Written by Scott Freiermuth
Leesville Gap Road Race
M35 +4
Distance 63 miles
Place 7th / 21 starting
Hope everyone had a great 4th, and those that are on the DL list are healing well. I promised the wife we would visit friends in Nevada City over the holiday weekend. It turns out the drive to Leesville is only 90 minutes from Nevada City, so I signed up for a unique experience.
Much like the Copperopolis warning "pavement is good to poor. Tighten all your bolts including brakes, brake hoods, seat bolts and stem bolts" Leesville lived up to the reputation. Rolling from Williams High School via motorcycle escort, the temperatures were already climbing and most folks were carrying 3 water bottles. Through town the roads were fair, and the group moved along at tempo pace. As we approached HWY 20, the CHP had stopped traffic in both directions to allow the racers a safe crossing. Once on the other side of the HWY, the race was on and the road went from fair to terrible.
The rolling terrain was covered in thick gravel, dirt or pot holes with a steady ascent. How bad was it? Folks were losing water bottles and sun glasses as they flew off the bike. It was difficult to find a cadence as pushing too big a gear would cause the wheel to slip, and spinning to high a gear would cause even more bouncing. I managed to stay with the lead group to the base of the first big climb. According to the motorcycle ref, temps were now 104 degrees and the climb was completely exposed.
The billy goats took off, and I settled into a rhythm. Once at the top, the descent was a point and shoot exercise to avoid any large holes. Carnage lined the side of the road from the M 1/2/3/ race that rolled out before us, peeps standing road side with flat tires.
I managed to regroup with a few people and we actually worked together in rotation to the neutral feed zone. Another climb splintered the group down to four, with 20 rolling miles before the finish line. The finish is about 2 miles from the actual start, on a long straight road. The four of use worked to secure a position to either counter an attack, or launch an attack from behind. As we rolled pas the 1KM sign, the first person went with the others in tow. I managed to swing wide and take the sprint within our group for 7th.
It was a unique race with poor road conditions, high temperatures, descent climbs and fast descents. I'm already looking forward to doing this next year with a few teammates!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mark Foster's CCCX (Winner!) and Burlingame Report
CCCX Road Race 6-25-11(one hour circuit race)
Class: 45+ Cat 4
Riders: 26
Team mates: Tom Rice
Weather: overcast 57 degrees
So the CCCX race is always fun. It’s a relatively safe venue and requires some brain power to be in the right place at the right time. The race went at a faster pace than normal. Usually we old cat 4 master guys go slow till the finish, so that we don’t strain ourselves too much and enjoy our evening cocktails without feeling too tired. This one was different. Maybe the non-sprinters wanted to do well. Or maybe we had more mid-life crisis sufferers than normal, but the pace stayed brisk. Tom and I tried to attack(not like Rich in the 1/2/3 race) and got a bit of a gap; but then Tom said to me,”Stop, this isn’t working”. We were successful in pulling the field for a while; but dropped no one(I think). So many of the riders took a turn pulling and I got much more of a workout than expected. The pace of course picked up on the last lap and especially so on the final rollers. Todd Munk of SJBC took the lead over the last hill and I moved into the third position as we began the descent. I know not to hammer too fast on the downhill or you’ll end up leading into the final turn. It’s funny because they all start yelling, “Go! Go!”; yet everyone is smart enough to know not to. Then as we approach the final turn, a Livermore guy takes off. Munk tries to catch him. I stay on Munks wheel through the corner but realize the leader has some steam. The surge starts coming around me as I wind up for the final 200 meters. I get Munk and some other guy but it seems I let too much of a gap build to catch the leader. He starts to fade as I build up speed; and I blow by him right at the line. He throws his hands up like he won the TdF and I think, “wow, that was close.” The photo finish showed me winning by a couple of inches. I get my money back plus a case of Gu. Nice!
Burlingame Crit
Masters 35+ Cat 4
Riders: 70
Team mates: Tom, Scott F.
