tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34638882120587230722024-03-13T20:11:13.863-07:00MMZBA French Family BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-52300744347610065882013-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:002013-06-11T06:25:03.055-07:00River City Bicycle Classic 2013 1/2/3’s Race Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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For the second year in a row I travelled over to the in-laws
for the weekend and raced the River City Bicycle Classic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year was the event’s inaugural running
and with first year events, you’re never quite sure how they will turn
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it was a proper criterium
with a great atmosphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole
family had a good time, and though it was a hot day, I won the field sprint for
last money spot – not too shabby.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This year the promoter jacked up the purse to $7k for the
day so with the good start they had last year, I knew it was an event I had to
attend this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the things they
did well last year were carried forward but this year they added more money, a
beer garden, live music, and more spectators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kids did the children’s “race” and my boy made the local news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, the weather was 15-20 deg cooler so it
was much more pleasant for spectating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The grandparents walked the kids around the lake (looking for bears
according to my son!) and had fun chasing ducks and bugs.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The 1/2/3 race had a larger and deeper field this year, most
notably including hometown fast man Jonathan Jacob (ABG-Bissell-Giant).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Louisville teams showed up
Wayne/Clarksville Schwinn/others and of course TX Roadhouse brought a very fast
contingent of masters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately the
pro development guys were at Tulsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whew.</div>
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<br /></div>
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JJ attacked at the gun and we were off and running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit I took a small pull at the front in
pursuit of my friend but only to maintain position looking to bridge as I
thought it was the move of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maurice (Korte/Bike Surgeon) told me to calm down and not crap myself
because I was quite eager to join JJ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Thanks
Mo!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 15-20 minutes the field
reeled in JJ and little attacks and counters ensued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was involved in a fair number but once a
little gap would open nobody wanted to do the work of pulling through to
establish a real break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This went on for
the next 35 minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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JJ went to the front for the last 4 laps to keep the pace
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed the teams with 4-6 guys
were unwilling to do the work of keeping the race organized at the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it was inexperience, perhaps lack of
fitness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, TXRH and Clarksville
set up leadout trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I inserted myself
into the Clarksville train, which was a mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t really go anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t put the effort in to get up the
road, so I surfed for a bit and sprinted from too far back <a href="https://www.usacycling.org/results/?year=2013&id=1732&info_id=64463" target="_blank">to take 7<sup>th</sup></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TXRH took the top 3 spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s kind of a slap in the face.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Oh, and there were at least 4 crashes in the 1 corner that
required driving your bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out
some of the guys in our field were unable to manage this one turn at speed
without grabbing brake, striking pedals, or otherwise looking like cat 5’s in their
first race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pretty lame to have
to chase back up to a lead group a few times but shame on me for being behind
the Team Squirrel p/b Sketchers riders.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This season hasn’t gone too well for me and I wasn’t sure
how Saturday would turn out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
eschewed the “rest week” concept this year since my volume has been so
low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, last week was a forced rest
week with my business trip to Dallas for 4 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out it’s what I needed as I had pretty
good legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I didn’t play
my cards properly, since I would expect a podium with those legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C’est la vie.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, I’ve got one or maybe two more weekends of racing
before calling it a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the
last time I shut it down this early was my first cat 4 season (yes, I had 2)
when I only raced like 6 times!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the
baby is coming soon and traveling all over on the weekends for bikes doesn’t really
make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fall looks pretty busy
on the work front (like crazy crazy busy), so between a new baby and work I
doubt I will race CX much but we’ll see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next up: O’Fallon RR + Crit (State Championship RR)!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-6151864408988619172013-05-20T13:25:00.000-07:002013-05-21T05:12:49.756-07:00Finally posting a race report…and a political confession…and calling people out for the IL State RR.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
O'Fallon Cup Crit</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This spring has moved quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As opposed to this time last year when I was
fighting to find form while traveling 50% for work, this year I’ve been
fighting to find time to ride and race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A promotion at work (yay more responsibility!) and more fun stuff with my
kids (as they get older and can do more) means bike time gets squeezed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C’est la vie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless, I have been able to race a pretty great
schedule: Forest Park Crit, Hillsboro RR, VelotekGP Stage Race, Tour de CU, and
2/3 of MOPRO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been kind of a bummer
year so far as I haven’t been a factor in any races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to be part of a leadout train at the Velotek
SR crit, but other than that, I’ve just been pack fill - at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s kind of a drag.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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This past weekend was different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At CU I held on for dear life, and at MOPRO
(100+ fields) my legs started to come around (two top 20’s ain’t bad, but they
ain’t good, either), so at the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52149095@N00/sets/72157633539725898/" target="_blank">O’Fallon Cup Crit</a> I got to race my bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teammate BJ was very active early, attacking
the field and going with moves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat 3
supa-star Nick was covering JMac (Korte) on early moves, and I was following
stuff towards the front since I got there late and didn’t get a good warm-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus, it was hot, and Frenchy’s body
doesn’t like the hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I countered one of
BJ’s moves and it formed that lap into the break of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also just so happened to be a Chipotle 10
burrito prime lap, so when the break was doing the “no you pull” thing, I
jumped and scored $80 of burrito-ey goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Considering the total purse for the 1/2/3s was $250, I say it wasn’t
that bad of a choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Well, that break cohesiveness (or lack thereof)
continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed some rest but the attacks,
counters, and gap closing (I was only really involved in the gap closing)
tuckered me out pretty good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually
the elastic snapped and the strongest guys rolled on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zack (Qdoba), Ben (Momentum), and I were left
to ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mike Bruzina (Gateway CC)
was ahead of us chasing solo for the last 8 laps (+/-), while Justin (Korte),
Edward + Josh (Gateway Harley-Davidson), and Jim (Dogfish) stayed away and
hugged it out, I’m sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zach pulled the
plug and I dropped Ben, so I did 5 laps solo on the course before getting
caught at the bell by JBock (Qdoba) towing BJ + Murphy (Quantum Mesa), Griffin
(GHD), and ole Ben (Momentum) who had latched on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They dropped me as they attacked into the
final lap, racing for 6<sup>th</sup> place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sadly, Andy Lister (Wheelfast) also got some punches in by catching me
in the last turn and I was powerless to answer. At that point I was regretting jumping to get the burrito prime. Actually I was regretting lots of things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12<sup>th</sup> place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had to go about it in the hardest possible way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have the TT of a cat 5; solo for 5 laps was an eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really surprised the field didn’t catch
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The upshot was two-fold: the burrito
prime fed the team, and I was a factor in a race again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted, it was a small local race, and I got
dropped from the break like a stone, but it was racing nonetheless!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team worked well together, we just should
have had a second man in the break, or maybe one who could pedal his bike a bit
faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully this means my
legs are coming around a little more and I’ll be able to see the pointy end of
races again before I shut it down for the new baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, not too long and I’m calling it
a season, but I get a new baby boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll
take that trade!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up: <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/USACFlyers/FL_2013-2206.pdf" target="_blank">Rolla Crit</a> 06/01, then a business trip, then the
<a href="https://www.truesport.com/index.php/events/truesport_event/112" target="_blank">River City Bicycle Classic</a> in Evansville, IN 06/08.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Politics:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surprising myself, I’m moving right in the political spectrum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not so much due to any great
productivity by the right side of the American political establishment – in fact,
they seem to play the part of witless obstructionists with aplomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither is this a shift in response to
mis-steps by the left (though they are legion).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I find myself struggling with what some commentators have called a “Christian
Secularism.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may be shaking your
head at the moment, that sounds like identifying an “un-thing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, it is an un-thing that doesn’t really
exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice this hot coldness, or this
dark light spot?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a binary state friends:
girl or boy, 1 or 0, Christian or Secularist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They be mutually exclusive yo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This change comes about as I’ve continually found the
Christian gospel to be real and the secularist gospel to be fake, and borrowing
continually from Christian charity in order to sustain itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its epistemology has long since failed (wasup
postmodernism?!), and its social good shown to be a power play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Live and let live” is a farce and a lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll soon be getting my court summons for saying
boys and girls are not the same in the preceding paragraph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty
sure that’s hate speech now-a-days!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
IL State RR Predictions:</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we’re a month out from the other O’Fallon race, the <a href="https://www.bikereg.com/Net/18164" target="_blank">O’Fallon Grand Prix</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has the new designation
of being an omnium!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will of course
skip the TT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But enough about me, let’s
talk about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Er, I mean, all the guys
that are going to beat me in the O’Fallon RR, which is the IL State
Championship contest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2012-34" target="_blank">Last year</a>, to my utter shock, only one registered Illinoisan
beat me at this race, and so my 8<sup>th</sup> place was good for a silver
medal!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt many have taken note of
this aberration and will therefore target this race for state championship
glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the list of riders stronger
than I would be too long to post here, but these are the strong and crafty ones
that represent my predictions for IL state RR champ:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Jeff Schroetlin (Qdoba p/b Bushwhacker) – few are
craftier than old Jeff, and the dude can roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He drove the break both days at Tour de CU while TXRH + Bissell-ABG-Giant
basically had an attack contest which left us lowly 2’s gasping for air and
dodging bullets for 70min/day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Jeff’s
team shows up in force (and it has a lot of force if they all show up!) to
support him, Jeff will be state champ.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Axel Voitik (Sammy’s Elite Cycling Team) – Axel has
come in from the wilderness of injury over the last few seasons to some
seriously good form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also has a team
that can play multiple cards in a break or sprint and works uncommonly well
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it comes to a sprint or a
break Hogan, Dustin, Erik, Kyle, could help.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Andrew Bates (Scarlet Fire) – SF’s lead man in
the 1/2 fields this year has been racing aggressively at and off the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Packs a sprint too…<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Anthony Dust (Dogfish) –The current state RR
champ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dust is a very strong sprinter,
but lacks the cat 1 armada of a team he enjoyed last season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it comes down to a bunch sprint, he’s the
best on this list though.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dark Horses</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Andy and Trevor Lister (Wheelfast) – They are
both riding strong, and often forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could see one sneaking away after a selection, or relay attacking some
unfortunate who is with them.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span> </li>
<li>Chris Curran (Bloomington) – He’s lurking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t know he’s there until it’s too
late.</li>
<li>The Old Guard (assorted) – will Enzo (Enzo’s) or
Druber (ScarletFire) or Randy (xXx) teach the 20 and 30 somethings a lesson? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s hope not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d never hear the end of it.</li>
<li>The Young Guns (assorted) – will Jake (xXx) get
a signature win? Will the next big thing out of ISCorp stick a move? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brian Ellison (Mitsubishi/Laser)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the future is now.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Excluded</b>: Nick Ramirez (Texas Road House Cycling), David
Reyes (Stan’s NoTubes), Brandon Feehery (Astellas Oncology), and Josh Carter
(Predator Cycling) since I assume they’ll all be off at Nature Valley Grand
Prix or some such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps I’m wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In which case – them too.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-65494657108965268212012-10-03T08:01:00.000-07:002012-10-03T08:01:11.833-07:00September Cyclocross<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXliZDdsHi5Mux40X0zBhtkGJ9K_SGkSDVmVlaj_EvU8Ox44rImHTkxtnEI3oXXxRbxkD40Bwndsc2Fk0L43K5WX7sgmnVGC-cLhSDx-nkIid3eH8zLnBHlZmyWAtXatu3D6morB9w4JM/s1600/frenchy_dansingerphotog_hermanSun2012.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXliZDdsHi5Mux40X0zBhtkGJ9K_SGkSDVmVlaj_EvU8Ox44rImHTkxtnEI3oXXxRbxkD40Bwndsc2Fk0L43K5WX7sgmnVGC-cLhSDx-nkIid3eH8zLnBHlZmyWAtXatu3D6morB9w4JM/s320/frenchy_dansingerphotog_hermanSun2012.bmp" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Running the sand at Dogfish Hermann CX.<br />
Photo Cred: Dan Singer.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dogfish Hermann CX:</b> I wasn’t as fit as I hoped, but I didn’t
have any mechanicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jeff Yeilding put
a great course and well run event together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My brother David hopped the train from KC to Hermann for the weekend,
rode the 1 mile to the race course and joined me camping out Saturday after our
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did well in his first CX
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had lots of fun and I hope set
the pattern for fun “brother’s CX weekends” in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weekend is a “DO NOT MISS” racing
weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b>Manion’s CX Day 1:</b> With the wife and kids out of town I
jumped in the car and drove over to KC to see my rents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to watch David win the Jrs race and
then I finished in the top 10 of the Open Men’s race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(PRO) Joe Schmalz cleaned up on the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BUT, unlike the last CX race against him, I
did not get lapped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s some real
progress!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pleased with my result
considering I only had 1 functioning brake (my own fault) and that really
limited my ability to hit the downhill, dusty, switchbacks.</div>
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<b>WTB LaVista CX:</b> I showed up 30 min before this race and
managed a decent finish (6<sup>th</sup>) in the Open race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an encouraging day as some of the guys
I gauge myself off of (Scott and Aaron) were both behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They usually finish ahead of me!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBGPDIG06GVqSg0awuWhu4noMYk1OXfwAG9ORFcK0Hy0UEvKXU6feNZJBn6mxAb4s39rYHWk6lE3Y1PlO5Y1hXPuc26Rba0BVwLJouRmGbsnqwXrbQrBL-8zljFPpfXJ3VP0Mo2MgDWo/s1600/387419_365021443583345_2124831051_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBGPDIG06GVqSg0awuWhu4noMYk1OXfwAG9ORFcK0Hy0UEvKXU6feNZJBn6mxAb4s39rYHWk6lE3Y1PlO5Y1hXPuc26Rba0BVwLJouRmGbsnqwXrbQrBL-8zljFPpfXJ3VP0Mo2MgDWo/s320/387419_365021443583345_2124831051_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teammate BJ throwin down in the mud at Gateway CX Cup with Scott.<br />
Photo Cred: Dan Singer.</td></tr>
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<b>Gateway Cross Cup:</b> This was the CX season goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The timing was early enough that some road
season fitness would still make me fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The course was a “grass crit” supposedly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I registered early enough to get a start in
the first 2 rows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things looked good
until I got caught behind schedule at work with a project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I showed up when everyone was already in the
start grid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sprinted to the start
(without checking tire pressure) and arrived just as they blew the
whistle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marin and Mark let me jump in
(I preregistered) and started chasing (with zero warmup – yay!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made contact with the pack at the big
barriers, then completely biffed my remount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I mean, thigh meets saddle then drop onto the rear wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take a deep breath and then do it
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finally mount the dang
bicycle the chain has fallen under the chain keeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fight the chain for a minute and I completely
switch gears mentally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With some help
from Jim Klages, I get the chain on and start chasing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the next couple laps my shifting gets
gummed up with mud (it was super muddy) and then I flat my rear tubular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I got pulled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an exciting story.</div>
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<b>COMO Awesomo:</b> Columbia, MO hosted a midstate CX race which
provided an opportunity for David and I to race and my folks to see their grandkids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David struggled with tired legs from soccer
and finished near the back of the cat 4 men’s field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, as a first year junior, I think
he’s doing just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lined up in the
open men’s with Dan Miller and Butthead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>BJ and I thought the plan would be to hold Butthead’s wheel as long as
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first couple laps were
good for me but I felt flat and lost contact with Dan and Josh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I started bleeding (stop me if you’ve heard
this one) but then rebounded at the end to finish 3<sup>rd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh and several other guys DNF’d for various
reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I definitely had a hard time
focusing throughout the entire 60 minutes, but that’s why I do this sport, to
train that weakness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BJ finished 4<sup>th</sup>
and we both smoked our legs for the next day.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhyphenhyphenTItrGkvZTT86tlziuKjOqhXRLalIEG85aWjM0PsBULAODhv-wakGW0C3gbLJgGnbjnQ3YqWYQDrhXp5jBJTG_rTsKqJaqIh8x50G2wtuN5Ezq1eLRBivCzaipFfhpb-ly5WUgo92s/s1600/247628_149961611814818_28640417_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhyphenhyphenTItrGkvZTT86tlziuKjOqhXRLalIEG85aWjM0PsBULAODhv-wakGW0C3gbLJgGnbjnQ3YqWYQDrhXp5jBJTG_rTsKqJaqIh8x50G2wtuN5Ezq1eLRBivCzaipFfhpb-ly5WUgo92s/s320/247628_149961611814818_28640417_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See, I was in fact racing for a few minutes...<br />
Photo Cred: WTB Superprestige CX.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>WTB Gordon Moore Park #1:</b> After COMO I didn’t expect to be
able to make it to GMP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad I was
able to – it is a fantastic venue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are very fortunate we get to race there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>WTB put together a great track for cyclocross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ran a rear tubular which I glued myself
(first time I’ve ever glued a tubular).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Made the chase group selection until I caught my shifter on a stake and
opened a gap to the other 5 dudes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
was all she wrote as I checked out for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Aaron and Clefcam were soon on my six and I was determined not to let
Aaron attack me during the catch (like he did at Hermann!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I slotted onto Clefcam’s wheel and soon
realized that he was in the master’s class and might not race against Aaron, so
I got on Aaron’s wheel and was starting to get ready for the 2<sup>nd</sup>
wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remounting after the barriers I
