Goodbye Cat 4... Hello 3s

This week I officially got my Cat 3 road license.  It was a mixture of emotions for me because it was  really something I NEVER thought I would accomplish.  It makes me reflect on the past three years and all that has happened to get to this point.

I always tell people the best thing that can happen to a person is having their bike stolen!  I know, I know WHY, you may ask... Because it gives no better reason to get a new, BETTER bike.  Who would have thought that leaving a garage door open could change your life.  Well as it would happen when my bike was stolen I replaced it with a nice new Specialized mountain bike.  While working down in Louisville, KY on a project I began to take it out on the trails at night after work.  I rode more and more and eventually started taking it on the road doing longer and longer rides.  After a summer of riding I was falling in love with the sport and decided to get a real road bike.  When I brought that first road bike home it was like no other feeling.  I thought it was just about the coolest bike in the world. 


Early bike ride in the Daniel Boone Forest in Louisville, KY

 Ironically my first ride was on a set of rollers I had bought to train inside for the winter.  Note: my old mountain bike in the corer and hairy legs!  After a few months I thought I was in great shape and would try to enter my first race...  What an eye opening experience that would be.


One of the first times on my new road bike



It was early March and the race was on the south side of Chicago in Calumet Park on the shore of Lake Michigan.  The temperature was hovering around 50 degrees, it was misting rain and the wind was blowing 20+ mph in what seemed to be coming from every direction.  I had to ask someone to pin my race number on for me, not yet realizing to take my jersey off first.  Everything I did was a new experience.  At the start my heart was racing and I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out.  At the gun I could not clip my shoe in and was at the back of the pack in the first 20 feet.  Within two laps I was off the back and riding into that headwind all alone in last place.  I was able to NOT get lapped for about 10 minutes but after that it was all over.  I was lapped at twice by the pack and as they flew by I thought to myself... "How could ANYONE go that fast"  Eventually I finished completly exhausted.  It was dark and I was cold and wet and tired.  My race stats were as follows.  Average 19.4 mph for 35 minutes.  Average heartrate 172 bpm.  But something in my head just said, "well you're just going to have to work harder."





Early Race in 2009 Before Joining XXX



It was much of the same for a long time.   Ride more, and try not to get dropped by the pack.  Then eventually it was try to finish WITH the pack.  My goals for this year were to finish on a podium and be ranked anywhere in the IL Cup series.  Meaning to score at least 1 point.  Achieving that first goal at Glencoe this year was an unbelievable feeling.  But how do you feel when you go so far beyond your goals.  For me winning a race was not even a goal this year because I didn't think it was even possible.  Don't get my wrong I dreamed about what it would feel like and thought about it all the time but it was never "real."   



To win not once but twice this year and upgrade to Cat 3 is hard to put into perspective.  Its a little scary to be moving into a class where the riders are so fast and the field of talent is so deep.  But in another way it makes me so proud to know that I accomplished that, and I am one of those riders now.  Its been a long year and 18 races is a lot for one season and it makes me think what more can I accomplish?

Fall riding is my favorite time of year and I'm going to spend it NOT thinking about racing but just enjoying being outside, catching up with friends, and riding for fun again.  But its also a time to reflect and think about what the goals might be for next year and just how far can you push yourself?  We'll certainlly see.

After the last race of 2011

Morton Cycling Classic 9/20

If you would have asked me at 3:00 on Saturday how I felt I would have told you “terrible.”  After my run in with the car Thursday and laying new sod in the front yard Friday night I was sore beyond belief.   At the start line my legs felt like Jello and it was 97 degrees with not a cloud in the sky.  I was sweating buckets already and my Garmin computer was broken.  Needless to say I wasn’t necessarily feeling “in tune” with things going into the race Saturday.  The course was a .8 mile rectangle with wide turns and almost no grade change defiantly not the most technical of the year.

Even at the start I seemed "off".  I had trouble clipping in and by the first corner found myself at the back of the pack chasing.  However, within a couple laps I seemed to find my rhythm and moved up easily in the group and sat in.  From the start the pace seemed slow and without my computer I didn’t know exactly how fast we were going.  A few riders tried to go off the front one by one but the attacks were lazy and half hearted and the pack was able to bring them back easily.

