Orosi Road Race, March 29, 2008
By Mark Edwards
Is Orosi really the toughest road race in the NCNCA? For years I’ve been curious about Orosi. Several racers have told me it’s a climber’s course, it’s beautiful, and it’s the hardest race of the season. 60 miles, nearly 6,000’ feet of climbing, lightening fast narrow twisty descents and flat headwind stretches. It’s got it all.
Scott and I made a last minute decision to make a red eye round trip to see for ourselves. He picked me up at 4:00 AM and off we went.
The registration area was very low key. Threatening rain, out in the middle of no-where, long tough course, and early season kept the field small. Our 45+ race would be combined with the 35+ 1,2,3. I think there were about 25 of us at the start.
The long three mile promenade was relaxed and social. The long opening climb would change that…
30 minutes of climbing has a way of splitting things up. We didn’t appear to start too terribly hard, but the pace never dropped, even though the grade ramped up. Roughly 10 minutes after starting the climb the lead group was down to 6 (5-45+, 1-35+), and I was barely hanging on.
Somehow I’d managed to hang on as we topped out and started 15 or so miles of rollers. These guys were working together, and working hard. In a group that small you can’t hide. Also, in the world of the 45+ super climbers, you don’t want to get the reputation of a wheel sucker. These guys respect hard work and will reward it. Suck too many wheels and you’ll find yourself targeted and attacked until you’ve popped. Pull your weight and these guys will actually work to help you stay with the group. Sweet.
So work we did. The 35+ rider with us was a diesel, and the rest of us did our share. Several times I was worried that, even if I didn’t pop in our pace line, I would be in serious trouble on the second 30 mile lap.
We sat up once back down in the flats. We had about 5 miles before starting the big climb again. Just before getting to the climb a group of 6 guys caught us. I was stunned, it’s not like we were taking it easy (except the last couple of miles). Those guys must have taken some pretty big risks on the super steep, narrow, twisty descent (never mind the huge drop off on the left).
As the climb takes its first serious turn upwards the pavement deteriorates. In fact, I was thinking it was even worse than Copperopolis. Out of the saddle, nearly sprinting to keep in contact, my back tire was off the ground as much as it was on. Traction was sketchy at best. Fortunately this section is less than a mile in length. Copperopolis’ reputation for the worst pavement is still intact.
Jon Ornstil has long been a measuring stick for me. Not that I’m anywhere near his ability, but he likes the same type of races I do. Each year I try to move a couple of places closer to his finishes (usually 1st or 2nd). In both Pine Flat and Copperopolis I managed (for the first time ever) to actually finish ahead of him. I’m thrilled to have done that, but never believed it was anything other than a couple of lucky days. At Orosi the proper order would be restored. Jon was on, and he hadn’t made this long drive to finish in the pack.
A third of the way up the big climb, the second time, we were down to seven (6-45+, 1-35+). Jon was pulling like a freight train. Half way up Jon, Kevin Susco, and the 35+ rider pulled away. Four of us worked to try and limit the damage. Or more accurately, 3 of us worked. Our forth rider, Leon Pitts, is a teammate of Jon’s and was there to keep an eye on us and stay fresh.
90% of the way to the top Carl Nielson and I lost contact with Leon and Max (the 4th rider). Carl and I held the gap to 50 meters, but Jon’s group, powered by the 35+ rider was now out of sight. Just meters from the top both my calves cramped, damn! “There goes my race”. But Carl slowed at the same time. I limped over the top and caught Carl’s wheel for the level rolling section ahead.
Carl took a pull, but it seemed slow to me. I’d recovered a little, but what was going on for him? I pulled, he pulled, I pulled, when I turned for him to come around the next time I couldn’t see him. Carl rarely pops before me; I knew I was on borrowed time.
I was still feeling on the edge of cramping, but I was okay as long as I didn’t stand. I chased and finally caught Max and Leon. We were coming up to the hardest of the remaining climbs. I figured it was my only chance to drop Leon. If I could separate him we’d all be doing the same work. I attacked the last steep climb, luckily I didn’t cramp. I went over the top totally drained. A glance over my shoulder showed that Leon was six inches off my wheel, but Max was no where in sight.
At this point Leon agreed to work with me. Jon had an insurmountable lead and Leon and I didn’t want to get caught. So we teamed up and hammered towards the finish.
As we made the final right turn, 2 miles of gradual climbing lead to the finish. Leon and I decided to forgo the typical cat and mouse, track stand, surge tactics and go mano-a-mano to the finish. Let the strongest man win.
We slowly ramped up our speed until we were both breathing hard, at about 200 meters Leon jumped out of the saddle, but it appeared his legs buckled under him. I had a little left, so I tried to take it up another .5 mph. I couldn’t hold it, but it was enough. I finished third. Kevin got first, Jon second.
So is Orosi the toughest? Well… it was probably my toughest, but I’m sure that was primarily due to the highly motivated and tough field. Like they say, “The racers make the race”.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Ronde Van Brisbeen - Brisbane Highlands Circuit Race, 3/30/2008
Part Deux of my weekend racing saga... though not as tragic as a Norse saga, it had it's own share of disappointment. Team Bicycle Trip had nine (9) racers in the 45+ age group of combined Category 3 and 4 racers. Nine! Including the 2007 Brisbane Highlands Circuit Race 45+ Cat. 4/5 champion, Mark Edwards! I would definitely have picked us to win if I were a bookie, yet the best laid plans...
