Dave Puglia's Wente Crit Report (4/29/12)
45+/55+ 1/2/3
I always do well at the Wente Criterium and was looking forward to a good finish - a salvation to my slow start this year. The key to Wente is to be in the front by lap 2 to avoid any crashes and being able to go through the corners at speed. I rode a perfect race and didn't expend any energy - I just rode smoothly through all the corners and moved up the middle and filled in gaps. Coming up to the last 2 laps I moved up towards the front. The race picked up and we were single file towards the front. Coming into the bell lap we were strung out and in turn 3 there was a big crash - I was well in front of the crash as I was with the front leaders. A break formed lead by team morgan stanley and team specialized and 12 of us got away. I was feeling great and all I had to do was ride the train and the only other 55+ rider up there with me was Mark Caldwell of Morgan Stanley. I'm in the money !!!
Next thing I see is the motorcycle race referee shutting us down - the race was neutralized because of the crash. We all had to go to the start finish line and they let the dropped riders participate as well. So we had to sit there in the hot sun until they cleared the injured. They add another lap to the race - now we have 2 laps to go. It's a drag race and dangerous since the dropped riders were allowed back in and I'm having to avoid these guys as they blow up again as we scream around the course. Coming up to the final sprint I get caught behind 3 alto velo riders who blow up - I can't sprint anywhere. I end up 10th...
I immediately jump into the 35+ 123 race and go for about 30 minutes - I lost my motivation and just drop out. Still full of energy but bummed about the previous race.
DP
Monday, April 30, 2012
Daryoush's Wente Road Race Report-4/28/12
Wente Vineyard Road Race 45+ 123
Field size - close to 60
The weather was perfect for racing on Saturday in Livermore - atypically, there was no wind at the registration table!!
If you are familiar with the course skip to the next paragraph. The course consists of three climbs and a flat section that is usually very windy. The approach to the first hill is similar to Alpine road riding towards Portola. The steeper section starts after a sharp right hand turn - it is a bit steeper than the upper section of Alpine (past Portola) and it's length is about four times as long. 2/3 up the climb, the gradient gets shallower for 50 yards or so and it kicks up again for another upper Alpine like section. The finish line is at the end of this section. After this climb, the road levels for 0.8 miles and the second climb of the course start - average gradient for this section is 5% and the length, close to a mile. Not a bad climb if it is not windy but it is always windy up there and Saturday was not an exception (they have wind turbines around these hills). The third and last real climb of the race is close to 1.5 miles long with average gradient of 3%. The second and third climb are separated by a steep twisty downhill.
Went to this race with less race-milage on my legs than last year due to missing the Sea Otter RR and the mechanical at Copperopolis
Team Echelon Gran Fondo had a couple of real strong riders (Steve Heaton and Cale Reeder). Our friend Kevin Kline was also present. Team VOS had a couple of excellent local climbers (Jan elsbach, John Novitsky, Lesli Oglesby and Kieran Sherlock) and good presence from SAFEWAY, Sierra Nevada and Morgan Stanley/Specialized.
From the gun, Steve Heaton took off with a couple of other riders - I didn't chase. By the time we started the first climb, they were out of site and Steve's teammate Cale was blocking with some help from Sierra boys. We got to the top of the second climb and I wasn't even breathing hard!! Hey, this was moving too slow; I wanted my money's worth. I tried to move up to increase the pace but the road was narrow with too many riders bunched up covering the whole road. Went over the yellow line once - the motorcycle referee (Mark - our noon ride friend) warned me. I was telling myself "I can easily do this five more times".
We went through the twisty down hill section pretty fast. This section has a couple of very steep little hills that combined with the wind could break the pack in to pieces.
On the flat section the motorcycle referee told us that Heaton and company had 1:30 on the pack! The gap was increased to 1:45 when we got closer to the big climb - the big guys moved up front and made the approach to the climb very very hard. Made the sharp right hand turn to the steep section - now the skinny climbers head up front and put the hurt on everyone ... Kline is no where to be seen!! This climb is too short for pure climbers; 2/3 up the hill the medium built guys are setting a very hard pace. I was barley hanging on with the front 15 guys. I didn't like this race at all at this point and no longer think I can do this three more times.
The next two laps were pretty uneventful. The pace came down and the gap to the Heaton group was kept under 2 minutes.
I guessed the last lap would be filled with lots of attacks and pain. I was right. Fast pace on the approach to the first hill and there I saw Kline near the front of the pack. The fireworks were about to start. I stayed with the front 10 guys up the hill but I was at my limit when we started the second hill - wind wasn't helping at this point. Kevin was up front in full control with Cale and David Passmore (Berkeley Bicycle). Somehow I managed to get up the second hill with the front group. Now, all I had to do was conserve energy and give it my best on the finishing climb. It is always good to regain composure on the downhill. I was smiling and imagining my hands raised crossing the finish line. I looked up and, shit, there was a couple of bike lengths between me and the guy up front. I hammered to close the gap... but I didn't get any closer. The hammer was on and they were going all out on the downhill. After a few turns the gap was increased to almost half a mile. I looked back - but there was no one there and I was riding as hard as I could. About to sit up, I heard "go go" from behind. I looked back and there was 15 to 20 guys back. We got organized and brought the front group back on the flat section.
The first half of the last lap was fast enough to bring Heaton and the company back (or Heaton might have sat up). Steve Heaton and Cale (his teammate) were talking and planning their strategy for the rest of the race.
I burnt a lot of matches trying to close the gap on the downhill. After near 60 miles of racing my legs were tired
Steve was setting a fast pace again on the approach to the steep section. Everyone was fighting to get into a good position before the start of the steep section. I was in the top 15 starting the last climb. I kept my position 2/3 up the climb but when the gradient got shallower, I struggled to keep my rhythm. 300ft to the finish line another wave of riders passed me. I crossed the finish line with my hands and head down.
Cale finished first, Kline was second and David Passmore finished third. David is an excellent all arounder.
PS - don't try this race with a full bladder ;)
Daryoush
Field size - close to 60
The weather was perfect for racing on Saturday in Livermore - atypically, there was no wind at the registration table!!
If you are familiar with the course skip to the next paragraph. The course consists of three climbs and a flat section that is usually very windy. The approach to the first hill is similar to Alpine road riding towards Portola. The steeper section starts after a sharp right hand turn - it is a bit steeper than the upper section of Alpine (past Portola) and it's length is about four times as long. 2/3 up the climb, the gradient gets shallower for 50 yards or so and it kicks up again for another upper Alpine like section. The finish line is at the end of this section. After this climb, the road levels for 0.8 miles and the second climb of the course start - average gradient for this section is 5% and the length, close to a mile. Not a bad climb if it is not windy but it is always windy up there and Saturday was not an exception (they have wind turbines around these hills). The third and last real climb of the race is close to 1.5 miles long with average gradient of 3%. The second and third climb are separated by a steep twisty downhill.
Team Echelon Gran Fondo had a couple of real strong riders (Steve Heaton and Cale Reeder). Our friend Kevin Kline was also present. Team VOS had a couple of excellent local climbers (Jan elsbach, John Novitsky, Lesli Oglesby and Kieran Sherlock) and good presence from SAFEWAY, Sierra Nevada and Morgan Stanley/Specialized.
From the gun, Steve Heaton took off with a couple of other riders - I didn't chase. By the time we started the first climb, they were out of site and Steve's teammate Cale was blocking with some help from Sierra boys. We got to the top of the second climb and I wasn't even breathing hard!! Hey, this was moving too slow; I wanted my money's worth. I tried to move up to increase the pace but the road was narrow with too many riders bunched up covering the whole road. Went over the yellow line once - the motorcycle referee (Mark - our noon ride friend) warned me. I was telling myself "I can easily do this five more times".
We went through the twisty down hill section pretty fast. This section has a couple of very steep little hills that combined with the wind could break the pack in to pieces.
On the flat section the motorcycle referee told us that Heaton and company had 1:30 on the pack! The gap was increased to 1:45 when we got closer to the big climb - the big guys moved up front and made the approach to the climb very very hard. Made the sharp right hand turn to the steep section - now the skinny climbers head up front and put the hurt on everyone ... Kline is no where to be seen!! This climb is too short for pure climbers; 2/3 up the hill the medium built guys are setting a very hard pace. I was barley hanging on with the front 15 guys. I didn't like this race at all at this point and no longer think I can do this three more times.
The next two laps were pretty uneventful. The pace came down and the gap to the Heaton group was kept under 2 minutes.
I guessed the last lap would be filled with lots of attacks and pain. I was right. Fast pace on the approach to the first hill and there I saw Kline near the front of the pack. The fireworks were about to start. I stayed with the front 10 guys up the hill but I was at my limit when we started the second hill - wind wasn't helping at this point. Kevin was up front in full control with Cale and David Passmore (Berkeley Bicycle). Somehow I managed to get up the second hill with the front group. Now, all I had to do was conserve energy and give it my best on the finishing climb. It is always good to regain composure on the downhill. I was smiling and imagining my hands raised crossing the finish line. I looked up and, shit, there was a couple of bike lengths between me and the guy up front. I hammered to close the gap... but I didn't get any closer. The hammer was on and they were going all out on the downhill. After a few turns the gap was increased to almost half a mile. I looked back - but there was no one there and I was riding as hard as I could. About to sit up, I heard "go go" from behind. I looked back and there was 15 to 20 guys back. We got organized and brought the front group back on the flat section.
The first half of the last lap was fast enough to bring Heaton and the company back (or Heaton might have sat up). Steve Heaton and Cale (his teammate) were talking and planning their strategy for the rest of the race.
Steve was setting a fast pace again on the approach to the steep section. Everyone was fighting to get into a good position before the start of the steep section. I was in the top 15 starting the last climb. I kept my position 2/3 up the climb but when the gradient got shallower, I struggled to keep my rhythm. 300ft to the finish line another wave of riders passed me. I crossed the finish line with my hands and head down.
Cale finished first, Kline was second and David Passmore finished third. David is an excellent all arounder.