Sitting in early in the race

The race almost seemed boring at times during the midst of it.  There were no attacks or team tactics of any kind.  A few primes spiced things up but I was not interested in those.  It wasn't until about 10 laps to go that the pace started to pick up and riders began trying to position themselves for what was sure to be a sprint finish.  I continued to ride second wheel from this point on hopping from each leaders wheel as they rode on the front conserving my energy for the sprint finish.  As the laps continued to count down I was in perfect position to mark any moves that were made.  Sure enough with 5 to go a guy attacked from just behind me.  In perfect position to respond I jumped with him and followed his wheel off the front.

Sitting second wheel with less than 10 to go

I rode his wheel as he attacked and we formed what was probably a 15 second gap.  Suddenly as I was pulling up alongside him to discuss teaming up he faded and dropped back telling me afterword he pulled a muscle in his leg.  So there I was 15 seconds up the road with no one to work with.  Decision time… do I put the hammer down and try to go solo for the remaining 4 laps?  Or drop back into the field and wait for the field sprint.  I told myself “lets see whats behind door number 1.”

I looked back and saw the field far off the distance and put the hammer down.  I rode hard but not all out.  As I came around the finish line with 3 to go I was in my own world of pain.  I did not see the fans or hear the announcer.  I made each lap its own mini race to stay away… telling myself at every lap, “on more”  when I finally reached the bell lap the gap was starting to come down.  When I looked back I could see the peloton catching me.  I told myself to hang on for one more mile.  As I made the last three corners going into the final stretch I could see the peloton rounding the last corner just seconds behind me.  It had all come down to this final sprint. 

With 30 guys trying to chase me down I sprinted with every ounce of energy I had left.  The line never seemed to get any closer…  Finally my vision sharpened up and I could see and hear everything.  I took one final look behind me and knew that I had it.  I sat up and raised my hands up for a victory salute.  However the pack wasn’t quite done sprinting yet and the line was still a few feet away. 

The field never caught me although the finish was closer than what I had expected.  As I crossed the line in first I let out the loudest shout you’ve ever heard.  The feeling was indescribable.  My break away had succeeded!!  The field had failed to get organized enough to chase me down and I had done it.  So many thoughts flooded my mind as I shifted down and did a short recovery lap.  As I came back around the fans started clapping for me and as I pulled off the course Heather came up and gave me a hug and kiss.  It felt great.  Many people at the finish had never seen a bike race before and asked questions like, “how fast do you go?” and “doesn’t your butt hurt?”.  It was so fun to answer questions and be the total center of attention for a little while.  The Peoria Journal came up and asked me some questions for the paper and even posted a picture of me online.

It was the most satisfying ride I’d ever done.  Everything Tactics, fitness and luck all combined together to give me this moment.  There is no better way to cap of the season and upgrade to Cat 3 than this.  I’m already looking forward to next year.  But first I’m going to take a little time off.

I want to give a special thanks to Corey Lyons who took all the pictures you see above.  He is clearly a very talented photographer as anyone who has ever tried to photograph a cycling event knows.  Thanks again Corey!

Anatomy of a crash

So this morning marks the second time I've been struck by a car.  Ironically this time wasn't an Asian driver but a middle aged white guy in a huge Ford F150.  I was almost to work minding my own business riding in the bike lane on Roosevelt Rd.  Today I was deep in thought about my gears... considering whether I should change my back 11/25 cassette to a 12/26.  I'm sure something many people think about on a daily basis.  As I went down the hill of the viaduct and through the green light I saw the black truck ahead.  I slowed down as I approached but at the last minute he made a sudden right turn into the bike lane turning into a repair shop that was on my right.


This is my garmin GPS data from this morning overlayed on Bing Maps

 I shouted but he did not hear me until it was to late.  I locked up my breaks and as my back tire fishtailed I turned right to try and avoid a head on collision.  I couldn't avoid him and my left side hit his truck and bounced off.  My momentum propelled me forward and I continued off to the right and into the open door of the mechanics garage.  They all jumped when I cam flying in yelling.  I came to a stop about 10' inside the building.  Amazingly still upright!!

The guy stopped his truck jumped out and ran around to inspect the potential damage to his truck.  The mechanics came up and asked if I was OK.  After determining there was minimal damage he came over to me to yell at me about how I should "watch where I'm going" and to "pay attention".  I courteously told him that it was a bike lane, and he turned without looking or signaling.  He claimed that he indeed DID signal.  So I looked over to his truck still half way through the turn and asked why it wasn't on now?  He said that it WAS on at the time.  OK good glad we got that sorted out.