Weather: beautiful, 70 degrees
I was feeling a bit fried from the day before. Apparently as we age, recovery takes longer. At any rate, it was only my legs that felt tired. As I warmed up around the High School I started feeling better. Then, with about fifteen minutes before the race, I ran over some glass and heard the ear wrenching “Hiss” of a blowout. Of course I had tubulars with no slime. I was about 1 mile out so I rode back on the flat until the road got rough and jogged in cycling cleats the rest of the way. I passed my team mates in the parking lot on the way back; so they helped me calm down. Fortunately I brought spare wheels. Everything was fine. I got a great start and was in the top 10 right away. I stay in the top five or ten up until the first “preem”. I committed about a quarter of the way down the final straight and got the guy at the line to earn $50(So I thought at the time) Yes! Scott came by me at that point and helped me recover, but I still faded back to about twentieth or thirtieth while I recovered from the sprint. After I recovered, I moved back up to the front( Scott was there too!) and managed to stay there in top five or ten for the rest of the race. I wimped out at going for any more “preems”, and there was one significant one( a set of new wheels) that had me considering going for it. I elected to concentrate on the race. Finally with one lap to go, I found myself following two SJBC guys. One of them pulls over. Now I’m in second place following Todd Munk again(like the day before). Then he pulls over, now I’m leading the race with two thirds of a mile to go….Oops. I don’t pull over. I keep hammering, but leave something left for when the surge comes screaming by. I manage to hang on to the lead all the way until we start into the final sweeping right hander into the finish. I start really hammering to grab a wheel as the surge envelops me. I get one. Now we’re on the final sprint for the finish. I dig as deeply as I can but don’t have the same power I had the day before. They crawl by me as we get closer to the line. I see Scott on my left. I finish eighth, Scott finishes seventh. Tom hangs on to the pack. Not bad. It was a blast! I went to pick up my fifty bucks after the race and they told me I didn’t win that “preem” lap. I said,”Yes I did. Show me the tape.” They erased the tape, and I elected to not start a conspiracy theory. I still had a blast and made it though the weekend in one piece. No complaints, it was a great weekend!
Keith's Burlingame 35+ 1/2/3 and P/1/2 report
M35+ and p/1/2 (John, Christian, and Andrew in M35+)
about 15th in M35+ with one prime sprint
about 20-25 in p/1/2
not much to say, but it was fun to be in a race with teammates. We didn't have a big team race plan as it was 2nd race for the others and they all did well in their previous races, which is cool. Thanks for getting in the 2nd race guys. no successful breaks got away in m35+, but I did take a prime by sprinting out of the pack and coming around Andres and Patrick - both old teammates that have been much more successful than me racing for several years. It was nice to do something in the race. After the prime sprint, I was out solo by a little bit and 3 were catching up to me, so I made the mistake of waiting. Ends up they were just doing the masters thing and chasing me down to stop trying. too bad. I should have just kept going. Next time.
Early in the race, Christian and Andrew were up front. Andrew was active. When I saw him on the front I moved up to help mark wheels, but he was just missing the 3 man move a few times, so I didn't need to jump in and help a move get away at that point. It was good to see him up there and almost making a nice move. He was working hard. Christian battled well at the front for the first half and I saw him a lot. He;s easy to spot in the pack with his fluorescent armwarmers. I thought they might go away when it got hot, but I guess he likes them a lot.
A good sized move went with about 8 guys about 1/2 way through the 40 minute race and I went through the front to bridge. We had nobody up there, so I had to do it. Unfortunately, my bridge wasn't overly explosive and I simply closed the gap for the field. That's okay to do, better than letting the 8 person move go with the teams all represented.
