CCCX #5 - November 23, 2008

Dustin huffing it
Originally uploaded by tastybite

I had the day off on Friday, which meant I rode my bike. It was a sunny cool day, and I just acquired a fancy new road bike that still has that rocketship feel, so I rode it way too far - up to Point Reyes - which is a much longer ride than I've been accustomed to lately, as most of my rides have been short intense efforts after work.

After that, going into this race on Sunday, I was a little nervous that my legs wouldn't have much juice left. Manzanita Park was also a long haul for me from SF for a 45-minute race, but I decided to spend the weekend in Santa Cruz, did some hiking around on Saturday and then camped out Saturday night, and that made it worth the drive. I felt sluggish during my warm-up, and when the race began, I prepared for the pain. Surprisingly, it didn't come...in fact, the first lap felt slow, and although I wasn't leading, i was close to the front, and wondering what the heck was going on. The pain did eventually come, as it always does, but this time not until about lap 3 of 5. This was when leaders slowly pulled away, but I felt pretty solid riding in the top 10.

Meanwhile, things got ugly for a few unlucky folks - someone washed out in a turn and reportedly broke an ankle, while another rider lost control and went head-first into a wooden fence post. Crashes are pretty common in cross races, but usually involve nothing more than scrapes and bruised bodies/egos - but sadly today two guys carted off in ambulances. I wish them both speedy recoveries. The course was re-routed temporarily around one of the downed riders, and it caught be by surprise and I ended up with a facefull of dirt, but luckily nothing more serious.

I finished in 8th, and was happy that both bike and body were in one piece.

BASP CX #3 - November 15, 2008

Photo by Cyclocross Magazine

If the first BASP race (McLaren) was about climbing and handling, and the second (Candlestick) was all about generating power to get through the sticky stuff, then this race (Sierra Point) was about pure speed. The course layout was flat and dry, and despite the many twisting switchbacks, there were plenty of straightaways to put the hammer down and go fast.

Big kudos to the Pilarcitos crew for trying something new with the night race! The atmosphere was festive, and racing under the lights was really fun, and surprisingly not-to-scary. My race started at 5pm, just as the sun was setting, and the changing light conditions were a nice extra challenge.

Having taken a break from racing last weekend, I felt pretty fresh for this race, and the promoter's decision to call-up 20 riders instead of 10 at the start was a big bonus for me (I was 18th overall after the 1st two races). The huge field size (80+ riders) made the start even more critical. The starting official reminded us to be careful sprinting into the 1st turn, but that didn't stop a big pileup from occuring about 100 yards after the gun went off. I narrowly missed the carnage, and tried not to let the image of skin skidding across the pavement stick in my mind as we hit the dirt and began the 1st lap.

The 1st 2 laps were blazing, and I was glad to be up near the front and away from traffic jams. Our large pack was kicking up tons of dust, and the lungs were soon burning. I jumped on a wheel on each straightaway to save energy, but by lap #3 I was well into oxygen debt and feeling the pain. As my gut screamed at me to slow down, my legs obliged and I eased up just a bit, and tried to prevent anybody from passing me, but a few guys snuck by. I had done several warmup laps before the race, which helped me find some good lines where I could make a few passes of my own. The crowd at the top of the one and only "run-up" was awesome - screaming and heckling us every lap, and I tried to return the favor by catching some air off the kicker nearby.

The pace eased just a bit during the middle of the race, and I more or less maintained my position...then things heated up again on the last 2 laps (I think we did 9 total on this super short course), and my legs were burning as I fought my way through lapped riders. Crossed the line in 18th, and was greeted by friends with miller high life, which reminded me to stop taking things so seriously and enjoy the night. We stuck around for some great racing action that went all the way until 9pm.

Surf City CX - October 26, 2008

banginit
Originally uploaded by norcalcyclingnews

Category: B Men

Finally made it to one of the famed surf city events, and it lived up to its reputation as a great event. Lots of awesome costumes, beer and cash preems on the runup, warm sunshine, and loud cowbells - what more could you want? Oh yeah, raced my bike somwhere in there too...

I guess I haven't learned my lesson yet about starts, as I showed up late to the staging area and got a BAD starting position. Oh well, nothing much to do except stomp the pedals hard for the 1st lap, which got me past several guys, but still nowhere close to the leaders. The swirly grass portions of the course were my weak point, and each lap I'd get passed there, but would pick up some spots in the more technical areas and on the long flat dirt sections. The wide course made for fun racing - lots of passing back and forth and good battles for position. I rode pretty smooth, except for getting my seat caught up on the course tape about half-way through while carrying my bike across a deep gully.