snapped my chain and that was that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
felt like I was driving the course well and I didn’t blow up, though the CoMo
race hadn’t left me with fresh legs, I was ok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But man is it rotten to end a race like that – instant death as it
were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, the guys in my peer
group (Aaron and Scott) finished top 6, so I think if I rode like I was going,
I’d be solidly in the top ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b>Veldrijden Columbia:</b> After that really fun (but expensive! Flatted tubie, broken chain, y'know, stuff...) block of
cyclocross racing, I’m ready to put together the course for this weekend’s
cross race in Columbia, IL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I purposely
have not replaced the chain on the CX bike so I would not put riding above race
prep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I also took my road bike out of
commission – the only way to assure I won’t ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lol.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After a few days of trimming back in the single track areas, I think the
course is ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city recently mowed
and temps and precip are settling in to be just about perfect!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-2433539293626654002012-09-07T09:20:00.000-07:002012-09-07T09:20:25.266-07:00Gateway Cup 2012 + End of the Road<h4>
Gateway Cup P/1/2s</h4>
<br />
Wow, what a crescendo to the road season! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though I didn't get any noteworthy results. The most noteworthy item was that I went 4 days without crashing (and without taking freelaps - jerks!) despite racing in the rain (and on Friday, in the dark).<br />
<br />
I was going to write a big long writeup on each race and how I faught for positoin and then each day ended up near the back of the lead group. But I think this conversation distills it fairly well:<br />
<br />
Me: Yeah, so I was on Huff's wheel and looking for the move but trying to get ready for the sprint...<br />
Coach: So were you still on Huff's wheel for the sprint or were you out of position for the sprint?<br />
Me: Yeah, too far back. But on Monday I was in decent position the last few laps till Huff said all the money was up the road. That was a bummer since I didn't go with any of the moves which were still away.<br />
Coach: So you never saw the front?<br />
Me: Well, no.<br />
<br />
lol. It is tough racing with the big boys. I think I got better each day, but I didn't really do much, just got comfortable in the pack at that level which is an important stepping stone for next year.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_M-CS4wEMovPmsF_k9fBEvGfM9Pgru5Y6i5jPVpUtIf__ydxBez9VrZ9EXZITBccU8_u-57tdjyWUKE0PR_9RBnVme1dfqtbQTH_9-iGjge7wzJmxtHP4MrJfXYmjdyLyj708L5ee1NQ/s1600/GWC2012_meme.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_M-CS4wEMovPmsF_k9fBEvGfM9Pgru5Y6i5jPVpUtIf__ydxBez9VrZ9EXZITBccU8_u-57tdjyWUKE0PR_9RBnVme1dfqtbQTH_9-iGjge7wzJmxtHP4MrJfXYmjdyLyj708L5ee1NQ/s320/GWC2012_meme.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinda sums up my weekend.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here's a bar cam video of the first couple laps on Friday night. Whoever that jerk is who is clipped in at the start, well, I want to have words with him... Also, <a href="http://wishyouwereheredontyou.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post.html" target="_blank">here's a blog post</a> with several videos from the P/1/2 races.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BsfAOobLMvg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<br />
Here are some other photos from the weekend:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qvJ3FkmdzHifMDtSWhpY8n8kE8mBVN56VNqVBKDbgNoN1gHroSDxAqNq8fSW_Q-GKkR-ZZVmtEVqbRRiTIpiWp7SZ8uODiCcI6-6fXuLoC_oeVHMRw-dTlK7Wz-Y7sq2VbDo2Asao9o/s1600/414629_4545803489478_1919019801_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qvJ3FkmdzHifMDtSWhpY8n8kE8mBVN56VNqVBKDbgNoN1gHroSDxAqNq8fSW_Q-GKkR-ZZVmtEVqbRRiTIpiWp7SZ8uODiCcI6-6fXuLoC_oeVHMRw-dTlK7Wz-Y7sq2VbDo2Asao9o/s320/414629_4545803489478_1919019801_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rollin with the pack at Benton Park (Monday). Photo cred: Nikki Cyp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUeFVxIUr0fDzzmdOm4G2cUBhpQ_wNE79mZHxATuPZfuSgTSmiV8jNZNGl7lW-sGbYbUR5ibffY35rq9lxq8aLwQoX_IXg2aMRhSVcC-w4QfakMNfM0aYI6ue936f2rDM4Shh_uMTqZU/s1600/330034_4545749168120_1219812429_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUeFVxIUr0fDzzmdOm4G2cUBhpQ_wNE79mZHxATuPZfuSgTSmiV8jNZNGl7lW-sGbYbUR5ibffY35rq9lxq8aLwQoX_IXg2aMRhSVcC-w4QfakMNfM0aYI6ue936f2rDM4Shh_uMTqZU/s320/330034_4545749168120_1219812429_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On PRO Chad Hartley's wheel at Benton Park. Photo Cred: Nikki Cyp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9mr2sgiJ3xCZQ47f-Y4HDsL23cV0IyJLGk2NKfO5diIMOCpuuu6o8MhImGuLyIGdYw4PPGKF-bAqm8p5N7F3R0taXlssmtve_LIl5h9EEnlV-J3rFHS9rdcOkOFJPXO4lKqG6cy3zVc/s1600/giro_2012_dansingerphotog.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9mr2sgiJ3xCZQ47f-Y4HDsL23cV0IyJLGk2NKfO5diIMOCpuuu6o8MhImGuLyIGdYw4PPGKF-bAqm8p5N7F3R0taXlssmtve_LIl5h9EEnlV-J3rFHS9rdcOkOFJPXO4lKqG6cy3zVc/s320/giro_2012_dansingerphotog.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking like a racer in the rain at the Giro Della Montagna. Man, felt great early and terrible late! Photo Cred: Dan Singer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
End of the Road (Season)</h4>
<br />And just like that the road season is finished. I'm itching for more but it's probably best its over. I'm sure I'd burn myself out if the racing continued indefinitely. I did get a pleasant surprise with the end of season rankings that USAC has started. It says I'm the best cat 2 crit racer in IL. While David Reyes (Bloomington) is clearly better (for instance he finished ahead of me 3 of 4 days at Gateway), the silly algorithm has me first. Whatever. Still kinda nice.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcakUKf5lITu7J1l8cYNixxK75XQuO59jEuUq3zO2KKLmj9DqdBgeEmoIf4bfECMgL0pYguzuRjFzLrMqkKbSccBeD4tjuXUF_sqzWwBah0kEzxXNnuA5Q5vm2lFfz7iv3u5LnL8HFd3M/s1600/2012_usac_crit_ranking.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcakUKf5lITu7J1l8cYNixxK75XQuO59jEuUq3zO2KKLmj9DqdBgeEmoIf4bfECMgL0pYguzuRjFzLrMqkKbSccBeD4tjuXUF_sqzWwBah0kEzxXNnuA5Q5vm2lFfz7iv3u5LnL8HFd3M/s320/2012_usac_crit_ranking.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The thing about being "the best cat 2?" There's a lot of cat 1s and PROs who are way better!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rFY9uEdMFfd8zdseJ1_kK95cioKVvtkgKY8-qT2cXZq_a5cLEsIB4TRE4jMFadByBP5Nh5yyWPi5VlEzy14mX-ever7hmLl3-OWMgt8wX3qXCuY_Cr9C4DbKWJwFCCdfKrPHqRxQIu8/s1600/styby_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rFY9uEdMFfd8zdseJ1_kK95cioKVvtkgKY8-qT2cXZq_a5cLEsIB4TRE4jMFadByBP5Nh5yyWPi5VlEzy14mX-ever7hmLl3-OWMgt8wX3qXCuY_Cr9C4DbKWJwFCCdfKrPHqRxQIu8/s320/styby_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's that time again Playas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-46418742933235176642012-08-14T07:42:00.000-07:002012-08-14T07:42:26.817-07:00MO State Crit Championships + My Secret Training Schedule<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">30+ Crit</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I haven't competed frequently in masters categories yet, being only 30,
masters hasn't been an option. My cycling is (I hope) in its spring or
summer, not Autumn, though that time will come. This weekend was a
departure though as the main target was the MO
State criterium championship's 30+ Cat 1-4 race. As a first year cat 2,
my teammate BJ thought the 1/2 a more realistic goal for next year, so
he set his sights on the 30+ prize. Checking the startlist, we did not
have a large field, so we brought our own
in the form of 8 Quantum Mesa Cycles racers. The boys worked together
wonderfully. We are at about 85% on tactics. With 3 near podium sweeps
this season, we are getting close. Considering how young in the sport
we are, it's reason for pride. Well, we had
the largest team by a factor of 4 I think, so we set about tiring rivals
and keeping protected riders fresh.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43GRzfHvsKSlSCfU-WFHdBuwbG6yRKXEPt7E92MuS8maFNi-EJ_3sUviD2j5U6LCrFT2S0WT6wWr2QfXLOhAN7OJZdcfuTzSxOpwnrtbMFvPWS4W0D2vbtOOuUixq_PoymV9DxOdBNnY/s1600/616156_4044307797452_342205544_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43GRzfHvsKSlSCfU-WFHdBuwbG6yRKXEPt7E92MuS8maFNi-EJ_3sUviD2j5U6LCrFT2S0WT6wWr2QfXLOhAN7OJZdcfuTzSxOpwnrtbMFvPWS4W0D2vbtOOuUixq_PoymV9DxOdBNnY/s320/616156_4044307797452_342205544_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Controlling the field.<br />Photo credit: Kelly Croy Patty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<br />
Two of our riders who spent a lot of time off the front were Eric (5+
laps solo) and Chris ("fresh" off his state TT winning ride the day
prior). But everyone worked, and worked well. I tried a move with Dr.
Mark 20 min in but it didn't work. Unfortunately
we were primed right after being caught. Ouch.<br />
<br />
With 8 laps to go the field was together save a trio just off the
front. I attacked the pack and went overtop of them into turn 5 (if you
count the big sweeper around the capitol as turn 4). Through the
chicane I had a gap but no protected teammates on my
wheel! (It turns out that BJ got pinched in turn 5.). So decision time,
sprinter, write that match off and go back to the field or cruise and
wait for fellow passengers to join the pain train. I chose the latter.
And it made all the difference.<br />
<br />
After 2 laps solo (not a big deal to most, but it's me we're talking
about here) and BJ is coming across with clean wheels. It's a happy and
painful sight since its time to go to work. We drilled it for the next
four laps, checking our 6 every corner and
getting splits at the top of the course from other teammates. As the
laps counted down I knew we had it. I was able to keep the speed up
during my pulls and the gap was going out. We took the last lap a
little easier and posted up the last 100 metres. A
win is a special thing - even for the best they don't happen every day -
but a state championship win is even sweeter. To celebrate over the
line with a teammate, the gameplan executed to the letter? Magnifique.
That is one of my happiest moments in cycling.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6rYQE2aeMti5IzoCr9oJtdl_AnXhIREgzYU70aJGDKLJOaCID0gZBssU78rb4BUElhBrlodKVr1cBIX8YJo_0tffoQdwE7wTzVohempFE2nmoZ9meAhVrjiEZWLnbvdKm99ob3_6Ldc/s1600/192137_4044311597547_5119450_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6rYQE2aeMti5IzoCr9oJtdl_AnXhIREgzYU70aJGDKLJOaCID0gZBssU78rb4BUElhBrlodKVr1cBIX8YJo_0tffoQdwE7wTzVohempFE2nmoZ9meAhVrjiEZWLnbvdKm99ob3_6Ldc/s320/192137_4044311597547_5119450_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B.J. and I crossing the line.<br />Photo Credit: Kelly Croy Patty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">And yes, in case you're wondering, I was scolded by the officials for
removing my hands from the bars while we posted up. But what they didn't know until now is what my weekly training schedule looks
like. This is super secret, so don't tell anyone!<br />
<br />
Mon: Rest/Spin<br />
Tues: Post up Practice (3 sets x 5 reps x 100m, don't forget to zip up jersey)<br />
Wed: Bib short tan line alignment (2 legs x 20reps)<br />
Thur: bike throws (indoors on the trainer)<br />
Fri: spin<br />
Sat: race<br />
Sun: race<br />
</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
Jeff City P/1/2s</span></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<br />
The lure of the state title along with the central location (StL v KC)
brought a healthy field for the big boy race. I had a chat with Brad
Huff (Jelly Belly pb Kenda) and picked his boy Austin (Mercy) for the
win.<br />
<br />
BJ and I lined up for round two with no expectations - we accomplished
what we came for, now we'll get some motorpacing in. And motorpacing it
was! I suffered like a dog. Attacks went off the front quite
frequently as GatewayHD, Dogfish, and Mercy threw
down. I'm very glad I was in the race as it woke me up to the speeds
I'll be seeing the next three weeks.<br />
<br />
Anyway, a field split happened. I tried and failed to go across, then
the field came back together (no thanks to pack fodder like me!). With
five to go I moved up but only enough to see the field sprint get
polished off by Devin while I picked guys off to
the line, finishing 13th (payout 10 deep). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
<br />
It was fun to race with the Western MO/KS set, catch a PRO tip from Huff, and get put in the box.<br />
<br />
After the race we all ate at this greasy pizza joint on the course.
It's not often I eat a double bacon double sausage pizza, but I think I
earned it. Now for another grueling week of training.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-83876473530255163622012-07-24T12:43:00.002-07:002012-07-24T12:43:50.994-07:00State Line RR + The GEO + Cinema<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
State Line RR</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My family vacation kicked off with a trip to KS to visit my
folks and give the kids some grandparent time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It doesn’t hurt that my parents have a few acres with a tractor, horses,
cats, dogs, bees, and chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
heaven on earth for my toddlers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
so happened to schedule the trip alongside one State Line RR, a 6.5 mi 9 lap
affair that seemed like a circuit race more than a proper RR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a well run event put on to benefit the
local KCOI U20 Jrs team.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lining up I had my eye on Andrew Coe (Mercy/Kuat), Andy
Chocha (US Mil Cycling), and Brian West (Bikes to You).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were 20 of us lined up in a 1/2/3
field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was an unknown to the others,
which is always good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attacks started
right away as Athletes Forward’s Josh Estes rolled off the front, discontent
with an 18mph pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>West was super
active and Chocha seemed to enjoy chasing everything down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps everybody was marking him as the big
dog and therefore we just followed wheels?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>About 3 laps in there was a promising break up the road so I bridged
solo, kinda showing my cards to the field but I thought it was the break du
jour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were caught by the top of the climb (there
was a multitiered climb coming into the finish which didn’t tickle).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty pissed as I had burned a big
match bridging.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Little groups kept forming off the front and nothing got too
much time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I followed wheels to the
moves and took pulls but decisive moves didn’t come till lap 7 or 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in a break/field split rotating off the
front. The field came back together and I sat up figuring it was “save it for
the sprint” time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, West and Andrew
(Colavita) were not content with that arrangement and went again, gaining a
solid 20 seconds on the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group
with 2 Athletes Forward, a United Healthcare (not PRO, a club), Spencer (Miami
Velo?) got away and started working together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mercy chased a bit and I thought they would bring it back for a sprint
for Coe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit I was kind of sleeping
at this point and I woke with a start when I saw Bowes (Mercy) next to me and
the pace had slackened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick glance
up the road and Coe was in the 2<sup>nd</sup> group!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Bowes if they pulled it back enough
for Coe to bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He confirmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thanked him and then immediately burned a
match to bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it across clean
and shared a little work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point West had dropped Colavita and was out there
solo while 5 or 6 of us were holding off the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking the hard right onto the finishing
straight we hit the climb for the last time and I was poorly positioned at the
back of the group and got gapped a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nice job Rookie!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coe and an
Athletes Forward racer also got dropped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I kept my head down and the pedals turning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately for me the group started playing
cat and mouse and I was able to catch back on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Big mistake boys, you can't let this fat boy in sight of the cake!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The finish was
slightly uphill and I timed the sprint right to take second on the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>West had enough time to post up and celebrate
a little, which he certainly earned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was pleased with 2<sup>nd</sup> place as this was the first race in a month’s
time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
State Line RR Part Deux</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What’s cooler than hitting the podium of your race?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing your little bro line up for his first
RR!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanternerouge/7573446816/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/lanternerouge/7573446816/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Homeboy hung tough and finished 7/20 in the Jr field running
his 1x10 CX rig with road tires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too
shabby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering he’s riding about
once a week, and pumped about cycling, I’m excited as he begins to learn the
sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll see if this lasts, but in a
few years time I wouldn’t mind racing with my bro!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the only thing better was what I
witnessed in Mark and Hogan Sills racing as father and son a few years ago (till
Hogan went off and got all swoll).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
The Great Egyptian Omnium</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The GEO was a race I tried to get to last year and as one of
my first cat 2 races the crit was going to be tough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a t-storm blew in and it was
cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year I added the RR but
opted out on the TT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the family
vacation coming to a close on the weekend, spending the entire day out in the
heat with the toddlers was not going to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, I hate TTs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="MsoNormal">
RR</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The plan for the RR was to get BJ in a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vandeven (Dogfish) was the big fish in the
small pond of our 1/2/3 field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nick
Chevalley (Gateway HD) attacked from the gun though in order to dispute that
ranking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homeboy stayed away for the
WIN!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So crazy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, I felt like crap (maybe due to camping the night
before?) and tried to keep the pace up at the front of the field and ensure BJ
made the move du jour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when I say I
felt like crap, I mean crap. I believe the PROs say "blocked".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The legs
just didn’t wake up during the first 2 laps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But BJ did go up the road with Jim and then I could rest in the field as
superman Jeremy Bock (Dogfish) (Oh btw, we’re distant relatives, so I think I
get some cool points for that.) shepherded Ryan Wachter and kept the other cat
2’s in check.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fast forward a bit and I take a wrong turn being stupid (Dan and Jeremy told the field to wait for me), and
then Dan (Korte) gets away with Matt Pence (Gateway HD) and another 2 and I’m asleep in the field
feeling sorry for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Totally should
have gone with Dan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, I thought I
should help my cat 3 teammates but they were cramping and I figured I would
test my legs so I attacked a few k out and nobody chased, but I didn’t know that so
I hurt myself a good bit and finished 10<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Almost caught a guy who had been dropped from the 2nd or 3rd group on the road. Oh well. Happy that the legs felt better at the end of 80 hot miles than they did
at the beginning!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BJ held tough and
nabbed 6<sup>th</sup> place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="MsoNormal">
CRIT</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was hot, a little windy on the backside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nick Hand (my teammate!) got in a heroic
early move which determined how the race would play out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gateway Harely-Davidson had to chase and I sat for the
sprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I botched it and was bested by
Dan Williams of Korte.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just played my
cards wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Total bummer after BJ,
Nick, and Mike did a bunch of work controlling the race and leading me out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much is worse to the old sprinter ego
than getting posted up on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VhyKIb23AAY_QU09Kpy41mTsDHfNz0nQVn-_hwgaWI9HKHN-x6IxcScAljgUVPGL_imbcqdFM_susq14XdyOiB23WLGs3AB47LYTsJ9lsKTYp26rbqvdsMjjWZcNQFvk2kB8XYsvoFE/s1600/geo_crit_postup_2012.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-VhyKIb23AAY_QU09Kpy41mTsDHfNz0nQVn-_hwgaWI9HKHN-x6IxcScAljgUVPGL_imbcqdFM_susq14XdyOiB23WLGs3AB47LYTsJ9lsKTYp26rbqvdsMjjWZcNQFvk2kB8XYsvoFE/s320/geo_crit_postup_2012.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan (Korte/Bike Surgeon) bested me in the sprint.<br />Photo cred: Rob Raguet-Schofield (who won the masters 4/5 like a boss).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I think of the
SoIL sprinters I’m at the bottom of the heap right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grrrr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks Dust and DWill!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although,
as my friends have pointed out, if you’re upset about finishing second in a
crit you’ve got a pretty charmed life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Indeed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The GEO was a great weekend for our team, especially the cat 3 squad as they started the weekend with decent results in the RR and then just snowballed into greater success culminating in Keith "No Sweat"'s solo crit win clinching the omnium. Super fun to watch. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
The Artist + The Dark Knight Rises (Batman)</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watched these films with my wife in the past
fortnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recommend them both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the two I found morally reprehensible,
destructive to society, and encouraging vice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other I found thought provoking, well written, and while bordering
on melodrama, completely apropos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, the subtle evil was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Artist</i>, and the better film for the soul was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batman</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a world we live in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
laziness and weakness of the titular artist was overlooked and his wife was
made out to be a sort of villain, opposing his career and affair with
Peppy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is not George responsible for
driving his wife away by failing to love and care for her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film praises the “easy” love of shirking one’s
responsibility and falling in with a loose woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure that will last George.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have fun with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we need now more than ever is honorable
men, not weak ones. It was frustrating to watch and likely under the radar of most of its audience. At least he was a decent dancer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much could be said about the Dark Knight finale but there is
too much to be said and this blog post has already gone on too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, I think I need to see it
again!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-25435817060964898882012-06-19T14:29:00.000-07:002012-06-19T14:29:24.844-07:00O’Fallon Grand Prix Weekend<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the River City Bicycle Classic I drove home, packed
and flew out at 6am the next morning for a five day work trip to Cali. I took the tarmac in the hopes that I would
get in some riding. Monday I was
booked. Tuesday was the same. But Wednesday I went in early and was able to
sneak out for a little five and half hour spin.
