Spent a bit of time at Drummond Cycles this week getting a bike fit. I had already been fit by Paul at BikeFit, but got a new frame this year, and switched a few parts out. I tried to keep the same measurements, but wanted to get checked out and fine tuned. We had time to do three bikes, so I brought my cross bike and neglected TT bike as well. I have not been doing many TTs since I have moved. I still deciding if I should keep that bike, or sell it as I have only ridden it once or twice. There was a casual weekly TT series in town last year, but I never really got that into it, and they have decided not to do it again this year.
First we installed some new Time iclic2 pedals on the bike. I have been meaning to put these on for a while, but never got to it.
Dick ( the shop owner and fitter) said "You will really like these pedals." Good to hear. My buddy Richard said the same thing at the end of the season. It seems like my position was pretty good, but my saddle was tipped a bit forward, which was pushing me off of the nose. I would push back on my arms to keep myself in place, which was causing my shoulders to tense up. Dick kicked the seat back a bit, lowered the brake hoods a touch, and I felt immediately better. Went out for a short spin on the road to double check, yep, that is a keeper!
Next we threw the cross bike up on the trainer. It seemed like I was a bit cramped, and again my shoulders were getting pushed up. We put on a setback seatpost, pushed the saddle back, and he seemed to think that was in improvement. Took a few laps on the grass field outside the shop, and I could really feel the difference. It felt like I was riding through the turns, rather than sitting on top of the bike.
Last was the TT bike. I sat down and Dick just shook his head. I never had been fit on this bike, and had no idea how to set it up. He moved the bars up, changed the angle of the bars, installed a shim to raise the arm rests a bit more, pushed the arm rests out 2 cm and tweaked the seat. After all that, it was no longer painful to sit in the aero bars. Much more better.
Really glad I set this up. I thought I was in a good position on the bikes, but a few small changes and things really felt better. Excited to get out on the road and get settled in this, but it may be several months if we get some snow soon, as well as taking a break to heal up.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
West Hill Shop cyclocross, Putney VT 11/11/12
Racing was a bit iffy after my crash the day before, but I was already prereg'd, and I had a few friends who would be there, it was the closest race to home all year, so off I went. Slightly later start, which was nice as I could have breakfast with the family, instead of running out at ODark o clock.
Watched the earlier race, got a lap and a half in. Super steep and long run up. Some really fun flyover berms. A treacherous downhill complete with a short wall to keep you from pitching off the downhill side. And a bunch of bumpy corners in a cornfield. Cool course.
Race lined up, small field. Only 12 cat 4 35+ racers, a couple of dozen cat 4s, and another two dozen women and jrs behind us. We were first off, and someone gunned it for the holeshot, leaving the group in the dust. There was about 1/4 mile of gravel road before we hit the technical parts of the course. I jumped on his wheel, and killed myself to get by him, but did not have the power. Rolled into the grassy part of the course second wheel, which was first and very exciting. Unfortunately, I was very quickly swamped by several riders. My lungs were heaving, and the pain in my chest from the rib injury had me cross-eyed.
Kept rolling along, getting passed every few minutes by another cat 4, or occasionally by a jr who started 10 seconds behind. My buddy Tom rolled past, and I tried to stay on his wheel, but after one lap, he just slowly drifted away. I was making up ground every time up the run up. However, this was just passing someone who had passed me a while back, and most times, they came around at the barriers.
Rolled in 9th out of 12 in my group, which was my highest placing this year ( or ever), but I would have hoped to have done much better had I been in good health. My friend John got on the podium with a third place! Ran into Tom and Darren, who was not racing but had come out to take pictures of the race.
Pretty sure I am done racing for the year. I can still ride at a slow pace, but it would be best to take a few weeks off of the bike and get 100% healed before getting out there again, and before ski season kicks in.
Watched the earlier race, got a lap and a half in. Super steep and long run up. Some really fun flyover berms. A treacherous downhill complete with a short wall to keep you from pitching off the downhill side. And a bunch of bumpy corners in a cornfield. Cool course.
Race lined up, small field. Only 12 cat 4 35+ racers, a couple of dozen cat 4s, and another two dozen women and jrs behind us. We were first off, and someone gunned it for the holeshot, leaving the group in the dust. There was about 1/4 mile of gravel road before we hit the technical parts of the course. I jumped on his wheel, and killed myself to get by him, but did not have the power. Rolled into the grassy part of the course second wheel, which was first and very exciting. Unfortunately, I was very quickly swamped by several riders. My lungs were heaving, and the pain in my chest from the rib injury had me cross-eyed.
Kept rolling along, getting passed every few minutes by another cat 4, or occasionally by a jr who started 10 seconds behind. My buddy Tom rolled past, and I tried to stay on his wheel, but after one lap, he just slowly drifted away. I was making up ground every time up the run up. However, this was just passing someone who had passed me a while back, and most times, they came around at the barriers.
Rolled in 9th out of 12 in my group, which was my highest placing this year ( or ever), but I would have hoped to have done much better had I been in good health. My friend John got on the podium with a third place! Ran into Tom and Darren, who was not racing but had come out to take pictures of the race.
Pretty sure I am done racing for the year. I can still ride at a slow pace, but it would be best to take a few weeks off of the bike and get 100% healed before getting out there again, and before ski season kicks in.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Paradise Cross Frenzy 11/10/2012 Oy, I'm in the pain cave, and droped the torch
Cross race at the Harpoon Brewery in VT. Only an hour from home, which was a bit of a nice change. Later start for the cat 4 race, which also was a nice change. Took my daughter out for breakfast before the race, then went home and took my time getting ready.
Left a little later than planned. Still had plenty of time, but was going to have to do with a single pre-race lap rather than a few. Ran into Tim and John in the parking lot headed to the course. The earlier race ended a bit short, so I got on course and took a spin. There was a set of 4 BMX style berms just after the start, with a short downhill run in, so you could take them with a good bit of speed. So much fun! A few spirals on an open field, short gravel jeep trail then a bend up and town across the ridge. A chicane around some tight trees with pretty loose traction. Had to take it really easy, then a fast slight downhill on the road, slight uphill, then the run up. It was theoretically possible to ride up this, but most I saw try bogged down near the end. At the top there was a narrow slot to get back on the bike, then a steep offcamber downhill with a single good line. A bit bumpy, so it was critical to get both feet in, but as long as you did that it was not too hairy. Another grassy section w/ no long straights, then into the barriers. I clipped out, but my left foot clipped back in just as I was stepping over the barrier. I went down hard on top of the barrier, and knocked the wind out of me. Left the bike there, and stumbled around the course for a second trying to recover, then hopped back on to the finish.
Got in the lineup, but I was really winded. Race got off shortly. Smaller field, so I had good position, and was in the top 15 or 20 at the start. Passed a few riders, but just after the berm section started fading. Did a good job bruising my ribs, and every deep breath was a dull throb across my chest. I was hunting the riders ahead, and stuck close for the first lap, but after that, the pain got worse, and they just pulled a way. Lost a position or two every lap for the next 4 laps. Got in 5 laps in total. A bit frustrating to see a top fifteen place ride away from me, but there was nothing to do but limit my losses. Just prayed that I could hang on and avoid getting lapped. Did that in style, finished 25th out of 40 riders. My second best placing this year, which is good, but really was hoping to be finishing in the 10-15 range.
Signed up for another race in Putney, VT tomorrow. It's close to home, so I will most likely be there as long as I can get out of bed. With these ribs, though, it will be hard to give it my all.
All racers got a token for a free beer, so I headed into the brewery and got some beer and chili. Met a nice guy who was waiting while his wife raced. Turns out she was from seattle, and he was from Portland, OR, so we had a bunch of things to discuss. They'll be in Putney tomorrow, so I'll have to look for them.
Left a little later than planned. Still had plenty of time, but was going to have to do with a single pre-race lap rather than a few. Ran into Tim and John in the parking lot headed to the course. The earlier race ended a bit short, so I got on course and took a spin. There was a set of 4 BMX style berms just after the start, with a short downhill run in, so you could take them with a good bit of speed. So much fun! A few spirals on an open field, short gravel jeep trail then a bend up and town across the ridge. A chicane around some tight trees with pretty loose traction. Had to take it really easy, then a fast slight downhill on the road, slight uphill, then the run up. It was theoretically possible to ride up this, but most I saw try bogged down near the end. At the top there was a narrow slot to get back on the bike, then a steep offcamber downhill with a single good line. A bit bumpy, so it was critical to get both feet in, but as long as you did that it was not too hairy. Another grassy section w/ no long straights, then into the barriers. I clipped out, but my left foot clipped back in just as I was stepping over the barrier. I went down hard on top of the barrier, and knocked the wind out of me. Left the bike there, and stumbled around the course for a second trying to recover, then hopped back on to the finish.
