This is my first race report with the Trip.
I have made going under 30 minutes as my primary cycling goal for 2010. I spoke with Russ on Wednesday and said my goal was for the first Swanton was 30:30 so I am quite pleased with 30:19. This is 2:39 faster than my previous best.
I attribute this improvement to many factors.
1. I made this my top goal cycling goal for 2010 and told others. A little pressure is usually good for me.
2. I lost about 30 pounds last year. My previous best time was set near my current weight but not carrying all that extra weight has got to help.
3. I purchased a pair of cheap Nashbar clip-on’s and an Aero TT Helmet with visor (spent less than $200 on both, so happens that the only aero helmet that will fit my very large head is also the least expensive). Wore a skinsuit, shoe covers and was comfortable with my stem fully lowered- no spacers.
4. Practiced the actual course the previous 3 Thursdays. I believe this really helped with pacing and knowing the holes/curves in the road. I believe most of the time I was losing on this undulating course was due to going too easy on the downhill/downwind sections and going too hard on the uphill/upwind sections.
5. Used a heart rate monitor. I had previously found this very helpful for flat TTs but was uncertain for undulating courses since the data lags the efforts. This was the first time I found it useful at Swanton- it did help keep me from overcooking myself.
6. Used earplugs. These gave me the sensation I was going slower so it’s a psychological trick but seems to work. Also keeps me calm and more focused on the effort.
To shave off 20 seconds and achieve my goal, these are some of my ideas.
1. Nasal decongestant. When I go hard I produce a lot of nasal mucus and clearing it is distracting.
2. A bigger taper. I had a fairly easy week before this event but with an even easier week maybe I can squeeze out a few more watts.
3. Loose a few more pounds. This is questionable since my wife has forbidden it and I might lose power.
4. Different wheels. I used very light, deep dish wheels. I have been offered to borrow some extremely aero wheels (super deep front/disk) so I will probably give it a try.
5. Remove bottle cages and tape small vents on helmet. These are tiny changes but free and I am “only” going after 20 seconds.
6. If all these shenanigans don’t work it occurred to me that much of the time saved with by having a dedicated TT bike is having the shifters at the end of the aero bars. It would be a big hassle but I could do this on my road bike- if I miss my goal after a few more tries I will consider this particularly if I can borrow some 10 speed Shimano bar ends.
Ken Sato
Friday, March 19, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
CCCX #2 M35+123 3/`3/10 Steve Heaton
3/13/10 CCCX #2 M35+123
Steve Heaton
A Circuit Race with approximately 10 min. laps on rolling terrain. Tailwind out for the flatter sections, then rolling back, up hill into the wind for a while, then a right hand descent (bumpy at high speeds) followed by a left sweeper reaching top end speed with a head wind going super fast. It ends up rolling out flat for 100 meters to the line.
After the race I initially thought to myself well, it’s not going to be much of a race report. But…on further consideration….
I’m going to share some of my strategy for preparation and during the race. It all started with training earlier in the week. This is my last build week of training and I didn’t want to cut any of my harder efforts out to be fresh for this race. I was able to do my harder efforts on Tues/Thurs and basically cut out my tempo rides and be ready to race on Sat. The problem is I do better when I have been on the bike the day before a hard effort but in order to work everything out (family, cycling, job) it was my best option for future goals. I went to this race with 2 days off the bike and knew it was going to be a gamble. Sometimes I just can’t get it going under these circumstances. Since this isn’t a priority race for me I was willing to take a chance. Even though, I still go to all races with a goal, plan and desire to win!
As I’m warming up at my car on my trainer I can’t help but over hear a Team discussing strategy. One of them won this race at CCCX #1 a couple weeks back. He proclaimed to NOT be a sprinter. I know he is strong so that means he is going for a breakaway or a big move close to the finish? Plus he has 3 teammates to help him (I’ll log this info. into my memory files for later). I get about 30mins of easy pedaling on the trainer then head out to do a lap on course 12mins and pushed it the last 5mins. The race starts and Ana (local cycling buddy and strong rider) pushes the pace off the line (ouch) I’m not ready for all out. All good cause it mellowed out. It was cold and windy and most guys didn’t have leg warmers and I assume they too needed more time to warm up. About half way I’m not feeling it. We had a few 1-2 man breakaways that didn’t get far. I went to the front a couple of times one of them heading into the final descent to close the gap on a guy up the road.
The real reason was to feel the wind from a lead position since I had plans on being one of the front runners to the line for the win. I’m not feeling it with 2 laps to go, not sure if I’m going to have a sprint. Attack comes and 4 riders are off and blocking is forming at the front. Another guy (I noted to watch) takes chase. They let him go so I attacked and easily latched on to the break (now my confidence is on the rise). Most teams are represented accept Joselyn’s so they chased us down. In order to conserve energy I was using the high cadence I have been practicing all winter on all the uphill sections. This kept me from having to stand and use more taxing muscles + I needed every drop of energy for the final sprint. I was concentrating the whole race to hold a forward position. I wasn’t always in position and I knew on the final lap it would only get much harder. With a little more than half a lap to go I’m about 5 back when the 4th rider has a guy roll up next to him to take has wheel? They start battling for the wheel and strike up some tuff talk so I slipped around to take the wheel from both them (neither said a word, it was a sweet move). I’m now on the wheel of guy who won this race last time with his teammate in front of him (2nd) ready to lead out his man in 3rd. Sitting 4th wheel might have seemed like too far forward at this point knowing lead guy is going to pull off any moment. I’m banking on someone attacking on one of these final rollers before the finish (non sprinter move). We turn right into the head wind roller section (lead guy pulls off). Two riders left in front of me with only a few minutes of racing (self proclaimed non sprinter dude and his teammate leading him) and me. We hold positions through all rollers until the final blip to descent. The attack comes, “what to do”~~~ “What to do”………. it’s a long ways but if he can hold his power output it’s possible? I know that guy is strong. I could respond and ride his wheel and attack to the line? I don’t trust him! I knew he wasn’t a sprinter so I stayed put 3rd wheel. Non sprinter dude’s lead out is done now I’m 2nd wheel headed into the descent and now lead guy picked up the pace descending toward the finish (I couldn’t ask for a better situation). Flyer dude is out of sight on the sweeper still a ways to the line.