Not too bad. I like to get all my
hours for the week in one ride. ;)</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_CWSYnKXKB8wTsyN5XcvkX04juaxn36cnpsjwA4QhmU3QyaGJYmW2wR8e6TGrGpnK7MRy3782pNjIVXf0CpLsadYF2d46uTU1g90Tge2XjapLpDvxb-IdLkyEGseUFLTO-mCRbWiN3g/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_CWSYnKXKB8wTsyN5XcvkX04juaxn36cnpsjwA4QhmU3QyaGJYmW2wR8e6TGrGpnK7MRy3782pNjIVXf0CpLsadYF2d46uTU1g90Tge2XjapLpDvxb-IdLkyEGseUFLTO-mCRbWiN3g/s320/photo(5).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best way to taper is to do 4000ft+ of climbing 3 days before the state RR.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was hoping to link up with my friend Rob but between our
<a href="https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/" target="_blank">disparate schedules</a>, <a href="http://www.fireengineering.com/news/2012/06/15/bart-fire-ignites-traffic-nightmare.html?sponsored=firedynamics" target="_blank">the B.A.R.T. fire</a>, and the U.S. Open, well, neither of us
was up for crossing the bay for a ride with the other. Well, I’m pretty sure riding Mt. Diablo is
not the best taper for the state road race.
But that was just the thing: I had zero expectations for the race. I literally was going to use it for
training. My season goal was the state
crit and I accomplished my goal. My
coach told me to “enjoy riding your bike – don’t worry about it. Just remember why you love riding.” Exactly the words I needed…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
O’Fallon Road Race – IL State Championship</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The field was heavily populated with Dogfish riders. A few riders from central IL (Wheelfast) and
even fewer from upstate (Sean of Sammy’s) balanced out the
Dogfish/GatewayHD/Korte numbers game.
The big equalizer was a U23 squad who stopped in from LA on their way to
nationals. <a href="http://stage17racing.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">The Stage 17 Devo squad</a>
certainly changed the game. Who were
these unknown riders?!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race kicked off with a few moves but nothing
serious. A Stage 17 rider went off the
front solo and forced a decision from the other teams. I jumped in a small move just to make people
think I was in the race. The truth was
that with BJ’s strong finish at the MO State race (7<sup>th</sup> – flying solo),
people would think he was working for me (as this was the IL state championship) but in
fact we wanted him to get a result. A
long break with all the teams represented had a good chance of sticking,
especially if a big motors from Dogfish was in the move. So when the time was right BJ put himself in
a move with Brett (Dogfish, IL), Matt Pence (Gateway Harley, MO), a pair of Stage 17 racers
(CA), Robo (Wheelfast, IL), and maybe someone else that I’m forgetting. Unfortunately Brett flatted out of the
break. This alone killed the move. With Dogfish keeping the gap in check, it had
little hope of success.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jxDaRLXP57eysWEUyU7y8SiE9uiIe9NVobT7VduekFXek_SCi0AKRSf3M4axvxeVnAiEsencgNmx9TY5SnxiK2k43P1jj16kncmMbQEfg7LXPU3pdBltsHN38eDnJdbFm_q_EYQHBT4/s1600/458245_3128212536702_2057097540_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jxDaRLXP57eysWEUyU7y8SiE9uiIe9NVobT7VduekFXek_SCi0AKRSf3M4axvxeVnAiEsencgNmx9TY5SnxiK2k43P1jj16kncmMbQEfg7LXPU3pdBltsHN38eDnJdbFm_q_EYQHBT4/s320/458245_3128212536702_2057097540_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">B.J. in the "suicide break."<br />
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moves went and my plan was to sit (surprise, surprise, I
know!). Brett recovered and on lap 3
started making moves off the front.
Surprisingly to me I was able to cover them. Zach Reed (Dogfish, IL) countered one of
these and was up the road. I saw the
jersey going with him. Maurice Hessel
(Korte, IL) attacked up the one serious climb on the course and drove a break
over the top. Things get a little fuzzy
here but it wound up the MoHess, Zach, Trevor Lister (Wheelfast, IL), and
Daniel Williams (Korte, IL) were up the road in a group with Joe Tortorelli
(Scarletfire, IL) working his way up to them while dragging Jim Vandeven.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As was my habit I sprinted to the front of the pack going
into the feedzone to get a clean feed. I
watched last year as guys crashed in front of me, so I was extra careful here
(though it should be said that the P/1/2 field handles feeds a little better
than the cat 3s). Well, after grabbing a
fourth feed from the excellent crew in the Quantum Mesa tent (thank you Rickey
family, Ceecee, and Jason Wulff!! You
guys kept me alive!) I looked up and saw Joe and Jim with a 10-15 second gap on
me. Behind me everyone was still sorting
out their feed. Hmm…10 miles to go. I put down the hammer and tried to get into
the moto ref’s draft (feeling rather PRO doing so) and as he tapped the brakes
I swung inside and continued hammering up to Joe and Jim. We traded pulls and I thought I was going to
pop several times but we made it up to the Lister/Reed/MoHess/Williams
group. Once there, if I was a real
racer, I would have attacked and taken a few strong racers with me. But alas, I wanted to catch my breath. (HINDSIGHT ALERT: Probably could have broken away with a group and been the freshest sprinter at the finish since Williams was hurting and Dust wasn't present.) Unfortunately, nobody else was interested in
working (though I recall rotating through once and nobody coming around). Not surprisingly, what was left of the pack
caught us a few short miles later. Maybe
it wasn’t miles and it was just yards, I’m not sure.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So with zero IL riders up the road, the jersey would be won
out of this group, and it looked like it would come down to a sprint. Is this tailor made, or what?! With 5km to go Matt Brandt said adieu and
stuck a solo move for fifth place.
(HINDSIGHT ALERT: I should have jumped and gone with him. Had I done so I might have won the state
championship.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dogfish kept pace and I
just sat on Bohanan’s wheel with one eye on Anthony Dust (cat 1, IL). A stage 17 rider attacked as Jeremy Bock
(Dogfish, MO) was done setting pace just before the 1km to go sign. The finishing straight had a cross (maybe
cross-head) wind which forced everyone to the right curb. I was on Dust’s wheel coming into the finish
as we passed 500m to go. Now Anthony
Dust is a VERY fast finisher. I don’t
think I have yet beat him in a head to head sprint. I sure thought he was the wheel to follow and
I would try to get him at the line.
However, the strong wind from the side meant I was pretty well pinned
against the curb and didn’t want to get boxed in or worse yet – highside the
curb. When a few riders passed on the
left I switched wheels to Williams. Now
Williams is also a very fast finisher and crushed a downhill sprint last year
in a race. With this being a slightly
downhill finish I thought this was the new wheel – protected from the wind and
fast to the line. I switched lines away
from Dust. Fatal error. Williams cramps. Dust explodes up the leeward side. He’s already jumped by the time I react and I’m
forced to come around Williams on the windward side. Completely botched sprint. <b>No soup for you!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdQSWNga0ECSrpum6GyfjFplyeCq3-BD2b01xOZLiK33noSiM217O7qG7EOwovt3N47T9og5jLjzOKqBA2kLkqFTncmKxiiKEvRtCcQ09CDJyvo-donNEFaojHkGBNkIcMrMay5NzTqQ/s1600/470664_3359511310122_1377795814_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdQSWNga0ECSrpum6GyfjFplyeCq3-BD2b01xOZLiK33noSiM217O7qG7EOwovt3N47T9og5jLjzOKqBA2kLkqFTncmKxiiKEvRtCcQ09CDJyvo-donNEFaojHkGBNkIcMrMay5NzTqQ/s320/470664_3359511310122_1377795814_o.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IL State RR Championship P/1/2 Podium.<br />
Andrew Lister (Wheelfast, Bronze), Anthony Dust (Dogfish, Gold), me (Quantum Mesa, Silver).<br />
Photo Credit: A. Dust</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A silver medal is so far beyond my expectations for this
race and this season. On the one hand I'm over the moon. On the other hand I'm pissed - I was pretty close to getting another jersey. My own second guessing put me out of contention in the sprint and with racers like Dust - you have no second chance. I
know easily a dozen guys that are stronger than I when it comes to a race like
this but for many reasons they weren’t present.
Will they all take a hiatus next year?
Will it come to a sprint again? It’s
probably best I’m headed back out to Cali.
I’ll take this one up with Mt. Diablo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks are due my teammate BJ who pushed all the chips in on
the break Saturday, and even covered a move after he was brought back. After his chances were gone he did what he
could to help me. I’m very proud of how
he rode this weekend. Also, thanks to the friends who fed me. I was well watered and that made all the difference on a 90F+ day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O’Fallon Grand Prix Crit P/1/2/3</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I missed the early move/selection of ten but my teammate
Jason was in there. I knew it was the
race as they started to get away but I wasn’t decisive to bridge when the gap
was manageable. So of course I tried to
bridge when the gap was well established and steady around 40sec. I tried 3 or 4 times but all I did was wear myself
out for the sprint. Trying to think of
the last time 3 guys came around me in a sprint...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOcqeJ3IlRtaX_akhNgpk8QrPbRVkGLl33QVP9IriSBob2lJ2XCDmgozwIPLZlXJJ_h9sVu25yLR3dBRW2QnokG6SKYGxALg4wGHIuHXGbJgHenPuIIjPbRoH5zCC_D90wJxp7uqqo_o/s1600/MDD_8442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOcqeJ3IlRtaX_akhNgpk8QrPbRVkGLl33QVP9IriSBob2lJ2XCDmgozwIPLZlXJJ_h9sVu25yLR3dBRW2QnokG6SKYGxALg4wGHIuHXGbJgHenPuIIjPbRoH5zCC_D90wJxp7uqqo_o/s320/MDD_8442.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stone Pony, Williams, and I trying to get away from the pack. 7 man break has us by 40 seconds. Ouch.<br />
Photo Credit: Brian Keller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jason had a rough time as he and a few others were gapped
off the break. He fought valiantly but
the heat, pace, and second race on the day took their toll.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BJ and I got a little teamwork going in the last lap and
that worked much smoother than the attempt at the Urbana Grand Prix. However, after a great leadout from Beej I
stood up and went backwards. Thanks for
playing! Gotta love life in the P/1/2's!!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IoOpnDdNvxxKm-xTHckTRevxHFrSwdzWMK7zfwkn143EXmYeLPOW42og4inOtMYqhmgJE8i07IBrKrTQyRXxtbbhlRmdXgkWUt4QHv9yLh7aEtAfMi5J1ikuWjWvX7nwwh8IlfjR6-U/s1600/177067_3139019406867_2035582974_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IoOpnDdNvxxKm-xTHckTRevxHFrSwdzWMK7zfwkn143EXmYeLPOW42og4inOtMYqhmgJE8i07IBrKrTQyRXxtbbhlRmdXgkWUt4QHv9yLh7aEtAfMi5J1ikuWjWvX7nwwh8IlfjR6-U/s320/177067_3139019406867_2035582974_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little toasty after 91miles the day prior.<br />Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regardless, it was a great weekend of racing and the
opportunity to race both days was a sweet Father’s Day gift from my family. Thanks to Korte Hammer Down Racing, Bike Surgeon, and Metro East Cycling for putting on a great weekend of racing in O'Fallon, IL.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up:</div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">More work travel to Cali, so I won’t be racing
till late July/early August. I’m going
to miss some great events – ToKC, ToLawrence, Morton Crit, ToAD,
Superweek. That’s a bummer, but I’ll use
this time to recharge and finish the season fast(er).</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-27161152694157557262012-06-11T22:09:00.000-07:002012-06-11T22:10:10.482-07:00Coaching + River City Bicycle Classic<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Where it’s due: Credit</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last year and a half of racing has been my best so
far. Certainly when I started riding my
bike I did not expect these types of results.
My first trip to the Cobb Park Crit (as a cat 5) in Kankakee had me
saying: “Wow, those cat 4’s look soooo fast!” (without irony or sarcasm) But I steadily got better (a lot smarter, a
little faster) and got some results in the cat 4’s, even some decent results in
the cat 3’s. But 2011 was a breakthrough
year for me on the bike and it is due in large part to the investment in me by
my coach, Sean Walker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since working with Sean I’ve won Hillsboro-Roubaix (in the 3’s,
and finished in the P/1/2’s!), silver medaled in the IL state RR and crit (cat
3’s), won a few cat 3 races, podium’d in a 1/2/3 race, and won the cat 2 IL
state crit title. These results are well
beyond what I expected when I started racing. Sean has helped me tremendously with every aspect of racing – from fitness,
to equipment choices, to race strategy, to cycling/life balance. He has coached me with and without a
powermeter. I do not think I would have
achieved (even this modest success) without his help.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I say all this as my recommendation of his coaching services
to you. If you’re interested in working
with someone who has quite a bit of experience going fast and several years of
experience helping others go fast (including people who are much faster than I), feel free to contact him at the following
email:” wsean(three)at g mail dot com.
Take out the parentheses + three and just use the numeral. Tell him Frenchy sent you. ;)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
River City Bicycle Classic</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last weekend was Tulsa Tough, and the Tour of Galena, and Le
Tour de Sainte Geneveive. I would like to
race all those great events but had other plans. Flying out Sunday for another work week in
Cali I chose to go to Evansville, IN to visit the inlaws and race the River
City Bicycle Classic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Temps were lower 90’s and patchy clouds were present, but
every once in a while you just cooked in the sun. Fortunately the 0.7mi course in Garvin Park
was lined with trees providing shade for us fattys to stay cool. Oh, and they also made it really comfy for family
and locals to watch the race!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of family, the bounce house, playground, and public
pool in the park made for a nice backdrop to the race. It was definitely a nice family-friendly
atmosphere. While I would expect that to
be a draw next year, the bicentennial* airshow (or maybe it’s just an annual
airshow which coincided with the bicentennial?) which wowed my kids may not be
present next year and was a first-race-year treat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1/2/3 field had a sprinkling of solo racers, 3 or 4
duos, two 4 man cat 3 squads doubling up after the cat 3’s, and the 800lb
gorilla: 8 Texas Roadhouse racers. (No,
I don’t think they were each 100lbs.) I
knew of Curtis Tolson, but made it a point to introduce myself before the race
to get a good look at him. I had heard
that Greg Strock and John “Puff Daddy” Puffer were to be in attendance but no
dice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
JJ, a local in Evansville who knows <a href="http://www.nuvo.net/CyclingBlog/archives/2011/06/27/nuvo-at-nationals" target="_blank">a thing or two about racing</a>, was there to support the event.
He’s an easy guy to get along with, and that hasn’t changed despite a
real bummer of a crash resulting in a broken wrist. Anyway, he gave me some pointers as we lined
up. Seems he has some experience flying
solo and racing against teams.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides George (Guitar Lab) who was doubling up (and
therefore I figured would probably suffer in the heat), I only knew Hayden
Warner (OTF) in the field. We talked a
little beforehand, mainly about how out of shape we both were and how little
training we had accomplished this year.
I just have to smile and shake my head at the two of us. We both believe our own BS. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well the race was a series of attacks from TXR. THE move had to have been the 1005<sup>th</sup>
little break in the race. I had grown
tired of jumping into moves after about 2 or 3 and sure
enough four TXR riders "snuck" away with one Scholars Inn Bakehouse rider. Plenty of <a href="http://www.usacycling.org/results/?compid=201060" target="_blank">firepower</a> in the break (including
<a href="http://www.usacycling.org/results/?compid=261876" target="_blank">one junior par excellance</a>), and I knew it was the race, so of course I try a “no
guts no glory” solo bridge across their 25 second gap. And I make it about halfway across before the
engine room calls out “Lolz” and a group of four (including Tolson
and another Roadhauser) catch me (or just kind of scoop me up like a street urchin). You
can imagine how the rest of the race went: small group starts working together
and TXR shuts er down. By the way, I
have no bitterness in that statement.
They were just racing, and clean, and smart. I can’t fault them for having numbers!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, I missed the move du jour and then I missed the 3
man jail break with 3-4 laps to go. I
was pretty tired of closing gaps near the front of the race so I left it to
somebody else, and of course, that’s the time that nobody else would do
it. So now 8 guys are up the road and
the pack has been whittled down to about 15 guys anyway, but I find Hayden and bug
him about how he’s feeling, etc. We both
play doormat about the other getting a leadout from us. I tell him I’m going to work for him and
start moving up the outside coming into the s/f with 1.25 laps to go. Three TXR guys swing right (and unknowingly)
box me in. Hayden uses the confusion to
drill it up the left side in what I will henceforth call “A Warner” (I mean c’mon,
he does it every race!) and buries himself for the lap. He nabs 9<sup>th</sup>, second to last place
in the $$. Good on ya Hayden!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Hayden departs for 9<sup>th</sup> place glory I
reassess and see Tolson motion to a teammate to get on his wheel. Not one to turn down a ride to well,
anywhere, I hop on after he looks forward.
After a little tow he looks over his shoulder and is visibly upset that
his teammate lost the wheel. By now we’re
going into the final turn and I slide back a place to see if the leadout will
continue. It does and I’m on the
sprinter’s wheel. Clearly this is a
teaching opportunity for the gent in front of me. Fortunately for me the gentleman was fast but made a few mistakes which
I took advantage of and will not detail here for the simple fact that I do not
wish them to be used against me. And
besides, this whole thing is like “kiss and tell” anyway. But I pipped him at the line (or in the words of Jeff Yeilding: <a href="http://jycycling.blogspot.com/2012/06/mo-state-road-race-championship.html" target="_blank">"pimped him at the line"</a>.
Though I must say that this might be a cyclocross term and besides,
winning a sprint for last money spot is not pimping, as it should be quite
clear, the only ones pimping were <a href="http://www.truesport.com/rzone/racereports/report.asp?recid=3738" target="_blank">Texas Roadhouse</a>.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaCgrilGjlKbF46LBJemwaVrXsnZ21iA9YjB_hT5gWEsyjZA6-BvZ4AAg7fFBLfURa8n5N3WSoT3lkAXkTcD_htaxahDeFJhJdDYRzysutTT3r-qrBhxfRHA6-y1ysxtxnZPAPxBQL14/s1600/styby_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaCgrilGjlKbF46LBJemwaVrXsnZ21iA9YjB_hT5gWEsyjZA6-BvZ4AAg7fFBLfURa8n5N3WSoT3lkAXkTcD_htaxahDeFJhJdDYRzysutTT3r-qrBhxfRHA6-y1ysxtxnZPAPxBQL14/s320/styby_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossers be pimpin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there it is.
Playas gonna play and sprinters gonna sprint. Don’t hate.