PS - don't try this race with a full bladder ;)
Daryoush
John T's Wente Crit Report-4/29/12
Wente Crit - Sunday in Livermore
Cat 4 35+
Teammates - just me
Field size - I heard 79, felt like 100
Place - 14th
I have been feeling good for the last couple of weeks. I've been riding a lot of the PV group rides and holding my own. I got a super good warm up before the crit. A buddy sent me what he says is the best crit warm up and that most riders do not warm up properly. So I tried it. I get to the line sweating and can't believe how many guys are lined up. I do my best to stay near the front but the obvious sock turning inside out constantly pushes you back if you get forced to the middle. There are 5 primes during the race. I try for the 3rd on and end up 3rd in the sprint. I didn't want to waste the energy, but the pace was not very high for the race and I wanted to test the distance for the sprint. There was 1 bad crash I heard behind me. They had to bring in the Ambulance for one guy. There were almost several more crashes. One guy came flying into my left side shoulder. I kept my bike upright while the guy was leaning his whole body against me as it finally got his bike back upright. He was hit from behind and I heard yelling and screaming. The rider thanked me for staying upright and saving him a nasty crash on the back straight away. I thanked him for being 140 lbs!!
2 laps to go, time to move up. I do my best but everyone is getting real squirmy as both sides surge. Teams are getting into position. 1 lap to go, I use the gutter to try and get to the front, I get to about 8th position. Final turn, everyone in the race is surging up the side, I get blocked in the middle. I desperately look for a way to the sides...nothing. The leads outs are gunning already. I see a very small gap that opens in the middle...I pucker up and shoot through and just start sprinting. I move from about 25th to what I thought was maybe top 10, but I guess I was 14th. The same little guy that I saved earlier in the race is just in front of me, I am in his draft and going for the pass near the line and he unclips doing 30!! I'm probably 10 meters or more behind the winner. Bummer! I felt good but obviously have a lot to learn about getting into position for the sprint. The race was pretty fun, but I think I prefer the circuit or road races.
Cat 4 35+
Teammates - just me
Field size - I heard 79, felt like 100
Place - 14th
I have been feeling good for the last couple of weeks. I've been riding a lot of the PV group rides and holding my own. I got a super good warm up before the crit. A buddy sent me what he says is the best crit warm up and that most riders do not warm up properly. So I tried it. I get to the line sweating and can't believe how many guys are lined up. I do my best to stay near the front but the obvious sock turning inside out constantly pushes you back if you get forced to the middle. There are 5 primes during the race. I try for the 3rd on and end up 3rd in the sprint. I didn't want to waste the energy, but the pace was not very high for the race and I wanted to test the distance for the sprint. There was 1 bad crash I heard behind me. They had to bring in the Ambulance for one guy. There were almost several more crashes. One guy came flying into my left side shoulder. I kept my bike upright while the guy was leaning his whole body against me as it finally got his bike back upright. He was hit from behind and I heard yelling and screaming. The rider thanked me for staying upright and saving him a nasty crash on the back straight away. I thanked him for being 140 lbs!!
2 laps to go, time to move up. I do my best but everyone is getting real squirmy as both sides surge. Teams are getting into position. 1 lap to go, I use the gutter to try and get to the front, I get to about 8th position. Final turn, everyone in the race is surging up the side, I get blocked in the middle. I desperately look for a way to the sides...nothing. The leads outs are gunning already. I see a very small gap that opens in the middle...I pucker up and shoot through and just start sprinting. I move from about 25th to what I thought was maybe top 10, but I guess I was 14th. The same little guy that I saved earlier in the race is just in front of me, I am in his draft and going for the pass near the line and he unclips doing 30!! I'm probably 10 meters or more behind the winner. Bummer! I felt good but obviously have a lot to learn about getting into position for the sprint. The race was pretty fun, but I think I prefer the circuit or road races.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tom Rice's Santa Cruz Crit Report
Where – Santa Cruz Classic Criterium
When – 15 April, 2012
Race - 35+ Cat 4 - 39 Racers
Stats – 16 laps over "Up and Down Beach Hill"
CoreTechs teammates: Alan Takahashi, John Tsamasfyros
(I guess I also have to say this... I've arrived at the venue in plenty of time to register, warm-up and get ready to race. No rushing or being late. Sweet.)
We're bunched up, ready to go at the start line and we get this briefing: "At my whistle, go! TWEEEET!!".
We get started. I'm normally very quick to snap into my peddles and almost never have any trouble getting started but this time, it's different. I think I'm clipped in but my left foot slips off the peddle and I whack the front of my seat with my butt and tip the nose of my seat down about 20 degrees. My saddle is no longer anywhere near level. Well, that's a bummer. Now I can't really sit and peddle comfortably. Oh well, it is a very short race and the hills are short, punchy climbs best done standing up. I try to dismiss the problem after about three laps.
The pace is fairly quick from the start and the course is definitely technical. The descent from the start-finish straight leads into a mid-descent switch-back that stirs up the pack on every lap. If you're not on your game here, you will find yourself relegated to the back of the pack in short order. With my distracting seat situation, I find myself see-sawing between the front and the back of the pack during each of the first few laps. That's a lot of wasted energy! After a bit, I get my concentration in control and do a better job keeping near the front. Even so, some guys from Berkeley Bicycle Club are trying to manage the front and they don't seem to want any company.
There seems to be a pecking order in every race and sometimes you have to earn your place at the front. To that end, I take a flyer off the front. I don't mean to try a solo break but maybe someone will join me and I also hope to test some of my competitors to see who looks strong. After a couple of laps, I haven't learned much so I come back to the pack. Teammate Alan takes up the front for a good pull which gives me a charge of energy and enthusiasm. And, the front of the pack seems a little more "welcoming".
It's important to know that the course narrows coming to the last right hand turns that lead onto the hill on the front straight. On every lap there is much jockeying for position as we come through this section of the course. My plan towards the end of the race is to attack on this hill with two to go, hoping to draw out the stronger riders for a break that will take us to the finish. I end up solo. I'll let Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll take up the commentary:
Phil: "This attack by the CoreTechs rider is a brave one. I think he might just make it. I certainly hope he does!"
Paul: "You're hoping against hope, Phil. I don't think he has a chance. The pack doesn't seem to be relenting and they know he will be slowing on that last hill approaching this finish line."
Bob: "This is Rice from the CoreTechs Cycling Team. I've done some research on this guy. He has a reputation for impossible solo efforts that submarine his opportunities to win. Someone needs to take a frame pump and whack some sense into him!"
Phil: "There is a rider that seems ready to join Rice in the break, maybe they can work together..."
Paul: "It certainly doesn't look like it. Rice is looking for some help but this bridging rider doesn't seem to have anything to offer... and the pack is charging!!"
Bob: "Rice is melting like a kid's snowcone on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk!"
Phil: "Paul, you had it right. With 300 meters to go, the pack is swarming past Rice. They are sprinting for the finish!! Rice's teammate Takahashi is right there... he might have it... oh and he is just pipped at the line. Matthew Hough from SquadraSF gets the win and CoreTechs rider Alan Takahashi crosses in second with a great sprint finish..."
(cut back to reality)
So, it was a fun race! I'm super jazzed that Alan got second. As usual, I get some good lessons and, even without a top finish, I get a good dose of confidence I need for future criteriums. And, maybe, just maybe, I've finally learned my lesson about leading out the final laps of a race. We'll see.
Tom Rice
Bicycle Racer
CoreTechs Cycling Team
When – 15 April, 2012
Race - 35+ Cat 4 - 39 Racers
Stats – 16 laps over "Up and Down Beach Hill"
CoreTechs teammates: Alan Takahashi, John Tsamasfyros
(I guess I also have to say this... I've arrived at the venue in plenty of time to register, warm-up and get ready to race. No rushing or being late. Sweet.)
We're bunched up, ready to go at the start line and we get this briefing: "At my whistle, go! TWEEEET!!".
We get started. I'm normally very quick to snap into my peddles and almost never have any trouble getting started but this time, it's different. I think I'm clipped in but my left foot slips off the peddle and I whack the front of my seat with my butt and tip the nose of my seat down about 20 degrees. My saddle is no longer anywhere near level. Well, that's a bummer. Now I can't really sit and peddle comfortably. Oh well, it is a very short race and the hills are short, punchy climbs best done standing up. I try to dismiss the problem after about three laps.
The pace is fairly quick from the start and the course is definitely technical. The descent from the start-finish straight leads into a mid-descent switch-back that stirs up the pack on every lap. If you're not on your game here, you will find yourself relegated to the back of the pack in short order. With my distracting seat situation, I find myself see-sawing between the front and the back of the pack during each of the first few laps. That's a lot of wasted energy! After a bit, I get my concentration in control and do a better job keeping near the front. Even so, some guys from Berkeley Bicycle Club are trying to manage the front and they don't seem to want any company.
There seems to be a pecking order in every race and sometimes you have to earn your place at the front. To that end, I take a flyer off the front. I don't mean to try a solo break but maybe someone will join me and I also hope to test some of my competitors to see who looks strong. After a couple of laps, I haven't learned much so I come back to the pack. Teammate Alan takes up the front for a good pull which gives me a charge of energy and enthusiasm. And, the front of the pack seems a little more "welcoming".
It's important to know that the course narrows coming to the last right hand turns that lead onto the hill on the front straight. On every lap there is much jockeying for position as we come through this section of the course. My plan towards the end of the race is to attack on this hill with two to go, hoping to draw out the stronger riders for a break that will take us to the finish. I end up solo. I'll let Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen and Bob Roll take up the commentary:
Phil: "This attack by the CoreTechs rider is a brave one. I think he might just make it. I certainly hope he does!"
Paul: "You're hoping against hope, Phil. I don't think he has a chance. The pack doesn't seem to be relenting and they know he will be slowing on that last hill approaching this finish line."
Bob: "This is Rice from the CoreTechs Cycling Team. I've done some research on this guy. He has a reputation for impossible solo efforts that submarine his opportunities to win. Someone needs to take a frame pump and whack some sense into him!"
Phil: "There is a rider that seems ready to join Rice in the break, maybe they can work together..."
Paul: "It certainly doesn't look like it. Rice is looking for some help but this bridging rider doesn't seem to have anything to offer... and the pack is charging!!"