All-in-all a solid race for me, finishing 20th (same as last week) of 65 riders.

BASP CX #1 - October 19, 2008

IMG_7815
Originally uploaded by acyee

Category: B Men

The first "big" race of the season for me. was literally BIG - 68 guys in our field! Did some good course re-con on Saturday, including a few laps with Scott, Amy, Chris and Chris...Then showed up early Sunday to see some of the RideOn crew mix it up in the C race. Unfortunately, the B race was the last race of the day, so I went home (gotta love races that are a 15-minute bike ride from home) in between for a second breakfast rather than standing in the cold for hours.

Got a 3rd row starting position and a pretty good jump at the start, which put me about 15th place heading up the run-up. While trying to re-mount in heavy traffic at the top I T-boned a barrier, but no damage was done, just lost a few seconds. The field strung out immediately on the 1st lap due to the narrow course, and I listened to the guy at the pits calling out places as I went by - found out I was sitting in 12th. Felt pretty good for the 1st few laps, despite the brutally bumpy course.

On lap 3 of 6, things started to fall apart - I dropped my chain on the steep bumpy dirt downhill (should've put it in the big ring!), and must have tweaked something as I forced it back on with the front derailleur, because my chain was skipping for the rest of the race. No excuses, but boy was that annoying! Slowly but surely, riders began to pass me, and I did my best to limit the damage. 1/2 way through the last lap, I found some power and picked off two riders, then made it my goal to keep them behind me. I finished in 20th place, which felt pretty good given the size of the field.

LARPD CX#3 - October 11, 2008

LARPD #3 10/11/08
Originally uploaded by ncnca_kc

Category: B Men

After a few weeks of traveling (and NOT riding a bike), I was feeling refreshed but also had that sinking sensation that my fitness might be non-existent. I decided to head over to Livermore for another edition of LARPD CX...luckily the temps were 30 degrees cooler than the last race I did, but the wind was whipping and the B-Men field attracted a few more riders.

I finally got around to building up my new Kona Major Jake the week before the race, and broke all the rules by racing it without more than a few miles of test-riding...amazingly there were no major mechanical failures, though the shifting was a bit finicky. The bike was noticeably lighter and stiffer than my old Kona (circa 2001), and the new Maxxis Raze clinchers felt really fast both on the grass and in the loose stuff. Shane's course was nearly identical to the 1st race of the year, very fast, with lots of zigzagging turns.

All was going according to plan until about the 3rd lap, when Mark from Vertical Pandas? (who beat me in the 1st race) clipped a PVC course marker and went down hard right in front of me...the PVC pipe flew into the air, and time seemed to slow down as it drifted just over my head like a javelin. My heart skipped a beat, but there wasn't much to do except keep pedaling. For much of the rest of the race I was riding alone, thinking perhaps I was leading (though I later learned there was a group of 3 ahead). I rode a smooth race, but perhaps not the smartest one - the last 2.5 laps two guys sat on my wheel, which was a significant advantage for them, especially in the long straight-away into the wind. I thought about letting them by to trade pulls, but I couldn't tell how strong they were, and decided to take my chances riding in the front and hoping I could wear them down. No such luck - with 1/2 a lap to go, I got passed by both, and I had no gas left for the final sprint, so I had to settle for 6th place. Amazingly, Mark was one of the guys who beat me, after recovering from his crash earlier...

This was good tune-up race for the real fireworks, which I expect will begin at the first BASP race next weekend!

LARPD CX #1 - September 6, 2008

Livermore CX #1 - 9/6/08
Originally uploaded by Cyclocross Magazine

Category: B Men

First race of the 2008 cyclocross season, and I couldn't resist going, despite the 100+ degree heat out in Livermore. BMX promoter Shane Huntoon puts on this low-key race series, where the focus is on fun, and fields tend to be smaller than some of the other NorCal CX series.

The B-Men race only had about 15 guys, so the start wasn't as chaotic as the typical 50+ field sprint fo the hole shot. Still, we kicked up enough dust on the 1st lap to make breathing difficult, and as the field strung out, I moved up into 5th position. The course wasn't too technical, and there were no real run-ups...but there were a few tricky sandy corners, a 100-yard section of deep wood chips that sucked the life out of my legs, lots of twisty grass sections...all in all a good intro course for the season, and very fast.

