MMZB

The most fun that’s been had at the seminary in some time…

2011-11-14T18:28:00.000-08:00

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).

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!

Jumping the barrier. Photo Credit: Ragfield.

After a lap or two I had moved up into the top ten and saw Peat (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.

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: Ragfield.

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 Peat 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!

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!

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), next time!

‘A’ Race

Grabbed a gel, swapped jerseys, downed some water and hoped in the grid for the “A” race. I got a little argy-bargy with Scott (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 DoubleJ (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!

Up and over. Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger.

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^th and 11^th 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 veldrijden) including that je ne sais quoi, flow.

Sunday

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!

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.

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.

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.

Tightening the screws on Dennis through the barriers. Photo Credit: Creed Monster!

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.

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 Mesa Cycles 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.

Next up: work trips to AR and maybe my last race of 2011: Bubba CX 11(?)

Things In Kansas

2011-11-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

Things in Kansas work a little differently. A guy who DNFs gets better points than the guy that wins by a landslide...

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.

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.

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!

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.

Faust Park Bubba CX, a Stupid Tax, and No Good Rotten Sandbaggers

2011-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

The Stupid Tax

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…

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.

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.

Bubba CX Faust Park Saturday

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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!

Sandbagger Ranting and CX Categories

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).

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.

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.

Charity

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 Gateway Cross Cup Sandbagger 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*

Ironic Self Referential Addendum: 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.

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.

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.

Further Irony Which I Importune You to Consider in this David Foster Wallace Mini-Homage*:

After writing all that other crap I realized the name of the park. Oh the tantalizing narrative possibilities.

*Please pronounce "homage" like "oma" plus the "g" sound from "entourage." Please.

Love that Lasts + Sunrise Park CX

2011-10-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

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 “Love that Lasts.” 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.

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.

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.

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.

Through the brutal "6 Pack." Photo Credit: Josh Gore.

I felt good in warm-ups but didn’t eat enough on the day and had myriad other excuses which I’ll save.

In the 3’s I lined up in the 5^th row (they call everybody up, so no finagling!) and I moved up into the top 15 or so before bleeding back to 20^th (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.

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!"

My Fango/Grifo tubies were perfect for driving in Sunrise Park.
Photo Credit: Cameron Pease.

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!

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!

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.

Bubba Opening Weekend

2011-10-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

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!

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.

Saturday’s race: 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!

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^th which was respectable and consistent with my Hermann results. This, despite ribbing from my roadie compatriots, shows I belong in the ‘B’ race.

How to Blow a Turn... Photo Credit: Mike Dawson.

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.

Sunday 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^th 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.

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.

Nuetella sponsorship? Photo Credit: Mike Dawson.

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…

Monday 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 Enzo’s Chamois Cream. It’s not just for road season!

Dogfish Hermann CX Race Report

2011-09-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

Cyclocross!

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?

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:

Saturday:

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^nd 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^th wheel or thereabout.

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!

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.

Huppin' through the 2nd sand pit. Photo Credit: Dan Singer

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!

I worked my way back up to 5^th at one point but in my duels with Aaron Koch (Dogfish) I was bested, finishing 6^th.

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.

Sunday

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.

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^th 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^rd 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.

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!

Flowing on Sunday! Photo Credit: Jason Watkins

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!!

Auditioning for Stomp? Photo Credit: Jason Watkins

Epilogue

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.

Lafayette Square Race Report

2011-09-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Lafayette Square

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. However, I was able to race Friday, and for that I’m thankful.

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.” Lol. He added that he had been crashed out of the top 5 wheels before so…nobody is safe in the dark! Yes, this race is run in the dark on flat ground. It is great fun.

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. I went from racer mode to fanboy when I got a pic with PRO crit champ Eric Young beforehand. He was cool about it. I also joked with Brad Huff going through turn 2 or 3. We were racing around in fast circles and a group of (what sounded like) tweens were cheering rabidly. I asked Huff if they were cheering for him or me, he said “they don’t know me, it must be for you!” 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. I didn’t say anything but it was a cool feeling. 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. Pretty cool stuff.

The big surprise from the race was that I felt I belonged. 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. It wasn’t like that. 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. 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. Fortunately my breathing restricted this effect.

I also learned a bunch watching Sheerer, Frey, Huff, Young, and Dominguez during the race. I’m not going to share any of that with you though. You have to learn it for yourself!

So I ended the road season with a 43^rd place finish (114 starters I think) and as a cat 2. As much as cyclocross is exciting, I’m still sad that the road season is closed. 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. I guess it hadn’t occurred to me that I won’t even be using them for six months. Sad face.

Next up: Dogfish Hermann CX Weekend and an Embrocation Writeup (Review is too thorough for what I'm doing!)

Sedalia/Otterville Weekend

2011-08-29T17:24:00.000-07:00

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.

Sedalia Crit [8/40]:

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!) 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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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^th place.

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!

Otterville RR [DNF/14]:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 here, under Cat 2.

Next up: Friday Night at Gateway and returning to AR for work…

Morton Crit Race Report

2011-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Racing in Peoria

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.

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.

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.

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.

Morton Crit P/1/2 Field. Photo Credit: Niki Campen Nation.

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.)

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!

Holding on to Hogan's wheel for dear life during an early attack. Photo Credit: Niki Campen Nation.

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?

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am really thankful for that Saturday.

Next up: the Sedalia Crit and Otterville RR!

MO State Crit Report

2011-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

MO State Crit

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.

Yup, that was the MO state crit for me.

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.

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.

Babler Circuit Race + GEO Crit Reports

2011-07-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

Babler Circuit Race [13/17]

Babler was my first race as a cat 2, so there was a lot to learn going in. Add to that a 3 week break from racing and I was fairly nervous. The course was a 4 mile loop with 2 big hills – one up and one down. I don’t have numbers (no computer, just feel!) but Adam (RecycledCycles) said his Garmin topped out at 18% on the climb. Let’s just say it wasn’t easy. With 8 laps I was looking to follow wheels and try to help my cat 1 teammate, Kurt.

I felt good up the climb the first two laps as an early move dangled off the front. I felt comfortable in the group but was definitely working hard on the hill. 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. Once they saw that everyone was together the pace would slow a little and the pack would take a deep breath. 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! By the seventh time up the climb my back was a snare drum and my legs were empty. I gave in and let the pack go up the road. I was in the race until the real racing started. Ouch.

The race highlighted the need to be judicious in the use of strength and cautious to put one’s nose in the wind. Next time I plan on being around when the fireworks go off! I’m also taking steps to move past the back pain by getting a bike fit with Russ of Mesa Cycles. I’ve waited too long to do this!

Kurt rode well and placed 3^rd - another podium for 708 Racing!

Thanks to Gateway Gastroenterology, Off The Front Racing, and the Park Staff for putting on a great race!

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. Suddenly 13th doesn’t suck so much.

Great Egyptian Omnium Crit

After attending a friend’s wedding in Indiana Saturday, I stopped by Carterville, IL for the GEO crit Sunday. Keith and Erik rode well in the Omnium but had to finish the crit as a t-storm rolled in. Dead air became 30mph+ gusts uncomfortably quick. The boys kept the rubber down to seal a good weekend of racing.

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. I knew Daniel (Lindenwood) and Eduardo (Bigshark) were going to be there but as I had suspected, Jonathan (Nuvo, National TT champ) showed up. It would be anything but a slow race now! Not only that but more firepower came to play via 5 IsCorp riders – this would be quite a race! 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. It looks like another 3 week gap between races. Motorpacing time?

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!). Not only that, but Chad refunded the P/1/2 crit entry. This is definitely a race to attend next year!

My last weekend of bike racing...as a cat 3

2011-07-09T06:35:00.000-07:00

Glencoe Grand Prix and Webster Groves Criterium Race Reports

In brief:

Buncha guys lined up. One rode away 15 minutes in. I won the field sprint.

If you’re not into the whole brevity thing:

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!?

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.

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.

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.


Nick, Kyle, and I trying to get something going in the chase. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel.

I ordered Keith and Nick, my khalkotauroi, to the 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^nd 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 felt 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.

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!

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^th 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. I could see Kyle’s wheel beginning to edge up to me on the right 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.

Sharing the podium with Ryan Fax (xXx, center) and Kyle Selph (Tower, right). Photo credit: Nick Gierman.

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.

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.

Webster Groves Crit

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!

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.)

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.

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.

At the end of the crit I took off for a 2 3 week work trip to Arkansas. Yeehaw!

Race Reports: Ste. Gen + Hellbender Crit

2011-06-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Le Tour de Sainte Genevieve Cat 3 [24/40?]

Ste. Gen served up the MO state RR championship this year. Dare I say it was nearly perfect for a June bike race? A gentle wind and some clouds were present as we started on 2 laps of hilly racing for a total of 69 miles in the cat 3’s.

The field was similar to the O’Fallon Grand Prix (2011 IL RR Championship), with fewer turning up than I expected. It really puzzles me why more do not come out for these races. They are in my view the biggest road races of the season. With frequent complaints regarding the “critcentricity” of US racing, here we have two ~70 mile road races, with hills, and guys don’t come out to play. Perhaps we just have too many races? Between Tulsa Tough, Ste. Gen, and Galena, a limited number of racers were spread thin. (This isn’t even accounting for MTB races, of which I know nothing.) But it begs the question: why do riders show up for training crits and early season races yet avoid the races for which the training exists? Do we train all winter to be fast at Froze Toes?! Or do we train all winter to win Ste. Gen?!

Anyway…the racing began as Shawn (Momentum) attacked through the feedzone (which marked when the neutral start ended, I think – but it’s humorous considering the recent discussions of feedzones following O’Fallon…). Shawner was off and nobody seemed too interested in chasing or bridging – it was a suicide break with 67 miles to go. But then, maybe it could work!

708 dispatched some riders to the front to keep pace. Kudos to Keith, he did the thankless job of setting pace for many of those early miles. Eventually it became clear that the other teams would not lend a hand in the chase, so Keith rolled off the front and was soon joined by an opportunistic Dogfish. Several riders from other teams bridged. The cards kept reshuffling as different breaks went up the road and came back. Nothing very serious was let go as Momentum, Dogfish, and Hub instigated and chased moves alongside 708. After several miles of this I considered myself a carrot, and with a few riders dangling off the front, I decided to provide something a teammate could counter – perhaps to glory.

On a slight incline I was joined by Aaron Koch (Dogfish) and we soon got out of sight of the peloton. I did a fair amount of work on the front already and was hoping this would only last a few miles. However, the pack didn’t chase too hard at first so Aaron and I kept cruising. Soon we found ourselves on the KOM. The benefits to my teammates of my little move were already showing up – no attacks on the KOM as the points had already been taken.

On the rollers into town we caught sight of the peloton and knew pretty quickly that they were chasing enough to doom our little run. Alas. We stayed off until the feedzone, which was good as I grabbed a few bags for teammates, allowing them to avoid that dangerzone.

After completing my domestique duties I returned to the pack while the pace ebbed and flowed. I was starting to feel the day’s effort on the hills and was concerned several times that I would be dropped. Always a humbling thought.

Coming into the final hills Shawner had been caught (and was livid that no teammates countered his suicide break – Paging B.J.!) and Adam (Recycled Cycles) was off the front. I found myself sag climbing the hills but the bunch wasn’t flying yet. I ate a little something and the body woke up before the KOM. Turns out my decision to use another product instead of my normal Hammer Gel was a poor one! Nothing new on race day, genius!

Chris (708) is a big rider, so when he attacked the pack on the KOM, I was impressed. The group surged to catch him over the top as gaps started opening. Nick and I held tough and I paced him back up through the group. Coming into town Adam (Recycled Cycles) was being drawn back from a long, bold move while the descents gave me a chance to rest the legs a bit before the finish. Nick and Chris were with me and we discussed the leadout briefly. I had a flash of adrenaline and excitement: “we really can do this, we are going to get a jersey” I thought. The finish is a really cool one: a wide right, followed by a tight left, then another mile run-in to the line. We had to nearly stop taking the sharp left turn – I think I took the worst line in the history of bike racing that didn’t end in a crash. I paced Nick back to the front and Chris had taken the reigns and was doing his Berny Eisel impression. I pulled through around 600 meters out (too far!) and pulled off after we went up the little hill under the rail road bridge – completely cooked. Nick gave his best but the hills had softened his legs. He finished as the 9^th MO rider – a universe ahead of the DNF he had last year. Just think of how he’s going to crush souls in this race in 2012!

So the team had a lock on places 21, 23, and 24 – a failure, right? No. While we didn’t win we raced our plan and wrote the story on the day. While many teams race like individuals, we’re trying to execute team tactics. Big ups to Momentum for taking the race to everyone, too.

Hellbender Criterium Cat 3 [3/12]

I wasn’t expecting to race the Hellbender Crit but the schedule got flipped around. As preparation for the event I accepted a “challenge” from some coworkers to go for a 4 mile run during lunch the day prior. Not a big deal, except I hadn’t run that distance since August of last year. Add in that I was wearing my Chaco’s and we were at lunch with the power out from a t-storm and you have a fuller picture. Oh, and I had just eaten a pizza. Needless to say, my intent was to sit in and survive come Saturday! My teammate Nick wanted to ride in a breakaway, so we were set for the day’s tactics.

The course had great pavement and featured some nice touches: tight cornering (2 corners were off camber), a little rise on the back stretch, and a false flat into the finish line. A great course that would have been very tough with more than 30 riders. 12 showed up to contest the cat 3’s and what we lacked in quantity, we made up for in quality as I believe the top 10 in MOBAR were present for the 3’s.

Jason (CBC) got a little gap on the first lap through the tightest section of the course and decided to push it a little. A lap later Nick decided to bridge. I thought it was a little early for a move to stick (race was 45+5, and we were assured by Aaro that we’d be racing a full 45 minutes!), but Jason is a strong rider and I wouldn’t mind blocking a bit. A few more laps go by and Trent (Michelob) rolls off the front. At this point, alarm bells should be going off in everyone’s head: the best cat 3 TT rider in the area just snuck off the front – all hands on deck! The group chased with a little more gusto but didn’t bring him back. Once he made contact with Jason and Nick, I knew my boy would be safe up the road. Trent is a diesel!

The rest of the race was good tactical fun. I had a problem to figure out: to bridge or not? As BJ, Brett, Chad, and Adam worked themselves down in the chase I constantly took stock of myself, should I bridge now? Next lap? The last thing I wanted to do was bring back Nick, and with crappy legs, would I even be able to get away?

I found myself continually saying: “next lap, Mark. Attack on the rise next lap.” But each time there was a reason not to: I haven’t seen BJ for a while, oh, he’s been sitting on my wheel! Or, I just had to close a gap and don’t have the confidence, etc. I missed an opportunity to do something great, but at least I didn’t screw it up for my teammate up the road. It’s the least I could do: no harm to his chances.

As the minutes switched to laps I knew it was very unlikely that I would bridge and focused on preparing for the sprint. At the end of the penultimate lap I tested everyone’s legs (including my own) to see if I could get away early. The results were ok, but not as good as I had hoped. So when Adam (Recycled Cycles) put in an attack on the back stretch, I made sure I got his wheel. Coming around the final bend I managed to hold off B.J. in the sprint, taking 3^rd on the day.

Jason popped in the break and Nick fought it out with Trent, getting bested but learning a lot. I was very pleased with the result considering the quality of my legs and I think Nick was rightfully happy. Big congrats to Nick who rode strong and notched his first cat 3 podium finish! Five out of six cat three 708 racers have gotten on a podium this season!!

Nick (708) 2nd, Trent (Michelob) 1st, Frenchy (708) 3rd - who happens to be channeling his inner male model.

On Sunday I skipped the hilly road race but Nick rode to a top ten, earning 4^th in the weekend omnium.

Next up: the Glencoe Grand Prix (IL Crit Champs!) and the Webster Groves Crit (MOBAR points!).

O'Fallon Grand Prix (Cat 3, 2011) a.k.a. The Sour Grapes

2011-06-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

IL RR Championships (O’Fallon Grand Prix, Cat 3, 2011)

June is already here! And with June came the first state championship of the season for the 708 Racing team: the Illinois state road race championships. O’Fallon has a good course for determining an all-around racing champion. There are three climbs per lap but they aren’t long enough for the mountain goats to distinguish themselves. There are open areas and long stretches exposed to wind but nobody will argue that this is the Leland Kermesse, favoring the big gear grinders. Meanwhile, the final climb (which on the third approach in 104F heat doesn’t tickle) is inside 1K from the new finish line, meaning the sprinters have to earn it. In sum, it’s a course that produces a well rounded winner.

The conditions on Saturday were hot. Air temp reached 97 or 98 degrees, while the sun’s heat reflected from the black pavement cooking the riders in 100+ conditions. Winds were up to 11mph out of the WNW if memory serves.

The field was a little small considering (in my view) this is THE most important road race on the calendar. But no matter, you have to show up to win and many were choosing not to win. With only 26 riders pre-registered in the cat 3 field, my homework was pretty easy. Two IL riders to watch were Dustin Morici (Burnham) - who has had a great year so far and was strong in the heat and hills of the Hermann RR - and Patrick L (R-Bikes.com) - a MTBer who had some good RR results.

The 708 plan was to work for someone other than me in a 2008“Ronde Van Vlaanderen” scenario. In 2008 all eyes were on Tom Boonen who was marked heavily. This allowed strong man and Quick Step teammate Stijn Devolder to get away for the win! Is it not a little bit of vanity that I thought of myself as Tommeke? The plan fell apart and I’d rather not get into the kiss-and-tell. As it worked out, I was by myself in a selection of 10+/- that included 4 other IL riders. 3 MO riders were up the road. I mistook Joe Fuller (Veda, MO) for Brett Bohanan (Proctor, IL) and instigated his capture. 2 MO riders up the road.

Speaking of Joe, I need to write a few words about him. I was in the break with Joe and Shawn (Momentum) at Forrest Park a couple months ago. He’s a strong rider and comports himself with class in the pack. At the end of the first lap in O’Fallon he attacked immediately following the final turn. I took it as an “attack the feed zone” move at the time and complained about him to others in the pack (we were not actually in the feed zone yet). He, being the classy rider he is, bridged to 2 guys off the front and was not to be seen till the latter stages of lap 3. My grumbling (and surprise) about his move reached his ear so he came to me the next day at the crit to talk it over – a class gesture. I was wrong to say he was attacking the feed – he thought there was a prime for the intermediate laps.

I don’t think I saw anyone attack the feed but the eventual winner did take feeds outside of the feedzone from his significant other. Not his only clever tactic. (Yes, my sour grapes are quite sour. Nobody like a sore loser, i.e. me.) The whole “attack the feed” concept lacks the class that makes cycling a sport of gentlemen. These unwritten rules of etiquette belie the honor that each man carries into the race. You may dismiss this but remember, these are the guys who follow decorum to the point of shaving their legs, wearing specific shoes, and piloting $4K carbon fiber rigs. Alright, enough of that rant.

Back to the race, Dustin (Burnham) and I had done a lot of work at the front through the race and the heat and miles were starting to wear on us. But about 8 miles out guys started attacking the group (remember, about 10 of us). Dennis K. (Dogfish) took off with a nice seated move before a turn and dutifully applied a little pressure. Brian K. (Dogfish) kept telling me what a good move it was. I guess I agreed as I jumped hard (bike creaking and wailing – more on this in the sour grapes section below), going over the top of him into the corner I shouted for him to get on. The group chased and after the next two turns we were back together again. Dustin smartly countered, taking Patrick with him. I jumped to close the gap. This kind of thing went on more or less to the finish. Dustin looked completely smoked yet he put in at least 3 such attacks. Patrick always followed then sat up.

Sums up my day. Photo Credit: Dennis Fickinger

Coming into the finish I asked Brian to lead it out and promised him $20 if I was the first IL rider across the line. Tyler (The Hub) lead us after the penultimate hill, then Brian took the front up the final climb. Patrick held his wheel and I was on Dustin’s. I moved up to Patrick’s wheel during the climb, cresting third. We took the corner nice and fast and Patrick jumped around Brian. I held his wheel as he sat back down before jumping again. In the last 100 meters Patrick stood up and I jumped trying to come around him on the left. I threw at the line but knew I wasn’t there. I had lost the state road race by half a wheel. 0.035 seconds. Thanks chip timing.

Photo Credit: Nikki Cyp

The Sour Grapes:

Two days later I took my bike to Champion Cycling in Ft. Smith, AR for repair during a business trip. My bars would flex a good inch up and down when out of the saddle. I suggested that the fork might be broken as I was sure the stem and handlebars were installed properly. As it turns out, the carbon steerer tube was flexing all over as it was debonding (a word?) from the crown of the fork. You can see the crack/separation on the unit. When I think back to all the attacks, all the hillsides I stood on, and the sprint at the finish, I consider the wasted watts of the flexy front end. Would it have been enough to give me a wheel in the sprint? I think it would have. Regardless, I have nobody to blame but myself as I am responsible for my bike and I am the one that cancelled the work order at Mesa Cycles two weeks prior. Ugh. My new Orbea Orca…fork is super solid and I feel like I have a new bike underneath me. I’m pretty sure I’d have a new jersey in the closet had I raced in the new configuration. Wah wah wah.

The two MO riders that stayed away had big earned results. Trent (Michelob) and Brian (Momentum) both stayed away after bold early moves. The gap at the finish was over 2 minutes. Big ups!

Big big thanks to the Momentum crew who fed me each lap. Thank you!

O’Fallon Grand Prix Criterium

Sunday we were back in O’Fallon for a technical crit. Turnout was low but the conditions were near perfect: 92F (which felt nice after the previous day!) with minimal wind. The pavement was horrendous. It was the worst pavement I’ve raced all year. I watched riders get air coming out of the penultimate corner!

We had a few new faces on Sunday (Jason (CBC), Chris (The Hub)) but a lot of tired legs after Saturday’s deathmarch. The pace was brisk and I noticed we were taking the corners foolishly – only using half of the road. I noticed I wasn’t comfortable on those lines and getting gapped a little bit out of a few turns. What gives? I also noticed that I was breathing through my nose while we were lined out, so maybe things weren’t so bad. I just had to focus on where the apex of the turns should be, as most of them had potholes in the actual corner.

Photo Credit: FicksPhotos.com

The early move was Mike and Keith (708) going off the front tempting the pack to chase. I didn’t counter it as I think Trent and Joe (CX guy?) got off the front. They are both motors so I bridged up – it only took an entire lap! The two South Chicago Wheelmen juniors bridged up too. More and more guys bridged up and soon our group was 10 strong, starting to look more like a field split than a break. The field eventually came together and more attacks were tried and brought back. Permit me to add that Trent (Michelob) is really rolling right now. Keith (708) also got in a good looking move a little later but everybody had too much juice and it came back together.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel

Coming into the finish we decided we’d work for one of our sprinters. I would do leadout work with Nick. Trent was on the front (jeez!) as we crossed 3 to go. I thought I could hold the front long enough such that Nick and maybe Keith would only have to lead Mike the last lap. I pulled for the next two laps and felt like a fighter pilot, taking the turns how I wanted – outside, inside, outside – and just focused on picking up the pace on the straights (so as to keep it lined out). Trent jumped me into the chicane entering one to go and I jumped back up to him as I flicked off coming out of turn one. Unfortunately our train got derailed on that last lap as 5 guys swarmed the front. Mike (708) managed a solid 5^th place. I’m convinced we had the right tactic, but we’re still ironing out the leadout. On that course, first one out of the last corner wins. Another “next time.”

Post race chat w/ Mike. Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel

Epilogue:

The results this weekend were disappointing but our team expectations are pretty high: a cat 3 win every time. The state championship was a personal and team goal and we took 2^nd by a pretty close margin. Vittoria, you are elusive.

I’ve been weighing whether to upgrade or finish the season in the cat 3’s. The prospect of getting smoked by the P/1/2’s is inviting, but I think I should race a full year as a 3. It should be the last time I do so. Further I have these opportunities each weekend to work as a teammate. I truly enjoy it. It is also an area that needs improvement. Tous pour un, un pour tous!

Next Stop: Le Tour de Sainte Genevieve – the MO State RoadRace Championships!

The March Through May

2011-05-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Race Reports: Tour de Grove, O’Fallon Gold Cup, Tour de Champaign-Sunday (2011)

Midtown Rally [30/108]:

A big, open, 4 corner crit. 100 cat 2/3’s lined up under perfect dusk conditions. I felt ok and bridged to a break. We got swallowed by the pack. The group was pretty fast. I counted down the laps and started getting worried about being boxed in with 2 corners to go. I yelled at BJ (Momentum) “Let me out BJ, let me out!” He did and I took the final corner top ten. I opened up the sprint flying up the right side. “Man, these guys are slow!” I thought as I dug all the way to the line and sat up. Unfortunately I had counted wrong, we were now at “1 to go.” I am an idiot. I ruined good legs and good position for nada, rolling in 30^th. Meh.

Tour de Grove [62/108]:

Rain. It makes the ground wet and slippery. After my mental breakdown in the rain at Belleville I lowered my tire pressure to 80/85 and girded myself for action. Unfortunately I continued to slip my rear wheel. On one such occasion I slid out in front of the wheel pit (back side of the course). It was the craziest thing: one moment cornering gingerly, the next moment sliding on my hip. Between my palm, knee, ankle, and hip I bounced off the ground and found myself sliding on my cleats, standing up! So I started running!