NOW this is where it gets exciting!!! (Everything goes into slow motion)
As we swept through the high speed left descending bend to the final LONG run in to the straight to the finish line I’m thinking we will get overtaken any second???? I’m prepared to jump and catch the move for second wheel when it happens. No one is coming??? It’s because the sprinters are far forward waiting for someone to jump. I looked back a few times way more than I would normally but I wasn’t going to get caught off guard. No one is coming, I look up the road to see how far flyer dude is…………….he’s about 100+ meters from the line. We are 50 meters from him. I had to be patient since I was going to lead out the sprint. It’s a nutty moment but like I said I experience it in slow motion. At this point I have to decide when to make the final move. They seem to be waiting for me? I hear “Go Bike Trip” from behind. At this point it looks like I’m in the driver’s seat. It’s a risky moment. If I jump early I could get nothing. If I wait much more Flyer dude is going to get the win (HUMM… feels familiar, Cantua Creek my last race?) Time comes for me to let it fly. I jumped (53x12) and quickly (11) biggest gear wide the F**K open charging down on flyer dude concentrating on the slingshot pass to the right. Wind was coming from the right and you would think that going left would be better but in this situation there was a row of bushes close to the edge creating a slight wind block. On my warm up lap I rode on both sides of the road in this section to be sure I was positive and wouldn’t second guess myself in the heat of the moment. Another reason to go right was to create a split since we are so close to the line. The pack is spread out behind. Some would slow to squeeze right, others would have to go the long way around left. I’m on fire and feel like I can keep this going to the line. I see Keith on my wheel (yes I do look under my arm pit in a sprint) really close to my back wheel looking smooth. I know I’m a faster sprinter but if he gets the slingshot anything can happen.....………..he says “on right” so I check and he is behind me wanting me to move over to let him pass? We are charging into the last 30 meters at ALL OUT 53x11 blazing sprint (I don’t think so). He had enough room to get by if he was able to slingshot but no time for anything else (see link to photo’s ). I knew this sprint was going to be taken from close to the front. See if everyone is tapped out with no gear options in a head wind at 40+ mph to pass 1 rider is a bike length back. A bike is approx 5ft x 2- 4 places is 5-15+ft you have to be ripping fast to make that happen in the final moments of the sprint against a sprinter. Since we are all maxed out then the best way to pass me is a slingshot. As long as I keep accelerating to the line I should be able to hold them off (@#$%!&* Crazy moment!!!!!) 20 Meters to the line! I see no one coming around, I look hard for the line give it a mental push……………………….yeahhh left arm pump. #1 place!
What to take from this? Preparation for a race is very important, having a plan and sticking to it helps keep me focused along with adapting to a given moment with the goal of redirecting focus back to my goal. I truly wasn’t confident in winning this race half way through but I knew I had to stay true to my goals by staying forward especially on the final lap, ready for the key breakaways and respond without hesitation! Stay relaxed by focusing on breathing and be sure to notice any excessive body motions and smooth it out if needed. Pay attention to fluid & energy intake as needed. I run on 1 bottle of fluid & 200 calories an hour. I don’t spend too much time hyper focusing on any one thought. Final 15mins of a race be ready for anything. When the time comes to sprint flip the switch to the ON position and drive it to the line nice and aero.
Steve Heaton
A Circuit Race with approximately 10 min. laps on rolling terrain. Tailwind out for the flatter sections, then rolling back, up hill into the wind for a while, then a right hand descent (bumpy at high speeds) followed by a left sweeper reaching top end speed with a head wind going super fast. It ends up rolling out flat for 100 meters to the line.
After the race I initially thought to myself well, it’s not going to be much of a race report. But…on further consideration….
I’m going to share some of my strategy for preparation and during the race. It all started with training earlier in the week. This is my last build week of training and I didn’t want to cut any of my harder efforts out to be fresh for this race. I was able to do my harder efforts on Tues/Thurs and basically cut out my tempo rides and be ready to race on Sat. The problem is I do better when I have been on the bike the day before a hard effort but in order to work everything out (family, cycling, job) it was my best option for future goals. I went to this race with 2 days off the bike and knew it was going to be a gamble. Sometimes I just can’t get it going under these circumstances. Since this isn’t a priority race for me I was willing to take a chance. Even though, I still go to all races with a goal, plan and desire to win!
As I’m warming up at my car on my trainer I can’t help but over hear a Team discussing strategy. One of them won this race at CCCX #1 a couple weeks back. He proclaimed to NOT be a sprinter. I know he is strong so that means he is going for a breakaway or a big move close to the finish? Plus he has 3 teammates to help him (I’ll log this info. into my memory files for later). I get about 30mins of easy pedaling on the trainer then head out to do a lap on course 12mins and pushed it the last 5mins. The race starts and Ana (local cycling buddy and strong rider) pushes the pace off the line (ouch) I’m not ready for all out. All good cause it mellowed out. It was cold and windy and most guys didn’t have leg warmers and I assume they too needed more time to warm up. About half way I’m not feeling it. We had a few 1-2 man breakaways that didn’t get far. I went to the front a couple of times one of them heading into the final descent to close the gap on a guy up the road.