Team Captain Eddy "The Snake" Price and I powered up the peninsula in his Cougar on that cold but beautiful morning, drinking coffee and talking a mile a minute; we were psyched! Not only did our chances for this circuit race look great but I was also in contention for a podium spot in this 2-stage race weekend after my nice 5th place in the Saturday criterium, which was Stage 1 of the "Omnium" (the circuit race would be Stage 2 and the two results combined for an overall winner). Ed vowed to work hard to help me with whatever he could do to help me, while I and the rest of the team worked to help Mark.
We got to the venue in time to watch Robbie Abundis in the 35+ Cat. 4 race where he got a solid 31st-place finish with the pack. The course was much tougher than Saturday's; about 1.7 miles with 100 feet of climbing per lap on a smooth looping road in a valley next to Mt. San Bruno. And the wind picked up again, though a bit weaker. So it was great to see him do well. Matt Werner and Bob Montague, too, rode strong, in the open Cat. 5 race.
Ed warmed up on his rollers while I warmed up by riding around. Mark, Geoff Drake, Jim Langley, Scott Martin, Joe Platin and John Pollard showed up and we had a quick summary of Mark' s ideas for tactics (Vladan Strbac arrived later). There were some great tips on how to close or create gaps as needed, when to go with a break or not, and much more. Each of us had a specific role to fill too. Originally I was to help create gaps and hopefully lead Mark out at the finish, but Mark instead suggested that I just save myself for the leadout. This was awesome, but I also knew that having a bunch of guys in the same uniform was no guarantee that we'd work well together as a team. But Team Bicycle Trip has trained and raced together so well before that I was certain we'd shine.
We all tried to be at the front of the pack at the start so we could begin our tactics immediately. Like usual my Nordic upbringing worked against me and I politely let half the pack in before me. The start, at the top of the hill, was fast down the curving hill and I had to work forward a bit at first. While I was just supposed to sit in and rest, I felt I could also try to make some small contributions to help Mark for the Stage 2 win. I also wanted to mark my competitors for the Omnium, but I felt the hilly course was better for me than those big sprinters so that shouldn't distract me too much.
It was great to see the team working together, and I was truly impressed at how well they all did in following our script. I even heard some guys talking about Mark and us. At one point I was following Scott when he slowed down annoyingly -- he was supposed to do that, so great work Scott! And I made a few of my own gaps at times. On one lap I found myself at the front and able to promote a gap to Jim and another guy who were off the front up the hill. Then Joe shot forward spectacularly to join them and instantly a Peninsula Velo guy said "there are two of them up there now." That shut down the break, but it also reminded me of how powerful Joe is.
We had a few hard climbs but I truly felt great the whole time. Sitting in the pack with that headwind up the hill really helps! But that could also mean that our competitors were doing likewise. Jim tried to tell me something on one of the last laps. I had a hard time hearing in the wind, but I later learned that he was offering to lead me out, though I would probably have declined anyway and stuck to our original script. I had a hard time seeing who was working at the front, but certainly my teammates were there a lot, and I saw Mark sitting in a lot too so it looked like everything was going perfectly to plan. However, there were cracks starting to form that I knew nothing of.
With 2 laps to go Geoff was off the front and forcing a furious pace that must have taken a lot out of the pursuers. Mark was next to me and I said to him "this is good!" I was still feeling fresh, though I had to take a few calming breaths, and I was excited at the prospect of Geoff possibly soloing to victory, while we still had Mark as an ace in the hole should Geoff tire. I tried to open a few gaps without getting dropped myself, because I was still holding back a little in case I needed to lead out Mark.
On the last lap I was near the front on the downhill. On the climb I saw Geoff way up ahead, maybe 100 yards or more, and I again tried to open up a gap. But then Geoff moved off course... what happened?!! I moved forward because the chase group, I was fairly sure, had no Team Bicycle trip jerseys in it. I passed Geoff sitting in the main pack... OK, how did he get there? Thoroughly confused, I moved forward and saw Jim also sitting in and Mark was, inexplicably, nowhere near the front. There was an increasing gap to the leaders and none of us were with them. It was like our team vanished! The finish line was getting closer and I got worried that all nine of us were missing the decisive move!
I noticed that Darryl Smith (ICCC) and Jess Raphael (VOS) were ahead of me, and I was marking them for placement in the 2-day Omnium results. I resolved to move ahead, plans be darned, and at least stay with those two guys. Perhaps Mark was moving up behind me and Jim or Geoff could help him. All I knew for certain was that I would never want to be any further back at that late point in the race, regardless of my role!
As I closed the gap big Jess was dropping off the pace on the climb, but Darryl was still up front. I drafted Jess for a few seconds but he was letting a gap open with no VOS guys ahead of him. He was at 100% already and sounded like a steam engine! I quickly decided to move around him and soon I could see the barriers that marked the finish line area. Time to get moving! I closed the last gap to the back of the lead pack and tried my best to keep going. I passed a few guys and was making headway, but I was in my 42-tooth chainring instead of my 53. Not ideal. I ended up in my 42x12 as I desperately flew to the line to salvage whatever place I could for the team. I briefly caught Steve Mielich (SJBC), but he threw his bike at the line for 8th place, while I got 9th!