After all that excitement I hopped back in the race only to continue losing spots in every corner and eventually got dropped with 3 to go. They pulled me with 1 to go. On the upside, Chris Connolly (708 Racing) rode like a beast and finished in the top third of the field. He had it in the legs and between the ears. Kudos!

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Rangel.

This was the first race my in-laws saw in person. For all my talk of cycling with them, my result was pretty disappointing. “If he trains that much and finishes 62^nd, perhaps he should take up knitting?” They didn’t say that, but that’s what I would have thought! It was also good to see Mr. and Mrs. McJones and their son Will. Rob has had to take a hiatus from racing to recover from an injury but it was good to see him on the bike again.

Dutchtown Classic [17/108; 3^rd cat 3]:

Rain. It continued to hover over the weekend’s proceedings. I had procured “rain tires” and prepared myself for racing in the wet. Surprisingly the pavement was dry when we started, but the rain came in after the start and guys started stacking it in the corners. I was caught up in a crash (in the first 15 wheels) at the S/F and went to the pit. When the field came around again, they neutralized the race: cue mass tire deflation exercise.

I maintained position well and cornered ok compared to my peers. I stayed in the top 20 wheels and felt good on the course. The kicker at the s/f wasn’t too bad for me as I gained positions there each lap (which I would cede in corners to save my hide). Entering the last lap I was top ten through the start finish but bled many spots to more aggressive/confident riders in the turns. I wound up sprinting for 17^th, which was 3^rd cat 3 across the line. Turns out I missed the $$ by 2 spots. Ouch.

Rob braved the conditions again and we got to take a cool-down lap on course. That was nice to chat for a bit and catch up.

Arkansas Work Trip

I took my first work trip for the new company in May. I was able to toss the bike in the back of the rental car and sneak a few rides in. Coming off of the 3 day Tour de Grove I didn’t need a hard week on the bike, lest I get sick (we did race in the rain 2 days!). I got out for a good 5 or 6 hours in the hills around Ft. Smith, AR. Aside from a few jerks the people were surprisingly patient. Now, I did get a lot of strange looks while rolling through small towns but the courtesy from motorists was better than any other state I’ve ridden in to date.

I must admit that driving past the turn-off for Devil’s Den made me think of 2012 plans. Plans for getting smoked in the 1/2 field at JMSR!

O’Fallon Gold Cup Crit

I was tempted to go to the Champaign Crits Saturday and Sunday. But BJ and the Momentum boys were putting on a local race in StL so I split the weekend between the O’Fallon, MO and Champaign, IL. Let me just say about O’Fallon: the race, organization, and venue were fantastic! StL racers: you definitely don’t want to miss this race next year! They had buckets of free beer for crying out loud! (I did not imbibe, btw, so as to maintain the purity of my precious bodily fluids.)

Cat 3’s [8/19]:

Course: flowing, open loop. You could pedal through every bend and the one turn, save an off-camber uphill bend (should you be going fast enough). The race was in a park so nary a car was on the course. Some trees were present for shade and a nice open area at the s/f provided plenty of room for families to watch or nap or whatever.

The field was a paltry 19 riders. However, during a 5 man 50+ mile RR last year I learned that it can be plenty exciting in a small field. 708 Racing had the largest team, at 4.

Mike had already raced aggressively in the master’s field, so Keith was our man to take the win. We worked to keep him in good position but the heat and hill seemed to steal the power from our legs. We weren’t looking too fresh.

With 20 minutes to go the field started to break up and Keith went up the road with BJ. We sat up to try to let things congeal. A group of 7 formed off the front and Keith was in there with a chance. I wasn’t feeling too great after doing some work on the front, so I sat in a bit and followed wheels. In hindsight I should have gone all-in to bridge and then help Keith work over the break/split. Live and learn.

Coming into the final lap I jumped and got away with a momentum rider on my wheel. He pulled through and I jumped him on the back stretch easily “winning” the field sprint for first…out of the money. There is a theme here!

Cat 1/2/3’s [10/23, 1^st Cat 3]:

I caught some rest while my teammates headed out to do other things. With my family out of town I was free to play bikes with the big boys. My legs had come around towards the end of the 3’s race, but I wasn’t sure how much I had left.

The first few laps were quick and before I knew it Justin (Dogfish, cat 1), Jim (Dogfish, cat 2, should be a cat 1), and Cale (St. Johns, cat 1) were off the front. Bear in mind, this is like lap 4. Austin (Horizon Organics, cat 1) bridges and I decide it’s the move du jour. I jump hard and stay on the gas till I’m on. It took almost half a lap. Yikes. Almost immediately Cale appears to be in difficulty and is looking for a rest – read: non-smooth rotations. Austin is NOT interested in doing more work than he has to, and is probably trying to recover from his own bridge effort (Note: he went on to win, so maybe he knows what he’s doing!). Me: I’m a cat 3 surrounded by cat 1’s. And I’m trying to catch my breath. I pulled through a few times and even bridged some gaps since Cale, Austin, and I decided to play: “No, You pull!” After a few laps Cale waved the flag on the s/f hill and Austin jumped from behind me up to the dogfish. I should have given everything in that moment to ride with them but all I have is excuses. Cale and I rotated evenly for the next 20 minutes which felt like an eternity. I want to see pics because I think I sold the hot-pain face rather well. I’m not saying it was Chris Anker Sorensen material, but it was hot. And painy.

Eventually a group of 5 that was not working well caught us and the field was not far behind. I tried working with this group but everyone was a passenger. Sitting in the field I felt rested pretty quickly and had a chat with Chris Creed (Mesa). Dogfish had the field shut down pretty well but before long the lead 3 came around and lapped us. Aaro called a prime for the field so Maurice (BMC/Walmart) and Cale jumped onto the passing Dogfish/Horizon break. This was a huge tactical error on my part. I had been foolishly inattentive and was boxed in, buh bye top 5. Nobody to blame but myself for that one!

I rode around in the pack and won a prime for 4 hamburger meals (from a local burger joint) and 4 burritos (from Chipotle – which have already been consumed). So that was good. But I probably should have saved some of that pop for the finish. Regardless, Chris decided that with 5 to go he would attack on a lull. It was a bold move and he probably got up to 20 seconds on us. As he was in his own private hurtbox the field would swarm a little then back off. Nobody really wanted to work. Coming into the finish I stayed top 5 but waited too long to sprint, tried to switch lines, but sat up rather than get pinched into the official’s tent. It turned out that the first 2 in the field sprint (Anthony [Dogfish] and Eduardo [Michelob/Big Shark]) nipped Chris at the line. He still managed 8^th. I finished 10^th, which is my best finish in a 1/2/3 (or 2/3’s) race so far, and good for last one in the money. But oh that top 5 was within reach!

Tour de Champaign Downtown Crit

Despite unsuccessful carpool attempts I hoped in the car and drove up to Champaign Sunday morning for my former-hometown race. Skies were clear and everything looked great: fun downtown course, decent pavement, and the usual suspects had shown up to dance. Unfortunately the prospect of horrendous weather canceled the race. The entire episode felt oddly familiar though:

Carefully, I measured out the quantities of liquids and gels I had with me. A muffled voice over the load-speaker made an announcement – was that directed at me or another? I chose specific clothing to be comfortable and effective for the duration. I found my place in line after paying. I received a pat-down (UNSOLICITED, from ETHAN STONE). I chatted with the people next to me in line, ready for take-off. But then we were delayed. And delayed. Oh, wait, perhaps we could be shuffled in the schedule – can I take off with that group? Nope. Cancelled. The whole thing felt just like American Airlines.

But it wasn’t a flight home, it was a flight of fancy. With the specter of natural disaster, cancelling a bike race is so shamefully small a thing it does not bear mentioning. Perhaps next time we’ll be able to shred each other’s legs and egos in Champaign?

2^nd in line for refund. Podium in ‘the race after the race’!

Epilogue:

This concludes my May block of racing. With the drought of personal wins, it could be depressing. However the team has notched some good results (including a win) and I’ve been a part of several top ten results (both for the team and individually). In addition, I’ve learned a lot (cornering in wet conditions, pack positioning, and leadouts).

Thanks are due my wife for letting me play bikes so much and to Mesa Cycles for keeping the old bike rolling with wheel repairs and spare parts.

Now the month I look forward to all year: June. It’s time!

Belleville Criterium (Ardie Miller Memorial) Cat 3 and 1/2/3 Race Reports

2011-05-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Cat 3 Race

Conditions:

High 50’s, brisk wind, cloudy skies.

Course:

6 corner crit. Long headwind backstretch, 3 or 4% incline before the penultimate turn. A few sketchy pieces of pavement but nothing “Delmarvelous”.

Field:

40 guys in the cat 3’s give or take.

The Action:

708 and Momentum Racing kicked things off with the usual suspects of Mike (708) and BJ (Momentum) turning out some hot laps. A racer (named the LJO – will be made clear later) tried an early move which I brought back. A prime was announced and Nick (708), the leader for the day yelled: “It’s yours Mark”, so I felt free to collect $35 when I passed “Go”. I even did a cocky mini salute when I hit the line.

Attacks were tried and chased down and other primes were offered. My legs hadn’t really come around yet (having attempted too many Gilbert impressions the day before) so I was pretty content to sit in. Two crashes happened in front of me during the race. One Dogfish rider went down a few wheels up and I had one of those fun “slow-motion perception events” which fortunately did not end with me hugging pavement. Unfortunately Nick came to a complete stop but Keith paced him back to the front. We’re getting this teamwork stuff sorted!

Nick wanted to win out of a break (like he did in the 2010 cat 4 edition) so about halfway through he took off solo. I followed a bridge (LJO) and finished it off to join Nick and Jason (CBC – and a strong dude) in a nice 4 man group. I immediately went to the front and pulled for a lap to try to get the gap going. When I flicked, the Lindenwood Jerk-O. protested that there were “two of you and one of me” and refused to work. I shared some sailor talk and Jason shook his head (perhaps at both the LJO’s antics with 25 min to race and my indiscretion). As an aside, I’ve never understood why Mark Schwartzendruber gets so upset in his race reports about such jerks when they don’t pull through. I understand now. The jerk’s actions are not just a snub to the work you’ve already shared/invested in the break, but a middle finger to the endeavor of racing altogether. We’re here to race, to ride our bikes faster; therefore each man must offer his best. The nobility of cycling is soiled by such men. Now, I’ve done my fair share of sitting in during races, but we all know that the last 2 laps (and associated tactics) are a far cry from 25 min to go with a 10 second gap.

It is worth highlighting at this point that I was already on a bad day mentally. My rear race wheel was not functioning before the race and my training wheel was kaput to. Having allowed little things get to me, Nick offered me his spare rear wheel. A gracious move. So when the LJO messes up the break du jour (and I was going to make sure that Nick was in the break du jour!) the thread was close to breaking. I told Nick “he won’t work” and dropped back to the field to recover. There was no sense going into the red with a guy that won’t play the game.

Coming into the final laps Mike and Nick were at the front. 5 to go flashed by and the group was doing the usual surge and swarm. As we started the penultimate lap, Mike was on the front with Nick on his wheel. I knew it was the time to start the lead-out, but could we hold position for 2 laps? And the fastest laps at that? I set a hot pace and strung out the field. From what I could tell later, the pack was breaking up. Thank you very much. Nick said later that I pulled for 0.5 laps but I’m pretty sure I pulled for 1.15 laps. Regardless, I dropped Mike and Nick off on the backstretch of the final lap, with Mike doing the hard work into the final incline. Nick held tough for a 7^th place finish in the sprint. Not too shabby a result considering his breakaway attempts and this is his first year as a cat 3. We’re still fine tuning the leadout, perhaps with a little more luck we could have dropped him off at the final turn. But, we’re learning and having fun even if we didn’t “race for free” this weekend.

Oh, and the worst part of the weekend: LJO won the sprint. Let’s see if that happens next time.

Cat 1/2/3

After the lead-out I strolled in chatting with Trey (Dogfish) and tooled around for the hour between races. A light rain began and I could tell I was mentally fatigued. I dropped the tire pressure down to 90/95 (not nearly enough!) for the wet conditions and lined up for my first 1/2/3 crit.

The pace started out quick and the field lined out right away. I kind of enjoyed it as I wasn’t suffering, just working and it was pretty safe. Unfortunately, the downhill left-hander over traffic paint seriously freaked me out. I would slow and let a big gap open up into that turn every time and then sprint up the hill to catch on. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad physically, but the specter of broken clavicles and bikes was weighing on me. Tracey (Mesa) even said “this is where they all stack it!” on one of the early laps. He then goaded me to quit opening up that gap. I protested and then pulled him up to the field and dropped to the back of the line. Another lap or so and I had enough of my rear wheel sliding into that turn (turns out the carbon rear braking surface and the alu front combined with my new cables – i.e. still being broken in – meant my braking was anything but consistently modulated!!) and when I locked up my rear and began sliding I check out upstairs and let the selection ride away.

Sheepishly riding in I did a jerk thing which I hate: I explained to everyone who would listen why I dropped out. Nobody cares. Nobody needs to hear my justification for it. And what difference does it make if I didn’t have the legs? If you’re out of the race: you’re out. You are not the best. Get over it.

I watched from the car and then from an awning on the finishing stretch as the race unfolded. Jonathan Schilling (Chipotle) and Devin Clark (The Hub) got away then sprinted it out at the line. I was surprised at how close the final margin was considering A) Clark is purportedly a “track guy” (doesn’t that equate to monster sprint watts?) and B) Schilling is on junior gears (did he report to rollout?!). I’m probably not one to pass judgment though, as I DNF’d! A great ride by both men and an exciting finish.

It’s probably a good thing I’m not going to JMSR this weekend, but instead will get some longer miles in to keep the fitness going while unwinding upstairs. I’ve got a few 4 hour routes here in Columbia but it might be time to recon some of the state RR courses. We’ll see.

Next up: Tour de Grove!

The Quick Step April

2011-04-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

[Tour of Hermann Cat 3, 2011; Tour of St. Louis Cat 3, 2011]

Last December I decided I would pursue spring race plans akin to Patrick Lefarve’s: win everything in April. The Quick Step April*. It would start with Hillsboro, proceed to Hermann, perhaps include the Tour of St. Louis, and be crowned with the SRAM Tour of the Gila. Hillsboro and Hermann would be warm-ups for the feast of suffering in the mountains of New Mexico over five days. It would be a month of racing that would transform my body into a juggernaut or burn me to a crisp. Either way, I was going to have a go.

Life changed course. A new job opportunity that I had long hoped for came open; the door to the Gila closed. New challenges presented themselves (moving, finding a place to live, integrating at the new job, learning the ins-and-outs of a new industry). While much of that is still in process, cycling’s part is now done. I’m pleased with the Quick Step April. Here are some highlights.

Hillsboro

I’ve already written a race report, but this will remain a highlight for the foreseeable future. Season highlight? Most def. Career highlight? Probably.

Tour of Hermann

This is a fantastic race. The wife and I stayed in town this year and had a good time between the racing, dining, and hanging out. We needed it after moving all our junk down to StL the three days prior. My results weren’t great (between the heat and moving, I was toast!), but I did roll a good TT, which I’m proud of. Furthermore, I didn’t quit, which is important.

The Guttenberg climb was awesome. I’m glad I got to ride it in a race this year. It hurt, but it was cool to do. Thanks again to Jeff Yeilding (and friends) and Stone Hill Winery (I recommend the fillet at the Vintage Restaurant) for a great weekend of racing.

I watched during the RR as Mr. Nick Ramirez shifted gears and I knew in that moment that he would attack. I was hurting on the climbs and reticent to go but I pointed to him and Schilling said: “Go” in my ear. My cadence went unchanged. Mr. Ramirez went on to catch the solo leader up the road and smash the field by minutes. It was a display that was very impressive. Next time you see him at a race, shake his hand.

Tour of St. Louis

Circuit Race:

708 Racing p/b Dressel’s Public Ale House lined up to work for Keith, as several other members have already scored victories this season (it’s good to be a multi-threat outfit!). Mike and I shepherded Keith until he made a nice solo bridge to what we thought was the move of the day. As I blocked on the front it was clear that everyone else thought the same thing. (Schilling was drilling it on the front, so everybody wanted to ride the Garmin train!) So the move came back and another promising group got off, but Keith wasn’t ready to go, so I bridged up to Schilling and Leibowitz past a small group of chasers in “no man’s land.” For the next two laps I was dangerously close to blowing up. Between blocking, bridging, and trying to stay away, I was hurting. Fortunately for me the guys took really smooth pulls and I was able to recover a bit. All three of us constantly checked our six for the pack. Nobody was giving us splits! I tapped on my wrist making the universal “watch” gesture and the next lap we’d only hear “Go go go!” Yes. I understand I am in a bike race. Generally I try to “go”. Well, we wouldn’t see the pack again, so the podium would be decided between the three of us. Having come into the race to work for Keith (he was doing the omnium, and I wasn’t), I thought about dropping back or just sitting in to kill the break. But I considered the best thing for the team was to seal the deal, so that’s what I set about doing. Before the final “s” turn Joshua attacked from third position. I was ruthless and made Schilling chase even though he had been on the front. When I could tell he was done I jumped and kept the throttle open all the way to the line, winning by a few bike lengths.

Keith and Mike got to the line in the top ten during a dicey field sprint. I don’t think anyone went down, but there were a lot of people and it was a twisty road with wind gusts. I’m glad I was in a small group. Thanks to Mike and Keith for blocking and playing the field smartly.

TT:

I didn’t do it, but instead caught a nap. Keith had a strong ride in the wind for another solid top ten, keeping him in the fight for the omnium.

Crit:

I was not planning on completing the criterium as we (my family) were going to visit a local church. But when the church I found to visit had an evening service, well… sometimes things just work out! So I threw a clean kit in the bag and the bike in the car and hauled over to Delmar for a big open crit. We (708 cat 3’s) were excited to have an embarrassment of riches at the start: Chris, Matt, Mike, Keith, and myself. We were missing a captain in Nick, but this was the largest group assembled at one race thus far.

While the plan was to get Keith across the line first for the omnium, he got caught up in a crash about half way through the race and broke a shifter. DNF. I informed the boys and we set about a new plan: get Mike the win. 708 was always around the front, we followed and initiated moves but nothing was sticking in the stiff headwind on the back stretch. I rolled the dice on a break but probably didn’t have it in the legs after Saturday’s exploits. With three to go, Chris took a flyer on a lull and powered away from the field. Another rider bridged and I went to the front to block. The move kept other teams working and the pace high so Mike and I maintained position near the front. Entering the final laps Mike was on my wheel ready for a leadout. I was surfing the front not too eager to blow up early. (To be honest, I have little leadout experience. Usually I’ve been sprinting up through the field instead of being at the front where I should be.) On the backstretch, streaking up the right side was Aaron of Team Veda (can we call him Darth?) going all in for the V on a last lap flyer. I was maybe 5 wheels back and hoping that the others would chase. Nada. One by one the guys went into “saving it for the sprint” mode. Lame. I ramped it up into the wind. Frankly, the first 30 seconds doesn’t hurt. But the last 30 seconds doesn’t tickle! Mike was on my wheel and we took the last two corners hot. I shifted twice more (12? 11?) and gave everything I had. Aaron had timed it right and I had failed – I didn’t catch him (he had the field by 20 meters easy!) In the heat of battle Mike thought that the red tent (wheel pit) was the line, so when he stood to go he was already at the finish line. We had finished as we started the leadout: 2^nd and 3^rd. It was a painful mistake for both of us as Mike had fresh legs at the end. However, the day is coming when we get the timing dialed!

Epilogue:

Without races on the calendar for the next two weeks, the Quick Step April has ended. Two wins, a second place, and a lot of great memories. The racing helped me get through the stress of the move as anger and anxiety need an outlet somewhere. I’d bet that the “pain face” you see in those finishing photos has more to do with internal struggles than the electro-chemical cries of sinew. Just a thought.

The next chapter of the season is about to begin. 708 Racing is just getting started.

*For the last two years it could be called the Cancellara April. However, Quick Step has been targeting it for longer!

Hillsboro Roubaix 2011 (Cat 3) Race Report

2011-04-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hillsboro Roubaix is a race with several traditions (from the 4 editions I’ve ridden): crosswinds, shattered packs, crappy roads, whining about the yellow line, strong words and grandstanding from officials about said yellow line, the first sunburn of the season, and getting dropped. Most of these traditions were carried forward, but yesterday I set a new precedent for that last one.

Three 708 racing p/b Dressel’s Public Ale House riders lined up for the cat 3 race. Nick and Keith graciously agreed to work for me in the race. Our team was prepared as best we could be and we were hoping for a good result.

At the start Jerry (I’m terrible with names, I doubt this is his real name, but let’s go with it) of the Livestrong-kitted-team started up a dialogue…

Jerry: Were you in that break last week?

Me: What are you talking about?

Jerry: At Forest Park?

Me: What are you talking about?

Jerry: Weren’t we in that break together two weeks ago?

Me: What are you talking about? (I grin.)

Jerry: Ok, that WAS you…

My cover was blown and we hadn’t even started. I looked around and found some of my “marks” in the 100 man field. We soon pushed off under sunny skies in brisk winds. The blue shirts decided that the neutral start should extend down the first hill, which is fine. However the pace care maintained 17mph of neutrality down the hill. I considered abandoning the race as I quickly emptied not my legs but my store of g-rated exasperation phrases. “Gosh! Well I’ll be! C’mon!” It was an episode of the Andy Griffith show but we were only 3 miles in. I didn’t want to go HBO on the field but that is how it was looking. Why did I sign up for this?

We eventually got underway but most of the race suffered from our bunch being afraid to really go hard at or off the front. Hard surges would be followed with long periods sitting up. During the slow times I would sing and chat with my neighbors. I’m sure not a few racers wanted to shut me up but the way to do that was attack and only a handful of guys really gave it a go.

The big drama on the first lap came when the moto ref neutralized the field and told us to quit breaking the centerline rule. He was right for calling us out. I watched as a rider dodged an oncoming car while rounding a blind left hander (if you raced, it’s that down and up one – can’t forget it!!). We barely escaped a tragedy beyond speaking. While we were getting our lecture and being threatened with a mass DQ (not an offer for “Blizzards on Me!”, either) a rider behind me asked a confrontational question. I don’t even remember what it was. The ref responded to the group yet more agitated. I was incredulous and told the kid to shut up. It reminded me of my freshman speech class in college…

A young PhD candidate Sherlene (I don’t actually remember her name) was our instructor and also the course admin (organizing the course and curriculum for the department that year). Unfortunately for her, she had a room full of cocky engineers-to-be on her hands – not the easiest clay to mold. Sherlene asked the class: “What have you heard about this course?” And genius of geniuses, Rufus T. Barleysheath (not real name) is the first row pushes back on the bridge of his spectacles, raises his hand, and utters the words “blowoff class”. My forehead hits the desk. To Rufus and his kin in the peloton: learn to keep your mouth shut!

Meanwhile, in Hillsboro…we ended the first lap quickly as Nick (Burnham) and Tim (Psimet) showed themselves in the top 20 for the first times. Both are strong riders who are close to upgrading, so I had my eye on them as main competition.

With the wind speed and direction it seemed that for anything to stick it had to get away around the halfway point on the 2nd lap. Tim, Jason (Wild Card) and a few others had a go in the crosswinds but cooperation never developed at the front. I foolishly thought I could force a move by 1) Broadcasting it (“Go! Go! Go!”) and 2) Jumping away myself. I was looking at the prospect of hanging myself out front 8 miles out of town. Instead of accepting the likely death this would render, I resolved to win the bunch sprint.

Nick (708) had sheltered me from the wind throughout the race and kept me near the front. In the run-in to town we stayed in the top 20. I slipped into the top 15 before the hills and we separated the men from the boys as guys started blowing up. I’m told we gapped the pack on the first hill, they caught us on the flat run in to hill two, and things shattered again. Descending into the moonscape of tarmac, cement, and brick I was sitting top 5. I think I bunnyhopped four pieces of “road” that would have eaten my Honda. I followed wheels until Jonathan (Chipotle Junior Development) came by on my left and I returned the favor by the line, winning Hillsboro Roubaix by a small margin (a wheel? – someone post some pics!).

My heart exploded in emotion as I screamed “yes”. Not sure to whom. I probably scared some kids. I hope the good people of Hillsboro didn’t mind too much. I could have yelled other things I guess…

The moment was surprising for me. Public displays of emotion – are they anyone’s forte? But there’s no hiding how you feel at max heart rate. I was naked. My goal was before me and I answered the challenge. I did it. I had redemption from the 2010 edition.

A pleasant surprise was the congratulations I received from my peers. Several competitors were genuinely happy for me. One even hugged me. We all know classy riders and well, other riders. I enjoy competing with friends, the guys with class.

Epilogue:

Last year’s race ended in disappointment but with good signs of early season fitness. The race became a psychological watershed for my own racing and later, a goad through winter training. This year it’s a little bit different as my goals are to survive the next week of moving my household before defending at the Tour of Hermann.