And give a thought to Team Guitar Lab and their efforts at race
promoting. It was a swell time and 10<sup>th</sup>
place got me $85. Not too shabby!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Does anybody have tickets to "Red, White, and Blaine?" </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-15941146820029600102012-06-05T08:48:00.000-07:002012-06-05T08:48:32.044-07:00Lake Bluff + Glencoe Grand Prix Cat 2/3<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
70 miles in and I’m toast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have 35 to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can I turn more
than 100W?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My stomach is shutting
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hot and tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>B.J. eases up on a miniscule climb and rides
alongside me: “Just think, a week from now you’ll be pulling that jersey over
your head.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Yeah right!” is all I can
think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doubt consumes me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been working my butt off in Cali and
riding 3 times a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bay area has
been 65F, not the heat I need to ride in for summer racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t done any motor pacing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My training plan is in shambles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m doing a 100mile ride in the heat?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I suck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh yeah, and I was dropped on a climb by a cat 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure Beej, I’m going to win the jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My confidence was at an all time low for the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty close to calling the guys and
saying “I don’t have it, let’s just go to Rolla for the local omnium weekend.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But BJ laughed at me: “Yeah, your 5 hour 95F
racing isn’t that good – your point being?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only had to ride
hard for 60-90 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a crit
racer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
FRIDAY AT LAKE BLUFF</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The family had too much travel fatigue so we called off the
aquarium trip and I came up to Glencoe alone with the guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fun time of camaraderie and getting gassed out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally I was going to skip the <a href="http://gazebonews.com/2012/06/03/twilight-criterium-photos-and-videos/" target="_blank">Lake BluffCrit</a> but thought I should take myself a little less seriously (besides, we didn’t
have room to bring the space legs and altitude tent...) and line up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any plans didn’t include me, I was just there
for openers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The race was a bit sketch as the tight turns really tested
the driving abilities of the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was great for me as I was really cornering terribly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed the practice having not raced since
the Urbana Grand Prix (which you would think was enough cornering practice for
the season!) A guy from MN got off the front solo and won handily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A strong move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of me thought about bridging to him but
I exercised enough discipline to keep me eyes on Saturday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jason finished 6<sup>th</sup>, I finished 10<sup>th</sup>,
and Eric finished 13<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We won enough cash to fill the gas tank of the Suburban - woohoo! (We would fill it 4-5 times by the end of the weekend!!) </span>Eric
and Jason turned around immediately and raced the Masters 35+ with Eric pulling
down 4<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very strong
result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess he shook out the car
legs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately Jason slid out in a
turn and busted his new SL4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to
mention the epidermal donation to the city of Lake Bluff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was especially tragic since he had been really
flying recently (and probably had the best fitness on the team) and was therefore
to be shepherding me at Glencoe the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
GLENCOE GRAND PRIX</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a decent night’s sleep we had a team breakfast and
headed to the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good hour or so of
spinning and everyone’s mood was pretty good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mesa Cycles (our sponsor shop) sent Nick (team captain) up with a spare bike
for Jason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jason was pretty banged up
but decided to race anyway. Nails Booty. Nails.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plans for races revolve around a handful of factors: the
course and the field are major considerations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the field there are men of concern, worry, and fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most everyone is of concern – if you’ve made
it to the race and you’re in my category, I’ve got to hold you in enough regard
to respect your attack or sprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
knowing who is coming off a crash or mega work travel or is really flying, well
that’s invaluable information and I won’t divulge my recon on the field!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, we all know the danger men in the
pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Men to fear. </span>As I told my Missouri based
teammates, we need to watch Ramirez, Fay, and Morici for a breakaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, I have to be positioned better
than Friedman, Reyes, and (after Urbana) Speciale in a sprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you notice, the entire Enzo’s team is mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nuff said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The game plan was to get Eric (who has really been on top form) to
follow Ramirez’s wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was to be
marked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile Jason (but after the
crash, BJ) was to keep me out of the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rest of the guys were to stay at the front and mark anything that
got a gap and boat anchor that thing back to the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The exception was Ramirez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he and Eric got a gap they were to roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would follow a bridge attempt by a strong
rider out of the field (Reyes? Stathy? Strittmatter? Naveen?) so we could have numbers
in the break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise we would set up
for a field sprint. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems the Enzo’s boys had plans of their
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ramirez was relentless in attacking
the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four laps in the pace had been
very hot and I thought a selection of 15-20 would be made at the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly recalculated my breakaway
plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was definitely in survival
mode!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Staying to the front I found
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewwhite/7325633620/in/set-72157630018253370/" target="_blank">myself behind a junior sliding out in turn two</a>. Acting on instinct I straighted out and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewwhite/7325633620/" target="_blank">hopped the curb</a>,
channeling <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/06/video/video-powers-impersonates-rocky-in-philly_222223" target="_blank">JPOW</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few more bunnyhops, a
sprint, and I was back on the pain train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Heart rate had gone from 180 to 190.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yay crits!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the race was a fight for position and with
myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking my luck was probably
up, the next crash in a turn I probably wasn’t going to bunnyhop my way to
safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I left gaps in front of myself
in the downhill right hander and often found myself closing little gaps out of
turns - a small concession to safety after the narrow miss early in the
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmzIvth9lgi49cmJpdH3z75jCgV98uYvU4asUy4o32gIDOi8durKaAWxXexPmeDtouiO9upU4s5kPEa1ZMUZuPZesWeid2yjzHAa2ha3yf9xs-WGDm7mRyzw7nd9yFzKJYcmS8N46Gsc/s1600/476753_3077993081247_612262322_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmzIvth9lgi49cmJpdH3z75jCgV98uYvU4asUy4o32gIDOi8durKaAWxXexPmeDtouiO9upU4s5kPEa1ZMUZuPZesWeid2yjzHAa2ha3yf9xs-WGDm7mRyzw7nd9yFzKJYcmS8N46Gsc/s320/476753_3077993081247_612262322_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sucking wheel.<br />Photo credit: Elizabeth Rangel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the eleventieth time Ramirez was brought back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closing laps I was moving up but was farther
back than I should have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After turn
one on the last lap Speciale (Enzo’s) went all in on a solo bid for glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought “that’s the race” from my vantage
point of 25<sup>th</sup> wheel (bad sprinter – bad!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My teammate BJ had burned his last match
moving me up the left side but he connected me with Nick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Nick had been going to the front and
doing work throughout the race and this is something worth noting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy rides out of his skin at
Glencoe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Anyway, Nick is ready to launch me up the
left side into turn two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick GO GO
GO and we fly up the left side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He takes
2<sup>nd</sup> wheel and I slot in towards the back end of the top ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speciale is digging off the front and it’s
full gas in the chase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rail the turns
making up spots on the downhill (not something I’d done all day).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The switch in my head had been flipped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I call on Nick to give everything – and he
empties himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lead trio is a few
riders up from me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guys are blowing up
in the single file line and I have to close a gap on the penultimate straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take the turn even with Speciale but the
leaders have a gap on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Light the
afterburners, I’m a bike behind them at the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need another 100 meters to come around at
that speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fourth place.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was pretty disappointed at the finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My team had given everything and despite the
odds I made it to the finale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet I
came up shy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely I had <a href="http://mmzurbana.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-last-weekend-of-bike-racingas-cat-3.html" target="_blank">another silver medal</a> to add to my collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then
I start looking at the kits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Are yall
from Illinois?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No.” “No.” No
answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t going to get my hopes
up before I saw the results sheet but sure enough – two WI and one MN (the same
dude that owned it Friday night).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was
the state criterium champ! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not a little amused with how things played out –
particularly the dance between characters Pride and Humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed I won and have reason to be
proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I didn’t win the race
outright and in fact was bested on the day by a junior (not the first time, won’t
be the last time, either) – reasons to be humble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally beat David Reyes in a sprint –
reason to be proud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But my teammates'
hard work pulled back his early break attempt and put me in position on the last lap –
cause for humility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly, the entire
proceeding was tipped my way: the cat 2/3 format allowed me to
utilize my strong and numerous cat 3 teammates, the temperate weather suited me
(no 100F day), the absence of crashes ahead of me (save one) allowed me to stay
in the top third of the race all day and near the leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very fortunate and humbled by how it played out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Each one of my teammates contributed to the
win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I may only mention one or two here
in this narrative, but they all played a part and stuck their necks out there
for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Most of the time I was too hypoxic to notice their efforts at the time but I saw Orange and White doing work. </span>To them I am very grateful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks are also due to my boss, partner at
Quantum Solutions, who sponsors the team. From lending me his bike and trainer on a business trip so I can keep training to extra hotel rooms at the race he has done so much for me. Thanks are also due to Mesa Cycles
who keep my bike rolling despite all the parts I break and foolishness I get
into on the bike!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to the Glencoe
Grand Prix and their sponsors and the city for putting on a fantastic
event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was my third year making the
trip and it remains a highlight of the season.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">It feels funny to write thank you to these people (who defintely deserve it, and more) but not thank God, publicly. So I publicly thank God that I have the ability to race my bike at all, much less win stuff. Thankful that I have a supportive family and that we have enough provision so that I can take time to train and race (as opposed to constantly working to make ends meet and fighting off starvation for example). I've been healthy for long enough to train hard and race, this truly is a gift as well. This blog has taken a turn away from being purely theological into being exclusively cycling race reports. Not that there's anything wrong with that per se. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks for reading. If I see you at the races, I'll be the one at the crit with the weight on my shoulders - this jersey is heavy!!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKS9puFvF7yzEaIcP6CFGgVMa6x2UYr0MZj9hRcD4bMOQgPbJi6v6AiUkrBZ6ldAM3JiJgUWqwDi83aR1zJ41fNDHP3PNxucHImvFHYMBkDW9VGVZpuulpD9WHM_qxzWX0EXIzUmcCKo/s1600/2012_ggp_IL_podium_cat23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKS9puFvF7yzEaIcP6CFGgVMa6x2UYr0MZj9hRcD4bMOQgPbJi6v6AiUkrBZ6ldAM3JiJgUWqwDi83aR1zJ41fNDHP3PNxucHImvFHYMBkDW9VGVZpuulpD9WHM_qxzWX0EXIzUmcCKo/s320/2012_ggp_IL_podium_cat23.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 Glencoe Grand Prix Cat 2 IL Podium<br />David Reyes 2nd (not pictured), me, and Kaleb Koch (3rd)<br />Photo credit: Brian Smith</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-57333531075402012432012-06-05T07:42:00.000-07:002012-06-05T07:42:36.468-07:00Tour de CU Race Report<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Tour de Champaign</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Druber hosted a great weekend of crits with Scarletfire Racing
and my old club Wild Card Cycling in Champaign-Urbana. Saturday’s course was the rectangle in the
research park. The field was pretty deep
with Panther, Nuvo, and Tx Roadhouse showing up. Some strong Chicago area guys turned up,
too. The pace was quick but not
insane. Breaks were attempted throughout
(I threw my hat in a few, too) but nothing stuck and it came down to a bunch
sprint. I helped my teammate BJ move up
and he finished in the money during the sprint.
A good result for two young cat 2’s playing bikes with the big dogs. We still have a lot to learn!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKUK_hGbPQNYcYaLyqxuEQIjebMdh3psNRN_PwQy3qfxO_9ICoj3Zn5CQlWYppwAzY6fedssXmKHMoKYTnYcLTO3ioGOM48LApXbqIOStapd8f57tiqyl8RFVKFGCmeBt9JN7xttFJ9I/s1600/461831_2948611966800_1606352359_3392427_1617108957_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKUK_hGbPQNYcYaLyqxuEQIjebMdh3psNRN_PwQy3qfxO_9ICoj3Zn5CQlWYppwAzY6fedssXmKHMoKYTnYcLTO3ioGOM48LApXbqIOStapd8f57tiqyl8RFVKFGCmeBt9JN7xttFJ9I/s320/461831_2948611966800_1606352359_3392427_1617108957_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick was usually off the front more than this.<br />
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of learning, I got my first shove/punch in a bike race
here. Turns out if you want out of the
pack, you don’t ask (though I would have gladly moved), or get your bars in
front and steer the other guy out of the way, you just shove them once and then
jump through the gap! Not something I’m
going to emulate from a "more experienced racer."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Urbana Grand Prix</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After staying up WAAAYYY too late catching up with good
friends Saturday night, I got an early spin in with BJ on the course. Wow, what a course it was. 8 turns, short straights, with some wind
whipping through the buildings in a few places.
There were a total of zero easy places to move up!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We predicted that the race would be full gas till people
started blowing up. And that’s kinda how
it went. Strung out single file for 70
minutes. BJ got into the first or second
lap break but the horses were let loose and he dropped back to the field to
recover. JJ and Uberti stuck the break
and went 1-2, 40 seconds ahead of the field.
Those guys are super strong. I
certainly didn’t have the legs to do something like that! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coming into the closing laps BJ and I tried some teamwork
and it kinda flopped. Regardless, a
little perspective highlights that we’re not getting spit out of the back of a
fast p/1/2 crit, but trying to work out some tactics. It’s encouraging but all we have to show for
it is my 16<sup>th</sup> place finish (first one out of the money – womp womp).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were some impressive rides, particularly Nick Ramirez
(Enzo’s/Psimet): attacking off the front in the closing laps and holding off
the field for fourth. It was a bummer
however to see Dan Damotte (Big Shark/Michelob Ultra) eat it after turn 4 on
the last lap. <br />
<br />
The whole weekend underscored the need for discipline in racing. Saturday's race I knew would be a bunch sprint, but I didn't stick to that plan. Sunday's race my legs weren't there like Saturday, and I while I am very glad to have spent the time with friends, I know I should have gone to bed an hour (or two) earlier. C'est la vie.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-51442001674115116252012-05-08T12:54:00.001-07:002012-05-08T12:54:43.669-07:00Hermann RR + Belleville Crit<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Tour of Hermann RR</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few weekends back was the 5<sup>th</sup> and final Tour of
Hermann Omnium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I skipped Saturday’s
festivities as I took the family over to KS to visit the grandparents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our trip was delayed a bit but we had a good
time between gardening, horses, tractors, good food, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly my children are old enough to really
get into things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of good food –
my dad’s smoked ribs are second to none.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was disappointed with how they turned out, but it was all I could do
to cut myself off before I ate my way out of the Hermann RR the next day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the drive from the rents to the race Sunday was 3+
hours, we decided to stay in COMO for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess everybody else had the same plan as
our hotel was full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of a room w
2 beds, all 4 of us “slept” on 1 king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Needless to say, I was pretty fresh for the RR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKxKO5o8F2eAxKhUztCZtF1rA1GPlDwqBGPONs_UuHU1SaBiR9tZUj_ojRu6pahF5_GotuCehV9Or0WqLEneIb-6LQeIUTPyX1IrocvJzYcMA9k7YPMyvUxBEnEUJ1bJl19nbgevt9vU/s1600/TOH-4017-XL_ficksphotos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKxKO5o8F2eAxKhUztCZtF1rA1GPlDwqBGPONs_UuHU1SaBiR9tZUj_ojRu6pahF5_GotuCehV9Or0WqLEneIb-6LQeIUTPyX1IrocvJzYcMA9k7YPMyvUxBEnEUJ1bJl19nbgevt9vU/s320/TOH-4017-XL_ficksphotos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of these things is not like the others!<br />Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weather was perfect Sunday morning, mid to high 50’s!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope all those skinny jerks suffered in the
cold, cuz I’m the fat kid that will pay all summer long in 90F+.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, we rolled off to a “Hillsboro Neutral”
and went up the 3 tiered climb out of dodge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first climb wasn’t that bad – Gerro and others were cracking wise
while we huffed and puffed up the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Things sped up quickly and breaks were tried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I foolishly followed wheels up to one and it
was soon brought back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say foolishly
because I have zero business mixing it up at the front of a 90 mile hilly road
race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got pretty embarrassing when we hit the
first KOM and I sagged it a bit to stay fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the throttle was really opened so I got onto the back of the
group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During this time the field was
splitting and I panicked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to be
a hero and close a gap between groups – wrong decision Frenchy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was out the back on the next climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 miles in?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was going to be a long and lonely day!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the top of the next climb I could see Kevin (Bikes To
You) in red, who also was shaken loose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I eventually recovered and caught him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The two of us worked together well and kept a good tempo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before long we could see a few other stragglers
like ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin and I were even
more motivated as we saw the rabbits ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They weren’t pushing themselves as it was clear the peloton was long
gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did manage to get a rotating
paceline going for a bit after we caught them but on the next climb Kevin and I
rode away from the group.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fighting the headwind on 100 coming into Hermann Kevin and I
kept our tempo up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of us figured
that we were getting some training in while way out of contention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we neared the old KOM hill (from previous
editions of the race) we caught sight of a long line of cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were shocked – could it be the
peloton?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed it was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tactics in the group must have played out