Got in the lineup, but I was really winded. Race got off shortly. Smaller field, so I had good position, and was in the top 15 or 20 at the start. Passed a few riders, but just after the berm section started fading. Did a good job bruising my ribs, and every deep breath was a dull throb across my chest. I was hunting the riders ahead, and stuck close for the first lap, but after that, the pain got worse, and they just pulled a way. Lost a position or two every lap for the next 4 laps. Got in 5 laps in total. A bit frustrating to see a top fifteen place ride away from me, but there was nothing to do but limit my losses. Just prayed that I could hang on and avoid getting lapped. Did that in style, finished 25th out of 40 riders. My second best placing this year, which is good, but really was hoping to be finishing in the 10-15 range.
Signed up for another race in Putney, VT tomorrow. It's close to home, so I will most likely be there as long as I can get out of bed. With these ribs, though, it will be hard to give it my all.
All racers got a token for a free beer, so I headed into the brewery and got some beer and chili. Met a nice guy who was waiting while his wife raced. Turns out she was from seattle, and he was from Portland, OR, so we had a bunch of things to discuss. They'll be in Putney tomorrow, so I'll have to look for them.
Northampton cycle smart cross 11/4/2012Back again for another day of racing in Western MA. They changed the course up for the second day, so the run up at the start was gone. That kept things together a bit more at the start, which was good. The sand pit was closer to the start. Got a few warm up laps. Staged toward the back again, whistle blew and we were off. A few turns and straights, then hit the sand pits. I was a bit distracted by all the traffic bogging down ahead of me, and lost my balance trying to steer around and ended up going down on my side. Got back up quick, and rode on. Picked up a few places heading into the runup. Passed a rider on my left, and we bumped a bit. When I got back on the bike, the chain had jumped down to the small ring, and I could not get it back on the big. This was not going to work as this was a flat, fast course. The chain was making a horrible grinding noise as well. Got off and took a look. The front derailleur had twisted and slipped. Took a bit to get it straightned out while every rider in my group passed me. Hopped back on in last place, after a half a lap. Started charging to get back in the game. I'll admit I considered thowing in the towel and heading home early to spend time with my family. But I hung on, and within a lap saw a cluster of riders ahead of me partying in the back. 30, then 20 seconds ahead, then had them in my rear view. OK, let's get going. Put in a hard effort, and passed 3-4 riders on every lap. Rode cleanly, no flubs on the barriers or on the sand pit for the rest of the race. Last 1/4 lap saw a group of 4 ahead of me. Was determined to pass at least 2 before the finish. Pulled ahead of two on the last curves, then was gunning for #3 on the finishing straight. He saw me coming and accelerated. I gritted my teeth and grunted "FORGETABOUTIT" and got him just before the line. Sometimes I amaze myself. Sometimes I can be an idiot. no hard feelings. Really pretty dissappointed with my placing. No much I could do, had a mechanical, but with the run up placed later, I really thought I would have been able to finish much higher. Still pretty stoked I managed to pass 20 riders after starting in last, though
Back again for another day of racing in Western MA. They changed the course up for the second day, so the run up at the start was gone. That kept things together a bit more at the start, which was good. The sand pit was closer to the start.
Got a few warm up laps. Staged toward the back again, whistle blew and we were off. A few turns and straights, then hit the sand pits. I was a bit distracted by all the traffic bogging down ahead of me, and lost my balance trying to steer around and ended up going down on my side. Got back up quick, and rode on. Picked up a few places heading into the runup. Passed a rider on my left, and we bumped a bit. When I got back on the bike, the chain had jumped down to the small ring, and I could not get it back on the big. This was not going to work as this was a flat, fast course. The chain was making a horrible grinding noise as well. Got off and took a look. The front derailleur had twisted and slipped. Took a bit to get it straightened out while every rider in my group passed me. Hopped back on in last place, after a half a lap. Started charging to get back in the game. I'll admit I considered throwing in the towel and heading home early to spend time with my family. But I hung on, and within a lap saw a cluster of riders ahead of me partying in the back. 30, then 20 seconds ahead, then had them in my rear view. OK, let's get going. Put in a hard effort, and passed 3-4 riders on every lap. Rode cleanly, no flubs on the barriers or on the sand pit for the rest of the race. Last 1/4 lap saw a group of 4 ahead of me. Was determined to pass at least 2 before the finish. Pulled ahead of two on the last curves, then was gunning for #3 on the finishing straight. He saw me coming and accelerated. I gritted my teeth and grunted "FORGETABOUTIT" and got him just before the line.
Sometimes I amaze myself. Sometimes I can be an idiot. no hard feelings.
Really pretty disappointed with my placing. No much I could do, had a mechanical, but with the run up placed later, I really thought I would have been able to finish much higher. Still pretty stoked I managed to pass 20 riders after starting in last, though
Got a few warm up laps. Staged toward the back again, whistle blew and we were off. A few turns and straights, then hit the sand pits. I was a bit distracted by all the traffic bogging down ahead of me, and lost my balance trying to steer around and ended up going down on my side. Got back up quick, and rode on. Picked up a few places heading into the runup. Passed a rider on my left, and we bumped a bit. When I got back on the bike, the chain had jumped down to the small ring, and I could not get it back on the big. This was not going to work as this was a flat, fast course. The chain was making a horrible grinding noise as well. Got off and took a look. The front derailleur had twisted and slipped. Took a bit to get it straightened out while every rider in my group passed me. Hopped back on in last place, after a half a lap. Started charging to get back in the game. I'll admit I considered throwing in the towel and heading home early to spend time with my family. But I hung on, and within a lap saw a cluster of riders ahead of me partying in the back. 30, then 20 seconds ahead, then had them in my rear view. OK, let's get going. Put in a hard effort, and passed 3-4 riders on every lap. Rode cleanly, no flubs on the barriers or on the sand pit for the rest of the race. Last 1/4 lap saw a group of 4 ahead of me. Was determined to pass at least 2 before the finish. Pulled ahead of two on the last curves, then was gunning for #3 on the finishing straight. He saw me coming and accelerated. I gritted my teeth and grunted "FORGETABOUTIT" and got him just before the line.
Sometimes I amaze myself. Sometimes I can be an idiot. no hard feelings.
Really pretty disappointed with my placing. No much I could do, had a mechanical, but with the run up placed later, I really thought I would have been able to finish much higher. Still pretty stoked I managed to pass 20 riders after starting in last, though
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Northampton cycle smart cross 11/3/2012
Fast flat course. One steep run up, one shorter run up with some stairs. I got in a lap and a half before the start. Big group at the start, 150 riders in the Cat4, Cat4 35+ and Cat 4 Juniors, though I didn't see the kinds in the staging area.
Ran into John in the line up, it was good to see him. He got called up early, as staging was by Crossresults.com points. I'm still a bit further back on that list, so I was staged about 2/3 back. I was determined to give it some gas at the start, and try to hold position or move up as soon as possible. We were off, and I did not gain any ground, and lost only a few positions. Into the second corner, rubbed shoulders with a guy, and we seemed to be glued together for the next turn and into the straight. He muttered something about keeping it together, and we both kept the rubber down, and broke away.
Big traffic jam heading into the steep run up, which came early on the course. We were all walking and slowly making our way up the slope, then back on the bike to ride around the top part of the course. A mix of rooty wooded trails and paved bike paths, then down a chute back to the lower part of the course. I was making a few moves on the top, and only got passed by a couple of riders, so I was feeling pretty good about things. A few S turns though a packed sandy section, a few more grassy turns and straights, and into the sand pit. I bobbled the first lap through, then on subsequent laps remembered to get the weight way back and power through in a big gear. Cleared it the next two laps, then bobbled again on the last lap, spending more energy on the guy who bogged down ahead of me instead of going around.
Started the race w/ 31 lbs in the front tire, and 33 in the rear. This was a low as I have gone, but I thought I've give it a shot. I hit the rim a few times, but luckily never got a flat. Given the roots out there, another pound or two may have been better. When I got home I saw that my rear wheel was just rubbing the brake. These 20 spoke wheels are for the birds, or for riders lighter than me. I may need to start looking for another pair, or maybe see about having someone reset the tension. I'm constantly truing them, and that could be part of the problem. Thing was, I sent both wheels in to have the rims replaced in the last few months, at which point they were rebuilt...