With 2 laps (of 7) to go, I was sitting on the wheel of 3rd place, and feeling pretty good...unfortunately I picked a really bad line though the wood chip section, and lost some ground and momentum, which spelled doom for my hopes of passing anyone. Ended up in 4th place, and nearly melted while sitting on the grass near the finish - thanks to Russell who threw me a bag of ice. I was glad to get in one race before heading out of the country on vacation for the next few weeks - hopefully when October rolls around and the season heats up I'll be ready to rock.

100-Mile Mixed-Terrain Enduro

I heard about this ride on the bayareacyclocross list, and figured it would make for some good base training in preparation for the cyclocross season. So I foolishly headed out to GGP Saturday morning on my cross bike with a bag of dry clothes in my backpack, ready to meet my maker... I knew this going to be a tough event - especially considering how little off-road riding I'd done recently, but it turned out to be a real back-breaker. Of the 30+ of us that lined up, only 8 finished! So I didn't feel so bad finishing second-to-last (or too bad that the only guy I beat was on a single speed!)...simply finishing seemed to be enough today. To sum it all up: 11,000 feet of climbing, lots of dirt, some boneshaking descents, a fair amount of walking on the steep climbs, 1 apple pastry, 1 gu, 7 barz, 2 mini donuts, some fig newtons and a handful of doritos, and 1 budweiser.

As we sat on the polo field bleachers talking about strategies and the dos and don'ts of the checkpoints and how to play nice with the horses and hikers we were sure to encounter, we were kindly reminded that this was NOT a race, but simply a RIDE. That didn't stop people from taking off in very race-like fashion as soon as they received their 1st map with 3 SF checkpoints. Luckily the three checkpoints were reasonably close together (though one did involve going down a long flight of stairs), and at the last one we were given detailed maps of the route through Marin with 8 more checkpoints conveniently located such that we were going to have to hit some loose dirt and some serious climbs.

Heading into the Presidio, I jumped on a Hans/Tim train going over the GG Bridge, but that didn't last long, cuz they were moving pretty good and I was barely warmed up and was thinking it was going to be a LONG day. I actually stopped in Sausalito to study the course maps and bought a camelback when I realized that I would likely be riding for several hours without access to water at some points along the course. It turned out to be a lifesaver...by the time I hit Mill Valley I was ready for a snack and some advice from the locals as to where the railroad grade trail was, so I stopped in Peet's for a pasty and some directions. Found railroad grade and started climbing with Jared and Jeremiah - after about 1/2 mile we realized we were on the wrong trail, and double-backed to find a group of about 7 just hitting the base of the right climb. Our pace wasn't anything more than steady, but the sun came out it got hot quick. I started to wonder how many riders were ahead of us - I was mostly just interested in surviving the day, but my competitive side was curious to know...

We reached the West Point Inn and stopped for a few minutes before blazing the mostly downhill section of trail toward Pantoll. The "officials" at the 1st checkpoint informed us that 17 riders had already come through - damn, we were lagging! I started to push the pace up the road from Pantoll to Ridgecrest, and again along the "7 Sisters" to the next checkpoint at the junction with Bolinas Fairfax Road, where the "officials" were kind enough to share their cooler of cold beer. As I began the next section of dirt (the Bolinas Ridge Trail), carnage began to appear...first Andreas came down the trail going the wrong way with a cracked frame. A few miles later I passed Tim from Roaring Mouse who had a broken derailleur hanger. The trail made me wish I had a suspension bike - the roots and rocks were giving me a beating. I tried my best to keep up with Jared, but his full suspension bike was a big advantage through the rough spots, and eventually I settled into my own rhythm and just tried not to lose too much ground. Unfortunately, I forgot to keep a close eye on the map, and missed the turn onto the Jewell Trail - I ended up riding all the way to the junction with Sir Francis Drake Boulevard just outside Olema. I wasn't the only one - Jared, Jeremiah, and I regrouped there and consulted the map, still not realizing that we had missed a turn. We knew the next checkpoint was in or near Samuel P. Taylor Park, so we took off down the road and onto the paved Cross-Marin Trail. We hit the next checkpoint just as the group who had been behind us came down the Jewell Trail and met us. At this point I mentally committed to keeping a closer eye on the map so I wouldn't continue to waste precious energy pedaling in the wrong direction!