such that they were going super slow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
we kept up our pace and made contact with the “race caravan” at the base of the
old KOM climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encouraged Kevin to
stay with me and burned a match up the climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Coming into town I passed all but the last 3 cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin had been popped or figured it was a
fool’s errand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I hit the S/F the pack
was on the first pitch of the Guttenburg Wall, but that’s as close as I
got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as I pointed the bike
skyward, it was game over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqdmicuJ_andNVxl9iSrB6UHuyTu0loaz0JSlBIR_FXpOMSylFgHqRBT6UvPjTFlNqMYvaDdtTYWgi-j-n0w-ABmcOx3RWMzV2pMD4BlRBlEq1Z3oSr83bDSyfcRgyZ4ObSMwtgnzDwI/s1600/580187_3179443800892_1109571915_32161703_1638199781_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqdmicuJ_andNVxl9iSrB6UHuyTu0loaz0JSlBIR_FXpOMSylFgHqRBT6UvPjTFlNqMYvaDdtTYWgi-j-n0w-ABmcOx3RWMzV2pMD4BlRBlEq1Z3oSr83bDSyfcRgyZ4ObSMwtgnzDwI/s320/580187_3179443800892_1109571915_32161703_1638199781_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guttenburg ended that hope!<br />Photo credit: Natalie Renkemeyer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I soldiered on after the feedzone but kept blowing up on
every decent grade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had I made contact
with the field I probably would have yo-yo’d off the back all lap anyway, but I
have to think that if I had made it back I had a chance of at least completing
the lap with the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, I
kept a steady pace and avoided the shame of being passed by the cat 3
field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Signaling the old “slit throat”
to Mark Ewers, lap 2 was enough for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I wasn’t sure if my wife was still in the feedzone (atop Guttenburg)
or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked around but nobody was
sure if she was up there or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So…one
more time up the hill!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hup hup! And she had already come down. C'est la vie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was pretty humbling to be completely outriden in every
way by the rest of the field but it shouldn’t be too surprising: I’m not
pulling on the maillot a pois any time soon!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
<b>Belleville Criterium</b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A.k.a the Belleville Bicycle Race, a.k.a. The Ardie Miller
Memorial Criterium, a.k.a. The Devin Clark Crit Clinic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Belleville was my first 1/2/3 race (ever) last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t go so well as the rain had me
totally sketched out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devin Clark (The
Hub) won it out of a break in a 2 up sprint with up-and-coming junior Jonathan
Schilling (Slipstream-Craddock Junior Dev).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of junior development, it was my pleasure to
introduce crit racing to a friend’s 11 year old son that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and his mom had stopped by a few weeks
prior, so while my wife and Ang chatted, the junior helped me tinker with the
bikes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, you have to test-ride
the changes…Next thing you know there’s a race in Belleville (their town) and I
had some platform pedals on my wife’s bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kid was still figuring out the shifting as the 15-18 year olds took
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homeboy is only 11 (though he looks
15) and finished the race!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He showed
real courage as he pushed himself to his limits – and that during his second
road bike ride!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a real pleasure
which I don’t think will be eclipsed until I see my little bro shredding the CX
circuit this fall or my little ones clip in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the morning’s junior campaign I came back out with the
fam to terrific weather during the 1/2/3’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The field was 40 strong with the largest team being Korte Hammer
Down/Bike Surgeon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had BJ, Jason,
Nick, and Keith lined up for Quantum Mesa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The latter three all doubling up after putting in a big effort in the
cat 3 race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early attacks were tried and
I mostly hung back trying to discern which move was “the one”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course definitely lent itself to breakaways
with it’s 6 turns and slight kicker on the backside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Joshua Leibowitz (BigShark) took a solo flyer 20 minutes in and
looked quite comfortable on his own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
one to ever turn down a chance at a TT, Justin (Dogfish) decided to join him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of us had to decide if two of the
strongest TTers in the field should be left all alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately Devin and Dan Damotte (BigShark)
started moving up and I knew it was go time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The three of us bridged and started rotating through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Andy Lister (Wheelfast) probably saw the move
gaining time and came across solo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
imagine that wasn’t an easy move!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The six of us stayed away for the next 30+ minutes and the
pack was not in sight for the majority of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was pretty humbling to be the weakest guy in the break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew every one of my break-mates could out
ride me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, how to win?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly I couldn’t attack early and stay
away, so I had to sprint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devin as the
best sprinter in the group would be the best wheel to follow into the
finale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when the punches started
flying in the final laps I kept an eye on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On the last lap I was sitting fourth/fifth wheel and Justin was on the
front having just caught Dan’s 2-to-go flyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I saw Dan tap Josh (his teammate) on the hip and Josh was off like a
rocket!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devin jumped to close the gap
and I grabbed Devin’s wheel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Josh had
attacked on the long straight into turn three, but just before the rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn three was a downhill left hand 90* - the
most technical on the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flying into
the turn at 35mph I felt we were going a touch fast and let a gap open to the
lead pair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough, Josh took too
wide a line and high-sided into the outer curb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Devin railed it and took a 15 bike gap out of turn four as his
reward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began to lose the back end but
recovered without soiling myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dan
jumped me on the hill so I grabbed his wheel hoping he would pull back Devin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Devin was long gone though, knowing he had
the race in hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I jumped Dan on the
finishing straight and pipped him at the line for second place with Justin hot
on our heels for fourth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOjjB7N4sYWQON3ijaxcMRBUX34Lgl7cclck6Z_6t7vNNsPe03JaTqm617duEyfhVcpSzkkIkSSV1XPXchWM9sK101voOagM2omdW_CJnB-S699oN7Zt2Ib5VrslZQa2U1PV2RkKonWA/s1600/2ndplacesprint_bellevillecrit_2012_jmwilliams.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOjjB7N4sYWQON3ijaxcMRBUX34Lgl7cclck6Z_6t7vNNsPe03JaTqm617duEyfhVcpSzkkIkSSV1XPXchWM9sK101voOagM2omdW_CJnB-S699oN7Zt2Ib5VrslZQa2U1PV2RkKonWA/s320/2ndplacesprint_bellevillecrit_2012_jmwilliams.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan and I deciding the podium, with Justin keeping us honest.<br />Photo Credit: J.M. Williams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8y2LVvdOZTs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a bummer for Josh who certainly had the legs to go
for the win and animated the race quite a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I feel extremely fortunate that not only did I not eat it and crash into
him but that I landed on the podium – my best result in bike racing thus far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a special bonus, my wife, kids, and
in-laws* got to see the race.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A big thank-you to my Quantum Mesa teammates for covering those early
moves which allowed me to be fresh enough to barely hang on in the break!!</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*The last time my inlaws saw a race I finished
60-somethingith in a wet crit, off the back, after crashing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-90524566705691603302012-04-16T15:15:00.000-07:002012-04-16T15:15:22.229-07:00Carondelet, Forest Park, and Hillsboro 2012 (p/1/2s)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Blogging has gone by the wayside this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess traveling a bunch does that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bike racing has started, so here’s a little update on that front.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Carondelet Crit</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Carondelet crit could not have gone better in 2011, I won the race out of a 3 man break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My companions in the break were no slouches either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re all still on speaking terms, though I (rightly) get called a wheel sucker now and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For 2012 I’m no longer racing with the cat 3’s but riding with the big boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My expectations were quite low for this crit: don’t get dropped from the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, such were my goals for the first race of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could enumerate all my excuses, but I’ll spare you (generous reader) the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During warmup, riding with my teammate BJ, we noted the numerous Dogfishes warming up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also of note was IN boy Drew (NUVO).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While BJ opened it up on Holly Hills Rd I struggled to go fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I warned him as we approached the line a few minutes later that I probably wasn’t going to be a fast guy today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turns out my rear brake was rubbing pretty badly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick trip to the pit and presto – feeling great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The race went well with BJ and I covering moves in turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised to find myself in the selection at the end of the race but a little too tuckered out to do much in the finale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came away with 8<sup>th</sup> place which is a nice start to the season and got to see how the race was won by Dr. Mark (Gateway).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He’s gone too early.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh wait, he just won.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><b>Forest Park Crit</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">This crit is bitter to recall from 2011 as I was so close yet so far from a solo victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year an intermittent rain made many riders think better of paying money to ride in the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BJ and I lined up but with the thought that the season is long and it’s not worth dying in March in the rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again we covered moves in turn and with the confidence from Saturday’s race I made it into the break/selection of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still learning how the racing game is played at this next level, so winding up in the selection both days is prize enough for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming into the finish I sat on the back of the group as one turn had a paint stripe on it and when wet I’m deathly afraid of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I entered the sprint last, knowingly handicapping my position and moved up a little to finish 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another good day out considering the training I’ve had this spring.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><b>Hillsboro Roubiax</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">If the contrast between the ’11 and ’12 crits above was stark, Hillsboro was another world of racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After being the big fish in the small pond of the cat 3’s last year, 2012 showed me what racing with the big boys was really like in my first P/1/2 Hillsboro Roubaix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conditions were harsh with a steady rain and some gusty winds throughout the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The point of relief was the temperature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting in the high 50’s and going up into the high 60’s, being soaking wet wasn’t all that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had the shift gone the other way I’m pretty sure I would have DNF’d. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or at least held on to my rain cape. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The constant rain and rough country roads did take their toll, as many riders experienced punctures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frequency of mechanicals and crashes thinned the field down during our three laps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were some wild moments that really got the adrenaline going – seeing cat1’s sliding out in turns, rolling through a ditch, or just plain hitting the deck is sobering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have less fitness and experience, so I better stay on my toes (figuratively speaking, one would not wish to dramatically alter one’s pedal stroke mid-race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One thrill to share was the accomplishment of feeding myself in situ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gels are easy to coax down, especially with the heavy spray from the pack providing a nice earthy electrolyte chaser should you accept it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I managed to inhale a stinger waffle (my new favorite/Achilles Heel) in one giant chomp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shoving that thing in while trying to breath and not crash must have made me a sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will treasure that memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks Hillsboro.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another moment comes courtesy of one Jelly Belly PRO who animated the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PRO consistently took digs at the front, while we amateurs played “follow the pro.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess there was a tet a tet with the moto ref (who was the most dangerous rider to be near in the field) regarding forward progress and imaginary yet enforceable lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the PRO attacked up the right side of the field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No big deal right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, yes, it was a big deal when “going up the right side” meant first traversing a drainage ditch, sprinting through some grass, crossing a driveway, and then re-entering the roadway via another drainage ditch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pretty sweet move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let out a hearty “whoop” of approval (not of the “please somebody chase that down for me” sort though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So the race was fast, wet, and tiring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The garmin computer says I burned 5k+ calories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strava says I burned 4k+ calories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, I rode my bike, stayed upright, and had fun crossing the line 38/100 (77 finishers).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh, and it was good fun to see lots of people I don't see so often. I do enjoy seeing you all. Yes, even you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next Up:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://tourofhermann.com/" target="_blank">Tour of Hermann Road Race</a> (a.k.a. Frenchy climbs to his death atop the Gutenberg Wall - and you should too!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15749" target="_blank">Belleville Crit</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.bikereg.com/Net/15922" target="_blank">Tour de CU!!!!!</a> (if the current work schedule holds!) </div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-69666706009048390392012-02-24T06:48:00.000-08:002012-02-24T06:48:55.308-08:00Hibernation: Over<div class="MsoNormal">Since my last blog post a lot has happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t really a surprise considering it’s been 3 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Bike Racing Front</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">CX racing was fun and hard as I worked through a knee injury and inconsistent riding, much less training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did start to get some form back and got to the front of the Boxing Day CX race in KC KS and got a win.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt both really good and really bad about the experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple laps it was clear I didn’t belong in that cat 3 field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should have been trading blows with the KCCX guys in the 1/2s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after that race I applied for my cat 2 upgrade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think I’m actually cat 2 cx material but staying in the cat 3’s doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose I shouldn’t feel bad about winning handily – it’s not likely to happen again.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknt1eaFUqh3d-loGlMzRwUw0Dmu_Ty_NzFcA2Ohwm__WVxKiwdq-yXm4H8Ld6l0HmnPyUEJLtZRbyswHB5IYa8WQ3RBbjeSCGYMKF0RiUuBT2Lq0kWTo354kTE6AIU-mUdo-g2xRd6-U/s1600/boxingday_cx_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknt1eaFUqh3d-loGlMzRwUw0Dmu_Ty_NzFcA2Ohwm__WVxKiwdq-yXm4H8Ld6l0HmnPyUEJLtZRbyswHB5IYa8WQ3RBbjeSCGYMKF0RiUuBT2Lq0kWTo354kTE6AIU-mUdo-g2xRd6-U/s320/boxingday_cx_2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty big gap on the second lap. Sandbagger!<br />
Photo Credit: Roger Harrison.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Road racing is looming and I’m behind on training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of behind – I gained a bunch of weight this winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it was the lack of XC skiing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it was all the booze and fried foods?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, I feel ever more pigeon-holed as the f(l)at crit boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately I’ve got lots of beautiful rolling hills here in CoIL to ride and the winter temps have been very mild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and my powermeter broke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I don’t need to train with power but it is so much easier to have numbers to fit pedal pushing against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan, looks like I’m rolling old-school for the season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The StL cycling scene should be an exciting one in the 1/2 ranks this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dogfish behemoth is as strong as ever but there are several smaller, new teams looking for results – mine being one of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it will make the racing aggressive and interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus we’ll have some out of towners stop in to collect scalps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just check the Hillsboro pre-reg *cough* NUVO *cough*.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will do my best at Hillsboro but don’t expect a repeat of my 2011 placing!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">My Day Job, My Daughter, and Analogous Knowledge of God/Anthropomorphism and God</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">My 4yo asked me about my work the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has limited computer usage experience and is ignorant of terms like “program”, “code”, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I explained:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you had a recipe for bread that called for 2 cups of flour, but it was written as 2 cups of sugar, you would see it and know its wrong, no?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You would then bake your bread with 2 cups of flour and fix your recipe card, right? Well, in this computer, the recipe for its work was wrong like that, so I fixed the recipe and everything worked.</i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This reminded me that my daughter has no idea (yet) of the complexity, beauty, challenge, and possibilities contained in the computer platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The analogy of a bread recipe is understandable but code is currently beyond her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I think about myself, how I am very childlike in my knowledge and wisdom, and I consider:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq"> <div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.</i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 cups of flour, not 2 cups of sugar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can understand that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Treasure in a field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can understand what that would mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Calvin pointed out, God accommodates his self expression to our human capacity for understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let your imagination dwell on that for a moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine what 2cups of flour = a code change extrapolates to with regard to your understanding of God and the universe.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Child Rearing Front</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not sure what’s going on with our 2yo, but it seems like every night the bedtime routine is WWIII!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s interesting how traits that I will celebrate later in my children: determination, strength, hard work; when applied now to things like staying up later are discouraged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Schoolwork?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stay the course my son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bedtime? Give up! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Resistance is futile!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Podium Café VDS (now FSA DS)</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is my second year playing the “fantasy” cycling game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You pick your roster and then sit back and watch the points come in (or not!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its pretty fun and you learn more about the PROs and find yourself rooting for/against certain riders and teams simply because you “own” them. I think it adds a layer to the PRO racing. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t pick Stijn Devolder this year and call my team “Stijn of the Times.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://podiumcafevds.com/rules.php?mw=1&y=2012" target="_blank">Do check it out.</a> Hurry, picks are due by midnight PST.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think your picks will beat mine?