I'd been looking forward to this Sunday since I fell off the front and did a lot of work in the 5 race last year.
No teammates in the race; for me that makes a psychological difference as well as a tactical one. I did however see Scott Webster in the warmup; also a guy named Aaron who works at Bicycles East (though on weekends; never with me). Aaron is wicked fast; I thought he was a 3 or maybe a 2...
The race was SMOKIN from the start. Early on I noticed that we were going 24.7mph which was BELOW our average speed! James Good from Spirited Cyclist was throwing the pain cakes at everyone as he's been doing all season. I burned some matches trying to bridge up to him. No dice - the group always caught us and I probably helped that happen without really intending to. I was in the hurt locker for a lot longer than I'd have liked over the first 15 mi, but I was able to sit in a recover as we approached the steeper hills around mile 25, which I had also targeted as an attack point.
At around that point 2 guys jumped out and got a gap of about 100m. I went with James Good and another guy when they broke to chase them down...barely able to pull through on my turns munching heavily on the suffer buffet. When we caught them, I was gassed and then the whole peloton came over the top of me. Kaboom! I was popped and when the wheel truck went by, I knew my day as a contender was pretty much over.
As is my pattern this season, I decided I was just going to ride at my limit and pick off the stragglers. I chased, rode with one guy for a while, then by myself. I managed to keep going pretty hard keeping my heart rate well up in the 80+% range, so was happy with that effort. In the finish stretch I saw Webster attending to a Spirited guy with the ambulance crew - hopefully he's OK. There were several crashes at the front apparently, so I'm thankful to have avoided those. I hear there was also one in the 5 race, including some of our guys - hope they are OK too...
My primary lesson is that early on, when the pace was being pushed with attacks and surges, I need to trust that almost no one is strong enough to make an attack stick. I burned a lot of energy taking personal responsibility for chasing and bringing back anything that went away early on, and as a result I had nothing when it counted.
Spirited did put their guy across first - a guy named Brent, with James Good leading him out and taking 3rd. Webster said he could have gone maybe 5th or so, but got caught up next to the wreck and ran off the road.
Next on the calendar are some crits in Charleston on the 18th -19th and the Tour de Moore, a 70mi circuit race for ages 30+ it looks like, on the 25th, then Dilworth the following weekend May 2 - not sure which of these I'll be doing except Dilworth, which I definitely plan on.
And now since you've read this far, I will reveal the secret of smooth, aero-friendly race number attachment; it is.... DOUBLE SIDED CARPET TAPE. Get the thin plastic light/medium duty kind; 3/4 wide or so. Wider will work fine; you just don't really need it. Crumple your number then flatten it out. Snip lengths of the tape with scissors to match the respective lengths of all sides of the number plate, and stick to the number on all 4 sides. Peel the adhesive-guard away, flatten out the fabric of the jersey where the number is going, and smooth the number onto your jersey in the appropriate place (and oriented so it will read right-side up!) against something hard so you can press it down securely with your fingernail. I usually pin the corners as well, but this is probably really not necessary. Voila! The number will lay flat against your jersey and not catch the wind to slow you down. Make sure you peel the number off before you wash your jersey afterwards...
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Route map for Out like a Lion road Race - Saturday March 21
Also, I have created a new electronic version of the USA Cycling Rider Release - you can fill it out in Microsoft Word, (prefill with your personal info) then there are just a few lines for each race - print, sign, and bring to the race instead of scrambling for a pen on race day...
AND as an added bonus I will (if you all are nice to me) let you in on my race-day secret of how to attach your number so it will lay nice and flat against your jersey, and never flap in the wind or act as a parachute to slow you down. Stay tuned!
AND as an added bonus I will (if you all are nice to me) let you in on my race-day secret of how to attach your number so it will lay nice and flat against your jersey, and never flap in the wind or act as a parachute to slow you down. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Race report - River Falls, Marietta SC March 7, 2009
Race Report for River Falls, Marietta SC March 7, 2009
Some folks scared me a bit this week with comments about the River Falls course, mentioning the downhills and in my mind there were images of Tour and Giro descents with switchbacks and gravel in the corners... not so much, but there was a pretty cool hill up to the start/finish.