Forest Park Criterium (2011 Cat 3 Men)

2011-03-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Great Forest Park Bicycle Race Report (2011 Cat 3 Men)

Big Shark hosted the StL racers for the opening criterium of the season. The weather was perfect for bike racing: high 60’s and sun. There was wind out of the south which gave certain legs of the course a head/cross/tail wind respectively. The finishing stretch had a bit of a cross wind to make it interesting.

The field was of good size, I’d say at least 50 riders, perhaps 75 in the 3’s. My new team, 708 Racing p/b Dressel’s Public House lined up with 4 cat 3’s. Chris, Matt, Nick, and I were outfitted in our new team kits and racing together for the first time. (One of our captains, Mike, was busy winning the Lake Perry Road Race out in KS…) The other StL teams were out in force with 35 Dogfish and 47 Michelob/Big Shark riders. For someone used to racing in the Chicago area, I’ve merely exchanged xXx-Athletico and Burnham for these other mega-teams. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Momentum had a strong contingent, with Hub, Off the Front, and Livestrong-looking-kitted team also ready to dance.

I usually have power and speed numbers from my handy-dandy powertap, but with a winter’s worth of riding on that rear hub the bearings sound like corn-nuts. So I borrowed a spare set of wheels from my good friend Dan (EA70s, which feel like butter!) and threw some race rubber on. The result? No data beside percieved exertion. But we’ll get to that in a moment. FYI, those wheels were great.

With the wind in play and the fact that it was an early season race with variable fitness/motivation/skills in the field, we elected to try to get a breakaway up the road. If that didn’t work out, we would try to get Nick to the front in the finale for a sprint win. Nick didn’t feel like going off the front all day (having done a hard day’s training on Saturday) and Matt was unsure of his early season form. So Chris and I were looking to cover moves and get off the front when the race got hard. Nick, Chris, and I all got in some early moves and it was clear that Momentum had a few riders also hungry for some suffering off the front. Dogfish and Michelob would get a guy up the road and then one of their other million riders would get greedy and the pack would chase. Matches were burned and smiles were shared.

About halfway through our 60 min + 5 lap affair (is it just me or was that a long race?! Ok, I made it long for myself…) a Momentum racer and Michelob (or was it Dogfish?) guy was off the front. The pack was looking tired so I thought this could be a good time to go. I jumped to the wheel of a guy bridging and he started to stall out in the headwind. I pulled through and finished the job, going to the front and trading pulls with Momentum. At this point we had 5 or 6 dudes in the group: a Hub, Livestrong-like-kit, Michelob, Momentum, and your’s truly. Having already driven previous breaks that got caught when dudes didn’t rotate through, I was hollering (no sailor talk) for smooth, fast turns. Sure enough the guys were working together well, and after burning off Hub and Michelob, there were 3 of us with about 25min and 5 laps (another 10 min) to race. Oh joy.

We were rotating through well and starting to get splits from spectators. A HUGE thank-you to Katie Hand, the SLGC girls, Jason, and Kurt who cheered for me. I definitely needed that help to keep rolling. Our gap topped out around 30 sec but then started to come down with the clock. Sure enough, as the board went from minutes to laps the gap was shrinking and my companions in the break were starting to fatigue. Livestrong-like-kit was skipping pulls and Momentum (who did a heck of a lot of work) was looking rough. Spectators were telling us to “keep-it-up” but they also informed us that our 25sec gap was now 15sec…now 10sec! Surely our teamates had blocked for us but the chase was finally getting organized. As Momentum pulled off early in the finishing straight we had just over 4 laps to go. I glanced over my shoulder to see the pack strung out on the previous stretch – a false flat with a tailwind. It was now or never. I punched it to strike out on my own.

Spinning out I shifted while giving a little “shake and bake” to ensure it was all 708 off the front. It was showtime. That first 30 seconds was exhilarating. Spectators cheering and I was flying through the crosswind with adrenaline pumping. However, once I turned into the headwind I regretted my decision. My legs began to tell me how much of a fool I was for choosing this route. My coaches words rang in my head: “if you aren’t hurting, you’re not racing.” I guess I was racing.

My friends who cheered for me in the three man break now got loud as I passed by. Thanks guys! It hurt but I pressed on. During the tailwind stretch I kept looking back and I still didn’t see the pack. A Mesa Masters rider rebuked me: “Quit looking back!” Indeed, the race was ahead. Pedaling through the corners and hugging the sides to hide from view I pressed on to the final lap. Having emptied my bottles and my legs I stood on the false flat to give my last effort. I died in the final cross wind. Power gone, oxygen deprived, I saw a line of sprinters fly past in the closing meters. I sat up. I had emptied myself for the win, not a middling place, but now it was all gone.

Thinking about it on the ride home three seconds would have made the difference. With three more seconds in hand, mine would have been raised. Cest la vie. Until next time I’m looking for those three seconds and I think I know where to find them – up the road!

As my first race of the season Sunday’s outing answered some questions about my fitness and how the winter training went. Early indications are good. It reminds me of the near constant whining to my coach that was the month of January. “Does everybody train this much? Do I have to torture myself like this? I hate the trainer!” “Everybody who will be fast this year is putting in the time.” Thank you coach.

Finally, it was great to see some of our sponsors out in attendance (which isn’t surprising because they are supporters of bike racing in StL), Russ from Mesa Cycles (our sponsoring shop) and Ben of Dressel’s Public House. Check ‘em out! I think we flew the flag for them bravely today, from Jason in the 4’s to Kurt in the P/1/2’s. And there will be more excitement to come!

708 Team Ride

2011-02-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I drove down to Clayton to meet up with my new teammates from the 708 Racing p/b Dressel’s Public House cat 3 squad. The wife gave me leave to play bikes with these guys for a get-to-know-you group ride. Such rides are critical before the racing season starts. Although with any team you hope the ethos is “tous pour un, un pour tous”, can you really expect guys to mentally and physically push the limits for strangers? Eight of us set out in mild temps under clear skies to initiate such bonds.

Joining us on the ride was Justin, another new face for me, who is the area Specialized rep. (though not racing w/ 708). We talked bikes and cranks a little bit while his Tarmac SL3 produced not a little bit of bike lust. At a coffee stop I got to talk shoes with him as I was wearing my old Specialized road shoes – I’ve kept my S-Works inside for fear of ruining them in early season slop. He assured me that they clean up very easily which was music to my ears. Another concern I’ve had with my new shoes was addressed by teammate Chris who works at our sponsoring shop Mesa Cycles. I haven’t been able to get comfortable with the cleat placement despite some tinkering (to be fair, this has less to do with the shoes and more to do with the nature of Shimano pedals). Chris filled me in on the BG fit services at Mesa. The promise of more comfort and power is always attractive!

After the last several months of trainer rides I must have looked like a clown on the road. Hooting and hollering and swerving all over the place – I was ecstatic to be outside and with friends. Oh, and they actually have hills down there in STL, so I was constantly engaged with climbing and descending. It was great. The goal for the ride technically was to cruise at endurance pace for 4+ hours. It takes a very disciplined group to ride a steady pace in rolling terrain for that kind of duration. Allow me to be the first to admit that I was undisciplined. I surged on every damn hill. Hi, I’m a jerk. I couldn’t help myself; it just felt so good (in a cycling stress sort of way). The upshot of all these competitive dudes on a ride was that we could see the strength of the team. Power meters don’t lie (if they’re calibrated) and this is one strong group. Personally and corporately, it was encouraging to see that winter training is starting to produce some fitness. Several times I heard what every preening cat 3 ego longs to hear: “Guys, back it off a bit.”

The ride wasn’t all smiles and giggles. After the winter’s harsh treatment, the roads had some nasty potholes, seams, and cracks. Justin smacked one such seam at full speed producing a horrendous “clank” - momentarily turning stomachs at the thought of several $K in ruined carbon fiber. Surprisingly he didn’t even get a pinch flat! Another foul moment came about when a small minded dork in a pickup threw an empty bottle at our paceline, striking Mike in the head. Nick, Mike, and I chased after the truck but they made it through the next light while we didn’t. I’m not sure what we would have done, but it would have been good to get the license plate of the offender. Speaking of license plates, I think it was “SHOGIE” who decided that honking at us repeatedly would enhance her driving experience. I felt I had to oblige her, so I rode alongside waving and blowing kisses. I hope she felt the love during those moments - though she appeared to need something more, perhaps a glass of Metamucil? The few d-bags aside, the thousands of other drivers we encountered were polite and shared the road.

All told we had a good ride and got to know each other better. In those moments of shared suffering we initiated a trust that will be called upon in the months ahead. With racing soon upon us gaps will need closing, brakes shut-down or initiated, and lead-outs performed. These men will band together to find the line first. Tous pour un, un pour tous!

War Book: The Forgotten Soldier

2011-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Guy Sajer’s account of fighting for the Wehrmacht on the eastern front from 1942 through 1945. I have not read many war stories so I feel somewhat unburdened by the overuse of language to describe the endless suffering and privations of a soldier. The account was enthralling and written in a style that chilled your bones during the Russian winter yet (thankfully) showed some restraint in repainting the full horror of battle.

Sajer’s experience informs me of the tragedy of war. Between the German/Prussian/Polish/Russian towns razed and the slaughter of civilians fleeing before the Russian horde, Forgotten Soldier impresses the obvious fact that war is costly and never bloodless. In what little I’ve read of Ralph Peters’ work, this theme - war is “war” - kept coming to mind from Sajer. Expectations of bloodless conflict and “clean” victory are foolhardy. It causes me to have at once a greater respect and fear (how they are bedfellows!) of armed conflict.

Guy’s character appears neutral to the reader and as a Franco-German he seems helplessly pulled into this conflict. I don’t hate him as a Nazi. I found myself rooting for him and his comrades against the Russians, who appear truly wicked. One has to remind oneself who the original aggressors were despite the brutality of the Russian reprisals. The entire ordeal smacks of the biblical scale of retribution poured out by one nation onto another. The cold irony of the Russian advance is that the people who supported the army/regime which massacred the Jews received similar treatment from the East. The Jews were handed over to the SS and then the Germans, Poles, and Prussians were handed over to Ivan. The entire ordeal is unthinkably horrible.

It is tempting to think of that time as simpler: Axis = bad, Allies = good. Sajer doesn’t allow such simplification. His humanity is magnified in each conflict and “right” and “wrong” are no longer appropriate labels for Germans or Americans. Such is war it seems.

My favorite moment from the book was the lone glimpse of humanity in the Russian soldiers. Sajer and his unit were defending a line against several oncoming enemy tanks. Their minefield had been removed either by artillery or a previous wave of attack. Firing machine guns and anti-tank weapons of every sort Sajer’s unit destroyed 2 tanks while a third was critically damaged. Unable to fight with their armor, the tankers exit and draw pistols. The heroism of the two is rewarded by the Germans not with execution (which was the custom practiced by Ivan) but by capture and a round of Schnapps after such displays of valor. For a moment I felt as if I was reading about some embellished aristocratic bond between fighter pilots of the previous Great War.

The denouement was startling in its emotion and brevity. A return to normal life after his war experience seems impossible. I do hope writing his book was cathartic. It goes without saying that I greatly recommend the book.

Cycling - Season End Journal 2010

2011-01-03T10:25:00.001-08:00

Well, the 2010 "season" is done and dusted. The 14 road races and 7 cyclocross races made up the busiest racing season of my cycling "career" (ha!) and more than doubled my experience in the sport. It's funny that in some respects I feel I'm a seasoned racer but put in those terms (30 races over 3 years) - I'm still pretty green! I suppose this is the attitude to have: there's more to learn than I already know.

Besides showing myself how much is left to learn, this year has been a good one for accomplishing goals, sort-of. Coming into the season as a strong cat 4 (ha!) I was eager to win the state championship crit and help teammates win at important races like Hillsboro, O'Fallon, or Hermann. Well, I didn't win the cat 4 state crit and my team didn't place better than top 10 at Hillsboro, but I still feel the season was a big success. Why? After a strong string of results in the early spring (nothing outside of top 5) I went to Hillsboro to work for the team.

Hillsboro is always a beast of a race and in a power test at the shop the week before I put out poor numbers (11% drop from my previous test! Yikes!). Hillsboro is not a race to reward anything less than your best effort so 2 other teammates were chosen as the protected riders. I was happy to work for Jason and Tom. The race went according to plan except my counterattack of Luke's 2nd lap move (both intended to soften the field for our teammates) stuck and became the winning break. Sadly, "Papa John" Whipple (Tati) rode me off his wheel in the break, taking Tim Speciale (Psimet) with him to secure the top 2 podium steps. Great stuff: a great victory for John and a hard-earned podium for Tim. For me, it was a bitter pill to self-destruct (multiple times) a few minutes up the road of the pack.

From the disgrace of Hillsboro I took courage for the next weekend of racing down at the Tour of Hermann. After a mediocre timetrial (6th) I finished 2nd in the crit and 2nd in the road race. I had been humbled at Hillsboro but put together a great ride in MO winning the cat 4 omnium! The weekend's racing introduced me to a new teammate in Mike who along with Nick and Kurt have formed the core of 708 Racing presented by Dressel's Public House – my new team for 2011. Their (Nick and Mike's) selfless racing to support me in the omnium was a huge boon and I owe them big-time! It turns out that perhaps my pre-Hillsboro power test was the result of being pretty fatigued and all I needed was some rest and motivation - a good breakaway effort at Hillsboro and a great weekend at Hermann were huge confidence boosters.

Following the elation of winning in Hermann (including 3 bottles of wine!) I applied for my cat 3 upgrade. While I hadn't yet won an individual race in 2010 (3 2nd places at that point!), the omnium result convinced me it was time to race at the next level. USA cycling agreed. With that change my shot at the cat 4 state crit vanished and the competition was only stiffer for the title in the 3's. Before the paperwork went through I hopped in a cat 4 road race in Ohio while in town for a wedding. I finished fourth despite dropping a chain on the first of 7(or was it 9?) laps and covering about every move. Still riding high on confidence.

Both state championship races ended poorly for me however, with mis-timed efforts and/or complete breakdowns. But from these races I take away valuable lessons on when and how to go. Like I said, I have a lot to learn.

Two other setbacks included mechanical issues. A flat tire during the first of three laps at the state RR caused me to burn several matches chasing back on when I should have been conserving in the bunch. A flat tire during the Winfield crit cost me a chance at the win - another occasion when Tim (Psimet) rode away, but this time not due to my fitness. I have since sold the wheelset that produced both flats. It has been banished from the service course!

The road season ended as it began for me: on a high note. After taking July off from racing (not something to repeat!) I ramped up through August regaining form and confidence. A podium finish on the first day of the THF Realty Gateway Cup, followed by 3 more days in the money confirmed that I should be racing in the cat 3's and that I am close to winning at that level. This last result requires I credit my coach Sean. We started working together mid-season and it has been a big help to me as he focuses on my weaknesses. As we continue training, 2011 will only be better.

The cyclocross season was a fun change of pace. After coaching soccer during and following the Gateway Cup I had been off the bike a fair bit and running a lot more. Cyclocross has been something I've been interested in but never really able to dive into and indulge. The wife let me do so for 7 races this year and I'm glad I did. The highlight of the season was winning my second race - the cat 4 B's. I was sandbagging heavily but it was fun to do it once. It seemed like the rest of the time I just plain sucked out there but [insert excuses + whining]. You have to kick back and laugh at yourself with cyclocross though!

That was the 2010 bicycle racing season for me. Lots of highs and lows to remember fondly. For 2011 I'd like to do what I did in 2010: double my annual race starts (and finishes) while taking my racing to a higher level. The foundation is being laid now and I am putting in the work to contribute to the success of my new team: 708 Racing presented by Dressel's Public House. I'm pretty excited about the adventure as we will have a solid team of cat 3's who will all be able to win races. Add to that the pointy end of the organization in the cat 1&2's on the squad and we should have a nice elite team in the next year or two.

The façade of immortality crumbles

2010-12-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

I’ve pontificated before on this blog about the spectre of death and my children’s conciousness. My wife and I sidestepped (a nice way of saying changed or lied about) death in several Bible stories read to our eldest. But what started a week ago as sighting a dead bird has snowballed in my daughter’s mind to questions of human mortality. “Who will care for my stuffed animals when I die?"

The event is more beautiful and horrifying than I anticipated. With death on the horizon we live life more ardently but seeing the mind opened to The Fall is enough to make one tremble. I encounter news of tragedy every day, however it’s a slow harvest of bad news (most of the time). For the first time vistas of pain and suffering are now clear to my daughter. Everything tragic introduced at once: all things decay and die. 3 weeks ago all animals were happy and likely people’s ages were fairly static for her. The world has changed. I’m sure she doesn’t fully comprehend our collective mortality (do any of us?), but real fear is evident.

My beautiful wife briefly explained the narrative of redemptive history to my daughter when she started asking questions about death. I thank God that my daughter was not in a daycare when these questions surfaced. I struggle imagining what response she’d hear or what uncomfortable brush-off she would receive. Label: morbid child.

As a coincidence (is there such a thing?) we’ve recently started reading a pericope or two a night in the gospel accounts. With each reading the Gospel is explained in part and the wife and I pray for this little one to take hold of it.

Chesterton pointed out that the attraction of children’s stories lies in the secret magic behind the ordinary. “These every-day beans grow a stalk tall enough to reach the giant’s castle.” OR: “At the stroke of midnight the carriage and men will return to a pumpkin and mice.” But there IS magic behind the ordinary (see: post-synapse protiens resistent to change). And so as terrifying as is death stalking us, her eyes will grow to see the beauty of this fallen world, still laden with magic…a man and woman reached for an apple and destroyed the world. The Man took Adam’s place dying on a tree, but lives.

Random Post-Christmas Stuff

2010-12-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

*Read this very sad blog post by Druber today. His dad has had 5 M.I.’s (heart attacks) now?! What’s worse is the foolishness of the folks from his dad’s church – in my own town! I know people at this church and I have a hard time understanding the thinking as relayed by Druber: people seeking miraculous healing from God eschewing proper medical treatment. Granted, modern medicine doesn’t get it right every time but it does get things right a great deal of the time! Further, miraculous healings happen, but they are not the normal course of events. Consider in the Bible how often miraculous things happen. Perhaps while reading it will seem like something amazing happens on every page, and it does! However, that history involves millions of people over thousands of years. Sorry folks, but the normal course of things (in an athiest or thiest universe) is for infrequent miraculous occurances. The worst part of all is how Druber describes his own departure from some kind of Christian faith as a result of this well-meaning but foolish miracle seeking on the part of others. I think I would make the same decision: If this is what you guys are about, I’m out! People want signs and wisdom but they need Christ. An interesting aside is how athiest Druber attended more Christmas services than I did this year. Maybe I’m just being too cynical about all this and need to reread George Mueller’s bio? Not sure, but Druber’s attitude is quite a good example despite exceedingly difficult times.

*I’ve recently discovered competitivecyclist.com’s “What’s New” blog. It is delightful. Literati with bike snobbery? My kind of people.

*My good friend The Dude started blogging again. I told him a few months ago that I deleted his blog from my reader because he never posts. What does he start doing? Posting again. Ha! Although I shouldn’t be too hard on him, he’s probably just experienceing some slight jurisprudence withdrawl or maybe outright shock.

*The wife read me an article from the latest New Yorker on the “Jevon’s Paradox” during our drive to Indiana. Fabulous stuff (in a sense; the article). Thinking about the piece during the drive and subsequent trainer rides there I see the problem as twofold. First, human nature is inherently sinful. We are engines of consumption. As a result efficiency gains through technology will only be leveraged to acquire and use more (- this is the “paradox” -) rather than use less. Our hunger will not be sated by getting what we are already used to – with less cost. Therefore I think Jevon’s paradox (this facet of economics) is a consequence of total depravity (theology/psychology). We can’t stop – we always want more more more, because we were made for God and we want to put other things in his place while nothing else will do. When thinking about it this way, it shouldn’t be that surprising a conclusion. Secondly, Jevon’s paradox underscores the fatal flaw of the cult of technology. (…still I love technology!) It is the belief that we can solve all of our problems by simply pressing forward into future technological advances. Of course our current problems are largely produced by our technology and the processes of procurement and advancement.

*The life of Steve Tilford is worth following.

*I’m pretty excited about the 2011 road season. I got a good bit of base riding in over the Christmas week without doing permanent damage to my marriage. Unfortunately I also ate my weight in chocolate, pastry, and meat. One step forward, two steps back.

*Read this after seeing the link on aomin. For the record – there is a universe of difference between A) “We don’t know, therefore God.” and B) “We see this is awesome, therefore God.” Don’t confuse the 2!

*WANT. Also, check out the sweet euro-van towards the end of this post here.

ABD Sunrise Park CX & Campton CX 2010

2010-11-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

Monday morning I rise with a slow burn. I’m not sure what it is, but after a bike race it seems your body is intent on continually burning fuel, producing an elevated temperature for some time. Is it an immuno-defense mechanism? The body rebuilding and repairing? Not sure, but it’s cycling’s afterglow.

The last two weekends I’ve raced cyclocross in Chicagoland. Here’s how it went (in agonizing detail):

Sunday (10/24/10) the wife dropped me off in Bartlett, IL to race the ABD Sunrise Park Cyclocross Race. This was the sixth stop on the Chicago Cross Cup circuit. It was my first race in the Chicago series and my fourth cross race ever. For all intents and purposes, I’m counting this as my first “official” CX race. My first three races were done in soccer shoes, in 2008, so the jump to clipless pedals in 2010 was only surpassed by the use of tubular cross tires. Oh my, how those things are magic. After training on the Kenda small block eight clinchers, the Challenge Grifo tubulars are heavenly. Bumps are suppressed yet you have more traction and better control. No pinch flats. Glorious. Forget about fancy frames and such; put your money into a tubular wheelset. Single biggest equipment benefit in CX (according to this novice!).

The Course and Conditions:
Overcast with intermittent drizzle. Temps in the high 60’s for most of the day. Not quite proper cross weather, but good enough. A fair amount of wind (10+ mph) was gusting over the course and made the “power sections” well, that much more power intensive.

The Field:
73 (according to results) guys and gals lined up for the 4A’s and 4B’s. The A’s had 2/3 guys who looked like racers, while the 4B’s had about 1/3 that looked like racers. I’m not making judgments here - everybody should be there - it’s just an observation.

The 4(Z)A race:
Starting from the third row (we lined up 30 minutes prior to the race, just silly!) I witnessed a crash in the first 100 meters. I rode over a guy’s rear wheel (not a Zipp, and by accident) as he went down right in front of me. It was bedlam. My teammate (who handily won the 1/2/3’s!) told me I took the first corner outside of the top 35. I jumped out of every corner and booked it through the straight-aways, working my way up to the top 10 by the start of the second lap. At this point I was competing with the guys who got call-ups. A little gassed from the efforts so far, (cat 2 teammate) Razzle Dazzle/Jason goaded me to move up and keep it smooth. I really appreciated it. Perhaps my calling out splits and encouragement helped him earlier? Well, I kept jumping during the straight-aways and while my back was tightening up pretty bad I worked my way into third place. I couldn’t shake the 14 yr old (Lombardo of Verdigris) off my wheel and when I washed out the front on an off camber 180, the kid took leave of me. I got back to his wheel once or twice but he was much better technically and I was running out of steam. I bled one more spot before the final twists and turns leading into “heckle hill” where I was promptly reminded from the bullhorn of my cat 3 road compatriot (and cat 2 crosser) Jason Knauff (Burnham) that I was beaten by a junior. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last, I’m sure! Crossed the line in 5th a little disappointed at missing the podium when it was within reach. I still had a blast. It is so good to be back racing after coaching soccer.

The 4B(aggin’) Race:
After washing down a hammer gel I jumped in the grid for the 4B race. Seeing how I had to drive 3 hrs to get there, I was not leaving after 30 minutes of fun – and besides, it still says 4 on my license for CX. (Guilty conscience?)

I felt kind of bad hoping in there but I thought that the previous race would tire me and we’re all out there to have fun anyway, right? Well, I stopped feeling ashamed when CAT 4B CALLUPS started. Guys that take series result callups in the 4Bs? That is shameful. Now the guys in costume or the guy that youtubed his post race hurling from his helmet cam – those guys should get the 4B callup. Anyway, when I see homeslice on a full carbon Ridley/SRAM Force/Carbon tubie setup getting called to the front row of the killer Bs, I don’t feel so bad about beating him.

No start gate crashing in the B’s, and coming around the first turn in 20-30 something I worked my way up to start the second lap in 1st place. I attacked into the wind on the open stretch before the pit and opened the gap up to about 1:16 by the end of the 3 lap race. Disgusting? Perhaps. But not as disgusting as the hot dog, donut hole, and twizzler I consumed during the race via “Heckle Hill Handups.” It seems the 4B’s race is always a spectacle. Granted I was ridiculed as a dirty rotten sandbagger by a couple dozen folks, it was still worth it. But I won’t do it again. Regardless, between the 2 races I got an hour of racing in, and that’s why I came out. 1 hr of going hard, learning how to drive my bike, and all of it great fun.

(10/31/10) First Cat 3 Race:
Costumes got a callup since it was halloween. I wrapped myself in the lamest costume ever perpetrated on a cross race: white shorts, white base layer, 50 cotton balls taped to the front of the baselayer, black arm-warmers, white helmet w/ 2 black paper triangles taped to the sides. What was I? I was going for “lamb” but I would tell everyone that I was a wolf – in sheep’s clothing. Cue: groan.

