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.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The façade of immortality crumbles
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.
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.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Random Post-Christmas Stuff
*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.
*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.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
ABD Sunrise Park CX & Campton CX 2010
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!
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!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
THF Realty Gateway Cup (2010 - cat 3's!)
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:
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Lincoln Trail State Park RR
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.
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.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Winfield Criterium (Cat 3, ABR Criterium National Championships) OR The Coulda Woulda Shoulda
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.
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.
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