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pick a team and post the team name in the comments here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll see!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I hope you enjoyed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiastic_structure">chiastic</a> blog post.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-33792997506852293582011-11-14T18:28:00.000-08:002011-11-14T18:28:47.081-08:00The most fun that’s been had at the seminary in some time…<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sorry Seminarians. Being a seminary drop-out, I know good things can happen on the campus, but few things as fun as a proper cyclocross. Fortunately Off The Front Racing put on a proper cyclocross. It was my favorite course of the year thus far (including Sunrise Park in Chicago). The course featured diverse surfaces (dirt, mud, grass, pavement, wood-chips, leaves, roots) with plenty of fun transitions. It also had four “dismount suggestions”: 2 stair sections, a double barrier, and a log (on an uphill sector).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The plan for the weekend was to double up on Saturday as I had commitments on Sunday. I got a late start leaving the house (but with family!) and I got registered for the B’s and A’s. I snuck in a little pre-riding (without disrupting racers) so I knew some of the trouble I was in! Got a poor starting spot and didn’t move up really until the barriers on the first lap. I was really proud of my barrier work this weekend. I’ve been working on barriers and I think it’s finally starting to pay off. I received two compliments from my peers (“Were you a hurdler in H.S.?”), so I think this isn’t just perception – I regularly passed guys there. I’m not going to say what/how I’ve trained this as I had to work to get it! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hn1eM2VfVFth8GrOB2vCwn4H4Ct-N7FjfY-UzaX2hJbCl0gwHwMvdkalmv8Mw2-RF9PDqRtJ7XwbEZhHreVqu2feNchS4PgzwmNdmQDEbKH4C8uHqyQFS82lWvsCxg73eX3PwyKWYIs/s1600/frenchy_bubba7b_barrier_ragfield.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hn1eM2VfVFth8GrOB2vCwn4H4Ct-N7FjfY-UzaX2hJbCl0gwHwMvdkalmv8Mw2-RF9PDqRtJ7XwbEZhHreVqu2feNchS4PgzwmNdmQDEbKH4C8uHqyQFS82lWvsCxg73eX3PwyKWYIs/s320/frenchy_bubba7b_barrier_ragfield.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumping the barrier. Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragfield/sets/72157627998121893/with/6343130862/">Ragfield</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">After a lap or two I had moved up into the top ten and saw <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragfield/6343139816/in/set-72157627998121893">Peat</a> (Have Fun), Matt (Big Shark), Peter (Big Shark), Patrick (OTF), and Rich (Dogfish) with a nice gap. I had Mark (Big Shark) on my 6 and I wasn’t interested in getting beaten by him (again). So I just worked to keep the pressure on, making things hard for Mark.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_dbOGOuhpsB02XILWXJ4KuvToP3QPNO2lRoh5k1TCQp84EeHeRKgg_RgeYlAwiYxQRleUcf7BGd-1RUREK6-3ViuQvgekZvDDnsY9cbhMs61suouucJZFuf-g2lxnES7lnUHcX3WeyQ/s1600/frenchy_bubba7b_log_ragfield.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_dbOGOuhpsB02XILWXJ4KuvToP3QPNO2lRoh5k1TCQp84EeHeRKgg_RgeYlAwiYxQRleUcf7BGd-1RUREK6-3ViuQvgekZvDDnsY9cbhMs61suouucJZFuf-g2lxnES7lnUHcX3WeyQ/s320/frenchy_bubba7b_log_ragfield.bmp" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark was my shadow for several laps. He's beaten me too much this year, so I had to hurt myself to get up the trail! Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragfield/sets/72157627998121893/with/6343130862/">Ragfield</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I soon caught up to Matt and worked with him for a bit which gave me some rest in the windy sections. Patrick was in difficulty so we soon overtook him. Unfortunately Peat, Rich, and Peter had a comfy 20 seconds on Matt and I, so I had my work cut out for me. I attacked Matt through the barriers and kept the pressure on for a bit. Fortunately, it worked and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragfield/6342383443/in/set-72157627998121893/">Peat</a> was my next target. He remained elusive, and it’s no surprise – he is an excellent bike handler and that course sure rewarded those skills!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rich and Peter duked it out for the finish with Rich winning in a sprint at the line. Congrats to Rich, I think that’s his first win. That’s just what he needed in the Bubba Series Points Competition. Can he catch Matt? Will Peter win out to win it? It will be fun to watch that unfold in the next month!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to my friend Rob "Ragfield" for shooting the race. It's too bad he didn't get to race (cause he's not just fast with the camera), <a href="http://stlbiking.com/calendar">next time</a>! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>‘A’ Race</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Grabbed a gel, swapped jerseys, downed some water and hoped in the grid for the “A” race. I got a little argy-bargy with <a href="http://atowncycling.blogspot.com/">Scott</a> (Ritte van Vlaanderen/Seagal) (all in good fun), and worked my way up in the field a bit. The CX racing has finally paid off with my lower back strengthening up so that it didn’t “die” on me till 30+ minutes into the second race (it’s the little victories). Anyway, Carl (Green Street Realty) was riding smooth and fast so I just tried to hang on to his wheel. I could see the big dogs (Kurt (708), Johnson + Schottler (Big Shark), Sam (Canyon), and others) up the trail a bit, but I kept telling myself the good words of <a href="http://polkcountybackroads.blogspot.com/">DoubleJ</a> (MWI): “Remember, this thing is an hour long!” After recovering on Carl’s wheel I think I attacked him and Stu (OTF). Carl was complaining about his ribs (recovering from a crash/fracture?), but until then he didn’t look like an injured racer!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT8rNgaOqZafsqHSIYvBGSzclWjBSloL9krsilg-pXDpN_7Ft6lgL_Aw-E9VXJxhipBh-I5H_VtCHbKpA-F6InIizkoRyDiAmHPFkgkyEc3weiA8AJ7o3HV_gx6wL5Gb7MgcP9fqdqPk/s1600/bubba7A_2011_log3_ficksphotos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT8rNgaOqZafsqHSIYvBGSzclWjBSloL9krsilg-pXDpN_7Ft6lgL_Aw-E9VXJxhipBh-I5H_VtCHbKpA-F6InIizkoRyDiAmHPFkgkyEc3weiA8AJ7o3HV_gx6wL5Gb7MgcP9fqdqPk/s320/bubba7A_2011_log3_ficksphotos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up and over. Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">About this time my back started killing me and I began bleeding spots to better racers. There was some dueling with Dennis (Dogfish) but I let Rock (The Hub) go by uncontested. I got a second wind to finish strong and was pleased with my results: 4<sup>th</sup> and 11<sup>th</sup> on the day! Plus the course was just a blast to ride. On some courses the technical features just suck. The whole time you’re thinking: “this is stupid, this feature is just annoying”. But the course was challenging and fun. It seemed to have everything (you want in a <i>veldrijden</i>) including that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">je ne sais quoi</i>, flow.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunday</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My wife and I are in the process of joining a local church, so we attended a membership “class” so everybody understands what they’re getting into. Well, the class (while interesting and deserving of several blog posts of its own) ended an hour early. While driving home I looked at the clock and thought “Could I make it to the race?” The possibility was completely off the table, but quickly considered with the wife, it was now available. What fun! I packed the car and drove a little on the fast side over to Creve Coeur to line up for the A’s. Let’s just say that when I got out of the car I already had everything but my helmet and number on!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had enough time to ask Mark Ewers to pin my number and pre-ride the course. Without a warm-up I knew it would hurt, and the A’s delivered.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The course was a standard Bubba (as I’ve come to know them). Not much climbing, a little bumpy, dry, but rewarded smooth cornering. One set of double barriers, and everybody’s favorite: a healthy dose of wind.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dwayne G. (Dogfish) won the B’s outright, so he lined up for the A race. I knew how he was feeling: nice and primed but probably wondering what he had in the tank for the last 20 minutes. I made some early passes. The odd one was going around “Butthead” (Big Shark). Soon enough though, on a straight-away I tried to hold his wheel up to the top 5-6. Blowed up. Turns out he joined his teammate Schottler and they went 1-2. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W0D7n0ROIVD-slXl5hOOAwDB5wkSYHAmKW7gNmQVbkeK2bRMXbu-rh8bpMxsTltjppIN3RErkegyCTUqWU91C7GXb2-531LA3PsLHKvnINBNwoZ76rFku4TCHk3-jssVIQ24Ol8mxzY/s1600/Creve-Coeur-Bubba-CreedPhoto_barrier2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W0D7n0ROIVD-slXl5hOOAwDB5wkSYHAmKW7gNmQVbkeK2bRMXbu-rh8bpMxsTltjppIN3RErkegyCTUqWU91C7GXb2-531LA3PsLHKvnINBNwoZ76rFku4TCHk3-jssVIQ24Ol8mxzY/s320/Creve-Coeur-Bubba-CreedPhoto_barrier2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tightening the screws on Dennis through the barriers. Photo Credit: <a href="http://creedmonster.smugmug.com/Sports/Cyclocross/Creve-Coeur-Bubba-2011/i-g6VNfpm/0/M/Creve-Coeur-Bubba-120-M.jpg">Creed Monster!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I rode with Rock till he dropped me, then did battle with Dennis and Trent to avoid being last place. Dwayne started running out of gas towards the end of the race and I did overtake him. His indomitable good spirits make him the best and worst carrot ever. “C’mon Mark, you’ve almost caught me!” he cried, grinning ear to ear. If you’re in “competitor mode” it may grate on you, but if you know Dwayne, he’s just gushing encouragement and loving every minute of the racing fun. The next man up the trail was Chris (Big Shark) and I was getting closer to him but couldn’t close the gap. Maybe another lap? Maybe not.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Big ups to Scott for breaking into the top 5 for the first time. It was good to see so many of my bike friends, I sure like the StL. Thanks to my wife, OTF, Big Shark, and the officials for letting me play bikes. Such a good time. Also, thanks to <a href="http://mesacycles.com/">Mesa Cycles</a> for loaning me the Fizik tester saddle and gluing my tubulars. The two have been awesome and make the entire CX experience that much better.</div><br />
Next up: work trips to AR and maybe my last race of 2011: Bubba CX 11(?)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-88289555245360047782011-11-07T10:19:00.000-08:002011-11-07T10:19:31.281-08:00Things In KansasThings in Kansas work a little differently. A guy who DNFs gets better points than the guy that wins by a landslide...<br />
<br />
Lining up near the back of the Men's Open field in Shawnee, KS for the 360Cup, I had a decent start. Following John Jones' wheel I tried to learn the lines on the technical course. Through the barriers and into the final turn of lap 1 I overtook some guys and got tangled up with Lawrence Simonson, sending my rear brake into my spokes. I lost some places fixing it but started gaining a few back in the subsequent laps. Joe Schmalz lapped me, as did Andrew Coe. This informed me that I suck at cyclocross. Then my rear derailluer cable came loose and I packed it in, DNF (yes, I informed the officials). This informed me that I suck at life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3OR3qLcVM8LOqI6HXw3uBpRFHgj7klnKnu_CQZOSOjcDvRXrR2Yo5ayZI7wvlzn91BsTG_NLezamwq9QaXmiRv_csr6w37p6DP2qOkK6hESTo8ZucKtlADtKl7RDH_0H45EEqc-9Fiw/s1600/frenchy_360Cup_2011.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3OR3qLcVM8LOqI6HXw3uBpRFHgj7klnKnu_CQZOSOjcDvRXrR2Yo5ayZI7wvlzn91BsTG_NLezamwq9QaXmiRv_csr6w37p6DP2qOkK6hESTo8ZucKtlADtKl7RDH_0H45EEqc-9Fiw/s320/frenchy_360Cup_2011.bmp" width="277" /></a></div><br />
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So far the story sounds reasonable, right? Then how does USAC score me with "better" points than the guys who lapped me? Of lesser importance, how do they also have the wrong team for me? C'est la vie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf0Hrdja2fHQJ411VFp76uxJw0qRPw8h-f6poLUyXJLkreCf6nL5bXgmDGei_HkCHWUz7Ak6LWXciLT2khqnpt3UsIFpYRnj5haioY1sX3AVuHCPOZfwqFtvYSEeqM4XRxBDanB1J6J0/s1600/things_are_diff_in_ks.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKf0Hrdja2fHQJ411VFp76uxJw0qRPw8h-f6poLUyXJLkreCf6nL5bXgmDGei_HkCHWUz7Ak6LWXciLT2khqnpt3UsIFpYRnj5haioY1sX3AVuHCPOZfwqFtvYSEeqM4XRxBDanB1J6J0/s320/things_are_diff_in_ks.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This kind of thing doesn't bode well for those who need it to work for nationals/world's call-ups. Regardless, thanks to 360Racing for putting on a great event on a tough course. That off-camber stuff was wicked!<br />
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Anyway, the family had a good time in KS visiting my folks and got to see my siblings (minus a bro-in-law). My little bro bagged two pheasants on a youth hunt w/ a bird dog. That's pretty cool. I sucked at CX but got to ride some gravel on Sunday. The kids rode horses and we ate like kings (like you haven't notice from my skin-suit shots, yikes! Between no-shave Novembeard and the weight, I'm heading into Santa Claus territory for the 2012 road season. Perhaps I'm subconsciously becoming a fred?) Great weekend.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-60966378406465746832011-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:002011-10-31T18:41:26.015-07:00Faust Park Bubba CX, a Stupid Tax, and No Good Rotten Sandbaggers<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Stupid Tax</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thursday night I was trying to eat healthy, so I cooked some salmon and put it on top of some greens for dinner. The fish that I ate I thought was about a week old (should be ok, right?) My wife informed me later when I was nauseous and dizzy that the fish that *I* purchased and *I* opened was probably closer to 3 weeks old. It didn’t smell bad…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, I paid a stupid tax. It sucks to be sick due to something so foolish/preventable. My main suggestion to any of you considering eating old fish – don’t. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The entire episode is quite ironic because of the intensity of my desire to avoid processed/industrial foods, especially “fast food.” And here I go eating old fish and getting sick. Fortunately only I ate it and the kids and wife had something else. Whew. Also, the whole episode only took 24 hours to run its course. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bubba CX Faust Park Saturday</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saturday evening Faust Park hosted the next round of the Bubba series. This was the coldest race yet, probably in the 40’s. The course was the least technical CX course this year (out of 4) for me with only 4 or 5 technical turns per lap. Pre-riding the course, the grass seemed way too long and everything seemed super bumpy. My only thought was: my back is going to be cooked after 1 lap! Fortunately several fields went over the course and packed the grass down enough that by the B race, it wasn’t so bad.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I bailed on the costume stuff – I just didn’t have the energy after the fishy stupid tax I paid Thursday/Friday. So I lined up in the second row of the B race and had a great start. An Off the Front racer (dressed as Buddy – bravo) won the hole shot and was really digging. I got into third wheel behind Rich and sat tight for a few minutes as OtF blew up…so that’s what I look like normally! I took the front about halfway through the lap and soon found myself with Rich and Pete (on a single speed!) with a little gap. Realizing that the race was not 3 laps, I let someone else pull for a bit. Pete and I kept it quick as Rich started to fade. At this point Matt (dressed as a woman) began reeling us in. Soon it was three again and that’s more or less how it would stay to the finish. There were some attacks, counters, and bad lines taken but whenever one of us appeared done, they’d fight to get back on terms.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the last lap each racer wanted a favorable position. Matt was leading with 3-4 turns to go while I was second wheel. Into a downhill off-camber turn (my fav on the course), Pete took me on the inside! We still had a few 180’s left but I got a little gaped and was forced into chasing back to Pete’s wheel through them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The barriers framed the finish. Since the finish was downhill from the barriers, I reasoned that whoever got to the barriers first had this thing in the bag. Coming into the left hand climb I sprinted up and gained the first spot, keeping it clean and fast through the barriers, thus sealing my first cat 3 CX win.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To curb my enthusiasm, I immediately lined up for the 1/2/3 (A) race. I knew I wouldn’t be able to race the next day and I wanted another race start. Beginning near the back I finished at the back - second to last. It was basically a fun workout once the field got away from me. Sadly, I got lapped by the podium, but I still had a good time fighting off last place.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After the finish Johnny served me up a bowl of chili and gave me a Bud Light (perhaps my first ever – not certain). It was perfect in that moment. Though I think about anything would have tasted good after that second race! (Anything but fish, of course.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The racing was encouraging as I felt I drove my bike better than previous races and my back didn’t give out in the first race. Progress is progress! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sandbagger Ranting and CX Categories</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There has been talk lately of sandbagging in our local series. It’s pretty off-putting for me as internet ranting usually does not correlate to actually talking with people face(book) to face(book).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For my own part, I don’t think I’m ready to upgrade. I haven’t met the performance requirement for the 3->2 license move, the road parity rule notwithstanding. Also, as most of the races are on Sundays it’s quite difficult for me to race the A’s and still make it to church on time. What’s worse, being called a bagger by whiny people (like myself) or not racing? I think I’ll chance it with the whiners for the next month.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The nice thing about being a CX cat 3 is the variety. If I want to race later, I can hop in the 1/2/3’s. Earlier? The B’s (3/4s). Want to get smoked? Double up on the A+B races or 3’s and 1/2/3’s in Chicago. It really seems to be the best option right now. Also, now that I’m officially old according to cyclocross, I can do the 30+ races when offered. The triple fun day (30+, 3’s, 1/2/3’s) is tempting. I haven’t done it yet but maybe if I want 3 lackluster results in a single day… I think next year will favor quality over quantity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Charity</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Finally, if you read this (wow!) and you race in the StL, give a thought to my friend and future teammate BJ “The Coach” Keane. If the guy could go more than 3 laps without breaking a: spoke, chain, saddle, or rolling a tire, why, I think he might win again. I think he has the <a href="http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?event=Gateway+Cross+Cup">Gateway Cross Cup Sandbagger</a> Curse™. I haven’t told it to his face(book), but he’s such a sandbagger, being a cat 4 CXer and (presumptive) cat 2 road racer. *cough*</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Ironic Self Referential Addendum</b>: If you missed the irony of the preceding section, I can't help you. However, I think there is a real chance some of you might in fact "miss it" (hence this note) and this note is, ironically, my attempt to help you. Wow, that was like The Matrix or something.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">But the real irony of this piece is in the decrying of the sandbag whiners. Sandbag whiners anonymously complain about others without (usually) naming them and insinuate some fault on the accused-baggers part. Here of course, in this very blog, I have risen above them to call out some fault in the sandbagwhiners under a pseudonym! This makes me no different, of course except, in writing this I acknowledge that I in fact know better. Hmm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">This all begs the question: to what end do sandbagwhiners and smarmy bloggers call foul? As I mentioned earlier, if they truly wanted what was best for the "accused", they would go to them face to face rather than bloviate anonymously. I must conclude that I (and they) do not really want whats best for the other. By process of elimination, it's not hard to guess who they are trying to serve with their comments.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgtzCyoMYNTrBC-GZwWtlGJfpRsV8Oiit0Ku9gPQ1NC8mSmscF52aXTkFG41i0VMCKIF9eIF_mZSdgj5Htd366N48RzN2U-IHE-FvxXg8F5IKiVzkrcajLSgMWbocN7w-ThBSR3IwSyY/s1600/mirroronthewall.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgtzCyoMYNTrBC-GZwWtlGJfpRsV8Oiit0Ku9gPQ1NC8mSmscF52aXTkFG41i0VMCKIF9eIF_mZSdgj5Htd366N48RzN2U-IHE-FvxXg8F5IKiVzkrcajLSgMWbocN7w-ThBSR3IwSyY/s1600/mirroronthewall.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Further Irony Which I Importune You to Consider in this David Foster Wallace Mini-Homage*</b>:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">After writing all that other crap I realized the name of the park. Oh the tantalizing narrative possibilities. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">*Please pronounce "homage" like "oma" plus the "g" sound from "entourage." Please.<br />
</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-74427926628896786222011-10-25T17:31:00.000-07:002011-10-25T17:31:53.145-07:00Love that Lasts + Sunrise Park CX<div class="MsoNormal">This past weekend the wife and I headed to Naperville for a marriage seminar hosted by Sovereign Grace Church wherein the Ricucci’s presented the material from their book “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-That-Lasts-Marriage-Meets/dp/1581347820/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319544729&sr=8-1">Love that Lasts</a>.” I thought it was really well done and reminded me how fortunate I’ve been to be close friends with several couples “ahead” of us who have healthy marriages. The seminar was a “one off”, but I recommend the book. By the way, it’s better to do stuff like this when things are going well than to wait till you two aren’t talking and investing your emotional stock elsewhere.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My wife cares for me enough not only to recommend the seminar but also to throw in that “there’s a cyclocross race the next day.” Booyah. </div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Bartlett played host to the sixth stop on the Chicago Cyclocross Cup circuit. Last year I traveled up to this race and won the 4B’s (the beginners race), a race I had no business being in! But I ate a hot dog while sandbagging, and I promised never to do it again. This year I doubled up in the 3’s and the 1/2/3’s.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The course was fantastic: smooth with plenty of turns, power sections, a little wind, some uphill ramps, off-camber spiral, and the “six pack” of barriers. Weather was perfect: 60’s with sun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o-2WALpu5QlMcPr3Tdi20Ug_H5czEr_Wkoh5GiERaHhx6YawRwlh0uimpHA6655QCC64zlVGE00EbNwIn8Go6fRkTJJKapoi4DEXwhhuT0_pJpF2GEXONLtBBQ3ZRTmL4vM-Zla2EW0/s1600/frenchy_ccc6_2011_barriers.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3o-2WALpu5QlMcPr3Tdi20Ug_H5czEr_Wkoh5GiERaHhx6YawRwlh0uimpHA6655QCC64zlVGE00EbNwIn8Go6fRkTJJKapoi4DEXwhhuT0_pJpF2GEXONLtBBQ3ZRTmL4vM-Zla2EW0/s320/frenchy_ccc6_2011_barriers.bmp" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Through the brutal "6 Pack." Photo Credit: Josh Gore.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I felt good in warm-ups but didn’t eat enough on the day and had myriad other excuses which I’ll save.</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the 3’s I lined up in the 5<sup>th</sup> row (they call everybody up, so no finagling!) and I moved up into the top 15 or so before bleeding back to 20<sup>th</sup> (out of 70). Not bad. CX is so tough mentally and with a weak/fat body, it’s even tougher. But it is fun in some weird sense and I do enjoy the release of competition and pushing myself.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">I honestly thought about bailing on the 1/2/3’s but after some water and a hammer gel I convinced myself to line up. Barry Wicks was staged behind me, which is hilarious. He won, from last in the grid. If the first race hurts, let me tell you, the second race REALLY hurts! I was racing alright until I tried to make a pass of a bike heaven rider before a turn and didn’t come around in time. He put me into the tape (which I probably deserved) and that killed a lot of momentum. Nick Ramirez (Psimet/Enzo’s) passed me while I got my bike untangled and encouraged me to get back in it – which was very helpful. My lovely wife caught some of this race and I guess I was having such a good time from the looks of it that she shouted: "it's almost over!" </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4B4TJuL3-hEWffGI4aBWKe5cQcDXaZkGvL_4-3PByJCOP3bYUIWR26gkDruRGnVwp3mywEI-t9Lu1NH0Xrdv1QLIIXyCJFgxmpUeJhePuEBB3UY9EwwqfGIYsCLp9cF9wwsecne_qvY/s1600/frenchy_ccc6_CameronPease.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4B4TJuL3-hEWffGI4aBWKe5cQcDXaZkGvL_4-3PByJCOP3bYUIWR26gkDruRGnVwp3mywEI-t9Lu1NH0Xrdv1QLIIXyCJFgxmpUeJhePuEBB3UY9EwwqfGIYsCLp9cF9wwsecne_qvY/s320/frenchy_ccc6_CameronPease.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Fango/Grifo tubies were perfect for driving in Sunrise Park.<br />
