Miles Keep Pesky RR report
Where- Pescadero Road Race
When- June 18, 2011
Race- Mens 35+ 4/5, field of 75
Stats- 47 mi, 3750 ft climbing, 70 degrees, 2 hrs 28 min
Finish- 32nd
So this was my first Pesky race. I was nervous off and on the week prior. My goal was to experience and finish the Nor Cal classic and have fun.
Being a bit of a climber, I thought that this would suit my riding style. I had done the training and have been feeling strong as of late.
I got there plenty early, my food intake and warm up went perfectly. Everything was going as planned. As I was rolling around getting ready to go to the starting line, I ran into fellow team mate Mark Foster. We chatted a bit about his race and the course. Before I knew it I had 2 min to spare, so off I went. This was my first mistake. Getting to the line early gets you a spot up front for the start, even when it's a long road race. We started neutralized from the High School and through town. There was a sprint prime at the beginning of stage road, I wasn't really interested in those, so pretty much let the sprinters do their thing. Once we started the first climb up stage, the group started to break up. I just stayed calm and in the middle of the field. On the descent on stage I lost some ground and the race took off. We turned right onto 84 and up we went. There were a few riders around so I managed to get a group of about 4 together so we (I) didn't have to go up the long and windy 84 solo. That worked out pretty well, we went hard taking turns and caught the main group about half way up. Then right onto Pescadero Rd, passed W Alpine, and started the climb up Haskins Hill. This is were I am at my best, and dropped my group fairly easily. The finish line was at the top, and we went through uneventfully. Once again, descending Pescadero Rd I lost some ground. At that point the field was smaller groups and I found myself with my "team mates" from
84. They consisted of mostly guys from Oakland Cycling Team, and a few randoms. Everyone was cordial with each other and worked well together. Through town again and up Stage Rd we went for our final lap. I pulled a bit of a gap on my group going up stage but didn't hammer too hard as I wanted to finish Haskins with a bang. We all met up again on 84 to help each other out on now a bit gusty 84. As we turned onto Pescadero Rd, and through the feed zone I grabbed a commemorative water bottle and up we went again. I noticed one less "Oakland" rider, and found out that he had thrown a chain. I figured it mattered more how I finished, so I hit the last climb hard, it's only a bit more than 2K in length. A small group of 123 men passed me going up, then a solo 2 came by so I jumped on his wheel and I finished in tow. The finish doesn't have much of a fan fare, we basically just limped back down to the high school in town.
I guess what I have learned is to get to the starting line early, and man up on the descents.
After a long hard race I felt pretty good. The longer 100+ mile rides we have done lately on the weekends have helped. I was glad I had finished in one piece
and had experienced the Nor Cal classic, and I had the tan lines to prove it.
Thanks to Tim for the attached pic of the race with me in pain going up Haskins!
-Miles
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Joseph Mendes Crit-Pleasanton Report 35+/45+ 1/2/3
So I had my worst finish ever at a race, not counting the DNF's for flats at Santa Cruz, but still had a bunch of fun. The course is a standard office park crit triple F (flat, fast and four corner). The streets were wide and pavement was good. Sun was supposed to be out, but that was the one disappointment. It was windy and fairly cold.
I did two races, first race was the 45+ 1/2/3 race. Had 49 racers and two teammates; Steve Stewart and Devon. This race was a bit of a mess. I guess two guys went off the front early. I had no idea. There were six or so SJBC racers in the race with some of their better racers present. I figured if I kept an eye on them and jumped on any breaks that included them, I would be safe. I figured wrong. Devon and I stayed at the front of the pack most of this race. I jumped on a few break attempts that had SJBC riders in them. Nothing stuck. Final lap I heard the announcer say the "break had 55 seconds on the field". What the heck? I asked a rider next to me and he confirmed guys were gone. Guess we were doing a field sprint for third place. Now that sucks. Anyway, race got fast last lap and guys got skittish. A bit of argy bargy (love that term) going on. I was about in sixth position and Devon was on my right. I think Steve was tucked in mid pack. I heard the sound of metal on metal and then metal on concrete and knew a crash happened just behind me. Can't look at those speeds. Took another turn and then on the back side of the course I heard the sound of broken glass and then the familiar and scary crash sound again. Seems like a guys wheel exploded (guessing a pedal went into his spokes). Not sure why the crashes, both took place on the straight away.