What happened? I couldn't believe that I ended up being our best finisher! Well, I was able to piece it together after our cool-down lap. It turned out that Mark and Scott had decided to go to the Orosi Road Race the day before; 60 miles long with 6,000 feet of climbing! I had no idea any teammates were even remotely interested in going there. Well, that explained why Mark was too tired to contest the finish. I don't know that I would have finished any better than I did even so, because I clearly held back enough to be able to sprint at the end. Unfortunately Jim thought we had a teammate in the lead pack so he held back... he might have been able to contribute or even go for the win himself. And Geoff's mysterious disappearance and reappearance? That was Ed who pulled off course! Geoff had been caught while Ed was up ahead and about to be lapped! Mystery solved.
[I later learned that everybody except Ed and I knew about this plan and they had discussed it while carpooling to the race, but the important message that I was the leader wasn't specifically mentioned to me. Oops.]
After our race Ed, Vlada and I watched Bryan King race in Cat. 4. He kept in a perfect position the whole race and finished strong in 24th. Great job! It also turned out my parents had watched the whole race, unbeknownst to me. I also discovered that I finished 5th in the overall Omnium results for the weekend... but the podium only went down to 3rd place! Oh well.
Still, it was an awesome experience, in spite of the lack of a podium finisher from our team. Teamwork isn't something that we can learn instantly, and we have more work to do. But we delivered 90% of our plan, and that is a great testament to the quality of our riders. I am proud to be a part of Team Bicycle Trip and in the future I know we'll also deliver the most important element of our plan; victory!
Team Captain Eddy "The Snake" Price and I powered up the peninsula in his Cougar on that cold but beautiful morning, drinking coffee and talking a mile a minute; we were psyched! Not only did our chances for this circuit race look great but I was also in contention for a podium spot in this 2-stage race weekend after my nice 5th place in the Saturday criterium, which was Stage 1 of the "Omnium" (the circuit race would be Stage 2 and the two results combined for an overall winner). Ed vowed to work hard to help me with whatever he could do to help me, while I and the rest of the team worked to help Mark.
We got to the venue in time to watch Robbie Abundis in the 35+ Cat. 4 race where he got a solid 31st-place finish with the pack. The course was much tougher than Saturday's; about 1.7 miles with 100 feet of climbing per lap on a smooth looping road in a valley next to Mt. San Bruno. And the wind picked up again, though a bit weaker. So it was great to see him do well. Matt Werner and Bob Montague, too, rode strong, in the open Cat. 5 race.
Ed warmed up on his rollers while I warmed up by riding around. Mark, Geoff Drake, Jim Langley, Scott Martin, Joe Platin and John Pollard showed up and we had a quick summary of Mark' s ideas for tactics (Vladan Strbac arrived later). There were some great tips on how to close or create gaps as needed, when to go with a break or not, and much more. Each of us had a specific role to fill too. Originally I was to help create gaps and hopefully lead Mark out at the finish, but Mark instead suggested that I just save myself for the leadout. This was awesome, but I also knew that having a bunch of guys in the same uniform was no guarantee that we'd work well together as a team. But Team Bicycle Trip has trained and raced together so well before that I was certain we'd shine.
We all tried to be at the front of the pack at the start so we could begin our tactics immediately. Like usual my Nordic upbringing worked against me and I politely let half the pack in before me. The start, at the top of the hill, was fast down the curving hill and I had to work forward a bit at first. While I was just supposed to sit in and rest, I felt I could also try to make some small contributions to help Mark for the Stage 2 win. I also wanted to mark my competitors for the Omnium, but I felt the hilly course was better for me than those big sprinters so that shouldn't distract me too much.
It was great to see the team working together, and I was truly impressed at how well they all did in following our script. I even heard some guys talking about Mark and us. At one point I was following Scott when he slowed down annoyingly -- he was supposed to do that, so great work Scott! And I made a few of my own gaps at times. On one lap I found myself at the front and able to promote a gap to Jim and another guy who were off the front up the hill. Then Joe shot forward spectacularly to join them and instantly a Peninsula Velo guy said "there are two of them up there now." That shut down the break, but it also reminded me of how powerful Joe is.
We had a few hard climbs but I truly felt great the whole time. Sitting in the pack with that headwind up the hill really helps! But that could also mean that our competitors were doing likewise. Jim tried to tell me something on one of the last laps. I had a hard time hearing in the wind, but I later learned that he was offering to lead me out, though I would probably have declined anyway and stuck to our original script. I had a hard time seeing who was working at the front, but certainly my teammates were there a lot, and I saw Mark sitting in a lot too so it looked like everything was going perfectly to plan. However, there were cracks starting to form that I knew nothing of.
With 2 laps to go Geoff was off the front and forcing a furious pace that must have taken a lot out of the pursuers. Mark was next to me and I said to him "this is good!" I was still feeling fresh, though I had to take a few calming breaths, and I was excited at the prospect of Geoff possibly soloing to victory, while we still had Mark as an ace in the hole should Geoff tire. I tried to open a few gaps without getting dropped myself, because I was still holding back a little in case I needed to lead out Mark.