After the first lap, it was looking like we we would be out there for 4 laps total. With any luck, I would avoid getting lapped, but this was looking good. Jumping up every few hundred meters, and only getting passed once or twice a lap.
On the last lap, I had a few riders in my sight. Dug hard and got past a few of them, then only one more with the finish line in sight. Drilled it to catch on the last rider. Coming into the paved finishing straight, he glanced back and thought I was too far back, and eased in. I stomped on the pedals, hitting 115rpm, and passed him just before the line. We were scored at the same time, with him ahead of me, though. C'est la vie.
Rode the course one after the race to relax my legs. Came across a guy in a HSP kit. He asked me if I was from seattle. He lives in Queen Anne, and was out visiting family. We chatted a bit as he was warming up for the masters 45+.
Overall, I was not thrilled with my placing, but not unhappy. Did not get lapped, which is trend I want to keep up. I wonder if I would have been a little closer had that run up not been so early. The race would have been a bit less split up for sure. It looks like they may be rerouting the course tomorrow, and the run up may be gone? In any case in the top 100 out of 133 riders is fine, and 6 minutes off the leaders time is not bad for a 40 minute race.
Looking forward to getting a bit of rest, then hitting the course again tomorrow.
Ran into John in the line up, it was good to see him. He got called up early, as staging was by Crossresults.com points. I'm still a bit further back on that list, so I was staged about 2/3 back. I was determined to give it some gas at the start, and try to hold position or move up as soon as possible. We were off, and I did not gain any ground, and lost only a few positions. Into the second corner, rubbed shoulders with a guy, and we seemed to be glued together for the next turn and into the straight. He muttered something about keeping it together, and we both kept the rubber down, and broke away.
Big traffic jam heading into the steep run up, which came early on the course. We were all walking and slowly making our way up the slope, then back on the bike to ride around the top part of the course. A mix of rooty wooded trails and paved bike paths, then down a chute back to the lower part of the course. I was making a few moves on the top, and only got passed by a couple of riders, so I was feeling pretty good about things. A few S turns though a packed sandy section, a few more grassy turns and straights, and into the sand pit. I bobbled the first lap through, then on subsequent laps remembered to get the weight way back and power through in a big gear. Cleared it the next two laps, then bobbled again on the last lap, spending more energy on the guy who bogged down ahead of me instead of going around.
Started the race w/ 31 lbs in the front tire, and 33 in the rear. This was a low as I have gone, but I thought I've give it a shot. I hit the rim a few times, but luckily never got a flat. Given the roots out there, another pound or two may have been better. When I got home I saw that my rear wheel was just rubbing the brake. These 20 spoke wheels are for the birds, or for riders lighter than me. I may need to start looking for another pair, or maybe see about having someone reset the tension. I'm constantly truing them, and that could be part of the problem. Thing was, I sent both wheels in to have the rims replaced in the last few months, at which point they were rebuilt...
After the first lap, it was looking like we we would be out there for 4 laps total. With any luck, I would avoid getting lapped, but this was looking good. Jumping up every few hundred meters, and only getting passed once or twice a lap.
On the last lap, I had a few riders in my sight. Dug hard and got past a few of them, then only one more with the finish line in sight. Drilled it to catch on the last rider. Coming into the paved finishing straight, he glanced back and thought I was too far back, and eased in. I stomped on the pedals, hitting 115rpm, and passed him just before the line. We were scored at the same time, with him ahead of me, though. C'est la vie.
Rode the course one after the race to relax my legs. Came across a guy in a HSP kit. He asked me if I was from seattle. He lives in Queen Anne, and was out visiting family. We chatted a bit as he was warming up for the masters 45+.
Overall, I was not thrilled with my placing, but not unhappy. Did not get lapped, which is trend I want to keep up. I wonder if I would have been a little closer had that run up not been so early. The race would have been a bit less split up for sure. It looks like they may be rerouting the course tomorrow, and the run up may be gone? In any case in the top 100 out of 133 riders is fine, and 6 minutes off the leaders time is not bad for a 40 minute race.
Looking forward to getting a bit of rest, then hitting the course again tomorrow.
Bennington Wicked Creepy cross Cat 4 10/28/2012
Racing out in Bennington, VT. More technical course. Started heading up a hill on a paved section, then a bit of grassy turns with a few sidehills and off camber sections. It has been really dry, so it was not at all muddy. Downhill, over a huge drainage swale, turn then up a run up w/ stairs. Down a short hill, then across the flats and into the barriers. You were carrying a ton of speed heading into the barriers, and had to really hit the brakes hard before dismounting. A few sidehills with a bunch of snakey 180 degree turns, then through a short muddy singletrack section into the steep runup, one last 180 then the start/finish. Fun course. Had to watch it a bit on the sidehills, but not super technical.
Smaller field. 37 riders in the cat4 masters. No worries about staging, just jump in wherever. Took up off the hill. I passed a few riders, and was riding well. Kept moving up a few places each lap. 4 laps. Looking at my heart rate data after the fact, it looks like I may have been slowing down a bit on the last lap? There were a few riders I was trying to catch at the end, and I got closer, but ran out of course. The end had the sidehills w/ 180s, then the singletrack section ( which was giving me fits), followed by a run up. Hard to gain ground there. I'm better at punching it down a straightaway, or taking some corners faster to move tup.
Had an hour and a half to rest, then had the Cat 3/4 race coming up. I was wiped out, and knew this would be tough. Tim passed by me just past the start, said hey and tried to hang on. Lost a lot of ground early, and just lost a place or two each lap. After one lap, the announcer said "5 to go". Not what I wanted to hear. That would be almost an hour of racing for me. It is a bit uncouth, but I was looking forward to getting lapped so that my misery would be over sooner. That happened after 4 laps. On the last lap, I was duelling it out with one rider, not realizing we were the last two out there. He dropped his chain, and I rode past, asking if he was OK He got it back on, then quickly caught up and passed. I just wanted to stay on his wheel, and followed that all the way to the end. Finished dead last, but I really crack on the second race of a double.
After the race, caught up with Tim and John, it was good to see them. Rode by the guy I was duelling with, and congratulated him. Then paced things up and headed home.
Smaller field. 37 riders in the cat4 masters. No worries about staging, just jump in wherever. Took up off the hill. I passed a few riders, and was riding well. Kept moving up a few places each lap. 4 laps. Looking at my heart rate data after the fact, it looks like I may have been slowing down a bit on the last lap? There were a few riders I was trying to catch at the end, and I got closer, but ran out of course. The end had the sidehills w/ 180s, then the singletrack section ( which was giving me fits), followed by a run up. Hard to gain ground there. I'm better at punching it down a straightaway, or taking some corners faster to move tup.
Had an hour and a half to rest, then had the Cat 3/4 race coming up. I was wiped out, and knew this would be tough. Tim passed by me just past the start, said hey and tried to hang on. Lost a lot of ground early, and just lost a place or two each lap. After one lap, the announcer said "5 to go". Not what I wanted to hear. That would be almost an hour of racing for me. It is a bit uncouth, but I was looking forward to getting lapped so that my misery would be over sooner. That happened after 4 laps. On the last lap, I was duelling it out with one rider, not realizing we were the last two out there. He dropped his chain, and I rode past, asking if he was OK He got it back on, then quickly caught up and passed. I just wanted to stay on his wheel, and followed that all the way to the end. Finished dead last, but I really crack on the second race of a double.
After the race, caught up with Tim and John, it was good to see them. Rode by the guy I was duelling with, and congratulated him. Then paced things up and headed home.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Silver Lake Cross 10/14/2102
I was sitting on the fence about this race all week, not sure if I was going to do it or sit it out and go for a long road ride. The night before I decided I would go for it. Tried to rally Bill to go, but he was ambivalent about getting up early for the race. There were two long stretches on the beach, which I was not looking forward to, as I loose a lot of time on run ups which are really hard for me after riding all out.
Got mixed up w/ some bad google maps directions, but found the park and had enough time for a pre race lap. Lots of little hills on this one, all except one of which could be ridden. I knew this was going to hurt, as I was pretty dehydrated and hungover from a late dinner party with friends. I was determined to just sit in on the back and take it easy.
