TTing + "Texting" = SLOW TIME

Church Creek TT

As the picture shows, maybe if I wasn't texting I'd have done better with my TT time.


I started out feeling good. Legs felt great, HR was undercontrol, speed was good (27-28) for the first 10K. But then, my right hip and knee started bothering me and my speed dropped to the 25mph range, my HR was still in a good range. By 30K, my speed was dropping and I couldn't go any harder. Lance Lacy flashed past me and then Brian Sacawa. I unofficially finished with a sub 59min time.

The best part of the day was learning that the officials had not recorded me coming through the finish, and I officially DNF'd. How do you not see someone coming through solo?

I need to spend more time training on the TT bike.

Photo Courtesy of Amy Jones
http://amyjones.zenfolio.com/

SynFit ReCap: 35+ and Cat3

I pre-registered for the Cat 3 and since I wasn't going to be able to do Dolan on Sunday, I decided to also do the Masters 35+.



35+

Not much to talk about since I really didn't do anything of note, other than to sit on the back and stay out of trouble. At some point in the race, I was able to move up and try to do some work. I went pretty hard on the back side and tried to work with GeorgeO, but when he needed me to pull through, I wasn't really feeling it and no one else was pulling through, so I just soft peddled. Towards the end of the race, I was in sitting on Nima's wheel and JoeJ was on my wheel. I heard Joe say "don't loose his wheel, he'll pull you to the front". Well, I should have listened to Joe, but Nima was skirting through some tight places and I wasn't willing to follow him. Race was smooth, fast but not super gut busting fast.


Cat3
I had plenty of time after the 35+ to repin my Cat3 # on and take a few slow laps. My legs were feeling OK, but the first lap was fast and I could definitely feel them. The overall race pace was a bit slower than the 35+, too many riders were slowing up through the turns causing a small yo-yo effect and there was a definite slow up once past the start finish line, where everyone would start fanning out across the entire course. A couple times later in the race, I tried to move up at this section carrying a lot of speed but would be cut off as riders fanned out. Not sure how many laps were left when I moved up on the back side, and drilled it once I got to the front. I only remember hearing the rider behind me say something to the effect "sit up, I'm not getting any draft". Might not be the correct words since I could barely hear him, but it sounded something like that. Looking at some of the race photos it might have been Cliff from BikeDr. (yeah, there's a bit of a size difference between us). I pushed hard for maybe a lap or two, and then Kyle Jones (ABRT) blasted past on my left with Mike May in tow. I tried to jump on Mike's wheel, but my legs were pretty spent and I really didn't have much left. I pulled over and let the pack go by. I was just able to stay on the back without popping. I tried moving up the last lap, but just didn't have a lot of power left.

From the back at Jeff Cup

Photo Courtesy of Jim Wilson
http://images.jamesrwilson.com/

Brian Barnes and I were in the 35+, 125 rider field, 6 laps, 60 miles. This was going to be my longest road race.

Unfortunately, I was starting dead last. The first lap wasn’t too hard, but my HR was up pretty high which seems to happen when I’m not really warmed up . In the second lap a huge gap split the field and at first I was working with 2 others to bridge back up, but this one dude kept “sprinting” when it was his turn to pull through, not a real help when we were trying to work together. We were joined by about 8-10 more riders and this mini-group worked super hard for about half a lap to catch back to the front pack. F’ that really hurt. Probably the hardest I’ve ever had to work in a race. The rest of the race I just kept having to jump as folks faded off the back. I tried moving up but just couldn’t get anywhere near the front. I was spending way too much energy jumping around riders. Up until the 5th lap, my legs were feeling really good.

Going through the feed zone at the start of the 5th lap, I made a rookie mistake. I slowed up way too much to grab a bottle from Steve Anderson. By the time I got going, I had let a pretty big gap form since the front of the pack was really accelerating. Putting in a huge effort over the next minute, I was finally able to latch back onto the pack, but just before the right hander into the climb. This might have been the start of my downfall. After the big effort, the climb really hurt, and I was just able to stay in contact with back of the pack as more riders were popping.

On the 5th lap (second to last lap), I could feel my legs starting to cramp, especially when I stood up. Harry Fang, NCVC, came to the back to say hello, although he did say he was pretty hurting. (note: for someone that doesn't train a lot, he sure is strong. I'd hate to see what how strong he could get if he trained more.)