Then he said that I shouldn't be riding with my headphones in.  Two points here... I always turn them off when I'm in traffic but keep them in my ears.  Second I could hear the radio blaring from his truck.  I pointed that out to him but his final comment was "F- You" before getting back into his truck and continuing into the garage. 

Its just like that Seinfeld when George thinks of the good comeback after the meeting is over.  Only after I rode off in rage did I realize what I should have done.  Just said hey lets let the cops figure it out.  DONE.  Have them come over and tell them what happened.  As I limped on towards work I daydreamed of how if I was bigger I would have pushed the guy and pummeled him to the ground.  Or fallen to the ground faining extreme neck pain.  Finally I settled on "Hey the jerk store called their running out of you!"  That's Gold.  Lets all just pretend that's what happened.

East Village Criterium 8/13



With a Cat 3 upgrade in sight I was hoping the East Village Criterium would be my last as a 4.  Boy was I wrong!  Going into the race I knew it was going to be tough.  The race was a .7 mile circuit with a 100' climb built in, not leaving much time or distance to recover.  During my warmup laps I realized the wind was coming head on directly into the downhill portion of the course.  I noted that it would make the short recovery period even shorter but I had no idea just how decisive that downhill portion would be.



At the starting line my whole family was there to cheer me on.  My little niece kept saying “on your marks, get set, GO!” it was so cute.  At the gun I had a great start and settled into third wheel easily.  Right away a rider went up the road solo. I had him marked thanks to a helpful tip from a friend, and since no one else wanted to do any work I chased him down (photo).  It took three laps or so for the field to come back together and I was tired after the effort.  I settled into 10th wheel or so to recover.  This turned out to the be the decisive mistake of the race.  A few laps later on the downhill the pace picked up.  In front of me a group of about 12 riders developed a gap.  The riders in front of me failed to close it and a 6 second gap formed.  Shortly later the gap grew to 10 seconds.  By the time I realized what was happening it was to late.  I tried to make the bridge but the group was working really well together and riding fast.  After bringing the gap down to about half I looked to the rider on my left and asked him to finish it off.  He said no and dropped back onto my wheel. 

No one was willing to do any work.  I chased solo with the whole peloton in tow for the remaining 10 laps.  The gap stayed about the same but with about 3 laps remaining they pulled away and I was exhausted.  At the end a few of the riders who had been on my wheel the whole race started to attack me.  No way I said to myself.  On the final climb towards the finish I hit the gas and accelerated.  I didn’t even get out of the saddle and rode them off my wheel.  Coming down the final straight I glanced back and saw no one there.  It was satisfying to know I finished strong even though I was hugely disappointed. 

Chasing down the solo breakaway

It was great to see my whole family afterwords and be talk about the race.  I was disappointed in the result but hardly disappointed in my performance.  It was a good ride and defiantly a challenge.  I look forward to coming back and doing it again next year.

Dad and Lemmy (Kara on the right)

Superweek 2011 Wrap-Up Part 3

Not knowing how long it would take me to get to the race venue I left quite early in the morning to get to the south side in time.  Arriving 2 hours early I was able to drive most of the course prior to the race and linger around talking to other riders about what was to come.  During this down time I got to talking with a pro rider about the course.  He gave me some advice about how to tackle the hilltop finish and encouraged me on getting my first win.  He laughed when I told him about my recent third and fourth place finishes, and said “oh yeah that first place... it’s elusive.”  I put those thoughts aside and went over and over in my mind how the final climb would go.

The course was a 3 mile circuit through a forest preserve with a large climb just before the finish line.  The climb goes in three sections each with varying degrees of length and grade.  At the top there is a short 50m flat before the finish line.  The course was perfect for my riding style and I knew it.  I surveyed the riders at the start line and identified those to mark from the previous two races.



The race started neutral because the start line was in a different place from the finish.  We rode neutral, climbed the large hill and rode over the finish line to officially start the race.  Right from the start the pace was blistering.  We flew down the backstretch of 95th st and the slight undulations before descending into the river bottom of Archer Ave. where we flew along the flat for about a mile before hitting the climb just after the start line.  We would do this circuit only 4 times due to the shorted race schedule because of the previous crash.  Riders were making aggressive moves off the front and a few fliers went off but nothing stuck.  The peloton was moving much to fast. 