On the last lap I was near the front on the downhill. On the climb I saw Geoff way up ahead, maybe 100 yards or more, and I again tried to open up a gap. But then Geoff moved off course... what happened?!! I moved forward because the chase group, I was fairly sure, had no Team Bicycle trip jerseys in it. I passed Geoff sitting in the main pack... OK, how did he get there? Thoroughly confused, I moved forward and saw Jim also sitting in and Mark was, inexplicably, nowhere near the front. There was an increasing gap to the leaders and none of us were with them. It was like our team vanished! The finish line was getting closer and I got worried that all nine of us were missing the decisive move!
I noticed that Darryl Smith (ICCC) and Jess Raphael (VOS) were ahead of me, and I was marking them for placement in the 2-day Omnium results. I resolved to move ahead, plans be darned, and at least stay with those two guys. Perhaps Mark was moving up behind me and Jim or Geoff could help him. All I knew for certain was that I would never want to be any further back at that late point in the race, regardless of my role!
As I closed the gap big Jess was dropping off the pace on the climb, but Darryl was still up front. I drafted Jess for a few seconds but he was letting a gap open with no VOS guys ahead of him. He was at 100% already and sounded like a steam engine! I quickly decided to move around him and soon I could see the barriers that marked the finish line area. Time to get moving! I closed the last gap to the back of the lead pack and tried my best to keep going. I passed a few guys and was making headway, but I was in my 42-tooth chainring instead of my 53. Not ideal. I ended up in my 42x12 as I desperately flew to the line to salvage whatever place I could for the team. I briefly caught Steve Mielich (SJBC), but he threw his bike at the line for 8th place, while I got 9th!
What happened? I couldn't believe that I ended up being our best finisher! Well, I was able to piece it together after our cool-down lap. It turned out that Mark and Scott had decided to go to the Orosi Road Race the day before; 60 miles long with 6,000 feet of climbing! I had no idea any teammates were even remotely interested in going there. Well, that explained why Mark was too tired to contest the finish. I don't know that I would have finished any better than I did even so, because I clearly held back enough to be able to sprint at the end. Unfortunately Jim thought we had a teammate in the lead pack so he held back... he might have been able to contribute or even go for the win himself. And Geoff's mysterious disappearance and reappearance? That was Ed who pulled off course! Geoff had been caught while Ed was up ahead and about to be lapped! Mystery solved.
[I later learned that everybody except Ed and I knew about this plan and they had discussed it while carpooling to the race, but the important message that I was the leader wasn't specifically mentioned to me. Oops.]
After our race Ed, Vlada and I watched Bryan King race in Cat. 4. He kept in a perfect position the whole race and finished strong in 24th. Great job! It also turned out my parents had watched the whole race, unbeknownst to me. I also discovered that I finished 5th in the overall Omnium results for the weekend... but the podium only went down to 3rd place! Oh well.
Still, it was an awesome experience, in spite of the lack of a podium finisher from our team. Teamwork isn't something that we can learn instantly, and we have more work to do. But we delivered 90% of our plan, and that is a great testament to the quality of our riders. I am proud to be a part of Team Bicycle Trip and in the future I know we'll also deliver the most important element of our plan; victory!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Brisbane Cat 5 Circuit Race
I thought you might like to hear about my race today. I got up before the birds and had a light meal. I was the designated carpool driver, so I took the already loaded Tahoe to my first pickup spot in Rio Del Mar at 5 am. I was disappointed to find that my first teammate, Rob was dropping out because his wife was sick. Oh well, on to the next stop. Denny's in Santa Cruz. Once there I picked up my teammate Matt, and we headed off to Brisbane. Matt strikes me as a strong rider from our team workouts, but like me, he is a cat 5. We talked about a variety of things on the way to the race, but our pre designed strategy from the coach seemed like it was going to be a bust. I had hoped to have two teammates in the race, all helping each other, but with one of our members dropping out, I had reservations about my ability to hang with the group on the climb. I told Matt that he should ride his own race and leave me to fend for myself.
Once we got to the event site, we changed and rode a couple of times around the circuit while waiting for registration to open. Once registered we got our numbers pinned on and commented on how cold it was. We continued to ride the circuit to warm up, and I suspected that the climb was going to make things tough for me. Race time was approaching quickly and we returned to the car to shed everything we didn't need. On returning to the starting area, we found these race organizers to be very punctual, and guys were already lining up in the gate. Ours was the first race of the day, and I think it went off right on time. The race was scheduled for 50 minutes and the plan was to post the number of laps remaining about halfway through the race ( once our lap time had been determined). The stated rules were that going off course was grounds for disqualification, along with falling behind more that 1/2 lap on the peleton. For me, this was cause for concern. As we approached 2 minutes til start, a race official came along and told me I had my number on wrong and needed to realign it. A guy next to me was trying to help, but I recognized that I wasn't going to get the job done in time. I told the race official not to worry, "I wasn't planning to win", and he let me go off with the bunch.