James and I pulled out around 9am, and I really must say again - Cat 4 start times are awesome so far! You actually get to eat breakfast and finish your coffee before you leave the house!
We got there in good time - maybe 1:20 before 12:05 start time - plenty of time to register (a note here - apparently what they mean by a $5 "line fee" is merely for giving you a number, though I don't recall any information specifically to that effect on the registration site. So, if a race calls itself a "series" - i.e. the "Greenville series" - you should save and bring with you to subsequent races the number you get at the first race. Maybe that should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't and I found it quite irritating that I responsibly pre-registered etc and then got asked for another $5. Irritation is definitely not what I need in the moments before a race; I get worked up enough by myself!)
The races seemed to go off pretty well, and we were right on time to start - the called the 45+ to the line and with them (behind) the cat 4s. I thought we were in the front row or 2 of cat 4s, until they asked everyone to raise hands, and 5-6-7 rows up there were guys with hands up as Cat 4 racers. Suddenly start position not so good.
So we're off. The first lap was pretty flaky and jittery; the course is a good one but quite narrow. 3 wide felt pretty close! As the road wound along the back side (miles 2-4 or so?) there were several times where if you didn't pay attention you'd suddenly run out of road on the right side. This happened to a couple guys on lap 3 or so; they got right back on though.
The poor starting position and narrowness of the course made it very very difficult to do anything interesting in the race. Frustrating when you've got something to give and no real opportunity to let it fly. My takeaway is that to do anything in a race like this you basically have to take a lot more risks (by going up the right side and risking getting run off the road) than I usually am comfortable with. Laps 2-3 kept speeding up, but I had no trouble just staying in, not really working much. Lap 4 (James later told me) was a bit slower, and I felt like I had a lot at the hill (not that long, but up to 10% grade, again per James. Frankly it really didn't FEEL like 10%, but who knows how one's senses get altered in the heat of race day...)
So I went... nowhere.
Boxed in, and nowhere to go, in fact probably lost some position and had to really get on the horse through the start line & down the hill to get back on with the group. Lap 5 was a little more heated up, and at the hill I started to cramp. ACK! Fell off the peloton a bit, but remembering our discussion on the way down I determined to give it my best. Cramps died down and I was able to put some power down... there were a few moments when I had hopes of actually catching the group, but no dice.
On the back stretch, riding by myself I looked back and saw what I thought was a group, and I felt sure I would be swept up shortly, but only a few guys came across to me, one of whom was Webster (Hi Scott!). Eventually 4 of us formed a paceline, and worked together till the bottom of the hill. The other guys mostly took it easy from there, and I rode in by myself by default. Eventually saw James finishing, and a few other guys - he said he watched my whole last lap from about 100M back. So... didn't win, didn't place, but I gave a good effort and found out where I stand - I need more long (40+mi), hard rides (80% + effort). I can climb pretty well comparatively, but as with sprints, you need to be in position to make moves on the climb or it doesn't help.
I'd really love to see somehow an effort to open portions of the course somehow to allow stuff to "happen" in these races. If on a given course like this one the climb is where something is likely to "happen" then I wish they'd make some effort to provide the space for it to happen there by opening up the whole road, just like the do for sprint finishes. It shouldn't be all about the luck of getting into the first 3 rows on the start line, or about choosing between being safe or literally riding through/over people to get to the front. I'm not asking for a risk free race, or for a free ride, just saying that a course as narrow as this becomes anti-competitive if there's no room to make the race interesting. Maybe if it were longer it would be fine, but a 40 mi race (actually it was 34.5 or so - what happened to the extra mile/lap?) is short enough that almost everybody has enough fitness to stay with a group for that long, as long as you don't lose too much on the hill. Thoughts?
So there you have it. Race 2 for 2009 under the tires...
Some folks scared me a bit this week with comments about the River Falls course, mentioning the downhills and in my mind there were images of Tour and Giro descents with switchbacks and gravel in the corners... not so much, but there was a pretty cool hill up to the start/finish.
James and I pulled out around 9am, and I really must say again - Cat 4 start times are awesome so far! You actually get to eat breakfast and finish your coffee before you leave the house!