The field looked much faster than the 4’s, mainly because they were. Guys that have been eating my lunch on the road all year were lined up around me - I was a little nervous.

I rode hard and got into the top ten on the first lap, even passing Whipple (Tati) and Luke (xXx-Athletico) [who had enough breath to yell “sandbagger” as I passed!]. But like most cross races I was all “fly then die” and by the second lap I needed a tourniquet I was bleeding spots so badly. Goodbye top 10 - it’s been great. There were countless passes and repasses, miny duels that make CX unique in cycling. (Perhaps some track events are like this? I don’t know.) I crashed once, in traffic, during the off-camber heckler packed section. Needless to say I was appropriately mocked. Rob (Psimet) laid it on heavy throughout. I’m pretty sure he heckles because he loves us.

By the end of the race I finished 12th out of 50 some riders, my back cooked and my mouth parched from the smoke. Did I really expect to line it up with the 1/2/3’s in an hour and have anything to put to the pedals?

(10/31/10) First 1/2/3’s Race:
Warming up I caught a chat with Liam (xXx-Athletico) and then introduced myself to Barry (Kona). Both are nice guys. Both are faster than me. I asked for tips since it was one of my first CX races, Wicks’ words: “go fast and have fun.” Good advice indeed. I was looking for barrier hopping tips or something bike-ninja-esque, but “go fast and have fun” seem like things I should strive for out there.

Since there were only 26 of us in the race it wasn’t too hectic at the start and while my goals coming in were: 1) don’t get lapped and 2) don’t get pulled, when the whistle blew I forgot about those goals and cranked on it. I even worked my way into the top ten I think, passing Jason (Burnham) after a bit of braggadocio between us. But per the usual, the blood loss began until I was even passed by a triathlete. Oh the shame! We dueled for at least a lap where one or the other would take the lead. Eventually I blew myself up and drifted backwards.

Bryan (ReCycling), a cat 1 on the road then caught me – but not before calling out: “I’m reeling you in!” I said something like: “you’re a cat 1!” while sprinting out of each corner. Who knows what I actually said as I was pretty crosseyed at that point. He passed me after a barrier and opened up a gap. On the last lap there was a technical section (4 or 5 off camber up and down the hill-side deals) that I rode better and better as the race went on. Bryan had to dismount and run them and I heard him yell: “I left the door open!” Forget the technical misstep, those words were his chief error! My confidence soared and I ignored the pain in my lower back, standing to close the distance. I caught him on a climbing section and took him on the inside of a 180 (something a MTBer did to me in the 3’s race earlier!). We headed downhill, left, into a super-technical 180. The surfaces changed from grass to pavement to sand+rock to grass then to loose gravel. Oh, and the sandy/rock part was a bridge over a creek. Yeah – scary pour moi. Surface changes are not my bag and this one was always a really slow corner for me. Bryan didn’t accelerate around me coming out of the previous 180 since the downhill was kind of a “recovery section.” Knowing this I got in front and moved him to the left side while coasting. Since we had to enter the turn from the right he was “pinned” where I wanted him and I could rest before swinging out to make the turn. It’s a small thing, but I’m pretty proud of it. I guess you had to be there. I survived the turn and held him off to the finish.

Another interesting (to me, ha!) point of the race was following Barry Wicks (Kona) for a bit. Barry’s bike was acting up and the single speed he was killing us on kept droping the chain. When the chain was on, he would ride away from me instantly. Then I would pass him while he was stopped on the side fixing it. Anyway, entering the “single track” wooded section, he was blocked by slower riders in front. This gave me the opportunity to take his wheel and see how the section aught to be ridden. The realm of the possible expanded. The first thing I saw was the whoop-de-doo after entering the single track. If you went over it in the standard way you came out aimed at a tree on the right and had to brake or hope you didn’t slide out banking hard left. Barry made the line straight by ramping over the much higher dirt pile/vegitation on the left, something nobody else was doing (based on the absense of tracks, etc), maybe caught some air, and carried way more speed through the section. It was smashing. I copied his line thenceforth. I also saw how he rode the roots, finding clean lines when during the entirety of the 3’s race I was convinced there weren’t any. Again: copy cat. Afterwards the wooded section was one of my fastest – something I didn’t realize until I was stuck behind 2 other riders thinking: c’mon grandma, let’s go! I even passed a guy on the whoop-de-doo taking the high side!

I finished 14th of 26, beating PRO road racer Alex (Team Type 1) and PRO Barry Wicks. To be fair to Barry, his bike did most of the beating. But lest you think it’s Kona’s fault, my Kona didn’t drop any chains. Woot.

Epilogue:

The last two Sundays of racing were awesome. The events are extremely enjoyable (both the races and the people) and they were great workouts. If I can just figure out how to push through the back pain some more I might be able to hold position better (is the answer to buy a Stevens carbon frameset? Lol). Currently I’m nursing my war wounds, but I hope to get back out there asap. I can’t wait to get to the next CX race.

Special thanks go to Nick Dornick who continues to lend me his front EA70X tubular with Grifo. It is perfect bro! Thanks also to my wife for letting me play bikes!

Hup Hup!

THF Realty Gateway Cup (2010 - cat 3's!)

2010-09-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Driving back from St. Louis I was grinning ear to ear and blowing kisses to my wife. She had supported me through a hectic end of the road season, and it was quite a fun way to close it out. I’ll spare all of the gory detail that I’ve been dishing out in these race reports, and instead hit the highlights.

THF Realty Gateway Cup – Lafayette Square (Day 1)

The cat 3’s went off at dusk, and finished in darkness. To say it was scary is an understatement. It was stoopid. Stoopid fun, but stoopid. The course was a flat box with hundreds of fans along the outside - great atmosphere – just in need of some more light!

Bryan from Sound Pony countered a move on the last lap and we let him get a gap. He won by a good 5 bike lengths. I took 2nd in the field sprint for my first (legit) cat 3 podium. I was very happy with the result.

THF Realty Gateway Cup – St. Louis Hills (Day 2)

Another wide open 4 corner crit, this one with a little rise after the start/finish and the corresponding drop on the backside. Breaks were attempted but none succeeded. The peloton’s penchant for entering corners 9 abreast continued. I think this race equaled the scary factor of Lafayette Square solely because in the dark, one was ignorant of much of the foolishness going on. In the daylight however, it was harrowing.

I spent too much time on the front (tried a couple breaks) and did not put myself in proper position at the end. Coming into the final corner a rider on the inside slid out and tagged my rear wheel on his tangential journey to the curb. I stayed up and still sprinted for 12th (payout was to 15), so I was glad to get money even if it wasn’t as stellar as the day before. I do believe there were 6 crashes in the last 8 corners of the race. We were trapped in a b-list horror flick: “Whew, we survived that chainsaw guy!” (Ominous music…) “Ah, there’s a guy in a hockey mask!” You get the idea.

THF Realty Gateway Cup – Giro della Montagna, a.k.a. The Hill (Day 3)

This course was pretty cool and felt as european as any race I’ve participated in so far. The Italian neighborhood has been hosting this shindig for 25 years now, and there was plenty of beer, wine, and gelato floating around the place. Very good times.

The rectangle went up a small rise, 1 block over, then back down and around. The 3’s continued to log jam the corners on the inside, I’m pretty sure I actually heard an accordian playing throughout the race. The hill was pretty tough as we had a headwind on it, so we would usually be strung out for 3/4 ths of it, but the front rider(s) would tire and the bunch/swarm/cluster would begin.

With 3 to go, Ryan (Soundpony) attacked in a bid to stay away. Given that his teamate beat us all with the same schtick (and Ryan himself had finished 2nd and 5th previously during the weekend), nobody was letting him go. The result though was that the field was strung out, which was perfect for that point in the race for me to keep a top 20 position. In the melee to stay at the front, the wheel I was on was slowing as the pack surged up the left side. Homeboy in front of me was letting a gap open and there was about 3/4ths of a handlebar open to his left, so I snuck my bars in there and pushed the guy right with my forearm on his hip. I couldn’t believe I did it, and that at speed. It was a highlight of the weekend.

Coming around the final corner, Nick Hand said I was sitting in 30th position. I think I may have been a little farther forward, but regardless, with 500 meters to go, it was a long sprint to the line. I opened it up next to Nick Ramirez (Burnham) and moved up the right side passing a lot of people with flames coming off them. There was room on the left side and guys were boxed in up the middle, so I changed lines and powered along the barriers, throwing at the line. I hit 40.9 mph in the process, and nabbed 6th place by millimeters. As I went through the start finish I could tell I was going much faster than most of the guys at that point and I heard the announcer exclaim something as I came through – I have to think it was his surprise at the scorching finish. ;)
As always the lesson for this lazy sprinter is to move up! While I’m pleased with another top 10, I had more coulda-woulda-shoulda as far as positioning entering the sprint.

THF Realty Gateway Cup – Benton Park (Day 4)

Day 4. At this point, I’m pretty tired. The kids are tired. The wife is tired. But at Gateway, they saved the best for last, a big (1.7 mi) figure ‘8’ with a chicane tossed in on one of the legs - by far the best course although NOT the best pavement. It was the demilitarized zone between the Koreas! Every turn had potholes galore. Here’s just one example:

TURN 1: cresting a little rise, the ideal line for this 2 lane left hander was up the right side, which was obscured by a 1.5x4 foot patch of cut pavement that was filled in with GRAVEL. There was a manhole at the apex of the turn, but before you got there you had to slice across through 2 “lumps” in the pavement (the variety that are caused by heavy trucks driving in the same ruts thousands of times). It was rear wheel skippin heaven.
Oh, and if you botched any of the 10 turns per lap, you were looking at a 9 inch cement curb in all but a few locations. It was harry, but fun.

Everyone was thinking the same thing: great course, tired legs, lots of turns – maybe a break will stick today? Well, many tried and only one succeeded. I think I had my head down the entire first 35 minutes. The group was nice and strung out which meant the turns were safer and faster, while I assume attacks were going off the front. I sat in about 1/3 of the way back, looking up to spy Newt (Ritte Racing), Nick (Burnham), and Bry-Ry the Soundponys in the 10-15 range, basically, where I should have been.

On the last lap I was moving up from the 20’s or 30’s and took the last corner nice and hot. Trey (Dogfish) – the Mavic Xellium shod 200+lb sprinter – opened a gap on me at the start of the sprint and I knew I was done. That guy goes fast on flat/downhill sectors! I dug deep anyway and passed several folks up the right side, throwing at the line for 10th. I thought I had 8th but it was too little too late.

I still need to move up! I know how, it’s just getting myself to burn the matches at that point that is hard. That tipping point of pushing oneself into the red, yet not blowing up is a fine art. The powertap doesn’t really help in those situations as the adrenaline is flowing and you push through the limits you thought you had in training. I haven’t had a look at the tap data just yet, but I’m excited to see what the legs put out in this super fun weekend of racing. No doubt these will be early season benchmarks for 2011.

Epilogue:

With the road season now officially shut down, I’m excited about coaching soccer (it’s in full swing!) and hopeful I’ll make it out to a CX race or 2. With my strong finish to the season, I’m only more excited about next year. Equally great is how Nick Hand and Mike Rickey raced this weekend. Always in the mix, at the front, animating the races and mixing it up in the sprints – they are going to be strong 3’s. I think we’ll have a pretty good squad that will function well as a team.

One final note – with all the racing in the past month (and training!) I’ve been pretty hard on my body and equipment. I’ve been using Enzo’s ButtonHole Chamois Cream during this end of the season run (since the Glencoe Grand Prix) and I do not have a single saddle sore, etc. I like that a lot.

Lincoln Trail State Park RR

2010-08-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Cliff’s Notes:

5 guys were in the 54 mile cat 3 road race. I finished 3rd. I crashed once, but am ok. The end.

War and Peace:

On Saturday I packed up the fam and bike and headed over to Marshall, IL for the Lincoln Trail State Park RR. The cat 3 edition was 12 laps of a 4.5 mile loop (54 miles total) on mostly wooded, rolling, twisty, state park road. Great course, great conditions. Each lap featured 4 kickers in the 5-10 second range, and the start/finish was set up after a mile of rollers trending upward from the lowest point on the course. With all the twists and turns you couldn’t see much more than 75 meters in front of you for most of the laps. Like I said, great course.

The field was 5 deep. Yup, 5 cat 3’s dragged themselves out of bed (at 11:10) to line it up. 2 guys from Dogfish (black jerseys) and 2 guys from IN Hand Center (white jerseys) went up against your’s truly. I had hoped that the field would be larger and more diverse but all year I’ve been racing in fields with numbers dominated by xXx and Burnham, so naturally - I was at home. I’m used to getting tag-teamed every Saturday morning.

A collective smirk was shared at the intensity of the send-off and the fact that with 50+ miles remaining, nobody was attacking at the gun. After an anticlimactic “Go!” and some softpedaling from our group, Dogfish and IN Hand began trading pulls. Later on the first lap, an IN Hand rider yelled at me to take a pull while a Dogfish grumbled about “being out here all day.” I laughed and retorted that “everyone had a teamate but me” and “there is no good reason for me to pull right now.” IN Hand repeated to me that I “should be pulling” and I said that if they want to go faster, they are more than welcome to. “If you want to drop me, then drop me” I shared. So he attacked. And that was the way it was going to be. Everyone was fresh so we watched each other and I rejected the notion that I would pull guys who had me outnumbered 2 to 1. This isn’t earth-shattering stuff, it’s bike racing 101.

Coming into the end of the 3rd (or 4th?) lap, John (IN Hand) was pulling on the rollers and I was sitting 2nd wheel. John was struggling a bit as he had done some work so far and launched a few attacks at our little love fest. His teamate attacked up the last climb, launching himself for the $25 prime on offer (he had won the previous prime, too). One of the Dogfish riders (we’ll call him Dave, but I’m not sure of his name) followed to contest it. Realizing the opportunity this offered I hit the gas too, not to contest the prime, but to try and drop John. I bridged up to the 2 off the front and went over the top holding a high pace. I kept the gas on for several minutes before yelling at the Dogfish to pull through. It had worked. The 3 of us rotated through and we were 1 IN Hand Center rider fewer. Now if I could only get Dogfish to continue pulling while I relaxed, I could try to drop both of them. Scott (unsure of name - IN Hand Center) was sitting in, and had no reason to work, what with the hope that his teamate would catch back on. We kept the rotation up for 3 laps, keeping the tempo between 23 and 26, so with each pull the likelihood of John rejoining was smaller and smaller. I felt really good during this section and noticed that I was taking longer and harder pulls than the Dogfish. [Read: you’re a darn fool, Frenchy!]

With 7 laps in the books (or was it on the 7th lap?) I decided enough was enough and stopped pulling. This angered the Dogfish, and the cooperation and steady pace we had enjoyed ended. We went back to Dogfish relay attacking, which was fine, although tiring. Which was the entire point. Generally, I was forcing Scott (IN Hand) to chase down the Dogfish flyers first, and then following his wheel. Obviously he wasn’t interested in doing the lion’s share so at one point, called my bluff, letting a gap open. Dave had a decent gap and realizing the opportunity, kicked it up a knotch to tempt us with 4.5 laps to go. I realized I had made a mistake as now both riders on my wheel had disinsentives to chase. Brian (Dogfish) wouldn’t chase his teamate, and Scott (IN Hand) could say he was waiting for his dropped mate. I was in a pickle. So I pulled. Once Scott saw I took a long hard pull, he pulled through, but not as long and not as hard. Ufh. Just before the rollers I ramped up the pace to close the last 30 meters to Dave and therein made my second tactical mistake. I should have attacked. Dave had been off the front for several miles, and since we had to actually work to catch him, he was probably the weakest of the bunch at that moment. I should have attacked hard through the rollers to try to shed him. Alas, I grabbed his wheel and we slowed down. [Read: c’mon Frenchy, work!]

We were now back to Dogfish relay attacking and being a little tired from all the chasing found myself with Brian and Scott up the road a bit with me sitting on Dave’s (a Dogfish) wheel. I tried talking Dave into chasing his teamate. Explained at length how tired I was from chasing him, but he was having none of it. So of course I sprinted as hard as I could to open a gap on him and went over the top of Scott and Brian off the front. I had a gap on all 3 and they were strung out themselves, not working together but struggling to get on terms individually. And here I made my third mistake – on a kicker I let up after seeing that everyone was intent on chasing hard. I should have kept it going for another couple minutes (even at a lower intensity) in order to shed someone or significantly weaken the other riders. As it was, I only tuckered myself out. Stoopid!

Sitting up in the group Dogfish attacked again (a good move) and I found myself back with Brian (the other Dogfish) with IN Hand up the road. Same situation, and I had let a gap open up. This time I didn’t know if I had the sprint to close the gap again, and it was clear from the pace that the guys up the road were digging deep. I jumped during the longest flat section after a significant gap had opened, in an effort to shed Brian the Dogfish. Unfortunately, while churning in my 53x11, at 34mph, I closed my eyes for a split second (this was not the course for such things!) and put my rear wheel into the gravel shoulder. The next second I exercised some kind of ninja insticts of which I was heretofore unaware – I bunnyhopped out of the gravel at 30+ mph, stabilizing myself in the roadway on my front wheel. During the process I had torqued my right shift hood inwards and unclipped with my left foot. Surprisingly I didn’t soil myself. I really did think I was going to go into the gaurdrail to my right and die. Needless to say, as I regained composure (and Brian caught me and shared that he thought I had certainly cheated death) I lost momentum and after taking the next corner, saw the 200 meter gap to the leaders grow. Now into the rollers I was not ready to power ahead at 400 watts for 2 minutes to make the catch. Surprisingly, neither was Brian. He didn’t try to jump me on the hills and get up the road solo. I assume he was either too tired to do so or too timid, thinking I would be able to follow. Regardless, this was his first mistake. I kept the pace as high as I could for the next mile and would catch glimpses of the leaders before they disappeared into the trees but I didn’t have it in me to reel them in and I certainly didn’t want to get too close only to have Brian bridge and drop me.

My pace slowed considerably at this point and Brian just sucked wheel – as he should. With just over 3 laps remaining, I was not too chipper about the situation. I resolved to recover and outsprint him at the line, so I pulled at 18 mph. The gap to the leaders ballooned out to over 3 minutes by the finish. What I didn’t know (but REALLY wish I did) was that up the road Scott (IN Hand) had started cramping and fallen off the pace of Dogfish. I have to think that had I known that fact I could have mustered Brian to chase with me and we would have been racing for second and not third. Alas, the fans were either too ignorant or unwilling to share this critical info. Here was my fourth mistake. Keeping a higher pace might have meant that we would have caught him, but I didn’t want to present Brian with an opportunity to attack me – there’s the rub.

Entering the last lap, my dear wife (who was not giving us splits!) made a bid for wife of the year as she approached the road (unbidden!) with a fresh bidon. We had discussed the possibility of a feed earlier, and we even practiced handing off a bottle in the parking lot (once), but she executed it to perfection and I now had fresh water in 90 deg. heat. Bless you woman. On top of that my (nearly) 3 year old yelled out a “Go Daddy Go!” reinvigorating my tired carcass. Brian asked me if that was my kid and we began a brief over-the-shoulder chat about our kids. It was while looking back at him (not the time for such things!) that I departed the roadway for the ditch. I kept it up through it and on the return trip back to the roadway caught a rut and fell over at about 12 mph. Scratched up, I was pissed. How could I have let this happen? Brian, in a class gesture, waited for me as I loosened up my rear brake to avoid the rim strike on the whobbly wheel. After a minute of righting myself, I went back to pulling.

With 2 miles remaining I upped the pace a little to speed the end of this march to the line. Coming into the rollers Brian attacked up the left side and began to swerve back and forth across the roadway in an effort to drop me. I held his wheel and he found himself in the unenviable possition of leading me out in a match sprint. While I have ZERO track experience I think I’m pretty good at this kind of thing. He made several mistakes (that I will not elucidate here – in hopes that others will perpetuate them) and I jumped him with about 200 meters to go and won by a bike or 2. I threw at the line just in case, nabbing my first podium finish in a cat 3 race.

Not winning in such a small field was rather humbling considering I’m on the best form of the year. While I “trained through” this race, the power numbers I’ve seen in the last week are quite good (for me). It goes to show me that I need to be more subtle in the tactical department and wiser before I begin winning races at this level.

I can’t believe you read all that. Next up is the Gateway Cup, which serves as the end of my road season.

Winfield Criterium (Cat 3, ABR Criterium National Championships) OR The Coulda Woulda Shoulda

2010-08-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the family celebrated my maternal grandfather’s 80th birthday. Good times. We stayed the night in the Chicago suburbs which afforded me more time with my siblings and parents, as well as an opportunity to race in Winfield on Sunday.

The Stone Pony was in attendance for the master’s race and gave me the scoop on the course. In a rare move he told me this circuit was tailor-made, and that the way I’ve been riding in the local slugfests, I should do well. I certainly appreciate the encouragement from a racer of Dave’s stature. The man is half horse. (He handily won his master’s race.) I did tell him about my training and “poor” prep for the race, but he brushed it off – “you’ve got 2 good days in your legs.”

The weather was fair, temps were warm but it’s August and we’re all used to the heat by now. The course was a 4 corner crit, with wide corners. The back side had a block-long two-tiered kicker, followed by a rough “descent” into a smooth wide left hander, with 500 meters or so to the finish. I liked the course. Breaks were a possibility, but if it came to a bunch kick, there was plenty of room to sort things out on perfect tarmac.

The field was small with 18-20 of us lining up in the cat 3’s. Burnham and Psimet had 2 riders, while Tower had 3 or 4 and ABD fielded 4 or 5 I think. The rest were solo guys like me. There was definite quality in the field as Tim (Psimet), Nate (Burnham), and Kyle (Tower) were racing. I got to catch up with Keith (unattached) during the warm-up, which was nice.

The legs were a little stiff during my warm-up as I had ridden hard Saturday morning (both pushing a big gear and doing my first “micro-burst” workout). I hadn’t originally planned on this race, but when the opportunity came, of course I jumped at it. The legs started coming around but I still felt “slow.” The race kicked off and Ben (Powerbar) went off the front on an early glory-flyer that wasn’t getting away. He stayed off for a lap or three, but everyone silently agreed: if we let him dangle, he’ll be done for the day. We caught him and he tried again, but soon after he was recovering in the pack for the duration.

I stayed in the top 5 wheels most of the time and waited for other guys to close gaps, conserving energy. I noticed I wasn’t breathing hard and most of the time I was breathing through my nose. A good sign. In the second half of the race more moves went but unrepresented riders and teams pulled them back. Nothing too dangerous got more than 50 meters.

With 7 laps to go (or thereabout) Kyle (Tower), Tim (Psimet), an ABD, and one or two others (maybe Chris (xXx)?) got off the front with a little gap. They started rotating through and I thought the move might have the impetus to stay away, so I jumped at the start-finish and bridged up without any hangers-on. Sadly, by the time we came over the kicker the field had caught us. Coming back down the finishing straight, I recall mentioning to Nate: “so glad I just bridged to that!” In retrospect, I wasn’t hurting too bad as I was chatting up my competition. Nate’s been injured and after the stunning form he had earlier this summer, I think he’s ready to hang up the bike for 2010. Not that it’s been a bad year – winning the cat 3 state crit champs and all. He didn’t look too hot at the time though and just gave me a nod.

Soon after I saw we were looking at 5 to go. Being in the top 5 or 6 wheels, I was happy with my position, and tried to keep attentive to moves coming up the sides. The pace started to hot up a bit and ending the fourth lap, I fumbled a bottle while coming into turn 2. I got it in and made the turn but opened a gap to the rider in front. I hammered for a second to close the gap and noticed the front end bounce with each pedal stroke, the type of motion you would expect on a mountain bike with no front shock lockout. Hmmm. It didn’t register at the time; I was only interested in closing the gap. Into the kicker I stood and maintained my position as the field was lined out. Coming around the left hand bend at the top of the hill it felt as though my front rim was locked against my brake pad – “what is going on?” - I thought. I look down to see the front tire deflated. I was incensed. There was sailor talk – and I don’t mean “talk like a pirate day” type sailor talk. Raising my hand I pull out of line and begin to slow. I took the corner to the inside (sorry guys!) and slowly pedaled to the pit. It had just closed. The official asked me for my number while I said I had a front flat. He asked me again. I showed him my back and walked off the course. My race was over.

The next time through, Tim and Kyle had a 200m+ gap on the field, entering the (next to?) final lap. I cheered for them despite the sting of fresh legs. Coming into the finish it looked as though Tim attacked on the climb or opened the sprint up really early trying to shell Kyle, but Kyle jumped him with 175 meters to go and Tim sat up exhausted. It was an earned victory for sure as Kyle had attempted a few moves earlier in the race.

Sitting in the land of would-have-beens I have no doubt that without the flat, I had a podium spot. Nobody likes the jerk who opines that he would have won had the mechanical/spectator/teammate/meteorological event not taken place – but I find I AM THAT GUY right now. I strongly think I would have won. How annoying. But I didn’t. Kyle did. I clapped for him, and later shook his hand in congratulations while honestly meaning it. I’m not sure if my 3-year old will remember this or not, but I have to think she got a lesson in how to lose. I hope that at some point I could, you know, change it up a little and show her how to win, too.