Photo Credit: Cameron Pease.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I soon hooked up with Kevin Flowers (Wheelfast) and we rolled together the remaining laps. I didn’t have much power but I could drive a few sections cleaner than him. It ended up that we caught an Iron Cycles rider and the three of us worked together to avoid being lapped by Wicks. By “work together” I mean I took token pulls for like 2 straights and then sucked wheel. Oh, and our “working together” extended to me bumming a drink from Kevin. Water never felt so refreshing! I promised that I would pull to the line if he gave me a drink and I was true to my word. I did pull, but then I pulled faster until I had a gap. Lesson: never help a wounded road racer. They are no good sons of guns! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Chicago race afforded a chance to say hello to guys I won’t see until March or April on the road. It was good to catch up a little and remind myself that there are some strong dudes to face off against in 2012. This winter is not a time for complacency!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The whole weekend was a blast. Big ups to my in-laws for taking the kids for the weekend. I’m very thankful for the chance to spend an entire weekend with my best friend, race my bike, and just have fun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-8860326645181993092011-10-19T05:09:00.000-07:002011-10-19T05:09:44.785-07:00Bubba Opening Weekend<div class="MsoNormal">The three weeks between Dogfish Hermann CX and the Bubba opening weekend did not go as planned. The first long ride on the cx bike (5 hours) produced knee pain that forced me off the bike – not cool! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So the Bubba opening weekend races were at Queeny park on the west side of StL. The knee behaved leading up to it so I decided to give it a go. I’d never been to Queeny so I made it out early on Saturday to ride a few laps before dark. The course was quite bumpy and featured two barriers, two steep ride-ups, and one scary descent into the parking lot. A few extra turns were added on Sunday. The barriers seemed really tight (not a complaint, just an observation) such that at speed (which, if you saw me you’d call it “slow”,) I could only take one step before jumping over the next barrier. I guess I should be thankful I had that moment of feeling like Ryan Trebon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday’s race</b>: I got a third row starting position which was just average. I moved up into fourth before bleeding a bit when the back locked up and I had to slow. One thing I don’t understand is how guys lined up on the first row and then ran the steep ramp on the first lap. If you can’t ride it, why are you in front of everyone else? Know thyself!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sam Moore rode away with the race, having strength and skillz. I was doing battle with Rich for a while and after recovering a bit on his wheel I came around and hoped to ramp it up. Unfortunately I caught a tree branch with my eye on the 180 leading into the barriers. Oh well. I finished 7<sup>th</sup> which was respectable and consistent with my Hermann results. This, despite ribbing from my roadie compatriots, shows I belong in the ‘B’ race.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFelrHlxDHmdtqoAXklI1LsBh1TjsJPXP7fSBRhHpipG-9DW4npb6kY7ENInROMpph54i66eUnUUX5gn-6tsSZ9AgygcfD44_1Hupln37e2KiCXNWE2tBZwqDNryVx-2-49XKx8I7xXM/s1600/MDC_4944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFelrHlxDHmdtqoAXklI1LsBh1TjsJPXP7fSBRhHpipG-9DW4npb6kY7ENInROMpph54i66eUnUUX5gn-6tsSZ9AgygcfD44_1Hupln37e2KiCXNWE2tBZwqDNryVx-2-49XKx8I7xXM/s320/MDC_4944.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to Blow a Turn... Photo Credit: Mike Dawson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I should mention that with the mid October evening the temps were cool – mid 50’s, which is well into knee warmer territory for me. I used Enzo’s Embro Stick (Medium) instead, and it worked great. This was my second race using the product and I’m pleased with performance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunday</b> the heat was hot, my mouth was dry, but the air was full of sound – or something like that. My teammate Nick showed up to watch and watered me every time through the pit. I started out going pretty well but by lap three the heat (80's!) and my back got the better of me and I was toast, going from trading first place with Sam to eventually 15th. I finished in 14<sup>th</sup> after gaining a place back from Sunny. The race was one giant tactical mistake on my part. I thought I’d have the gas to keep going when I saw the front but I lost my cool. Just foolishness! Know thyself! I guess during the race I figured that I was fast, but I’m not – yet. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, after the chain drop imbroglio at Hermann (my own fault), I adjusted the chain keeper and guess what…it kept the chain on, even on that sick bumpy section near the s/f.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky3pq3ndzrzvD2VN0IFiD5DiAXWYtfvadhKBMOWE-4wy4JESNjmKifXiOHnz_fnBVIjbwvtbAakJfPwiRpr2XVCD7DpJBI_oeAaJoUvegS-O2TJ0vqu2KJIOkVMsNgp6Ho4hJ4_6vZ1g/s1600/MDC_5203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky3pq3ndzrzvD2VN0IFiD5DiAXWYtfvadhKBMOWE-4wy4JESNjmKifXiOHnz_fnBVIjbwvtbAakJfPwiRpr2XVCD7DpJBI_oeAaJoUvegS-O2TJ0vqu2KJIOkVMsNgp6Ho4hJ4_6vZ1g/s320/MDC_5203.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuetella sponsorship? Photo Credit: Mike Dawson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The family joined me for Sunday’s race and got to see daddy get all red-faced and dusty. The kids seem to have more fun at CX races with the constant viewing opportunities, ample cowbell, and the local drive times. Now if we could just get mommy on a cx steed…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Monday</b> I got my back and legs taken care of by Kurt Fletcher who has a massage therapy business in StL. He took second in the A race on Sunday so he knew how everything ached after the race weekend. I strongly recommend the extra recovery massage affords. I also should point out that with all the bumping and jarring of the Queeny Park course, I have zero chaffing or saddle sore issues thanks to <a href="http://www.enzoscyclingproducts.com/">Enzo’s Chamois Cream</a>. It’s not just for road season!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-46854244388868796142011-09-23T15:03:00.000-07:002011-09-26T08:06:12.578-07:00Dogfish Hermann CX Race Report<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Cyclocross!</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The season has started and I feel 50 years older. Back, legs, arms, feet, hands all have cuts, bruises, knots, and soreness. With my body beat up, why am I so happy?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This past weekend was the Dogfish Hermann CX Weekend. I was on the fence about racing the 3/4s or the 1/2/3s but decided to race the 3/4s to gain experience and to get back home for church on time Sunday evening. I think I made the right choice. We made it to church (though I was pretty strung out and covered in mud) and I have a lot of room to grow as a crosser! Here’s the race rundown from my blue Kona:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Saturday</b>:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Conditions were cool (high 50’s) and we were racing in the dark/under the lights. About 40 guys lined up and the course was wet but not too sloppy. I got a 2<sup>nd</sup> row start due to pre-reg order and promptly missed my pedal but moved up during the long paved hole shot. I think I took the first turn in 10<sup>th</sup> wheel or thereabout.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The course was a lot of fun to race. There were open power sections, lots of 180’s, a few off-camber bends, a double sand pit, 2 mini barriers, and 2 regulation barriers. There were also a few swampy bits and a double staircase runup! Lighting was ok and there was only one corner that was completely dark – right next to the band. Yes, live band during the races!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the front of the race BJ (Momentum) took the early lead with John (My Wife Inc) on his wheel. I could see the two of them establishing a gap on the line of guys I was with as soon as the first bend around the baseball outfield! I passed several guys on the stairs and worked my way up into the top 5 catching BJ during lap 3 (I think). We rolled together for a bit until he slid out on a turn. I think the two of us were evenly matched this weekend – he with the bigger motor but I with slightly better driving. It wasn’t much of a difference but that’s how I think it was.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqNrZotVirSlYC6QDwf4lB1Pdk6wcp_PxNsCVS-wu8bJY9F6AESnicaLGDI0VsLMxjufMtXzcrWLl0GV2QhwnpjQdtMB0VUGFMRDfONugjMK5ZQsYAXiwaG4q0D_Pfb_CVuf60FI7Kao/s1600/frenchy_hermanncx_sandpit_sat_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqNrZotVirSlYC6QDwf4lB1Pdk6wcp_PxNsCVS-wu8bJY9F6AESnicaLGDI0VsLMxjufMtXzcrWLl0GV2QhwnpjQdtMB0VUGFMRDfONugjMK5ZQsYAXiwaG4q0D_Pfb_CVuf60FI7Kao/s400/frenchy_hermanncx_sandpit_sat_2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huppin' through the 2nd sand pit. Photo Credit: Dan Singer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Out front John was cruising along to a nice gap. Some friends said I was chipping away at it but I never got within 20 seconds. My back started to get to me and two Michelob Ultra riders were nipping at my heels. Then I dropped my chain on a remount and bled 8 spots (my guard obviously was not set up correctly – by me!). Big thanks to Revolution Cycles for getting me back in the race! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I worked my way back up to 5<sup>th</sup> at one point but in my duels with Aaron Koch (Dogfish) I was bested, finishing 6<sup>th</sup>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I watched a few laps of the 1/2/3s and saw former teammate Jason (Psimet) throwing down monster attacks with the area big dogs. The kids and the wife were either sleeping or about to be and I needed rest before round two so I missed the finish. It was a great day of racing though.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sunday</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The forecast was for more heat and more water! It rained enough overnight that the course Sunday morning was pretty swampy. The masters coming off the course all told the same tale: don’t take the lines you can see! It’s slick! However, as the day went on the rain stayed away while temps went into the 70s (F) making a tacky track that was quite fun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another 40 (+/-) dudes lined up for 45 min in the crucible. John (who won Saturday) won the hole shot and we foolishly let him start earning a gap on the ball field. I couldn’t believe it, I was in 6<sup>th</sup> wheel and couldn’t move up! Argh! My legs weren’t so fresh for day two but I started passing people before the stairs and found myself with a little gap in 3<sup>rd</sup> by the end of the lap. I wasn’t really comfortable out there and really felt the fatigue from yesterday, but I was chipping away at the guy in front of me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Due to the increased temps I didn’t use embrocation and I also stowed a bottle in my skinsuit between my shoulderblades. This latter choice was a mistake as it was soon in my saddle area. Rather than ride it out, I sat up on the road section and fished it out of the skinsuit. I lost 3 or 4 places doing this dance. Rather than messing with the bottle, I should have been RACING MY BIKE! Aaron came flying past me during this time, since he was, y’know, racing his bike. He was not going to wait for my shenanigans!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJxt-hWozDc2cmyj9bWmiz1THtjnuK7CsxnmukH1_7jTtSKB0Mw3QXupUYmdYMYUZsdvs8aVxsr9yR2is8jazFYmDAN4OxW48eg83zaW30EwUOUDVUD3d4RHkRM5OWl9QP7jymwJ0m_c/s1600/_MG_5702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJxt-hWozDc2cmyj9bWmiz1THtjnuK7CsxnmukH1_7jTtSKB0Mw3QXupUYmdYMYUZsdvs8aVxsr9yR2is8jazFYmDAN4OxW48eg83zaW30EwUOUDVUD3d4RHkRM5OWl9QP7jymwJ0m_c/s320/_MG_5702.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowing on Sunday! Photo Credit: Jason Watkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I clawed one more place back from the guy who was in second earlier but blew up. The closing laps I was getting closer to the fifth place rider but needed another lap to overtake him. However, that last lap was zen-full of smooth cornering. I felt like I could flow on the course that last lap! I was finding my pedals, taking turns faster and smoother than previously, it’s like I finally “got” the course. It is my hope that with more cx racing I can start to figure out how to ride a course before the last lap of the second race!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKxxiCVXDiO8ggQmQCaF9r6T6pTQocLs92F5_KLuBYAYMEw_2QG5a-N_OUYcd04WBgxCjQPxb1THN7tUMWEJhs4EiTmhq-MQGngxky2hahayjNSneMCAEKXj2tgsf9pCwV0lhrJRWNv4/s1600/_MG_5732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDKxxiCVXDiO8ggQmQCaF9r6T6pTQocLs92F5_KLuBYAYMEw_2QG5a-N_OUYcd04WBgxCjQPxb1THN7tUMWEJhs4EiTmhq-MQGngxky2hahayjNSneMCAEKXj2tgsf9pCwV0lhrJRWNv4/s320/_MG_5732.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auditioning for Stomp? Photo Credit: Jason Watkins</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Epilogue</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Big congrats to John on two decisive wins. Also, thanks to Dogfish Apparel, the city of Hermann, and the promoter Jeff Yielding for putting on a great event. Those of you who missed it, MISSED OUT! The family and I are already looking forward to next year's event.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-65476622488312572932011-09-23T14:49:00.000-07:002011-09-23T14:49:24.833-07:00Lafayette Square Race Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lafayette Square</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Labor Day weekend was flipped upside down on me as my work needed me in Arkansas Saturday through Monday, so the big introduction to the P/1/2s at Gateway Cup would not happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I was able to race Friday, and for that I’m thankful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My teammate Kurt advised me to stay cool mentally as “it’s probably going to be the fastest and most dangerous crit you’ll ever do.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He added that he had been crashed out of the top 5 wheels before so…nobody is safe in the dark!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, this race is run in the dark on flat ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is great fun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The field was pretty strong with real PROs showing up (Huff, Young, Dominguez, Sheerer, Jamis, Kenda, etc.) and plenty of strong amateurs gunning for a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went from racer mode to fanboy when I got a pic with PRO crit champ Eric Young beforehand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was cool about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also joked with Brad Huff going through turn 2 or 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were racing around in fast circles and a group of (what sounded like) tweens were cheering rabidly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Huff if they were cheering for him or me, he said “they don’t know me, it must be for you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other PRO watching moment was with about 10 minutes to go I was trying to stay to the front when as I took an inside line into turn 4 I noticed the Cuban Missile was to my left, bar to bar with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t say anything but it was a cool feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m never going to receive a through ball from Messi, or tackle C. Rinaldo, but here I am with real PROs in the midst of the sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty cool stuff.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The big surprise from the race was that I felt I belonged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My concern coming in was that my legs would explode and my lungs would be singed as the PROs dropped kilowatts out of every corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was fast (our first lap took 2 min on a 1 mile course, from a dead stop), but I could hang and move around the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The realization came to me during the race in a Navin R. Johnson sort of “I’ve figured something out so I’m shouting it” kinda way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately my breathing restricted this effect.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I also learned a bunch watching Sheerer, Frey, Huff, Young, and Dominguez during the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to share any of that with you though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to learn it for yourself!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I ended the road season with a 43<sup>rd</sup> place finish (114 starters I think) and as a cat 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As much as cyclocross is exciting, I’m still sad that the road season is closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hit me for the first time when I looked at my carbon racing wheels in the garage: I need to hang those up in the basement now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it hadn’t occurred to me that I won’t even be using them for six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sad face.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next up: Dogfish Hermann CX Weekend and an Embrocation Writeup (Review is too thorough for what I'm doing!) </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-7210203547495178242011-08-29T17:24:00.000-07:002011-08-29T17:24:03.373-07:00Sedalia/Otterville Weekend<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m a pretty fortunate guy. You see, this past weekend was my wedding anniversary and my wife let me go to the races. Yeah, I’m a lucky guy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Sedalia Crit [8/40]:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stayed at the Hotel Bothwell. Recommended. Know going in that it was built during a different era, namely the era when people weren't so big and used to such big spaces. As Cameron pointed out: "it's euro." In the one bedroom we fit myself, my wife, two toddlers, and my road bike, so it wasn't that small. After watching the 3/4 race (with teammate Eric holding off BJ by a whisker for third!)<b> </b>we tucked the kids to bed and I ran back out to warm-up for the 1/2/3 race. Perhaps the best warm-up was the trip up/down 6 flights of stairs?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This was a night-crit in a small MO town. A good mix of StL and KC racers turned up, I’d guess around 40 guys and Carrie Cash Wooten (kudos to her!). The course was lit just so-so as turns 1 and 3 were pretty dark. Ok, turn 4 was dark too. Pavement was pretty good, a few bumps here and there but nothing awful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A huge number of primes were offered, it felt like every other lap $20 was waved in front of us. A $300 crowd prime was put up. It was pretty cool of them to offer so much cash at this small race.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I followed wheels and practiced cornering in the dark. The field was pretty hungry and the constant primes meant nobody was staying off for long. The legs felt good, especially in the second half of the race. I noticed I could stay seated coming out of turns 2 and 4 when others were standing – always a good sign!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, the race organizers/officials did not have a clock/lap counter at the venue. For once I wasn’t so hypoxic that I could actually look for/read it and it wasn’t there! That was pretty bush-league, but Aaro kept us informed of the last 5 laps over the PA. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Coming into the last couple laps I was in the top 20 or so as swarms were constantly altering the pack. On the last lap I was in the top 15 and moved up going into corner 3. I got a little nervous when I saw 4 guys to the inside of me as we hit the turn faster than any lap prior. I tapped my brakes and instantly lost a lot of speed and valuable positioning. A loser in all white kit then chopped the last turn, clipped a pedal, slid out, and took Cameron Rex (Gateway Harley/Mesa) into the curb (and breaking his s-works tarmac). I was the last rider through, but the whole ordeal distracted me enough that I let a gap open – not ideal with 250 meters to go! I jumped hard and passed some folks taking 8<sup>th</sup> place. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a fun crit and sort of a slower dress rehearsal for the Lafayette Square crit next weekend. I’m pleased with another top 10 in a 1/2 race though it highlights many lessons I need to learn about crit racing. Thanks to my teammates for cheering me on!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Otterville RR [DNF/14]:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After getting to bed around midnight due to the crit, I was up early for the 9am RR in Otterville! Otterville does not have a gas station or any restaurants, so any food or water you needed you had to get in Sedalia. I had enough to start the race (3.5 bottles) but not enough to finish (3 laps/72 miles/2 feeds), so I had my lovely wife run back into town to fetch a pail of water. Yeah, I’m a lucky guy. The other thing Otterville had a dearth of was restrooms. Big blunder by the organizers here: 2 restrooms on site. Sorry guys, but before I spend (an anticipated) 3 hours on the bike, I’m going to have to hit the potty – and so does everybody else! The line was 15 minutes long which, given the early start sent a lot of people to the trees – not what you want if you wish to hold the race again!! Toilet talk aside, the road race course was a good one. The roads were pretty empty and featured rolling hills and changing winds which reminded me of the Hermann RR course, though more open.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The crit field was 40 strong while the RR field the next morning turned out 14. Jensen and Stolte (Trek/Tradewind), 2 Mesas, Justin + Jim + Anthony (Dogfish), a Monster drink, Lawrence (CBC), Kent (Colavita), and a few others made for a small but fast bunch.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Justin attacked on the second hill and built up a sizable gap. Jensen then organized the chase urging us to help out. I foolishly obliged. I would pull a turn or two, then think I was being conservative by dropping back and resting a while at the back. However, all I was doing was softening myself up for the decisive move later in the race.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On lap two we started to reel Justin in and I knew the punches would start flying. Everyone else knew too, so nobody would pull except for Kent and the Tradewinds. Brian saw this coming and sat up while Kent kept riding and cruised off the front to join Justin. Over the top of the next climb Jensen attacked hard taking Jim with him forming the break du jour. Brian had successfully isolated the best TT’r in the race (Justin), tired him (getting everyone else to chase him for a lap), isolated the next best chasers (Kent + Jim) to weaken any possible chase group, and then dispatched us on a climb. By leaving Bill in the chase group, he was guaranteed a rested counter should it all come back together. Well played sirs. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After we topped out I took a few breaths and then tried to bridge, I got away cleanly but blew up on the next hill before making contact. The chase group caught me and I slotted in to recover. After a spell of resting I started to take turns at the front again. We were catching them and I wanted to help our group stay in the race. Unfortunately, we hit another steep ramp after I pulled off the front and that was all she wrote – popped off the back.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While cruising into town I could make out another rider in front of me, I “caught” him as we came into the feed zone hill and both of us decided to call it a day. I started rehydrating and cleaned up while getting to spectate the finish (actually I was just waiting for the wheel truck!). Jensen won, with Jim and Kent filling out the podium.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was quite impressed with the way Jensen and Stolte played the field. Why did we let the strongest guy in the race talk us into working for him? Next time I don’t plan on playing the pawn so easily. Kent also impressed as he was working the entire race showing strong fitness, earning that podium.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This race will serve as fodder for the trainer sessions this winter as I struggle with forging ahead in my fitness. How fast do I need to be? How fit must I be? This is a new benchmark. The entire weekend reminded me of the words of Wayne Simon <a href="http://www.enzoscyclingproducts.com/race-school/2011/05/11/definition-of-a-bike-racer/">here, under Cat 2</a>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Next up: Friday Night at Gateway and returning to AR for work…</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-65073641937802369842011-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:002011-08-25T07:51:46.883-07:00Morton Crit Race ReportRacing in Peoria<br />