NOW this is where it gets exciting!!! (Everything goes into slow motion)
As we swept through the high speed left descending bend to the final LONG run in to the straight to the finish line I’m thinking we will get overtaken any second???? I’m prepared to jump and catch the move for second wheel when it happens. No one is coming??? It’s because the sprinters are far forward waiting for someone to jump. I looked back a few times way more than I would normally but I wasn’t going to get caught off guard. No one is coming, I look up the road to see how far flyer dude is…………….he’s about 100+ meters from the line. We are 50 meters from him. I had to be patient since I was going to lead out the sprint. It’s a nutty moment but like I said I experience it in slow motion. At this point I have to decide when to make the final move. They seem to be waiting for me? I hear “Go Bike Trip” from behind. At this point it looks like I’m in the driver’s seat. It’s a risky moment. If I jump early I could get nothing. If I wait much more Flyer dude is going to get the win (HUMM… feels familiar, Cantua Creek my last race?) Time comes for me to let it fly. I jumped (53x12) and quickly (11) biggest gear wide the F**K open charging down on flyer dude concentrating on the slingshot pass to the right. Wind was coming from the right and you would think that going left would be better but in this situation there was a row of bushes close to the edge creating a slight wind block. On my warm up lap I rode on both sides of the road in this section to be sure I was positive and wouldn’t second guess myself in the heat of the moment. Another reason to go right was to create a split since we are so close to the line. The pack is spread out behind. Some would slow to squeeze right, others would have to go the long way around left. I’m on fire and feel like I can keep this going to the line. I see Keith on my wheel (yes I do look under my arm pit in a sprint) really close to my back wheel looking smooth. I know I’m a faster sprinter but if he gets the slingshot anything can happen.....………..he says “on right” so I check and he is behind me wanting me to move over to let him pass? We are charging into the last 30 meters at ALL OUT 53x11 blazing sprint (I don’t think so). He had enough room to get by if he was able to slingshot but no time for anything else (see link to photo’s ). I knew this sprint was going to be taken from close to the front. See if everyone is tapped out with no gear options in a head wind at 40+ mph to pass 1 rider is a bike length back. A bike is approx 5ft x 2- 4 places is 5-15+ft you have to be ripping fast to make that happen in the final moments of the sprint against a sprinter. Since we are all maxed out then the best way to pass me is a slingshot. As long as I keep accelerating to the line I should be able to hold them off (@#$%!&* Crazy moment!!!!!) 20 Meters to the line! I see no one coming around, I look hard for the line give it a mental push……………………….yeahhh left arm pump. #1 place!
CCCX #2 3/13/10
Michele Heaton Cat4 woman
This race was a blast. After Cantua Creek I wasn’t too sure I wanted to race anymore. That race was slow, dangerous and boring for 2 1/4 hours and fun for about 15 minutes. But I was going to this race enthusistic about riding my new Jamis race bike, which I just got, and Steve has been working hard to get me fit correctly on. For years I had been riding a very comfortable, flexy, relaxed geometry Roubaix. This is my first time being on a stiffer, more aggressive bike. Then adding my new Magnesium 1274 gram American Classic race wheels, I can’t believe the difference. In all honesty I have never payed attention to my gear. I just try to be as comfortable as I can be and go. Now I see what everyone is talking about. I am definitely joining the “geaking out on gear club” now!
With so few women at CCCX, they combined all 3 categories. There were 4 123’s, 4 35+ Masters and 8 Cat. 4 women to race with. Early on I guessed the one to watch was riding for Tread. After the race I learned she is a pro, off to race in Europe next week. She made the race really fun. She was constantly attacking, whittling the group down to 7 after lap 1, then down to 6 on the last lap. It was really fun to respond to the attacks. I felt I could have charged to her wheel, but I worked on latching on to a good wheel and trying not to work too hard, conserving energy. The final 1/2 lap I moved forward, expecting a blistering attack on one of the final rollers. Unfortunately it never happenned and instead I got sucked into leading out the final 2 hills in the wind. I decided to keep the pace hard enough, but not so hard that I didn’t have a good kick at the finish. I was not taxed from the race at all, never having to dig deep once so I knew I had quite a bit of energy left. As we started to descend I tucked in, waiting for what I thought was the moment I could jump and hold it to the end. I wanted to jump early and not have it come to a last moment sprint as I think my parents may have passed me up on the fast twitch muscles. As it was, I jumped on a sling shot from the last fast left turn. Way too early! I thought the finish was closer. I looked back and everyone was lining up single file behind me. I wasn’t trying to be the lead out girl! I realized my mistake and eased up. Soon everyone swarmed around me, going for it. Then I saw we were very close. I jumped again. The pro and a Cat. 2 came around me at the finish. I was happy with 3rd overall and 1st in my category. Best part is, that gave me the points for my upgrade.
Not a taxing race, but a fun one. This was my 12th race in the 2 years of racing and I am learning with each experience. I needed to have more patience at the finish, or I could have attacked on the final hill myself. I rode conservatively, not knowing my opponents. It’s amazing how just 1 person (the pro in our race) can elevate the level (and fun factor) of a race. I met an experienced Cat 2 Master, Jennie Philips, who I look forward to racing with in the future. I loved the course and positive “vibe” at this race. I highly recommend it.
