my weekly race log

state criterium championships, going for glory:
http://erikakali.smugmug.com/Sports/Vacaville-Gran-Prix-82910/IMG5153/988330522_tEDnj-L-1.jpg

:-{}

no shoecovers, no credibility :)

Haha, I considered it. :o) Didn't want to be one of "those guys" in the end.

Kinda disappointed in my overall result (20/100+) but I did pick up a ca$h prime on this breakaway (I stayed away for 2.5 miles/6 minutes). I am going to work on sprinting next year as mine is not up to snuff. It's either that or take up pursuit on the track, but the nearest velodrome is an hours drive away.

Back in action today after 5 weeks off racing. I did a 25-mile time trial and got a PB (1:06:19, 22.6mph) knocking about a minute off my previous best for the distance and about three minutes off my previous course best. It was a smallish field (22 starters) as it was an association event (only open to riders from a few clubs). I was off no.6 and was absolutely flying on the outbound leg: I caught and passed four riders within the first ten miles and reached the turn with an average speed of 25mph. I had been entertaining the notion that my month off racing had somehow given me superhuman powers, but as soon I came off the roundabout at the halfway point I hit the headwind and realised why I had been going so well. The return leg was a horrible slog with me struggling to stay above 20mph a lot of the time. I caught and passed the only other rider left ahead of me after about 17 miles and was then caught and passed myself by the eventual winner (who did about 1:00:30 - not especially fast, so either a sign of the weakened field or the effect of the wind). I just about managed to keep cramp at bay and I was very glad to see the finish line. I was 6th out of 22.

sat did two circuit races on a rolling 4.3 mile loop near Monterey.

(1) about 9 miles into the first race, my rear derailleur cable snaps. I consider DNF but my teammate convinces me i can still compete with 2 gears (36/50x11). somehow i end up in a 2-man break with 11 miles to go and we almost stay away but get caught 50m from the finish. i sit up for 21st place. #frustrating #fail

(2) nobody at the race has a spare cable so i figure I am okay with my 36/50x11. 2 miles into this race, me and the same guy from the first race and my teammate who flatted in the first race get in a break and stay away! well, they stayed away, I could only hang for 17 miles as I couldn't push the 11 tooth cog fast enough on the climbs to really help with the break so I bid them farewell and recovered and tailgunned until the finish, where I got 8th in the field sprint, 10th overall. most importantly, my teammate got the win, but top 10 with a major mechanical is okay by me. also I won a pretty nice ($50!) bottle of champagne on one of the lap primes. pic (zoom in to see the 60 second gap we had on the peloton lurking in the far distance): http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4152/4960266367_4c2debbd66_b.jpg

mon i did 2 crits, the only race in SF proper this entire year which is pretty lame, there were 2-3 races in city limits as recently as 2008. The course was a technical six corner L shaped lap with a 30 foot half-block "bump" between corners 3&4.

(1) Raced pretty well, probably did too much work in the last 33% of the race. I was in perfect position (3rd wheel on final corner before longggg 2 block sprint) but a guy dove the corner and pushed me all the way to the outside, almost into the curb. That pretty much was the race for me. Hung on to 11th. Teammates told me I need to lean hard and push back next time. #frustrating

(2) Didn't really warm up so the first half was tough (avg pace was 26mph vs. 25mph of the first race). Tried to race much smarter until the breaks started going off the front about halfway in. I had seen a couple breaks work in earlier races so I figured it was in my best interest to either bridge to join them, or bridge the peloton back up. None of the breaks ended up sticking and I remarkably still had some gas in the tank with the end of the race looming. I stayed 5th wheel from 5 to 2 laps to go then moved up to 2nd wheel with a racer who I knew was not a sprint threat so I figured he was down for a brutal 28-29mph final 1-1.5km to thin out the field which is exactly what he launched into 2 laps to go. We worked together until the final lap where I took the front and just buried myself trying to get away and stay away. I got caught at the finish line with absolutely nothing left (listen to the announcer really pouring salt in my wounds). Podium finish but again #frustrating to come up short so close to the line. gah...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InqBn_-VLt0

Great stuff

amazing, shasta

NB&S, if you can take a month off and then still PR by 3mins despite a massively positive split I think your fitness is still there and never went away. If bike time is at a premium, have you considered an indoor trainer or rollers?