The circuit began at the top of a hill and began with a gently sweeping downhill to the right. The group took off at a brisk pace and I had no problem staying in the peleton. The road continued to sweep to the right and down, but eventually came to a fairly sharp left turn. Our first time through 3 or 4 guys went down here. I really couldn't figure out why they went down, except they seemed to not know how to turn their bikes. Matt warned me of a couple of other guys in the group with the same problem, who had yet to go down. The road continued straight on and down to a very sharp right hand turn, ominously banked by hay bales. None of the group went down here, but the inability of many of these cat 5 riders to turn a sharp corner was again evident. The group slowed and streched out and I found that as we turned up the hill, I was one of the 15 or so who got dropped. I began a very hard chase, but soon realized that even if I got back on, I would have expended too much of my energy doing it to stay there. The road was heading steadily upward and I resigned myself to settling into a pace that I could maintain. There were a variety of riders around me coming to the same conclusion, and for now we continued on as individuals whose egos were bruised but not broken. I was somewhat apprehensive to see that both of the guys that Matt had warned me of earlier were in this group with me. As we got bake to the end of the first lap, I realized that none of this group was any stronger than I, and that our only hope to work ourselves back into the race was to work together as a team. I tried to take the lead in this, but there were only a couple of guys willing to work together. The rest were still riding as individuals and attacking us. The three of us who were working together, chased down all of the attacks and continued on for several laps. At one point I tried to give one of these individuals some guidance on how to approach the corners. He thanked me and ask if it showed that this was his first race. I laughed and told him that it was probably all of our first race. Somehow, I think this dejected him and he dropped out soon thereafter.
As we continued to circle the circuit, we overtook a number of riders and found others on the side of the road who had dropped out. Our group picked up a few stronger riders and continued to work sporadically as a team to get back in the race. I was concerned that we were falling too far behind, but we didn't get waved off the track. As we entered the bell lap, I knew that there would be some attacks. I decided to sit back and wait as long as I could for the important one. First, a big guy took off on the downhill, but I wasn't worried about him because he couldn't corner and he couldn't climb. I just let the rest of our group pull me back onto him. A couple of more moves amounted to nothing by the time we were halfway up the final climb. But then two of the stronger riders that we had picked up from the late drops made a move. I told the one guy I had been working with most closely that we needed to chase that one down. He took off with me on his wheel and we ran them down. My boy had burned his matches though in getting us up to them, and as I looked around, I saw that there were still a number of guys hanging with us. I could see the shadow of one dude on my wheel and decided to wait for him to make his move before making mine. In one way, that was the right thing to do, but it probably cost me a place at the finish. As the guy came around me on my left, a kid came around him to his left. I went right away, but the kid had a good sprint and too much of a head start for me to catch him by the line. Pissed me off. I would have nailed him, but I failed to mark him and actually don't even know how long he had been riding with our group. My mistake on that one, but I did have plenty of juice to take second in our group's sprint. It felt like I hadn't finished last, and I knew I hadn't crashed. So, in at least those two ways, I had exceeded my expectations for this race.
I found Matt and was told that he had been feeling pretty good as second wheel on the next to last lap. Unfortunately, he was dropped shortly thereafter, but continued to ride strong enough to finish 18th out of 63 registered entrants. I think they had about 8 no shows and a number of riders who were disqualified for falling too far behind. Of the 45 finishers, I placed 30th, and was actually quite pleased to do so.
My review of my strengths and weaknesses in this race leads me to several conclusions. The first is that training under Mark's direction will help me to continue to improve my strength and fitness. I continue to be impressed with his professionalism and the comaraderie that he has fostered among the team, although I expect he may at times wonder why Ed has saddled him with this fat guy. This leads me to my second conclusion, which is that I believe that if I continue with this training and additionally continue to adjust my body composition ( lose weight), that I will be able to hang with and begin to deal out some punishment in at least this level of race. I also think I have to focus on my group riding skills, so that I can become more comfortable being in the middle of a pack as well as learning how to move through a group. My descending and cornering skills were better than most of the riders I was faced with today, but I was possibly dropped earlier than I should have been because I am not comfortable enough in the group. I also think that my strength and fitness were equal to the group. I was never really pushed by the guys I ended up riding with, and I think it is only my power to weight ratio that kept me from being able to keep up with the leaders.
All in all, it was a fun day. I learned a lot by racing and by watching the later race with 8 of the team members in it.
Bob
Once we got to the event site, we changed and rode a couple of times around the circuit while waiting for registration to open. Once registered we got our numbers pinned on and commented on how cold it was. We continued to ride the circuit to warm up, and I suspected that the climb was going to make things tough for me. Race time was approaching quickly and we returned to the car to shed everything we didn't need. On returning to the starting area, we found these race organizers to be very punctual, and guys were already lining up in the gate. Ours was the first race of the day, and I think it went off right on time. The race was scheduled for 50 minutes and the plan was to post the number of laps remaining about halfway through the race ( once our lap time had been determined). The stated rules were that going off course was grounds for disqualification, along with falling behind more that 1/2 lap on the peleton. For me, this was cause for concern. As we approached 2 minutes til start, a race official came along and told me I had my number on wrong and needed to realign it. A guy next to me was trying to help, but I recognized that I wasn't going to get the job done in time. I told the race official not to worry, "I wasn't planning to win", and he let me go off with the bunch.