This race was a blast. After Cantua Creek I wasn’t too sure I wanted to race anymore. That race was slow, dangerous and boring for 2 1/4 hours and fun for about 15 minutes. But I was going to this race enthusistic about riding my new Jamis race bike, which I just got, and Steve has been working hard to get me fit correctly on. For years I had been riding a very comfortable, flexy, relaxed geometry Roubaix. This is my first time being on a stiffer, more aggressive bike. Then adding my new Magnesium 1274 gram American Classic race wheels, I can’t believe the difference. In all honesty I have never payed attention to my gear. I just try to be as comfortable as I can be and go. Now I see what everyone is talking about. I am definitely joining the “geaking out on gear club” now!
With so few women at CCCX, they combined all 3 categories. There were 4 123’s, 4 35+ Masters and 8 Cat. 4 women to race with. Early on I guessed the one to watch was riding for Tread. After the race I learned she is a pro, off to race in Europe next week. She made the race really fun. She was constantly attacking, whittling the group down to 7 after lap 1, then down to 6 on the last lap. It was really fun to respond to the attacks. I felt I could have charged to her wheel, but I worked on latching on to a good wheel and trying not to work too hard, conserving energy. The final 1/2 lap I moved forward, expecting a blistering attack on one of the final rollers. Unfortunately it never happenned and instead I got sucked into leading out the final 2 hills in the wind. I decided to keep the pace hard enough, but not so hard that I didn’t have a good kick at the finish. I was not taxed from the race at all, never having to dig deep once so I knew I had quite a bit of energy left. As we started to descend I tucked in, waiting for what I thought was the moment I could jump and hold it to the end. I wanted to jump early and not have it come to a last moment sprint as I think my parents may have passed me up on the fast twitch muscles. As it was, I jumped on a sling shot from the last fast left turn. Way too early! I thought the finish was closer. I looked back and everyone was lining up single file behind me. I wasn’t trying to be the lead out girl! I realized my mistake and eased up. Soon everyone swarmed around me, going for it. Then I saw we were very close. I jumped again. The pro and a Cat. 2 came around me at the finish. I was happy with 3rd overall and 1st in my category. Best part is, that gave me the points for my upgrade.
Not a taxing race, but a fun one. This was my 12th race in the 2 years of racing and I am learning with each experience. I needed to have more patience at the finish, or I could have attacked on the final hill myself. I rode conservatively, not knowing my opponents. It’s amazing how just 1 person (the pro in our race) can elevate the level (and fun factor) of a race. I met an experienced Cat 2 Master, Jennie Philips, who I look forward to racing with in the future. I loved the course and positive “vibe” at this race. I highly recommend it.
Madera Stage Race 35+ 4/5
So, last year I crashed in the crit at this race and missed the rest of the event. I was excited to be back but more than a little nervous about my first crit since the crash. It was also a bit daunting to be the only Tripper in my category. Taleo had 14 riders registered, Rio Strada had 8 and several other teams had more than 5. Still, I hoped to do my best, and I had gotten excellent tactical advice from Jim Langley, Steve Heaton, and my coach Dan Smith.
We lined up for the crit on Saturday morning and off we went. The winds were not so bad in the morning as they were for Nils' group in the afternoon, and our group pretty much stayed together. The race was a little surging in nature, but the only harder ones came on the two preme laps. There were time bonuses for those laps and several guys went really hard, causing the rest of the group to chase. After the second preme, I went hard after the guys who had gone and tried to encourage a break. No such luck. At that point, I decided to sit in and ride as safely as I could to the line. I think that almost the whole group got the same time, excepting bonuses for the premes and top three placings. After the crit, I was in 18th position and happy to have it over.
The TT was scheduled for the afternoon and the wind was really picking up. I was hearing stories of guys struggling to make 15mph on the final leg. That did not sound good. I had some aero bars, but not much else. After seeing a picture that Nils took of me as I was trying out the course on Friday, I am also aware that my most aero position is not very aero. It was to be my first TT with any aero equipment, and I hoped that my power would serve me well on this mostly flat 10 mile course. I went out too hard and after a couple of minutes my avg wattage was in zone 6. I knew that was going to be a problem and made a conscious effort to back off. I saw my wattage continue to fall off, but I felt like I was continuing to work hard on the outward leg which had a cross tailwind. I turned onto the second leg with its full on tailwind and allowed myself to recover to about my mid zone 4 level. As I came up on the third leg with its cross headwind, I realized that I was going too fast and the wind had caught me going into the turn. I had to break a bit and made the turn really wide. As I was regrouping, I was passed by the rider who started 30 seconds behind me. This guy had all the equipment, a pretty aero position, and he was very strong. I had thought he might catch me when I saw him at the start. Still it wasn't fun, and I began to dig deep. I focused on turning the cranks on the final two legs of the event and trying to stay as low and still in my upper body as I could. I focused on the guy I had started behind and did my best to catch him. As we ground towards the finish, the headwind seemed to be close to 20 mph. And then it was over and I didn't feel good. I was shot. And, still I had lost 10 spots in the GC and about 3 minutes in time. I was 3:22 back and in 28th place. Still, I felt I had given my best effort.