We got there in good time - maybe 1:20 before 12:05 start time - plenty of time to register (a note here - apparently what they mean by a $5 "line fee" is merely for giving you a number, though I don't recall any information specifically to that effect on the registration site. So, if a race calls itself a "series" - i.e. the "Greenville series" - you should save and bring with you to subsequent races the number you get at the first race. Maybe that should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't and I found it quite irritating that I responsibly pre-registered etc and then got asked for another $5. Irritation is definitely not what I need in the moments before a race; I get worked up enough by myself!)
The races seemed to go off pretty well, and we were right on time to start - the called the 45+ to the line and with them (behind) the cat 4s. I thought we were in the front row or 2 of cat 4s, until they asked everyone to raise hands, and 5-6-7 rows up there were guys with hands up as Cat 4 racers. Suddenly start position not so good.
So we're off. The first lap was pretty flaky and jittery; the course is a good one but quite narrow. 3 wide felt pretty close! As the road wound along the back side (miles 2-4 or so?) there were several times where if you didn't pay attention you'd suddenly run out of road on the right side. This happened to a couple guys on lap 3 or so; they got right back on though.
The poor starting position and narrowness of the course made it very very difficult to do anything interesting in the race. Frustrating when you've got something to give and no real opportunity to let it fly. My takeaway is that to do anything in a race like this you basically have to take a lot more risks (by going up the right side and risking getting run off the road) than I usually am comfortable with. Laps 2-3 kept speeding up, but I had no trouble just staying in, not really working much. Lap 4 (James later told me) was a bit slower, and I felt like I had a lot at the hill (not that long, but up to 10% grade, again per James. Frankly it really didn't FEEL like 10%, but who knows how one's senses get altered in the heat of race day...)
So I went... nowhere.
Boxed in, and nowhere to go, in fact probably lost some position and had to really get on the horse through the start line & down the hill to get back on with the group. Lap 5 was a little more heated up, and at the hill I started to cramp. ACK! Fell off the peloton a bit, but remembering our discussion on the way down I determined to give it my best. Cramps died down and I was able to put some power down... there were a few moments when I had hopes of actually catching the group, but no dice.
On the back stretch, riding by myself I looked back and saw what I thought was a group, and I felt sure I would be swept up shortly, but only a few guys came across to me, one of whom was Webster (Hi Scott!). Eventually 4 of us formed a paceline, and worked together till the bottom of the hill. The other guys mostly took it easy from there, and I rode in by myself by default. Eventually saw James finishing, and a few other guys - he said he watched my whole last lap from about 100M back. So... didn't win, didn't place, but I gave a good effort and found out where I stand - I need more long (40+mi), hard rides (80% + effort). I can climb pretty well comparatively, but as with sprints, you need to be in position to make moves on the climb or it doesn't help.
I'd really love to see somehow an effort to open portions of the course somehow to allow stuff to "happen" in these races. If on a given course like this one the climb is where something is likely to "happen" then I wish they'd make some effort to provide the space for it to happen there by opening up the whole road, just like the do for sprint finishes. It shouldn't be all about the luck of getting into the first 3 rows on the start line, or about choosing between being safe or literally riding through/over people to get to the front. I'm not asking for a risk free race, or for a free ride, just saying that a course as narrow as this becomes anti-competitive if there's no room to make the race interesting. Maybe if it were longer it would be fine, but a 40 mi race (actually it was 34.5 or so - what happened to the extra mile/lap?) is short enough that almost everybody has enough fitness to stay with a group for that long, as long as you don't lose too much on the hill. Thoughts?
So there you have it. Race 2 for 2009 under the tires...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Race Report - Fork Shoals - Pelzer SC Feb 28
"race" being a relative term...but, race, I intended. So I installed new ceramic hub bearings in my Velomax Vista wheels this week, while visions of long breakaways danced in my head, along with the peloton bearing down on me 100M from the finish... the horror! (the fantasy!)
I registered on Thursday despite the forecast for rain "heavy at times" for Pelzer SC on Saturday. Bought a $9.49 clear vinyl rainsuit from Blackhawk and sported my new helmet (with visor, which is apparently now at least relatively acceptable after Lance wore one in the Tour of California) in on Friday... so I'm ready to roll. Saturday AM - Emily's leaving for Virginia for the day, so helped her get squared away, then tried to rush through getting myself ready. Not recommended, though I must say Cat 4 has much more advantageous start times than 5...rain was awful on the way down, and spent 15 min or so crawling around one wreck near Kings Mtn.