On the last lap, after making the right hand turn into the first climb, I let too much gap form coming out of the turn and tried to get back on the tail end, but my legs were really cramping up and my HR was through the roof. I just didn’t have any more power to accelerate so I just sat up and watched the pack pull away up the climb. I worked with an Evolution rider the rest of the way back but he was hurting more then I was and I think I wound up dropping him a couple miles from the finish. Not sure what happened to him, I just never looked back. When you’re tired, have no power and riding solo, that last 1KM sure took a long time to finish. And, damn it was slightly uphill, which you’d never know riding in the pack.

All in all, this was a really fun race.

Time to start picking up the intensity during the week.

Wintergreen Training Camp Summary

Around 5:30 on Friday, I arrived at the Big House, AKA Animal House because there were something like 20 dudes staying in the 9 bedroom mansion. Pretty much everyone was laying around the living room, trying to recover from the 100+ ride and waiting for lasagna dinner.

By dinner time, Matty Parker was still MIA, and everyone was real concerned. Turns out he got dropped by the group and then got lost and wound up riding 126.3 miles (as he liked to clarify). So the big joke the next day was whether or not anyone was going to do the Matty ride.

I was in a smaller house over looking the ski slopes with Espn K ('sPen), Win (can't say his nickname or he'll get pissed) and Sandra, Shaw F (need to drink more water so I don't cramp up and lay on the road like a turtle), Bernie and Jeff (haven't figured out nicknames for them yet). This was a great house cuz it was a lot smaller and quieter.

Saturday's ride was planned to be the hardest: a total of 100 miles, one 4 mile climb with an elevation gain of about 1600 ft and then the long climb back up Wintergreen at the very end of th eday. We pretty much rode tempo the entire day except for a couple of section where the pace really picked up and of course on the climbs, where everyone rode at their own pace. My legs really didn't feel good on the 4 mile climb and my HR was skyrocketing at the beginning of the climb, so instead of trying to keep pace with anyone, I just rode my own tempo and kept my HR below threshold.

We rode through beautiful rolling terrain the rest of the afternoon, and then started up the false flat leading to the start of the Wintergreen climb. I really wasn't feeling that strong, and my back was really tightening up, so again, I just rode my own pace. Just before the Wintergreen entrance, I stood up and ripped the left crank right off the bottom bracket. I swerved to the shoulder and crashed over the front of the bike. Luckily I was only doing something like 8MPH, but it was pretty funny to stand up and see the crank still attached to my shoes flapping around as I tried to walk. I took the vehicle of shame back up the rest of the way to the top of Wintergreen. Not sure what was wrong, but the crank was f'd. Luckily I had brought two bikes with me.

My Suunto monitor recorded a total ride time over 6+hrs and an elevation gain of 8930 ft for the day.

On Sunday, our riding plans were shortened since we had to be checked out of the houses by 1pm. The plan was to ride along the BlueRidge Prkway overlooking the valley to the west. This was my favorite part of the trip, the scenary and road were awesome. In order to get back to our houses, we had to again do the long Wintergreen climb. This time, I didn't ripe my crank off.

End of an awesome two days of training.

Wintergreen Training Camp

Training camp started yesterday at Wintergreen, but I was stuck making end of quarter sales. Considering how crappy it would have been riding in rain, I'm kinda glad I wasn't able to get down for Day 1.

Today is Day 2 of camp, and I'm stuck in my office continuing end of quarter sales. Today, however, I'm bummed because I'm not there. It is beautiful outside, hardly a cloud in the sky. I'll miss the 100+ mile ride over countless mountains. I'm hoping to be able to get out of dodge sometime this afternoon.

I'll be able to do the 100+ mile rides tomorrow and Sunday. Oh, yes, and I'm really looking forward to a 100+ mile day and then have to climb 7 miles to the resort.

Should be a great weekend.

Hey Jesse: this is what Speed looks like

Black on black is the new look of FAST. Darth Vader watch out.

Just got the new team bike over the weekend, Specialized Tarmac Pro SL with Dura Ace.

I stripped the DuraAce components off my old Trek and put them on the new frame. Although, I have Rolf Vigors on this speed machine for training, I'll use my Bontrager XXX wheels for races. No power meter or other cycling computer to weigh me down. I rebuilt the old Trek with the original Ultegra and I'll use this for crappy weather and training rides. Nothing like training on a bike that weighs close to 20 lbs.

On Sunday I took the new bike out for a maiden 80 mile ride and I felt great. Today I was down at HP. This beast is fast. (well maybe in my own mind).

After going through a computerized Retul bike fit at CycleLife, I'm feeling like this bike was custom built for me. I feel real strong and comfortable in my new bike position. I no longer feel any crampy-ness in my hips and my pedal stroke feels much more powerful and smoother.

