My day at the races; a story in pictures

I've been off the bike 5 or 6 weeks now, due to a sprained knee ( after getting taken out at a CX race :P).  Just started riding this week, and said, "what the heck, might as well do the CycleSmart CX this weekend"

It looked to be a cold one.  Better get prepared...

(I didn't end up needing half that gear...)
A downright balmy day for a bike race...

It warmed up to the mid-40s by the race start, thankfully.

On the drive down, I realized that my music was missing from my ipod.  Looks like a quiet hour drive down to the race...

 Fortunately, I discovered it had synced at least through the 'af's.  Enough music to get me through the drive.

Lining up in the last row, behind 150 of my closest friends.

The course was similar to years past.  Some minor re-routes, but no huge changes.

Results were nothing to write home about, but I'm OK with this given that I've not been riding at all for a month and a half...

The male cyclists version of 'thigh gap'  So embarrassing when this happens in public.

Montague Criterium 6/5/2013

First night at the montague MA criterium.  It's a short-lived series, only 4-5 weeks of racing.  Missed it last year due to some unknown reason, probably a mix of travel and weather.

Missed the first two weeks this year due to travel again, but made it to the 3rd of 5 races this year.

Arrived in plenty of time to warm up.  Had a hard time getting in any intensity during warmup, I just did not have it in my legs.  Had had a couple of longer weeks going into this, so there was some accumulated fatigue.

Pretty low key race.  No race numbers, I guess they just keep track of finish and primes by jerseys.  25 racers in the "B" group start.  24 laps around a .6 mile flat 4 corner course.

Started toward the front of the pack, quickly oozed back into the last 1/3, and after 4-5 laps found myself last man standing.  Pretty soon a gap formed, I was not able to chase it down, and sat out a lap to fall back in.  A couple more laps, same story.  I was really struggling to keep up the pace.  There was a crash at one point in the back of the pack, 4 riders went down, but everyone seemed to be OK.  I was about 50 feet off the back at this point, so in no danger.  Being off the back is not really the most fun place to be, but it IS safe :)

Last 12 laps I started feeling much better.  I was wondering if the race had slowed down, as I was keeping up, just sitting in the back, but not really feeling like I was working all that hard.  Looking at lap times now, it does not look like it slowed down, just that I got my act together and was able to be a part of the pack.

This looks like the kind of a race that I could be competitive in if I had good legs.  Missed the 4th race, but planing on being there for the last one this week.

2000

Hit 2000 miles yesterday.  Got over 600 miles in last month.  Been riding every day the past week since coming to Seattle for work.  Going to get another 70 miles in tomorrow.  And maybe going to do the VT 6 gaps ride next weekend, which would be 135 miles.  I'm tired just thinking about it.

Claremont track series 5/7/2013

First race of the year up at Claremont.

Arrived early, signed up and warmed up on the track with a handful of others.  Track is a 1/3 mile oval, with slight banking.  10 of us signed up for the B race, including a Jr on a cross bike, and another fellow on a cross bike w/ a rack!  Neutral first lap, then it was on.  40 laps with a sprint for points every 5th lap, and a sprint for primes in between.  You'd have 16 opportunities to go for it if you wanted to come home with some glory.

Sat in on the first sprint for points, just went for third place.  Points 5 deep, so I was on the board.  Jr on the cross bike had a SUPER creaky bottom bracket.  I tried to avoid riding his wheel, in case bearings started shooting out and he went down in flames. 

After the first sprint, 3 of us had about a 1/4 lap lead.  I thought that this was not going to be a 3 man show, and soon enough the rest of the group caught on. Started going for primes after that.  It is kind of hard to hear what is up for grabs, sometimes it is $2/$1 for first and second, other primes are gift certificates for local merchants.  Got a prime, settled in. 

About 15 laps in, I got a bit gassed and let off a bit, which was a big tactical mistake.  6 riders went off, and I was relying on the others to help me chase back on.  After a few laps, I realized that they were not working, and were just going to keep on at a more moderate pace.  Spent about 10 laps chasing back to the group, which had almost a 1/2 lap lead.  I'd get closer, then they'd have a sprint lap, and pull away.  About 25 laps in, I caught on, and had enough in the tank to take the next sprint.  Unfortunately, I had missed the double points on the mid-race lap. 