By this point I was about 18 riders back and a gap formed on the last straight before the final turn and finish. I went hard to the outside to close the gap and did so just before the final turn. Not much left to sprint for and crossed the line in 14th (12th in the pack sprint).
I had a feeling Devon might have been in one of the crashes when I did not see him around me or in front of me on the cool down lap. Devon is a great sprinter and would have been near the front, so not seeing him I figured it was not good news. I did see him afterward up and walking with no broken bones. He had some road rash on his leg. Steve finished mid pack as well in 20th.
Next race was the 35+ 1/2/3. This was a big field of over 70 riders. CoreTechs had five riders in this field (Steve Stewart, Scott Fairman, Christian and John Wilde) I figured since this was my second race of the day I would try and do a few breaks and if nothing worked either sit in or possibly come off the back.
The race started very fast from the whistle. A few guys went for breaks and I jumped on them and sat on them. Each time the field brought us back quickly. I actually felt pretty good this race. About five laps to go Duane from Thirsty Bear team (guy who beat me by a photo finish in Monterey for 1st place) went for a break. I jumped on him and he got a bit of a gap. Honestly, it took all I had to just stay on him. It really hurt. We kept our gap for about half or three quarters of a lap, but the field was having none of it. All back together the last lap and the pace went up three or four notches. I had nothing left for a sprint and just sat in the pack and rolled across the finish for a glorious 30th place out of the 73 riders. Steve finished just in front of me in the pack at 27th and I think the other guys rolled across at the back of that pack as well. Was fun to have the team around. Afterward we hung out a bit (drank a beer-thanks Steve!) and watched some of the next race.
Lessons learned this day. Be aware if someone is off the fricken front! See you out there.
Andrew
I did two races, first race was the 45+ 1/2/3 race. Had 49 racers and two teammates; Steve Stewart and Devon. This race was a bit of a mess. I guess two guys went off the front early. I had no idea. There were six or so SJBC racers in the race with some of their better racers present. I figured if I kept an eye on them and jumped on any breaks that included them, I would be safe. I figured wrong. Devon and I stayed at the front of the pack most of this race. I jumped on a few break attempts that had SJBC riders in them. Nothing stuck. Final lap I heard the announcer say the "break had 55 seconds on the field". What the heck? I asked a rider next to me and he confirmed guys were gone. Guess we were doing a field sprint for third place. Now that sucks. Anyway, race got fast last lap and guys got skittish. A bit of argy bargy (love that term) going on. I was about in sixth position and Devon was on my right. I think Steve was tucked in mid pack. I heard the sound of metal on metal and then metal on concrete and knew a crash happened just behind me. Can't look at those speeds. Took another turn and then on the back side of the course I heard the sound of broken glass and then the familiar and scary crash sound again. Seems like a guys wheel exploded (guessing a pedal went into his spokes). Not sure why the crashes, both took place on the straight away.
By this point I was about 18 riders back and a gap formed on the last straight before the final turn and finish. I went hard to the outside to close the gap and did so just before the final turn. Not much left to sprint for and crossed the line in 14th (12th in the pack sprint).
I had a feeling Devon might have been in one of the crashes when I did not see him around me or in front of me on the cool down lap. Devon is a great sprinter and would have been near the front, so not seeing him I figured it was not good news. I did see him afterward up and walking with no broken bones. He had some road rash on his leg. Steve finished mid pack as well in 20th.
Next race was the 35+ 1/2/3. This was a big field of over 70 riders. CoreTechs had five riders in this field (Steve Stewart, Scott Fairman, Christian and John Wilde) I figured since this was my second race of the day I would try and do a few breaks and if nothing worked either sit in or possibly come off the back.
The race started very fast from the whistle. A few guys went for breaks and I jumped on them and sat on them. Each time the field brought us back quickly. I actually felt pretty good this race. About five laps to go Duane from Thirsty Bear team (guy who beat me by a photo finish in Monterey for 1st place) went for a break. I jumped on him and he got a bit of a gap. Honestly, it took all I had to just stay on him. It really hurt. We kept our gap for about half or three quarters of a lap, but the field was having none of it. All back together the last lap and the pace went up three or four notches. I had nothing left for a sprint and just sat in the pack and rolled across the finish for a glorious 30th place out of the 73 riders. Steve finished just in front of me in the pack at 27th and I think the other guys rolled across at the back of that pack as well. Was fun to have the team around. Afterward we hung out a bit (drank a beer-thanks Steve!) and watched some of the next race.