After a few miles of much-needed flat paved terrain, we reached another checkpoint outside Lagunitas, and it was time for more dirt, and more climbing. Several riders decided to drop out at this point, and clearly they knew something that I didn't - the next section of the course was a series of fire roads that I had never ridden, and it was vicious. The climb up San Geronimo Ridge was steep, forcing me to walk my bike in some sections. Once at the top of the ridge, I was riding all alone for what felt like forever. The fire roads along the ridgetops around Mount Tam have a way of transporting you to another planet. Riding alone, it felt as if I might be hundreds of miles from civilization. If it weren't for the leaders having placed some primitive trail markers made of sticks indicating the turns, I probably would have gotten lost...the climbs were hard, but so were the descents - my shoulders, back, and arms actually hurt more than my legs by the time I reached the next checkpoint at Alpine Dam. What a relief to be back on pavement! The checkpoint crew offered up some tasty treats (if fig newtons and doritos count?), and when I learned that only 7 riders had come through so far, my motivation for pushing on to the finish was renewed. I climbed back up to Ridgecrest, probably slower than I ever have in my life, and then it was back across the "7 Sisters" (or as the organizers reminded us they would be on the 2nd go-around, the "7 Bitches").

Back down to Pantoll, and now it was decision time - this would be the last real place to bail out and ride the roads back to SF. The fog was rolling in, it was starting to get cold, and I was exhausted, but I couldn't stand the thought of not finishing, and with only 1 more checkpoint left, I decided to soldier on. So onto the Coastal Trail I went for some sweet singletrack down to Highway 1 and the Pelican Inn. This was the final checkpoint, and I never felt so relieved to know that I was about to ride 20 miles mostly in the cold and dark! The sun was dropping low over the ocean as I made my way up the last off-road portion of the course toward Tennessee Valley. In my delirious state, I managed to miss another trail junction, and ended up having to shoulder my bike and hike up a narrow trail for about 1/2 mile. Normally I would have been cursing my bad luck, but I think I was so tired that I simply couldn't expend the energy to be mad - I just put my head down and schlepped myself onward. The site of Tennessee Valley Road, and then Marin City, brought be back down to earth. By the time I was back on the Golden Gate Bridge, it was dark and downright freezing - but beautiful. I love riding across the bridge at night without the gaggles of tourists and packs of roadies out on training rides.

I arrived at the finish to find the party in full swing - the leaders had finished more than an hour ahead of me, and almost everyone had gathered for BBQ and beer. One of the toughest days I've ever had on a bike, but also one of the most fun. I've got to get a mountain bike.

Diablo TT

By the numbers… Analyzing the Diablo Time Trial
Rider: ck

Anyone who spends half as much time as I do reviewing and analyzing performance numbers will appreciate this blog entry. Let me start by saying that I think this is the best threshold performance event in the bay area. The distance and slope are perfect for 30 minutes of pure pain and suffering. At the end of the ride, you get benchmark data to gauge your fitness and mental sanity level. I’m not saying this event is fun… it’s not, but that shouldn’t stop you from coming out. Knowing your body, and the event day conditions to put out your absolute best time is a tall order to fill. I’ve never pushed and maintained such a sustained level of discomfort as I do in this event. For better or worse, it a nice snapshot in time... let's take a look -

First let's look at the weather, it’s important!
2007 – Winds calm, partly cloudy, temps in the low 70’s, air clear
2008 – Winds 3-8 mph, sunny, temps in the low 80’s, air poor

Last year we totally lucked out with the weather. Other than “ideal” temps, the race day was almost perfect. This year a light headwind, high temps and really poor air quality all worked against us. As a general rule of thumb, every 10 degrees temperature difference will vary your heart rate 5 beats per minute (+10 degrees = +5 beats/min). Depending on your max hr, you might be looking at a 3-5% increase in hr, which surely has an affect on your performance.

Observations: This year I have to say the burn in my lungs after the race was painful. Given the fact that my "vital" stats where all down from last year, I have to think that the air quality played a large part in this. I will say that driving over the Bay Bridge today, the East Bay was almost obscured by a blanket of dark brown smog. Local fires also added to the air quality problems. The valley floor from up on Diablo was obscured by the smog/smoke as well. I think the record heat of the previous two days and a lack of fog and wind brought us right up there with LA air quality...