Alternated sprinting and sitting in for every sprint after that.  Picked up another prime and a few more points. Last sprint, again double points.  I was tired and got caught a bit too far back, 6th wheel.  No way I was going to get to the front in the last 50 meters, so I just rode in and watched from the back.

Came in 6th place, walked off with $1 in cash and $3 in gift certificates.  Not bad.  Letting the group gap me was a mistake, but first race of the year, it's allowed.  Felt much more comfortable and in control sprinting out of the corner, which in the past was a bit nervous.  Not sure what changed, but that was a great improvement.

Unfortunately I'll be missing the next two weeks, so not much chance of placing high for the monthly overall payout, but I'll be in seattle, so may try to catch seward park race, and I'll get a ton of riding in while I am there.

Shoot the Loop TT

Guess this was the second race of the year.  First since Battenkill, three weeks ago ( though it seems like much longer).

Low key 14 mile Time Trial sponsored by Eastern Mountain Sports.  Showed up, signed up, took a 15 minute spin, then road back to the shop to check in.  Only about a dozen racers.  One guy looked very fast, disc wheels and all.  His name was Dan.  We chatted a bit about my Neuvation wheels on the TT bike, wished each other luck, then sat in on the rider meeting.  30 seconds between starts.  Warm day, sunny, around 75 degrees.  Pretty nice.

I pulled the low number, which meant that I went first.  No problem.  Took off, hit the gas, got into a groove.  3 miles of flat riding.  Got passed by my minute man at this point ( the fast looking guy, Dan).  No problem, he took off and got out of sight pretty quickly.  A small rise, then a turn and a bit bigger of a hill.  Nothing major, but when you're all out, a 2-3% grade feels murderous.  Climbed about 150 feet, then hit a plateau.  Still cruising.

Around 9 miles in, I started to see stars.  Hit another turn, looked off to the side, and saw another rider about 30 seconds back.  Wasn't sure I could hold him off, and was just planning on keeping up speed and let the chips fall.  Within a mile, he passed with an "on your left".  This ended  up being Chris.  Really starting to start to feel the burn at this point.  Maybe went out just slightly too hot, but not knowing the course or profile, and not having done a TT in a few years, pacing has gone out the window.  Not much pacing in the points races I've been doing more of.  Or cross for that matter...

Focusing on just keeping a hard pace, keeping the HR close to the red.  1 mile to go, got passed again.  Tried to try to stay on this rider.  Passing was not going to matter in the results, as he already had at least 30 seconds on me, but wanted to keep him close.  Ended finishing about 40 feet off his wheel.

Met the other racers, went for a cruise with Dan.  Ended up working a bit hard, but what should I expect trying to keep up with the guy who beat me by 5 minutes in a 14 mile TT?  Had a nice conversation.  He mentioned they had this TT again in the fall.  I said I'd see him there as long as it did not conflict with a cross race.  Gotta have your priorities straight!

Great support.  Big jug of Nuun, free water bottles and cytomax chews.  Every racer got a pair of wool socks.  Dan won a helmet and a plaque.  I think I came in 4th out of 12?  21.3 mph average, which was pretty good.  3rd overall on the Strava segment, for whatever that is worth.  Happy with the performance.

Caught up to my daughter at the park.  She had gone fishing with her grandfather, and had caught 2 fish in the first two minutes!  Solid dinner at home with the in-laws, couple of glasses of wine.  Nice end to the day.

Tomorrow should be intervals, followed by a 20+ mile ride with a friend I have not seen since last fall.  Looking forward to it.  Seeing the friend.  The intervals, not so much.

Spring sprung

Spring has arrived!  Two days in the past week and a half that I have been able to ride in just shorts and a short sleeve.  Of course, there was a day in between where I had a jacket, vest, two pairs of leg warmers, and chemical footwarmers, but this is spring in New England, so we will take the weather as it comes.

I tried to take it a bit easy after Battenkill, but that plan seems to have gone out the window.  Two 60+ mile rides, and a couple of days chasing after Strava KOMs.  Got a few, so that's great, but really I should just have been doing easy spins instead of intervals until my head pops.  And planning on racing tomorrow night, even though my legs feel like blocks of wood.  I can recover later, right?