Lessons learned this day. Be aware if someone is off the fricken front! See you out there.
Andrew
Monday, June 6, 2011
Chris's Dash for Cash Race Report
Report by Chris Scheetz: June 4th, 2011
Race – ICCC Dash for Cash, Pleasanton, CA
Weather – 60 degrees plus or minus, rain
Races – Elite 4 and 35+ 4/5
This race report is for Christian Parker, John Wilde and me.
Planning this weekends riding, CoreTechs riders had a few riding options: Sequoia Century, ICCC Dash for Cash Criterium or the Top Sport stage race. Since the Top Sport Stage race was canceled, options were narrowed to the first two events. Christian, John and I opted for the Dash for Cash. When we signed up, none of us thought we would be racing in poor conditions, yet, we spent a collective 85 minutes racing in the rain. On a side note, the night before the race I had a dream. The next morning, I thought the dream may have been an omen not to race. I dreamed I got to the race venue and missed my race because I could not find the registration table. I dismissed this idea and felt a surge of confidence that the team could do well, likely to due to the fact that I had watched Valkyrie the night before.
On the way to the race, team CoreTechs set one goal: Ride together within the peloton. That goal may sound easy, but it actually takes some effort to stay together. I am happy to report, we met the goal. It was interesting to see under race conditions, how two of us would be separated from the third, and have the third rider make his way up to us only to be let in by an unattached wheel. This happened multiple times during each race. Enough about goals, onto the racing.
As far as crits go, this course is pretty straight forward, clock wise rotation, flat as a pancake, good office park pavement with four right turns and 0.9 miles per lap. The "x" factors in this race where the rain and slick roads. These two elements did slow the pace a bit, but in my opinion, made the race more dangerous as you were never 100% sure your tires would hold in the corners. The wet conditions amplified what would otherwise be “non-hazards”, i.e. bot dots, manhole covers, painted cross walk lines, pavement patches and the old “rooster tail” from the guy in front of you hitting you in the face. Every turn was a function of matching the speed of the bike in front of you and hoping you did now slide out. On multiple occasions I witnessed riders in front of me loose traction, as well, my rear tire slide out on a bot dot, and Christian lost traction accelerating out of numerous corners. Surprisingly enough, even with these hazards, I only saw one crash. A rider in front of me went too wide in turn four, ran out of real estate, did some “grinding” with his bottom bracket and carbon rims on the median curb before dumping.
The first race was the Elite 4. The rules of Dash for Cash call for two racing laps with all subsequent laps up to 20, being preem’s valued at $10 each. With a preem at stake on every lap there was plenty of attempted break-aways, some successful, many not. I am pleased to report our own John Wilde, riding a cyclo-cross bike, won two preem’s this race and was probably pimped at the line on several other occasions. When you get the opportunity to race with John, you will see he has a deep well for short sustained bursts of power, (Devon, Andrew and Mark, meet your new lead out man).
After a restful four minutes, the whistle blew and we started the second race, 35+ 4/5. Being sufficiently warm and used to the conditions, this was another good showing for team CoreTechs. For the most part, we rode with the same goal in mind as the first race, stay together. The highlights of this race included two more preem wins, one by John and one by Christian (more on Christians win in a moment). I did not witness any crashes this race, but almost caused one myself. The group was rolling into turn one and the rider in front of me for some reason was decelerating into the corner and I had no option but to tap my brakes which caused quite a uproar behind me, (sorry again Christian). My personal highlight came with two laps to go. Team CoreTechs was sitting mid pack. As we made turn three onto the shortest leg of the course, I made a move on the inside with Christian on my wheel. We made it to turn four with a couple other riders for the long stretch to the start/finish and the preem. I held the lead most of the way and served as a good lead out for Christian who won the preem!! As we rolled on, I took a look back and to my surprise, there was a huge gap between us and the peloton. Holy cow, less than one lap to go, so I tucked behind the rider who took the lead and I did not look back. Turn two, we are still in the lead. Turn three, we are still in the lead. As we headed to turn four, a team member for the rider I was tailing pulled up next to us, yelled at his team mate to move, blocked me and about a dozen riders zoomed passed me as we exited turn four. Bummer, so close.