Ok, let’s look at the raw data…

Average Speed: 2007 - 12.97 2008 - 13.10
Max Speed: 2007 - 30.23 2008 - 27.47
Average Cad: 2007 - 88 2008 - 86
% Of Time in Zone 4: 2007 - 8% 2008 - 23%
% Of Time in Zone 5: 2007 - 92% 2008 - 77%
Average HR: 2007 - 183 2008 - 181
Average Watts: 2007 - 303 2008 - 325

My stats (for reference only): HR Info (I use 92-100% for Zone 5 simply because I consider anything in Zone 5 to be unsustainable for any reasonable length of time… ie, my cracking point. 92-93% is where it's at for me) Max HR 196 Zone 4 166-180 (85-91%) Zone 5 181-196 (92-100%)

Observations: I clearly danced the line here between Zone 4 and Zone 5. Rule of thumb, your Max HR drops 1 beat/min per year, so these stats seem about right to me. I'm also certain my fitness level this year is better than last, so it's no surprise my HR was down slightly.

Splits (click them):
Observations: For the first 4.5 miles of the race I consistently lost time against my effort from last year (13 seconds). In the last 1.75 miles, I took off 34 seconds beating my time from last year by 21 seconds. Again, I think the wind and air quality had a lot to do with this with the beginning portion of the ride. In the first mile, which tends flat, I lost 6 seconds from 2007. My max speed for this section shows why, the difference between years was 2.76 mph slower this year. I think the headwind was the main factor, but air quality and heat continued to play a role as I made my way up the mountain. As my speeds slowed when I started to climb, the wind became less of a factor. In fact, the higher I got today, the calmer the winds got.

The last mile this year is where I really felt a difference. The splits show this is where I had started to fall apart the year before, while this year I maintained a consistent pace.

2007 (click graph to enlarge)

Note my HR disappear in to the red around mile 0.5... Green line is average speed -

2008 (click graph to enlarge)

















This year I had set the goal for myself at 27:45. Given last years conditions, I estimated my power output would have had to be around 317 watts, a little less than a 5% increase. Even though my time was significantly slower than my goal, the actual effort was about 7% more. So for kicks, 325 watts with 2007 conditions would be a +/- 27:15 time... ok, maybe next year! Regardless, I think this exercise shows the usefulness of looking at all forms of data, because HR alone doesn't necessarily show actual effort.

Pescadero Road Race - June 14, 2008

Category: Elite 5
2 laps ~47 miles
Teammates: Chirs Kurrle

This race is called the "Pescadero Coastal Classic" and I'd say it lived up to its "classic" status with a beautiful course, excellent roads, and challenging terrain. Apparently plenty of others agree, because I can't remember being at another race that was so well-attended. Plus its less than an hour drive from home, which made it all the better!

Chris I and left San Francisco at 7am and drove most of the way to the race buried under a thick layer of fog. I was thinking back to the last time I had ridden some of the roads around Pescadero when they were wet, and started thinking that doing so with a pack of 50 Cat 5 racers was not going to be much fun. Fortunately the roads were dry, and the sun even broke through as our race got underway at 9.

The first lap pace was very manageable. We hit the Stage Road climbs reasonably hard, but nobody was interested in trying to take off on the first lap. I tried to move toward the front coming over the top of the two Stage Road climbs to be in a safe position of the twisty downhills. The field strung out on Hwy. 84, and lots of surging was happening, but again, no breaks forming. As we approached Pescadero Road, I jumped on the wheel of a rider from CS racing who was surging toward the front. It may be have been a waste of energy, but I wanted to be close to the front on the main climb to give myself a chance to go with any lead group that might form. The field started to break up quickly on Haskin's Hill - Chris came by me riding strong with a few others... I felt good, but not great. I couldn't maintain contact with the 7 or so riders who were setting the pace halfway up the hill, but I was content to be sitting in about 10th place and maintaining position.

I was pretty cooked coming over the top of Haskin's Hill, but the lead group (that included Chris) wasn't that far ahead, and so when the guys I was with shouted to try to close down the gap on the descent, I jumped on a wheel. I wasn't too interested in helping bridge up to Chirs' group, but I didn't want to let these guys do so without me either! I later learned from Chris that the group he was with up front wasn't too cooperative and basically sat up on the flat portion of Pescadero Road, so I suppose we would have regrouped anyway...