Race started and immediately there was some aggressive passing going on. I was near the tail, so not sure why the urgency. About 600 meters in, out of the corner of my eye, I saw two guys take each other out. Rider on my right said "that was grim." Ended up talking with one of the guys after the race, someone tried to pass on the outside, ran into a lamp post, and took them both out. But they were both OK.
30 minute race, and a farily long course, so we were going to do 3 laps. There was a long stretch on the beach, around some paths in the woods, then back the other side of the beach. It had rained a bit the day before, so the sand was a bit compacted and was rideable most of the time. Sometimes someone ahead would loose traction and stop, which would force you out of the pedals, but later in the race when you were on your own, you could just keep it in a big gear and power throug it.
As the race went on, I was super thirsty, but was catching and passing a rider every now and then. But most of the race I was out on my own toward the back, which was fine. Eventually I heard the announcer calling last lap, and I had yet to get lapped, which was cool. Crossed the line 61 out of 71 racers, which I was pretty happy about given my condition. No crashes, had fun and was not DFL, which I feared as I was not riding at my best.
Got mixed up w/ some bad google maps directions, but found the park and had enough time for a pre race lap. Lots of little hills on this one, all except one of which could be ridden. I knew this was going to hurt, as I was pretty dehydrated and hungover from a late dinner party with friends. I was determined to just sit in on the back and take it easy.
Race started and immediately there was some aggressive passing going on. I was near the tail, so not sure why the urgency. About 600 meters in, out of the corner of my eye, I saw two guys take each other out. Rider on my right said "that was grim." Ended up talking with one of the guys after the race, someone tried to pass on the outside, ran into a lamp post, and took them both out. But they were both OK.
30 minute race, and a farily long course, so we were going to do 3 laps. There was a long stretch on the beach, around some paths in the woods, then back the other side of the beach. It had rained a bit the day before, so the sand was a bit compacted and was rideable most of the time. Sometimes someone ahead would loose traction and stop, which would force you out of the pedals, but later in the race when you were on your own, you could just keep it in a big gear and power throug it.
As the race went on, I was super thirsty, but was catching and passing a rider every now and then. But most of the race I was out on my own toward the back, which was fine. Eventually I heard the announcer calling last lap, and I had yet to get lapped, which was cool. Crossed the line 61 out of 71 racers, which I was pretty happy about given my condition. No crashes, had fun and was not DFL, which I feared as I was not riding at my best.
StarCrossed cyclocross 10/6/12
I was really excited about this race. One of the bigger races on the NW cross calendar. I was in Seattle on business, and brought a bike a long. Plus I had a ton of friends and teammates who were racing as well. It was going to be a good day.
Afternoon race, so I spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee and talking with Bill on his porch. Suddenly it was getting late and I needed to get myself together and go. Only 40 minutes driving to the park, and I thought with the late start, I would have plenty of time, but a bit of traffic, long line at registration, and I just had time to pin on numbers and run up to staging. No warm up, but that was fine. Course was going to be fast and flat. No rain for months, so dry as well
Cat4s took off first, with a few minutes before my race, the 35+ cat 4s. About 2 minutes after the initial group left, two racers tore off down the starting stretch in pursuit, having missed the start.
Another couple of minutes and we were off. I was staged toward the back of the group. Long starting straight with a few sweeping curves gave us a chance to get stretched out. I was riding really well for the first 4 laps. Moving up in the field, passing quite a few riders. I was just off the back of the main part of the field, ahead of nearly half of the field, or so it seemed. Really hard to tell where you are in the race, but I passed 20-30 riders who had started ahead of me, and was still moving up. Looking for a solid placing at this one.
Then BANG. Front wheel washed out on a sandy patch in a corner just ahead of the barriers and the beer garden. I went down hard on my shoulder, then ducked under the tape to catch my breath. I was dazed, and thought I had a real injury. One of the spectators came up to me to check me out. Tapped on my collarbone, that was ok. I could lift my arm part way. OK, no dislocation. But I was sore as hell. My teammate Dave hopped over from the beer garden and offered me a drink of water. I was still a bit out of it, but trying to get myself together. I thought my race was over, but I talked to him for a minute, had a bit more water then jumped on the bike and said "I'm going to finish this thing". My chain was twisted up, so I had to immediately stop, invert the bike and re-route the chain, then I was off. Rode the last lap at sub tempo, getting passed by several riders who were now 3 laps up on me. But crossed the finish and felt pretty good, happy to have finished the race and not DNF.
Rolled over to the beer garden, saw Dave and Hank and grabbed a beer. Good to see Hank. We chatted about rowing for a bit. He's a solid masters rower, in a program at Pocock. I'm a fledgling novice rower, having spent more time on the bike than on the water this year.
Rolled over to the team tent, saw Sam, John, Matthew, Davo, Tim, and Brad among some more of the 2020 guys. Bill came over too. Hung around with those guys as the got ready or got cleaned up after their races. Spent a bit of time with Brad's kid Connor as Brad was getting ready for and then racing in the 1/2s. He had a solid race, but I could not stick around to watch all of it as I had dinner plans with friends.
Finished in the 90s, just ahead of the DNFs. Down 3 laps. I was really happy with how I had been racing up until my wipe out. Super fast course, and I was ripping it up. It happens. Looking forward to the next one.
Afternoon race, so I spent a leisurely morning drinking coffee and talking with Bill on his porch. Suddenly it was getting late and I needed to get myself together and go. Only 40 minutes driving to the park, and I thought with the late start, I would have plenty of time, but a bit of traffic, long line at registration, and I just had time to pin on numbers and run up to staging. No warm up, but that was fine. Course was going to be fast and flat. No rain for months, so dry as well
Cat4s took off first, with a few minutes before my race, the 35+ cat 4s. About 2 minutes after the initial group left, two racers tore off down the starting stretch in pursuit, having missed the start.
Another couple of minutes and we were off. I was staged toward the back of the group. Long starting straight with a few sweeping curves gave us a chance to get stretched out. I was riding really well for the first 4 laps. Moving up in the field, passing quite a few riders. I was just off the back of the main part of the field, ahead of nearly half of the field, or so it seemed. Really hard to tell where you are in the race, but I passed 20-30 riders who had started ahead of me, and was still moving up. Looking for a solid placing at this one.
Then BANG. Front wheel washed out on a sandy patch in a corner just ahead of the barriers and the beer garden. I went down hard on my shoulder, then ducked under the tape to catch my breath. I was dazed, and thought I had a real injury. One of the spectators came up to me to check me out. Tapped on my collarbone, that was ok. I could lift my arm part way. OK, no dislocation. But I was sore as hell. My teammate Dave hopped over from the beer garden and offered me a drink of water. I was still a bit out of it, but trying to get myself together. I thought my race was over, but I talked to him for a minute, had a bit more water then jumped on the bike and said "I'm going to finish this thing". My chain was twisted up, so I had to immediately stop, invert the bike and re-route the chain, then I was off. Rode the last lap at sub tempo, getting passed by several riders who were now 3 laps up on me. But crossed the finish and felt pretty good, happy to have finished the race and not DNF.
Rolled over to the beer garden, saw Dave and Hank and grabbed a beer. Good to see Hank. We chatted about rowing for a bit. He's a solid masters rower, in a program at Pocock. I'm a fledgling novice rower, having spent more time on the bike than on the water this year.
Rolled over to the team tent, saw Sam, John, Matthew, Davo, Tim, and Brad among some more of the 2020 guys. Bill came over too. Hung around with those guys as the got ready or got cleaned up after their races. Spent a bit of time with Brad's kid Connor as Brad was getting ready for and then racing in the 1/2s. He had a solid race, but I could not stick around to watch all of it as I had dinner plans with friends.
Finished in the 90s, just ahead of the DNFs. Down 3 laps. I was really happy with how I had been racing up until my wipe out. Super fast course, and I was ripping it up. It happens. Looking forward to the next one.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Night Weasels Cometh Cyclocross 10/3/2012
Another wednesday night race in No. central Mass. This one was a bit later start, so it would be under the lights. We had a few days of drizzle/rain, so it looked to be pretty wet, and maybe a bit muddy. Another race at a ski area, so a bunch of sidehilling and up and downs. Arrived early enough to get 2 laps on the course before the start. Not really muddy at all, just a lot of wet grass, and a few loose marble sized gravel patches. I was staged close to the back. Cat 4s lined up first, and the cat 4 35+ riders just behind them. It was still dusky, so the lights were not lit yet. The gun went off, and I immediately started moving up. I was feeling really strong, and was powering through the gravel, around a few wide turns, then up the switchbacks to the top of the bunny hill. Not too steep, so I kept it in a pretty big gear and grinded up at a low cadence. I ended up riding the whole race in one gear, never shifting out of the 46x24. It was bit heavy going uphill, and spinning out on the flats, but seemed to be working for me so I stuck with it. There were a few pretty rutted sections, where a big gear works better than a small one. If you're spinning too much through the bumps, it tends to throw you off the bike.