Overall, a good day for team CoreTechs with four preems, Christian with two top ten finished of 7th and 9th, me with a 19th and 21st finish and John just behind me in both races. On a side note, the next time you see Christian, ask him how he got the wheel marks on his left leg without crashing.
Race – ICCC Dash for Cash, Pleasanton, CA
Weather – 60 degrees plus or minus, rain
Races – Elite 4 and 35+ 4/5
This race report is for Christian Parker, John Wilde and me.
Planning this weekends riding, CoreTechs riders had a few riding options: Sequoia Century, ICCC Dash for Cash Criterium or the Top Sport stage race. Since the Top Sport Stage race was canceled, options were narrowed to the first two events. Christian, John and I opted for the Dash for Cash. When we signed up, none of us thought we would be racing in poor conditions, yet, we spent a collective 85 minutes racing in the rain. On a side note, the night before the race I had a dream. The next morning, I thought the dream may have been an omen not to race. I dreamed I got to the race venue and missed my race because I could not find the registration table. I dismissed this idea and felt a surge of confidence that the team could do well, likely to due to the fact that I had watched Valkyrie the night before.
On the way to the race, team CoreTechs set one goal: Ride together within the peloton. That goal may sound easy, but it actually takes some effort to stay together. I am happy to report, we met the goal. It was interesting to see under race conditions, how two of us would be separated from the third, and have the third rider make his way up to us only to be let in by an unattached wheel. This happened multiple times during each race. Enough about goals, onto the racing.
As far as crits go, this course is pretty straight forward, clock wise rotation, flat as a pancake, good office park pavement with four right turns and 0.9 miles per lap. The "x" factors in this race where the rain and slick roads. These two elements did slow the pace a bit, but in my opinion, made the race more dangerous as you were never 100% sure your tires would hold in the corners. The wet conditions amplified what would otherwise be “non-hazards”, i.e. bot dots, manhole covers, painted cross walk lines, pavement patches and the old “rooster tail” from the guy in front of you hitting you in the face. Every turn was a function of matching the speed of the bike in front of you and hoping you did now slide out. On multiple occasions I witnessed riders in front of me loose traction, as well, my rear tire slide out on a bot dot, and Christian lost traction accelerating out of numerous corners. Surprisingly enough, even with these hazards, I only saw one crash. A rider in front of me went too wide in turn four, ran out of real estate, did some “grinding” with his bottom bracket and carbon rims on the median curb before dumping.
The first race was the Elite 4. The rules of Dash for Cash call for two racing laps with all subsequent laps up to 20, being preem’s valued at $10 each. With a preem at stake on every lap there was plenty of attempted break-aways, some successful, many not. I am pleased to report our own John Wilde, riding a cyclo-cross bike, won two preem’s this race and was probably pimped at the line on several other occasions. When you get the opportunity to race with John, you will see he has a deep well for short sustained bursts of power, (Devon, Andrew and Mark, meet your new lead out man).
After a restful four minutes, the whistle blew and we started the second race, 35+ 4/5. Being sufficiently warm and used to the conditions, this was another good showing for team CoreTechs. For the most part, we rode with the same goal in mind as the first race, stay together. The highlights of this race included two more preem wins, one by John and one by Christian (more on Christians win in a moment). I did not witness any crashes this race, but almost caused one myself. The group was rolling into turn one and the rider in front of me for some reason was decelerating into the corner and I had no option but to tap my brakes which caused quite a uproar behind me, (sorry again Christian). My personal highlight came with two laps to go. Team CoreTechs was sitting mid pack. As we made turn three onto the shortest leg of the course, I made a move on the inside with Christian on my wheel. We made it to turn four with a couple other riders for the long stretch to the start/finish and the preem. I held the lead most of the way and served as a good lead out for Christian who won the preem!! As we rolled on, I took a look back and to my surprise, there was a huge gap between us and the peloton. Holy cow, less than one lap to go, so I tucked behind the rider who took the lead and I did not look back. Turn two, we are still in the lead. Turn three, we are still in the lead. As we headed to turn four, a team member for the rider I was tailing pulled up next to us, yelled at his team mate to move, blocked me and about a dozen riders zoomed passed me as we exited turn four. Bummer, so close.