A good-sized field was back together heading back into the town of Pescadero. I felt pretty sluggish as we turned onto Stage Road and headed for our second trip over the two Stage Road climbs. I figured the race would really get going on those climbs, and I was right. Unfortunately, this knowledge wasn't enough to keep me in contact with the leaders. I struggled a little bit, and focused on getting over as fast as I could without blowing up. This time, the descents were a bit sketchy, as riders were tired and desperate to stay in the race - one guy passed me going into a turn and then hit the brakes so hard he nearly locked up his rear wheel...not fun.


Hwy. 84 to Pescadero Road on the second lap was fun. I wan't sure how many guys were out front after the Stage Road climbs, but I guessed it was about 8, so I knew I still had a good shot at a top ten finish if I could stay with the second group of 10 or 12. Several guys tried to attack, but nothing was sticking. We probably could have made some headway on the leaders if we were more organized, but our paceline was a mess, with some people refusing to pull and others pulling way to hard (including me one time). On one of the Hwy. 84 rollers about 2 miles from the turn onto Pescadero Road, I tried an attack because it looked like people were hurting a bit. Two guys came with me, and for a minute it looked like we might stay away from the others. A rider from BikeNut worked well with me, but the 3rd guy wasn't too helpful, and after about 2 minutes we were regrouped. Oh well - looks like it will come down to every man for himself on the final climb I thought to myself.


We turned onto Pescadero Road - there are really two climbs here - one easyish climb through the feed zone, then down to the intersection with Alpine, and then the final push up Haskin's Hill. Strangely, things slowed way down on the easy feed zone climb. I felt pretty good, grabbed some neutral water (thanks!), and decided to push the pace. It worked! One guy followed me, but the other 9 or so didn't. Adrenaline kicked in and I pedaled hard even on the downhill. I actually felt pretty good at the bottom of Haskin's, and just settled in and prayed my effort through the feed zone wouldn't catch up to me...

I ended up catching one guy on the climb, but I also got caught by someone who had followed my wheel closely with about 500m to go. Getting passed was a bummer, but I was happy to have held on to my overall position. Unfortunately, my estimate of the number of guys in front of me was off - I was hoping that I would be in the top 10, but ended up placing 13th.

Crit Survival - EBC

The EBC crit in PTown is a short affair, 30 minutes, on a course that’s approx. 0.8 mi long, flat, smooth, with three ninety-degree and one gently curving corner. After a couple of squirrelly warm-up laps in the 22-23mph range the pace picks up and we’re consistently cruising along at 26mph (for all those really fast guys who’re laughing, remember that this is Cat5). By the third lap any ambitions (hey, even skinny climber legs have dreams) I may have had for the race are gone and am in survival mode, desperately trying to find a wheel that doesn’t twitch and can actually hold a line in the corners. Unfortunately the good wheels have their own problems and share my predicament. I try the top third, the middle third, the rear third, the left, and the right side to no avail.

At Madera the pack felt fairly consistent, smooth and friendly (everyone wanted to move on to the next stage), here it twitches, intermittently, randomly. Riders are cutting the corners 4 or 5 across, but at different angles and vastly different speeds. Russian roulette comes to mind. I decide I’ve had enough and skirt the side of the pack for a brief moment. Wow, there is a lot of wind out there, better get back in the draft. I long for the days when I would have been dropped after the second lap.

There are no attacks and the speed doesn’t seem fast enough to string the pack into a single or double line. With two laps to go the pace picks up, we’re now averaging low to mid-28mph, still bunched together – it is scary. On the 3^rd turn a guy from POM FD loses control just to my front left. His right foot unclips and he skates his cleat around the corner, MTB downhill style, while his front end wobbles like crazy. Miraculously, the ensuing crash that flashes through my mind doesn’t happen and he pulls it off without taking out anyone to his left or behind him. Last lap - we’re hammering the back stretch, now doing 30mph. One more corner - sparks are coming off a pedal to my front right, but once again there is no crash. I finish 31^st of 47 and am happy, once again meeting my top three goals: 1.) stay upright, 2.) finish the race, and 3.) don’t finish last…

Congrats to Vanessa on a smart race and awesome finish (2nd Cat4, 3rd overall) in the women's 3/4 race. Seems like they had similar problems, but didn't walk away unscathed - there were two pretty hard crashes!