After the first few laps, started to settle into a good place. Passed a few more riders, and was mixing it up with a couple of other masters for the last few laps. I got lapped toward the end of the last lap, then came around a few last riders on the flats at the bottom of the course and finished alone. Pretty happy with my placing. A bit disappointed to have been lapped, but about 1/3 of the pack was lapped, so would have had to finish around the top 50% to avoid getting lapped. I'm getting close to that, but have not yet arrived. The form I had in August during those points races has not yet come back around, but I hope it I'm feeling it this weekend at StarCrossed, which I am really excited about!
After the 4s race, I had 15 minutes to kill before the cat 3 35+ started. I was super tired, and knew this was going to be tough. Got a drink, ran into Tim from Keene, and talked with him a bit about racing and getting together for some cross practice sessions in town. More about that later.
Photo of Tim
It had gotten dark by now, and the lights on the course were on Race started, and I was immediately off the back. Working as hard as I could, but after the first lap, it was just myself and one other rider out there alone at the tail. At one point I mentioned to him how it was kind of relaxing being out there all alone.
Him: "Either alone off the back, or alone off the front"
Me: "Alone off the front is too much work. I'll stay here for now."
Party at the back indeed.
He passed me after two laps, and I was content to stay just a couple of bike lengths back and keep him in sight. Then he wiped out in a greasy corner (there were a lot of greasy corners, you really had to pick your lines well), and I was forced to pass. I never saw him again.
Most of the areas were pretty well lit, but there were a few spots in the shadows. One of which was an off camber corner at the top of the course. It was super rutted, but in the daylight it was possible to pick a reasonable line and ride through it. In the pitch black, everyone was unclipping at least one foot and scooting through it, or running the corner.
Digging deep toward the end of the race.
I got lapped at the end of the 3rd lap, and hear the announcer say "3 to go" Wow, this was going to be tough. I was already in the bag with another 25-30 minutes to go. Kept riding along, getting lapped by the leaders every so often. On my last lap, the leader passed me again! and I finished just before the second and third place riders passed me for the second time. Ended up placing next to last. Happy just to have avoided finishing DFL. I have done doubles before, and the second race is just for fun and experience. After 40 minutes full throttle, there is nothing left, so the second race you are working just as hard, but can only hit about 80% of your top end speed.
At the finish, I met the guy I had been dueling with in the race. Turns out he races with the A group at Loudon. Bad Ass! I just upgraded from the Cs to the Bs for the last race of the season. He lives just a bit NE from me, and was interested to hear of our plans for a weekly cross practice session.
Checked results for the first race, stopped at the ski area bar for a beer and cookies, then they posted the results for the cat 3 race. They had me placed way higher than I had finished. I found an official, and let here know.
"Hi, you placed me 54th, but I really finished 75th"
"You want me to move you down in the placing? Really?"
"Yes, just trying to be honest on the account of all the other guys I really did not beat"
"OK. Go talk to that scorer."
"Hi, I wanted to let you know there was a mistake in the scoring. I should have been 75th, but was listed at 54th"
Something along the lines of "Why should I believe you, I don't know why you are telling me this. I will have to check my notes, and if they jive with what you are telling me, I will change the results, but if not then they will stand as they are."
I understand she was busy scoring riders as they came in. In hindsight, I may have had a better reception if I had waited until after that race was finished, but did not think about that at the time. She was polite, just a bit busy and distracted maybe. It turns out the results stood as marked. Sorry guys, I tried to get it straightened out.
Green Mountain Head 9/30/2012
Volunteered for the Green Mountain Head in Putney, VT this past weekend. It is a 3 mile out and back rowing race on the Connecticut river. Rowers row 1.5 miles down stream, around a buoy, then 1.5 miles upstream. There were both singles, and doubles, but no 4s or 8s in this race. It was a great race. My goal earlier in the summer was to row in the race, but as the summer went on, rowing took a back seat to bike racing and training for the upcoming cross season. I did not end up rowing at all after early August.
I had signed up to assist with timing. Due to some miscommunication, I was not aware that there had been a practice timing session thursday evening. The folks who were at that session were already set up to man the stopwatches and note start and finish times for each rower. So I would be an alternate, and just fill in if someone needed a break. I got a text from work while the organizer was describing how the system works, so I was distracted when he was describing the process. So it was just as well I was not going to be timing.
The marshall needed someone to help him get rowers queued up. I stood next to him with a pair of binoculars, and let him know if the rowers in each heat were lined up in order, and if there were any missing. Then he would call out "number one, fire it up, two just after that" etc. in order to get rowers moving. Every once in a while someone would show up to the hole a few minutes late, having missed their start, and we would slot them in at the end of the heat.
It was cool to see all of the different boats out there. We were standing close to the docks to get on/off the water as well, so we were in the center of the action. One rower came in on the police launch ( motorboat). He had cracked his carbon fiber scull out on the water, and had to get a ride back. Bummer. Did not get the details of what happened, it did not seem like he wanted to talk about it.
After the last rower got off, our job was done. There was still another half hour or so until the last rower came in, but we were finished. Got some food from the volunteer area and headed home. A fun way to spend the morning. Maybe next year I will get a bit more time on the water and enter this race. I may be able to borrow a boat from the Putney rowing club, as I have no boat of my own.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Midnight ride of Cyclocross 9/26/2012
Second race of the year. Cat 4 at the midnight ride of cyclocross. Day started out a bit rainy, which I was not thrilled about. Don't mind riding or racing in the rain, but I was still recovering from a cold I picked up last week, and was not looking forward to getting wet and cold. As the day went on, the rain stopped, and it warmed up quite a bit. GAME ON!
This was to be a fairly big race. It was billed as the "Ash wednesday of the holy week of New England cross". There is this race, the big UCI race in Gloucester this weekend, Night Weasels Cometh next wednesday (I'll be at that), then the Providence Cross Fest, another UCI race the following weekend. Gloucester fields filled up before I could register. I'll add that to the list for next year for sure.
Got to the race about an hour before the start, so I had plenty of time to warm up on the course. Fairly flat and fast, one long gradual hill. No sand, but there were several S turns through a big pile of wood chips to get a similar effect. Big ring the whole way!
Race started, I was staged about 1/2 way through the field. Got out to a good start, but was fairly soon getting passed by riders every lap. Made a few passes myself, but I was not at full power due to still being congested from this cold. One of the first riders to pass me was a young guy. I was wondering "who the heck is he?". Overhear the announcer that he was a 13 year old, who was in the lead for much of the race. Not sure if he pulled off the win, though.
I rode pretty well, but had a few bobbles on the barriers. I recently installed some new pedals, and this was my first race on them. The release is set a bit tight. Some times I could not get my foot out until just before the barrier, other times I would clip out early w/ my foot on top of the pedal, and it would clip back in. This was giving me fits for the entire race.
Last lap I really bumbled the last barrier, and two guys passed me just after it. I had hope of catching them on the downhill and flat section heading into the finish, but my chain jumped down to the small ring, and I had some difficulty getting it back on the big one for the finish sprint. Eventually got things together, and gained a lot of ground, but passed those two 2 meters AFTER the finish line. Oh well. Had a good, though not great race. This was the first intense workout I have had since I got sick. Finished 56/65, which was further back than I know I can do, but I did not get lapped, which was HUGE! First race where I was not lapped. I was a bit surprised I pulled this off, as it was a fairly short course, we did 6 laps at about 6:40/lap (winner riding 5:55 laps).
This was to be a fairly big race. It was billed as the "Ash wednesday of the holy week of New England cross". There is this race, the big UCI race in Gloucester this weekend, Night Weasels Cometh next wednesday (I'll be at that), then the Providence Cross Fest, another UCI race the following weekend. Gloucester fields filled up before I could register. I'll add that to the list for next year for sure.
Got to the race about an hour before the start, so I had plenty of time to warm up on the course. Fairly flat and fast, one long gradual hill. No sand, but there were several S turns through a big pile of wood chips to get a similar effect. Big ring the whole way!