The road race was Sunday and I was hoping that my legs would have more in them than some of the competition. Rio Strada and Taleo had their guys atop the GC and I expected my only hope was to try and get in a break of other non contenders. We were on the second of three laps when the only attack of the day came. A Davis rider launched off the front and got a gap of about 10 seconds. I was at the front of the pack and decided to give it a shot. I bridged up to him and encouraged him to go. We were well matched in the flats and began to extend our gap. The moto-ref came by at one point and told us we were up to 32 seconds. I encouraged my breakmate to continue working and suggested that some of the teams might be blocking. He said he was going to drop when we got to the rollers because he couldn't climb. I told him I was no great climber but that I thought we could power through the rollers that lay ahead. I encouraged him to stay with me and told him that I needed him on the other side. As we approached the hills, the ref announced our lead at 49 seconds. That was the best it got. I had to wait for the Davis rider to get through the hills, and by the time we were through, we had been run down. I expect I could have stayed away a bit longer if I had pushed on my own, but I did not relish the thought of being in the wind for a whole lap, alone. I was able to recover in the group and work my way back to the front of the pack. I was fortunate to have made some connections with a couple of the guys from Bikes Plus. They were all riding at the front and had one of their guys move over to take the wind for me. I was able to stay at the front with them for the majority of the final lap and kept myself in top 5 position with less than 5 minutes to go in the race. When we got to the hills leading up to the finish, my legs just didn't have the juice left to stay with the leaders. I was going as hard as I could, but I was getting dropped on the second roller. I had burned too much energy on my break and had to be happy finishing about the same position I had started the road race in. I did pick up one spot in the GC and finished in 27th position overall. I had a great weekend. It would be nice to have some teammates!
We lined up for the crit on Saturday morning and off we went. The winds were not so bad in the morning as they were for Nils' group in the afternoon, and our group pretty much stayed together. The race was a little surging in nature, but the only harder ones came on the two preme laps. There were time bonuses for those laps and several guys went really hard, causing the rest of the group to chase. After the second preme, I went hard after the guys who had gone and tried to encourage a break. No such luck. At that point, I decided to sit in and ride as safely as I could to the line. I think that almost the whole group got the same time, excepting bonuses for the premes and top three placings. After the crit, I was in 18th position and happy to have it over.
The TT was scheduled for the afternoon and the wind was really picking up. I was hearing stories of guys struggling to make 15mph on the final leg. That did not sound good. I had some aero bars, but not much else. After seeing a picture that Nils took of me as I was trying out the course on Friday, I am also aware that my most aero position is not very aero. It was to be my first TT with any aero equipment, and I hoped that my power would serve me well on this mostly flat 10 mile course. I went out too hard and after a couple of minutes my avg wattage was in zone 6. I knew that was going to be a problem and made a conscious effort to back off. I saw my wattage continue to fall off, but I felt like I was continuing to work hard on the outward leg which had a cross tailwind. I turned onto the second leg with its full on tailwind and allowed myself to recover to about my mid zone 4 level. As I came up on the third leg with its cross headwind, I realized that I was going too fast and the wind had caught me going into the turn. I had to break a bit and made the turn really wide. As I was regrouping, I was passed by the rider who started 30 seconds behind me. This guy had all the equipment, a pretty aero position, and he was very strong. I had thought he might catch me when I saw him at the start. Still it wasn't fun, and I began to dig deep. I focused on turning the cranks on the final two legs of the event and trying to stay as low and still in my upper body as I could. I focused on the guy I had started behind and did my best to catch him. As we ground towards the finish, the headwind seemed to be close to 20 mph. And then it was over and I didn't feel good. I was shot. And, still I had lost 10 spots in the GC and about 3 minutes in time. I was 3:22 back and in 28th place. Still, I felt I had given my best effort.
The road race was Sunday and I was hoping that my legs would have more in them than some of the competition. Rio Strada and Taleo had their guys atop the GC and I expected my only hope was to try and get in a break of other non contenders. We were on the second of three laps when the only attack of the day came. A Davis rider launched off the front and got a gap of about 10 seconds. I was at the front of the pack and decided to give it a shot. I bridged up to him and encouraged him to go. We were well matched in the flats and began to extend our gap. The moto-ref came by at one point and told us we were up to 32 seconds. I encouraged my breakmate to continue working and suggested that some of the teams might be blocking. He said he was going to drop when we got to the rollers because he couldn't climb. I told him I was no great climber but that I thought we could power through the rollers that lay ahead. I encouraged him to stay with me and told him that I needed him on the other side. As we approached the hills, the ref announced our lead at 49 seconds. That was the best it got. I had to wait for the Davis rider to get through the hills, and by the time we were through, we had been run down. I expect I could have stayed away a bit longer if I had pushed on my own, but I did not relish the thought of being in the wind for a whole lap, alone. I was able to recover in the group and work my way back to the front of the pack. I was fortunate to have made some connections with a couple of the guys from Bikes Plus. They were all riding at the front and had one of their guys move over to take the wind for me. I was able to stay at the front with them for the majority of the final lap and kept myself in top 5 position with less than 5 minutes to go in the race. When we got to the hills leading up to the finish, my legs just didn't have the juice left to stay with the leaders. I was going as hard as I could, but I was getting dropped on the second roller. I had burned too much energy on my break and had to be happy finishing about the same position I had started the road race in. I did pick up one spot in the GC and finished in 27th position overall. I had a great weekend. It would be nice to have some teammates!
CCCX Circuit Race #2, Fort Ord, 45+ 1/2/3/4
By Dennis Pedersen
This new road-race series, held on Fort Ord's paved military roads, is put on by Kieth DeFiebre, the same guy who puts on the CCCX mountain-bike and cyclocross races there. Amazing energy; we owe him a big thank you. These races are a great way to practice team tactics too, and that's what we really need to improve on. Mark, Jim, Russ and I came up with a number of neat tactics to try, and I think we did a good job of executing them in the end.
The 4.3-mile course was mostly gently rolling through the old fort's hilly back country, but with a nasty "stair-step" section on Eucalyptus Road into the headwind from the northwest that had several steep, short climbs of maybe 30 to 60 seconds in duration each. That was followed by a hard right turn onto a very fast 1/2-mile descent leading down to a flat, straight, 250-meter finish. We thought it was a bit scary to contemplate a pack sprinting down that hill.