Bob: "Rice is melting like a kid's snowcone on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk!"
Phil: "Paul, you had it right. With 300 meters to go, the pack is swarming past Rice. They are sprinting for the finish!! Rice's teammate Takahashi is right there... he might have it... oh and he is just pipped at the line. Matthew Hough from SquadraSF gets the win and CoreTechs rider Alan Takahashi crosses in second with a great sprint finish..."
(cut back to reality)
So, it was a fun race! I'm super jazzed that Alan got second. As usual, I get some good lessons and, even without a top finish, I get a good dose of confidence I need for future criteriums. And, maybe, just maybe, I've finally learned my lesson about leading out the final laps of a race. We'll see.
Tom Rice
Bicycle Racer
CoreTechs Cycling Team
John T's Sea Otter Report (circuit and XC course)
Saturday in April (2012) from John Tsamasfyros
Sea Otter Cat 4 35+
They started all Cat 4's in a mass start which was a little distracting. I stayed with the front group for only 2 laps and then the elites dropped me on the steep climb. I settled in with a couple guys following the main group. I had no idea how many 35+ were in there but my guess and from what I saw maybe 3 guys up there from my age group at the most. The climb hurt every time. I ended up riding alone for a few laps after I dropped the guys I was with. After about 6 laps I decided to wait for a group of 8 behind me. I settled in with them for a lap or 2 more. Then all a sudden the starter whistled us out of the race with 2 laps left. Very disappointing! I think I was top 10 for sure maybe even top 5 in the 35+ if I could have won the sprint with the group I was with. We were not going to get lapped. We were all quite frustrated and went and talked to the starter. Obviously nothing we could do at this point and he didn't have any answers for us. So the results in the Cat 4 35+ shows only 3 guys. They said there was a problem with the photo finish, but what really happened was he pulled all the 35, 45 and 55+ riders that were not in the lead group and had no idea where anyone finished. Enough bitching....I basically raced an open Cat 4 race and got dropped is the bottom line. I had my family down there and it was really hot and a good time at the expo anyway.
Sunday
Cat 3 40-42 XC on Super Dave's Salsa 29er
12th
Dave was kind enough to lend me his Salsa 29er for my first XC race since I was 18. I was able to do one test ride earlier in the week but unable to pre ride the Sea Otter course because I had my daughters with me. There were A LOT of riders at the start. I couldn't believe it. Tons of age groups. There were about 45 guys in my age group of 40-42, not to mention all the age groups before and after. The start was a hammer fest on the track. I group of 3 got away early. I settled in around 6th heading on to the trail. soon enough I see a steep short climb and everyone is walking their bikes. I can't even find the lead 3 guys because they were mixed in the tail end of the 35-39 group that started 2 min ahead of us. We do some rollers. I am starting to feel better and more comfortable and start passing guys. We get to the single track. To make a long story short, I crash 3 times from the sand. Dave's bike is fine as I was not going real fast. The front wheel just kept slipping away in the sand. I learned to never use the front brake in the sand after it was basically too late. I lost some position after the 3 crashes. The climb back out started and I rode hard and only passed guys. There were all sorts of age groups on the course at this point. My heart rate averaged 170 for almost 1 1/2 hrs. I did well climbing on the single track. I thought maybe I was top 10 when I crossed the line but I ended up 12th. I think a pre ride would have helped a lot. I had a blast!! Even with all the scrapes and bruises... Time to get back into XC racing
Sea Otter Cat 4 35+
They started all Cat 4's in a mass start which was a little distracting. I stayed with the front group for only 2 laps and then the elites dropped me on the steep climb. I settled in with a couple guys following the main group. I had no idea how many 35+ were in there but my guess and from what I saw maybe 3 guys up there from my age group at the most. The climb hurt every time. I ended up riding alone for a few laps after I dropped the guys I was with. After about 6 laps I decided to wait for a group of 8 behind me. I settled in with them for a lap or 2 more. Then all a sudden the starter whistled us out of the race with 2 laps left. Very disappointing! I think I was top 10 for sure maybe even top 5 in the 35+ if I could have won the sprint with the group I was with. We were not going to get lapped. We were all quite frustrated and went and talked to the starter. Obviously nothing we could do at this point and he didn't have any answers for us. So the results in the Cat 4 35+ shows only 3 guys. They said there was a problem with the photo finish, but what really happened was he pulled all the 35, 45 and 55+ riders that were not in the lead group and had no idea where anyone finished. Enough bitching....I basically raced an open Cat 4 race and got dropped is the bottom line. I had my family down there and it was really hot and a good time at the expo anyway.
Sunday
Cat 3 40-42 XC on Super Dave's Salsa 29er
12th
Dave was kind enough to lend me his Salsa 29er for my first XC race since I was 18. I was able to do one test ride earlier in the week but unable to pre ride the Sea Otter course because I had my daughters with me. There were A LOT of riders at the start. I couldn't believe it. Tons of age groups. There were about 45 guys in my age group of 40-42, not to mention all the age groups before and after. The start was a hammer fest on the track. I group of 3 got away early. I settled in around 6th heading on to the trail. soon enough I see a steep short climb and everyone is walking their bikes. I can't even find the lead 3 guys because they were mixed in the tail end of the 35-39 group that started 2 min ahead of us. We do some rollers. I am starting to feel better and more comfortable and start passing guys. We get to the single track. To make a long story short, I crash 3 times from the sand. Dave's bike is fine as I was not going real fast. The front wheel just kept slipping away in the sand. I learned to never use the front brake in the sand after it was basically too late. I lost some position after the 3 crashes. The climb back out started and I rode hard and only passed guys. There were all sorts of age groups on the course at this point. My heart rate averaged 170 for almost 1 1/2 hrs. I did well climbing on the single track. I thought maybe I was top 10 when I crossed the line but I ended up 12th. I think a pre ride would have helped a lot. I had a blast!! Even with all the scrapes and bruises... Time to get back into XC racing
Mark Dames Metro Tri turned Duathlon Report
Date: 4/22
Race: SJ Metro Tri, 1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10K run
Place: 5th out of 30 in 50-54 age group.
I had signed up for this in the hopes of doing a family relay, but both daughters had to cancel and the swim was canned do to poor water quality.
I have been sick with worsening chest cold for a week, haven't been working out for the same period and debate canceling altogether.
It turns out the enforced taper was a good thing, and my seat area and neck turn out to be bigger problems.
As Andrew stated, a 1 mile intro run was substituted for the swim --- a run, bike, run format:
8:00 am start for my age group sees about a dozen guys sprint off into the distance. No way I can hang with these guys, I let them go and try to keep my heart rate moderate for the work to be done on the bike. I've been steadily building wattage on the trainer and plan a German blitzkreig on the bike ala stormin' Norman Stadler to bury my competitors. Then, I don't care what happens on the run, I know I'm dead meat.
The course starts flat and into the wind for 11 miles, then a turn around with several high speed miles to the big bump, a 300' climb over a mile at Bailey Avenue around mile 15, then rolling, mostly down hill to the finish.
I start on the flats at about 25 mph. The course turns into the wind and I'm down to 18-19. Within 10 minutes I start catching some 4 minute men (the age group waves went off four minutes apart).Within 25 minutes I start catching 8 minute men. Ahead in the distance is a group weaving back and forth like they are drafting/changing positions. They are wandering back and forth like they are racing each other instead trying to be fastest to the finish line. Goof balls. 200, yards, 100 yards, I'm on them. These turn out to be the majority of my age group 50+ rabbits. I dive to the inside and pass them all. Good bye, my TT bike can't be matched on this course, this date.
I hit the turn around, down a goo, drink water, and let the heart rate recover from the windfest I've just been through for about 20 seconds. The speed goes to 28 mph which I hold for the better part of 3 miles. A non stop parade of competitors go past me in reverse. No one has passed me yet. This is fun.
Bailey hill appears. I downshift to 2nd, then 1st and try to control the heart rate. It's done before I know it and now the down hill rollers past Calero Reservoir require the 53x12 treatment. I hit 38 mph, I stay above 30 for much of the way back to town. On one of the rollers, a challenger appears from behind, passes me and he's in my age group. This guys is strong, especially on the rollers. he passes a horse trailer on the inside, I have to follow to keep pace. We crest another roller and he seems to loose interest and fades. I hit the city streets again and with 5 miles to go start to have problems. 1) my tri shorts have a seam that has started to cut into me, distracting me from a full power cadence, and 2) my neck muscles are giving out, I can't hold my head up to look down the road very far. I never train on my TT bike, and my position is so slammed that in addition to being flat back aero, I have to crane my neck up at an unpracticed angle to see down the road. Not being able to do this, and having to stand up to relieve seat pressure, bleeds focus and speed off my homeward pull. When I get back to transition, I've passed everyone in my age group except two guys. Those two are running under 7 minute miles, and I'm not in their running league. I discover my "speed laces" (bungie cord type laces with a quick release cam) have a jammed cam. I can't tighten one shoe. I blow a minute screwing around with the cam and then just granny knot the laces to get out on the run.
I just try and hold a steady pace on the run, I have no second gear. Two of my age group pass me. I finish without slowing, but don't reel anyone in. I place 5th, and 1:22 out of the money. I'm second fastest on the bike at 22.05 mph avg speed, but could have gone faster, and I've lost critical time in transition.
I find Andrew and Dave Mayer after the race and both have podiumed. Congratulations guys!
Note to self: 1) get better shorts, 2) work on the neck muscles, 3) get better speed laces.
Congratulations to everyone racing this weekend.
Cheers.
Mark D.
Race: SJ Metro Tri, 1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, 10K run
Place: 5th out of 30 in 50-54 age group.
I have been sick with worsening chest cold for a week, haven't been working out for the same period and debate canceling altogether.
It turns out the enforced taper was a good thing, and my seat area and neck turn out to be bigger problems.
As Andrew stated, a 1 mile intro run was substituted for the swim --- a run, bike, run format:
8:00 am start for my age group sees about a dozen guys sprint off into the distance. No way I can hang with these guys, I let them go and try to keep my heart rate moderate for the work to be done on the bike. I've been steadily building wattage on the trainer and plan a German blitzkreig on the bike ala stormin' Norman Stadler to bury my competitors. Then, I don't care what happens on the run, I know I'm dead meat.