Got there 45 min to race time, and checked in, whereupon I learned that the 3s and 4s were going to be racing together - welcome to Cat 4! Basically dispensed with warmup, as it seemed like just another 1/2 hour in the rain. Got my gear on, pulled up to the start about 4-5 rows back, in the middle of the pack. 3 laps of a 15 mi course ahead... but Webster said last year that this was a course that would suit me, so I was hopeful... Fork Shoals is where I rode 5 min of the Cat 5 race in September last year before my derailleur blew up. Bright side - I did get a new bike after that...
At the start, 2 guys go about 500M up the road right away, and the peloton just rides along. I'm staying out of the wind and picking wheels that look good to follow. Then the spasticity starts - at completely random times the peloton would accelerate like mad for about 10-15 sec, then slow down. Maybe 10mi in we had "gruppo compacto" but the weird accelerations continued. Up the 2mi to the start finish I felt OK, though a little stressed at the top...
Through the start line, and into lap 2 - into a headwind, a gap developed - maybe 5 bike lengths - nothing to worry about, right? WRONG! the peloton pulled steadily away, and I flailed away in the back, trying to catch. No dice. Caught and rode with one guy the last 5 mi, then we quickly caught & dropped another, then dropped my companion on the last 1mi till the start finish.
As I went through the start line, the official said "one to go" and I just waved my hand across my neck - I was done. The guy I rode with for the last 5 mi or so rounded the turn and kept going... maybe he's just a better person than I am, but as far as I was concerned there just wasn't any point in continuing - it was raining solidly if not hard the whole time, I was soaked, though not particularly cold (until I stopped) but there was no way I was catching the peloton back. Wasn't even good for a solo workout.
I got in the truck, stowed my wet gear & dried off as best I could, and drove home... and the weather was even worse than the trip down.
Fun day!
Lessons: If you're tired and see ANY gap developing, the only way you're going to stay in the race is to give everything you've got left to close it, or you're done.
Also, I need better conditioning. We'll see if that helps make a difference - planning on next weekend at River Falls...
I registered on Thursday despite the forecast for rain "heavy at times" for Pelzer SC on Saturday. Bought a $9.49 clear vinyl rainsuit from Blackhawk and sported my new helmet (with visor, which is apparently now at least relatively acceptable after Lance wore one in the Tour of California) in on Friday... so I'm ready to roll. Saturday AM - Emily's leaving for Virginia for the day, so helped her get squared away, then tried to rush through getting myself ready. Not recommended, though I must say Cat 4 has much more advantageous start times than 5...rain was awful on the way down, and spent 15 min or so crawling around one wreck near Kings Mtn.
Got there 45 min to race time, and checked in, whereupon I learned that the 3s and 4s were going to be racing together - welcome to Cat 4! Basically dispensed with warmup, as it seemed like just another 1/2 hour in the rain. Got my gear on, pulled up to the start about 4-5 rows back, in the middle of the pack. 3 laps of a 15 mi course ahead... but Webster said last year that this was a course that would suit me, so I was hopeful... Fork Shoals is where I rode 5 min of the Cat 5 race in September last year before my derailleur blew up. Bright side - I did get a new bike after that...
At the start, 2 guys go about 500M up the road right away, and the peloton just rides along. I'm staying out of the wind and picking wheels that look good to follow. Then the spasticity starts - at completely random times the peloton would accelerate like mad for about 10-15 sec, then slow down. Maybe 10mi in we had "gruppo compacto" but the weird accelerations continued. Up the 2mi to the start finish I felt OK, though a little stressed at the top...
Through the start line, and into lap 2 - into a headwind, a gap developed - maybe 5 bike lengths - nothing to worry about, right? WRONG! the peloton pulled steadily away, and I flailed away in the back, trying to catch. No dice. Caught and rode with one guy the last 5 mi, then we quickly caught & dropped another, then dropped my companion on the last 1mi till the start finish.
As I went through the start line, the official said "one to go" and I just waved my hand across my neck - I was done. The guy I rode with for the last 5 mi or so rounded the turn and kept going... maybe he's just a better person than I am, but as far as I was concerned there just wasn't any point in continuing - it was raining solidly if not hard the whole time, I was soaked, though not particularly cold (until I stopped) but there was no way I was catching the peloton back. Wasn't even good for a solo workout.