The weather was gorgeous, though rather windy. Our field of 27 old guys started out pretty mellow, but we'd all agreed that we'd want to keep the pace high so I started some long pulls at the front on laps 1 and 2. But I did so on the aptly-named Parker Flats Road with a tailwind so as to avoid working too hard. I also ended up sharing some pulls on the long, gradual climb after that (where the feedzone is during the District Championships) and a few other places. This forced riders from other teams to chase me down, which they did.
On lap 3 I took another pull on Parker Flats, bumping it up just a notch. Soon I was off the front with three other guys and we soon started a ragged paceline up its long, gradual climb. We didn't really work together all that well, but our gap increased, thanks to my teammates in the pack who started blocking for me. That was pretty amazing, and a total blast! I made sure my break-mates knew I had teammates blocking so they'd contribute to our paceline.
But... as so often happens breaks don't always cooperate, and some of them were apparently pretty tired. So I noticed that a number of riders gradually bridged up to us and soon our break was 7 guys. One of them, from VOS, just sat in, and so did others. More guys bridged up later, which bummed me, but all of this had the benefit of tiring them out in the process since they had to pass my teammates, then ride through the wind up to us. But soon the pack was almost all together.
On lap 4 I pulled again, and on that long, gradual climb some gaps opened up, almost everybody in the "break" sat up, and I was off the front. I held back a bit to see if anybody would go with me and one guy did (I think it was one of the guys who'd been pulling with me). But he dropped his chain—what rotten timing! So I quickly thought through some options:
On the last lap I swear the wind picked up a lot (it did; see the wind chart to the right here), and climbing those stair-steps into the headwind took some hard effort. I could also see the pack behind me now as they started to slowly reel me back in. But I still thought my lead was big enough and I tried to get my breath back so I could attack the last step; I treated it almost as the finish line because it would be very hard to catch me on the fast descent after it.
Well, as I flew down the hill, gasping, I looked over my shoulder as I reached the flat finishing section: Oh no, they were rapidly gaining on me! I put my head down and tried to sprint, but my legs were already at their limit and several guys passed me (including that VOS guy who sat in on the break). I still managed 4th in 45+, so I was pretty happy, but disappointed at the same time. Just after the finish line my watch beeped: 1 hour and 15 minutes, exactly as planned. Talk about consistence!
So, what could we have done better? I think we did really well, but:
This new road-race series, held on Fort Ord's paved military roads, is put on by Kieth DeFiebre, the same guy who puts on the CCCX mountain-bike and cyclocross races there. Amazing energy; we owe him a big thank you. These races are a great way to practice team tactics too, and that's what we really need to improve on. Mark, Jim, Russ and I came up with a number of neat tactics to try, and I think we did a good job of executing them in the end.
The 4.3-mile course was mostly gently rolling through the old fort's hilly back country, but with a nasty "stair-step" section on Eucalyptus Road into the headwind from the northwest that had several steep, short climbs of maybe 30 to 60 seconds in duration each. That was followed by a hard right turn onto a very fast 1/2-mile descent leading down to a flat, straight, 250-meter finish. We thought it was a bit scary to contemplate a pack sprinting down that hill.
The weather was gorgeous, though rather windy. Our field of 27 old guys started out pretty mellow, but we'd all agreed that we'd want to keep the pace high so I started some long pulls at the front on laps 1 and 2. But I did so on the aptly-named Parker Flats Road with a tailwind so as to avoid working too hard. I also ended up sharing some pulls on the long, gradual climb after that (where the feedzone is during the District Championships) and a few other places. This forced riders from other teams to chase me down, which they did.
On lap 3 I took another pull on Parker Flats, bumping it up just a notch. Soon I was off the front with three other guys and we soon started a ragged paceline up its long, gradual climb. We didn't really work together all that well, but our gap increased, thanks to my teammates in the pack who started blocking for me. That was pretty amazing, and a total blast! I made sure my break-mates knew I had teammates blocking so they'd contribute to our paceline.
But... as so often happens breaks don't always cooperate, and some of them were apparently pretty tired. So I noticed that a number of riders gradually bridged up to us and soon our break was 7 guys. One of them, from VOS, just sat in, and so did others. More guys bridged up later, which bummed me, but all of this had the benefit of tiring them out in the process since they had to pass my teammates, then ride through the wind up to us. But soon the pack was almost all together.
On lap 4 I pulled again, and on that long, gradual climb some gaps opened up, almost everybody in the "break" sat up, and I was off the front. I held back a bit to see if anybody would go with me and one guy did (I think it was one of the guys who'd been pulling with me). But he dropped his chain—what rotten timing! So I quickly thought through some options:
- Sit up and let the pack catch us: They were already just seconds behind, and as a sprinter I could have sat in and rested for a likely sprint finish.
- Try to reorganize the break: I hadn't seen much evidence of cooperation so that seemed low-odds.
- Solo off the front by myself for the remaining 1.5 laps. Hmmmm... like I said, I'm a sprinter so that seemed low-odds too.
- Even if I got caught my teammates would all be excellent candidates for this course's stair-steps finish approach (assuming they hadn't worked too hard blocking).
- If my teammates didn't block they could rest while others were forced to chase me, improving our odds even more.
- My break-mates weren't pulling hard enough for #2 to work.
- I was a bit worried I'd blow up on Eucalyptus Road climbing those stair-steps on the last lap as the pace would go up.