Can't wait to see how we do in races.

Windy HP: redlining out the back

Took a mini-break about two weeks ago in order to attend my companies National Sales Meeting in Phoenix. I did, however, get in one gym workout but it was pretty lame, probably shouldn't even consider it a workout. And, when I got back home, I started getting a sore throat and felt pretty weak for about 5 days. So, I went for about 12 days without doing any riding.

Last Thursday, I decided to head out for a ride. What was I thinking when I elected to head down to HP on one of the windiest days? Sitting in the draft was my main plan, get my legs spinning again was another plan. Not getting dropped in less than a minute was not part of the plan.

Seriously, my lungs felt like shit, my legs felt like shit, my HR was skyrocketing within secs. Windy days are not fun, and I couldn't find a draft to save my life. I was redlining just to stay with the pack, but couldn't keep this effort up without getting into the draft. When I did find the safety of the draft, I was practically riding in the gutter and the gusts were throwing me all over the place. At times I thought, I'd wind up in the grass. Not a lot of fun but definitely character building.

Went for a spin on Friday, legs felt better.

Rode solo for 3 hours out to Poolesville yesterday and legs felt better. Beautiful day, a bit windy out and back with the cross wind.

Holy Crap: I'm still alive

Hey all
It's been a really long time since my last posting, not sure why. Maybe I just got burned out putting thoughts to words. Although, I'm glad it was burn out from posting and not the dreaded cycling burn out. Funny how every one talks about not riding too hard in the winter cuz you might burn out in the summer. Not sure what that is or means, but its never happened to me. I love to ride: slow, hard, whatever, as long as you're on the bike with the wind in your face.

Speaking of hard winter riding: I'm still waiting for the Thrasher ride to slow up in the winter. Not sure the seasoned vets like Ad and Paul know what taking it easy in the winter time means.

So what have I been up to?

I completely bonked on the last lap of the Giro di Coppi and limped my way to the finish. Completely sucked and not happy with my performance.

I finished the Masters race at the ING Criterium. Was pretty happy with not getting dropped, and realized I can hang with them.

I spent two weeks in Tuscany in Oct, and got really, really bad sciatica. At times I could barely walk the pain was so bad radiating down my leg. When I got home, an MRI showed two huge bulging discs impinging my spinal nerves. Spent the entire month of Nov getting decompression treatments everday. And, then most of Dec getting chiropractic manipulations. Didn't ride for Nov and half of Dec.

Around mid-Dec, I started riding again on the trainer and then around Xmas time started getting outside for mostly solo rides.

Back is feeling a lot better, and have a series of exercises I do x3 a day to build the core muscles.

Reston: attacking from the back

I've always enjoyed doing the Reston Crit and this year didn't disappoint. Thanks to Evolution, the organizers, the road guards and JoeJ for another great day of racing.

I'm not sure how many Cat 4's started but there weren't that many when we finished. I must say I really think the Cat 4 races this year are really fast, much faster than last years. Seems like the mentality is to hammer the start of the race and drop as many riders as you can. This is a lot more fun, than sitting in a giant pack and then have a huge, cluster F pack sprint.

After suffering through the first 10 minutes of what seemed like a never ending sprint, I couldn't believe we still had 50 mins of racing. Riders were popping left and right every lap. My conditioning is coming back but I still wasn't sure what I'd have left at the end. My goal was to stay out of trouble, maintain contact with the lead pack, surf the back, and then attack with whatever I had left towards the end of the race.

Throughout the race, as riders popped off the back, I would sprint around them to get back into the slipstream. I would let small gaps form leading into turns 3, 4 and 5 so that I could roll through these turns without having to hit the brakes, which I would have to do if I was riding right on someone's wheel. A couple times, I misjudged and had to work pretty hard to get back into the slipstream after exiting turn #5. Towards the end of the race, the head wind coming out of turn #5 was picking up.

The pace stayed pretty high for about 40 minutes or so. With about 15 laps to go, the pace started slowing up along the start/finish stretch. I was waiting for attacks to occur with the slower pace, but no one was going. I wanted to let an attack go, and then counter attack when it was caught. Nothing happening. So with 11 or so to go, I attacked hard on the start/finish stretch and got maybe a 10 sec gap. I soloed for 2 laps and got caught. I sat back in to recover for a couple of laps. The pace stayed slow. With 4 laps to go, I attacked again on the start/finish stretch and got a good gap. It started drizzling and I was hoping that this would slow the pack down and allow me to stay away. But, unfortunately just before the bell lap, I got caught. But this time, I was completely spent, I really didn't have anything left so I drifted back and rolled in after the pack sprint.