Putting on the winners jersey



With one lap to go and my heart rate soaring we flew along the flat moving closer towards the final decisive climb.  At the base riders attacked from all sides.  I stayed in the saddle and followed their wheels up the first section. Here many started fading and I was able to power my way forward in the peloton to the second section.  The top riders pace quickened as they desperately tried to get to the front.  Taking the pros advice I waited patiently and stayed to the far left of the road.  Rounding the final corner the third section is a massive wall staring straight at you.  Here all the riders attacked.  But I didn’t...  I kept to the left and followed wheels until half way up the climb.  That's where I made my move.  I jumped out of the saddle and uncorked every bit of power I had left.  I flew by the fading riders like they were standing still.  Just before the top of the hill I passed the second place rider and could see the leader in my peripheral on the right.  I kept sprinting and as he dropped back out of sight one thought clearly ran through my head.  “oh my gosh I’m in first” 

Doesn't get any better than this!

I remember seeing clear road in front of me which was weird because there is almost always someone in front of you in a race.  On the short flat section just before the finish I could see a guy gaining a little ground and I dug deeper with everything I had to maintain the lead.  In what seemed like only a split second the line appeared and was gone.  I did it, I had won!!  In my mind I couldn’t really believe what just happened.  There was no post up or celebration and all the images I had of what it would be like to win were completely gone.  The only thing I felt was complete and utter exhaustion.  I shifted into my lowest gear and looked down at my heart rate...  194.  My head instantly exploded with the worst headache I have ever had and I struggled to stay upright and bring my body back into reality.  Finally after about 5 minutes of soft pedaling I rounded the corner and arrived back at the start.  The pro rider was there and he was asked me how I did.  I held up one finger and smiled.  He gave me a huge high five and congratulated me.  The full race data can be found here.

Final Results

I sat around and chatted with the other riders about the race.  They all wanted to know who won because I had snuck up on the left and blew by them so quick that not many had seen me.  After soaking in the congratulations for what seemed like an hour.  I went back to the car and changed out of my shoes and went up for the podium presentation.  Unfortunately there was no podium but that made no difference to me.  All I wanted was to put on that winners jersey.  When the sponsor came up and announced my name and put on the winners jersey he whispered that it was a size extra-small.  Really!?  But there was no way I wasn't putting it on.  I zipped it up and held my hands up high.   It was the most rewarding moment in my life.  I picked up my check and headed for home.  In the car on the way out I let out a yell and pounded my fists on the steering wheel.  For the next three days I slept with that jersey by my bed.

Superweek 2011 Wrap-Up Part 2

Homewood 2011

The next day, Sunday 7/10, I made the trip down to Homewood, IL for day 2 of Superweek.  My legs were still aching from the effort the day before but I was determined to put forth another great effort.  The day seemed even hotter than the last and I was drenched in sweat before the start.  At the gun I dropped back and found myself in the middle of the pack.  The pace was fast and the corners were tight. 

At the start line

After only 4 or 5 laps a group of two riders were off the front but I could still see them on the long straightaway.  Seeing them so far up the road I knew that unless I made a move I would never see them again.  On the long straightaway to the finish line I attacked to bridge the gap.  It took almost 2 laps to catch them but I finally was able to make the bridge.  This was the first time I'd ever been able to make such a move in a race.  When I finally made it to the wheel I was gasping for breath.  The lead rider in the break yelled at me to pull through, but I yelled back that I couldn’t.  He was very cool and said OK to just sit in then come help when I could.  I told him to give me a minute then I would work with them.  Unfortunately with the heat or maybe lack of fitness I could not recover from the acceleration and was only able to stick with them for another few laps.  I fell off the pace and was left out in no mans land.  Knowing I couldn’t ride solo I dropped back until the peloton scooped me up.  I recovered and waited to make the sprint for 3^rd place.



On the attack to catch the 2 man break



2nd lap of the bridge.  I caught the break soon after this picture.



Moving up in the pack for the final sprint

Going into the last couple corners I accelerated quickly and took great lines to position myself in third going into the final turn.  On the final turn I accelerated past the two riders in front of me and jumped out of the saddle.  It was an extremely long sprint and as I ran out of gas I was able to shift into a higher gear to get a little extra power.  I won the field sprint but apparently another rider had gotten up the road and I came in 4^th overall.  With so many lapped riders on the course it was really hard to see who was still in the race or not.  Full race data can be found here.