I got in the truck, stowed my wet gear & dried off as best I could, and drove home... and the weather was even worse than the trip down.
Fun day!
Lessons: If you're tired and see ANY gap developing, the only way you're going to stay in the race is to give everything you've got left to close it, or you're done.
Also, I need better conditioning. We'll see if that helps make a difference - planning on next weekend at River Falls...
Monday, February 2, 2009
Group Riding etc.
Men-
Here's a link to a good article about group rides.
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6731&status=True&catname=Latest%20News
We've also been invited to join the Hincapie Coca Cola team this Sunday for an easy 53 mile ride. They are leaving from Huntersville 9:00 at Carolina Bicycle Co.(old Bike sport) 311 gilead rd off exit 23 take right about a mile on the right. You better Google or MapQuest this location as the directions come from a slightly unreliable source.
I also want to introduce David Strickland and Joe Nicolini who'll be racing in the Westwood colors this season. They are both Cat 5's coming into the sport from opposite ends. David raced in his early 20s with the local legends and retired for 20 years to raise a family and a beer gut. He's been real successful with the gut and is making a major countermove returning to sport again. Although I haven't met David yet, I feel free to make certain assumptions about his life and appearance. On the other hand, Joe is finishing college and has been training like a madman this winter for triathlons. A traumatic knee injury short circuited his promising collegiate soccer goals, so he's pouring his youthful energy into clawing on to the back of the group in hopes of one day, many years ahead, becoming the next Will Hoffarth. We're glad to have both of these guys as we rebuild our northern mecklenburg contingent.
Here's a link to a good article about group rides.
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6731&status=True&catname=Latest%20News
We've also been invited to join the Hincapie Coca Cola team this Sunday for an easy 53 mile ride. They are leaving from Huntersville 9:00 at Carolina Bicycle Co.(old Bike sport) 311 gilead rd off exit 23 take right about a mile on the right. You better Google or MapQuest this location as the directions come from a slightly unreliable source.
I also want to introduce David Strickland and Joe Nicolini who'll be racing in the Westwood colors this season. They are both Cat 5's coming into the sport from opposite ends. David raced in his early 20s with the local legends and retired for 20 years to raise a family and a beer gut. He's been real successful with the gut and is making a major countermove returning to sport again. Although I haven't met David yet, I feel free to make certain assumptions about his life and appearance. On the other hand, Joe is finishing college and has been training like a madman this winter for triathlons. A traumatic knee injury short circuited his promising collegiate soccer goals, so he's pouring his youthful energy into clawing on to the back of the group in hopes of one day, many years ahead, becoming the next Will Hoffarth. We're glad to have both of these guys as we rebuild our northern mecklenburg contingent.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Upcoming Races
2/14 out near Raleigh – Wolfpack Classic RR
Carmichael cat 4, IF others want to go too
2/21 - Donaldson Ctr RR (Greenville series #1
Carmichael cat 4 (tentative)
2/22 - - BMW ctr "crit" (Greenville series #2)
Tim cat 4
2/28 Fork Shoals RR (Greenville series #3)
Tim cat 4 (tentative)
Carmichael cat 4
3/1 - – Donaldson Ctr RR (Greenville series #4)
3/7 River Falls RR (Greenville series #5)
Carmichael cat 4
Cole Cat 4
3/8 – Donaldson Ctr RR (Greenville series #6)
Tim cat 4
Cole Cat 4
3/14-15 – Columbia Crits
3/21 – Out like a Lion RR*** (Albemarle)
Carmichael cat 4
3/22 City Park Crit
Cole Cat 4
Tim cat 4
3/28-29 City Park crits
4/3 White Rose Sprints (Rock Hill SC)
Tim Cat 4
4/4 Old Town Crit (Rock Hill SC)
Cole Cat 4
Tim cat 4
4/5 Patriots Trail RR (Rock Hill SC)
Carmichael cat 4 (if I'm still in town)
Tim cat 4
4/18-19 Low Country VW Crit & SC Crit Champs
Cole Cat 4
Tim cat 4 (maybe)
Monday, December 1, 2008
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