On the last lap I swear the wind picked up a lot (it did; see the wind chart to the right here), and climbing those stair-steps into the headwind took some hard effort. I could also see the pack behind me now as they started to slowly reel me back in. But I still thought my lead was big enough and I tried to get my breath back so I could attack the last step; I treated it almost as the finish line because it would be very hard to catch me on the fast descent after it.Well, as I flew down the hill, gasping, I looked over my shoulder as I reached the flat finishing section: Oh no, they were rapidly gaining on me! I put my head down and tried to sprint, but my legs were already at their limit and several guys passed me (including that VOS guy who sat in on the break). I still managed 4th in 45+, so I was pretty happy, but disappointed at the same time. Just after the finish line my watch beeped: 1 hour and 15 minutes, exactly as planned. Talk about consistence!
So, what could we have done better? I think we did really well, but:
- Perhaps blocking for me was our main error, as much fun as it was. If my teammates had sat in instead of blocking I would have been caught sooner, but we'd have been better in the sprint finish. But then we'd be sprinting down that screaming hill; scary.
- Ideally Mark, Russ or Jim would have soloed, not me. But they would have been chased down by those who know their strengths.
- We could all have stayed with the pack, then we could have attacked on Eucalyptus Road's stair-steps. That was a plan we considered, but in the end several really strong riders matched our pace there and might have been able to beat us anyway (Russ told me he had to pause for air on the downhill, it was so hard!).
2010 Madera Stage Race E3 report
(Alternate Title: "The Hardest Race I've Ever Done Turned Out To Be A Flat Four-Corner Crit, WTF" by Nils Tikkanen)
Event 1: Sharon TT: I got there early with my shiny new Felt DA and previewed the 10-mile course three times as a warmup. The third and fourth legs were into some serious wind (which would only get worse for the afternoon racers!). Given that I only had spent 2 hours on the bike before this event, I didn't have the highest of expectations... but I managed to pass four riders and take 9th at 0:23:42.
Random notes:
* Disc wheels sound f***ing awesome.
* Disc wheels sound f***ing awesome.
* Can't wait for my new Specialized TT2 helmet to arrive -- the Giro doesn't fit well for my position
* Regardless of what the Retul says, I'm dropping my bars at least 2cm. I felt pretty high up.
Event 2: Downtown Crit: A perfectly benign four-corner flat course = no problem. A perfectly benign four-corner flat course + soul-crushing winds = something entirely different. This was the latter. For whatever stupid reason, I decided to not be happy with holding 9th in the GC and thought I should try and make a move in this event.
To put it mildly, this didn't work out so well.
I worked the pace hard for the first 20 minutes, took a flyer that only lasted a lap or two, and then, after the second prime, I watched as Metromint and the Specialized juniors decided to start racing. Because of the wind, there was no place to rest, and they slowly annihilated the field. I could do nothing as I watched the split happen in front of me. I would find myself suffering with a few "chasers" (chasing would imply that we were trying to catch them, but I knew there was no hope), watching the lap cards count down all too slowly, just to minimize the GC damage for the last 25 minutes of the race. I ended up losing almost 3 minutes in a flat four-corner crit. Down to 18th in the GC, with little hopes of making that time up in the RR.
Event 3: Daulton Road Race: 70 miles of rolling hills, wind, and four times over the worst pavement in Northern California. Uneventful. Sat in, and ended up getting boxed in for the sprint. Ryan from SJBC was a great "teammate" to have in the field, seeing as I was the only Bike Trip racer there.
Bonus Event: Daulton Car Hill Climb Time Trial: You heard it right -- due to the overflow parking issues, Velo Promo added a new stage this year. Some people went backwards... literally.
And that is all.
In retrospect, I should have raced conservatively in the crit and held my GC 9th until the road race. That would have been seven upgrade points (i.e. puts me almost at the 25 I need) if I had done things differently.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Merco Foothills Road Race, 45+ 1/2/3/4
By Dennis Pedersen
Another gorgeous spring-like day for bike racing in the Sierra foothills. Last week Mike Sudbrink and I had to do the Snelling Road Race alone, since Russ Cadwallader and John Marshall were sick. But this time we had Russ along for company since he was feeling much better. The Tremendous Trio!
I was worried that this gently rolling 24-mile course, which shares some of the Snelling course's roads, would also create frustrating opportunities for breaks to get away from us. But having Russ along gave us some added options, and the wind was lighter too which made it easier for us to stay with the front of the pack. We were pretty hopeful of getting some decent results, in spite of the huge 100-man field stacked with several big teams.
Our well-organized two-lap race started on time for us at about 11:45. Man, it was a jammed course, even though the roads were completely closed off to other traffic in both directions. We got stuck a bit behind, and while Mike and Russ moved up through the massive pack it took me half a lap to cautiously move forward on the bumpy roads... I would rather take a bit of extra time than take extra risks with squirrely riders and potholes. Even so I did end up having to dive for the gravel shoulder once when some guys suddenly swerved.
By the time I got up near the front, east-bound on Turlock Road, I could see that Mike and Russ were doing a good job of staying well-positioned and closing the gaps that formed. In spite of the moderate wind guys were still trying to initiate breakaways, but none stuck.
The very, very bumpy Cox Ferry Road is so narrow that moving forward is even harder there. I remembered that from last year too, and made a mental note to be up front on the second lap. I also tried to memorize the course on Keyes Road where it approaches the finish line by Olsen Road, but it has a lot of similar turns. Oh well, I had to just hope it would click, and rely on the posted "1KM" and "200M" signs.
On the second lap I started moving further forward on Bledsoe Road, and had a good view of Mike breaking a spoke when he, like me, was forced onto the gravel shoulder by errant riders. Sigh, just two of us left! Russ continued to do a great job of controlling the front of the pack while I continued to fight to maintain my position near the front... not easy when everybody else in the huge pack had the same idea, and constant jumps off the front, with much swerving, broke up our rhythm.