Not sure where I placed. Felt a lot better than I did at the TdW, but still not in the form I had before the crash.

There were 4 crashes and I, fortunately, wasn't involved in any of them. The first one happened on the first turn of the first lap. WTF? The second and third occured after exiting turn #5. The cones leading into this turn definitely made the corner safer by preventing riders from dive bombing on the inside. Jose Nunez got caught up in one of these crashes, and it looked like he sustained a shoulder injury. I hope its not bad, he's a great guy to race against. The fourth crash occured on the stretch just before the start/finish line.

Delusions of Grandeur Smashed by the Harsh HOT Facts of Reality

Before I go off about my view of the TdW, I want to send out some serious props to the organizers, JoeJ and all the volunteers that kept us safe. This was truly a great weekend of racing, I hope we'll be seeing this for many years to come.

I'd also like to congratulate Brigham Lumm for his first place in the GC in the Cat4 and Kevin Young for his first place in the Cat3 GC. Dudes, that's awesome.

I'd also like to say that some of you dudes (like Jorge, JoseN, KyleJ, SteveK, GregF, StephenW. LanceL) are getting super strong. What the F have you been doing the past month and a half to get so strong? Jorge, where the hell did you get the strength to stay away for 4 laps in the crit? Its a lot of fun racing with you all or I should really say "it was a lot of fun racing behind you this weekend".



Tour de Washington was to be my first weekend racing since the May 3rd Poolesville crash.

Since the crash, I'd been riding the training in the basement doing long intervals of 10, 15, 20 and 60 min intervals just about every day. As I got closer to getting back on the road, I started doing shorter, higher intensity efforts of 30 sec and 1 min. What I was to find out this weekend was that riding in the a 65F basement did not in any way prepare me for 95-100F outside temps.

The week before TdW I was able to get out on the road for the Thrasher ride. I could definitely feel that my legs were not responding like they would before the crash. Although, I only got back on the road for 4 rides before TdW, I was really looking forward to the weekend since I think these courses really suit my riding style.

RR
I felt OK on the neutral roll out, but, man, soon as we made the left onto the loop, the pace picked up really fast. What a jolt to the system. About half way through the first lap, the heat was killing me and my mind was already saying "how are you going to finish? you've got more laps". The rest of the race I was in survival mode. I tried to conserve energy riding wheels, and bridging up when I sensed the rider in front starting to fade. A couple times I almost got dropped doing this, but I viewed these efforts as getting back into race shape. Lots of riders were popping as we crested the hills and couldn't sustain the effort as the pace picked up. With about 2 or 3 laps to go, I saw Kyle almost in front of me, and I yelled at him "Kyle, what the hell are you doing at the back?" The second to last lap I thought was really fast, and riders were popping off the back, and I wasn't sure if I had enough left for one more lap. On the last lap someone dropped a water bottle through one of the really fast sweeping right hand bends. It was rolling in the middle so I went left, but as I was getting close the bottle started rolling back into my path, and I had to bail into the grass and onto a driveway. By the time I got back on the road, the pack was long gone. I TT'd it the rest of the way. Came in 38th.

TT
Did the 20K TT is 31:38 for 19th. Earning me 3pts for the weekend. Waahoo.

Crit
I walked the course before the race, and the downhill right hander and the 120degree turn looked pretty nasty. I lined up in the front row, something I normally don't do. I decided since I was in the front, I was going to go as hard as I could from the gun and see how I faired going through those two turns solo. I jumped to about a 5 sec gap and eventhough I was solo, I didn't take either of the turns very well. I almost slide out on the 120 degree turn, and this definitely shock my confidence. I sat up a bit and the pack caught me. I drifted to the back and just rode the back, bridging up when gaps formed. The heat was getting to me, but I didn't feel as bad as I did on the RR. My legs felt good and strong, I just wasn't able to get my HR down. With 10 to go, I overcooked the 120 degree turn, my rear wheel slide out from under me and I almost crashed in the fence. By the time I got myself back together, the pack was about half way up the hill. For a second I was ready to bag it, but I dug deep and sprinted up the hill as hard as I could, when I rounded the corner the pack was about 5 secs ahead, and my mind just said stop. I was so fried. I dumped the rest of the water I had on my head, coasted the rest of the lap and pulled out. This is the first race, I've ever pulled myself out of.