Overall, a good day for team CoreTechs with four preems, Christian with two top ten finished of 7th and 9th, me with a 19th and 21st finish and John just behind me in both races. On a side note, the next time you see Christian, ask him how he got the wheel marks on his left leg without crashing.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Dave T's Winner, Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner report
Dave T's Epic Mnt Bike Race Report!
Rockhopper Classic May 7, 2011
Beginner Class 45-54
Place: 1st
After 1.5 hour drive I arrived Saturday morning around 8:30am in preparation for a 10am start. I wanted to get a 1/2 half hour warmup in prep for my second race MTB of the season. I did pre-ride the course on Thursday afternoon and this course was a good one, set in the rolling hills of Lagoon Valley Park/Pena Adobe Park in Vacaville, CA, with a good amount of singletrack, climbing, and tons of switchbacks. Each lap was 9.5 miles and 1600 feet of climbing.
The classes were quite full and I there was definitely some speedy competition. The race started with a group start of all ages going at once - Yike! Should be a fun race I thought to myself if I don't blow up! My strategy was to stay in the front - top 10 - and hopefully be able to keep it up to the final climb before the final decent to the finish. My legs felt ok on the first climb, but I HR was redlining. Got a little bit of a breather on a downhill and then traverse before another steep short climb. . The second steep climb was hard but I was in "3rd overall" - good news - even though I ran into a women "sport rider" at the top- doh! After untangling myself and taking a quick breath i'm behind the saddle on a choppy steep downhill with what looks like a sharp off camber right turn at the bottom. Though the meadow I go to a small jump to do a "cool picture" but I was breathing to hard to do anything but roll over the jump. I definately need more noon rides!
Up the next big climb there was a nice 360 degree view interrupted by that cross wind gust and lots of gassed people. I took advange of this and quick peddled by the 2 other leaders and never looked back. From that point there were 2 more climbs, one fire road and 1 single track. Once finishing the final climb down to the finish I go which was a truly sweet cut-in singletrack trail on the steep hillside, that gradually made it's way down to the bottom.
Fun race and first ever first place!
Dave
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
JP's Morgan Hill Crit race report
John Pauley Race Report:
I will try to keep this short, because it is late on Monday night and I need some sleep.
I am planning on racing the Topsport Stage Race next weekend, and after having a bad case of bronchitis in March/April I have been concerned I would not be able to get in shape for a stage race that has a 63 mile road race, a 75 minute circuit race on rolling terrain and a 10 mile TT over two days. Last weekend I was feeling pretty good, so I rode 72 miles on Saturday including the Pen Velo and the Sectrum rides (although I got dropped about 15 miles in the Spectrum ride) and 35 miles on Sunday. Not bad, but I was still a bit concerned.
This weekend was my wife's "girl’s weekend" in Palm Springs, so I had all the time I wanted to ride my bike.
I wanted to do what I could to train this weekend in a way that would be similar to next week’s race. Saturday I did the Pen Velo ride and then turned around at Page Mill and joined the Spectrum ride at Arastradero and Alpine. For the first time in a couple of years, I was able to complete the entire Spectrum ride after doing the Pen Velo ride. With my confidence high, I decided to continue riding and ended up at just over 81 miles for the day, with over 50 of it at group speed. I followed up with a 35 mile ride including Pen Velo on Sunday. Still feeling great, and recovering well, I decided to do the Memorial Day Crit in Morgan Hill on Monday. All told, I rode over 170 miles this 3 day weekend which is one of my biggest 3 days in years (I was feeling pretty good about myself until I realized that Laura could do that in her sleep. Can't wait to read her ride report for this past weekend). Here is that multi-race report:
What: Memorial Day Crit
Where: Morgan Hill
Course: three right turns and one long sweeping right turn. Turns one and four were 90 degrees and turn two was slightly sharper than 90 degrees.
Race 1: Masters 45+ 3/4 (combined with 35+ 3/4) 100 riders
Finish: 30th overall, 2nd place in the 45+ 4's
I don’t have much to say about these races as I did them for leg speed training and to be certain I could do two races in a day. I sat in the back ¼ of the pack for most of the race and did an “accordion” workout. (That’s where you sit near the back of a pack and deal with the massive changes of speed to gauge recovery times, leg speed, cornering with the guys that aren’t too confident, etc.)