When we turned north onto Cox Ferry Road I was in a decent position and used the empty left lane to push myself really hard along the pack to get a good position on this road. I did not want to be fighting for it later on, with just a short distance left to the finish! Consequently I was in a good position when we turned onto smooth Keyes Road again and started to jockey for choice spots for the finishing sprint. I felt good and in control. Bring it on!
I drafted an Alto Velo rider up the right side, on a small hill (which is also the feed zone for Snelling), and kept moving forward with the least amount of effort I could. But better to burn some matches now than be poorly positioned later, so I wasn't afraid to get winded to maintain a spot near the front.
We were really starting to move! I was maybe fifth place and hoping we could keep the huge pack strung out for the finish so as to avoid the mass chaos of a 100-man field sprint. Shudder, I don't want to go there! But the leadout train that was keeping me near, but more importantly below, my limit suddenly slowed after a few turns and that allowed a few guys to swarm us, though I somehow floated off the front briefly, just after the 1KM sign. Darn. But then a rider (I think from Team Bicycles Plus, or maybe Safeway?) tried a flyer on the last hill, and I found myself about 10 feet behind him, working hard to close the gap.
Just as we crested the last short hill a few guys came around me and I spotted the 200M sign and finish line; a slight surprise to me, just like last year! Thank goodness I was still well positioned, except now I was leading guys out: Hunter Ziesing (ZteaM) and Eric Saltzman (Morgan Stanley) to be specific. They did a good job of squeezing me out and forced me back to 7th place, which I held to the line maybe 20 feet behind 1st place Peter Allen (Safeway). Woo-hoo! Wheeze, wheeze, gasp... I was in the points this time! I even won some gas money for Russ, who took 25th.
I did better in our Oscars Party contest which Margaret organized at home while I was goofing off, tying for 1st with my semi-educated guesses on movies I'd never seen, thanks to my excessive cycling training. What a fun day!
Another gorgeous spring-like day for bike racing in the Sierra foothills. Last week Mike Sudbrink and I had to do the Snelling Road Race alone, since Russ Cadwallader and John Marshall were sick. But this time we had Russ along for company since he was feeling much better. The Tremendous Trio!
I was worried that this gently rolling 24-mile course, which shares some of the Snelling course's roads, would also create frustrating opportunities for breaks to get away from us. But having Russ along gave us some added options, and the wind was lighter too which made it easier for us to stay with the front of the pack. We were pretty hopeful of getting some decent results, in spite of the huge 100-man field stacked with several big teams.
Our well-organized two-lap race started on time for us at about 11:45. Man, it was a jammed course, even though the roads were completely closed off to other traffic in both directions. We got stuck a bit behind, and while Mike and Russ moved up through the massive pack it took me half a lap to cautiously move forward on the bumpy roads... I would rather take a bit of extra time than take extra risks with squirrely riders and potholes. Even so I did end up having to dive for the gravel shoulder once when some guys suddenly swerved.
By the time I got up near the front, east-bound on Turlock Road, I could see that Mike and Russ were doing a good job of staying well-positioned and closing the gaps that formed. In spite of the moderate wind guys were still trying to initiate breakaways, but none stuck.
The very, very bumpy Cox Ferry Road is so narrow that moving forward is even harder there. I remembered that from last year too, and made a mental note to be up front on the second lap. I also tried to memorize the course on Keyes Road where it approaches the finish line by Olsen Road, but it has a lot of similar turns. Oh well, I had to just hope it would click, and rely on the posted "1KM" and "200M" signs.
On the second lap I started moving further forward on Bledsoe Road, and had a good view of Mike breaking a spoke when he, like me, was forced onto the gravel shoulder by errant riders. Sigh, just two of us left! Russ continued to do a great job of controlling the front of the pack while I continued to fight to maintain my position near the front... not easy when everybody else in the huge pack had the same idea, and constant jumps off the front, with much swerving, broke up our rhythm.
When we turned north onto Cox Ferry Road I was in a decent position and used the empty left lane to push myself really hard along the pack to get a good position on this road. I did not want to be fighting for it later on, with just a short distance left to the finish! Consequently I was in a good position when we turned onto smooth Keyes Road again and started to jockey for choice spots for the finishing sprint. I felt good and in control. Bring it on!
I drafted an Alto Velo rider up the right side, on a small hill (which is also the feed zone for Snelling), and kept moving forward with the least amount of effort I could. But better to burn some matches now than be poorly positioned later, so I wasn't afraid to get winded to maintain a spot near the front.
We were really starting to move! I was maybe fifth place and hoping we could keep the huge pack strung out for the finish so as to avoid the mass chaos of a 100-man field sprint. Shudder, I don't want to go there! But the leadout train that was keeping me near, but more importantly below, my limit suddenly slowed after a few turns and that allowed a few guys to swarm us, though I somehow floated off the front briefly, just after the 1KM sign. Darn. But then a rider (I think from Team Bicycles Plus, or maybe Safeway?) tried a flyer on the last hill, and I found myself about 10 feet behind him, working hard to close the gap.
Just as we crested the last short hill a few guys came around me and I spotted the 200M sign and finish line; a slight surprise to me, just like last year! Thank goodness I was still well positioned, except now I was leading guys out: Hunter Ziesing (ZteaM) and Eric Saltzman (Morgan Stanley) to be specific. They did a good job of squeezing me out and forced me back to 7th place, which I held to the line maybe 20 feet behind 1st place Peter Allen (Safeway). Woo-hoo! Wheeze, wheeze, gasp... I was in the points this time! I even won some gas money for Russ, who took 25th.
I did better in our Oscars Party contest which Margaret organized at home while I was goofing off, tying for 1st with my semi-educated guesses on movies I'd never seen, thanks to my excessive cycling training. What a fun day!
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