Prime prize was a bunch of gus and bars, so I'm happy to give you guys some at the beginning of next race that we are at if I remember to bring them along.
p/1/2 felt easier than m35+ but that was because there was no surging, just constant speed and nobody going anywhere far in a breakaway. I hung in the back because my knee starting hurting for the first time ever. Ends up that my new bike with integrated seatpost wasn't put together by me as sound as it should be. operator error - I didn't tighten the seatpost bolt down enough and the seat clamp fell 6mm (the entire length of the total gap between top of the cut post and the top of the clamp. I didn't know until after the race. Position is very important and just 6mm drop caused some strange pains in my left knee. Problem diagnosed and fixed tonight. I will install a shim and never have that problem again.
There were three notable crashes in this race, 2 in last five laps and one in the top 10 that landed 10 feet from the finish. The question came up, if you crash near the finish and your bike crosses the line in top 10, but you do not, do you get a prize? I avoided all crashes just barely - one with shoulders leaning on another rider and one with a nice skid. Maybe rolled in 20th-25th with no real action in this one. Knee didn't have too many problems later in the race and pain has already subsided.
about 15th in M35+ with one prime sprint
about 20-25 in p/1/2
not much to say, but it was fun to be in a race with teammates. We didn't have a big team race plan as it was 2nd race for the others and they all did well in their previous races, which is cool. Thanks for getting in the 2nd race guys. no successful breaks got away in m35+, but I did take a prime by sprinting out of the pack and coming around Andres and Patrick - both old teammates that have been much more successful than me racing for several years. It was nice to do something in the race. After the prime sprint, I was out solo by a little bit and 3 were catching up to me, so I made the mistake of waiting. Ends up they were just doing the masters thing and chasing me down to stop trying. too bad. I should have just kept going. Next time.
Early in the race, Christian and Andrew were up front. Andrew was active. When I saw him on the front I moved up to help mark wheels, but he was just missing the 3 man move a few times, so I didn't need to jump in and help a move get away at that point. It was good to see him up there and almost making a nice move. He was working hard. Christian battled well at the front for the first half and I saw him a lot. He;s easy to spot in the pack with his fluorescent armwarmers. I thought they might go away when it got hot, but I guess he likes them a lot.
A good sized move went with about 8 guys about 1/2 way through the 40 minute race and I went through the front to bridge. We had nobody up there, so I had to do it. Unfortunately, my bridge wasn't overly explosive and I simply closed the gap for the field. That's okay to do, better than letting the 8 person move go with the teams all represented.
Prime prize was a bunch of gus and bars, so I'm happy to give you guys some at the beginning of next race that we are at if I remember to bring them along.
p/1/2 felt easier than m35+ but that was because there was no surging, just constant speed and nobody going anywhere far in a breakaway. I hung in the back because my knee starting hurting for the first time ever. Ends up that my new bike with integrated seatpost wasn't put together by me as sound as it should be. operator error - I didn't tighten the seatpost bolt down enough and the seat clamp fell 6mm (the entire length of the total gap between top of the cut post and the top of the clamp. I didn't know until after the race. Position is very important and just 6mm drop caused some strange pains in my left knee. Problem diagnosed and fixed tonight. I will install a shim and never have that problem again.
There were three notable crashes in this race, 2 in last five laps and one in the top 10 that landed 10 feet from the finish. The question came up, if you crash near the finish and your bike crosses the line in top 10, but you do not, do you get a prize? I avoided all crashes just barely - one with shoulders leaning on another rider and one with a nice skid. Maybe rolled in 20th-25th with no real action in this one. Knee didn't have too many problems later in the race and pain has already subsided.
Andrew's CCCX and Burlingame Report
CCCX Road Race 45+ 1/2/3
Teammates: John Pauley, Rich Del Valle
34 in field
I love this course. It has a few rollers that make it kind of hard but not so hard that it crushes you. Keeps the race interesting and pretty safe. About 20 minutes before race start, Rich shows up. For those that don’t know Rich, he is an old time Cat 1 racer. He is just 45, but been racing for so long he remembers racing on wooden wheels. way, Rich has called me several times to say he was going to race only to be a no show come race time. The typical response is, "dude (Rich is a very mellow guy), I meant to go, but just couldn't muster the energy." At this point, I really did not believe Rich still owned a bike. So seeing him at a race is like spotting Big Foot.