By the end of the weekend I was exhausted but very happy with the last two performances.  In looking at the overall standings after the first two races I was in second overall and beginning to think of going for the overall win.

Superweek 2011 Wrap-Up Part 1

This race report is little late in posting but also a long time coming.  Superweek 2011 was a breakout period in my relatively short cycling career.  I accomplished some long standing goals and did some things I never thought possible.   Racing only 4 times throughout the two weeks, I accumulated enough points to finish 7th in the overall standings with two podium finishes and my first win!

The Geneva Grand Prix was the first day of Superweek on Saturday 7/9 in Geneva, IL.  The day started brutally hot and I was glad to be in the first race of the day.  After waiting in an unholy long line to sign in I did not have much time to warm up but was able to ride the course once to see what it was all about.



Sitting in the peloton

The course was a short and technical 8 turn circuit with a slight uphill grade on the backside leveling out for a nice sprint finish.  I knew that with such a short technical course riding at the front would be key and gaining position in the peloton would be difficult.  At the start I was able to move up and sit in with the other riders.  With such a big field many were twitchy going into the turns but by staying up front I was able to maintain speed through the corners.



Snapshot with 2 or 3 remaining

With three laps to go I was up front in the first 6 wheels hammering hard.  The pace was not letting up and there was no breaking in the corners.  Coming into the final backstretch I accelerated on the uphill portion just before the final turn.  Taking it wide (as was my plan) leaving myself a nice open stretch of road as most of the riders took the turn tight on the inside.  One rider from XXX swung wide and I was on his wheel.  With 50m to go I jumped out of the saddle and moved left between the rider and the barrier.  For a split second I thought I was going into the barrier but I was able to split the gap and come around the XXX rider at the line to nab 3^rd place.  In the photo on the right the eventual winner can be seen in blue on far left.  2nd place is in green / white putting water bottle back.  XXX rider that lead me out is on far right directly in front of me.




My first podium ceremony!

I was ecstatic!!!  After two 4^th place finishes and a 5^th I finally had my first podium.  I was so happy I could not contain myself.  After waiting what seemed like (and actually was) an hour the official called for the top 3 riders to come to the stage.  Behind the stage we were given sports drinks and asked a few questions about the pronunciation of our names and team.  Then before I knew it I was on the stage and the announcer was saying my name.  I couldn’t believe it.  It seemed awkward to be raising my hands above my head but all the same I could not stop smiling.  The announcer finished with the 2^nd and 1^st place riders and as the 1^st place guy put on his winners jersey I could not help feeling a bit of jealousy.  But that was quickly forgotten when I picked up my prize money and congratulated the other guys on a great race.  Little did I know what was in store.  Full race data can be found here.

Classic Pose!

Glencoe Grand Prix (IL State Criterium Championship) - 6/25

This year was my first doing the regular course at the Glencoe Grand Prix in Glencoe, IL and being the Illinois State Criterium Championship and on the NRC (National Racing Calender) this race was sure to bring the best of the best in talent for all categories of racing.  I always love these big events because it exponentially increases the level of excitement as a rider.  The timing is through electronic chips attached to the front forks of the bike, there were two stage platforms with announcers giving real time details of the race and the entire course was closed with barriers barring the names of all the sponsors.   

The course features 10 corners with a big decent and climb on the backside about 1k from the finish.  Points and prizes are given at various points along the way for "King of the Mountains" and "Best Sprinter" as well as the state championship jersey for the overall winner.  With all that hardware at stake all the best riders were present and motivated to put in a stellar performance.

After arriving, signing in and getting my timing chip I did a brief warm up on the trainer before heading over to the course to do a few practice laps.  The race was right after lunch so the course was open much to my surprise.  After a few laps I knew the next hour was going to be quite a challenge.

From the gun the pace was intense.  Normally, at the start I can sit in the pack fairly easily and get into a groove.  However, by the first corner I had dropped back in the pack and feeling the accordion effect at every turn.  On the flats the pace picked up to about 26 mph but then dropped to 19 or 20 around the corner.  As the race progressed more and more riders were spit out the back due to this constant acceleration and deceleration.