Next race, RESTON.
I hope to redeem myself.

Back on the Road

Finally, my shoulder ligaments are stronger and my bike is fixed, so I hit the road today for the first solo ride since the Poolesville crash.

I went for a quick spin last week but the handling of my bike was a bit off, and when I got home I found a big crack in the fork. Pretty pissed at myself for not more thoroughly going over the bike for damage after the crash. I spent this week waiting for a new fork to arrive and then repair time. Finally got it back today.

Not sure how much riding the trainer everyday for 90+ mins doing 10, 15, 20 and 60 min intervals over the past month and a half actually helped cuz my legs felt like shit today. I tried spinning up Mass, and could barely keep my legs turning. Going up Anglers and GF Park was just as painful. I can normally speed up these climbs but being off the bike has really set me back.

I'm not feeling too optimistic about Tour de Washington next weekend. I have the next 4 days to get a good rythm going and get my legs back. OR, it's going to be the Tour de Pain.

Here' s to wishful thinking and regaining some form very quickly.

I'm still alive, shoulder ligaments healing

Update for all my faithful readers.

I can't believe how long its been since my last posting. Not much happening on the race scene since I'm still waiting for my torn AC shoulder ligaments to heal enough to get back on the bike. I saw the orthopedic last Tuesday, and he'd like me to wait two more weeks before getting back outside. This will be 6 weeks from the crash and ample time for the ligaments to get strong enough to sustain another fall (just in case I go down again. god forbid)

I've been riding the Tacx swing trainer in the basement everyday for 90+ mins. A typical workouts consists of 10min spin to warm up and then steadily increase the wattage for 5 mins, followed by a 5 min slow spin. I then do two 20min intervals as high a wattage as I can do without popping. (about 10 min recover in between intervals). Depending on how I feel, I'll usually do another 10 min interval of microburts: 15 sec full on, 45 sec recovery, 15 sec full on, 45 sec recovery..... Finally, I do a 10 min cool down.

We'll see what kind of shape I'm in when I get back on the road.

So, my first races back are slated for the Tour of Washington.

Post Crash Status and Diagnosis

It's been 9 days since the crash.

I saw the orthopedic last Tuesday and the diagnosis is Grade1 shoulder separation (AC ligaments partially torn, maybe slight Grade 2). Nothing broken. He wants me to stay off the bike for a month to let it heal. Riding the trainer is OK as long as the shoulder doesn't hurt. I go back to see him the end of the month for a follow up visit.

I get more and more pain-free range of motion everyday and can sleep through the night without waking in pain. Just taking extra strength Tylenol to help me sleep through the night.

I get the stiches in my knee out tomorrow. May do it myself. Never any problems with the knee, although the muscles above the knee were pretty sore for a couple days after the crash.

I've been riding my trainer everyday since last Wed and doing leg weights every three days. I'm looking at this month as a build period before getting back outside. (almost as if it were January)


OK, now for the important stuff.

How's the bike?

The Easton carbon fiber handlebars were totaled. I cracked the downdrops on both sides.




















Everything else looks to be OK, even the bomb-proof Rolf Vigor wheels were fine. Not even out of true.


Last but not least, SHOUT OUT TO MIKE BUTCHKO, THE BICYCLE PLACE, for mounting the new Bontrager XXX lite handlebars and tuning the racing machine back to super sonic speed.

Shit, I knew I forgot something. Maybe I hit my head too hard during the crash. The biggest Shout Out goes to Luis San Sebastian for saving my bike from the yard-sale vultures, and for putting some elbow grease into the stellar cleaning job. Last, but not least, AND for staying uppast 9:30pm as I got lost getting to his house. What should've been a 25min drive, took me over an hour. Fortunately, Luis helped guide me to his house and I was able to reclaim my bike.

Poolesville: Crash

Here's a quick recap of the 40/50.

Not sure what the others, thought but the first lap was one of the hardest laps I've had to do. Might have been due to not getting a really good warm up. I almost popped a couple times, but stuck with it. Gravel section was pretty bad avoiding all the pot holes and water bottles. About 10 riders pulled off with flats. I also think a couple riders went down.

Second lap seemed to be much slower, although I'm not sure if this was because I was warmed up and legs were feeling better. Same conditions in the gravel section, lots of water bottles and flatting riders.