On the drive home I was reliving the race in my head, imagining sprinting with Kyle and Tim head-to-head (to head) in the finale that wasn’t. My wife would notice that I gripped the wheel intensely for a moment, and know that I was thinking through the critical moments of the race. My mind also wandered back to the Tour of Hermann. Not for comfort (I won an omnium – yeah!) but to remember Dave Stone in the criterium. The man had the field by the balls. It was his race. He jumped for an omnium points prime from the breakaway and made it look effortless. Nobody could respond. But on the last lap we watched him limp in last in the breakaway with a flat tire, ceding the omnium overall in the process. That’s bike racing.

P.S. I have a set of Ritchey WCS Protocols for sale for $75. The front wheel has gone flat on me in 2 races this year and I hereby consider it accursed. It is leaving the stable never to return. I’m sure it will carry you to dozens of solo victories though, so contact me, this wheelset is for you and priced to move!

P.P.S. Avg HR during the race: 158. That hurts, and not from being too high.

Glencoe Grand Prix Race Report

2010-08-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t originally going to write a race report for the Glencoe Grand Prix, as my result was lackluster, and really, how many reports can you read about pack finishes? But, it is a personal/family blog, so here goes – another “my story.”
After 2 weeks in Phx for work (with weekend breaks for cycling in AZ and NM) I had been off of training for some time. Regardless, my goals (The Gateway Cup) remain the same for the late season, so I knew I needed to kickstart my training for this finish to the season. Glencoe was lined up as a competitive crit to gauge my fitness before beginning a block of intervals. Though I always think of raising my hands while crossing the line (it’s only happened once!) I knew it was a big ask given the circumstances. I was not a little intimidated to see the usual suspects at the start: what seem like a dozen burnham and xXx riders together plotting the demise of the pack. To see (Big) John Whipple (Tati) my friendly nemisis this season (though the competitive vibe is definitely one-way, as he continually beat me) cat’d up to the 2’s was a bit sad. Alas, I was hoping to have a(nother) crack at him at Hillsboro next spring and I highly doubt I’ll be rolling with the P/1/2 field come April.

The Glencoe course was a tight 10-corner route through a depressed neighborhood. If by depressed you mean $600K+ homes. To futher illustrate what I mean, I will only add that our pace-car (which I didn’t see very much), was a Jag. Tough times these.

We got underway and immediately I noticed 2 things: 1) after taking a racing hiatus since the Peoria Cycling Classic in late June, I was not used to such close quarters on all sides; and 2) everyone was braking about twice as much as I expected for the turns. It was as if we were trapped in a cat 5 race for the day. The funny thing about these observations are their seeming contradiction – usually someone unused to racing brakes too much into corners. What can I say? I’m a paradox.

The race was cruising at a good pace and I was content to sit in the bunch. I complained to Newt (Ritte v. Vlaanderen) about the braking and he probably told me to get a life. Attenuated by the wind, my complaining and his responses went unrecognized so I think we’re still friends. Newt finds himself singled out since he is one of the few “too cool for school” cat 3’s who is willing to chat with his competitors. And I am always up for chatting (unless recently, completely, sploded). The legs didn’t feel too bad, but I wasn’t going to start going for primes or probing attacks, mind you. I couldn’t afford to crack in that heat over the next 30 min. Regardless, there were some who did feel the “good sensations” and I watched a Flatlandia go and a xXx’er follow. Turns out, that was the winning move. I recall whining to Newt later on that “they had 30 seconds.” Like a papa-bear he gently demurred that we were both racing solo, and it was up to teams not represented in the break to bring it back. “You’re right” I thought, but the laps ticked by.

I stayed on Newt’s wheel for a while but when I woke from a short nap I found myself 20 riders back of him with 5 laps to go. My plans had unravelled. Moving up was difficult on the narrow streets, and was exacerbated by the field’s penchant to grab fistfulls of break into every corner, followed by a low grade sprint back up to speed. (Really though, I likes crit racing!) Entering the final 2 laps I just told myself to look for opportunities to move up and grabbed a few spots during the kicker of a hill on the back side. Entering the final lap I was too far back to fight for a significant placing, but I thought I might be able to get in the money (que the “lowered expectations” themesong). Going into the 1st corner, the wheel I was on belonged to a young man who decided the pavement would be a better kisser than any podium girl and promptly “ate it” after touching shoulders with the gentleman to his right. I am very glad I did not crash, however, I was not pleased with losing several spots and scrubbing a lot of speed in the process. You can see the crash on the left side of the screen at timestamp 10:34 in this youtube video.
Yelling (while sprinting) “way to keep it up!” at the guy ahead of me, I worked myself back into some kind of a draft and REALLY started looking for opportunities to move up. Obviously everyone (and their [insert cliché family member]) was looking for the same at this point. However, I sprinted up the kicker (while everone else was also keen to move up) and grabbed a couple of spots. I then kept the gas on through the false flat and surprisingly kept picking guys off. I was delighted to find this moment also captured in this video @ 12:16. In a way I felt my lackluster finish was somehow better, seeing as how I was fighting at the end, and I had the legs to move up.
Coming around the last corner I sprinted for a middling place (I know, I know, sprinting while out of the money, in my case 4 spots out of the money, is lame, foolish, and dangerous), moving up another 3 or 4 riders. However, I wasn’t sure how many riders were ahead so, while keeping it safe, I gave it a go.

This race was a reality check for me. Regardless of what the powermeter says, how do I match up in a big crit similar to what I’m targeting in September? The good news was that 1) I didn’t have a terrible day (getting dropped or crashing) and the fitness was alright; 2) I was able to move up, even during the last lap, which is usually hotly contested and 3) I genuinely enjoyed myself while racing, though there were moments (like the split second before the dude crashed in front of me) where I thought I would have been better off on a couch somewhere. The bad news (or critique, if you will) was that 1) I was waaaayyy out of position with 5 to go; 2) my fitness was NOT there to go off the front with the winners* (and trust me, there ARE winners and losers here – myself being the latter.); 3) I spent a lot of money to race bikes on the day without much to show for it. Oh well, that’s bike racing.

*Though I wonder about this point. With all the accelerations at the corners, I wonder how much less effort I would have used in the top 5 or off the front in a small break? Perhaps someday I’ll have the guts and legs to try it.

Tour of the Gila Recon Notes

2010-08-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of long hours in Phoenix, I took off for Silver City, NM intent on riding the Tour of the Gila course. The drive from Phx to Silver City was pretty uneventful. It wasn’t the most boring 5hrs I’ve spent in a car (thank you Western KS!) but it was up there. That is of course, until you start to climb upwards west of Tucson. It gets pretty real quick if you enjoy mountains. The drive from Lordsburg, NM to Silver is quite picturesque, cresting the continental divide.

I linked up with Chris at the Mimbres Café (closes at 8:30 on Friday night, so plan your reveling accordingly) after downing a veggie sandwich. My avocado consumption skyrocketed during this trip, and all those (healthy) fats surely came back to get me in the hills.

For those of you who haven’t met him, NYChris is an affable young man. He is mature beyond his years and strikes me as a truly thoughtful person. I appreciated his hospitality for the weekend.

Chris led me from the café to the place he’s been house-sitting for the summer. After a few single-lane bridge crossings on gravel back roads, we pulled in front of this little house. Sliding around these mountain roads in the dark, I won’t deny that the thought occurred to me that this was all a set-up for a pistol to the face and an emptying of my admittedly meager wallet. Instead I was invited into this (off the grid) fine home and shown the separate guest bedroom/art studio where I could crash for the next 2 days. With minimal light pollution, the national forest, and a nearby creek as the backdrop – even in the dark - the place was beautiful.

We chatted for a while then headed to bed as the group would leave from Silver City early the next morning.

Gila Monster Stage (~79 miles, serves as the final stage of the TotG)
On Saturday I rode with Chris and some local guys (3 young Navajo XC runners turned cyclists – I have more body fat than the three of them combined). We set off from downtown Silver City to ride the “inner loop” counter –clockwise, which is the course used during the Gila Monster stage (final day) at the TotG. Starting altitude was just under 6000ft.

The route opens with rollers of the sort you can expect in southern IL or Missouri. The descent into the Mimbres area (on 180 or 152, I can’t quite recall) serves as the decisive climb on the inner loop road race stage (stage 2) as it is almost the same course, but run clockwise. Descending was fantastic as the views were stunning and the speed was pegged at 40+mph into a headwind. I jumped once or twice to get past the other guys, and while there were turns, the pavement was good and road broad. Coming back up the climb would be quite difficult and serves to form the selection in most races on the clockwise route. NYChris expects the climb to eliminate all but the top 10-20 riders in the fields, with the rollers on the run-in to Silver serving to separate the top 10.

Turning north into the town of Mimbres, the race sees some flats and should be protected from the wind. Scenery remains beautiful. There are a few rollers and shorter climbs before you pass the “Breathe Inn” and are faced with the big climb of the Gila Monster stage – [insert name here]. At this point we were in our third hour of riding and I was starting to really feel it. The lower slopes of the climb are the steepest, and the switchbacks see grades above 13%. Usually, I don’t get too worked up about grades since in the midwest it’s going to end in the next 5 minutes. It doesn’t in NM. It keeps dishing it out. I cracked pretty early and finished the climb in 24 minutes. (For reference, the top cat 3’s summit it in just under 17 minutes. NYChris did it in 20, while the climbers – Dustin, Marcus, and Kempton - uncorked times between 17 and 18:30. Of note, I popped really badly and was turning over a 39x26 @ 50rpm, showing the world a measly 215W. So, to give an idea, if you absolutely explode and there is no life left in your legs, you won’t do much worse than 24 or 25 minutes. ) The climb itself is beautiful and the pavement isn’t too bad going up. Coming down the other way, however, one should use prodigious amounts of caution. Several of the switchbacks do not have guardrails, and while you may get lucky and stop yourself on a tree, if you go off road here you may be going off a cliff. Don’t schleck. I didn’t actually do the decent (though my time suggested I did), but studying the road at 6mph, it’s safe to ride, but be very cautious. I would not be surprised if I gifted 1-2 minutes to competitors on the decent to preserve my life. Frankly, I think there is enough road left on the stage that you can get that time back. (Someone may prove me wrong!) Also, as you’d expect, you’ll want to be towards the front going into the decent. Descending 3 abreast would not be cool.

After topping out, your legs get a little reprieve but the climbing isn’t done yet. There are several more climbs in the 5-10% range. Just before the finish, a 10-15% ramp welcomes you home. It wasn’t too hard (more of a sprinter’s hill) but at the end of the day, it could produce seconds-wide gaps.
The route takes you over 7000ft, so any ability to get to Silver a day or so early will benefit your body.
http://www.sportsscientists.com/2010/06/altitude-arriving-and-adapting.html

Chris and the guys were gracious to this fat flatlander and waited for me repeatedly in the final hour(s) of the ride. Even more gracious was their humoring of my belly-aching (I haven’t slept for 2 weeks, I’m not acclimated to this altitude, I’m fat, I’m slow, I’m I’m I’m…etc). It’s been a long time since I’ve been the first one dropped on a group ride, so the day went down as a big piece of humble pie. Regardless, even on a good day, I would have been put into difficulty on the major climb of the route. I have a lot of work to do before next April!

After getting back to Silver (by descending the 1000ft+ over 7 miles from Pinos Altos) we grabbed burritos and checked out the Gila Hike & Bike. Wherever we went, Chris was greeted warmly by a different cyclist. It seems like a cool scene.

Mogollon Climb (~38 miles, 77 miles from Silver to the Mog serves as stage 1 of the TotG)
After my terrible climbing the day before and my upcoming 5 hr drive back to Phoenix, we decided to shorten this stage a little. Starting from a scenic overlook near Cliff, NM we rode north on 180 through Glenwood, turning right (and up!) to climb the hors catagorie Mogollon.

The start of the stage in Silver is followed by a “neutral” climb out of town that is equivalent to the opening climb of the Tour of Hermann RR route (yeah, ouch). I would put it at a 5 minute climb (guessing, we drove it). Just a little something to warm up the legs! With just a few rollers from there, you enter the flattest racing you’ll see during the stage race. The next 50 miles are pretty darn flat. Winds will play a factor here, but there is some cover from nearby hills. I wouldn’t be surprised to see echelons form if a stiff crosswind presents itself. Near the town of Cliff, you’ll enter some rollers. These rollers are tough. They are long and shallow enough that maintaining momentum up them is a challenge. They aren’t really “rollers” but “slowers.”
The town of Glenwood is quickly followed by the second feed zone (on an incline during which I didn’t want to remove my hands from the bars!). A couple miles later, you hang a right over a cattle guard to enter the Mogollon climb. After a false flat, the climb begins for 2 miles at 8-11%. I felt good through this section and thought perhaps I would put the hurt on NYChris. We crested that section together and entered a 1.5-2 mile false flat. After the 10% sections on the lower slopes, it felt like we were riding downhill. This might be a place to go over the top of the group if there isn’t any wind, and test the other racer’s legs. Most people will be conserving every thought and watt for the punishment ahead. Once the road kicks up on the upper slopes, it doesn’t relent, save a 3% section, until you hit the cattle guard at the finish line. The climb was awesome from a cyclotouring perspective: great views, constantly wrapping around the mountain. However, racing it will be quite difficult. With about a mile to go I gave up the ghost as the lactic burn was too much. The right side of the road is marked for 1 mile, 500m, and 200m remaining. At 500m, stand up and finish like Cadel in the 2009 World Championships, cuz you shouldn’t leave with anything in the tank. Chris beat me to the line by a good 30 seconds on the day (hey, I’ll take it over 4 minutes the day before! So we think he was on a bad day, and I was getting a little better). Because of this climb, I would recommend having at least a 39x26 on the bike. If you are a spinner, consider compact gearing. You may not need it if you’re a grinder, but it’s nice to have while trying to keep the cadence up out of the 50-60 range. The upper slopes average 11% I think. The fact that the cat 3 RRs all extend beyond 70 miles means you’re not going to have your best 1 hour power on the climb.

The climb wasn’t “that bad” for me; compared to the day before it was easier. Perhaps it was the shorter run-up to the climb, a good night’s sleep, and/or my body beginning to adapt to the altitude (not likely) but we rolled fairly quickly up this climb (10+mph on the lower slopes, and 8+mph on the upper slopes). At the tail end of a 70 mile RR, I can’t see going much faster up the climb without significant fitness/acclimation improvements. But, as I mentioned, I wasn’t having a good weekend on the bike (from a performance standpoint).

The road is very narrow, and there was some fallen rock and wash across the road. Descending (after the race) is a little sketchy through these sectors (especially with other racers coming up), so frequently scrubbing speed is recommended.

There are some logistics to work through regarding the return trip on this stage of the race. Chris and I discussed leaving a “team car” at the base of the climb, and having us all pile into it for the return to Silver. The race organization has a bus that takes guys back, but I would want to have my post race stuff (recovery drink, change of clothes, etc) available instantly, and dictate my own schedule. Something to think about.

After shedding the jackets we donned for the decent, we rode through Glenwood and the rollers to our launch point at Logan’s Lookout (or some such thing). I will say that one of the highlights of the weekend was putting NYChris into difficulty during this stretch. I took my longest and strongest pulls of the weekend through here. It’s a bit sad, that at the end of the trip I was starting to show some legs. After he had laid the smackdown on me all weekend long, the shorter, steep kickers suited my high-power/short duration efforts. Hooray for midwestern crit racing.

After packing up the bikes we drove the 50 miles back into town and perused the crit course again.

Crit Course Recon (day 4 of the TotG):
Chris and I drove the crit course two (2) times, and it looks like a really nice circuit in downtown Silver City. Pavement wasn’t too bad (check back after the winter!) and the turns seemed reasonable. There were 2 turns where the pack will have to squeeze from 2 lanes down to 1, and I’m sure those will get interesting. Also, there are 2 short kickers on the course which will tire the legs as the race unfolds. Not sure as to the history of breakaways on the course, but I could see a break sticking if teammates are blocking and the will of GC hopefuls is broken. The final corner is a good 400 meters from the finish, so the winner will be top 5 out of the last corner, maybe top 10, depending on everyone’s sprinting legs if it comes down to a bunch.

TT Course Recon (day 3 of the TotG):
Coming into town on Hwy 90 from Tyrone, I was hoping to find a fast and flat TT course. I kept looking but didn’t see one. Instead I found long rollers and constant climbing and descending. I think I will probably forgo any TT accoutrements beyond a helmet, as this route is all about going up and down quickly.

The road cycling scene there is not the largest, but it is quite friendly and competitive. I think a spring training camp in Arizona and New Mexico would be ideal for midwestern racers. The Tucson and Phoenix areas have (thousands of) riders ramping up in fall and spring for races, so group rides in Jan. and Feb. would be pretty good riding for early season training to bring the intensity up. If anyone reading this is interested in going down there early on in 2011 (Jan/Feb/March), please contact me. I’ve been in PHX and Tucson frequently in the past 2 years for work and as a result I’ve collected a list of group rides and made friends with many a racing cyclist. I’ve been to dozens of bike shops and I’ve ridden the local routes. Furthermore, NYChris has said he’d be happy to join in the fun and tour the AZ-NM routes. In fact, Chris and I discussed the possibility of a no-frills cyclotouring operation down there. Let’s just say, there’s a reason all the pros relocate to Tucson during the winter. :)

For those of you who are interested in joining me at the TotG in 2011, feel free to email me specific questions regarding route/altitude/equipment/etc. If I can’t answer it, I’ll forward it on to Chris, who did the 4/5 race last year and intends on upgrading to do the 3’s race next year.

Thoughts on Idiocracy OR “Brawno’s got what plants crave!”

2010-08-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

[Whoa, haven't updated the blog in a long time, so here's some old posts that have been in the que. Probably need editing, but oh well.]

The wife and I watched Idiocracy this weekend on the recommendation of a friend. I was skeptical (with adequate warnings
of silliness), but as it is a Mike Judge film (Office Space) I thought I’d give it a go. It was difficult to watch (with little to no
dialogue), but we made it through. Before I get to my thoughts I must say a word about social commentary and farce.

Anyone who watches Idiocracy realizes one of the goals of the film is to be silly and make people laugh. However, the film
is a social commentary, and therefore deserves critical thought about its statements and apparent goals. The danger here is
to take too seriously that which was not seriously intended. But this puts commentators in an awkward position to criticism
themselves – not unlike Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. You see, Brown offered in his preface that the facts of the story
were well researched and implied that his distortion of Biblical textual history was correct, though it was presented in a fictive
form. Anyone who critiqued the claims in the text was lambasted as “taking a novel too seriously.” I’m sure something similar
could be said about this silly little blog entry; however the film did make (“an assload” – to adopt the parlance of the film - of)
statements about society and civilization, though they were through a silly medium.

Briefly, the plot is centered on a dystopian future wherein stupid people out-reproduce intelligent people. Without checks on
this process for 500 years, culture is reduced to a farting buttocks on screen for 90 minutes (the acclaimed film Ass), language
is reduced to catch phrases and grunts, and the American consumerist mentality is taken to its glutinous extreme: lard-suckling
corpulent masses and trash mountains overwhelming the landscape. Into this depressing milieu an average sluggard from our era
is inserted via an Army experiment neglected (not without a few laughs proffered by glamorizing illegal prostitution in the US –
a cruel modern slave trade).

The film presents an atheistic future. I’m not sure if this is intentional or just the product of the writer’s/producer’s worldview,
but the 26th century is a world without God. More surprisingly, it is a world without religion. The only cult is the cult of
personality, as “President Camacho’s” image is plastered everywhere and celebrity recognition exists for “Beef Supreme” (a
correctional department officer, and the new nick-name of my pudgy 5-month old son) and “Hormel Chavez” (the star of the
hit sitcom – “Ow, my balls!”.) I find this particularly fascinating as the old canard of “religion is for the ignorant/stupid” and
the use of god-myths as a means of explaining the mysterious aspects of reality, seems best suited to this fictitious age. I can
only assume that this has been forgotten by the film-makers and thus as gods are not on their minds, gods do not feature in the
future. The universality of death, one would think, would retain supernatural explanations in the consciousness of any society,
whether you think such things are correct or not. And while on the subject of death, it is interesting that while guns and phallic
battle cars – both clearly designed to kill – are invoked, I can only recall one person dying on screen in the film. Even the one
fatality I can recall (wherein a convict is run over by a Zamboni-style lawn mower/execution device) seemed disassociated
from death as 1) his actual death was obscured by the machine and non-descript “parts” were ejected from the mower and 2) his
death was presented in a comedic/entertainment format (a lá The Running Man.) In sum the execution seemed rather “clean”
considering the rest of the film’s filth. Regardless, a teenage “live forever” mentality appears present in the film, perhaps as
another consequence of the “hormone amped idiot teenage patriarchy” back-story that got humanity into the situation in the first
place. The atheistic vision was quite stark though, similar to the film Castaway.

Beside the atheistic future, or perhaps as a consequence of it, the base nature of people as animals was demonstrated in a near
total moral bankruptcy. The assumption that stupid people would behave without moral compass is a little off-putting and mean.
Sadly, many extremely intelligent people have been extraordinarily selfish and evil over the centuries, so this assumption seems
poorly placed, however, it sure gets a lot of cheap laughs when Starbucks becomes a bordello and each man’s existence (and it is
a MAN’s existence as women are further reduced to sex objects) is summed by eating butter and exercising his loins.

Not only is the world solely for a man, apart from god(s), but it is an exclusively “Uhmerican” vision we are offered. While
multi-ethnic, it was not multi-national. Apparently American awesomeness destroyed or overran other nations. However silly
that part of the plot might be (though unstated in the film), I think this aspect is more a commentary on the current American
audience for whom the world does not extend beyond what CNN/Fox/CNBC and E! tell them.

Another observation from the film was the surprising resiliency of the American corporate sector. Despite the complete
destruction of foundational social relationships (of which a corporation is a sort of artificial offspring), corporations appear to
have increased in prominence and control in a sort of “leftist nightmare” wherein government regulators are co-opted to advance
corporate interests. But really, is it going to take 500 years for us to spray our fields with Brawno! - the thirst mutilator - when
we’ve already attempted (THE ONCE FDA APPROVED!) feeding of our cattle the ground parts of other cattle (producing
MAD COW DISEASE!), and we continue to feed our animals and ourselves in ways which immediately imperil our health
but provide short term profits? Will it really take us that long to kill ourselves when we subsidize the destruction of farm
land, our air, and water? The “funny” thing about Idiocracy is how little has to change in 500 years to get from here to there.

The entertainment focused future of Idiocracy appears to be the best polemic I can think of against the age of Television. The
future is devoid of reading, and the life of the mind is reduced as described above. I don’t consider myself literati, but after
watching this film, I feel I owe it to myself to read more. For the love, as it were.

I will not watch Idiocracy again, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are on a serious Mike Judge kick or are ready for

countless crude gags – perhaps redundant conditions? Wait, I take that back, I do recommend this if for a good time, and
encouraging maximum cognitive dissonance, you first watch something like Glengarry Glenross in the same weekend. Joking
aside, I don’t think it was Judge at his best, as this critique of Uhmerica lacked the subtlety of the brilliant Office Space.
Laughing at stupid people grew old quickly for me, but perhaps I am a cruel person and enjoyed it longer than I ought to have.

Cobb Park Criterium and Gateway GI Extreme Circuit Race 2010

2010-06-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I planned to double up on the bike racing Saturday and Sunday while mixing in family activities all over IL. Saturday I took the wife and kids up to Chicago to visit one of Michele’s good friends from college. They’re expecting their first child and so there was lots of excitement with that - and the world cup. After a leisurely lunch at a café in downtown we headed to Kankakee for the Cobb Park Criterium. This is Michele’s favorite race of the year. The shaded park along the Kankakee river provides a very comfortable location for family viewing. Furthermore, the short laps taken at (relatively) high speed make it more fun to watch than say, Hillsboro.

Burnham lined up 6 guys in a 30 man field. I think XXX did the same. Needless to say, these teams have been having their way with the cat 3 races lately. An early move went and so did Nick. It got brought back and Jason (Burnham) went again. The move had a XXX racer in it and Nick took off to catch this one, too. He took a Psimet rider with him and they were out of sight for a long time. Eventually, John (Tati) decided it was time and went, and that was the cue for those in the know to not miss out. The rest of the field was split and I was the last man in this group on the road. I shouted that we had a gap, but John realized he was pulling the field and sat up. The split ended and XXX and Burnham went back to blocking. In the hours since I consider this moment a mistake on my part. After John’s big pull and subsequent field split (though it only lasted about a lap) I should have countered and taken whoever was hungry with me. We could have had 4-5 guys in a chase group. However, Nick was up the road and I thought I should sit in. I’ve still got a lot to learn!