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The Proctor/Peoria crit has been a favorite the past several years. Not only was the race on a really fun course, just a short drive from Urbana, it also served as the state championship criterium. I was disappointed to see the classic 8 corner removed from the schedule but excited to return to greater Peoria nonetheless for the Morton Community Bank Cycling Classic.<br />
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I was excited since Peoria served up my very first bike race back in 2007. I was reminded of this when I bumped into Nick Ramirez (Psimet/Enzo’s) and he introduced me to a cat 5 named Michael. Mike just completed his first race and (I think) placed fifth! I hope Mike finds the rewards we all enjoy through the challenge and discipline of competitive cycling.<br />
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Like Michael, this part of the season is all about experience for me. As a new cat 2 I have a lot to learn about racing, so I approached Morton with this in mind.<br />
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At registration I handed in my waiver and said I was there to race. The woman responded: “Cat 4’s?” Ouch. Nice ego bruise that. Whatever, I cheerfully said what race I was in and was given the number five. I love low numbers. It is clear you are in the big boy race. But five?! It didn’t look like a big field would be showing up today, meaning there would be no place to hide in the peloton. I’d need a lot of tactical nous and good legs to finish well. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morton Crit P/1/2 Field. Photo Credit: Niki Campen Nation.</td></tr>
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Sixteen other riders found their way to the start-line: Hogan Sills (ABD), Nick (Psimet/Enzo’s), the Stone Pony (Scarlet Fire Racing), Drew (Nuvo), Joey Iuliano (Racing for Riley), James Bird (ISCorp), two Wheelfasts, two Bloomingtons, two Proctors, two Panache, a guy in orange/purple kit, and an SCW rider. There were lots of fast dudes in the group but I was particularly concerned with Sills, Ramirez, and Drew. The only reason I was not watching Mr. Stone that carefully was that he already raced twice that day!! (And if you know about this guy you know that he races at and off the front.)<br />
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The race was very exciting with numerous attacks from the start (Joey gets the “most attacks” prize by a nose over Nick!) and (perhaps wrongfully) I was concerned not to be left out of early moves. I was bridging and jumping with early stuff as I had witnessed Hogan get away early in other races and I watched Nick ride away with the Hermann Cat 3 RR earlier in the year. Nick was hyper-active during this time, jumping away and driving breaks. My legs hadn’t really come around to feel good but there was little time for that – go go go!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogoQF28YMr6hRfmoWmcMGkby9zuyxvx-FkF5zmQLeGDQiuOvupKOgEhNtGZwwG4T3F_vFQWqWSUB4UHrFg1EpoZO23GbJXEdt8uQhSaTi_NaGeZnrN82J5Rni2w9SftiuzK7G-gA27ps/s1600/315302_2294394127441_1476701009_2452250_1713163_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogoQF28YMr6hRfmoWmcMGkby9zuyxvx-FkF5zmQLeGDQiuOvupKOgEhNtGZwwG4T3F_vFQWqWSUB4UHrFg1EpoZO23GbJXEdt8uQhSaTi_NaGeZnrN82J5Rni2w9SftiuzK7G-gA27ps/s320/315302_2294394127441_1476701009_2452250_1713163_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding on to Hogan's wheel for dear life during an early attack. Photo Credit: Niki Campen Nation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
75 minutes is a long time to be on the gas, but you need time to separate the racers. After numerous attacks, counters, and reshuffling of the breaks two men were off the front with a good gap. I think Dave Stone was one of them. Nick and two others got free of the pack and began chasing. Perhaps Hogan was in this group, perhaps Drew. The rest of us were largely looking for others to do the work of pulling these guys back as the frenetic race had left many on the ropes – myself included. If you’ve been in a race you know exactly the moment I’m describing: legs and lungs hurt, wits are dulled, and gaps are opening. It is THE time to get away if you can. Well, three more opportunists (including Sills – the order of the second and third groups may be off) broke the elastic and now half the field was up the road and half the field was left in the “pack”. I was in the pack. Then I saw it – the coup de grace – the moto ref pulled ahead of our group. I don’t recall what time/lap we were at but I’d say about 45 minutes in (complete guess). Was my race over? Were we fighting for the distinction of “also ran”? Would we get pulled?<br />
<br />
It was gut-check time as a lot of firepower was up the road. There were no more games, we had to chase! Joey, a Wheelfast rider (#12), myself, a Proctor, and occasionally a Panache rider began rotating. I recall several times having both legs light up with lactic acid on pulls going into the red as we chewed up tarmac to reach that front group. Miraculously, we made it! We closed down the gap and brought it back together. The dark humor in the moment came when I looked up and the announcer/officials called out “22 laps to go!” Oh, only 22 more laps?! Then, on the next lap (or so) 2 guys went off the front. Here we go again…<br />
<br />
Ramirez, Bird, and Bloomington (?) took off and a new chase began. I guess my legs came around as I did help a little. Hogan, Drew, Joey, and some others did work and as the laps ticked down it looked like we could catch them. During this chase we lapped several riders who got dropped in the field split chase. The Stone Pony came unglued during this time, too. The man made the big split in the race, only to have it blow up again. His racing was absolutely incredible considering: 1) he had already podiumed in a master’s race on the day, 2) he already raced yet another masters race, 3) he has a son my age (!), and 4) it took an hour plus of an all-out-knife-fight to pop him. Studly stuff that.<br />
<br />
The last three laps I skipped pulls to try to save something for the finish. I had a top ten on account of the lapped/dropped riders but maybe I could finish higher. Perhaps this is the loathsome lazy sprinter in me, or perhaps said tactical nous. Sometimes they are hard to differentiate. The finishing stretch was quite long and I was too timid coming into the line. Rather than jump multiple times to try to hang on to Hogan, I waited at the back and then moved up late to take 3rd in the bunch, 5th on the day. I am still pleased with a top 5 finish in this race. Racing with the big boys (and this isn’t even Gateway we’re talking about!) is much more taxing mentally and physically but also much more exciting and rewarding. Of note: James (ISCorp) hung on for the win while Hogan (ABD) took the field sprint for 3rd.<br />
<br />
It is worth noting that this is the third race on the new Tarmac. I can't believe the difference. Cornering and sprinting are noticeably better. I'm super pleased with the bike.<br />
<br />
After the race Nick took me aside and clued me in to some needed tactical advice. Here’s to gaining wisdom! Then the wife and I headed to a state park for a fun night of camping with the kids. <br />
<br />
I am really thankful for that Saturday.<br />
<br />
Next up: the Sedalia Crit and Otterville RR!<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-40052359372180891292011-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:002011-08-23T07:42:57.368-07:00MO State Crit ReportMO State Crit<br />
<br />
First time in Jeff City. First race with Brian Jensen and some of the Trek/Tradewind Energy crew (he won, by the way). First time a shifter broke with 4 to go and I DNF’d in a P/1/2 race.<br />
<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yup, that was the MO state crit for me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My teammate Kurt and I raced well as a team but came up shy of the result we wanted. Regardless, the race brought my confidence up as my new Tarmac felt great and I was able to go to the front during the race and put in some work. </div><br />
With a few more crits before Gateway, I hope I can bring the speed up a bit and have a solid finish to this great season.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-13564350324507069302011-07-25T05:59:00.000-07:002011-07-25T05:59:45.572-07:00Babler Circuit Race + GEO Crit Reports<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Babler Circuit Race [13/17]</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Babler was my first race as a cat 2, so there was a lot to learn going in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add to that a 3 week break from racing and I was fairly nervous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The course was a 4 mile loop with 2 big hills – one up and one down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have numbers (no computer, just feel!) but Adam (RecycledCycles) said his Garmin topped out at 18% on the climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say it wasn’t easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With 8 laps I was looking to follow wheels and try to help my cat 1 teammate, Kurt.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I felt good up the climb the first two laps as an early move dangled off the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt comfortable in the group but was definitely working hard on the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two-tiered climb usually played out with a steady pace on the lower section with riders kicking it up on the second slope and over the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they saw that everyone was together the pace would slow a little and the pack would take a deep breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s funny to me how the first couple times up the climb you keep your breathing quiet and try not to show your cards but by the third or fourth time up the hill you don’t care that you sound like a sow in heat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the seventh time up the climb my back was a snare drum and my legs were empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave in and let the pack go up the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was in the race until the real racing started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ouch.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The race highlighted the need to be judicious in the use of strength and cautious to put one’s nose in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next time I plan on being around when the fireworks go off!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m also taking steps to move past the back pain by getting a bike fit with Russ of <a href="http://www.mesacycles.com/">Mesa Cycles</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve waited too long to do this!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kurt rode well and placed 3<sup>rd</sup> - another podium for 708 Racing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to Gateway Gastroenterology, Off The Front Racing, and the Park Staff for putting on a great race!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Note: only 17 riders were scored but I thought I counted 25+ at the start – this was confirmed by Daniel (Lindenwood) at the GEO crit as he thought there were ~30 guys in the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly 13th doesn’t suck so much.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Great Egyptian Omnium Crit</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After attending a friend’s wedding in Indiana Saturday, I stopped by Carterville, IL for the GEO crit Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keith and Erik rode well in the Omnium but had to finish the crit as a t-storm rolled in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead air became 30mph+ gusts uncomfortably quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boys kept the rubber down to seal a good weekend of racing.</div><div class="MsoNormal">For the P/1/2 crit I was hoping the race would be a quiet affair – another chance to get my legs going before the MO state crit and Gateway Cup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew Daniel (Lindenwood) and Eduardo (Bigshark) were going to be there but as I had suspected, Jonathan (Nuvo, National TT champ) showed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be anything but a slow race now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that but more firepower came to play via 5 IsCorp riders – this would be quite a race!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, that t-storm that escorted the 3’s to the line poured out lightning on John A. Logan College for 1.5 hours, scrapping our race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like another 3 week gap between races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motorpacing time?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Big thanks to Chad Briggs who put on a great race (from what I could tell about the rest of the omnium) and had super community support (I heard a GEO ad on the radio while driving in!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, but Chad refunded the P/1/2 crit entry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is definitely a race to attend next year! </div><span> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463888212058723072.post-80373679728875036632011-07-09T06:35:00.000-07:002011-07-09T06:35:44.061-07:00My last weekend of bike racing...as a cat 3<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Glencoe Grand Prix and Webster Groves Criterium Race Reports</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>In brief:</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Buncha guys lined up. One rode away 15 minutes in. I won the field sprint.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>If you’re not into the whole brevity thing:</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mike, Nick, Keith, and I headed up to Glencoe to contest the IL state criterium championship for the cat 3’s. I decided coming in that this would be my last weekend racing in the category. I had the points for the upgrade (including several wins) and more importantly I was starting to feel stagnant. Part of that is the place in the season – after racing since April I had accumulated more race starts this season than any prior YEAR! In fact, I have raced more this year than my first two in the sport combined. Regardless, I convinced myself that I wasn’t happy with a race unless I won (or a teammate won). So of course the rational next step is to begin racing in a category where winning means finishing!?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Off the shrink’s couch and on to the race…four of us showed up to represent 708 Racing. The guys all had good attitudes but I was a basket case. The state crit always gets in my head and I have trouble sleeping and notice that my normal neuroses and compensation mechanisms all fly into overdrive to deal with the additional self-inflicted stress. During the warm-up I felt alright but not great and everything that had to happen got done. I entered the staging area pretty late but pushed Tim Speciale out of the way. At first he thought someone was being rude, but once he realized it was me the joking began. It was a good way to kill a little stress before the start. As they let us go to the preliminary line I snuck forward in the group. Then they let us go to yet another line and I again moved up. The race was soon underway and I was looking out for 5 guys: Tim (Psimet), Kyle (Tower), Ryan (xXx), John Villena (Rhythm), and The Squirrel. I also had to watch the Burnham team as for sheer numbers they could sneak somebody off the front. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The pace was quick and Burnham kicked things off. Mike (708), acting the dutiful lieutenant, covered several early moves. The plan was for Keith and Nick to cover moves while Mike would lead me out for the win. “Plan B” was to put me in a break. The team was 100% committed to me (see nervousness above) and I could see it in those first laps. Nick jumped away during an early lap and stayed off long enough to take the first KoH sprint and I felt comfortable about how we were minding the pack. I believe that at this point the pace was quick and the course tight, but all 4 708’s were near the front (top 20?). On the first sprint lap Ryan Fay (xXx) took off. It was around 15 minutes into the race and I was riding next to Mike in the top 10 or 15 wheels. I turned to him and said: “What do you think?” Mike: “It’s early.” Me: “Yeah, let’s let him dangle.” Well, that was the wrong decision! Ryan began putting time into us. A chase group formed just off the front with Tim and a few others (John? Kyle?), so I jumped just before the start finish to bridge. People on the course were giving us splits – 12 seconds, 15 seconds. Alright, I thought, we caught Ryan and the field has split. We even have a nice gap! But by the end of the lap the numbers had gone up and the field had caught us…hmmm, aren’t we all together? No. Ryan was still off the front. I thought for sure he was part of the group I bridged to, but I was very wrong – he was 25 seconds up the road and hammering.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After these early efforts guys started making poor decisions in the tight turns and crashes befell the chase. The Squirrel was the first to go down (surprise?), but even TSpesh ate it. Ryan on the other hand knew how to drive his bike and just kept the pressure on. The gap from spectators was coming in as high as 45 seconds. The race was up the road.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh_COZ-kUm_PQjzEI41OGvvrP66sNAR7AQmWyQddaDW-AGOZQWffRjkY7nCPv5P3hp8nfOpjKmSCor7uMpo91nbqgkdM9rYrrFHhGr6VDY5vqrfoAmF77n5xd5eRC1R1w47A0FAMEl2w/s1600/GGP_tryin_something_PhotogERangel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfh_COZ-kUm_PQjzEI41OGvvrP66sNAR7AQmWyQddaDW-AGOZQWffRjkY7nCPv5P3hp8nfOpjKmSCor7uMpo91nbqgkdM9rYrrFHhGr6VDY5vqrfoAmF77n5xd5eRC1R1w47A0FAMEl2w/s320/GGP_tryin_something_PhotogERangel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick, Kyle, and I trying to get something going in the chase. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I ordered Keith and Nick, my khalkotauroi<b>, </b>to the<b> </b>front and they worked to bring back Ryan. We got back 10 seconds - down to 30 total - but it was too little too late. I even began my own probing attacks and taking turns at the front to try to instigate a more energetic chase. It is on this point that I’ve thought over the last week(s). Should I have tried to bridge solo? Would it not have been better to go down swinging (or pedaling as the case may be) than to sit in and wait for 2<sup>nd</sup> place? I did have some of these thoughts at the time and considered that there was a chance that Ryan would run out of gas or crash in a turn. I wasn’t hoping tragedy would befall him, but cracking while holding off the field was a real possibility. Secondly, being a week or so past prime I haven’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">felt</i> very strong for 20 minute solo efforts. So bridging a 30 second gap solo was racing my weaknesses, not my strengths – it seemed a fool’s errand. Avoiding this scenario was exactly why I introduced myself to Ryan before the race as I wanted to be sure I knew who he was, what he looked like, and what number he had pinned. Ultimately, I let a known mark get a gap and race his strengths. So this race boils down to my tactical failure. I don’t think this was a question of legs as I bet there were 8-10 guys in the field who could have bridged to Ryan’s move, but we all thought it was too early. We were all very wrong.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ryan stormed home with a 34 second advantage, supposedly (since I didn’t see it!) soft pedaling the final straight and enjoying the win. He certainly should have as he earned it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Behind we were on a quick lap but I wasn’t in the red – a good feeling leading into a sprint. I was in about 10<sup>th</sup> wheel and I saw Nick in the top 3. Clearly he was my leadout man into the final turn. I burned a match up the climb one last time and kept the gas on to make it to Nick’s wheel. He assumed the front and I shouted commands as he kept the pack strung out. I told him “this is it! Go Nick! Go!” and he stood hammering out a pace which served as a launch pad. While still 50 meters out from the corner I jumped at 80% and hammered into the turn, railing it at speed. I stood and powered out of the saddle as hard as I could shifting as I got on top of the gear. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewwhite/5874511165/sizes/l/in/photostream/">I could see Kyle’s wheel beginning to edge up to me on the right</a> so I gave it another kick to be sure he didn’t get me at the line. I sat up and held up three fingers. I thought there was a two man break up the road and I had just found the last podium spot. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSpA7p3QUK7BvdLxhTisNzaWMkUqbnq43OuRhQ-WTS4-c6cupltpaVXWoPktuwRTMqwL17b-NS4jHcNTU6mftbGwMCcDRccS98u92ey5G9pdXs2YmYTa2JqdupR3PpGpDCEDz1V9yoJA/s1600/GGP_Podium_cat3_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSpA7p3QUK7BvdLxhTisNzaWMkUqbnq43OuRhQ-WTS4-c6cupltpaVXWoPktuwRTMqwL17b-NS4jHcNTU6mftbGwMCcDRccS98u92ey5G9pdXs2YmYTa2JqdupR3PpGpDCEDz1V9yoJA/s320/GGP_Podium_cat3_2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing the podium with Ryan Fax (xXx, center) and Kyle Selph (Tower, right). Photo credit: Nick Gierman.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was surprised to hear that I finished second but was still disappointed. I was truly happy for Ryan as he had earned the victory. However the race was my best chance at a state championship for some time as the P/1/2’s aren’t exactly going to let me waltz across the line uncontested. But this is what makes state championships special – they are hard earned. If everyone was champ they’d be meaningless. My cat 3 campaign for 2011 will close with a silver medal in both state races – not too bad. Shall I buy a TT bike and see if I can finish second to Ryan in late august for the trifecta? No thanks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I think it's clear from my recap, but just in case you missed it: I have awesome teammates. Thanks again to the 708 team for working for me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Webster Groves Crit</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Racing is fun, but most of the time it is serious fun. You set goals, train hard, and do your best, accepting the outcome. Sometimes it is fun to just have fun and not take it seriously and that is how I approached this race. I think I had to. My shoes (which have worked great all year) had a buckle break (already repaired – thanks Mesa!) and I was mentally exhausted from the previous day’s race and travels. So my goal was to win preems and be a jerk to anyone in a breakaway. I didn’t care how I finished, I just wanted to horse around!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To that end I took the front on the first lap and kept it strung out for a little bit. It was a 3/4 race after all, and we don’t need those cat 4’s hanging around crashing us out(!). I chased moves and stole a preem from Jason (CBC), even tried my hand at a “Fay” but only stayed off for 2 or 3 laps. Je suis fatigue. (I don’t speak French.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz4MFMQ9C5tdZDlT2CqzdJs9sNGld2IXVDYJCATvA6rVD-OiLfSfECZwLrkIZ7PN1Qqynb0vWw8TYbltbeVPruL_rulFpjmpHInmSs-P7reVgOcAMiB4qmVuPrfT8S4y__nRrUbHAYkY/s1600/WebsterGroves_EmptyTank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz4MFMQ9C5tdZDlT2CqzdJs9sNGld2IXVDYJCATvA6rVD-OiLfSfECZwLrkIZ7PN1Qqynb0vWw8TYbltbeVPruL_rulFpjmpHInmSs-P7reVgOcAMiB4qmVuPrfT8S4y__nRrUbHAYkY/s320/WebsterGroves_EmptyTank.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had fun and mugged for our great cast of StL photogs. One of the highlights of the day was seeing my sister’s Father-in-Law there. Lockwood is a Webster Groves local and he came out to see a race. His nephew, Jeremy Bock (Dogfish) was unable to make it – a huge disappointment for Lockwood. What started as “I can only watch the first 20 minutes” ended as “I just couldn’t leave – it was so exciting!” Amen. Nick Hand hung tough and finished 5th on the day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This race day saw a crash from a racer named Randy. He's still in the hospital (several weeks later) and we're all pulling for him. If you think of it, please pray for his recovery and his family's comfort. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the end of the crit I took off for a <s>2</s> 3 week work trip to Arkansas. Yeehaw!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00876402013991057931noreply@blogger.com1