The circuit began at the top of a hill and began with a gently sweeping downhill to the right. The group took off at a brisk pace and I had no problem staying in the peleton. The road continued to sweep to the right and down, but eventually came to a fairly sharp left turn. Our first time through 3 or 4 guys went down here. I really couldn't figure out why they went down, except they seemed to not know how to turn their bikes. Matt warned me of a couple of other guys in the group with the same problem, who had yet to go down. The road continued straight on and down to a very sharp right hand turn, ominously banked by hay bales. None of the group went down here, but the inability of many of these cat 5 riders to turn a sharp corner was again evident. The group slowed and streched out and I found that as we turned up the hill, I was one of the 15 or so who got dropped. I began a very hard chase, but soon realized that even if I got back on, I would have expended too much of my energy doing it to stay there. The road was heading steadily upward and I resigned myself to settling into a pace that I could maintain. There were a variety of riders around me coming to the same conclusion, and for now we continued on as individuals whose egos were bruised but not broken. I was somewhat apprehensive to see that both of the guys that Matt had warned me of earlier were in this group with me. As we got bake to the end of the first lap, I realized that none of this group was any stronger than I, and that our only hope to work ourselves back into the race was to work together as a team. I tried to take the lead in this, but there were only a couple of guys willing to work together. The rest were still riding as individuals and attacking us. The three of us who were working together, chased down all of the attacks and continued on for several laps. At one point I tried to give one of these individuals some guidance on how to approach the corners. He thanked me and ask if it showed that this was his first race. I laughed and told him that it was probably all of our first race. Somehow, I think this dejected him and he dropped out soon thereafter.
As we continued to circle the circuit, we overtook a number of riders and found others on the side of the road who had dropped out. Our group picked up a few stronger riders and continued to work sporadically as a team to get back in the race. I was concerned that we were falling too far behind, but we didn't get waved off the track. As we entered the bell lap, I knew that there would be some attacks. I decided to sit back and wait as long as I could for the important one. First, a big guy took off on the downhill, but I wasn't worried about him because he couldn't corner and he couldn't climb. I just let the rest of our group pull me back onto him. A couple of more moves amounted to nothing by the time we were halfway up the final climb. But then two of the stronger riders that we had picked up from the late drops made a move. I told the one guy I had been working with most closely that we needed to chase that one down. He took off with me on his wheel and we ran them down. My boy had burned his matches though in getting us up to them, and as I looked around, I saw that there were still a number of guys hanging with us. I could see the shadow of one dude on my wheel and decided to wait for him to make his move before making mine. In one way, that was the right thing to do, but it probably cost me a place at the finish. As the guy came around me on my left, a kid came around him to his left. I went right away, but the kid had a good sprint and too much of a head start for me to catch him by the line. Pissed me off. I would have nailed him, but I failed to mark him and actually don't even know how long he had been riding with our group. My mistake on that one, but I did have plenty of juice to take second in our group's sprint. It felt like I hadn't finished last, and I knew I hadn't crashed. So, in at least those two ways, I had exceeded my expectations for this race.
I found Matt and was told that he had been feeling pretty good as second wheel on the next to last lap. Unfortunately, he was dropped shortly thereafter, but continued to ride strong enough to finish 18th out of 63 registered entrants. I think they had about 8 no shows and a number of riders who were disqualified for falling too far behind. Of the 45 finishers, I placed 30th, and was actually quite pleased to do so.
My review of my strengths and weaknesses in this race leads me to several conclusions. The first is that training under Mark's direction will help me to continue to improve my strength and fitness. I continue to be impressed with his professionalism and the comaraderie that he has fostered among the team, although I expect he may at times wonder why Ed has saddled him with this fat guy. This leads me to my second conclusion, which is that I believe that if I continue with this training and additionally continue to adjust my body composition ( lose weight), that I will be able to hang with and begin to deal out some punishment in at least this level of race. I also think I have to focus on my group riding skills, so that I can become more comfortable being in the middle of a pack as well as learning how to move through a group. My descending and cornering skills were better than most of the riders I was faced with today, but I was possibly dropped earlier than I should have been because I am not comfortable enough in the group. I also think that my strength and fitness were equal to the group. I was never really pushed by the guys I ended up riding with, and I think it is only my power to weight ratio that kept me from being able to keep up with the leaders.
All in all, it was a fun day. I learned a lot by racing and by watching the later race with 8 of the team members in it.
Bob
Rhonda van Breezy Beens
Circuit Race, M45+ 3/4, 30 March 2008
early in the race, Scott & Vlada in the pack
Geoff in the pack, close to the front
Geoff & Mark on the front, 4 more to go
with about 7 laps to go, Mark & Geoff on the front
Geoff & Mark on the front, 4 more to go
heading into 4 laps to go, Jim chasing the leaders
Geoff & Mark on the front, heading into 3 laps to go
Mark in 2nd wheel, behind Geoff (off camera), Jim in about 6th wheel, going into 3 laps to go
heading into 2 more laps to go, Geoff & Mark off the front in a 4 man group
Vlada hanging in the group
Geoff off the front going into the bell lap
And the winner is.....????
...............none of our guys....oh well.
Dennis sprinting for 9th
You guys put on a great show.
Rhonda van Breezy Beens
Brisbane Highlands Circuit Race, Cat. 5's
Matt Werner
Rob Montague & I raced with the Cat 5's. Seemed like the peloton pretty much split in half in the 1st or 2nd lap, and Bob found himself in the 2nd group, schooling some of the young ones who were having difficulty making their bikes turn corners, 3 of whom eliminated themselves in the first minute by taking the left hander too wide and hanging up on the curb.
I managed to stay with the front group and worked on positioning. I was pretty comfortable on the uphill section, keeping my cadence high and following wheels that were moving forward. I was generally able to stay in the top 10 to 15 places, and found I could move forward on the downhill by taking an inside line when the group seemed to want to swing wide and take the long way. On the penultimate lap I identified another rider who was using the same trick, grabbed his wheel, and found myself sitting 2nd wheel on the downhill, tucked in & coasting, trying to rest my legs for 2 more times up the climb. This seemed like a good thing, until near the bottom we suddenly got swarmed by a bunch of guys with a lot of momentum, and quickly lost position before the haybale turn.