Nick eventually made it up to the break with psimet, but popped. This is a familiar scene in the 3’s this year. One of us will get to the move of the day and then blow up. Leaving the other to counter or chase. But, Nick lasted until 7 to go. His fitness is right there. One of these races he’ll connect, I’m sure. Anyway, Nick comes back. ½ lap later I go. I get a gap but as it turns out, we’re at 5 or 6 to go. I don’t have the juice to go the distance, and the pack is not interested in letting me go at this late hour. Alas. I did get a “pizza prime” while off the front, but with a 50 second gap to bridge, well, it didn’t happen. After getting unceremoniously caught, a lap or 2 went by and I started telling myself that I “needed to check the lap count”. 2 to go. At this point I am SO glad I burned a couple matches off the front for nothing! I start thinking about how I can move up but we’re on the last lap. Going into turn 2 I’m on John’s (Tati) wheel. John is a big rider and I watched him win the drag race at the Urbana Grand Prix, so I figure he’ll move up and I’ll have a great leadout. John rubs the wheel in front of him coming out of turn 2 and sits up. He kept it up but I moved ahead for another wheel. I see Chris (Burnham) who I know has a good sprint, but he’s 4 riders ahead of me and I do not want to chop the last turn. Some other dude decides that IS a good idea and he proceeds to clip a pedal coming out of the turn, sending his rear wheel into a little slide in one of those slow-motion moments. I was looking through the turn so I was essentially watching it happen. Homeboy kept it up, but it was pretty harry for a moment. Newt (Ritte v Vlaanderen) checked up a bit to avoid homeslice’s powerslide – not something he was pleased about after the race. Well, if you’ve raced or seen Cobb Park before, you know that at this point it’s full gas for the last 200 meters around a gentle left hand bend. Everybody was up out of the saddle, but I was able to move through the group “easily.” I say “easily” but my HR was above 180, so that should be put into perspective. I saw Chris (Burnham) ahead of me move up the left side, and seperated by about 3 bikes I followed his line. He then cut right to the outside and I began going in that direction, too. I kept the gas on to the line but he still had some distance on me. Probably a bike length or two. I honestly think I was gaining on him, but not enough to matter without another 50 meters. He crossed the line having just overtaken the first two who took the last corner (we had started from outside the top 10 around the last corner). I came out of it 4th in the field sprint and 7th overall. It was a fun sprint but there was a lot to (re-) learn.

First, I was not in the correct position for the sprint. I knew this and had hoped to get a “leadout” from other racers, but still, I should have been 4th or 5th wheel around the last turn, not 12th. Second, while shifting down the cassette in the finishing stretch I was ready for one more shift but decided not to hit it. Why, you might ask? Well, on the previous Wednesday I had shifted into my 11 while sprinting for the Urbana town sign (at approx. 37mph on flat ground) and my chain began jumping. Being the fastidious bike mechanic that I am I neglected to do anything about it between the training ride and the race. In the finish I didn’t want my chain to start jumping, so I was “only” in my 12 tooth cog. I realize that I am entering an entire new world of whiney-bitchdom by saying I would have done better in an 11 tooth cog…but I would have. Having clocked 39 mph in the sprint in the 12, I’m confident I would have gone a little bit faster had I shifted into a reliable 11. Needless to say, I will get this fixed before the state criterium this weekend. New chain? Clean chain? Cabling? It’ll get sorted tonight!

After the top ten finish at Cobb Park, Sunday brought new challenges. My brother, who had been visiting for the week, needed to be sent by rail back to KS. I found the Gateway GI Babler Extreme Circuit Race flyer earlier in the week and thought I could put him on Amtrak in the morning and then do the race in the afternoon. Perfect, eh? There were 2 problems with this plan: first was the 4AM departure from the house that would deliver my bro to StL., secondly, I try to avoid close associations of the words “gastrointerology” (a.k.a GI) and “extreme”. Weighed in the balance I thought it was worth it for another race start, and frankly, racing in Missouri has been very very good to me this year.

After my bro was on his way and I had passed a few hours of work time at Panera, I showed up at Babler State Park. There were no signs of bike racing. Zero. I drove around, reread the flyer, and drove around some more. Nothing. The park ranger confirmed: race cancelled. The explaination was the lamest in cycling history: recent rains made the field planned for use as a PARKING LOT un-usable and therefore the race was cancelled. Beautiful pavement: check. Secluded, closed roads: check. Great course with a monster hill: check. Bike racers: check. All the essentials were present for a great race. For crying out loud, I will park 5 miles away and ride to the start if I must. Regardless, the race was cancelled. So I made the best of it and rode 6 laps around the park while thoroughly enjoying the terrain. The big hill would be difficult to get up in less than 2 min (I climbed avg 400W for 2:15 and ~10mph, to give you an idea; and I weigh about 190 w/ bike + bottles + etc). I imagine in a race scenario I could give a little more to hold a wheel while jamming out of the saddle (and weigh a little less – frame pump, spare tube, multi-tool, extra food), but it would still be a brutal climb at race pace. Most trips up I was riding in the saddle in a 39x21 or 39x23. I don’t think a 25 or 27 would be necessary unless the group is crawling (sub 8mph avg), you were doing 10 laps, or you just love to spin spin spin. On one of the downhills I clocked 47mph. I wasn’t “trying” to go fast by sprinting into it and then tucking, I was just in the drops. Yeah, fun times in a pack of 40 of your best friends, right? Well, it would have been good racing, but I got some good training in anyway. According to the StL forum (which I didn’t check before the race – doh!) they are trying to reschedule. A BIG thanks to my wife who gave me the Father’s day present of time – time to go play bikes in StL.

Next up: State Criterium Championships in Peoria, IL. THE race of the year.

O'Fallon Grand Prix 2010

2010-06-08T12:30:00.001-07:00

I’ve started 4 races now as a category 3 racer. I’ve learned a few things. Here are the highlights in bullet format:
• Cat 3 races are tougher than Cat 4 races.
• Cat 3 racers are MUCH cooler than you. Especially if you wish to speak to another cat 3 racer during a race.
• You (ok, I) can’t win a cat 3 race while making stupid mistakes (unlike in a cat 4 race, when you – I – can kind of come back from them).
So how did the race go? Let me tell you.
Stage:
O’Fallon hosted the state championship road race. Typically, this has been my worst race of the year. I say typically because I’ve only raced the state RR twice previously, and I’ve crashed once and almost quit once. My first attempt at State road racing glory was way way back in 2007 – my first race ever. I finished 13th in fact. Out of 17. I got dropped at the end of the first of 2 laps, turned around, and headed for the car until a friend who got dropped before me, found me and talked me into riding it out. I passed 2 more guys to get that 13th finish. Maybe it wasn’t that bad then. In 2008 I returned to the road race, this time in Oak Brook, but unlike the late gain in placements from 2007, I was sitting 2nd wheel about 300-500 meters from the line. The rider in front of me pulled off to the right, taking out my front wheel, and about 10 of us hit the deck. My first crash in a race. Sadly, my teamates and I were stacked 3 or 4 deep in the top 10 going into that crash. None of us came out of it in the top ten.  With the background out of the way…
The O’Fallon course was a 22.5 mile loop over a mix of terrain. I wouldn’t call it rolling, nor flat, just a hodgepodge. There were some headwind sections, but the wind was pretty tame at a sub 10mph breeze. There were (if memory serves) 3 climbs of note on the course, each taking between 10 and 40 seconds to complete. Clearly, sprinter’s climbs.  However, this course was to be run 3 times in the cat 3 race. At 67 miles, it is the longest race of the season for me (by 9 miles!). And we all know what happened last time I was in a long, semi-hilly road race.
The Race:
We rolled out with about 50 combatants under hot and humid conditions. The pace was pedestrian, and it was clear a lot of guys were thinking something similar to me: 67 miles - 3 laps – is a long way, better sit in for a while. That’s just what I did. Sit in the top 20 or so guys and keep an eye up the road for trouble. Trouble found me anyway on that first lap, at about 30 minutes in. Going into a sharp left hander, I felt my front tire give. I was about to lean into the turn fully when this sensation registered, so I immediately yelled “flat!” and went straight through the turn into a gravel shoulder. By the time the pack had passed me, I had already taken the front wheel out and was waving it franticly at the wheel truck. Hooray for spare wheels. I fished my spare out of the truck, and asked for a free lap. After a small push from the driver (on foot) I was chasing the pack. Free lap denied. So much for saving energy the first two laps! I was pretty fresh at this point, but in the heat and starting from a dead stop at the base of the 2nd longest climb - I was pegged pretty quick. I just held a hard pace until I could see the back of the pack. As I got closer I could see my teamate Nick tailgunning it, waiting for me to get close enough and then he’d lend a hand. There was no sense in him taking himself out of the race if I wasn’t strong enough to get back in it, yet he was ready to help me out. Quite the class move. After about 10 minutes of hard riding I got a break in his draft and we traded pulls for a few more minutes until we were back on. I immediately began working my way forward as the accordian effect would surely sap all ability to recover.
It turns out that Nick wasn’t as fresh as I thought. He told me later that he had crashed in a corner after I had the flat and was forced to chase back on himself. He was at the back because he had just made the catch! Clearly he was strong that day.
With our first lap plan of resting in the pack completely shot, we hit the “big” climb of the lap. Pushing the little ring I spun up it and advanced several places. I was very pleased with the ease with which I moved up considering I had prepared myself mentally for sag climbing the hill. This would continue to be the case with the climbs on the next 2 laps – each time I would advance positions without much “work” beyond what I felt was keeping pace. Now I am no grimpeur, but this is a massive change from a year ago when any pitch up in a course meant I was sailing out the back of a group – and that in the cat 4’s!
The second lap saw some serious attacking from the bunch as the race was officially on. I went with a promising looking one, which got brought back pretty quick. Nick bridged to the next big move (which included Joe of Verizon) and it stuck. 8 guys were soon up the road with a big gap. Like 30 seconds big. I was pleased with the situation, as Burnham, Bloomington, WCC, and Verizon all had a guy in the move, with ample bodies to block. I was trying to keep cool and eat as appropriate, but in the heat, my stomach did not feel comfortable at all. Even drinking regularly was upsetting me.
After several miles of block and chase (most with me sitting in the top 15, only occasionally directly blocking), I saw a couple riders coming back from the break. Sadly, one of them was Nick. The group had stopped working together and Nick got popped after a pull. It was a shame as he was away for a good 20 miles – 1/3 of the race! As I saw him up the road I moved next to Scott (ISCorp) who is a big young motor. I asked him if he had anything left (since he had been animating the race a fair bit) and he said he did if I had a jump. I of course answered “that’s the only thing I’ve got man.” Since it’s true. I started tempoing up to the front with designs of countering Nick’s move before he got caught. The idea being that I would go “up over the top” of Nick and hopefully take a TT monster like Scott with me to the break and keep that funk alive. As I approached the front I heard guys calling me out, but I jumped anyway. I got a gap but after a few seconds of hard pedaling I checked my six to see Scott pulling the whole field up to me. I sat up at that point, and we soon caught Nick. Lame. I just didn’t have the legs to go all out for 2-3 more min. to try to shake the pack. Nick slotted back in the bunch and looked comfy while I was a few wheels hinter. It turns out my little flail began to exact a cost I couldn’t pay.
I began throwing up. It’s never happened in a race before. Actually, it’s never happened on a bike ride before of any kind. But it happened. Did I eat too much? With 1 gel down after 60+ miles, I doubt it. I think I was succoming to the heat again. You can guess what happened next …I started loosing positions in the pack faster than I could spew excuses or stomach fluids. On my way out Nick (WCC) and Keith (Unattached) shouted encouragement to “hang in there”, “dig deep”, and all of that. At mile 63, I was dropped. Now, it wasn’t just my tummy troubles which sent me out the back, though I think that was a primary cause. At the front of the race things were heating up as the break had completely shattered by then and the pack was greedily reeling riders in one by one. Attacks were flying (I would guess) and the race was getting tougher. What surprised me most though was how quickly I lost myself. From top 15 to out the back was less than 3 minutes. It was there one minute and gone the next. Slowing down to 15 mph and turning the pedals at 60 rpm helped me begin to recover. Getting some water made a huge difference. I tempoed up the final climb noting that I still had decent legs but sheepishly crossed the line alone in 37th.
Epilogue:
This summer has not been the cycling-results-love-fest the spring often was. Since upgrading I’ve had a flat, a crash, a heat wimp-out DNF, and been dropped in a RR. Woohoo. The cat 3 races are more demanding and punish weakness. And as I’m sure you know – I have a lot of weakness(es). However, I have to say it was my best state road race attempt yet. I had hoped for a lot more, and frankly, the flat tire definitely reduced my chances. Therein lies a major difference of cat 3 and cat 4 races (for me at least) – if you make a big mistake, you won’t have enough juice to recover. When I dropped my chain at the base of the big climb, also on the first lap, of the cat 4 Springvalley RR, I caught on after some hard riding and still finished 4th – despite attacking the field another 4+ times. At O’Fallon I attacked the field 2 more times yet couldn’t finish with the pack. L’Ouch. I know I’m a strong rider (my powertap and my mommy tell me so), but I need to take the game to the next level between the ears if I’m going to be standing on a podium any time soon. Until I have fistfulls of increased fitness, the margins are just that tight.

Tour de CU

2010-05-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the highly anticipated (by me) Tour de CU in Champaign-Urbana. The Champaign course was the same as last year’s research park crit (a fast rectangle with a slight rise through the start/finish) while the Urbana course was a giant bubble letter “L” when viewed from above. A box with a long straight ending in a 180deg turn, then back into the box. Needless to say, fun fun fun.

Setting:

The conditions were harsh. Not by absolute standards (80 deg. Sat. and 90 deg. Sun.) but when one considers that we’ve been racing in 60deg F temps, a sudden 20-30 degree increase really raises the workload on the body. It seemed very few were ready for the heat. Otherwise the wind wasn’t bad, and the roads were ok.

The Field:

The Cat 3 field had about 40 guys both days. Plenty of fast guys were there. Of particular note for me was one John Whipple (Tati) who drove the break that popped me at Hillsboro-Roubaix earlier this season.

Nick and I were racing for WCC and it was quite a comfort to have a teamate in the races – knowing I could cover a move and he would get the next one. Plus, I lean on his experience a lot. The Verizon guys were familiar faces and their friendship out there was cool, too. The big surprise at the start line was Dan Penner (of Portland, OR) who was in town for a wedding.

Saturday’s Tour de Champaign:

Nick went with the first move or two while the pace was pretty quick. Joe (Verizon) and I found ourselves on the front blocking for Nick (WCC) and Mark Sills (or Ethan Stone?) (Verizon). That move got brought back and an ISCorp rider (Scott, orange Madone) went off the front. He was looking good up there with Joe (Verizon) and another couple guys for company. I was riding next to Nick at the time and he said “that looks good” or “we need to be in that”. I don’t really remember, but I took off and bridged to the move. I took some hard pulls to help establish the break and we seemed to have a decent gap. Unfortunately that’s about all I could do and I started to get fatigued.

Eventually I got popped out of the breakaway. That’s twice, I want some butts! (Film quote.) I had this moment of indecision in the finishing straight, as the group rode away, but as Don Hiles, John, and John (WCC) yelled at me to keep going I jumped on it and chased for half a lap and caught back on. Needless to say, I was gassed. Perhaps the same was true for the other guys (save Scott) as it became the Scott show: him dragging us around. Every once in a while one of us would pull through, but it was not enough to keep the field at bay.

After about 5 laps, on the headwind stretch, the field was within 5 seconds of our break and Ryan Zook (Start 2 Finish) attacked out of the pack and while flying past our disintigrating party shouted: “You boys done racing?!” Scott answered his acceleration and they were off. As 3 of us were absorbed into the pack Nick went across and the 3 of them were away. Turns out, that was the break of the day.

Nick dropped out of that break (I think) and I tried to bridge up to it later and popped in the headwind section halfway across (which was a pretty crappy thing, let me tell you!), so Nick went again and I think that finished him off. I sat in for a few laps to recover. I maintained good position but got swarmed with 2 to go. Sprinting out of 15th, the long false flat tired many a rider, as most did not have a 300 meter sprint left in the legs, so I was able to come around 9 guys and take 6th. Not bad for my first full fledged 3’s race.

The heat was definitely a factor; I could not go hard for that 3-5 minute duration as I was already panting and feeling like garbage. C’est la vie.

Lessons (I should have) Learned:

-Early breaks usually die.

-The heat kills early breaks (if nobody is acclimated).

-Don’t bridge unless you’re going to make it. And you best make it!

-You MUST be in the RIGHT position for a sprint. It’s worth it – move up!

-Don’t kill yourself with hard pulls in the break.

-If other guys aren’t pulling, you shouldn’t pull either. One man can’t make an early/mid race break unless he’s a monster. And monsters are rare.

Sunday’s IL Cup Urbana Grand Prix:

Same players, new board. The figure 8 was edited in a last minute change to avoid some unpatched pot-holes, with a longer straight and a 180 deg turn added (a nice touch), the figure 8 became a “bubble letter ‘L’.” Also, the temps were another 10 degrees hotter. I was sipping water all day, but 2 laps in I was parched. Yikes.

Nick covered the first few moves as I didn’t feel great during the warmup. Not sure if it was the heat or Saturday’s racing in the legs. All eyes were on Scott (ISCorp w/ the orange Madone, who pulled out the win the previous day).

In a repeat of Saturday I found myself bridging with Joe (Verizon) up to Scott and another rider (or 2/3/4?) in an early move. We knew Scott could ride away with the race and even more than the previous day, the course, with it’s 5 corners and short straights, favored a breakaway. Not surprisingly, Scott powered the break, doin his thang. The pack was strung out in chase and eventually our group ballooned to 15 (?) or so as I think a field split was occuring. I watched as out of turn 3, John Whipple (Tati) accelerated to catch 2 who had just attacked our group. Thus, the break du jour.

Scott, Joe, myself, and one other guy chased for several laps in a replay of the previous day’s break. We were all very tired in the heat and Scott was getting fed up with pulling our lazy butts around – for the second day in a row no less. He would holler for someone to pull through, and I think I was the only one to oblige him. Granted, my pulls were short and sweet (1/4 lap? ½ lap?) but I figured if I could give him a little rest, it would go a long way for our group. Besides, everybody feels like poo currently, right? Well, Scott eventually had enough and the field caught us while Whipple was pushing the break to an insurmountable lead.

I remember bridging solo to a move later in the race (halfway?) but the details are blurry in my mind. It wasn’t pleasant, but I made it across, unlike on Saturday. +1. Like every break prior, we got caught after not working well together.

I sat in and noticed I was drifting further and further back in the field. Efforts to move up brought cold chills and I started to think about pulling the plug. After a few more laps I decide I had enough and I let the group ride ahead. After the 180, off the back, the breakaway lapped me. Within 5 laps they would lap the field. Whipple ended up winning the sprint and the race by a millimeter (NOT an exageration – Rob took some slow-motion footage at the line, and it was too tight to call after 3 viewings!).

Epilogue:

The Sunday Pro/1/2 race followed the 3’s in more ways than one - more than 50% of their field dropped out, just like the 3’s. After my race I felt like crying. I haven’t cried about a sporting event since middle school soccer (as a player – not a coach!). I didn’t, but that’s probably since my body knew it needed the water elsewhere. The words of a certain narrator keep coming to mind: “Sometimes you eat the bar (bear), and sometimes, the bar eats you.”

Bike racing is fun but hard. I’m happy with my result from Saturday and I’m glad I rode hard in the Sunday race and helped animate it while I was in it. I certainly have a lot to learn in this game and can’t bank on superior fitness to make up for naïve tactical decisions. Frankly, I’m brand new at this breakaway stuff as I don’t think I was ever in a break that lasted very long in the 4’s. The heat was a factor all weekend long and I hope my body has begun acclimating to it as the June races aren’t going to be any easier. A further positive is the fact that I’m active in these races and see the winning moves happening. As Joe (Verizon) commented after Sunday’s race: “We were too early in the race for the breakaway.” And he’s exactly right. The next step is moving from the 2nd best move of the day to the winning move. This incremental increase I doubt is easy to attain. Yet, I feel I was on the cusp of the fitness and tactics necessary to be in that elusive right place and right time. I hope I can continue to get fitter and smarter here in the cat 3’s, and for crying out loud – it’s only my second weekend in this category.

Finally, my wife was super patient letting me participate in the crits, help out here and there, and cheer on my teamates in other categories.

Planet Adventure CMT Brookside Park Crit

2010-05-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Since the race I’ve learned that this bit of pavement is fairly famous for local racers. It is said that one Greg Lemond once raced there. This past Saturday I did my part to add to the history of the course. By crashing out. But first the “rest” of the story.
Luke, Nick D. and I piled into Nick’s car early Saturday morning to head over to Indy. We were in good spirits and chatted about racing and cycling culture for the ride over. Nick is already eager for cyclocross season.
The temps were colder than expected, and the conditions were not met with joy from our lot as Luke had forgotten his knee warmers. Fortunately, in a last minute addition to the gear bag, I had added my red tights and could therefore loan out those precious knee accoutrements. (As a double backup, I had also brought a light embrocation. No, I was/am not a boyscout.)
The race start was unnecessarily hurried as we were beckoned to the line for some 10 minutes and then had to wait 2 more for no apparent reason. Normally this would not be a problem, except that in my rush to empty my bladder and get to the start, I had soiled my beautiful, red, specialized tights. Little did I know to what extent I would soil them that day.
After missing my pedal with my left cleat (when was the last time I did that?!) I was under way and slotted into the top 10-15 wheels. My mishaps continued as my shifting was terrible. Like, constant shifting even though I didn’t press the lever, terrible. I decided on lap 2 that I had to make a wheel change and moved to the front. Coming into the straight-away, I hollered at the guys that I was going to the pit, and with a raised hand, accelerated off the front towards the pit. It must have been a sight. I quickly began removing my rear wheel and a guy (never got his name) helped me with my spare. Even more helpful, he lied to the official for me, saying I had a flat. I was prepared to chase down the field (since the shifting issue is NOT worthy of a free lap), but the official told me to take it easy, and that I would enter on the next lap. How fortunate. A small break was off the front as the field came through and I jumped up to speed fairly quickly (it is, after all, what I *do*.) So now I’m in a breakaway. How delightful. Perhaps the bull of the peloton saw the red pants dancing ahead and accelerated? Perhaps we didn’t work well together. Regardless, it was all together within a lap or two.
With nearly 60 minutes of lactic acid delight ahead of us, the team’s goal was to keep the powder dry early. That didn’t really happen (see above) and all of us were in early moves in the first 15 minutes. Oh well. The race went on with futile moves going and coming. Luke was off the front solo for a few laps and Nick took a group with him later, but it was not to be.
The most interesting part of the course was the extremely bumpy uphill section going into the 2nd (and final) turn each lap. Many riders found it difficult to keep the pace up the hill, while the WCC boys powered up it. This is not just hubris here. Every lap I either maintained or gained positions here – even the time I was pushed into the grass. In such ways the bunch was pretty squirly and with only 2 turns it was easy to sit in. This contributed to a larger field jostling for position later in the race.
With about 5 or 6 laps to go, Luke bridged to a move off the front. It was his turn after I had been reeled in last (or was it Nick?). When he got up to the break, the dudes popped, and Luke started his TT thing. Basically, this was a perfect position for us as a team. Luke can time trial 2 categories above his license, so I slotted onto Nick’s wheel and the two of us patrolled the front. I will admit, I was thinking that if it came back together, I was perfectly situated for a sprint. Nick is a bad dude on a bike, and he would provide a smoking leadout. Further, he has good sprint legs himself. I dreamt of going 1-2.
A group of 3 went off the front with 3 or 4 to go and Nick and I let them be. Luke looked secure and it might be the case that if they catch him, he can draft, recover, and then beat them for first. It was looking more and more likely that Luke was going to raise his hands shortly. And a win for one is a win for all.
Luke continued to hold off the chase as the laps slipped down to 1 to go. Coming through the start/finish, the pace was quick but not hot. The pack usually slowed going into the downhill left hand bend, just as the road narrows. Entering this section, I called to Nick that we were getting swarmed. What I should have said was: up up! Meaning, increase your pace, we’re loosing positions. Soon enough the group was swarming us as we set up for the turn. At that moment a gentlemen to my right decided he should occupy the space that I was riding in, and we began to bump shoulders. Usually I do not “freak out” during these circumstances – I have even been racing up a climb and bumped shoulders and bars with another racer, and both of us just soldiered on – but this was different. A rider on my left moved right (to set up for the left hand turn) and clipped my front wheel. This is a gauranteed way to meet the pavement. And that’s what I did. Skidding on the ground a gentleman behind me ran into me and went flying over the bars.
Coming out of the fetal position after a crash, your senses come back one by one – they were there all along, but you were in the midst of the matrix-esque slow-motion-survival-pacing of reality – and you weren’t watching or listening. You are reacting. I began testing my limbs and checking myself for injuries. After spouting some upset words I realized my bike was nowhere to be found. “Where’s my bike?!” As I got to my feet I saw a rider splayed across it 10 feet away. Oh joy. It’s not ridable, but everything is fixable. What may not be fixable are those beautiful red tights. Alas.
At the business end of the race Luke got caught on that little rise before the final turn. He smartly got in the draft and came out of the group (of 4) with 2nd place. A great result. Nick kept his nose clean and powered out of the last turn to handily win the field sprint for 5th. Not bad for a team of 3.
Nick then lent me his Madone for a cool-down spin (a class gesture, as I was bleeding in several places) and I had the kind nurse clean up my road rash while I nursed my recoverite.
A highlight of the day was seeing Axel line it up with the big boys for 75 min of pleasure spiked with pain. Riding solo he put in a good effort and took 10th. Not bad on a 2000g wheelset.
As a result of the crash, unexpected expenses (bike fixing stuff), and a couple of emergency room visits for my son that night (he’s doing great btw.) we (the wife and I) decided to skip Monsters of the Midway last weekend. I am very eager for the CU crits this weekend and hope I can pull out another hometown win. I know, a big ask indeed!