Race started, I was staged about 1/2 way through the field. Got out to a good start, but was fairly soon getting passed by riders every lap. Made a few passes myself, but I was not at full power due to still being congested from this cold. One of the first riders to pass me was a young guy. I was wondering "who the heck is he?". Overhear the announcer that he was a 13 year old, who was in the lead for much of the race. Not sure if he pulled off the win, though.
I rode pretty well, but had a few bobbles on the barriers. I recently installed some new pedals, and this was my first race on them. The release is set a bit tight. Some times I could not get my foot out until just before the barrier, other times I would clip out early w/ my foot on top of the pedal, and it would clip back in. This was giving me fits for the entire race.
Last lap I really bumbled the last barrier, and two guys passed me just after it. I had hope of catching them on the downhill and flat section heading into the finish, but my chain jumped down to the small ring, and I had some difficulty getting it back on the big one for the finish sprint. Eventually got things together, and gained a lot of ground, but passed those two 2 meters AFTER the finish line. Oh well. Had a good, though not great race. This was the first intense workout I have had since I got sick. Finished 56/65, which was further back than I know I can do, but I did not get lapped, which was HUGE! First race where I was not lapped. I was a bit surprised I pulled this off, as it was a fairly short course, we did 6 laps at about 6:40/lap (winner riding 5:55 laps).
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Loudon Points race 9/17/12
Last night of the NHMS Track Series Monday. They switched the night from thrusday to monday for some unknown reason. Works for me.
At the start, the organizer asked us if we wanted 24 or 27 laps. 27 laps by popular demand. It's a ~1 mile loop on the flats. This was my first night racing the "B" race. I have race the "C" twice, winning twice early last year, and coming in second to my buddy Richard two weeks ago. He sent me an email saying "hey man, let's do the B race next week". OK. I was a bit nervous that I would get dropped at some point, but resolved to work like a dog to make sure that did not happen.
This is a points race, so a sprint for points every 3rd lap. No primes, except for special prime nights. 20ish riders at the start, which was a little less than most nights from what I have seen, but it was the last week of the year. We took off, and I just sat in, 6-10th for the first 2 laps. Decided to just sit in on the 1st sprint and see what happened. About 7 guys contested the sprint, gaped the field by a couple dozen meters, then it all came back together. Was nervous about a split forming, but that never happened. On the 3rd sprint, I was feeling good and decided to start giving it a go on the bell laps. I was in contention for several of them, and thought I may have picked up a few 3rds ( last place for points), but in the end it looks like I was finishing 4th or 5th. Still pretty happy to be in the mix, rather than sitting on the tail avoiding getting dropped. Been there, done that. Went for about every other points sprint. Toward the end, I was getting a little tired, and found myself on the front in a headwind on the finishing straight on a neutral lap. Pulled off a bit to let someone else on the front, and felt my bike suddenly slowdown. Thought maybe I got a flat, or got my wheel stuck in a gap in the concrete on the track. Then herd a "BANG" just behind me and felt a sudden acceleration. Oh, that was someone touching my wheel. Was moving too fast to look around. Richard pulled up to me on the back stretch and told me someone tapped my wheel and went down. Yep. The guy who went down was OK, got right back up and kept riding from what I heard at the finish. Glad they were OK. The last few laps were a blur, I was loosing track of when the sprint was until everyone suddenly picked up the pace, and I started sprinting as well. Pulled in 4th, and someone said "that's it" Race and season over.
Was really happy with how I rode on my first night upgrading to the "B" race. It is more fun riding in a larger group, the "C" race often only had 4-9 riders the 3 nights I did it. It was a lot of fun to be placing in that group, but I think I will get a better experience and grow more racing in the faster paced group from now on, even if it takes a while to get some points.
At the start, the organizer asked us if we wanted 24 or 27 laps. 27 laps by popular demand. It's a ~1 mile loop on the flats. This was my first night racing the "B" race. I have race the "C" twice, winning twice early last year, and coming in second to my buddy Richard two weeks ago. He sent me an email saying "hey man, let's do the B race next week". OK. I was a bit nervous that I would get dropped at some point, but resolved to work like a dog to make sure that did not happen.
This is a points race, so a sprint for points every 3rd lap. No primes, except for special prime nights. 20ish riders at the start, which was a little less than most nights from what I have seen, but it was the last week of the year. We took off, and I just sat in, 6-10th for the first 2 laps. Decided to just sit in on the 1st sprint and see what happened. About 7 guys contested the sprint, gaped the field by a couple dozen meters, then it all came back together. Was nervous about a split forming, but that never happened. On the 3rd sprint, I was feeling good and decided to start giving it a go on the bell laps. I was in contention for several of them, and thought I may have picked up a few 3rds ( last place for points), but in the end it looks like I was finishing 4th or 5th. Still pretty happy to be in the mix, rather than sitting on the tail avoiding getting dropped. Been there, done that. Went for about every other points sprint. Toward the end, I was getting a little tired, and found myself on the front in a headwind on the finishing straight on a neutral lap. Pulled off a bit to let someone else on the front, and felt my bike suddenly slowdown. Thought maybe I got a flat, or got my wheel stuck in a gap in the concrete on the track. Then herd a "BANG" just behind me and felt a sudden acceleration. Oh, that was someone touching my wheel. Was moving too fast to look around. Richard pulled up to me on the back stretch and told me someone tapped my wheel and went down. Yep. The guy who went down was OK, got right back up and kept riding from what I heard at the finish. Glad they were OK. The last few laps were a blur, I was loosing track of when the sprint was until everyone suddenly picked up the pace, and I started sprinting as well. Pulled in 4th, and someone said "that's it" Race and season over.
Was really happy with how I rode on my first night upgrading to the "B" race. It is more fun riding in a larger group, the "C" race often only had 4-9 riders the 3 nights I did it. It was a lot of fun to be placing in that group, but I think I will get a better experience and grow more racing in the faster paced group from now on, even if it takes a while to get some points.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
first cross race of 2012
Today was my first cross race of the year. Cat 4 at the Blandford Beer cross.
Was pretty excited. Thought I had my equipment dialed in for the start, but as it turns out, not so much.
Lined up in staging about 2/3 behind the front, which seemed like a reasonable place given my expectations. My first goal on the day was not get get lapped. Second goal was to finish in the top 30. In the past few years, cross has been an afterthought after a full season of road racing. This is the first year I took it easy on the road, and have been working to parlay my fitness from the Alps trip into cross.
As soon as we started, I regretted starting so far back. The course was 100% grass, a lot of twists and turns and a few hills. One interesting spiral feature, with three loops into the center of the spiral, two back to back 180 degree turns, then rolling back out of the spiral. Right from the gun, there were riders slowing to nearly a stop to navigate the first few corners. After less than a half a lap, it started to open up a bit, but by then things were pretty strung out. Starting closer to the front would have put me much closer to the leaders. Lesson learned.
I was riding well, picking up riders here and there, passing more than a dozen in the first lap. Had a couple of bobbles on remounting after the barriers. I have not practiced that at all this year, will have to get out with Darren and Tim to do some cross practice this week. The second lap, there were less passing happening. I got passed a few times at the runup. I always struggle to keep the gas up running up a short hill. A few riders nearly pedaled up the whole bank, which would have been advantageous, as the top was an off camber, with the rider downhill from the bike. Long legs really helped get back on the pedals, which several riders struggled with.
Two and a half laps in, I started feeling my rim hitting ground on a few small bumps. Looked back at the rear wheel, and said "Oh no". rear flat. I was able to nurse the bike into the pit w/o getting passed, and had a spare wheel, so inverted the bike and switched wheels. Got back on course, and started passing riders I had already passed 10 or 20 minutes ago. Felt a bit deflated, but tried hard to keep up the pace I had on the first half of the course.
Finished up, took a short recovery ride, then went back to check results. 52 out of 66 starters. A bit disappointing, but a much stronger finish than any of my previous cross finishes. Had I not flatted, I would have been in the 40s. Top 30 riders did not get lapped, anyone finishing behind 31 did get lapped, which is hard to avoid on a course with laps taking 9-10 minutes, especially when riders stack up early in the course.
Was pretty excited. Thought I had my equipment dialed in for the start, but as it turns out, not so much.
Lined up in staging about 2/3 behind the front, which seemed like a reasonable place given my expectations. My first goal on the day was not get get lapped. Second goal was to finish in the top 30. In the past few years, cross has been an afterthought after a full season of road racing. This is the first year I took it easy on the road, and have been working to parlay my fitness from the Alps trip into cross.