The course starts flat and into the wind for 11 miles, then a turn around with several high speed miles to the big bump, a 300' climb over a mile at Bailey Avenue around mile 15, then rolling, mostly down hill to the finish.
I start on the flats at about 25 mph. The course turns into the wind and I'm down to 18-19. Within 10 minutes I start catching some 4 minute men (the age group waves went off four minutes apart).Within 25 minutes I start catching 8 minute men. Ahead in the distance is a group weaving back and forth like they are drafting/changing positions. They are wandering back and forth like they are racing each other instead trying to be fastest to the finish line. Goof balls. 200, yards, 100 yards, I'm on them. These turn out to be the majority of my age group 50+ rabbits. I dive to the inside and pass them all. Good bye, my TT bike can't be matched on this course, this date.
I hit the turn around, down a goo, drink water, and let the heart rate recover from the windfest I've just been through for about 20 seconds. The speed goes to 28 mph which I hold for the better part of 3 miles. A non stop parade of competitors go past me in reverse. No one has passed me yet. This is fun.
Bailey hill appears. I downshift to 2nd, then 1st and try to control the heart rate. It's done before I know it and now the down hill rollers past Calero Reservoir require the 53x12 treatment. I hit 38 mph, I stay above 30 for much of the way back to town. On one of the rollers, a challenger appears from behind, passes me and he's in my age group. This guys is strong, especially on the rollers. he passes a horse trailer on the inside, I have to follow to keep pace. We crest another roller and he seems to loose interest and fades. I hit the city streets again and with 5 miles to go start to have problems. 1) my tri shorts have a seam that has started to cut into me, distracting me from a full power cadence, and 2) my neck muscles are giving out, I can't hold my head up to look down the road very far. I never train on my TT bike, and my position is so slammed that in addition to being flat back aero, I have to crane my neck up at an unpracticed angle to see down the road. Not being able to do this, and having to stand up to relieve seat pressure, bleeds focus and speed off my homeward pull. When I get back to transition, I've passed everyone in my age group except two guys. Those two are running under 7 minute miles, and I'm not in their running league. I discover my "speed laces" (bungie cord type laces with a quick release cam) have a jammed cam. I can't tighten one shoe. I blow a minute screwing around with the cam and then just granny knot the laces to get out on the run.
I just try and hold a steady pace on the run, I have no second gear. Two of my age group pass me. I finish without slowing, but don't reel anyone in. I place 5th, and 1:22 out of the money. I'm second fastest on the bike at 22.05 mph avg speed, but could have gone faster, and I've lost critical time in transition.
I find Andrew and Dave Mayer after the race and both have podiumed. Congratulations guys!
Note to self: 1) get better shorts, 2) work on the neck muscles, 3) get better speed laces.
Congratulations to everyone racing this weekend.
Cheers.
Mark D.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Dave Tripier Sea Otter Dirt Report
Mountain Bike Cross Country Race (Awesome Pic by Tim Westmore)
Place: 6th place Cat 2
Total : 45?
Race Conditions: Cool 57, foggy, no wind, some deep sand.
Had a good race on Sunday and kept the rubber side down the entire race. Lot's of crashes in the deep sand and twisty fire road, and surprising enough many people pushing their bikes even though they were in Cat 2.
The good:
- 6th place
- No crashes (just a scrape from a branch to inner calf)
- No mechanicals
- Cool swishing singe track 3 miles in and 11 miles in.
The bad:
- People crashing in the sand typically falling across the entire trail. Ran over a couple of bikes in the process - doh!
- Traffic jam city on the sandy single track
- Passing was hard. Just a mass of humanity out there!
- Ran out of gas at the end
The unexpected:
- Sram upgraded my 2011 XX brakes - because of air being formed and you can not stop - to NEW 2012 XX! SHOW ME THE MONEY!!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Ken Spencer's Podium Report!
Ken Spencer Reports from the Podium of Sea Otter
Friday, Cat 4, 54 miles, ~30 riders, 3rd place
The highlights...
• Woke up at 4am. Ate 3 eggs, some toast and pooped.
• Made a large bowl of oatmeal for the car ride.
• Drove in the dark, ate oatmeal, toggled between NPR and rap.
• Stopped for gas, pooped.
• Got to Laguna seca and finally the sun was rising.
• Got to registration by 6:45am because they said you have to register more than 60 min before your race. However, they open at 7am and my race was at 8am. So, little room for error if they wanna be pricks. They weren't, but played it safe nonetheless.
• Suited up, pooped.
• Prayed the new tires i put on the night before would be fine and not unveil a pinch flat.
• Warmed up with one lap around the race track. Fun.
• Peed
• Race started. During the neutral, talked to the rider next to me who had his arm in a sling. It took a few seconds to realize the water tank behind his seat was not for urine but rather his fluids since he could only use one arm. Am I in the right race? Straight cat 4 not disabled cat 4?
• On hill number 1 in the first 2 miles of the race we lost ~5 guys including the sling man. I felt so bad for him. Drove all that way, pay $70 and race alone for 54 miles? bummer. (he finished btw, i saw him roll across finish line ~20 min after us)
• Six 8-mile laps. 2 steep sections - feed zone and start of each lap. Random accelerations from time to time but nothing terrible. I just chilled in the very back for 50 miles. Chatted with 3-4 guys. Realized after 3 laps that we were doing a reverse CCX course for part of it!
• Despite all my trips to the porto-P I had to pee for about the last 20 miles. Not so bad that it hurt but bad enough that i thought about it constantly.
• We shed people from time to time. By the last lap we were ~15 guys.
• Okay - bell lap - time to get serious. Well, not really - I just need to be at the front on the final climb so on the final descent before the final climb I just coasted past 10 guys into 5th position.
• Final climb - in 5th position - we're flying up the low slope section. Just flying. So I sit tight. One guy goes but we're going so fast we suck him up pretty quickly. Another guy does the same thing so I just still sit tight. As soon as the hill steepens it gets serious. Half the guys drop. We're down to ~6 guys. One guy goes and another follows. I'm not in a good spot to jump then so I sit and let another guy work. Ride his wheel a little, realize it's now or never - go with everything so he can't suck. 1k to go. What? Inching up closer to them and out of nowhere it's 200m to go. What?? And around a bend and there's the finish. What???
• Usually the final 1k is the longest when going uphill. Not so here - the 1k and 200m distances were either shorter than advertised or I was so burned I couldn't think.
• Net result - happy with 3rd but a bit pissed I didn't go harder a little earlier - especially considering I misjudged the distance from 1k to end.
Thx for reading.not yet sure where to get the podium shot.
Friday, Cat 4, 54 miles, ~30 riders, 3rd place
The highlights...
• Woke up at 4am. Ate 3 eggs, some toast and pooped.
• Made a large bowl of oatmeal for the car ride.
• Drove in the dark, ate oatmeal, toggled between NPR and rap.
• Stopped for gas, pooped.
• Got to Laguna seca and finally the sun was rising.
• Got to registration by 6:45am because they said you have to register more than 60 min before your race. However, they open at 7am and my race was at 8am. So, little room for error if they wanna be pricks. They weren't, but played it safe nonetheless.
• Suited up, pooped.
• Prayed the new tires i put on the night before would be fine and not unveil a pinch flat.
• Warmed up with one lap around the race track. Fun.
• Peed
• Race started. During the neutral, talked to the rider next to me who had his arm in a sling. It took a few seconds to realize the water tank behind his seat was not for urine but rather his fluids since he could only use one arm. Am I in the right race? Straight cat 4 not disabled cat 4?
• On hill number 1 in the first 2 miles of the race we lost ~5 guys including the sling man. I felt so bad for him. Drove all that way, pay $70 and race alone for 54 miles? bummer. (he finished btw, i saw him roll across finish line ~20 min after us)
• Six 8-mile laps. 2 steep sections - feed zone and start of each lap. Random accelerations from time to time but nothing terrible. I just chilled in the very back for 50 miles. Chatted with 3-4 guys. Realized after 3 laps that we were doing a reverse CCX course for part of it!
• Despite all my trips to the porto-P I had to pee for about the last 20 miles. Not so bad that it hurt but bad enough that i thought about it constantly.
• We shed people from time to time. By the last lap we were ~15 guys.
• Okay - bell lap - time to get serious. Well, not really - I just need to be at the front on the final climb so on the final descent before the final climb I just coasted past 10 guys into 5th position.
• Final climb - in 5th position - we're flying up the low slope section. Just flying. So I sit tight. One guy goes but we're going so fast we suck him up pretty quickly. Another guy does the same thing so I just still sit tight. As soon as the hill steepens it gets serious. Half the guys drop. We're down to ~6 guys. One guy goes and another follows. I'm not in a good spot to jump then so I sit and let another guy work. Ride his wheel a little, realize it's now or never - go with everything so he can't suck. 1k to go. What? Inching up closer to them and out of nowhere it's 200m to go. What?? And around a bend and there's the finish. What???
• Usually the final 1k is the longest when going uphill. Not so here - the 1k and 200m distances were either shorter than advertised or I was so burned I couldn't think.
• Net result - happy with 3rd but a bit pissed I didn't go harder a little earlier - especially considering I misjudged the distance from 1k to end.
Thx for reading.
Rick Adams reports from the podium at Sea Otter!
Rick Adams Sea Otter Report
55+ Criterium & Circuit
Having never been to Sea Otter before, I was pretty mesmerized by the total bike party. Next year I am going back, racing, wandering around more and camping. Tom Rice’s stronghold was meant to enable some intoxicating fun. But with racing and driving, my post race recovery beverage decisions were all wrong.
Crit
Result 3rd
Teammates: Super Dave
The first 2 laps, 18 guys crawled around like no one warmed up. Lap 3 several guys started testing their legs and we lost a few. Lots of attacks from southern cal guys, but nothing really stuck. Going into bell, I was focused on which wheel to be on. I picked Larry Wolf, a 60+ current national champion. I just knew that Larry would go long and string us out and he would pray to hang on for a top three. Yet going through the last set of corners this hopefully story had not played itself out and I was slightly box on the inside when the eventual winner jumped hard and got a gap. I made it across in 3rd – slightly disappointed.