This race is thought of as one you can do well at since it usually is not that stacked of a race. I guess word got out because this time it was a bit different. Had a few guys there that are very strong, so I knew the race would be pretty fast. Race starts and attacks go from the gun. First lesson learned, warm up better! That first lap was the hardest of the race. It stayed fairly fast but as the raced moved along I felt better and better since I finally warmed up. I had a blast watching Rich attack. He would go hard, get a decent gap and then try to stay away. I would sit on the front and try and slow the group down each time he went for it. Very fun to see and fun to support a teammate. You can see from the pic here the fun I was having. I had this goofy grin most of the race. Anyway, Rich attacked about four or five times. Once he has his fitness back he will be dangerous! Well, with about 2.5 laps of the 5.5 mile per laps to go a break of two took off. No one chased. They stayed away and won. Field sprint for third place. I came in fifth, so 7th overall. Not bad, but had something left, so next time!
Lessons learned in this race: Bike racing is about decisions. You either do or you don’t. You can not hesitate and do any of it half ass. When Rich attacked, he attacked hard and got a gap. That is what you have to do, either that or don’t attack.
Burlingame Crit 35+ 1/2/3
Teammates: Keith, JP, Christian
1000 in Field (felt like that, but probably 65 or so)
I thought this race may be one to hang on for deal life. At the start line I had Kevin Metcalf sitting next to me and next to him was Eric Wollberg (former pro and Canada Olympian). A few riders over from them was Pat Briggs from the Yahoo team. About six Safeway guys and pretty much everyone else who was strong was there. This would not be a slow race. First lesson learned came quick to me. Clip in quick! I missed my pedal and had about 100 guys go by me before I made one pedal stroke. Now I was at the back and fighting for position. I worked my way towards the front after the first five or so laps. This was interesting race. It actually did not feel that fast to me (though we averaged about 28 mph). What was a real struggle was holding position. I would work my way up and just as quickly I would find myself locked in the middle again. This was pretty much my race.
My one highlight was mid race. A break of about five guys went off the front and the break included Pat Briggs. I figured that one might work since he is such a beast. I took off from the front of the peloton and in front of the start/ finish line sprinted as if it was the end of the race. I caught the break and sat at the back of it to recover a bit. As Keith mentioned in his report, it turned into a "typical Master's break". Once we had that gap, no one worked and the field caught us two turns later. Well, there I was, mid pack again. Three laps to go and I fought my way to top third. I wanted to get in position but just could not move up any further. The sharp turns and high speed prevented any movement. By the time we came to the final sprint, the top 15 sprinted and the guys I was with just sat up. Suddenly I have about 7 or 8 guys around me coasting in. Kind of hard to sprint everyone sitting up, so with no choice, I do the same and coast across the line in about 25th to 30th place (I just check the finishing results and they gave both Keith and myself a DNP-that is crap. We both were top 35 for sure. Oh well, hard to fight for 35th place).
Lessons learned: clip in quick. Fun racing with teammates, even if there is not much you can do to really help.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Christian's Nevada City Race Report (with Video)
Christian Parker's report
Race Report Nevada City Classic 2011
• Elite 3/4, 55 entered
• 80 degrees
• Teammates: John W. & Christian P.