On the final lap we went into the final climb pretty hot, & I just didn't have enough to stay with the group. I went by the 2 guys who got dropped with me, caught another at the top of the hill, & went by him for 18th place. Not too shabby for an old guy in an all-ages cat 5 race (which I later learned had been won by a 19 year old).
Bob came in a minute or 2 back, fulfilling his 2 goals of finishing and not crashing.
Matt Werner
Rob Montague & I raced with the Cat 5's. Seemed like the peloton pretty much split in half in the 1st or 2nd lap, and Bob found himself in the 2nd group, schooling some of the young ones who were having difficulty making their bikes turn corners, 3 of whom eliminated themselves in the first minute by taking the left hander too wide and hanging up on the curb.
I managed to stay with the front group and worked on positioning. I was pretty comfortable on the uphill section, keeping my cadence high and following wheels that were moving forward. I was generally able to stay in the top 10 to 15 places, and found I could move forward on the downhill by taking an inside line when the group seemed to want to swing wide and take the long way. On the penultimate lap I identified another rider who was using the same trick, grabbed his wheel, and found myself sitting 2nd wheel on the downhill, tucked in & coasting, trying to rest my legs for 2 more times up the climb. This seemed like a good thing, until near the bottom we suddenly got swarmed by a bunch of guys with a lot of momentum, and quickly lost position before the haybale turn.
On the final lap we went into the final climb pretty hot, & I just didn't have enough to stay with the group. I went by the 2 guys who got dropped with me, caught another at the top of the hill, & went by him for 18th place. Not too shabby for an old guy in an all-ages cat 5 race (which I later learned had been won by a 19 year old).
Bob came in a minute or 2 back, fulfilling his 2 goals of finishing and not crashing.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Ronde Van Brisbeen - Brisbane Marina Criterium, 3/29/2008
My alarm woke me up in the dark morning to the sound of light rain. The forecast called for dry weather for our bike race, but here it was, wet all over! My teammate Vladan Strbac and I were already signed up for the 45+ Category 3 and 4 race at 11:00am, and Robbie Abundis was racing the 35+ Cat. 4 guys at 10:00am, so I wasn't about to let some moisture stop me. I made cooked buckwheat cereal for breakfast, shared some time with Margaret, called Vlada to arrange carpooling, and away I went.
By the time we got to Los Gatos the roads were dry and they stayed that way, thankfully. But it was only in the 50s and cloudy, with winds at 10 MPH. We got to Brisbane's marina about an hour before our start, and watched Robbie race... until the wind created big gaps in the peloton, with him on the wrong side, that forced him to abandon. Oh well. But he did volunteer to stay and take some photos of us (thanks Robbie!). Vlada was well prepared, dressed warmly and warmed up on his rollers, while I shivered into my skinsuit and made a very feeble attempt at warmup; even shorter than my usual 10-15 minutes. I think I rode for about 3 minutes!
The course was only about 0.6 mile per lap, 50 minutes long, and I knew and respected a lot of the entrants. The race would be pretty fast. But some of the usual big names were absent so I was also optimistic about our chances. This crit was actually Stage 1 of a 2-day "Omnium" stage race. I was signed up for both days so I could also have a shot at standing on the Omnium podium on Sunday afternoon. But the Sunday stage was the Brisbane Highlands Circuit Race and the climbs on that course would be tough; I had to ride conservatively to save some energy for helping out the team on Sunday!
The race started off pretty fast for the first 13 minutes or so, probably because a break formed that people up front worked hard to catch. I was again near the back as I had trouble, again, clipping in at the start and wanted to ride easy at first anyway. But instead I had to put my nose down and work my way through the pack to get to the front which I did right before the break was caught. Vlada had been up there the whole time... he's good at this!
We raced pretty clean, though the U-turn was tricky and apparently one guy crashed over the curb on the exit. I noticed lots of guys, including Mark Patten (who ended up dropping out), would stand and pedal hard out of the tight turns while I stayed seated all the time to save my legs, and stayed in my 42-tooth ring almost the entire race.
For a while we stayed together but then another break formed, this time it was just two guys; one was Jess Raphael (of VOS Racing), the other Darryl Smith (ICCC). I didn't know that, but I could see them by the U-turn and knew they were working together well to stay away so I kept an eye on things to see if a chase would form, and even took a few pulls at the front myself like I did at Menlo Park and Snelling. Am I too impatient? Well, I wanted to make sure Vlada had a chance too, and if I had to wait for others to do the hard work...
The announcer mercilessly counted down our few remaining laps. I was hyper-alert to any opportunities. With 3 laps to go we all slowed down, the gap to the break getting even bigger.
Out of turn 2 I got bored with the zig-zagging of the big guy from Summit (Bernie Silviera) as he watched for others to pull... I just punched it smoothly and went around them all into the left-hand turn before the U-turn and kept going. This spot was perfect because the tight turns made it easier for a solo rider to carry speed. In just a couple of turns I had a huge gap! I'd kind of hoped that Vlada would grab my wheel and I could bridge him to the break, but perhaps the time gap was too big by then anyway.