This was a 40 minute race on a flat, wide, safe course. We averaged 25 mph with a considerable number surges (a low of 17 through turn two and a high of 31 on the back straight). The only place on the course where we slowed every lap was turn 2, it was sharper and narrower than the rest of the course and many of the riders didn't seem to know how to hold a line and pedal at the same time through a turn. I enjoyed the race and felt like I could move up, but the front of the race did not seem too safe. Christian was also in this race and he rode very well, especially considering he rode the Mt. Hamilton race the day before, he was the one that told me the front of the race was pretty sketchy, but I’ll let him give his side of the story. I was happy with my top 30 placing considering I didn’t do much work the entire race and I didn’t sprint until I saw Christian go flying past me with 200 yards to go. I grabbed his wheel and finished about a bike length behind him.
Race 2: Masters 45+ 1/2/3/4 77 riders
Finish: 56th overall, 4th place in the 4's
I almost didn’t do this race, but when I found out it was only $10, I had to at least give it a shot. It was the same race as above but, 45 minutes in length. Turn two was considerably faster than the previous race, there were more attacks, and we averaged almost 27 mph! Oddly enough, even though crits scare me, I was much more comfortable in this race. I sat in the back half of the pack (but closer to the middle, than last race) for most of the ride, but I was able to move around in the pack with much more ease and I was actually less tired racing this category than the previous due to the consistency of speed through the turns and the constant attacks which kept the speed high throughout the race. At one point, with about 7 or 8 laps to go, I moved up to about 15th and considered following the next break. I didn’t do it, because I was concerned I might get dropped after we got caught. In hindsight, I wish I would have tried. It would be good to know if I can recover from and effort like that. Oh well, live and learn.
I had fun racing again now I am much more confident that I will be able to do three races in two days next weekend. This week will be a recovery week with only two days of easy spins as I taper for next Saturday. If I don’t see you up in Copperopolis, I will plan to be out riding the group rides next week.
I will try to keep this short, because it is late on Monday night and I need some sleep.
I am planning on racing the Topsport Stage Race next weekend, and after having a bad case of bronchitis in March/April I have been concerned I would not be able to get in shape for a stage race that has a 63 mile road race, a 75 minute circuit race on rolling terrain and a 10 mile TT over two days. Last weekend I was feeling pretty good, so I rode 72 miles on Saturday including the Pen Velo and the Sectrum rides (although I got dropped about 15 miles in the Spectrum ride) and 35 miles on Sunday. Not bad, but I was still a bit concerned.
This weekend was my wife's "girl’s weekend" in Palm Springs, so I had all the time I wanted to ride my bike.
I wanted to do what I could to train this weekend in a way that would be similar to next week’s race. Saturday I did the Pen Velo ride and then turned around at Page Mill and joined the Spectrum ride at Arastradero and Alpine. For the first time in a couple of years, I was able to complete the entire Spectrum ride after doing the Pen Velo ride. With my confidence high, I decided to continue riding and ended up at just over 81 miles for the day, with over 50 of it at group speed. I followed up with a 35 mile ride including Pen Velo on Sunday. Still feeling great, and recovering well, I decided to do the Memorial Day Crit in Morgan Hill on Monday. All told, I rode over 170 miles this 3 day weekend which is one of my biggest 3 days in years (I was feeling pretty good about myself until I realized that Laura could do that in her sleep. Can't wait to read her ride report for this past weekend). Here is that multi-race report:
What: Memorial Day Crit
Where: Morgan Hill
Course: three right turns and one long sweeping right turn. Turns one and four were 90 degrees and turn two was slightly sharper than 90 degrees.
Race 1: Masters 45+ 3/4 (combined with 35+ 3/4) 100 riders
Finish: 30th overall, 2nd place in the 45+ 4's
I don’t have much to say about these races as I did them for leg speed training and to be certain I could do two races in a day. I sat in the back ¼ of the pack for most of the race and did an “accordion” workout. (That’s where you sit near the back of a pack and deal with the massive changes of speed to gauge recovery times, leg speed, cornering with the guys that aren’t too confident, etc.)
This was a 40 minute race on a flat, wide, safe course. We averaged 25 mph with a considerable number surges (a low of 17 through turn two and a high of 31 on the back straight). The only place on the course where we slowed every lap was turn 2, it was sharper and narrower than the rest of the course and many of the riders didn't seem to know how to hold a line and pedal at the same time through a turn. I enjoyed the race and felt like I could move up, but the front of the race did not seem too safe. Christian was also in this race and he rode very well, especially considering he rode the Mt. Hamilton race the day before, he was the one that told me the front of the race was pretty sketchy, but I’ll let him give his side of the story. I was happy with my top 30 placing considering I didn’t do much work the entire race and I didn’t sprint until I saw Christian go flying past me with 200 yards to go. I grabbed his wheel and finished about a bike length behind him.