As soon as we started, I regretted starting so far back. The course was 100% grass, a lot of twists and turns and a few hills. One interesting spiral feature, with three loops into the center of the spiral, two back to back 180 degree turns, then rolling back out of the spiral. Right from the gun, there were riders slowing to nearly a stop to navigate the first few corners. After less than a half a lap, it started to open up a bit, but by then things were pretty strung out. Starting closer to the front would have put me much closer to the leaders. Lesson learned.
I was riding well, picking up riders here and there, passing more than a dozen in the first lap. Had a couple of bobbles on remounting after the barriers. I have not practiced that at all this year, will have to get out with Darren and Tim to do some cross practice this week. The second lap, there were less passing happening. I got passed a few times at the runup. I always struggle to keep the gas up running up a short hill. A few riders nearly pedaled up the whole bank, which would have been advantageous, as the top was an off camber, with the rider downhill from the bike. Long legs really helped get back on the pedals, which several riders struggled with.
Two and a half laps in, I started feeling my rim hitting ground on a few small bumps. Looked back at the rear wheel, and said "Oh no". rear flat. I was able to nurse the bike into the pit w/o getting passed, and had a spare wheel, so inverted the bike and switched wheels. Got back on course, and started passing riders I had already passed 10 or 20 minutes ago. Felt a bit deflated, but tried hard to keep up the pace I had on the first half of the course.
Finished up, took a short recovery ride, then went back to check results. 52 out of 66 starters. A bit disappointing, but a much stronger finish than any of my previous cross finishes. Had I not flatted, I would have been in the 40s. Top 30 riders did not get lapped, anyone finishing behind 31 did get lapped, which is hard to avoid on a course with laps taking 9-10 minutes, especially when riders stack up early in the course.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Claremont track series 8/21/12
Raced Tuesday night at the Claremont points series. Had a disappointing race there two weeks ago, lost focus and did not ride very smart. Rode all out for the first sprint, came up short, and decided to take it easy for a few laps to recover. Big mistake, as I got gaped and spent the next 30 laps chasing back up to the lead riders. Caught them with 5 to go, and contested the last two sprints, but got beat.
This week I was determined to focus a bit more and not let this happen again. Sat in for the first 3 sprints, then started mixing it up for the primes and points laps. Won a few laps, sat in for a few, won a few more. With 5 to go my buddy Richard took off. He got a good lead, but I started chasing. No one else in the group was interested in chasing, so I was off alone. Never caught up, but got enough of a lead on the rest of the bunch that I had second place points sewn up.
Ended up coming home with six bucks in cash and gift certificates, which was nice, but not the point. It was just a lot of fun to be out there riding hard and staying on top of things. Looking forward to next week, the last race of the season in Claremont.
This week I was determined to focus a bit more and not let this happen again. Sat in for the first 3 sprints, then started mixing it up for the primes and points laps. Won a few laps, sat in for a few, won a few more. With 5 to go my buddy Richard took off. He got a good lead, but I started chasing. No one else in the group was interested in chasing, so I was off alone. Never caught up, but got enough of a lead on the rest of the bunch that I had second place points sewn up.
Ended up coming home with six bucks in cash and gift certificates, which was nice, but not the point. It was just a lot of fun to be out there riding hard and staying on top of things. Looking forward to next week, the last race of the season in Claremont.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
West Alps Wrap up
Had a really great trip. Great terrain, scenery, and company. Could not have been better.
more photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcrphoto/collections/72157630767907148/ That is all the photos, good ones and junk all in there. No photo editing yet.
May post more here later.
more photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcrphoto/collections/72157630767907148/ That is all the photos, good ones and junk all in there. No photo editing yet.
May post more here later.
Monday, July 30, 2012
West Alps Bike Tour July 2012
West Alps Bike Tour July 2012
Went on a guided bike tour in late June/ early July with friends and team-mates from the 20/20 Fuel bike team. 18 of us on the trip. Hank had to bail at the last minute. He was missed.Great trip. Several HC climbs, as well as many smaller climbs. Keep in mind this is the French Alps, so a smaller climb is anything less than 2000 vertical feet. Really good to see all of my old friends from Seattle. Look forward to doing it again.
7 Days of riding, around 450 miles for me. 46,000 Vertical feet gained over the week. Some others got more, as they did longer loops each day. There were a few days I was wiped out and got a shuttle for the last hour of riding.
Stage 1 Morzine -> Albertville
84.4 miles5800 vertical feet
Getting ready to ride
Had a hurried morning. Breakfast started at 7:30, riding by 9:00. I
woke up at 8:40. Scrambled to get dressed before they packed up the
food. Grabbed a few slices of toast and a handful of apricots, then
got dressed and threw the bags into the van. Had enough time for a
group photo before we took off.
The ride started with a nice decent with light traffic, then flat
rollers for a bit until the first food stop. Ate up and rode with
Catrina for a bit before hitting the gas to try to catch the group
ahead. Caught Kevin and Dave, then rode ahead for a bit. Waited at
the top of the col de fleuris and we rode down as a group, and through
another set of rollers. The road got narrower and descended on a
platform carved out of the side of the gorge.
 |
| Kevin and Dave at the bottom of the gorge |
Hit food stop 2, then along a flat ride next to a lake, onto a bike
path, through the village, then up a 1500 foot climb up to the hotel.
Dragged myself up the climb, and caught Chuck and Tom on the flats at
the top. Nice pool, perfect for a cool off.
Stage 2 Col De la Madeleine and Col du Glandon
54.5 miles10500 vertical feet
Killer day! Wiped out! Started with 12 flat miles out of
albertville. Horst led out our group of 5, and rode a solid pace to
the start of the climb. Pretty easy work to sit on his wheel and get
pulled along, but he didn't seem to mind. We rode together for a bit
at the start of the climb, but I was feeling pretty strong, and picked
up the pace and rode off the front for a while. I would later come to
regret this. Steven caught on for a while, and we talked until he
dropped back. Most of the climbing was in the 34-27, but every once
in a while you could stand and drop down a gear or two for a change of
pace. Long steady climb, with a short decent thrown in the middle of
the climb. Horst caught up, and we talked a bit before he took off.
After about 2 hours in the saddle, and 4500 feet of climbing, hit the
food stop at the top of the col de la madeline, and chowed down.
 |
| Heading up the Madeleine |
 |
| And looking down |
Screaming decent down the valley, where it warmed up quite a bit.
Passed a few of my group who were on the side of the road with a wheel
issue, but they waved us on. At the bottom of the decent, we quickly
started climbing the Col de Glandon. I was feeling good early in the
climb, riding at a decent pace, even though I was a bit tired. With
10km to go, started to drag a bit, and regretting not stopping for a
coke in town, where I had passed a big group of riders doing the
same. Kept rolling uphill slower and slower. Horst caught up and
checked in. He said to be sure to save something in the tank for the
last 2k, as that was the hardest part.
Taken somewhere between Madeliene and Glandon. Still a long way to go...
As if there was anything left in the tank at that point!
With 3.5k to go, the van passed me. They had picked up Matthew, who
had gotten sick on the climb, and was unable to continue. Apparently
they rode by and said "He's good, he's in the zone." Not sure which
zone that was, maybe the twilight zone.
With 2k to go, it got steeper, up to 12%, as Horst had warned. This
is where the wheels fell off for me. Had to stop to catch my breath,
and could not find the energy to keep going. Didn't feel like a
typical bonk, just totally hit the wall and was really struggling.
Could only manage 2-300 meters of riding before stopping to rest or
push the bike a few feet before hopping back on. At some point I
threw the bike over my shoulder and tried to do a cyclocross run up
cutting out the switchbacks, but that effort nearly killed me. Dave
rode past, paperboying across the road. Tried that but I was really
dead. Finally I could see the top of the col ahead, and the van, and
managed to get back on the bike and pedal the last bit to the food
stop. Ate a bit, then asked for a ride back to the hotel, I was
cooked. Steven was looking for a ride back as well, but unfortunately
the van was full! He had to ride down, then back up 1100 meters up
the Alpe de Huez. He was feeling pretty good, though. Several others
also made the last climb, rather than getting a ride. Chapeau!
At dinner, we discussed and decided to take a rest day early, as the
forecast was calling for some rain, and most of us were really worked
after the hard day of riding. The next day we headed to Grenoble for
a day of shopping and hanging around off the bike.