Thanks cozzy!

If I had space I would definitely get a turbo trainer. But I don't, so I won't.

This past weekend was a three stage Omnium (like a stage race but points-placing based rather than time-based).

First stage was a 10.7 mile out&back time trial that was flat and fast EXCEPT for the three short&steep power rollers that pop up in the first and last quarters of the race. My goal was 27mph average but these little spikes threw a monkeywrench into my plans, a sort of forced sprint interval sets that were sure to knock me out of my rhythm. I finished with 26.2mph which was good enough for 5th out of 63. I don't have a dedicated TT bike so I just have clip-on aero bars for my road bike which was in stark contrast to much of the TT bike/wheel porn that was out there.

Second stage was a 45 minute criterium that was kidney bean shaped (fast, un-technical) 0.7 mile lap but they did offer 5 sets of primes on random laps featuring points. Because I was in 5th I was hoping to move up a little in the GC I went OTF about 30 minutes in when the paced slowed to try and gobble up 2-4 points but as luck would have it, the 3 laps that I was away there were no primes announced. I got caught, recovered and then ended up 7th in the field sprint. It was a photo-finish with about 2m separating 2nd-12th. Very tough job for the judges to pick everyone out. Now I realize why it's an omnium as time was a little irrelevant on a course like this. Also, I *really* need to work on my sprint for next year. I am very confident with my endurance and my 1km-15km sustained power but my sprint is really lacking. I placed high enough to move up to 4th in the GC.

The third (and Queen) stage was a gorgeous 1.3 mile circuit that crossed 2 bridges above this beautiful historic river (the area the race took place in was near to where gold was discovered in California in the late 1840s, which figures large in western USA history). This course was very technical: 2x180 degree hairpins, a few short climbs, and a couple tricky chicanes. Before the race they announced the top 5 in the GC so that you could make sure you marked everyone who you haven't already. They put a leaders jersey on the leader which made a nice target for those who had their sights on the podium. There were a few attempts at breakaways but nothing stuck. Being stuck in the back of the pack around the hairpins was not only stressful but was way more of a whiplash/taxing effect so it made more sense to be in the top 10-20. Put in a little more effort but have less to worry about imho. So it came down to 2 laps to go and it was just a chess match at this point. The pace was high enough that we had shed about 1/3 of the field but since I was in 4th I figured it was my race to lose anyway so with 2 laps to go I moved to the front and looked behind me and it was (pre-race GC rankings) 4th (me) -3-2-1 - gap - field. haha oh well, I led us around through the bell lap and then came the attacks on the backside. 2nd and 3rd make the big moves and 1st and I sit in on their wheels. We hit the last hairpin 2-3-1-4 and then one last corner and then 400m of straightaway for the sprint. We are going all out and spread out wide trying to get an advantage. 2nd and 3rd pull away and I try to edge out 1st but he hangs on by 1-2cm (I protested and saw the photo). Insanely close finish yet again. Also my weak-ass sprint coming up short (common theme recurring).

We all bro down after the race even despite 1st and 2nd place changing hands. 4th place in the GC (me) even gets "podium" distinction and finishes in the ca$h money prize purse so I can't be that disappointed. So me and 3rd place are pretty new to the racing game (both of us started racing this summer) but 1st and 2nd guiltily admit that they are sandbagging, ie racing in an intermediate category despite having more than enough upgrade points to move up. Real quickly: USACycling states that after earning 20 points you are eligible to upgrade to the next category, but at 30 points you are "automatically" upgraded to the next category. So 1st place admits that he had (prior to the race) 48 upgrade points which caused even 2nd place (38 points) to shake his damn head. So lessons learned: sandbaggery abounds. Callin' you fulez out on your weak-ass victories.

that is a great weekend of racing for you though, congrats.

take it as a moral victory imo

well, moral 2nd

How many points have you got now Steve?

13 but I just upgraded three weeks ago. I ~might~ have enough to upgrade by the end of the season (4 more races).

I have 13 now. I had 9 going into this omnium race.