• 50 minutes, 17 miles, 1700 feet of climbing
• 21rst and 48th place
Last Sunday Christian Parker and John Wilde represented CoreTechs in the
Cat-3 field at the historic Nevada City criterium. We raced for 50
minutes on a 1 mile loop that featured a sweeping high-speed
haybale-lined corner and relentless climbing and descending. With the
final words of the official "you won't be pulled if you aren't lapped
in the first 15 minutes" in mind we managed to hang onto the pack for
the first 3 laps, but lacking courage in the 45 mph downhill we let
gaps open and spent the rest of the race trying to just keep the
pedals turning on the uphill. We were helped in no small way by water
handouts from Christian's dad and cheers of support from his Aunt (who
lives in town) and sister. Christian was lapped once and John twice but we still pulled out
respectable places from a field of strong riders. A word of advice to future racers: bring
plenty of water and drink early and often.
A real short video is attached
Race Report Nevada City Classic 2011
• Elite 3/4, 55 entered
• 80 degrees
• Teammates: John W. & Christian P.
• 50 minutes, 17 miles, 1700 feet of climbing
• 21rst and 48th place
Last Sunday Christian Parker and John Wilde represented CoreTechs in the
Cat-3 field at the historic Nevada City criterium. We raced for 50
minutes on a 1 mile loop that featured a sweeping high-speed
haybale-lined corner and relentless climbing and descending. With the
final words of the official "you won't be pulled if you aren't lapped
in the first 15 minutes" in mind we managed to hang onto the pack for
the first 3 laps, but lacking courage in the 45 mph downhill we let
gaps open and spent the rest of the race trying to just keep the
pedals turning on the uphill. We were helped in no small way by water
handouts from Christian's dad and cheers of support from his Aunt (who
lives in town) and sister. Christian was lapped once and John twice but we still pulled out
respectable places from a field of strong riders. A word of advice to future racers: bring
plenty of water and drink early and often.
A real short video is attached
Monday, June 20, 2011
Race date 6-18-11
Race: Pescadero Coastal Classic
Class: Masters 45+ Cat 4
Riders: 92 Entered
So I knew Pescadero was going to be hard. But being a classic, it was a venue I had to try. Our race started at 8:05 and they weren’t kidding about the 92 riders. It was a mob. Tom, Mike and I were relegated to the back at the start, but we had 47 miles to catch up. I was concerned that there might be a break on that first climb up stage, so I was going to make sure I was in position to not get gapped there. Sure enough, we couldn’t move up in the pack until stage. Tom and I maybe made it up to the top 60 or so, but it was ridiculously crowded. As we went up stage for the first time, there were holes forming so that I made it to the top 30 or so by the first hump of stage. I bombed the downhill between the humps and must have been in the top 15 or so by the time we started up the second hump. The pace was comfortable and I was feeling confident but realized I was overly dressed….oops. The descent back to 84 was tame by my standards and I would guess there were 50 or so heading up 84 to Haskins. I saw Tom and Mike and they both appeared to be fine. The first time up Haskins was pretty brisk, but I was in no pain at this point and crested with the top 5 riders. We hammered the descent and formed a paceline as it flattened out (which is why it made it harder for Tom to catch back on). I had no idea where Tom and Mike were, but I’ve climbed with Tom before and knew that if he was having a good day, he’d have no problem hanging in. Then I saw him as we rolled through Pescadero…he looked fried. He told me he and another dude just pulled 15 guys back up to the front group. I know he’s capable of recovering, but there wasn’t much time between there and stage. He was going to suffer again soon. There were about 40 now that Tom brought 15 guys back to the group. We hit stage for the second time and the pace quickened. I felt really good so I took the lead and hammered up and over the first hump of stage road. I bombed the gnarly downhill on the other side. When I looked back at the bridge at the base of the second hump I had over one hundred yards on the front group, so I slowed down until the group caught me, and then we hammered up the second hump. Again the next descent was tame…. then we were on 84 heading up the last eight miles or so, to the base of Haskins. I felt great, so being the moron that I am, I pulled the group for a couple of miles with no help. Finally realizing that the “noon ride elbow flick” wasn’t going to get me