By the third lap, I was feeling really good, and was planning on moving up towards the front. On the downhill section just past the golf course, the pace really picked up to the lower 30s and then all of a sudden two riders, (Todd Gue and Spencer Beckett ??) in front of me are tangled up and going down. There are bikes and bodies bouncing in front of me. The world evolves in slow motion. I hit my brakes hoping to slow up enough to get around them. Unfortunately, there was no room as the bikes and bodies seemed to take up the entire width of the road. I really couldn't see any gaps to get through. As Todd bounced towards the gutter on the right side of the road, my only escape route was into the gutter. As I hit the one foot deep gutter, I barely missed riding over Todd's head and then hit the dirt embankment with my right knee and right shoulder. I cartwheeled a couple times before coming to a stop. Sitting in the grass, I tried to assess what damage I'd done. I had a huge gash on my right knee and my right shoulder was hurting. I checked for the tell tale signs of a broken collarbone. Fortunately, there was no bumps along the collarbone, but there was a painful bump in the area where the collarbone connects to the scapula. So, I'm sitting there kinda daized, and just trying to stay calm. And I see Luis San Sebastian, who was working as a rode guard. Thanks for taking care of my bike. I'll call ya to arrange to pick it up.

As I'm sitting in the grass, I look down and realize, I don't have my right shoe on. WTF? I lookover at the bike about 10 feet to my left and see my shoe with blacksock cover is still attached to the peddle. I also hope I'm not sitting in any poison ivy, fortunately I wasn't. I also look over to the right farther down the road, and there is another EMT truck sitting in the right hand lane just before the right hand turn, taking care of another downed rider. Turns out, he was on a flyer in the 4/5 race and solo crashed while trying to get some water. He was in pretty bad shape.

Anyway, the EMTs took me to ShadyGrove Hosp, I think I got there around 10:30ish and I didn't get discharged until around 1:30.

Damage

• Knee wound: open to the knee cap. 1 internal suture, 4 external sutures
• Shoulder; nothing broken, but possible Grade2 shoulder separation. I'll see my orthopedic early this week for official diagnosis and treatment plan.

Not sure how long I'll be off the bike, but I will be riding my trainer once the pain in my shoulder goes away.

Post Note Addition: I forgot to thank Manny and TonyG for asking if I was OK as they raced by.

Post Note Addition: Officially diagnosis: Grade 1 Shoulder separation will keep me on the trainer for at least a month.

Mr Cranky- pants Loves Racing in the Rain

No more Mr Cranky-pants comments coming from my blog. After GBR called me Mr Cranky-pants, I'm starting a new leaf in my postings. From now on its all about the zen and harmony of the race, and about the yin and yang that occurs during the race. And, no more negativity. Yes, thats right, no more comments about sketchy riders and how dangerous the race was.

So, with this harmonious disclaimer, all I can say about Carl Dolan Masters 30/40 race is that "I love racing in the rain". What better way to conserve energy by taking a bath and being able to wash your bike at the same time. No worries about sweat stains since the rain just washes it away.

Here are some yin/yang observations

• Racing in the rain is a lot of fun
• During the heaviest rain in the beginning of the race, I could barely see with the rain blasting my face on the long sweeping, super fast section before the hill leading to the finish.
• Rain made the race really slow, which prevented a lot of riders from getting dropped
• Legs felt really good even without a warm up. Might have something to do with the slow pace. Only once did I really have to put in a hard effort to stay with the pack after the right hand turn into the super fast section.
• deleted
• deleted
• Just barely made it through the crash on the final hill. Really thought I was going down as I carved my way through the bouncing bikes and bouncing bodies. (final comment deleted)
• My nickname for David Fuentes, is Great White Shark. He was riding in the back for most of the race, and at some point he worked his way to front and was gone before you knew it. Anyway, the reference to GWS is that he rides so smoothly and effortlessly and then explodes and is gone in a flash, just like a GWS.
  

Hope everyone that crashed in the 30/40 race and the Cat3/4 are OK.

Training Highlights

Tuesday:
Randy and I did a TT workout along MacA, up Anglers, Falls Rd, Oaklyn, PersimmonTree. We did two loops. When you are not use to going all out for 20 mins, it hurts.

Wed Thrasher Hill Ride
Legs felt really good, and didn't really hurt on any of the climbs.

Thurs Hains Pt
Went to HP for the first time this spring, and felt really good. Worked the front and took some long pulls. Couple times had to put in some long pulls to bridge back up to front group. Didn't contest any sprints. I'm definitely going to try and get down there once a week since its a good compliment to the Thrasher ride. Legs and cardio felt really good. Will plan on pushing myself more the next time.

Mt Joy: do I even remember?

Its been a while since the Cat 4 Mt Joy race, and I'll only post some comments and observations, nothing in great detail.