THe Spring Valley Road Race

2010-04-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Spring Valley Road Race

The wife and I were in Ohio for a wedding, and the icing on the cake (pour moi) was the road race the next day. The Spring Valley RR was only 30 minutes outside of Dayton, a 9 mile loop, run 5 times (for the cat 4’s) with some small rollers, a little wind, a few turns, forecast of thunderstorms, and a ½ mile climb that could be taken in the big ring – but you had to be Mr. Big Watts (or not carrying the 10 extra pounds I am) for that.

We showed up 2 hrs early to give me plenty of time for race day reg. and bike assembly (post and wheels were off, since it rode in the trunk). Since the race organizers were still getting reg. up and running, I started in on the bike. “Crunch!” The first thing I did was strip my seat post collar threading! I had this Zen moment – no part of the bike is superflous – and then began to panic. No seatpost collar means no bike riding, and therefore NO RACING. I began introducing myself to people and pandering for spare parts. 45 min. go by before Paul (Team Dayton/Michelob Ultra), an older cat 3 dude, saves my bacon. He was the only guy with a spare seat post collar at the race, because really, who carrys an extra seat post collar? [NOTE: As of today, I now carry a spare in my tool box!] So with Paul’s collar, I register and get dressed with 25 min for a warm-up, plenty of time.

The cat 4’s rolled out a hair shy of 40 combatants as the road dried from the first t-storm cell. A rider from University of Cincinnatti was clearly itching to get off the front, and after my result at Hillsboro, I was daydreaming of winning solo out of a long break. Perhaps today would be my day? Cinci’s move went clear and teammates of the break riders started blocking. I decided (foolishly?) that this was therefore a serious enough move and bridged. The pack decided 3 was too many and soon pulled us back. A few miles later, Cinci went and took another rider with him. Shortly enough 3 teamates of those riders were on the front blocking. I decide again that this looked serious enough and bridged. Nobody came with (I sprinted hard out of the first 5 wheels, setting a new 1 sec and 5 sec power PR), and proceeded straight to the front to take a pull. We had a decent gap going into the ½ mile climb, but it looked long and steep so I decide to shift into the little ring..and droped my chain. The 15 seconds in hand were soon gone as I was stopped on the roadside and the pack flew by to the tune of my cursing. I was only angry with myself for being so stupid. I know how to shift even on a climb, and I was being stupid. I then began to chase, and caught the pack in the next 3 (4?) miles. That chase, from a dead stop on that 10% grade was ZERO fun. I knew I was burning energy for stupidity, energy I would need in a breakaway for some solo win which was getting further and further from happening.

Once I caught on I sat in for a while before moving back up into the top 15 wheels. Several riders commented on my reappearing act. It seems that after being aggressive early on the front, getting dropped with a mechanical, and catching back on, I was now a marked man. Perhaps it was my bright red aero booties that tipped them off? Or was it the frame pump I forgot to remove before the race? I guess we’ll never know.

At this point I told myself to be patient and not get all Jens! out there. Needless to say, I was in at least 1 break per lap for the rest of the race. The only move I didn’t get to was the pair that rolled off the front on the last lap. (I had recently been reeled in. Again.) Those 2 stayed away, and though I later bridged to a pair behind them on the road, I was caught on the last hill by a few other riders. 4 of us crested the final climb together, and coming out of 4th position I took 4th overall (2nd from my bunch). What can I say, I was racing in the 4’s?! I definitely made a mistake going into the sprint, though. I was boxed in against the centerline (which the guy who took 3rd completely ignored), and was forced to slow-down and then re-accelerate around the other riders on the right side. I should have been smart enough to just open it up down the right side to begin with, but I waited. Glad it’s a training race and not O’Fallon!

Speaking of “training races,” my only complaint was the $32 day-of entry. A little steep, but hey, it’s their party. Regardless, I’d be happy to pay it if my next race report is about a cat 3 race!

The Tour of Hermann

2010-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend past was the Tour of Hermann in lovely Hermann, MO. You should go to Hermann, and I should go back. The people were nice, the hills were plentiful, the views picturesque, the B&B’s ubiquitous. Did I mention there are wineries every 5 miles? Besides the obvious “cycling destination” places I’ve ridden (Germany’s Rhine river valley; Tucson, AZ) Hermann is someplace I’d like to go back and train, race, or cyclotour.

The Tour of Hermann Omnium Stage Race had 3 stages: time trial, criterium, and road race, in that order. The TT and crit were on Saturday, with a nervous, recovery intensive overnight before the Sunday RR.

The TT

First, I hate TT’s. Steady state, solo, self regulated pain ain’t my bag, baby. If you want to torture yourself, go ahead. Me, I like the path of least resistance. I must say though that as I punish myself with interval training, TT’s are becoming a little more understandable, even acceptable. Even still, going into them I feel like Gandalf the Grey in that scene from “The Two Towers” LotR film, where Sauruman says: “You have chosen the way of PAIN!” Yeah, that’s pretty much what I picture before a TT.

The upshot of the TT’s is all the “bells and whistles” I borrowed from friends for the event. Larry graciously lent me his super pro Zipp 1080’s for the occasion, and Shunk lent me his carbon Easton clip on aero bars. I also acquired my own “go-fast” equipment in the way of a TT helmet, aero booties, and a short sleeve skinsuit.

I was not very organized for the TT (I’ve only done a couple) and my buffer of prep time soon slipped away. My warm-up, which I had hoped would be 30-45 minutes, was barely 15 on the trainer. And my powertap head unit battery decided to die on me at that moment. As I quickly rolled to the start, I was concerned about my brakes rubbing the braking surface of the wheels (I had shaved the pads down to avoid this and remove metal bits which would harm the borrowed carbon.) As I was called into the start order I realized I hadn’t pumped up my rear tire. I frantically ran to the mechanics station and filled it to 120psi. I checked the front at 115, NOT the 112/115 front/rear pressures Larry recommended for optimum performance. I then realized (as I was next in line for the start station) that I hadn’t put on my aero booties. I tossed them to the mechanic, and asked him to hold onto them till I came back. I jogged back in line, hopped up on the ramp, realizing that I was in the little ring, I shifted up, now with less than 20 seconds to start. I look down and I’m not in the right gear – my derailleur and chain are not lined up on the same cog – my first several pedal strokes will be wasted. I resign myself to start easy as the official counts down from ten. I look down at my Timex ironman watch, and realize it’s not there. I’m wearing my work watch, which although VERY nice is analog and not conducive to timing one’s splits.

GO!

As I roll down the ramp and push the pedals a huge “KLANK!” echoes in the morning stillness of Hermann. I’ve now found the right gear. How embarrassing. I pump it down the initial straight and then point to the right to the volunteer and begin my turn. He (and several spectators) yell(s): “LEFT!” I retort: “SH!T!” as I screech to a halt and turn around, and sprint in the correct direction. I hate TT’s.

At this point I tell myself not to blow up and curse TT’s as the stoopidest kind of bike racing. It wasn’t Frank Schleck or Michael Rasmussen TT bad, but it was bad. It can’t be that bad, right? Remember, borrowed 1080’s! At the 2 mile mark, it was that bad. A dude passed me. He started 30 seconds behind me, and no doubt my PERFECT start gave him some help in the task of passing me. He was a master’s racer, and I just told myself to hold him at 50 meters and that he was probably some super TT state champ type. The games we play. Soon I hit the turn, and after checking my brake pad clearance, accelerated back up to speed. Very soon I began passing folks. I think I passed between 5 and 7 people. Memory beyond threshold is questionable. I KNOW I passed 4, but I think it was more. This was my favorite part of the race as each person was a new target. I started saying things like “You’re mine!” as I rolled up (internal monologue, of course).

The TT ended with leg burning and heavy breathing and a 6th place finish in the Cat 4’s. My time over 11 miles was 27:19. Disappointing, but still nabbing Omnium points, and best on Wild Card.

Omnium points: 19.

The Crit

I like crits. They are my favorite type of bike racing. Fast, turny, accelerations, open aggression! I likes them a lot. However, the crits that have big hills each lap, not so much. Hermann was like that. Big BIG uphill (like 10mph at race pace), false flat, bomber downhill over crappy pavement (like 45mph coasting!), several 90 deg turns, and surprise surprise, BIG HILL again!

The group lined up with 50 guys and Mike Rickey of Wild Card St. Louis (the sister team of WCC) lined it out from the start, busting it the entire first lap, leading up the opening hill. Mike is an experienced racer who catted *down* recently after several years away. So he was testing his legs, and sadly, they didn’t answer. He was quite fatigued from training, and popped. I however felt ok and stayed in the top 10 through those first few laps. Soon enough the group was strung out and the selection had been made – 6 of us at the front and everybody else behind shattered into smaller groups.

We tested each other up the climb and saw who could handle a bike on the downhill and turns. Nobody was much interested in pulling through the wind-protected flats as that was the perfect time to rest before the kicker each lap.

It was in this section with 4 to go that Ian of BMC/Walmart (not that BMC, another BMC. But yes, that Walmart.) said adieu and rolled off the front of our group. He kept the heat on up the climb and soon had a 20 second gap. The rest of us looked around at each other as if to say: “why don’t you chase that down and haul our sorry butts up to him?!” He had chosen the perfect moment, when everyone was tired and not eager to chase. (Note to self: attack at this time in the future.)

Our group of five watched him and continued in our pattern of quick climbing, but not balls out, and two of us found ourselves regularly going around the rest on the downhill. Homeboy (I forgot his name!) was an unattached rider on a Lynskey Helix with Zipp 1080’s. (Yes, it was a 1080 weekend! EDIT: after looking at some race pics, they might be 808’s. Jury is still out.) He was the only dude who was faster than me on the descent. Noted. Though he had a PRO setup, I had something better, a little tip from Dave Stone on the climb. You know that false flat after the hill? Yeah, save a little for it, and drop fools there. Well, I exercised that and started testing the breakmates there. Sure enough, they were gassed after the climb and started getting gapped on the teasers through the false flat. On the last lap I knew what I had to do, I ramped it up on the false flat, stringing out our group. I bombed the downhill, pedalling it for the first time during the race. Fla-hi-ing. Homeboy passed me and I locked on his wheel. He towed me through the first 2 turns as I told him we had a gap (which we did). I jumped him on the inside of the 3rd to last turn, kept the gas on through the last 2 turns and started the climb with several seconds in hand. 1/3 of the way up the hill I look back and a slighter guy is gaining ground on me. His name is Walker, and he rides for Michelob/Big Shark out of St. Louis. Darn climbers! His teamates (from other catagories) start cheering for him. I hear the announcer congratulating Ian for winning (by 8 seconds!) and begin commentating our duel for the rest of the podium spots. I decide I will NOT cede a spot to this guy. I glance down and see 750 watts sustained on the power tap. Keep the cadence up, I think, and throw the bike at the line. I had him by at least a bike length. So I wound up with second place in the crit, and my last lap attack produced the fastest lap time of the cat 4 race (Hooray chip timing ego boosts!) of 3:15. (FWIW, the fastest P/1/2 lap time was 2:59!! Smokin! Cat 3’s were a little more realistic with 3:09, if memory serves.)

Omnium points: 31. Total: 50 (Leader, Ian: 57)

Intermission

Saturday had been tumultuous and I now needed rest. Scott and I grabbed food with the St. Louis crew (talking training the WHOLE time – Nick’s poor wife!) and then drove the RR course. The hills scared me. Could I hang on with these guys through ALL these rollers? I mean, they didn’t seem to end. Up and down and up and up and up. I was starting to think about how it had already been a good weekend, and two top tens was great, don’t get greedy, etc. Scott and I discussed the road conditions (90% of it was great, with a few potholes being the exception) along with tactics as I nodded off a few times. I don’t think he noticed though. We drove back to his folks house in western St. Louis and got to bed early.

The Road Race

Would I have the legs? That was the question du jour. I honestly didn’t know. I had a decent night’s sleep and I did all the recovery tricks I know of (aside from spending the night drunk/applying testosterone patches, Floyd). I got up early and had a light breakfast, and got my kit ready. Pinning the numbers on in the car, I was determined to have a better warm-up than the TT!

We arrived 2 hours before the race and I went to work on the leaderboard writing down anybody within possible striking distance of my omnium position. It was here that I struck up a very fortitous conversation with Steve, the injured P/1/2 rider from the Tyson U23 team. It started with Steve’s PRO Cervelo SLC-SL w/ SRAM Red and Zipp 404’s. Yes, a PRO bike. I was staring. And drooling. He let me ride it, and although he had MEGA seat-to-handlebar drop (PRO!) it was a pretty good fit for me. Hmmm…. We talked about our races thus far and he asked me how I was going in the GC. When he heard I was in second place, he took a personal interest in the situation, as he had been in second, while a cat 4, going into the last stage of the Joe Martin Stage Race in AR several years prior. (For the record, he pulled out the V in the stage and the overall!) He counseled me to have Nick Hand (WCCStL), my teamate, mark the guy behind me on GC and I would mark the top guy. He then gave me some confidence by sharing that “after the KOM, if you come over the top solo, go for the win in a solo break if the pack is 10 guys or less. Go for it, you can hold off 10 guys. 20 guys will reel you in, but 10 or less, you can do it!” While I favored a sprint, I agreed and bouyed by his words I wrote down the bib numbers of the marks on my wrist, ready to spread the strategy to the boys and prep the bikes.

The 30 mile RR started with a 1 mile neutral start through town. That quickly ended and a HUGE, 3 tiered hill greeted us. Heart rate went up like a rocket as I was on Ian’s (Omnium leader by 7 points) wheel like white on rice. I noticed he spun faster than me on the climbs, but no matter, I’m not Lance – 90 rpm would do. Mixing it up between saddle and standing, I got myself over the top in the first 5 wheels. It was intense. Like a circus. Every time I looked at the powertap it said something above 400watts. I haven’t analyzed the data yet, but it was serious climbing. We then hit the biggest downhill of the race, and the only one that might have asked for a touch of the brakes. I decided the best place was off the front and allowed my fat, tucked body to roll off the front and hold an inside line. I even got down into the PRO italian descender position with hands together on the tops, knees together, nose on the stem, and butt low. I was flying. After a little while I looked back and I had a big gap, but it was too early for an attack to last so I climbed easily until back on Ian’s wheel.

The group was mainly intact through this stretch, and Mark (South Chicago Wheelmen) took a flyer and had a decent gap, but we would reel him in little by little on the climbs, so we didn’t worry too much.

During this time I felt pretty good. My confidence was soaring. I looked around and all the top GC guys were together at the front. I felt like I was one of the “Heads of State” in the Tour de France, as the top dogs take the climbs at the front and test each other while trying to look relaxed. “What? This Cat 1 climb, it is, how you say, nah-zing.” The height of the machismo was while riding next to Ian, about 5th wheel on a climb, he decided to take a drink. Now, you don’t take your hands off the bars while climbing, it’s inefficient, and the climb is tougher as a result. But not to be out-done I did the same. “This is easy,” I tried to exude.

Every once in a while someone would roll off the front and Ian tried to bridge to them and I think, test my legs. During these times I was determined to prove I had legs. Instant gap closing sprint. I even took a few digs myself but either the bunch would chase or Ian would come across and I would sit up. A rider from Momentum Racing named Nick paid me the complement of saying “Frenchy, you’ve got a target on your back today, man.” I’m not gonna lie, that was better than Hammer Gel.

My scheming continued through the rollers and a few opportunities presented themselves that almost changed the race. On one climb, while riding next to Ian, I watched him drop his chain. “ATTACK ATTACK!” surged through my little brain. I didn’t wish him ill, but if an opportunity presents itself, why not? I watched as he got it back on with some quick shifting, and the moment was gone. On another occasion, BJ (Momentum Racing, who took 3rd at Hillsboro in the 4’s) had a small gap through a roller and was leading us up over a hill. His teamate (Nick, who made the comment earlier) charged up the grade to get on his wheel. Meanwhile I notice Ian drifting back on the right side of the road. “ATTACK ATTACK!” I jump on the gear and grab Nick’s wheel shouting “There’s 2 of you and 1 of me, we have a gap! GOOO!” They held a steady pace. Soon enough, here comes Ian charging across with the peleton in tow. And so it was that the group stayed intact as we marked each other and the miles wound down.

I was getting apprehensive as the KOM drew near. It was at about this time that Nick (WCCStL) and Mike (WCCStL) came to the front, flanking Ian and I. The contrast of their dark jerseys blazed in my periforal vision. I was Air Force One with full fighter escort off the wings. People were getting nervous. The St. Louis teams had witnessed the Wild Card teamwork at Hillsboro the week before when I forged the race winning break. Some dudes told me they still remembered the cat. 5 Hillsboro “carpet bombing” we laid down 2 years prior which resulted in a 1-2 placing for the team. Regardless, at the KOM a little flag and line awaited a man with 2 Omnium points. I did NOT want to be 9 points down to Ian going into the finish. What if he did have a sprint? Fortunately, Homeboy was on a 2 mile flyer and he looked secure up the road to take the KOM bonus points. The group began to surge on the lower slopes and I stayed on Ian’s wheel. Open aggression hadn’t started – no ‘Berto like accelerations, just a ramping up of the pace. Seeing guys digging for the KOM 2nd place (and single bonus point) ahead of Ian, I sagged just a hair and crested top 15.

The adrenaline was flowing. You could smell it waft from the pack. 35+mph on the decent and a big selection (30?) was rolling into the finish. Can you say bunch sprint? Guys were getting twitching. I shouted the cliché – “Easy boys! You can’t win it here, but you can loose it.” I was following wheels to stay near the front, but out of the wind. I found BJ’s wheel, then a St. John’s Mercy Hospital rider, and so on. “Conserve,” I thought. “Keep an eye on Ian. Stay near the front.” The bunch was doing the rolling boil at the front as everyone jockeyed for position. Suddenly, streaking up the right side was Ian, and we were just inside 1 Kilometer. I look again and Nick Hand (WCCStL) is all over his rear wheel. I know this is my chance, if the leadout is going to happen, I need to be on the other side of the peleton. I drop the hammer and fly ahead, out into the wind, from the left side (I did NOT cross the centerline, BTW.) and swung across the front of the peleton to snatch the draft behind Nick. Textbook. I don’t think anyone was on his wheel, or perhaps Mike Rickey (WCCStL) opened a gap for me. Either way, I was ready to get argy-bargy with anyone on that wheel. Elbows out and all that.

The finish was a tough little chicane – 90deg left, ½ block and a 90deg slightly off-camber right, and finally a 90deg left with 75 meters to the line. The finishing straight was so short, you really wanted to be first or second around the final turn. Ideal position going into the chicane would be 3rd or 4th wheel in a leadout train. Nick, Mike, and I discussed our sprint tactics before the race: Nick and Mike would drop me off at the final turn after sprinting their hearts out. Nick, after escorting me to the drop off, would take the inside line and sit up, blocking anyone trying to come around me on the inside. I would stand and power through the turn and, hopefully, win the day.

Sitting 3rd wheel into the first turn I almost watched our plans fall apart. The pace car for our race was (nearly? Fully?) stopped before the right hand bender. Brakes squeal, yelling – no, SCREAMING - ensued. Ian and I brake hard. The pack swarms us and Nick tries to go wide - AROUND the far side of the pace car – a VERY dangerous move. The pace car peels out. Two guys pass me on the right after the turn and I try to grab a wheel. Nick opens up his sprint, full on Grand Tour stage bike rocking sprint action. I loose Ian from sight. Into the last corner, Nick sits up on the inside line, Rock (The Hub Racing) is first around the bend and opens up his sprint, I follow a GP Velotek rider and kick it, passing him on the right with a bike throw, maybe by ½ a wheel. 2nd in the RR. I already knew Velotek finished 3rd. I had won the Omnium. Fist pumps and shouts.

Omnium points: 31. Total: 81, and the overall victory.

Epilogue

As of this writing I’m preparing my cat. 3 upgrade request. May the paperwork flow quickly. I feel this race affirms my desire to race at the next level.

The boys laid it on the line for me in the road race, and to them I am grateful. I hope they will be up for racing for me again someday – I know I owe them a leadout or two in the meantime. The team function was impressive and the envy of the other squads – and that with guys I don’t see more than quarterly.

As I mentioned above, thanks are due to several people, including Larry for loaning me some PRO wheels (I “need” a pair for mass starts!), Dan for the TT bars, Scott for driving and his folks for putting me up for the weekend, Steve L. for the race tactics, The Stone Poney for giving me tips and his spare power tap head unit battery, and my wife for letting me play bikes all weekend long.

Hillsboro (or 58 Miles is enough to find your weaknesses)

2010-04-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

58 Miles is Enough to Find Weakness

Provenance:
Hillsboro is a hard race. For the last 2 seasons (as long as I've been racing), it's been my worst finish each year. May it be so this year.

Prologue:
Larry, the Patron, drove his race wagon down with 5 of us scheming and snacking for 2 hours. It was a fun time and part of what makes racing on a team enjoyable.

The conditions were very nice, with temps in the 70's and a 10+ mph wind out of the south.

The course was elongated from the previous year, adding about 6 miles per lap. The 4's race then, at 2 laps and 58 miles, is by far the longest race of the season for me. This will come into play below.

The Field:
120 guys. Wow. It was the biggest field I've raced in. XXX lined up with 16 or so guys. Unfortunately all the XXX guys I know are 3's now, and these boys were not at thier level (yet). The usual Chicago based teams were there (Tati, Beverly, Cuttin Crew, Psimet, etc). I don't really know the St. Louis based teams but they had to have been there to get 120 cat 4's.

We had 6 guys toeing the line for Wild Card: Razzle Dazzle (in white shorts no less!), Tom, Sweet Pea, Ragfield, Luke, and myself. Dazzle and Tom were rolling well last week and after a team vote, they'd be protected riders. Luke, Sweet P, and I would chase breaks and initiate moves on the second lap. Ragfield would babysit and leadout.

The Plan:
With the crosswinds and narrow roads shaping the race, we decided to give it some gas as a team after the first climb, thereby giving us about a mile till the first turn, into a tailwind section. If we could safely get through that tailwind/roller section, we would evaluate the damage after the next turn, in a tree protected crosswind. If we had a gap, TTT time. (That would be TTTT, I suppose.) If the bunch was together, we would stay to the front, protect the protected ones, and on the second lap start relay attacking. If that didn't work, we would line it out about 4 miles out and let the protected riders duke it out with whomever was left.

The Race:
[Caution, pedal stroke by pedal stroke commentary. You shouldn't care enough to read this, but here you are.]
We rode according to plan, getting a second row start position, and staying in the top 20 wheels as a team for the first couple of miles. We pushed the pace through the crosswind section after the first hill, per our plan, and then kept it hot during the tailwind section. As we turned the corner, I swung wide and looked back to see a VERY long line of riders. We had not split the group. Or if we had it was only momentarily. I had definitely burned a match during this time, so I was glad we relinquished the front and kept ourselves near the pointy end, should crosswinds come into play.

With frequent peeks over my shoulder I knew the protected riders were in good position. Although, at one point, we looked around and didn't see Razzle Dazzle. After querying the boys, nobody knew where he was. I asked Sweet Pea to drop back, find him, and tow him up. I was very glad to see him do just that. At that moment I decided I would work for that kid in a race this season. If he's willing to do what the "road captains" say, bravo boy. You've earned my respect.

The rest of the first lap was uneventful in this way, no serious moves rolled off the front and though I had to work to do so, I stayed in the top 10 wheels. I was very relieved when we came into the penultimate climb for the lap, which was "neutral" for the feed. I was feeling the effort of the climb, and I expected the pace to stay high through the zone. My thinking was: no "attacking" but my tempo doesn't have to be slow! However, everyone around me took it down a notch. Whew. Being the fat kid I am, I was glad to not climb at race pace. Things ramped up on the next hill however, but I was close enough to the front, and worked hard enough, I crossed the start finish (yay, just 29 miles to go!) in fourth position. This is in marked contrast to last year when I was suffering terribly at this point, and got dropped from the group 2 miles later.

Per our team plan, Luke attacked in the first crosswind section after the turn. However everyone was thinking the same thing: "it's lap 2, don't let anyone go." Furthermore, Luke had demonstrated during the first lap shake-down that he could hold a high pace at the front. Maybe it was the aero-booties that tipped them off. Regardless, the group surged and caught him. The pre-race plan said that Sweet Pea would attack next, but as I looked around from 10th wheel, I didn't see him. I didn't feel great but I knew I had to counter-attack to make Luke's attack worthwhile. Such are the indellible laws of cycling: you always counter your team's marked moves! So I jumped hard, and we happened to be starting the first hill out of town. The effort was the same as a jump for a townline sprint, and as I gasped for breath I looked back to see if anybody came with me. I was crushed to see I was by myself but with a decent gap (100 meters?). I had a moment where I considered slinking back to the pack. In that moment I actually thought of other riders laughing at me, as I just burned a match in vain. Vain is the key word, as I'm such an approval junkie that I was actually thinking of how I'd be welcomed into the peloton. I turned back to the crest of the hill and crosswind, and began to stomp out a rythm. If they wanted me, they'd have to work to get me.