Halfway through the race the sprints were announced.  I was sitting the middle of the pack which was strung out in a long line with no chance of contesting the sprint points.  As the race progressed I began to move steadily up in the pack until I was sitting somewhere in the top 10.  I could tell most riders were reaching their limit and with three to go I was at the red line but feeling good.  With two to go we hit the long backstretch and I hit the gas and accelerated into the top 5 spots.  This allowed me to take the corners at much higher speed and maintain it into the next straight.  At the bell lap I hit the gas again and  could feel the lactic acid burning my legs but at the same time a burst of adrenaline fueled me on.  We took the final corners at full speed and hit the last hill climbing out of the saddle.  I could see the other riders fading.  At the top of the hill I maintained speed while trying to gather what little energy I had left for the sprint.  Going into the third to final turn my whole body felt like Jello.  For a second I lost my concentration and my front wheel hit the back wheel of the rider in front of me.  With no panic at all, I held my line and so did the other rider.  I was able to pull back with no further incident.  I shouted an apology which was my punishment considering I could barely breath.

With one straight to go before the final turn I accelerated and took the lead going into the final turn.  I took the final turn in 1st place as fast as I could go.  With the finish line in sight I gave it everything I had.  As one then two riders went around me I pushed as hard as I could.  With literally meters to go two other riders came around me and I went from 3rd to 5th in half a second.

 

Cat 4 Finish

Its funny how great you feel after finishing but the pain doesn't go away quickly.  I had to take a cool down lap but even that didn't clear the lactic acid from my muscles.  Feeling better after about 15 minutes I went to the podium to congratulate the winner and apologize again to the guy who I almost crashed out.  He's a great rider who I've raced with before and held no hard feelings.  It certainly was a hard effort and I paid for every moment of it.  Finishing 5th overall was a great accomplishment and I was very happy overall.  I hope to build off that result in the next couple weeks as Superweek begins.  Here is the final race data from the race.

Rose Festival Road Race - 6/18

With legs still spongy from yesterdays effort I lined up for the encore to the Rose Festival Criterium on Saturday morning.  The Rose Festival Road Race was not in State Center but a place called Bangor, Iowa.  You couldn't call it a town, just a park with a sign indicating you were in Bangor.  The other racers were equally as confused as I was at the start.  There was no start line and no map of the course.  Everyone gathered on the road where we saw an official and began chatting about what the next couple hours would bring.  When the whistle blew the only information I had was that it was a 40 mile road race and when we saw a person with a flag turn left. 

Off we went with no direction at all.  The mood was light and riders were chatting with each other for the first few miles.  Before the first turn a rider came out of no cutting me off and driving me off the road into the gravel shoulder.  Barely avoiding a crash I managed to get back on the road and rejoin the group.  I caught up to him and politely asked what the hell he was doing?  His response was "quit your crying" I knew immediately that was someone to stay well away from for the next two hours.

The course turned out to be a large 20 mile square.  The wind buffeted the peloton from all directions and we formed a tight pack for most of the race.  Mr. Etiquette made his way through the group nearly causing numerous crashes and I chuckled as each rider cursed under their breath at each narrowly avoided crash.  At one point I overheard someone say "watch for his shoulder to dip before he veers off so you can see what direction he's going"  It was truly the worst riding I have ever seen in a race.

The pace was steady most of the race with a few minor attacks of the front but nothing that would stick.  Clearly this was going to be a sprint finish.  Going around the final turn we had about 4 miles to the finish.  I was feeling good and as the pack slowed I decided to push the pace at the front.  Bad Decision.  As my speed hit 30 mph I could not longer hear wheels behind me.  I drove the pace faster and faster thinking I had a chance at a solo finish.  My legs screaming I drove on... finally hitting the 1k sign I thought that maybe I had a chance at it.  With about 200m to go the road took an uphill approach to the finish and the first rider went around me.  I had nothing left in the legs to respond.  At the finish another group went around and I had to settle for a disappointing 9th.

My cheering section was there at the line and it felt great to be congratulated even though the race didn't turn out like I wanted.  All around it was a great week of racing and I can't wait to do it again next year.  Race data for the road race are posted here.

