "you want to go for it?" Response was, "my team will not chase". I figured that meant "yes". Turns out it meant "no, you kill yourself and I will watch". I went to the front of our three man break and put my head down and went hard. After a few minutes (probably two, but felt like five or six) I gave the elbow to have someone else pull through. No one does. I look back and I am by myself by a good 25 meters or more. Hmm, ok, I sit up and let the pack catch me.
Final right hand turn and we have about 1 mile left. SJBC rolls all their riders to the front. They have an impressive 8 man train going. Problem is, while it looked impressive, they seemed to slow down. Now the pack was a mess. We had five guys across the road and ten rows deep. Guys are ramping up and all over the place. 1k to go and I am surrounded by potential winners all acting crazy and throwing shoulders and elbows. Lots of curse words. Had it not been for all the lycra, I would have believed I was back in Marine Corp boot camp. 500 meters to go and I am still boxed in. I am close to just giving in and having a mid pack finish. With about 150 meters to go I have a bit of an opening. My old pal Rick comes by full sprint and I jump on his wheel. 50 meters to go I get by him and have some daylight. I see four guy ahead but they have a half a bike length gap. Can't catch them. I roll across 6th. Last spot in the money. I am $10 bucks richer and add a T-Shirt to my stunning collection of 80's beaters.
This is a fun race and a great course. Had this race not been across the country to get too, I would be back next year without doubt. I still will probably be back. Nothing like a high quality T-shirt to motivate me for 5 hours of driving.
Andrew
Sunday, April 3, 2011
TopSport Circuit Race 45+ 1/2/3
Race Report: Copperopolis: 45+ 1/2/3.
Teammates: Just me (Andrew)
Devon sprints to the win in the Cat 45+ 4's, Daryoush (rides for Form but many of us know him- we are working on him to ride with CoreTechs. Good guy) finishes about eight. I will let Devon tell his story, but he crushes the field. He should now be able to jump to the 3's and kill that field!
My race is the 45+ 1/2/3 race. We had about 30 in the field. First lap there are three break attempts. I jump on each one. Why? I am not sure but I felt good. Each time the break did not work together and we were easily brought back. Second lap I made it in a break of six of us, we stayed away about 3/4 of a lap (about three miles) when we were caught. I went really hard in that break and was tired. Two more laps to go and we are back together. Another break goes off the front. I am about 12th position in pack and can not go with it since I am so far back. I sit in the group and no one chases…shit. I go to the front with 1/4 lap to go. Probably should not have as there were teams there, but I could not tell who was in the break so did not know which teams had to chase. Anyway, I go really hard and bring the field to within 50 meters of the break and then about five or six guys go ripping by me. I jump on the back. We are probably now 10 meters behind the break when we hit this really scary chicane back into town. Everyone holds their places in line, but can not catch the break. The four in front win by a bike length and then the field comes in. I just sit in that group since I am aware of the fact that I am 45 years old and have no need to kill myself for 5th or 6th place. Some guys don’t get that and squeeze by me going 35+ in a turn. I finish with that second group somewhere in the top 15 or so guys.
Lesson learned here? Stay near the top five to seven spots in the last lap so a break does not get away from you. Good fun in all!
Andrew
Teammates: Just me (Andrew)
Devon sprints to the win in the Cat 45+ 4's, Daryoush (rides for Form but many of us know him- we are working on him to ride with CoreTechs. Good guy) finishes about eight. I will let Devon tell his story, but he crushes the field. He should now be able to jump to the 3's and kill that field!
My race is the 45+ 1/2/3 race. We had about 30 in the field. First lap there are three break attempts. I jump on each one. Why? I am not sure but I felt good. Each time the break did not work together and we were easily brought back. Second lap I made it in a break of six of us, we stayed away about 3/4 of a lap (about three miles) when we were caught. I went really hard in that break and was tired. Two more laps to go and we are back together. Another break goes off the front. I am about 12th position in pack and can not go with it since I am so far back. I sit in the group and no one chases…shit. I go to the front with 1/4 lap to go. Probably should not have as there were teams there, but I could not tell who was in the break so did not know which teams had to chase. Anyway, I go really hard and bring the field to within 50 meters of the break and then about five or six guys go ripping by me. I jump on the back. We are probably now 10 meters behind the break when we hit this really scary chicane back into town. Everyone holds their places in line, but can not catch the break. The four in front win by a bike length and then the field comes in. I just sit in that group since I am aware of the fact that I am 45 years old and have no need to kill myself for 5th or 6th place. Some guys don’t get that and squeeze by me going 35+ in a turn. I finish with that second group somewhere in the top 15 or so guys.
Lesson learned here? Stay near the top five to seven spots in the last lap so a break does not get away from you. Good fun in all!
Andrew
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