Circuit
Result 4th
Teammates: Super Dave
Now I must say several guys described this course as not much harder than the noon ride. Humm. A 300m hill at 12-15% in my sprinter’s head is bloody hard. Strategy revisited: survive!
40 riders rode the first lap easy. Lap 2 was a bit faster and by the top of the climb on lap 3 we were down to 15 guys. Wow – that was a pretty fast selection. Then the 2nd place guy from yesterday’s crit started to attack. We brought him back without any organized effort. With 3 laps to go he attacked again and Kevin Susco, a well know Webcor rider bridged up. I was still simply thinking about surviving the climb 2 more times and I did not help in the chase. The group brought the gap down to about 50 meters on those two guys, close enough for one more guy to bridge across. If that hill was a bit less imitating, I would have risked closing the gap, but, I chose not to and the last time up the hill I was thankful I did not help with the chase because I was off the back of the now group of 5. Down the corkscrew I caught the other riders and hoped a bit of lactic acid would evaporate from my legs.
With about 700 meters to go, the Morgan Stanley rider attacked and the other 3 gave chase. I was sitting 5th in this group thinking to myself – why do they want to give me a perfect leadout after nearly killing me on the climb? Seriously 4 teammates could not have provided a better leadout. I won the sprint for 4th. One spot off the podium.
Rick
55+ Criterium & Circuit
Crit
Result 3rd
Teammates: Super Dave
The first 2 laps, 18 guys crawled around like no one warmed up. Lap 3 several guys started testing their legs and we lost a few. Lots of attacks from southern cal guys, but nothing really stuck. Going into bell, I was focused on which wheel to be on. I picked Larry Wolf, a 60+ current national champion. I just knew that Larry would go long and string us out and he would pray to hang on for a top three. Yet going through the last set of corners this hopefully story had not played itself out and I was slightly box on the inside when the eventual winner jumped hard and got a gap. I made it across in 3rd – slightly disappointed.
Circuit
Result 4th
Teammates: Super Dave
Now I must say several guys described this course as not much harder than the noon ride. Humm. A 300m hill at 12-15% in my sprinter’s head is bloody hard. Strategy revisited: survive!
40 riders rode the first lap easy. Lap 2 was a bit faster and by the top of the climb on lap 3 we were down to 15 guys. Wow – that was a pretty fast selection. Then the 2nd place guy from yesterday’s crit started to attack. We brought him back without any organized effort. With 3 laps to go he attacked again and Kevin Susco, a well know Webcor rider bridged up. I was still simply thinking about surviving the climb 2 more times and I did not help in the chase. The group brought the gap down to about 50 meters on those two guys, close enough for one more guy to bridge across. If that hill was a bit less imitating, I would have risked closing the gap, but, I chose not to and the last time up the hill I was thankful I did not help with the chase because I was off the back of the now group of 5. Down the corkscrew I caught the other riders and hoped a bit of lactic acid would evaporate from my legs.
With about 700 meters to go, the Morgan Stanley rider attacked and the other 3 gave chase. I was sitting 5th in this group thinking to myself – why do they want to give me a perfect leadout after nearly killing me on the climb? Seriously 4 teammates could not have provided a better leadout. I won the sprint for 4th. One spot off the podium.
Rick
Mojo Restoration Project Complete-Duathlon report
Metro Duathlon Report 4/22/12 by Andrew
I have not run in two months, but I have over 15 years of triathlon experience, so I figure, I can survive a 3.1 mile run race. The bike is a 15 mile Time Trial and the swim is .75 mile. My strategy is to go out strong on the swim and stay with the front guys. Then hammer the bike and make some time. Then hold on for dear life on the run and try not to get caught.
Night before the race we get an email from the race promoter; Swim Canceled. Bad water quality. Instead, they are substituting a one mile opening run to the race. Now it is a a 4.1 mile run. Uh oh…but I learned the lessons of Thursday's Sea Otter debacle and decide, no excuses. I am racing!
First mile is fast and five or six guys get away from me. I run a 6:25 mile, but those guys ran about 5:20. I have some work to do. I hammered the bike. Not sure on average speed yet, but it was about 22 to 23 mph for the TT. I moved into first place at the end of the bike.
Final run hits and one guy goes by me pretty fast. I start to question if I can hold on, but again refer back to the lessons learned. I hang on for 2nd place. Feel much better about myself and get a cool beer glass and a large bottle of IPA for the effort. By the way, the awards were handed out by Becky LaVelle, who is a big time pro triathlete and top Hawaii Ironman finisher. So that was cool too!
I have not run in two months, but I have over 15 years of triathlon experience, so I figure, I can survive a 3.1 mile run race. The bike is a 15 mile Time Trial and the swim is .75 mile. My strategy is to go out strong on the swim and stay with the front guys. Then hammer the bike and make some time. Then hold on for dear life on the run and try not to get caught.
Night before the race we get an email from the race promoter; Swim Canceled. Bad water quality. Instead, they are substituting a one mile opening run to the race. Now it is a a 4.1 mile run. Uh oh…but I learned the lessons of Thursday's Sea Otter debacle and decide, no excuses. I am racing!
First mile is fast and five or six guys get away from me. I run a 6:25 mile, but those guys ran about 5:20. I have some work to do. I hammered the bike. Not sure on average speed yet, but it was about 22 to 23 mph for the TT. I moved into first place at the end of the bike.
Final run hits and one guy goes by me pretty fast. I start to question if I can hold on, but again refer back to the lessons learned. I hang on for 2nd place. Feel much better about myself and get a cool beer glass and a large bottle of IPA for the effort. By the way, the awards were handed out by Becky LaVelle, who is a big time pro triathlete and top Hawaii Ironman finisher. So that was cool too!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Construction Zone Ahead-The NOT Sea Otter Report
Sea Otter Crit: The soft spot by Andrew: April 19th 2012
Sometimes, you just suck. Well, let me rephrase, sometimes I suck. I mean, I really suck. Thursday at Sea Otter I got to suck and suck huge. Reading this over it strikes me this could be misinterpreted, especially after my last race report where I mentioned My Fair Lady being a favorite. Regardless, I sucked.
I broke. I also had an epiphany. You cant start something hard with an excuse. If you go into something with an excuse, you are bound to use that excuse the moment times get tough. Good life lesson through biking. I went into the Sea Otter crit with an excuse. Really does not matter what the excuse is, if you have one, you are bound to use it.
I could feel it coming on. We were sprinting out of corners and up a hill. Even on the first lap my inside the head conversation was one of quitting, softness and pansieittes (a well known affliction of the soft). I pulled out the excuse in my head and started using it right away. I also knew my race was over right there.
My legs refused to believe I was this soft and they kept going and stayed with the front of the pack. But I knew what my legs would not admit. It was only a matter of time until I talked my legs into believing as well.
By ten minutes left in this personal crucible, I broke. I kept turning pedals but I was a broken man. All will to compete was lost. I gave in to the excuse and that soft spot in my mind that allows such weakness.
I feel better for writing this. I realize this is one of the saddest excuses for a "race report" possible, but I feel better for getting out in the open. Not a lot better mind you, but this helps. The one big take away? You are either in, or you are out. Straddle the line and you are sure to fail.
Good racing to the rest of the team. Was fun to see the guys do well, congratulations fellas. I will be busy for the next week working on patching that soft spot in my head. Warning; Construction Zone Ahead.
Andrew
Sometimes, you just suck. Well, let me rephrase, sometimes I suck. I mean, I really suck. Thursday at Sea Otter I got to suck and suck huge. Reading this over it strikes me this could be misinterpreted, especially after my last race report where I mentioned My Fair Lady being a favorite. Regardless, I sucked.
I broke. I also had an epiphany. You cant start something hard with an excuse. If you go into something with an excuse, you are bound to use that excuse the moment times get tough. Good life lesson through biking. I went into the Sea Otter crit with an excuse. Really does not matter what the excuse is, if you have one, you are bound to use it.
I could feel it coming on. We were sprinting out of corners and up a hill. Even on the first lap my inside the head conversation was one of quitting, softness and pansieittes (a well known affliction of the soft). I pulled out the excuse in my head and started using it right away. I also knew my race was over right there.
My legs refused to believe I was this soft and they kept going and stayed with the front of the pack. But I knew what my legs would not admit. It was only a matter of time until I talked my legs into believing as well.
By ten minutes left in this personal crucible, I broke. I kept turning pedals but I was a broken man. All will to compete was lost. I gave in to the excuse and that soft spot in my mind that allows such weakness.
I feel better for writing this. I realize this is one of the saddest excuses for a "race report" possible, but I feel better for getting out in the open. Not a lot better mind you, but this helps. The one big take away? You are either in, or you are out. Straddle the line and you are sure to fail.
Good racing to the rest of the team. Was fun to see the guys do well, congratulations fellas. I will be busy for the next week working on patching that soft spot in my head. Warning; Construction Zone Ahead.
Andrew
Mark's Santa Cruz/Sea Otter Race Report
Santa Cruz Classic Crit, Beach Hill
April 15, 2012
45+ Cat 1,2,3
Riders: 52
So Devon and I did this race last year in the 35+ cat 4 class and we both put it on the box(2nd and 3rd ). This year we went down to Santa Cruz and raced with much faster guys(cat1,2,3). The weather was great. The race was fast. The course has a hairpin turn and a short climb(about 60 ft over 200 yards). We sprinted out of the hair pin and up the hill every lap. In the 4s, we’d hammer the hill and take the lead. In the 1,2,3’s we’d hammer the hill just to hold position. Passing was hard, and if you let up, you got relegated to the back. There were a couple of crashes right by me. One up the hill and one in the hairpin. A gap formed after the hairpin crash so I pulled the peloton back up to the top eight riders. It hurt. There’s not a lot to say other than “it was hard”. I came into the last turn of the last lap in around 14th. In the final sprint up the hill, I passed some guys(some cat 1’s!) and some guys passed me(including Devon). I ended up 14th and Devon got 12th. The top Cat threes finished 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th…..all really close. Devon and I weren’t happy with the result and felt we could have done better if we had pushed harder on the last lap. At least that’s what I thought until I looked at the Data. The race averaged 23.8mph, yet the last lap was a bit over 26mph. My average heart rate was 167 for the entire race and 179 for the last lap. I was hitting 186 bpm nearly every time up the hill. There were a few laps that went a little easier up that god forsaken hill. I don’t think there was much left for me to do a lot better. Devon probably could have done better if he had pushed harder on the last lap, but passing was tough. I can say that I gave it all I had and that was it for that day. Cheers. –Mark
Sea Otter Crit
April 19, 2012
45+ 1,2,3
Riders: not sure…40+?