Coming around the last turn I heard the announcer excitedly calling out my name while the spectators screamed at me. Wow, what's all the fuss? Well, I guess the gutsiness of my solo effort for nearly 3 laps inspired them to root for me, and then... wooooosh!
Two guys flew by me just before the finish line! Argh! I didn't even see that coming; the spectators had been trying to warn me! At least the guy who threw his bike at the line didn't get me and I finished in 5th, the last podium spot!
Vlada and I rode a couple of cool-down laps and waited around for the official results. I stood proudly, with sore legs, on the 5th step for the podium photo, albeit somewhat dejected too, and happily accepted the $10 payout and nifty cycling cap.
Tomorrow we do it all over again, but with a big hill thrown in! Until then,
Vlada and I had lots of time to discuss tactics and stuff after we left his home in Scotts Valley. He had raced Brisbane Marina before and stressed the importance of being near the front all of the time, watching for breakaway groups. This was more important than in most crits because the course is very narrow and twisty in several places, with a tight U-turn and wind thrown in. We agreed to take turns going with any breaks that formed, and I would try to lead him out if the peloton stayed together for a sprint finish, as he had done for me at Menlo Park.
By the time we got to Los Gatos the roads were dry and they stayed that way, thankfully. But it was only in the 50s and cloudy, with winds at 10 MPH. We got to Brisbane's marina about an hour before our start, and watched Robbie race... until the wind created big gaps in the peloton, with him on the wrong side, that forced him to abandon. Oh well. But he did volunteer to stay and take some photos of us (thanks Robbie!). Vlada was well prepared, dressed warmly and warmed up on his rollers, while I shivered into my skinsuit and made a very feeble attempt at warmup; even shorter than my usual 10-15 minutes. I think I rode for about 3 minutes!
The course was only about 0.6 mile per lap, 50 minutes long, and I knew and respected a lot of the entrants. The race would be pretty fast. But some of the usual big names were absent so I was also optimistic about our chances. This crit was actually Stage 1 of a 2-day "Omnium" stage race. I was signed up for both days so I could also have a shot at standing on the Omnium podium on Sunday afternoon. But the Sunday stage was the Brisbane Highlands Circuit Race and the climbs on that course would be tough; I had to ride conservatively to save some energy for helping out the team on Sunday!
The race started off pretty fast for the first 13 minutes or so, probably because a break formed that people up front worked hard to catch. I was again near the back as I had trouble, again, clipping in at the start and wanted to ride easy at first anyway. But instead I had to put my nose down and work my way through the pack to get to the front which I did right before the break was caught. Vlada had been up there the whole time... he's good at this!
We raced pretty clean, though the U-turn was tricky and apparently one guy crashed over the curb on the exit. I noticed lots of guys, including Mark Patten (who ended up dropping out), would stand and pedal hard out of the tight turns while I stayed seated all the time to save my legs, and stayed in my 42-tooth ring almost the entire race.
For a while we stayed together but then another break formed, this time it was just two guys; one was Jess Raphael (of VOS Racing), the other Darryl Smith (ICCC). I didn't know that, but I could see them by the U-turn and knew they were working together well to stay away so I kept an eye on things to see if a chase would form, and even took a few pulls at the front myself like I did at Menlo Park and Snelling. Am I too impatient? Well, I wanted to make sure Vlada had a chance too, and if I had to wait for others to do the hard work...
The announcer mercilessly counted down our few remaining laps. I was hyper-alert to any opportunities. With 3 laps to go we all slowed down, the gap to the break getting even bigger.
Out of turn 2 I got bored with the zig-zagging of the big guy from Summit (Bernie Silviera) as he watched for others to pull... I just punched it smoothly and went around them all into the left-hand turn before the U-turn and kept going. This spot was perfect because the tight turns made it easier for a solo rider to carry speed. In just a couple of turns I had a huge gap! I'd kind of hoped that Vlada would grab my wheel and I could bridge him to the break, but perhaps the time gap was too big by then anyway.
Alone in no-man's land -- I was doubtful of my chances at staying away, but was at least hoping to either tire out some of the big sprinters behind me or help catch Jess and Darryl. Either outcome improved my and Vlada's odds, so I stayed in my zone and kept at it. I noticed Patten had dropped out, with many others, and they were now watching the finish from the sidelines. Before the last turn I looked back and saw nobody chasing... would I really get 3rd place so easily?
Coming around the last turn I heard the announcer excitedly calling out my name while the spectators screamed at me. Wow, what's all the fuss? Well, I guess the gutsiness of my solo effort for nearly 3 laps inspired them to root for me, and then... wooooosh!Two guys flew by me just before the finish line! Argh! I didn't even see that coming; the spectators had been trying to warn me! At least the guy who threw his bike at the line didn't get me and I finished in 5th, the last podium spot!
Vlada and I rode a couple of cool-down laps and waited around for the official results. I stood proudly, with sore legs, on the 5th step for the podium photo, albeit somewhat dejected too, and happily accepted the $10 payout and nifty cycling cap.
Tomorrow we do it all over again, but with a big hill thrown in! Until then,
Friday, March 28, 2008
Podium Pics - Bay Area Geezer Games
Bay Area Senior Games, 10k TT
16 March 2008
Langley gets the gold in 55-59 race
Werner takes silver in the 50-54 race, surrounded by a Pen-Velo sandwich
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