Rose Festival Twilight Criterium - 6/17

This weekends racing brought me to State Center, Iowa for the Rose Festival Twilight Criterium and Road Race.  After a long drive Friday I arrived just in time to get signed in and warmed up before the 7pm start. My whole family was there to watch and it was great to have a cheering section on every lap.  Temperatures were in the upper 80's and I don't know what the humidity was but I'll just say it was HOT!  Warm up took about 5 minutes to get my heart rate up but the legs weren't feeling so good.  I thought maybe I pushed it a little to hard training this week... Regardless the race wasn't waiting for me.



Waiting for race to start

Lining up was a very small group of riders, but each looked ready to race.  For the first time in a long while I had problems clipping in, and found myself at the back of the pack chasing right from the start.  The pace was fast initially but everyone in the group was cornering well and riding smart which made things much more enjoyable.  After 5 or 6 laps the pace slowed a touch and I was able to move up in the field into a comfortable spot.  Halfway through he race I was really starting to feel the heat.  I went through an entire 20 oz. bottle which is strange for a 40 min. criterium. With about 8 laps to go things started heating up.  Two guys went off the front but only held a 15 second advantage.  We could see them going around each turn and I wrongly assumed the pack would quickly bring them back.  Its hard racing with people you don't recognize because you don't know what their skill level is.  Back home I would have had a better idea of weather or not to chase the breakaway.


Sitting in early in the race

The course was a simple box with an extra left and right corner right after the first turn making a nice 6 turn layout.  The last two turns are on a steady incline and I knew that at race speed it would very hard if not impossible to make up much ground.  In my mind I decided the race would be won or lost on the slight downhill straight between turns 4 and 5 which was the only real area to make up much ground. 

Coming up the home stretch with about 4 to go (The two riders were not the two off the front)

The pace was increasing to the bell lap and as I watched the laps count down I wondered if I could keep the pace.  At the bell I knew we weren't catching the two off the front.  With my family cheering me on and the heart rate increasing to 190 I was firing on all cylinders.  I pushed past the one rider in front of me (seen below) and was out front driving the pace. 

Sitting in 2nd going into the bell lap

Taking good lines on turns 2 and 3 I hit the short straight away before the last final uphill.  I could hear the wheels closing in around me and I drove harder to stay out front.  I took a great line going into the uphill and maintained every bit of speed going into the homestretch.  I buried my head and drove as hard as I could for the last 150m.  I was able to stay off and win the bunch sprint of the small group.  Those two riders stayed off the front the whole time and I thought I had taken third.  After the race I realized another rider had escaped which I missed and gotten lost in the shuffle of lapped riders so I ultimately took 4th overall, just missing my first podium again.  It took the entire cool down lap to bring the heart rate and legs back under control but with the whole family there to watch it was a great effort and a great result.  Race data can be found here.

The Alpaca Fly's at Midway 5/14

Last Saturday was the annual Monsters of the Midway Criterium in Hyde Park, Chicago.  I have done this race once before and have been looking forward to it all year because of its fairly easy course and competitive field of riders.  The course is shaped like a giant oval with a .5 mile straightaway section on each side.  Its just like the chariot race track from the Movie Ben Hur... Which you will know right away if you're a Charlton Heston fan like I am.

Anyway, on the the day of the race the wind was blowing 20+ mph, with a light drizzle, and temps hovering around 40 degrees.  Great day for a bike race...  The plan for the day was to do two races.  The Cat 4 and then immediately after the Cat 4/5.  After doing a brief warm up I took the line for the Cat 4 start.  Off the gun the pace was fast and the wind was viscous.  Moving even slightly out of the echelon was like moving into a wind tunnel instantly forcing you back.  Having been off the bike the entire week prior my legs were feeling lethargic and I was riding without much energy.  After a few laps I could feel myself fading.

Sitting in on the home stretch during the 4's

Suddenly on the backstretch a rider went down right in front of me!!  I locked up my brakes and felt sure I was going over the handlebars.  My back wheel came off the ground and I winced waiting for the impact.  Somehow I took a line straight through the carnage and came out the other side unscathed.  However, after collecting my thoughts and taking a mechanical inventory I was off the back chasing the pack.  Chasing a 30-40 second break into a 20 mph headwind is darn tough.  I chased on my own for two laps never really getting close to catching back on.  After sensing the chase was fruitless I abandoned and decided it best to wait for the 4/5's rather than kill myself solo for the next half hour.