any help, nor would asking for help; I just backed way off and melted into the top five. There were 20 riders left at this point. Literally 2 minutes after I let myself fade back to get some help, an attack of six riders broke off the front from the outside line. I’m boxed in and screaming at the guys in front of me, “Go! Go! Frigging Go! Damn it!” They wouldn’t move. I was screwed, but didn’t panic, because they always chase in Cat 4…right? Well they didn’t chase. I moved back to the front and pulled like heck for a couple miles….begging for help. They said, “sorry dude, we have team mates in the break”. Now the break was about 200 yards ahead and as I was pulling the group, two guys sprint past me to try and bridge. I sprint and caught them, thinking, “right-on”. Then the guy I was behind started to fade and get gapped by the rider in front of him. I yell for him to go or move. Then the bridging rider sensing he had a gap, hammered really hard and was going over 30mph and I elected not to burn a couple matches. So I was in between the two groups and faded back to the chase group. As I got back to the chase group, I saw the bridging rider make it….damn. So I pulled the chase group for a while more, head hung low, knowing I screwed up. I should have buried myself to catch on….oh well. With about two miles before Haskins, and the lead group now out of sight, I gave up. Then….. I finally got some help. Maybe there was hope? We picked up the pace, and I sat in and tried to recover as much as possible before the hill. As we turned right on Haskins(Pescadero Creek trail) I could see the lead group about 200 yards up. It was game on. I was about 6th in our group entering the hill, so about 12th overall. Three guys took off in pursuit of the lead group and I battled with about five other guys for the first mile up Haskins. By halfway up the hill, a few guys in the lead group were coming back to me and I had finally dropped the guys I was battling against. Two of the three that took off at the base of the climb were starting to come to me as well. I twisted myself as hard as I could. I passed three guys in the last 400 meters and caught three more, but didn’t get them by the finish line. I finished 7th over all. Not bad, but I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. I made three mistakes:1.Dropping Tom the second time up Stage(he can pull like a diesel on the flat and could have helped me bridge). 2.After a monster pull, getting boxed in, causing me to miss the break.3. Thinking the group would
Race: Pescadero Coastal Classic
Class: Masters 45+ Cat 4
Riders: 92 Entered
So I knew Pescadero was going to be hard. But being a classic, it was a venue I had to try. Our race started at 8:05 and they weren’t kidding about the 92 riders. It was a mob. Tom, Mike and I were relegated to the back at the start, but we had 47 miles to catch up. I was concerned that there might be a break on that first climb up stage, so I was going to make sure I was in position to not get gapped there. Sure enough, we couldn’t move up in the pack until stage. Tom and I maybe made it up to the top 60 or so, but it was ridiculously crowded. As we went up stage for the first time, there were holes forming so that I made it to the top 30 or so by the first hump of stage. I bombed the downhill between the humps and must have been in the top 15 or so by the time we started up the second hump. The pace was comfortable and I was feeling confident but realized I was overly dressed….oops. The descent back to 84 was tame by my standards and I would guess there were 50 or so heading up 84 to Haskins. I saw Tom and Mike and they both appeared to be fine. The first time up Haskins was pretty brisk, but I was in no pain at this point and crested with the top 5 riders. We hammered the descent and formed a paceline as it flattened out (which is why it made it harder for Tom to catch back on). I had no idea where Tom and Mike were, but I’ve climbed with Tom before and knew that if he was having a good day, he’d have no problem hanging in. Then I saw him as we rolled through Pescadero…he looked fried. He told me he and another dude just pulled 15 guys back up to the front group. I know he’s capable of recovering, but there wasn’t much time between there and stage. He was going to suffer again soon. There were about 40 now that Tom brought 15 guys back to the group. We hit stage for the second time and the pace quickened. I felt really good so I took the lead and hammered up and over the first hump of stage road. I bombed the gnarly downhill on the other side. When I looked back at the bridge at the base of the second hump I had over one hundred yards on the front