So after that Santa Cruz race, I started feeling crappy on the drive home. ….Like I was bonking……shaky and weak. So I knew I had a race on Thursday so I took it really easy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I went to bed super early, ate well, etc. But I couldn’t shake this weak bonky crappy feeling like I was blown out, I knew I was screwed, but hoped that I’d find my mojo somewhere. I have two sick kids at home, so maybe I was fighting something, I don’t know, but I was weak….and still am. It’s funny, before the race I said to Tom Rice, “I feel crappy”, then his wife, Kate chimes in, “Don’t make excuses.” I just shake my head, I know how I feel. Andrew A. went down to the race with me. He re-injured his rib on Tuesday(or Monday) and couldn’t pull up on the bars or breath very well; this was not a course on which to have a bad day.
Andrew and I warmed up together as Tom Rice was warming down after his Cat 4 victory. We had a nice chat, and I still felt weak. When I did my hard pre-race efforts, it was uncharacteristically painful to get my pulse up…..uh oh. We head over to the start of the race. I clip in and hang on to the railing. When the whistle blows, I take off and lead the thing over the hill. I feel crappy. There’s a hair pin turn on each end of the crit. I lead through that and hammer up the hill. I think, Maybe no one will pass and I can slow this race down to a level I can handle. Then they blow by me at the top of the hill. I’m relegated to mid pack. Then they all line up on the left side of the track for the right hander at the end of the back straight……like they have 200 horse power and are setting up for the corner. I blow up the inside and pass twenty riders and take the lead…again. This goes on for a couple of laps until a real attack came on the front straight. I feel weak, and am barely able to hang on to the front pack. Now that I’m not leading through the turns, it gets much harder. The slinky effect is killing me. My speed through the hairpins(according to my computer) went from 16.4mph(when leading) to as slow as 12.8mph(when following). Then we’d have to sprint to catch on. The two guys in front of me blow up on the front straight. Now there’s a gap I have to close. We’ve only been racing for 20 minutes. There’s three guys off of the front group of ten to twelve guys. Then me….and I’m pulling ten guys around and slowly reeling in the group. I feel crappy. My pulse won’t go over 178 no matter how hard I push, something is wrong with me. It’s one thing to suffer, but to suffer when you feel strong is way better than suffering when you feel weak. Then my inner voice starts talking, “…..the front pack is getting further away…..no one will help me….my redline pulse is over 5% lower than what it normally is….I have to race Saturday…this race sucks….I feel crappy….I can’t do this any more….what’s wrong with me?......there’s 25 minutes left…..holy crap, there’s no way…..I must be sick…..I’ll be out for weeks if I try to push through…..why won’t my pulse go up?.....why does it hurt so much?….why do I suck?....maybe if I stop now I can get it together for Saturday.” Then as I cross the start finish line with a bunch of guys of my wheel, I raise my hand so no one will hit me, pull over and stop. I was done. Something was definitely wrong, my pulse wouldn’t go to where it normally does. I was weak. Sometimes, when you don’t feel well, racing sucks. This was one of those times.
Andrew cracked shortly after me. His re-injured rib wouldn’t allow him to breath deeply or pull up on the bars. On this course you needed to get a full breath and crank on the bars really hard, every lap. As soon as he gave up he started to go backwards…but at least he finished. We wallowed in our sorrow for a few minutes, but then realized doing crappy was still better than being at work(for me anyway). The last time I felt this bad going into a race(Patterson 2010) I did poorly as well. Note to self: when you feel crappy going into a race….you won’t ride well! -Mark
Monday, April 9, 2012
Andrew's TS Stage Race Report 3/31/12 & 4/1/12
Andrew's Top Sport Stage Race Report:
45+ 1/2/3
CoreTechs Riders: Andrew Adelman and Devon Joos
A week late, but really, the mental damage of this race is just now healing. I am not going to go into a lot of detail since A) no one really cares and B) it is a bit of a fog to me. Here is what I do recall:
10 guys line up to race. All Cat 1 or 2's except Devon who is a 3. Now Devon being a 3 is purely by choice. He is a Cat 1 in a Cat 3 license. My point in all this is that with only 10 guys, there is no place to hide in the pack and there are no weak links! It is like racing in the break from the gun.
Road race started with a clear sky, howling winds and 55 degrees. 25 miles in (of a 75 mile race), the headwinds seemed to increase while the temps took a nose dive. Then the sleet starts. We are all dressed for 55 degrees and wearing just jersey's and knickers. No vests, no hats, no long finger gloves. Three minutes after the rain/sleet starts, everything I have on is saturated. My shoes are squishing about. I can't see through my glasses. Wow, this kind of sucks.
A VOS rider goes off the front and a few miles later a SJBC riders chases him down. Suffice to say that the rest of us watched the SJBC rider pedal away from us. They are gone.
Fast forward to four miles left in a 75 mile race. My teeth are chattering so much that I am constantly biting my tongue. I am bleeding from the mouth but I can't stop the chattering. I try to shift to my big ring and find I have no strength in my hands to push in the shifter (I needed the electronic shifting here!). I try numerous times, but just can't do it. I forget I am in a race. I have to constantly tell myself, "self, you are in a bike race!" We were all in misery and no one was talking. This had become a survival ride to the finish line. 4 miles from the finish we hit a Sandhill Road sort of climb. Devon "attacks". By "attacks" I mean he raised the pace from 5mph to 7.5 mph. I stand to follow him. My whole body locks up. Massive cramps in my quads and arms strike at one time. I almost fall off my bike.
I watch as Devon and two others get a gap. I struggle up to the top of the hill and do my best to chase back on. I don’t make it but I limit my losses. Devon and Joe (Landshark) "sprint" to the finish for 3rd and 4th. I roll across 30 seconds back in 5th.
Devon and I sit in my parked car, heat blasting, for about 30 minutes afterwards. Both of us shivering so badly that we are unable to talk. I have stopped biting my tongue, but it is starting to throb. For the entire drive home I talked with a lisp that made me sound like my favorite movie could be My Fair Lady.
Sunday: Circuit Race (Copperopolis Circuit -90 minutes) (GC to start the day: SJBC rider in first, Landshark rider in Second, Devon in third, Some other dude in 4th and I am in 5th)
We find out that the VOS rider had dropped out of the race while in the leading two man break. Turns out he is a doctor and felt he had hypothermia. I would guess the rest of us had that too, we just did not know what the heck that was.
In this race we realize that our only hope of a win is attacking the hell out of the SJBC rider who won Saturday's road race. Between Devon and I, we attacked seven or eight times. Each time the SJBC rider pulled us back himself. Really have to give him some credit. That was hard and he manned up each time. I think I would have given up and curled into the fetal position on the side of the road.
We did drop the "other dude" who was in 4th. Otherwise it was status quo. Knowing nothing would change, Devon and I changed our tactics to try and win this circuit race. Since Devon has a better sprint then I do, I thought it made sense for me to launch early. Then Devon could follow the wheel of whoever chased me and if they caught me, he could counter for the win. That is just what happened, kind of. I launched with 800 meters to go. Got a slight gap but the chase was on me pretty quick. With about 100 meters to go, Landshark comes around me followed by Devon who starts to go around him. What we did not account for was Anders who was out of the GC by this point (due to a flat tire in the RR). He came by Devon on the line for the win. Devon got second, Joe third and I took 4th. We all finished within a tire of each other and thus were given the same overall time.
TT (GC standings before the TT: SJBC is still in first, Landshark in Second, Devon in third and I am in fourth)
I busted out my 10 year old Kestrel with TT bars and a funky helmet. Devon busted out…the same bike he raced the last two races, without aero bars. We were an intimidating duo for this TT. SJBC and Landshark have all the gear. They look the part of bike racers doing a TT. Devon and I look the part of extras in "Breaking Away". Devon needs to make up about a minute on Landshark to take 2nd. Turns out I needed to make up about 40 seconds on Devon to catch him.
10 miles of bumpy roads. Five miles out into a headwind and five miles back with a serious tailwind. Turns out, I don’t like TT's. They hurt, there is not a lot of tactics (other than hurt a lot) and they are boring. I catch my 30 second man within the first three miles. He then catches me back half a mile later. We ride within site of each other the rest of the way. On the way back, we hit some major speed. During this stretch my left aero bar comes loose and scares the hell out of me. I give a good wobble but regain composure and continue on.
SJBC wins by about 1:45 and Landshark is within a few seconds of that time. I end up getting Devon by 44 seconds to take third in the TT and thus third overall. Had Devon had the funky helmet, no doubt he would have held those seconds.
Looking back it was an epic experience. I would not do that RR again in the dumping rain, but it is a fun story to tell. Not often you keep biting your own tongue and come away saying it was a fun event.
Like a woman who goes through childbirth, only to have another kid a year or more later, I will be back.
Andrew
45+ 1/2/3
CoreTechs Riders: Andrew Adelman and Devon Joos
A week late, but really, the mental damage of this race is just now healing. I am not going to go into a lot of detail since A) no one really cares and B) it is a bit of a fog to me. Here is what I do recall:
10 guys line up to race. All Cat 1 or 2's except Devon who is a 3. Now Devon being a 3 is purely by choice. He is a Cat 1 in a Cat 3 license. My point in all this is that with only 10 guys, there is no place to hide in the pack and there are no weak links! It is like racing in the break from the gun.