A little shaken up but feeling better I kicked off the 4/5s race with a new energy.  Right away I was feeling a little better and rode with the pack for most of the race.  The backstretch was slightly more of a crosswind than a headwind so it was a good place to make up positions near the end of the stretch when the leaders were tiring.  I used this technique to move up a few places each lap.



The peloton on the back stretch

 Halfway through the race the pace was fast and a light rain began to fall.  I noticed our lead group thinning rapidly.  With about 3 to go a rider took a corner and accelerated fast as he was leaning into the corner.  The acceleration spun out his back wheel and he lost traction crashing wide on the turn and taking out at least two other riders.  The pace quickened as the few of us left realized we were racing for top 10 places.  Of course there were only about 10 of us left in the lead group.  With one to go I was sitting back in about 6 position with two riders off the front.  I sat in the slipstream down the back straight waiting to make the final move.  Taking the final turn wide I had a great line on the outside.  As riders started to sprint to soon, I hesitated for just a moment as they lead me out.  With 200m to go I launched my sprint and passed the leaders of the peloton.  One rider had gone before me and I heard over the loud speaker that the two riders off the front had finished... I was sprinting for third.  I closed rapidly on the rider in front of me but crossed the line in 4th.  Another few meters and I would have got him. 

I was basking in my best finish of the year and in the free t-shirt I won as a top 5 finisher.  I also scored my first upgrade points to Cat 3 which has been a major goal for me this year.  In looking at the final stats the pace was slower than past races but given the conditions I can see why.  Hopefully I can parlay this good finish into a few more this year and get that upgrade I've been after.  Next race will be the state championship in O'Fallon, IL 6/5-6/5.

Ronald Reagan Criterium - 5/7/2011

This would be the first time for me doing the Ronald Reagan Criterium in Dixon, IL.  Hitting the door at the crack of dawn I headed out to go pick up Nick and make it to Dixon by 730am.  Blurry eyed but full of excitement we made the 2 hour trek and arrived in plenty of time to warm up and survey the course.  The first few races of the day proved exciting and Nick’s impressive result in the 5s filled me with anticipation for what was surely going to be an awesome course. 

Nick letting it all hang out to catch the group (which he did!)

The course was shaped like a figure eight with sections going uphill and others downhill with the focal point being a long steady climb on the front side with a sharp 90 degree right turn at the top.  The course design made for a challenging yet exciting ride which kept me on my toes throughout the 45 minutes race.

From the start of the race I found myself drifting further back in the pack, which is not where I wanted to be.  The peloton was very strung out with riders only 2 or 3 wide.  Clearly the pace and the corners were taking their toll at the back of the pack.  The challenging course made me nervous initially, and taking the multiple corners at full speed caused me to lose some places.  After a few laps I settled down and at the top of the climb when there was a slight lull in the pace I accelerated on the outside before the next corner and made up about 15 places.  Now I was in the top 10 and in perfect position for the next few laps.

Good position right behind the orange Tati rider

There were some aggressive attacks off the front but nothing stuck.  Some nice primes also caused the pace to pick up for a few laps.  Right after a prime lap with about 5 to go a guy just to the left of me took the right hand corner hot and hit the curb with his pedal throwing him into the air.  On my outside I could see him fly through the air like superman and heard the carnage behind me.  I accelerated and pushed the pace even harder. 

With three to go I began planning my final move.  I moved up to the front of the group and planned to attack on the final climb.  With one to go I was further back than I wanted to be but not too worried.  I had a lot of gas left for the final climb and run in to the finish.  On the final climb I attacked on the outside but at the top of the climb there was again a lull in the pace and I found myself completely boxed in on all sides.  I had nowhere to go and had no choice but to slow down.  From there the front group could not be caught.  I tried fruitlessly to catch the front group but couldn’t close the gap.  On the last turn I took an inside line and got a good sprint to make up a few more places at the line. 

Attacking on the final climb.  I'm the guy who's head is a foot above the others

Good inside line for the sprint finish

Looking back on the race my opinion is that the top 10 were decided through tactics not necessarily fitness.  The course did not allow many opportunities to make up places and if you missed those few opportunities there was no chance without taking huge risks in the corners.  The hill really was not as much as factor as I thought it would be.  It could be climbed in the big ring without getting out of the saddle.  It really just added to the exciting and fun course.  This race left me wanting to do it all over again and I can’t wait for next year!