Course:

• Looked like rain, but stayed dry throughout the race.
• A bit windy, but not strong enough to make a difference.
• Climbs were short and not very selective.
• Some long, fast curvy sections leading into fast twisting uphill sections.
• Long run out to the downhill finish.
  

Riders:

• GBR taking a short romp through the fields and masterfully demonstrating his cross bike skills.
• Getting to the front on a down hill section early in the race only to see GBR blast off my right, and I reacted catching his wheel on the climb. We worked together with an Artemis guy, but not good enough to stay away for more than half a lap.
• Pace not too fast in the middle part of race.
• Stayed in back, out of the wind for the middle part.
• Wanted to move up to contest for the finish, but got caught behind another rider with an exploding rear tire and I almost slide into the guard rail. Worked my ass off to get back to the main pack leading into the sprint.
• A jostling gaggle of riders on the left side leading into the sprint allowed me to sprint up the right side but got slowed up by popping riders. Started too far back to make a difference.
  
• 18th place
  

Walkersville and Tysons ReCap

Walkersville 35+ Cat4/5

5th place (got pipped at the line by two All Americans: Ron Barry and Carlos Goncalves).

Worked my ass off the entire race. This race was a lot of fun.

My goal for the race was to sit in the first lap, see how the pace went, stay out of trouble and counter any attacks as soon as the bigger teams pulled in any attacks. The neutral role out was pretty uneventful and no one went down, the pace was also pretty slow. As we passed through the intersection that marked the start of the course, the pace was really slow, and I asked other riders if we started and they said yes. Fearing a typical Cat4 race, I picked up the speed to get to the front and then kept going. Steve Anderson (DC Velo) came up beside me and said "let's go" as he speed up. For the first half of the first lap, it was Steve, one other guy and myself in a three man rotation setting the pace. It felt good because it felt like racing and not a Cat4 yo-yo fest. The first lap continued to be a high pace as some others joined the pace setting.

Not sure when but Tom (don't know your team) attacked and was looking really strong. I think one other rider went with him but they didn't get too far ahead and the pack wasn't really interested in chasing them down so early in the race. I, for one, wanted them to sit out there and tire themselves out. The pack eventually caught them and at some point in the 2nd or 3rd lap (?) 3 guys got away (a Kelly rider, Manny, and a 3rd) and the pack never could really put in a concerted effort to catch them, plus I never thought they'd be able to stay away for the rest of the race. During the 4th lap, Kelly amassed their entire team at the front and set a not so slow/not so fast pace. I didn't realize one of their riders was in the break and that they were just slowing the pack down to give their rider a winning chance. I got to the front and started working with Lance Lacy and some other guys. When I realized we weren't really gaining any time on the break, I got back into the pack and rested for the final drag to the finish. Last year, I got totally boxed in during the run-in to the finish and this year I wanted to bury myself or at least try to get a break going so that I wouldn't get boxed in.

So, on the last lap, I moved up the pack on the outside and as I passed Tom, I said something like "come on". He got on my wheel and I moved towards the front, but once I got there I attacked. Tom, Eric Seidel (Bicycle Place) and I got a jump on the pack and as made the right hand turn up the steep short incline we developed a good gap on the pack. Eric is really strong but doesn't race a lot. He got the front and must have pulled for about a mile. He put in a huge effort. Tom was #2 and I was #3. I kept looking back and seeing we had a gap and kept yelling encouragement to keep the pace up. A guy bridged up to us and caught us on the little rollers about 1K from the finish. I was the only one of 3 that was able to jump on his wheel. I kept looking back and we still had a gap but we were still pretty far away. With about 500M the dude was fading and I looked back and saw we still had a gap. It was do or die, so I jumped as hard as I could and hoped I'd have enough to get me to the line in 3rd place. This seemed to be the longest stretch of road, and I forgot about the very slight rise just before the finish. I gave it my all, but Ron Barry flew past me with maybe 50' to go and then Carlos pipped by less than a wheel at the line.

I've never worked harder in a race and it felt good.

Tysons Cat 4

Completely different story.

Sketchy as hell and the rain didn't help. I got bumped outside the cones 4 times avoiding riders that couldn't hold a line, had to avoid a bouncing cone once cuz someone rode over it, and almost had my front wheel clipped 4 times. Yeah, typical Cat4 BS. I'm sick of it and the rest of the season I'll be registering for Masters 40+.