Road race started with a clear sky, howling winds and 55 degrees. 25 miles in (of a 75 mile race), the headwinds seemed to increase while the temps took a nose dive. Then the sleet starts. We are all dressed for 55 degrees and wearing just jersey's and knickers. No vests, no hats, no long finger gloves. Three minutes after the rain/sleet starts, everything I have on is saturated. My shoes are squishing about. I can't see through my glasses. Wow, this kind of sucks.
A VOS rider goes off the front and a few miles later a SJBC riders chases him down. Suffice to say that the rest of us watched the SJBC rider pedal away from us. They are gone.
Fast forward to four miles left in a 75 mile race. My teeth are chattering so much that I am constantly biting my tongue. I am bleeding from the mouth but I can't stop the chattering. I try to shift to my big ring and find I have no strength in my hands to push in the shifter (I needed the electronic shifting here!). I try numerous times, but just can't do it. I forget I am in a race. I have to constantly tell myself, "self, you are in a bike race!" We were all in misery and no one was talking. This had become a survival ride to the finish line. 4 miles from the finish we hit a Sandhill Road sort of climb. Devon "attacks". By "attacks" I mean he raised the pace from 5mph to 7.5 mph. I stand to follow him. My whole body locks up. Massive cramps in my quads and arms strike at one time. I almost fall off my bike.
I watch as Devon and two others get a gap. I struggle up to the top of the hill and do my best to chase back on. I don’t make it but I limit my losses. Devon and Joe (Landshark) "sprint" to the finish for 3rd and 4th. I roll across 30 seconds back in 5th.
Devon and I sit in my parked car, heat blasting, for about 30 minutes afterwards. Both of us shivering so badly that we are unable to talk. I have stopped biting my tongue, but it is starting to throb. For the entire drive home I talked with a lisp that made me sound like my favorite movie could be My Fair Lady.
Sunday: Circuit Race (Copperopolis Circuit -90 minutes) (GC to start the day: SJBC rider in first, Landshark rider in Second, Devon in third, Some other dude in 4th and I am in 5th)
We find out that the VOS rider had dropped out of the race while in the leading two man break. Turns out he is a doctor and felt he had hypothermia. I would guess the rest of us had that too, we just did not know what the heck that was.
In this race we realize that our only hope of a win is attacking the hell out of the SJBC rider who won Saturday's road race. Between Devon and I, we attacked seven or eight times. Each time the SJBC rider pulled us back himself. Really have to give him some credit. That was hard and he manned up each time. I think I would have given up and curled into the fetal position on the side of the road.
We did drop the "other dude" who was in 4th. Otherwise it was status quo. Knowing nothing would change, Devon and I changed our tactics to try and win this circuit race. Since Devon has a better sprint then I do, I thought it made sense for me to launch early. Then Devon could follow the wheel of whoever chased me and if they caught me, he could counter for the win. That is just what happened, kind of. I launched with 800 meters to go. Got a slight gap but the chase was on me pretty quick. With about 100 meters to go, Landshark comes around me followed by Devon who starts to go around him. What we did not account for was Anders who was out of the GC by this point (due to a flat tire in the RR). He came by Devon on the line for the win. Devon got second, Joe third and I took 4th. We all finished within a tire of each other and thus were given the same overall time.
TT (GC standings before the TT: SJBC is still in first, Landshark in Second, Devon in third and I am in fourth)
I busted out my 10 year old Kestrel with TT bars and a funky helmet. Devon busted out…the same bike he raced the last two races, without aero bars. We were an intimidating duo for this TT. SJBC and Landshark have all the gear. They look the part of bike racers doing a TT. Devon and I look the part of extras in "Breaking Away". Devon needs to make up about a minute on Landshark to take 2nd. Turns out I needed to make up about 40 seconds on Devon to catch him.
10 miles of bumpy roads. Five miles out into a headwind and five miles back with a serious tailwind. Turns out, I don’t like TT's. They hurt, there is not a lot of tactics (other than hurt a lot) and they are boring. I catch my 30 second man within the first three miles. He then catches me back half a mile later. We ride within site of each other the rest of the way. On the way back, we hit some major speed. During this stretch my left aero bar comes loose and scares the hell out of me. I give a good wobble but regain composure and continue on.
SJBC wins by about 1:45 and Landshark is within a few seconds of that time. I end up getting Devon by 44 seconds to take third in the TT and thus third overall. Had Devon had the funky helmet, no doubt he would have held those seconds.
Looking back it was an epic experience. I would not do that RR again in the dumping rain, but it is a fun story to tell. Not often you keep biting your own tongue and come away saying it was a fun event.
Like a woman who goes through childbirth, only to have another kid a year or more later, I will be back.
Andrew
This is a little embarrassing - the Topsport Stage Race Report
Where: Oakdale and Copperopolis, CA
When: Saturday and Sunday March 30 and April Fools Day, 2012
Race: TopSport Stage Race
Stats: See the first paragraph below. Pouring rain and cold on Saturday. Nice and partly cloudy on Sunday.
Overall Placing: 16th out of 25
I was the only CoreTechs rider in this race
The TopSport Stage Race is three races in two days. For me, I ride a 54 mile road race at Knights Ferry on Saturday afternoon, a 75 minute circuit race in Copperopolis on Sunday morning and a 10 mile time trial, also in Copperopolis, on Sunday afternoon. I'm really looking forward to this weekend, partly because the last time I did a stage race I almost won.
Hmmm... let's think back. The last time I rode a time trial (except for the Low Key Hill Climbs) was before purpose-built time trial bikes had been invented. The last time I rode a stage race was almost 25 years ago. That stage race ended poorly because of a flat tire at a very inopportune point in the race and I never was really good at time trials. Still, I'm excited. I'm pretty fit and I think I'll do well.
Saturday:
Kate and I plan to drive up in the morning on Saturday getting to Knights Ferry about two hours before my race starts. We don't really manage our morning very well and we get a late start to the drive. I'm not worried though, I've done this drive four times in the last few months and I know how long it takes and I have plenty of time... I should have been worried!
It's raining buckets for the entire drive and we get caught in numerous sections of slow traffic. I should have left home earlier. By the time I get to the race course, it is eight minutes before my race is to start and I need to register, pin on my number and get dressed. As I run through the pouring rain to registration, my competitors are lining up for the start. I get my number and run back to my truck. My race has already left and I hear the referee telling the next wave of riders that the race will only be one lap (about 25 miles) and I assume - correctly - the same is true for my race. I get in my truck and get dressed for the race and the weather.
By the time I'm ready, it is at least 20 minutes after the start of my race. I decide that I'll go anyway because, I made the drive, I want to race on Sunday and it seems unfair to be allowed to race in the stages on Sunday if I don't do the same "ride" that the others are doing on Saturday in the rain. Besides, I like to ride my bicycle! Actual race report: It is 45 degrees, a light wind, raining and wet. I start with a 20 minute deficit but the pack is riding slowly and I'm riding hard and alone (yet another solo break, this time off the back?). I finish about eleven minutes behind the winner of Saturday's stage 1. Given my bone-headed tardiness, I consider this success.
By the end of the race, I am completely soaked but not too cold. My "rain gloves" are so wet that I wring about 10 ounces of water out of each one! So, I jump back into my truck and change into warm, dry clothes and head to the hotel to get my riding gear dried out and ready for Sunday.
An excellent pasta dinner on Sunday evening with a small glass of wine and I sleep well.
Sunday:
I get up early, load up the truck and head to Copperopolis. I'm determined to make up for my poor planning and tardiness on Saturday. There is a heavy mist in the air at the hotel but when we get to Copperopolis, the roads are wet but the weather is clearing and dry.
My next stage is the circuit race on the same course as the Copper Town Square Circuit Race this past February. So, I'm on the start line after a decent warm-up. We get our normal briefing from the referee and at the whistle, we're off. I'm planning a couple of laps of riding comfortably in the pack, making sure to cover any good breaks, then attacking on the rolling terrain to hopefully get a good breakaway going. I'd like to make up some of my time deficit.
The pace is fairly brisk so I'm happy to be in the pack. On lap three, I make an aggressive attack on the second hill. I get a small gap but the entire pack is charging and I get caught in short order. After about a minute, still on lap three before the turn-around, I attack again. This time I have a technical turn where I make some gains but the pack again chases me down very quickly. So, I settle in a few wheels back for a rest.
As we complete the section through the town square and make the left onto Little John Road, I attack again. This time the pack is ready and I never really even get a gap. Even though I have a nine minute deficit, they don't want me to get away. Team Polli Veloci has four riders in the pack and they clearly have plans for the win. In fact, it must have been Paul Wren's job to cover attacks as it seems that he's the guy who does most of the work keeping the pack together - he is a strong dude!
But, I'm determined. On the next hill, I make another attack - this time I go for as long as I reasonably can. The pack is strung out behind me and I can't get away. So, at the turn-around, I settle back into the pack again and check the matches box to see if there is anything left. After a lap of rest, I make one more attack before the turn-around on the last lap, again to no avail. The pack is going to the finish line together.
This is where I get my second painful lesson of the weekend: "Make sure you know where you are on the course at all times, especially at the finish." As we complete our final lap, I catastrophically misjudge the distance to the finish line. I'm too focused on the riders around me and I don't realize we're only about 250 meters to go when everyone around me is starting to sprint. In my head, we have over a kilometer to go and I can't believe these guys think they can sprint for that distance. Then I see the finish line and the 200 meters to go sign and it is too late, I've missed the sprint and cross the finish line at the back of the pack. Crap.
Well, that is racing. If we knew how it would turn out every time, it wouldn't be as much fun. The bonus is that I get a valuable lesson and I still have the time trial to do. So I head back to my truck to get ready for that.
The TT:
I watch the Tour de France so I know that the warm-up for a short time trial is critical. So, with an hour before my start time, I'm on my bike getting the old cardio engine primed. I head over to the start area and watch a couple of starts to learn how it is supposed to be done. Then I get a course briefing from Mark Dames and some technique advice from Andrew. I have about 35 minutes left to get my legs accustomed to the effort and to get my heartrate up. When I roll up to the start, I'm ready.