2013 Tour of the Battenkill

Drove out the morning of the race this time.  Past few years I have camped out w/ the family, but the weather was looking cool and rainy, and I had a later start.

It was pretty chilly.  Spend a while deciding what to wear, then went out for a 1/2 hour warm up ride.  Thought I had the clothing figured out by that point.  Got to staging plenty early.  I really wanted to get in the front of the group, and stay there at least for the first several miles.  Goal was to stay with the bunch for at least the first 3 of 6 climbs.  In the past, I was dropped off as soon as the grade lifted.  Did not want that to happen again.  I was going to kill myself to make sure it didn't. 

We went off, and started out at a moderate pace.  Kept my position in the top 10 for the first 15 minutes, then slowly started to drift back as riders moved up, and I was not paying enough attention.  Wide shoulder on the road, so I just punched it and got back up into the front.

Soon enough, we made a turn off toward the covered bridge.  This is a pinch point, as the road narrows to a single lane bridge instead of a full lane plus wide shoulder.  Still in the top 15, so looking good.  Then SLAM!  Two riders go down just off to my right side.  Was sweating it, but was far enough off to clear it easily.  Through the bridge, then onto the first climb.  I stuck in with the back of the pack, and watched as about a dozen riders fell off the pace.  Was killing myself, but hung in there, and we made the short decent, then a short second climb.  On the down hill, saw a few riders who did not navigate the slight curve, and were sitting in the ditch.  A few miles later, past a few riders sprawled out on the pavement w/ a medic treating them.  A bit nervy, but it seemed like most of the crashes were in the first 10 miles.

Proof of the suffering

This is where things got really strung out, and I was just hanging on to the back of the line.  Stuck in there, but by the time we got to the third grade, I was off the back.  Pretty quickly fell in with a group of 3 others, and we worked well together.  Every once in a while, someone would fall off the pace, but catch back on quickly.  There was one guy stronger than the rest of us, and after a dozen miles, he took off, another stopped for a nature break, and then I was alone.  All alone.

Roads were in really good shape.  There had been some rain, so the gravel was damp, and packed.  When it is really dry, some of the gravel stretches can be really loose, and a bit sketchy going down hill.  Not today.

Kept riding solo.  After about an hour, one of my group mates caught on, and we rode together.  He was having some mechanical troubles.  I told him no worries, just another 40 miles and he could get is sorted.  "That's funny.  I need more friends like you."

We rode together for a while.  Every now and then a group from a race starting behind us caught on.  We'd ride with them for a while across the flats, picking up the pace, but at every incline get dropped.  There was a reason they caught us despite starting 10 or 20 minutes after us.  I said "It's not so much that we're slow, it's that they are really fast."  He replied "No, man, we are really slow."  Still, I was really surprised that we never caught up to any riders.  Didn't get passed by anyone in our group, but did not catch anyone else at all. 

After 3 or so hours, he latched onto a group I could not keep up with.  Closing in on the finish.  Caught on to a slower moving group which passed me, and rode with them for a while.  On the next hill, it again broke up a bit.  "Just 15 more nails left on the coffin."  Up what I thought was the last hill.

Raced across the flats, headed to the finish for sure.  I seemed to remember this stretch.  Was not checking the odometer, and when we turned a corner and I saw Stage road staring me in the face, I groaned.  Forgot about that one.

Courtesy of KJS photo http://www.ksjphoto.com

Thrashed up the gravel hill, down, and now we're hitting the finishing flat.  Rolled up to another rider.  It was nice to sit on his wheel, but he was taking it really easy, so I pushed on to try to catch someone ahead.  Never did, didn't loose any ground, but did not make any up either.  I was spent.  Last two times I did this race, I was able to rally in the last 5 miles and pass a bunch of riders.  Not this time, there was absolutely nothing left in the tank.

Rolled into the finish, got some chocolate milk from the local dairy, short recovery ride, then crashed in the van with some food. 

Great race.  Quite disappointed that I turned myself inside out, only to finish in the exact same place as the past two years.  It is a great early season race, and a good workout.  But I'm wondering if I will do the race again, or instead do the gran fondo ride that a few friends did.