Monday, March 18, 2013

Race #1 – Iowa Spring Classic, Iowa City


Category - P123
42 Miles

As hard as it is to believe its 2013 and although the weather still seems like winter it’s only three days from the official start of spring.  For some reason the cold, dark, and snowy days have just seemed to drag on.  So I have been itching to get out and race my bike and kick off the season.  The Iowa Spring Classic is a race that I’ve never done before and takes place partially on paved roads and also on gravel roads.  It’s a hilly course and certainly seemed like a challenging entry to the season.  But it’s also low key and low stress so it provides a really good way to ease into the year.  I have never done a race like this before so everything was going to be a new experience for me.


I decided to bring my new Cyclocross bike for this race instead of my road bike because the gravel roads seemed like they would be suited to this type of bike which could utilize wider tires and lower gearing.  But as I started unloading my stuff at the race I started noticing that most of the other guys were using their regular road bikes.  Right from the start I wondered if I might have made a mistake in my bike selection.


As I was getting ready the wind was howling and most of the course including the parking area was completely exposed to the wind.  The temperature was hovering in the upper 30s but the sun was shining and provided a little relief from the frigid wind.  I did a brief warm up and the bike worked really well on the gravel.  I was using a 33 millimeter tire with a subtle tread that I thought would be perfect for the gravel roads.  As we lined up however, I saw that I was one of the only ones with a cross bike and certainly the only one using 33mm tires.


At the start I was at the front cruising with ease.  There were a few short climbs which were no problem but very shortly I ran into my first issue.  The course was very hilly and as I went down the first big hill I downshifted into my smallest back ring until I ran out of gears.  The pace picked up and I just couldn't turn the pedals any faster to keep up.  Cyclocross bikes have a much lower gearing then road bikes so I just had no more gears left and my legs felt like they were in a hamster wheel spinning so fast.  Going up the other side of the climb was equally difficult because Cross bikes don’t necessarily climb that well and I wasn't carrying as much speed as the rest of the group.  Quickly I slipped to the back of the group.
After only about two miles a guy shot off the front and two more followed.  I decided to let them go and stick with the main group but after only 2 laps (about 12 miles) my legs were screaming.  I could really feel the weight of the bike and the resistance of the wheels on the road.  I was desperate to stay in the group but finally fell off on one of the climbs.  I stuck with another group of two guys for a while and we worked together to try and catch the main pack.  I did my best effort to catch but my helper didn’t have much left to chase so we eventually fell way off.  At this point my race was over and I was sticking in to get a good workout. 

The sun was shining and it was a nice day.  I contemplated my bike choice but also second guessed my fitness.  At one point during the last 3 laps I looked over and saw a group of deer prancing along beside me… the wind seemed to come from every direction.  It was a very lonely finish to the race.  Finally just as I was starting my final lap I got caught and lapped by the first guy who went off the front early on.  He had stayed away the entire time and the second two chasers had eventually caught him and they rode together to the finish.  The race was completely dismantled after that and straggling riders came in one by one. 


Overall it was an ok day of racing despite my performance.  I rode strong and think if I’d had some different equipment I would have fared a little better.  It was a tough race in tough conditions but I’m still waiting for the start of spring and some warmer weather.  Next weekend is the first really big race of the year down in Hillsboro, IL.  I learned a lot from my first gravel race and am really excited to get out there on the roads next weekend.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

First Day Kickoff Party

Well yesterday I officially kicked off the fundraising effort for my ride around Lake Michigan to support World Bicycle Relief all through the power of bikes!  I'm so excited to get this going even though the weather is cruddy and it seems like riding season is very far away.
Free t-shirt to the first person to donate an entire bike!
WBR has been generous enough to offer a free t-shirt to the first person to donate an entire bike and get that goose egg off the board!  There will be all sorts of other cool stuff going on this year to help raise money for WBR so don't wait donate now!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Lake Michigan Circle Tour 2013


Last year I set off on a bold and ambitious journey to ride my bike around Lake Michigan in 10 days.  At the time I was unsure about a lot of things including if I could even do it.  There was not much precedent for doing such a thing so I was pretty much on my own in all respects including: Planning, nutrition, supplies, and even finding a route.  The two main goals of the ride last year were to raise money for World Bicycle Relief and make it all the way around.  Thankfully I was able to accomplish both!




2013 is a new year a I'm even more excited to take on this journey once again.  I am thankful to have a number of new sponsors who will help promote my ride and awareness for WBR along the way.  The ride will also be a little different this year in that I will be encouraging more participation along the way in the form of group rides and even additional partners for a day or two.  One thing is for sure this year is going to be bigger and better than last year.

My financial for World Bicycle Relief is also bigger and better this year.  Last year I was so blown away by everyone's generosity that we were able to quadruple the original financial goal.  This year I'm thinking even bigger and more ambitious... $10,000.  But, to achieve this I'm going to need a whole lot of help.  Please visit my sponsors websites and check back here at my blog for up to date information on the trip.