Finally posting a race report…and a political confession…and calling people out for the IL State RR.

O'Fallon Cup Crit

This spring has moved quickly.  As opposed to this time last year when I was fighting to find form while traveling 50% for work, this year I’ve been fighting to find time to ride and race.  A promotion at work (yay more responsibility!) and more fun stuff with my kids (as they get older and can do more) means bike time gets squeezed.  C’est la vie.

Regardless, I have been able to race a pretty great schedule: Forest Park Crit, Hillsboro RR, VelotekGP Stage Race, Tour de CU, and 2/3 of MOPRO.  It’s been kind of a bummer year so far as I haven’t been a factor in any races.  I got to be part of a leadout train at the Velotek SR crit, but other than that, I’ve just been pack fill - at best.  It’s kind of a drag.

This past weekend was different.  At CU I held on for dear life, and at MOPRO (100+ fields) my legs started to come around (two top 20’s ain’t bad, but they ain’t good, either), so at the O’Fallon Cup Crit I got to race my bike.  Teammate BJ was very active early, attacking the field and going with moves.  Cat 3 supa-star Nick was covering JMac (Korte) on early moves, and I was following stuff towards the front since I got there late and didn’t get a good warm-up.  Plus, it was hot, and Frenchy’s body doesn’t like the hot.  I countered one of BJ’s moves and it formed that lap into the break of the day.  It also just so happened to be a Chipotle 10 burrito prime lap, so when the break was doing the “no you pull” thing, I jumped and scored $80 of burrito-ey goodness.  Considering the total purse for the 1/2/3s was $250, I say it wasn’t that bad of a choice.  

Well, that break cohesiveness (or lack thereof) continued.  I needed some rest but the attacks, counters, and gap closing (I was only really involved in the gap closing) tuckered me out pretty good.  Eventually the elastic snapped and the strongest guys rolled on.  Zack (Qdoba), Ben (Momentum), and I were left to ourselves.  Mike Bruzina (Gateway CC) was ahead of us chasing solo for the last 8 laps (+/-), while Justin (Korte), Edward + Josh (Gateway Harley-Davidson), and Jim (Dogfish) stayed away and hugged it out, I’m sure.  Zach pulled the plug and I dropped Ben, so I did 5 laps solo on the course before getting caught at the bell by JBock (Qdoba) towing BJ + Murphy (Quantum Mesa), Griffin (GHD), and ole Ben (Momentum) who had latched on.  They dropped me as they attacked into the final lap, racing for 6^th place.  Sadly, Andy Lister (Wheelfast) also got some punches in by catching me in the last turn and I was powerless to answer.  At that point I was regretting jumping to get the burrito prime.  Actually I was regretting lots of things.

12^th place.  I had to go about it in the hardest possible way.  Seriously.  I have the TT of a cat 5; solo for 5 laps was an eternity.  I’m really surprised the field didn’t catch me.  The upshot was two-fold: the burrito prime fed the team, and I was a factor in a race again.  Granted, it was a small local race, and I got dropped from the break like a stone, but it was racing nonetheless!!  The team worked well together, we just should have had a second man in the break, or maybe one who could pedal his bike a bit faster.  Hopefully this means my legs are coming around a little more and I’ll be able to see the pointy end of races again before I shut it down for the new baby.  That’s right, not too long and I’m calling it a season, but I get a new baby boy.  I’ll take that trade!

Next up: Rolla Crit 06/01, then a business trip, then the River City Bicycle Classic in Evansville, IN 06/08.

Politics:

Surprising myself, I’m moving right in the political spectrum.  This is not so much due to any great productivity by the right side of the American political establishment – in fact, they seem to play the part of witless obstructionists with aplomb.  Neither is this a shift in response to mis-steps by the left (though they are legion).  But I find myself struggling with what some commentators have called a “Christian Secularism.”  You may be shaking your head at the moment, that sounds like identifying an “un-thing.”  Indeed, it is an un-thing that doesn’t really exist.  Notice this hot coldness, or this dark light spot?  It’s a binary state friends: girl or boy, 1 or 0, Christian or Secularist.  They be mutually exclusive yo.

This change comes about as I’ve continually found the Christian gospel to be real and the secularist gospel to be fake, and borrowing continually from Christian charity in order to sustain itself.  Its epistemology has long since failed (wasup postmodernism?!), and its social good shown to be a power play.  “Live and let live” is a farce and a lie.  I’ll soon be getting my court summons for saying boys and girls are not the same in the preceding paragraph.  Pretty sure that’s hate speech now-a-days!

IL State RR Predictions:

So we’re a month out from the other O’Fallon race, the O’Fallon Grand Prix.  It has the new designation of being an omnium!  I will of course skip the TT.  But enough about me, let’s talk about me.  Er, I mean, all the guys that are going to beat me in the O’Fallon RR, which is the IL State Championship contest.

Last year, to my utter shock, only one registered Illinoisan beat me at this race, and so my 8^th place was good for a silver medal!  No doubt many have taken note of this aberration and will therefore target this race for state championship glory.  Now the list of riders stronger than I would be too long to post here, but these are the strong and crafty ones that represent my predictions for IL state RR champ:

1. Jeff Schroetlin (Qdoba p/b Bushwhacker) – few are craftier than old Jeff, and the dude can roll.  He drove the break both days at Tour de CU while TXRH + Bissell-ABG-Giant basically had an attack contest which left us lowly 2’s gasping for air and dodging bullets for 70min/day.  If Jeff’s team shows up in force (and it has a lot of force if they all show up!) to support him, Jeff will be state champ. 
2.  Axel Voitik (Sammy’s Elite Cycling Team) – Axel has come in from the wilderness of injury over the last few seasons to some seriously good form.  He also has a team that can play multiple cards in a break or sprint and works uncommonly well together.  If it comes to a sprint or a break Hogan, Dustin, Erik, Kyle, could help. 
3.  Andrew Bates (Scarlet Fire) – SF’s lead man in the 1/2 fields this year has been racing aggressively at and off the front.  Packs a sprint too… 
4.  Anthony Dust (Dogfish) –The current state RR champ.  Dust is a very strong sprinter, but lacks the cat 1 armada of a team he enjoyed last season.  If it comes down to a bunch sprint, he’s the best on this list though.

Dark Horses

1.  Andy and Trevor Lister (Wheelfast) – They are both riding strong, and often forgotten.  I could see one sneaking away after a selection, or relay attacking some unfortunate who is with them.  
2. Chris Curran (Bloomington) – He’s lurking.  You don’t know he’s there until it’s too late.
3. The Old Guard (assorted) – will Enzo (Enzo’s) or Druber (ScarletFire) or Randy (xXx) teach the 20 and 30 somethings a lesson?  Let’s hope not.  We’d never hear the end of it.
4. The Young Guns (assorted) – will Jake (xXx) get a signature win? Will the next big thing out of ISCorp stick a move?  Brian Ellison (Mitsubishi/Laser)?  Perhaps the future is now.

Excluded: Nick Ramirez (Texas Road House Cycling), David Reyes (Stan’s NoTubes), Brandon Feehery (Astellas Oncology), and Josh Carter (Predator Cycling) since I assume they’ll all be off at Nature Valley Grand Prix or some such.  Perhaps I’m wrong.  In which case – them too.

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

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

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!).

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!

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.

Cobb Park Criterium and Gateway GI Extreme Circuit Race 2010

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.