The course is simple, ten miles out and back on rolling hills and rough country roads. The five miles out is uphill and there is a vicious headwind. Vicious. The five miles back is downhill with a tail wind (tail winds are never vicious.) Time trials are by definition an exercise in suffering and this one is true to that definition. The head wind makes it difficult to settle into a consistant effort. Everytime I think I have everything under control, the wind slaps me back and I'm struggling to keep from blowing up.
Still, I catch my 30 second man well before the turn-around and he's on a full TT rig. I'm on my road bike so I feel I'm doing well. After the turn-around, I'm starting to get things in control. I can ride at the edge of my aerobic max and at a more consistant effort (see, I told you tail winds were never vicious!). Shortly after the turn-around I get passed by the rider, and eventual overall winner, who started a minute behind me. He is on a full TT rig, aero helmet and all, with the added benefit of a gigantic 60 tooth front chain-ring. With the tail wind and generally descending back section of the course, he can keep his cadence in the comfort zone and still maintain over 40 miles per hour for much of it.
At the end, I'm very pleased with my TT performance. I finish in fifth place and I'm the first non-TT specific bike to finish. Woot!
Overall:
So, I finish 16th out of 25 overall - 13 minutes and 14 seconds behind the winner. It is an amazing, eventful, trying, wild and wooly weekend and I had fun. I'll definitely do it again!
Thanks for reading!
Tom Rice
Bicycle Racer
CoreTechs Cycling Team
When: Saturday and Sunday March 30 and April Fools Day, 2012
Race: TopSport Stage Race
Stats: See the first paragraph below. Pouring rain and cold on Saturday. Nice and partly cloudy on Sunday.
Overall Placing: 16th out of 25
I was the only CoreTechs rider in this race
The TopSport Stage Race is three races in two days. For me, I ride a 54 mile road race at Knights Ferry on Saturday afternoon, a 75 minute circuit race in Copperopolis on Sunday morning and a 10 mile time trial, also in Copperopolis, on Sunday afternoon. I'm really looking forward to this weekend, partly because the last time I did a stage race I almost won.
Hmmm... let's think back. The last time I rode a time trial (except for the Low Key Hill Climbs) was before purpose-built time trial bikes had been invented. The last time I rode a stage race was almost 25 years ago. That stage race ended poorly because of a flat tire at a very inopportune point in the race and I never was really good at time trials. Still, I'm excited. I'm pretty fit and I think I'll do well.
Saturday:
Kate and I plan to drive up in the morning on Saturday getting to Knights Ferry about two hours before my race starts. We don't really manage our morning very well and we get a late start to the drive. I'm not worried though, I've done this drive four times in the last few months and I know how long it takes and I have plenty of time... I should have been worried!
It's raining buckets for the entire drive and we get caught in numerous sections of slow traffic. I should have left home earlier. By the time I get to the race course, it is eight minutes before my race is to start and I need to register, pin on my number and get dressed. As I run through the pouring rain to registration, my competitors are lining up for the start. I get my number and run back to my truck. My race has already left and I hear the referee telling the next wave of riders that the race will only be one lap (about 25 miles) and I assume - correctly - the same is true for my race. I get in my truck and get dressed for the race and the weather.
By the time I'm ready, it is at least 20 minutes after the start of my race. I decide that I'll go anyway because, I made the drive, I want to race on Sunday and it seems unfair to be allowed to race in the stages on Sunday if I don't do the same "ride" that the others are doing on Saturday in the rain. Besides, I like to ride my bicycle! Actual race report: It is 45 degrees, a light wind, raining and wet. I start with a 20 minute deficit but the pack is riding slowly and I'm riding hard and alone (yet another solo break, this time off the back?). I finish about eleven minutes behind the winner of Saturday's stage 1. Given my bone-headed tardiness, I consider this success.
By the end of the race, I am completely soaked but not too cold. My "rain gloves" are so wet that I wring about 10 ounces of water out of each one! So, I jump back into my truck and change into warm, dry clothes and head to the hotel to get my riding gear dried out and ready for Sunday.
An excellent pasta dinner on Sunday evening with a small glass of wine and I sleep well.
Sunday:
I get up early, load up the truck and head to Copperopolis. I'm determined to make up for my poor planning and tardiness on Saturday. There is a heavy mist in the air at the hotel but when we get to Copperopolis, the roads are wet but the weather is clearing and dry.
My next stage is the circuit race on the same course as the Copper Town Square Circuit Race this past February. So, I'm on the start line after a decent warm-up. We get our normal briefing from the referee and at the whistle, we're off. I'm planning a couple of laps of riding comfortably in the pack, making sure to cover any good breaks, then attacking on the rolling terrain to hopefully get a good breakaway going. I'd like to make up some of my time deficit.
The pace is fairly brisk so I'm happy to be in the pack. On lap three, I make an aggressive attack on the second hill. I get a small gap but the entire pack is charging and I get caught in short order. After about a minute, still on lap three before the turn-around, I attack again. This time I have a technical turn where I make some gains but the pack again chases me down very quickly. So, I settle in a few wheels back for a rest.
As we complete the section through the town square and make the left onto Little John Road, I attack again. This time the pack is ready and I never really even get a gap. Even though I have a nine minute deficit, they don't want me to get away. Team Polli Veloci has four riders in the pack and they clearly have plans for the win. In fact, it must have been Paul Wren's job to cover attacks as it seems that he's the guy who does most of the work keeping the pack together - he is a strong dude!
But, I'm determined. On the next hill, I make another attack - this time I go for as long as I reasonably can. The pack is strung out behind me and I can't get away. So, at the turn-around, I settle back into the pack again and check the matches box to see if there is anything left. After a lap of rest, I make one more attack before the turn-around on the last lap, again to no avail. The pack is going to the finish line together.
This is where I get my second painful lesson of the weekend: "Make sure you know where you are on the course at all times, especially at the finish." As we complete our final lap, I catastrophically misjudge the distance to the finish line. I'm too focused on the riders around me and I don't realize we're only about 250 meters to go when everyone around me is starting to sprint. In my head, we have over a kilometer to go and I can't believe these guys think they can sprint for that distance. Then I see the finish line and the 200 meters to go sign and it is too late, I've missed the sprint and cross the finish line at the back of the pack. Crap.
Well, that is racing. If we knew how it would turn out every time, it wouldn't be as much fun. The bonus is that I get a valuable lesson and I still have the time trial to do. So I head back to my truck to get ready for that.
The TT:
I watch the Tour de France so I know that the warm-up for a short time trial is critical. So, with an hour before my start time, I'm on my bike getting the old cardio engine primed. I head over to the start area and watch a couple of starts to learn how it is supposed to be done. Then I get a course briefing from Mark Dames and some technique advice from Andrew. I have about 35 minutes left to get my legs accustomed to the effort and to get my heartrate up. When I roll up to the start, I'm ready.
The course is simple, ten miles out and back on rolling hills and rough country roads. The five miles out is uphill and there is a vicious headwind. Vicious. The five miles back is downhill with a tail wind (tail winds are never vicious.) Time trials are by definition an exercise in suffering and this one is true to that definition. The head wind makes it difficult to settle into a consistant effort. Everytime I think I have everything under control, the wind slaps me back and I'm struggling to keep from blowing up.
Still, I catch my 30 second man well before the turn-around and he's on a full TT rig. I'm on my road bike so I feel I'm doing well. After the turn-around, I'm starting to get things in control. I can ride at the edge of my aerobic max and at a more consistant effort (see, I told you tail winds were never vicious!). Shortly after the turn-around I get passed by the rider, and eventual overall winner, who started a minute behind me. He is on a full TT rig, aero helmet and all, with the added benefit of a gigantic 60 tooth front chain-ring. With the tail wind and generally descending back section of the course, he can keep his cadence in the comfort zone and still maintain over 40 miles per hour for much of it.
At the end, I'm very pleased with my TT performance. I finish in fifth place and I'm the first non-TT specific bike to finish. Woot!
Overall:
So, I finish 16th out of 25 overall - 13 minutes and 14 seconds behind the winner. It is an amazing, eventful, trying, wild and wooly weekend and I had fun. I'll definitely do it again!
Thanks for reading!
Tom Rice
Bicycle Racer
CoreTechs Cycling Team
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Daryoush Copperopolis Road Race Report 4/7/12
Daryoush Reports from Copperopolis Road Race: 45+ 1/2/3 Cat.
Brisk pace up the first climb and it didn't get easier on the second one. The downhill at Copperopolis is where you win or lose the race. It is long and very very very rough - makes you love climbing. I could smell my brake pads burning going down (cork on carbon rims) but I wasn't braking much!
Second lap, going up the steepest climb, every time I stood up it felt like someone is pulling me! I though Dirk was fooling around and grabbing my seat. Almost at the top of the climb my back wheel locked and I had to stop :(
My back brakes where locked. On Thursday I took my bike to the bike shop (Ed note: The shop was NOT Menlo Velo!) to have them fix my shifter (damaged springs inside the shifter). Apparently he hadn't tightened the shifter well enough to the handle bar and during the down hill and pushing down on it while climbing it had slid down (1/4 inch or so) which caused the brake cable to be pulled. It took me a minute to fix this but the pack was well out of my reach by then. I did the rest of the race solo.
You know how disappointing this can be after a long drive at 5 AM but it was a beautiful day and I put in a good 65 mile ride :)
Brisk pace up the first climb and it didn't get easier on the second one. The downhill at Copperopolis is where you win or lose the race. It is long and very very very rough - makes you love climbing. I could smell my brake pads burning going down (cork on carbon rims) but I wasn't braking much!
Second lap, going up the steepest climb, every time I stood up it felt like someone is pulling me! I though Dirk was fooling around and grabbing my seat. Almost at the top of the climb my back wheel locked and I had to stop :(
My back brakes where locked. On Thursday I took my bike to the bike shop (Ed note: The shop was NOT Menlo Velo!) to have them fix my shifter (damaged springs inside the shifter). Apparently he hadn't tightened the shifter well enough to the handle bar and during the down hill and pushing down on it while climbing it had slid down (1/4 inch or so) which caused the brake cable to be pulled. It took me a minute to fix this but the pack was well out of my reach by then. I did the rest of the race solo.
You know how disappointing this can be after a long drive at 5 AM but it was a beautiful day and I put in a good 65 mile ride :)
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