I have a bad back (caused by some DIY yesterday to try and solve my bike storage problems) and am starting to go down with the same cold that my daughter is suffering from. I'm entered for a 25-mile time trial (starting in less than two hours' time) which I really shouldn't do. I went out and rode 4 miles earlier to see if I was in any kind of shape to do it, and I didn't feel incapable of doing it, so I've decided to go ahead. Whether I still feel like that after more than an hour crouched over tri-bars pushing it as hard as I can remains to be seen. Probably a mistake...

Get out there and kill it young man!

...I'm feeling pretty rough now, but dosed up on paracetamol I managed to do it. This was on a similar course to the one a fortnight ago: about 15 miles of it overlaps with that course, but it starts and finishes about 4 miles further north and has a couple of extra loops. There wasn't much of a wind this time and it seemed to be coming from the north (so good for the return leg). I got to the turn with an average speed of 22.6mph which was bang on target for my existing PB. However, I was flagging a bit on the return leg - either the wind wasn't as strong or wasn't in the direction I'd thought, or my body was telling me it really shouldn't be racing. I finished in 1-6-50 (22.4mph), my second fastest time and 17 seconds faster than I managed in the same event last year.

2 criterium races in downtown O@kl@nd today:

1st race was open to all ages which means they stick the juniors in with us. This is sad to say but I was DOMINATED in the sprint by a 14 year old boy. That just sucks to write no matter how you try to paint it. Now, I will concede that he is rated #1 in the nation for 15 and under but it still was humiliating. He's taller than me I think (I'm 6'2"), watch out for this kid. I tried to "turn the screw" and just lay down the gas pedal for the last 3 laps but I was not able to shed the sprinters. I took 3rd. The race for 2-3-4 was really close, like two feet. But I got on the podium which was my goal: to podium in all the major bay area (SF, Berkeley and Oak) downtown crits.

2nd race was open to my age group (lol u old) but this is also the biggest field of the day so don't even trip. the pace is a little faster 25mph over a technical course (hourglass shape, 8 corners including one chicane into a sharp near hairpin). I found myself at the front after the last prime of the race and the pace slowed before one of the two inclines on the course so I just carried my momentum up and over and checked and I had a surprisingly hueg gap. 4 laps to go so I'm committed to the win so I just bury myself (95% of max HR for ~8 minutes) and try to hang on. The last couple laps are torture. Gasping for air, legs burning with lactic acid, struggling to stay aero and keep the speed up.

2 laps to go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqOEHBD8aOk

Finish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOlutRJeEXk

I am ready to fall asleep now tbh, but it was great to just get out there and ~ride~.

so sexy

greatness

chapeau sir!

TIME TO UPGRADE!

you cant get points from a masters race, can you?

maybe not at your age, but at my age you can. ;-)

california lol

usacycling.org /= california iirc

READ YOUR RULEBOOK

dude, colorado left usacycling years ago, its a socialist ponzi scheme

(i did look at aca's rulebook and policybook, they are silent on this issue afaict at a glance)

the only races that i know of that do not count toward upgrade points are TTs (non mass-start) and Hill Climbs that are less than [x] miles long (I think where x=10 miles for 4/5s and 15 miles for 1/2/3s).

age group sub-categorization like juniors, u23, elite, masters (35,45,55) is extremely common in all races i've been involved in.

Q: what is colorado's governing body of pro-am cycling? i meant to ask but forgotteth.

just amateur- american cycling association, formerly bicycle racing assoc of colorado (brac). brac was the regional arm of the feds, but the feds pulled some bs on the staff here and broke away. last i heard reunification was the plan.

(that is, brac broke with usacycling obv)

Final race of the season (apart from my club's hill climb championship in November) this morning, yet another 25-mile time trial. The prospects didn't look good: it was pouring with rain last night and supposed to continue with more of the same today, plus (same as last time) I had a mild cold. However, I decided to go ahead with it and was glad I did as the race took place in a rare window without rain. Lots of other people didn't fancy it, though: more than 20 out of 55 didn't even start.

There was a strong wind from the south and this course basically goes south-to-north for 12.3 miles, then north-to-south for 12.7 miles. I was flying on the outbound leg, averaging 26.6mph as I went through the first village after just under 3 miles. I was startled to be caught and passed by my minute man at this point: I've since calculated he was averaging 31.6mph at this point. He went on to win the event comfortably by about 3 minutes with a time of 54-something.