Stage 3
Alpe de Huez -> Alpe de Huez.
69 miles
8500 vertical feet
View from the hotel balcony in the morning.
Original plan for the day was to ride the Marmotte route, a loop of
111 miles with 16k feet of climbing. This was shortened due to popular
demand. We cut this short by getting shuttle down the Alpe de Huez,
and up the col de la Croix de Fer. Most normal folks do the Marmotte as a one day ride, not the day after a metric centrury w/ 10k of climbing!
Got out at the top of the col, had a
fun fast 4500 foot decent, then rode across the valley. It was super
hot down low, high 80s-low 90s? I ride pretty poorly in hot weather,
but had taken a third bottle in my jersey to make it easier. I was
riding alone for a bit, passed a couple of german riders who I tried
to help out with directions in the bit of "Deutchlich" I could
remember from college. They were slightly more lost than I was.
Quickly rode up to the rest of the group, who were equally confused
with the map. Rode down some gravel paths, portaged bikes over two
fences and up a staircase, then got some food/drinks at a gas station
before finding the route and starting the base of the climb. Running into that gas station was a lifesaver. Rode with Bill for a while, then got ahead. About 1/2 way up, the heat was
really catching up to me, and I had to stop to get it together. Bill
rode up and threatened to take my photo, but I waved him off :) Got
back on the bike and kept pumping up.
 |
| Heading up col de Telegraphe |
Reached the top of the
Telegraphe and the food stop. At this point, I was the last one on
the road, but quite a few were still eating and getting ready to
leave. Steven had wiped out on a gravel patch, and had a bit of road
rash, but was still OK to ride.
After the food, a short decent then the climb up to the Galbier
started. Steady grade, mostly 6-8%.
Saw Dave up close to the top,
and rode the last several miles with him, which was really great.
This high up, it had cooled down quite a bit, and we were riding
through snow banks on the side of the road and through snowmelt
puddles. Stopped to take pictures of each other on the last few
miles. At the top, it was a bit cold and windy.
Ate quickly, put on
all of the clothes I had stashed in the van, and started the 4500 foot
decent. Lots of tight switchbacks at the start, but then it opened up
further down.
Rode through La Grave, which is a hot spot for extreme
skiing in the winter but was like most other alpine ski villages in
summer from what I could see. Shot through a few dark tunnels, then
arrived at the van which had stopped to pick us up and drive us back
to the hotel. Had a great dinner, then went out with Sam, Dave, Dave,
John, and Matthew to try to find an open bar in a ski town which had
shut down for summer. Found a place and shared a great bottle of wine with excellent company. Good times.
Stage 4
52 miles
4100 vertical feet
Started the day with a decent down the 23 switchbacks of the Alpe de
Huez. Fun decent. Could not really open it up, as there was a turn
every 500 or so meters. Took turns leapfrogging each other and
getting photos. This was immediately followed with a 500 meter climb
at a moderate grade. Another warm day, so I kept the pace pretty
easy. Rode on to the town of La Mure ( the wench) and met the group
who had stopped for cafe and cokes. Really started to heat up as it
was now midday, and I was having a difficult time keeping on the
paceline due to the heat as we rolled through some farily flat terrain. Struggled to keep even a low tempo pace, but hung on as long as
I could.
Eventually we dropped down onto a shaded portion of the
road, and some gravel roads, which was a welcome relief from the sun
and the heat. Had we stayed in the shade, I would have happily kept
going. Arrived at the van, on an outlook back in the sun. I was
sweating like crazy just standing around, and opted to finish the ride
in the van as I was really dragging. Was not sure I was going to make
the 400 meter climb back to the hotel at 90+ degrees. Waited for all
the riders to arrive, and continue on their way. Helped Stefan pack the food and equipment into the van, got in and we followed them up
the road with cool A/C :) Rode by Kevin and Dave and checked in, and handed a water
bottle off to Kevin. In pro style, he took it and drained it down his
back. Only way to be more pro would be to hang on the mirror for a
few hundred feet up the climb :)
Picked up Scott, who had wiped out on some loose gravel, and was a bit
shaken. He was OK, just not very confident, and didn't want to keep
going. Got to the hotel early, rested, then jumped into the pool.
Some wise soul got a basket full of beers from the bar, and joined us at the pool
and handed them out. Perfect! Great dinner, lots of pasta, and
watched the soccer match before crashing out. First 8 hour sleep of
the trip!
Stage 5
68 miles
6900 vertical feet
5:20 riding time
500 meter climb right out of the gate. That was a good leg warmer!
Moderate grade, and I was starting to get used to the heat at this
point. Nice 800 meter decent, with good roads.
Then a 600 meter
climb up to the food stop. This was up to the col de Grimone. Saw a
sign on the side of the road advertising the "Pain de Grimone". Non,
merci, I have quite enough pain at this stage. Climb was not as
difficult as others, but not a piece of cake, either.
Short decent with lots of long sweeping curves. I missed a turn, and had to turn around and ride a few
extra miles back up the hill. I think most of the group passed by me
at this point Oops. short climb, gradual decent to
the valley floor. The rest of the ride had rollers, followed by a 500
meter climb to the hotel. I had planned to do the whole route, but a
group of us stopped before the last climb for a coke. After that, I
realized I was hitting diminishing returns after 5+ hours in the
saddle, and waited for the van to pick a few of us up to return to the
hotel.
 |
| A few panoramic shots of the valley. Lots of wheat and lavender fields |
Stage 6
89 miles
6500 vertical feet
6:00 riding time
 |
| View from the start of the ride, just below the hotel |
started with along gradual decent that lost 800 meters in 30 miles.
Nice road with very light traffic. Fairly steep climb up, which
thankfully was only 500 meters or so.
Food stop, then another long
gradual decent. Rode down with Chuck, the alone until Bill caught up
to me, and we took turns pulling each other at a brisk pace across the
flats.
We had planned on stopping at a cafe in Die, and possibly
ending the ride there, but I was feeling strong and so we took a short
detour up a hill through the town of Luzerand. Stopped a the cafe
where the other guys were, grabbed a coke and took it on the road with
me. I was afraid if I sat down, I would not get back up, and I knew
there was a bit more suffering to be had on the day. Started the
climb up the col de roussett, 800 meters while sipping coke. around a
6% grade, but I was pretty tired with over 400 miles in my legs in the
last week. Passed Dave 2/3 of the way up, only to have him blow by me
as if I was standing still closer to the end.
Near the top of the col du Rousset en VercorsWe all waited at the
top of the col, and rode through a dark tunnel together.
 |
| Matthew in the tunnel |
Just enough light enough to see through to the end
Down a gradual decent. At the bottom, I slowly watched the others ride off into the
distance as we started the short climb back to the hotel. There was a
natural spring fed pool at the hotel, which was quite refreshing.
Amazing dinner, with a cheese course I will not soon forget.
 |
| NOM NOM |
Stage 7
37 miles
3800 vertical feet
3:00 riding time.
Many of us were quite tired at this point, so about half of the group
opted to skip the easiest planned route ( 73 miles, 9500 vf) in favor
of a shorter loop which would bring us back early, rather than just
before dinner.
Rode out had a 600 meter climb up to Herbouilly.
 |
| looking down from the col |
We all took it quite
easy, and expecially so on the decent, which had loose pea gravel all
over the road. Then the road took us through the Gorges de la Borne.
Spectacular scenery, amazing rock formations.
 |
| Bill riding down the gorge |
 |
| Steven and Chuck following |
 |
| Bill again |
Stopped in a small
village after we left the gorge for coffee and cokes, then made our
way back into town. Met Dave, Tom and Steven and had some crepes with
ham, cheese, and egg. AWESOME!! First eggs I had had all week. Got
back to the hotel, opened a few bottles of wine and broke down the
bikes for the return. The guys who had done the full route returned
around 5pm, and reported it was quite spectacular. It would have been
great to finish on that but I was so tired I would have rolled in a
few hours behind on death's door.
Transition.
next day, got in the vans to head back to Geneva. Checked into the
hotel, found a resteraunt with some killer pizza, then explored the
old part of the city in the rain. Found a bar to get out of the wet,
and watched a bit of the tour before heading back to the hotel to rest
before dinner. I got a bit hungry, and god help me, stopped at a
mcdonalds for a quick bite to eat to get back in time for the sprint
finish.
The group went out for some great indian food for the last meal
together before heading to the airport in the early AM for flights
back.
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