Race 2: Masters 45+ 1/2/3/4 77 riders
Finish: 56th overall, 4th place in the 4's
I almost didn’t do this race, but when I found out it was only $10, I had to at least give it a shot. It was the same race as above but, 45 minutes in length. Turn two was considerably faster than the previous race, there were more attacks, and we averaged almost 27 mph! Oddly enough, even though crits scare me, I was much more comfortable in this race. I sat in the back half of the pack (but closer to the middle, than last race) for most of the ride, but I was able to move around in the pack with much more ease and I was actually less tired racing this category than the previous due to the consistency of speed through the turns and the constant attacks which kept the speed high throughout the race. At one point, with about 7 or 8 laps to go, I moved up to about 15th and considered following the next break. I didn’t do it, because I was concerned I might get dropped after we got caught. In hindsight, I wish I would have tried. It would be good to know if I can recover from and effort like that. Oh well, live and learn.
I had fun racing again now I am much more confident that I will be able to do three races in two days next weekend. This week will be a recovery week with only two days of easy spins as I taper for next Saturday. If I don’t see you up in Copperopolis, I will plan to be out riding the group rides next week.
CCCX Mnt Bike Race Report-Dave T.
Boggs Mountain Bash, Cobb CA
May 21st, 2011
Sport Class 45-54
Place: 2nd
Distance 21.4miles
2300 ft of climbing
CCCX Series, Monterey
May 28th, 2011
Sport Class 45-54
Place: 3nd - I think because they had me as a DNF but I did finish the race and sent them my garmin record and times. Donno what they are going to do..
Distance 23.4miles
2300 ft of climbing
Pics by Tim Westmore (he really makes you look good!!)
Two more MTB races in the last last 2 weeks - sorry for the catch up - both being very different. Boggs is in a demonstration forest with thick "BIG" pines, steep hills, and rocky single track. CCCX is in Monterey at Fort Ord with rolling rutted and dusty single track, some fire roads, and some thick sand that can stop you dead in your tracks. For both of these races I moved up a category to Sport which like cat 3/4 and is typically very competitive because the guys normally race on a regular basis. Boggs was much more of a techical course and is one of my favorite venues from days gone by. Boggs started out as a group start with ALL categories going at once - this was mass chaos for the beginning however they ran us up a 2-3 mile section of up hill fire road before heading us back down a very cool "big" tree lined single track which was super fun. From there you went on a short fire road climb and then headed into more sweetie sweet single track with slippery pine needles - yike. Then uphill again to to more up hill single track then to the fast single track to home. I was leading in my cat for the first lap which I didn't know because of the mass start but ended up running out of gas on the last single track up hill being beat by 35 seconds - bummer. During the race I did slightly tag a tree with my handlebar but thankfully didn't go down. The first year I did this race someone ran into a tree with his face and had to be helicopter out of there and I didn't want that to happen to me. Overall very happy with 2nd place and glad I move up a cat.
The CCCX series is much different. The course is about 4.7 miles long and you had to do 5 laps. This for me was tough because you were eating and breathing dust for almost 2 hours.This race however had some great riders with more engine than I think I have ever had - just in unbelievable shape! The course itself was pretty fun in the beginning with some very burmed single track in the middle that you could really lean over into, small very cool little jumps " see pics", and some very fast hard packed double track. But by the end I was ready for a lung bath and a good shower.
I think I finished the race in 3rd but they had me as a DNF. I just send them my garmin report with times and laps I did and I hope that can correct it. Also Tim Westmore said hello once I finished the race as well - perhaps he can vouch for me!
I also attached the pics from Tim who can really take some GOOD photo's. Thanks Tim!!
Dave
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Race Report (kind of) from Devon on Golden State Crit
Devon Joos
Golden State Crit in Sacramento (5/21/11)
Pic by our new sponsor: Tim Westmore ; Argentum Imago
So I raced the golden state crit. 4 broke away I pulled the last couple laps w/out much help. Very effective blocking by Davis team and some other weenies. 26.2 average and a good workout
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