I got to the roundabout for the turn with an average speed of 26.2mph - far in excess of anything I could realistically expect to achieve (my PB for this distance is about 22.7mph). As I turned at the roundabout it was like hitting a brick wall. I couldn't believe how difficult it was. I couldn't get any kind of rhythm going and just struggled to keep going. At one point I had to abandon the tri-bars and go onto the hoods, get out of the saddle, and kick to go at just 14mph, and this was on the flat! I eventually ground my way in with a time of 1:07:42, meaning my average speed for the return leg was just 19.3mph (nearly 7mph slower than the outbound leg!).

I wasn't very happy with that as it was a good minute-and-a-half slower than the PB I set on the same course just a few weeks ago, but when I got back to the HQ I found out that everyone had suffered. I ended up coming 3rd in the handicap competition, so it turns out that getting that close to your PB was some kind of achievement after all.

Chapeau. Headwinds are a bitch - 19mph sounds amazing considering (in string headwinds I tend to have a 16 on my speedometer even if I'm really pushing it).

The final, final race of the season this morning: my club's hill climb championship. Last year I got 2nd place (out of 11) with 2.52, well behind the winner who got 2.31. This year I closed the gap a bit and got 2nd again (this time out of 15) with 2.41 - the same guy won it again with a time of about 2.26. I'm really happy with that performance - I think I got it just right and did as well as I possibly could. I went hard right from the start, putting it in the big ring for the flatter sections, and just let adrenalin carry me up the final gruesome section while I gasped like a dying man.

DNF
DNF
DNF
DNF
DNF

Launched 600W on a false flat for ~60seconds trying to maim this fucking whippet who kept attacking on the rollers and ended up kamikazing myself to the point where I seized up on lap 5 of 6.

Whippet's attacks on every ascent on lap 1 shredded our field of 20 down to 10. My stupid attack pared it down to 7... I was the last to abandon. 6 finished. Teammate got 4th. Whippet 5th.

I need to exercize a teensy bit more patience and strategery in the future imho.

what sort of wattage were you putting out to keep up w/ the whippet??

I was around 220W for the ride, but lots of 0s on the descents. My interval training has been pretty absent. Need to get on that.

Remarkably, the attack was captured on film:
http://www.argentumimago.com/Sport/2011/CCCX2011RoadCircuit01/15652630_oZHFn/#1173006609_tRNqk

It was pouring rain btw.

good pain cave face!

I'm racing in my first real-deal Crit tomorrow: http://socalreg.com/schedule.asp?race=Red+Trolley

I've participated in club races which usually draw about 80 guys from teams all around town and usually go at a pretty fast pace (last one averaged 26mph for an hour) but this is the first one with a number and cash prizes and points up for grab.

I'm in the 4/5 field. Have been feeling really good on the bike lately, and set a PR up one of my benchmark climbs (torrey pines) without really even noticing I was trying so I am kind of hyped. BUT, the weather has been so damn nice here lately (San Diego) that I'm sure everybody else has also been riding like mad and is feeling equally strong. Excited and nervous and fully prepared for humiliation. Can't wait.

Also I bought a skinsuit from a teammate lol.

Won a sprint prime, blew up, rolled in with the field. So much fun.

were you wearing the skinsuit?? PROs are doing that in road races, sky riders in particular!

you shld read alexi grewal on the hazards of skinsuits in long road races lol.

http://alexigrewal.com/index.php/blog/104-the-skinsuit-aka-the-olympics-in-la#disqus_thread

I got it because I'm racing on the track this year, and my 2011 team kit hasn't come in yet, so I needed a current kit for thus weekend. Lots of dudes wore em in the crit.

they are v good for anything under 1.25 hr imo, used them all the time.

Love that article Huntr3, I wore my skinsuit for TTs (obvs), technical crits that suited my strengths (in case I could pull a solo breakaway), or for circuit races of 60-75mins.

Now that I'm getting my ass handed to me on a weekly basis, I will probably revert to wearing it only in TTs. Tailgunning in a skinsuit is NAGL imho.