Finally met TerribleTerry and Bryan Burns (Haymarket)

My legs were a bit heavy from Walkersville so I sat in the back for most of the race, spun up the hill in my small ring and never felt tired. I could easily move up the climb when I wanted but would get bombadiered on the downhill section and would drift back to a safer zone near the back. The middle was just insane with riders just bouncing from one wheel to another.

With 3 to go, I easily moved up the climb on the left side and then went hard near the start finish and didn't let up until well past turn #1. I think 3-4 others came with me, but I'm not sure what kind of gap we had. On the downhill section we weren't working well together and we got caught just before the turn leading into the climb. I got boxed in on the inside and lost a lot of momemtum going through the turn. Had to work hard to get the speed back up by then I was towards the back again. Too many sketchy riders and my spidey sense was telling me a big crash was going to happen. Too many guys not holding their line as they bounced from wheel to wheel. I was in the back going into the last turn and was able to sprint up to mid field by the finish line without much effort. Came in 26th.

Tysons Cat 3/4

Although, I felt fine during the Cat 4 race, it was afterwards when I cooled down, standing around in my wet gear, that I realized how F'in miserable it was. I had an hour after the Cat 4 race before my second race in the 3/4. It was during this time that I began to shiver and realized I had dry jerseys and arm warmers in the car but no dry leggings or shorts. I was so cold, I couldn't get my mind around doing another race, so I got out of the wet stuff and watched the 3/4.

Jeff Cup: Stuck behind the Cat4 Trolls (as Kyle would say)

So, if I ever see 125 Cat4s signed up for a race, I'm going to load by bike back in the car and go home. Or, maybe I won't even leave the house. I'll consider the entree fee a contribution to the organizers. This is pretty much my assessment of the Cat4 Jeff Cup race.

I guess I can sum the race up in two words "f'in scary".

I really hate big Cat4 fields because most of the time no one wants to work and everyone wants to just sit in for the sprint. There were maybe 15 different riders that did any work at the front. And as Kyle says a whole bunch of "Cat4 Trolls" just getting in the way.

Its like watching a bunch of little kids play soccer. The ball goes one direction and all the little f'ers go chasing it, the ball goes another direction and then they all chase it in the new direction. On and on this continues. This is what a Cat4 race is like. The pack rides along real slow, someone tries to break and everyone picks up speed to chase them. The breakers are soon caught and the chasers stop going hard. And everyone slows back up to a walking pace. Then someone tries to break again, and the pack picks the speed up to chase them down. Once again the breaker is caught and the chasers stop working. On and on it goes.

I don't know, but is this racing? If it is why don't we just make these races one lap?

Enough ranting: I suck and I'm taking my 41st place to the grave.

Here's my view of the Race:

I tried a couple times to make something happen but my legs never felt good. Too much stop and go throughout the race and I could never get into a rhythm. The only time my legs felt good was maybe the last 2 miles when the pace finally picked up to race speed and I had to do a sustained effort but I was too far back to make it to the front to contend.

You know it sucks when you have to break going up hill. I think I need new brakes after wasting them on these sections. Who ever heard of having to brake on climbs? Every F'in climb the pack was spread from curb-curb and no room to get around riders. I tried to stay near the curb and away from the middle and a couple times I had aholes trying to squeek through the 2" I had on the curb-side.

The fast downhill sections were scary as shit. Too many riders just having no clue how to ride. And a couple riders seriously need to have their bikes checked out by a mechanic. I'd usually have a bunch of riders dive bomb past me on these sections only to have them get in my way on the uphill sections.

A very disappointing race.

So, with this being said, I'm quitting racing and going to train full time for the next Pilates competition. I think this might be a safer activity.

Ready to Fly

Had a great week of training with some strong efforts on Monday and Tuesday. In fact, Tuesday was pretty brutal since I was really trying to push the pace and force myself to have to actively recover after hard efforts.

Took Wednesday off completely. No easy spinning, no basement trainer ride. My body was telling me to get some rest.

Yesterday, I wound up doing x3 1omin L2/3 intervals on the trainer, some high cadence spinning (120+ RPMs) and some really easy tempo. Good a great sweat going.

Today, the Thrasher Ride was a pretty good tempo, nothing earth shattering, but we did pick up the pace towards the end of Clara Barton. Legs felt really good. Left calf strain is finally working itself out, but still feel it. Have no idea how I strained it, but its been nagging me for the past couple of weeks.

Tomorrow, I'll go for a solo, easy spin ride for maybe an hour or two. Nothing but spinning.

If my legs felt like they did at UMd PresCup, watch out on Sunday at JeffCup, I'll be flying.