group, so I slowed down until the group caught me, and then we hammered up the second hump. Again the next descent was tame…. then we were on 84 heading up the last eight miles or so, to the base of Haskins. I felt great, so being the moron that I am, I pulled the group for a couple of miles with no help. Finally realizing that the “noon ride elbow flick” wasn’t going to get me any help, nor would asking for help; I just backed way off and melted into the top five. There were 20 riders left at this point. Literally 2 minutes after I let myself fade back to get some help, an attack of six riders broke off the front from the outside line. I’m boxed in and screaming at the guys in front of me, “Go! Go! Frigging Go! Damn it!” They wouldn’t move. I was screwed, but didn’t panic, because they always chase in Cat 4…right? Well they didn’t chase. I moved back to the front and pulled like heck for a couple miles….begging for help. They said, “sorry dude, we have team mates in the break”. Now the break was about 200 yards ahead and as I was pulling the group, two guys sprint past me to try and bridge. I sprint and caught them, thinking, “right-on”. Then the guy I was behind started to fade and get gapped by the rider in front of him. I yell for him to go or move. Then the bridging rider sensing he had a gap, hammered really hard and was going over 30mph and I elected not to burn a couple matches. So I was in between the two groups and faded back to the chase group. As I got back to the chase group, I saw the bridging rider make it….damn. So I pulled the chase group for a while more, head hung low, knowing I screwed up. I should have buried myself to catch on….oh well. With about two miles before Haskins, and the lead group now out of sight, I gave up. Then….. I finally got some help. Maybe there was hope? We picked up the pace, and I sat in and tried to recover as much as possible before the hill. As we turned right on Haskins(Pescadero Creek trail) I could see the lead group about 200 yards up. It was game on. I was about 6th in our group entering the hill, so about 12th overall. Three guys took off in pursuit of the lead group and I battled with about five other guys for the first mile up Haskins. By halfway up the hill, a few guys in the lead group were coming back to me and I had finally dropped the guys I was battling against. Two of the three that took off at the base of the climb were starting to come to me as well. I twisted myself as hard as I could. I passed three guys in the last 400 meters and caught three more, but didn’t get them by the finish line. I finished 7th over all. Not bad, but I wasn’t happy with how it turned out. I made three mistakes:1.Dropping Tom the second time up Stage(he can pull like a diesel on the flat and could have helped me bridge). 2.After a monster pull, getting boxed in, causing me to miss the break.3. Thinking the group would
Tom Rice's Pesky RR 45+ Cat 4
Tom Rice's Pescadero RR report
45+ Cat 4
So... my first road race in almost 25 years, first race with CoreTechs and my first Pescadero Classic: I'd forgotten how much fun road racing is!
Mark Foster and I, racing in the Cat4 45+ race had talked quite a bit about the race but honestly I was just getting my feet wet again and I'm not gonna tell you I had any real tactical plan. I'm not a great climber so I "planned" to see how it went and adjust on the fly.
Mistake 1: I was too far back at the start and got stuck behind some of the slower climbers going over the first climb on Stage Road but I was able to get around these guys on the climb. The pack was close so I charged the descent to re-join the peloton at the bottom, right before the tree shaded bridge. I used way more energy in this section of the race than I should have.
Goal 1 achieved! I stayed with the pack through the first climb and descent.
The flats between Stage and Haskins were uneventful and I made my way closer to the front of the pack. The pace here was comfortable.
The first ascent of Haskins was going much better until about 1/2 way up. It seems like the pace of the front runners picked up and I didn't have the legs to keep up. The front of the pack was out of sight but not out of mind as I crested the climb. Again, I charged the descent and passed quite a few guys and settled in for the chase.
After a kilometer or so a group of 8 developed. We weren't working well together so I tried to encourage a smooth, quick paceline but most of the guys didn't have the horsepower or didn't have the good paceline skills required to pull this off. In a paceline like this, the front rider needs to make 6 to 10 very strong pedal strokes and pull off for the next rider in order to maximize speed.