Well, somebody wanted to join the party, as soon enough a shorter chap on a Scott in a red and blue kit (team/sponsor MEC?) rolled up beside me. We exchanged no words, just pulls at about 18-20 mph. I could tell he wasn't feeling great as he would let it drop down to 17-18 mph, and I encouraged him to keep the pace high, relatively speaking. At around this time we must have looked convincing enough as a viable breakaway (I am shocked, really!) but 3 more guys (a big Tati rider on a Storck, a shorter guy from Psimet, and a taller guy from Momentum Racing) bridged up and we turned the corner into the tailwind section.
The Tati rider (John) helped the pace immediately and provided a better draft. We were talking at the front just before the turn and he almost missed it! With the tailwind I put down a long hard pull, thinking we should exagerate the gap as much as possible while the going was easy. (In retrospect, this might have been a mistake. I think it helped our gap on the field at that point, but perhaps I went too deep into the red as you'll soon read.) After my pull I went to the back, but 2 of the riders couldn't decide if they should get on the wheel or not. By the time I found a wheel, a gap had opened and we were chasing back on. My original break companion was dropped in this mix. It sure would have been nice to have another rider to share the load with. Soon after the turn the Momentum rider was dropped as well. I don't remember this specifically, but it was quickly just the three of us: John Whipple (Tati), Tim Speciale (Psimet) and your's truly (Wild Card).
John was driving the break and coaching us all the while: "keep it smooth guys, we need a steady pace; c'mon guys, we need to go faster - they're chasing back there!; let's keep it up, they're hurting too!" Not only was he taking longer pulls than Tim and I, he was giving us positive thoughts.
Tim at this point was swerving a little. It was clear he was digging deep. I was starting to have lower back pain followed by spasms. This is the same thing that happened to me 13 miles into my first road race and at Hillsboro last year. It is my weakness. I came off the back of the group twice and the guys waited for me. That's right, my competitors waited for me in the break. I couldn't believe these guys. Then again, another body to block the wind is priceless when you're on the rivet late in the race, so it wasn't altruism. I took it as a class jesture though, and thanked them when I rejoined, saying: "If I'm at the finish, I won't contest the sprint." And in saying this I resigned myself to 3rd place - or worse.
Perhaps this was my undoing as soon my back attacked me again and I fell off the pace. Into the headwind I pushed, stretched, and worked some more. I watched as John and Tim rode away. They soon realized my absence (after John had taken yet another 3 min. pull) and as I found out afterwards, they considered waiting YET AGAIN, but didn't. I can't blame them, I'm just frustrated with myself that I couldn't push that last percent to maintain contact. In the hours since I linger on the thought that I gave up and called it quits. Did I? Did I have more and just say: "This isn't worth it?" At some level I have to admit that I did. I was measured in that moment and found wanting - I didn't have it. Whether it was the core strength, the aerobic stamina, or the mental durability, or all three - I didn't have it. This is eating at me. Was it because I no longer had my sights on first place? Who get's motivated to race for third?
I continued on at a pace that allowed some recovery but kept me rolling. As I looked back I saw the peloton get closer and bigger. Despite this, the startling thing was how small it had become actually. Trimmed down from the same wind and hills that had wracked me, the chase group was less than 30 strong.
I started waving at the group in hopes that my team would recognize my colors and initiate the chase (rather than continue blocking) but it was not the case. Luke greeted me with: "I blew myself up blocking for you!" And that was it. Not only had I failed myself, I had burned my teamates up. Like a town drunk I began ranting about how John was the only one doing work in the break and his teamate is softpedaling on the front, and he's only 1 minute up the road. Nobody upped the pace, they were content to sit in, they were racing for third. Could I blame them?
Sweet Pea had popped a tire soon after I attacked (18-22 miles ago) and Rob had popped physically during the course of the race. Tom and Razzle looked good, aparently still waiting to pounce.
If there was a time to kick off the chase, it was then, while there was still time I assumed, so I went to the front. As I came up the right side I heard someone say: "He's blown." No matter, I thought, I'll give what I've got since Tati is doing his job of blocking. In the Druber style I took a glory pull. The pace went up and when I flicked the elbow, Tati pulled through with a big grin and the pace wound down at the base of a small hill. On that knoll I popped again and sat up for the remainder of the race, finishing in 30th place. Which, out of 120 isn't so bad. But oh, what could have been.

Epilogue:
As a team we worked very well the first lap and great until I was caught on the second lap. No doubt the blocking that Wild Card and Tati foisted upon the bunch allowed such a large gap for the breakaway. We still have some work to do in communicating position (so as to avoid my near-constant rearward glancing), and I need to have a lot more sense about what kind of pulling to do both early and late in the race.

Razzle Dazzle managed a sixth place finish, and Tom rolled in 11th. The pace was hot up the final hills I'm told, and the remaining bunch was properly shattered. I'm happy I could work for team-mates and in the process have a go at the podium myself. The thing that is most startling is that Frenchy, the fat sprinter type, had a viable shot in a long, hilly, road race - his weak event. Next time guys! Next time!

Larry continued to sheppard us while listening to our whining and showered us with encouragement as he packed up our bikes and shewed us towards recovery drinks.

My big consolation is the faith that once given enough recovery, hard efforts only make you stronger. To that end I smile, and look forward to the Tour of Hermann.

Race Report - Tucson Weekly Crits #6

2010-04-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering why I'm racing crits in Tucson, AZ. A good question. Two days prior I was informed that I needed to fly out there pronto for work. The collateral damage was that I missed both my son's doctor's appointment and my cycling team's spring training camp. Needless to say, I was disappointed about both. However this race was something of a consolation.

Prologue:

The course was a go-kart track outside of Tucson. Temps in the mid 60's (yes, my pale legs made an appearance), with a light wind out of the west. The course was very flat, with just little rises after turns 2 and 13. But these were very little. As astute readers have already noted, I said "turn 13" two sentences ago. That's right: 13 turns - how lucky! 4 of them were 180's. :) We started before sun-down with the first race, and by the time the second race was underway, we were racing under the lights. Very cool. Visibility was not a problem, and the track was plenty grippy.

The Field:

Tucson knows how to roll. I was intimidated at the line over stupid stuff: tans, Cervelos, Zipp and Edge hoops, Tarmacs, DA7900, etc. Tucson knows how to roll, man. The majority of the guys looked pro and I was worried about it. I always get the start-line jitters early in the season due to "how fit everyone else looks" etc., but I always come out ok. By the end of the season, I'm no longer intimidated, it just takes re-learning I guess. Regardless, 35 guys and a few gals lined up for the 4/5 race, while the same number lined up for the 3/4/5, though a few 4s and 5s left, and a few 3s showed up.

The Race: Tucson Weekly Crit #6

Cat 4/5 (20 min)

From the gun, the kid who won the juniors race (Max) took a flyer. I chased him down and soon the field was on us. George (who I had just met, and lent me his floor pump), rolled at the front for a while and strung out the group. Guys were getting spit out the back, since the pace was pretty hot. Whenever a break got a little gap and there were 2 people in it, the field, which was down to about 15 guys I think, would surge to catch. This continued for the whole of the 20 min. race. Early in the race a rider went down on the 2nd 180 turn. I didn't see it (I was eager to stay in the front 5 wheels or so) but he was lying there for several laps. It turns out they had to take him off on a stretcher and he rode home in an ambulance. I don't know what happened after that, but it looked scary. Amazingly, they didn't neutralize our race!

Well, for the entire race I pretty much felt like crap. I tried to warm up well, but I don't think I "opened it up" enough. When the organizer yelled "2 to go!" something clicked and I felt MUCH better. It was as if my body knew it would soon be over, and my breathing relaxed and I didn't feel stressed. At the time I was in the top 10, so I started picking guys off on corners. Some I'd take on the outside and carry more speed, some I'd go on the inside and sprint out of them to move up a little. Coming into the final turn, I had moved into 2nd wheel in the bunch. The last turn being a 180, followed by a downwind, slight uphill sprint, position was critical. I jumped out of the turn and won the bunch sprint by several lengths. I even sat up before the line. The down-side was that the junior who took the early flyer had done the same thing with 2 to go and easily won by several seconds. Turns out he is 14 years old. That's right, I (and the rest of the 4/5 field) got whooped by a 14 year old. So I took 2nd, but it wasn't without some humble pie.

Cat 3/4/5 (30 min)

We waited some time for the second race as the gentleman who crashed was evacuated from the track. I chatted up the local racers and drooled over their pro bikes. I also basked in the knowledge that my bike cost a fraction of thiers, yet I beat them. Ah, vanity. (Mine and thiers!)

The next race I was pretty confident for and had a good starting position in the first row. We jumped to speed pretty quickly and there were attacks on the first straight. Things played out much like the previous race, where it seemed like any time more than 1 rider was up the road, everybody wanted to be in that break. I noticed I was getting out of the saddle more often to bridge to breaks or just stay in the group (which was lined out). Afterwards I would see in my power file that I had 22 spikes above 1000 watts during that race, with an average wattage above 240. So, I don't think it was an "easy" race. Despite that, I actually felt better than the previous race, and I think I helped animate things throughout. On the final lap I was sitting 3rd wheel going around the penultimate turn. After the previous result I was excited and thinking of the win. That thinking stopped when, before the final 180, 2 guys jumped along the inside, swung wide, tapped the brakes, and took the turn 1-2, moving me back to 5th wheel. It was a brilliant move, and those 2 had attacked individually probably every other lap during the race. Well, the sprint played out and I just didn't have it. I passed one guy, but another passed me and I ended up 5th.

Epilogue:

I can't really complain as 2 top 5's on my first night of racing is a good result. I think I even nabbed an upgrade point for the 2nd place. After the race I collected my things, traded business cards with a few other racers, checked the results and heading north to Phoenix. This bodes well for my early season form and I hope the continued 3x20's and the VO2max intervals (which start in a fortnight) get me in even better shape. The lesson learned from previous crits remains true: when I'm in good position going into the last turn, I always do better than being further back. It's worth it to burn a match (or three) to get yourself in the right spot.

Lifelong Slavery

2010-03-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

The other night after dinner the wife and I read some Bible stories to our toddler. She enjoys this greatly. Is it the stories? Directed attention from both parents? The simple pleasure of all 4 of us being snuggled up on the couch? Probably a little bit of them all. One story that she specifically requested was the healing of Jairus' daughter (there is a picture from the story on the cover). Now the Jesus Storybook Bible is incredibly well illustrated (with real non-nordic skinned people! Y'know, the kind that live(d) in Palestine!), and well written. Word choices are very astutely selected and each story is given a brief epilogue weaving it into the overall narrative of the Bible. Highly recommended if you're looking for a toddler Bible. And really, who isn't? Back to Jairus' daughter. If you aren't aware: Jairus' daughter dies. Jesus doesn't get to her in time while she is just deathly ill. This brings up a dillema for parents-of-the-two-year-olds reading said story, namely me. Do I read it? I mean, do I tell my sweet, innocent (in a sense), toddler about a girl like her who goes to bed never to wake up? Do I want to terrorize her dreams with such thoughts?

On the one hand, I feel I must be faithful to the text. If I start editing it, where will my opinion about suitability end and the authority of this text begin? This point I'll call the Santa Claus Point. Because really, you start removing death, and what's next? Santa Claus. That's what. Inventing shit out of whole cloth. In case you were wondering, we don't "do" Santa. He's a "silly guy" to my daughter and I'm sure we'll have fun with that again in 8 months. Regardless, when does the Bible stop being the Bible?

On the other hand, I have to consider the innocence of my child with respect to death. She has heard the term and sees that the flowers we have on the table die fairly quickly. She knows there is a place in the backyard where we leave the flowers after they have expired. (Don't worry, the imagery is not lost on me; Psalm 103:15-16). The emotional upheaval of plants dying is enough to persuade me that rushing maturity and awareness of self-mortality should be avoided. Furthermore, a verse came to mind this morning, that Jesus will " deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Heb. 2:15.) Are you interested in kicking off the lifelong slavery? I mean, this is true for everybody once they become aware of their own impending death. Until that point they are free - at least in conscience. They live in the garden of Eden, ready to fall at any time, but in comfortable conditions (they are too ignorant to notice sin everywhere as of yet). There are only 2 states where one can feel this free, ignorance and redemption - and who knows how long, if ever, it will be for the latter? For pity's sake I would extend the former for some time. I suppose a counter argument would be that subconsciously she may know (already) that she is condemned to die, and due to her inherent sinfulness she's already churning with fear and guilt which motivate her ways. To you, St. Augustine, I say: thanks. You're right. But it remains that this matter still flies below the radar of consciousness for a little while. Enjoy it while it lasts?

On the third hand (think Athanasius and Arsenius), there is the damage I may do to the promise of the Gospel. By blunting the power of death and making it only "very very sick" or "extremely ill" I weaken the power of Jesus. If Jesus raises people from the dead, than by removing death I make him smaller as only "healer of the sick." This promise of Jesus, as he who gives life to the dead (John 14:19) is quite precious to me, to the point that I wish to tattoo it on my body. Perhaps soon?

So what did I do the other night? I said Jairus' daughter was very very sick. At least for one more night I'll be able to sleep knowing that she can sleep. Reality, with all it's beauty and tragedy, will rush over us all soon enough, I'm sure. It always does.

Rougher than a Cob

2010-03-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went for a ride here in Southern Indiana. The weather was quite good. In fact, it was the first good weather day of 2010. Sunny and 48-52 F during my time on the road.

I rolled an out-and-back from Newburgh up to Boonville (the Warrick County Courthouse, at the center of Boonville, is pictured above) and then on to Folsomville, through Gentryville to the Lincoln boyhood memorial.

View Larger Map

I was definitely out of place to the people by the roadside. I doubt many of them see cyclists often, since this really was out in the sticks. But the roads were good (aside from a 1 mile section of gravel) and the hills were plentiful.

After checking out Lincoln State Park ever so briefly, I stopped at the gas station in Gentryville to top off my bottles and ask directions for a non-gravel route. The old boy at the counter couldn't suggest another way except the 2 lane 50-60mph highways. I told him the way I had come up, past the Colonel Jones home, but that I didn't appreciate the large rock gravel sections, nor the loose dirt climbs (think 'cross sand pit climbs). He agreed, stating: "Yeah, that road past the Jones house turns rougher than a cob."

Now that phrase was new to me. I didn't let on to the shop keep, just nodded in agreement and thanked him for the figs I had purchased. After getting back to my in-laws, my father-in-law informed me of the meaning. Without being too coarse... in rural areas, perhaps even still, corn cobs were stacked in outhouses as a hygiene tool - post bowel movement. This of course should be a phrase taken up by cyclists given the unique care requirements of such sensitive parts given long bouts next to chamois. Anyway, I can tell you, if you take Lincoln trail road from Folsomville to Gentryville, it is rougher than a cob.

Ready for summer

2010-01-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

As I withdrew my daughter from her bath this evening I looked up to notice three washcloths hanging from the rack. One yellow, one white, and one green. Of course my next thought (beyond wrestling a soaking-wet 2 yr old out of the tub - county fairs, you've got nothing on me) was: "where is the polka dot washcloth?"

Avatar

2010-01-10T14:23:00.001-08:00

Shel and I saw Avatar the other night, in 3D no less. We both enjoyed the visual effects and the dreamlike backdrop despite the predictable plot. 2 things really intrigued me about the film . First that a film would be released (like a wild animal?) in a country engaged in 2 wars wherein a very US military-corporate marriage is the main bad guy. Secondly, the story largely revovles around 2 trees, the "hometree" and a "spirit tree" (I forgot the exact names). I don't mean to give away the plot, so I won't, but these 2 trees are central to the story.

The reason the trees were so interesting is that the Bible is a story of 3 trees. Most of us know about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that is the first tree of the narative. The second tree comes long afterward in the gospels, and cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree - the cross of Golgotha. Fortunately the story does not end there but with a final tree in the city of God. This tree is called the tree of life, yielding fruit every month and it's leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Not a fan of cats...

2009-09-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

the musical or the snotty domestic nuisance...thanks Johan VanSummeren.
(The cat survived just fine.)

Jim and Casper Go to Church - Review

2009-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

I read this little book published by the Barna group. Not too impressed by it, but some insights were helpful. In the main, don't be a jerk to other people. Here's my review for class:

Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, a pentecostal minister and copy-writing atheist respectively, visit 12 churches in about 2 months to get an outsider's view of church events. Jim serves as Matt's guide through a broad yet unrepresentative collection of “evangelical1” churches. Matt's insights move from the petty to the incisive as a thoughtful atheist shares his piece. Jim endeavors to remain objective and is largely successful, however he does let his slip show in the selection of churches as well as his comments regarding certain theological issues, ministry practices, and in the case of the pentecostal churches they visit - everything, as he openly admits in a “warning: loss of objectivity” tag. The book lives up to its goal in that it provides a platform for an outside voice to give honest critique of church activities and a frank dialogue to be carried out on paper.
The main critique of the book is in the premise motivating the venture. This premise can be illustrated by the answer to the following question: For whom is the Sunday morning church service? There are at least two answers, perhaps more, but in the main one can answer: for Christians; otherwise one could answer: for everybody (and anybody) who would like to come. The authors/publishers are of the latter persuasion while this reviewer is of the former. While Henderson does begin to address this in his epilogue, by then 150+ pages have been written on the observations of the pair critiquing church services. Consider if one were to take an aspiring bow-hunter to an ice-cream making seminar. Obviously the two subjects do not necessarily overlap and should the bow-hunter object to the befouling of his scent with sugar and eggs and the like, we are not likely to change the recipe for ice cream because of his concerns – valid as they may be for bow hunting deer. The absurdity of this scenario is present for the 'church is for christians crowd' in this text.
If one were to admit that the primary purpose of a church service is not the assimilation of outsiders into the community, but for the building up, training, and encouraging of the members, than many of the critiques of the book ring hollow as they are out of context. The surprising thing about the dialogue is that as Casper finds so many elements foreign to himself, one is left wondering why he does not explicitly say - “Oh, yeah, that's because I don't belong here.” Perhaps this sounds unduly harsh but while he should not be discriminated against while entering these church meetings, he should feel the part of the alien as these churches are groups of people (supposedly) united by belief and experience of which he shares neither. There are a few moments in the book where this realization comes to the fore but mainly in a small “house church” (a gathering of 15 people in a house to “do church”) in San Diego. Ironically this is his home town and he is personal friends with many of the people in attendance. Quite the scene for dissociation.
Furthermore, if one were to admit that the church service is intended for Christians, not the general public, the sermon takes on a different role. Throughout the book, the reader is left wondering – What is the purpose of the sermon? With so much emphasis built into the order of worship (which was startlingly consistent between the spectrum of churches visited) with the sermon the supposed climax, to what end are those words spoken? Many of the comments in the text focused on the presentation, emotional manipulation, ethical dilemmas, and biblical references of these sermons. Little thought is given to the purpose of them until Henderson's epilogue. In one instance, at “The Bridge” in Portland, OR – the church mentioned that this reviewer is most eager to visit after reading the book, the “sermon” was given in such a way as to allow continued conversation and interaction in and with the congregation, such that 'dialogue' rather than 'monologue' would be the best description. The crux of the matter regarding sermons does come in Henderson's epilogue when he says:
“...my basic question for pastors and Christians of all kinds: Are we in the preaching business or the people-changing business?”
Sadly, Henderson does not realize the false dichotomy he presents, and although he has served in “ministry” for three decades, does not understand the fundamental means of ministry to God's people – the preaching of the Gospel. His statement above offers that preaching and “changing people” (presumably for the better) are two different things. Perhaps they overlap but not necessarily or directly. But one must ask: How shall I change people? If people need changing, which must be an assumption of Henderson, how can I or anyone else change them? Perhaps one could coerce them through fear, bribery, intimidation, etc? Obviously that would not produce the changes desired – to love God and neighbor, seeking first God's Kingdom. But this desired end requires a change of the heart, of the inner motivations of a person, and who can change the desires of a persons heart? Clearly applying some law or social code external to people will not change them. Neither will teaching, as educated sinners will emerge from ignorant sinners. Henderson believes that by serving people the experience of being loved will change them to follow Jesus. While this is half true it suffers as the sole means of ministry. While Jesus did serve those around him, he also preached2, which is something Henderson specifically misses3. Have they not read what Paul wrote in Romans 1:16-17?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, The righteous shall live by faith.”
Surely both serving others and preaching this life changing Gospel is necessary in the ministry of the Church? Surely a maturation of perspective is allowed in 2000 years since Christ, whereby culturally specific forms may be employed – just as they were employed then? It is here, puzzling over the usefulness of the endeavor that Henderson and Casper leave this reviewer. Perhaps that was part of the point.

Amusing Ourselves to Death - Review

2009-09-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

I read Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death this past weekend. Wow. Perspective altering. Here's my first stab at a review/report/schwatever if you're interested:

Riveting, necessary, and incisive are all words that could qualify Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death, and yet fall short of this superb work.
Neil Postman's thesis is that the medium of communication enables and constrains the message it carries, so much so that one could say “the medium is the message.” Postman examines how information and meaning are conveyed, received, and understood via different forms of media and reviews a history of typographic, telegraphic, photographic, and videographic media. Within each medium he surveys the status of public discourse and describes its strengths and weaknesses, clearly favoring the “Age of Typography” and the necessary life of the mind with its rigorous rationality. The emphasis of the text is as the subtitle suggests on “public discourse in the age of show business,” where the groundwork of the epistemology of print in the early chapters exposes the banal amusements of television. Postman shows how the television is the ultimate expression of the tripartite sins of telegraphy - the irrelevance, impotence, and incoherence of information and their associated thoughts – and thus the natural end of the design of the medium is solely entertainment. The sinister turn is that the medium itself is inherently trivializing yet enticing – who would turn away endless or limitless pleasure? So much is this threat present that all forms of serious and important matter in society have been trivialized by television (Postman provides examples from politics, law, education, and religion to name a few,) as the whole of the culture is subsumed in the mire of thoughtless (dis-)engagement. It is from this precipice of unconscious cerebral death through entertainment that Postman hopes to retrieve us. Tragically, the only restoration apparent to him is through the system of education which is already embracing this cancer as of the 1980's, and in this reviewer's time has accepted it whole hog.
The power of Postman's work in “pulling back the curtain,” as it were, on our culture is almost too much to move beyond. For the reviewer's generation, the obvious analogue is found (shamefully) in the film: The Matrix. Wherein the main character is shown that his entire experience has been contrived and that reality, as it actually exists is something quite different from his current understanding of the world due to some technology (seemingly) beyond his control.
This example highlights how the book is valuable for the student of culture and the student of communicating cross-culturally. First, as an examination of American culture at different moments, under varying dominant media, one can see how cultures operate in the marketplace of ideas. The implications of different media are explored and the reader is opened to the possibility of such examinations being applicable to other aspects of culture. The second immediate value for students of culture was alluded to above, but explicitly is that: Americans are confronted with American culture. This occasion of a critical view of one's own culture provides one a necessary step towards understanding that everyone, everywhere, is enculturated. Everyone is both empowered and encumbered by their own individual and community experience thus affecting how they perceive truth: both in physical and spiritual reality. Here the body blow is felt that television shapes our understanding of the world, and once confronted with this reality, one can begin to think critically about what shapes reality in adjacent cultures.
A possible critique of Postman's work is that it prizes the relics of the modernist era neglecting future advancement of human thought and work. Postman's prize is rationality as expressed in the age of typography, whereas postmoderns find this intellectual utopia inadequate.

2009-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today I finished Jim and Casper Go to Church and wrote a rough draft of my review. The assignment is not due for 3 weeks, so I hope to polish it and post it before next week. This surge in productivity is mostly motivated by my interest in the subject matter – the class is really intriguing me, and since I’ve been through this attention boom and bust before, I know I must capitalize on this whim before the doldrums of routine set in. I hope to push through Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death in less than a week and begin Newbigin’s Foolishness to the Greeks before settling into Carson’s mammoth The Gagging of God. Can I do all the required reading in under a month? Regardless, while Jim and Casper was interesting and informative, I do think it is founded on a flawed premise which should be no surprise to anyone familiar with the publishing or written work of George Barna. More thoughts to come!

So, onward to Amusing Ourselves to Death. I am one of those crazy people who – gasp – doesn’t own a TV, so I am liable to get uppity and puff my chest out with some “yeah, uh-huh, see I told you so” shenanigans at the moment. However, I rent DVDs just like everyone else and while I’d like to ride my high horse, I am very much a child of my culture and time. I function in the age of diminished public discourse and thought that the rest of us operate in – sucked into the mind-numbing vortex of the soul killing ether that is Jerry Springer and @lancearmstrong, etc. Hey, what have they done with the King of Pop, anyway?

Here’s a quote from Postman to give you an idea of his first chapter and what intellectual terrain I’m treading:
“…the media of communication available to a culture are a dominant influence on the formation of the culture’s intellectual and social preoccupations.”

Communication, culture, worldview, and more...stay tuned. Oh wait, er, stay subscribed…?