So, a rider (in red kit - I didn't get his team) and I did a bunch of monster pulls and the small remaining front pack came into sight before the Butano Cut-off. Everyone else in our group just hung on. One more huge pull by Red Kit guy and one more huge pull by yours truly (this is what I'm good at) and we were back in the pack a klick or two before town.
Goal 2 Achieved: I went through Pescadero town in the front pack on lap 2.
I was baked for the second climb over Stage Road. One acceleration by "someone" (turns out it was Mark!) about 1/2 way up and I got dropped for good this time. A small "groupetto" collected together and we cruised through the flats up La Honda Road. Four of us were stronger than the rest and this smaller group stayed together to the finish line. I think we were among the first of the remaining riders after the main pack crossed the finish line.
Mistake 2: After a rest on La Honda Road the second time, I realized I was quite a bit stronger than the others in my groupetto. I should have ridden away from the group and I would have finished closer to the top 25 instead of 33rd.
Goal 3 Achieved: I finished respectably and I had a really good time. I finished 33rd and made an impact in the race. Mark and I rewarded ourselves with a healthy (read "big") lunch at Dewart's after.
I'm psych'ed to do the CCCX on Saturday!
Thanks for having me on the team!
Tom Rice
45+ Cat 4
So... my first road race in almost 25 years, first race with CoreTechs and my first Pescadero Classic: I'd forgotten how much fun road racing is!
Mark Foster and I, racing in the Cat4 45+ race had talked quite a bit about the race but honestly I was just getting my feet wet again and I'm not gonna tell you I had any real tactical plan. I'm not a great climber so I "planned" to see how it went and adjust on the fly.
Mistake 1: I was too far back at the start and got stuck behind some of the slower climbers going over the first climb on Stage Road but I was able to get around these guys on the climb. The pack was close so I charged the descent to re-join the peloton at the bottom, right before the tree shaded bridge. I used way more energy in this section of the race than I should have.
Goal 1 achieved! I stayed with the pack through the first climb and descent.
The flats between Stage and Haskins were uneventful and I made my way closer to the front of the pack. The pace here was comfortable.
The first ascent of Haskins was going much better until about 1/2 way up. It seems like the pace of the front runners picked up and I didn't have the legs to keep up. The front of the pack was out of sight but not out of mind as I crested the climb. Again, I charged the descent and passed quite a few guys and settled in for the chase.
After a kilometer or so a group of 8 developed. We weren't working well together so I tried to encourage a smooth, quick paceline but most of the guys didn't have the horsepower or didn't have the good paceline skills required to pull this off. In a paceline like this, the front rider needs to make 6 to 10 very strong pedal strokes and pull off for the next rider in order to maximize speed.
So, a rider (in red kit - I didn't get his team) and I did a bunch of monster pulls and the small remaining front pack came into sight before the Butano Cut-off. Everyone else in our group just hung on. One more huge pull by Red Kit guy and one more huge pull by yours truly (this is what I'm good at) and we were back in the pack a klick or two before town.
Goal 2 Achieved: I went through Pescadero town in the front pack on lap 2.
I was baked for the second climb over Stage Road. One acceleration by "someone" (turns out it was Mark!) about 1/2 way up and I got dropped for good this time. A small "groupetto" collected together and we cruised through the flats up La Honda Road. Four of us were stronger than the rest and this smaller group stayed together to the finish line. I think we were among the first of the remaining riders after the main pack crossed the finish line.
Mistake 2: After a rest on La Honda Road the second time, I realized I was quite a bit stronger than the others in my groupetto. I should have ridden away from the group and I would have finished closer to the top 25 instead of 33rd.
Goal 3 Achieved: I finished respectably and I had a really good time. I finished 33rd and made an impact in the race. Mark and I rewarded ourselves with a healthy (read "big") lunch at Dewart's after.
I'm psych'ed to do the CCCX on Saturday!
Thanks for having me on the team!
Tom Rice
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