Cat's Hill- May 3, 2008

-Criterium with one Steep Hill

-Touchstone Riders: Markham 

 

The great thing about Cat’s Hill is that my race started in the afternoon. The bad thing about Cat’s Hill is that it started in the afternoon. I was able to sleep in (7am-when my 2-year old daughter wakes up these days) and putz around the house. BUT….I can only putz around for so long, so I decided to finish watching Into the Wild-bad mistake before a race, a crit no less. It’s a good film but kind of a downer. Okay…it’s time to get down there and get pounded on by these crit riders. When I looked at the roster to see who was in my race I didn’t recognize anyone‘s name from the road races. By now I’ve gotten to know some of the guys and contenders in my field. I didn’t realize that you have your crit racers and then you have your road racers. I guess that’s true since Cat’s Hill was my second crit ever, and the only reason why I signed up for this race is because John Ormsby, Mr. Crit, talked me into it. I said that I’d do it to help him but don’t find me anywhere near the sprint. Unfortunately, John crashed at the Martinez crit and cracked his pelvis and hand (good news, he’s now back on the bike). I decided to still do it and experience for myself why John loves these things. Plus, if I were to do a crit this would be the one because there’s a steep hill in it. I figured that might string the field out a bit. I have to admit that I was a really nervous about crashing for two reasons. One, I crashed at Wente Road Race the weekend before. I limped away with road rash and broken handlebars. Two, I saw Mr. Crit in a cast and walking with a cane after his crit crash.

 

I got to the race early so I could see the “Hill”. As I walked by people in their front lawns BBQ-ing and drinking Coronas I couldn’t help but think, man, I’d love to just sit down, throw back a few and watch these idiots suffer up that Hill. And this was, of course, before I saw the Hill. I walked on as the Cat 3/4 women zoomed past me. They took a left and, oh s--t, that’s the Hill? That’s steep! It literally goes instantly from flat to 23%. How far do we have to go up that Hill? I got to the base of the climb with music blaring and the announcer blabbing in his microphone and a crowd cheering on the riders. Wow…this is kind of cool. I looked up the Hill to see that it wasn’t that long. 12 times up that thing? Hmmmmmm.

 

After a good warm-up I got to the “staging area” for the riders. They finally called us in after waiting for the Masters 1/2/3’s to finish. They were delayed due to a large and nasty crash. Oh man, that’s not what I wanted to hear. John said to be sure to race up to the start to get a front position. When they let us in 60 of us bolted to the line. I looked behind me to see that I was toward the back. Damn. John told me that when they blow the whistle to sprint for a good position at the front. Damn. He really meant it. 60 guys sprinted to the first corner. I was toward the back. You really have to feel aggressive from the get-go in these crits. In a road race it’s a little more relaxed at the start. You have more time to get situated. Here, it’s balls out. Powering up the Hill on the first go around was easy, thanks to adrenaline. The downhill to the straightaway was a little sketchy because of uneven pavement and cracks. I was still in the same position going into the 2^nd lap- towards the back. We were going pretty hard the first few laps mainly because people were trying their damnedest to get in a good position. I decided to wait a little to get into a rhythm (i.e. feel more comfortable doing a crit), and to see how things play out. Incidentally, that’s a dangerous strategy for a crit. I found that I would always move up significantly on the Hill but fall back a few slots on the downhill corner going into the straightaway. I realized that I didn’t have a problem on the Hill as much as I did on that downhill corner. I always got gapped there and would have to drive to stay attached to the group.

 

Half way through the race I started to feel more comfortable, to the point where I could try different lines on the Hill and the descent. I was also starting to find the right gear to crank up the Hill. It took a few laps to find it. Sometimes I’d go up on way too heavy of a gear and other times spinning too much. By the 9^th lap I was ready to really make ground on the Hill. I found an inside line that looked to be clear to the top. It was clear until a big Third Pillar guy went dead in his tracks in front of me. The loss of momentum cost me. I was still in the last 1/3 of the front pack going into lap 10. Again, I cranked up the Hill and gained some more ground but not a lot. I did the same on the 11^th lap. Going into the final lap I remember John and Scott saying to be sure to get in a good position before going into the descent. If you hold position there that’s where you will most likely end up. I decided that the Hill was going to be my sprint. I believe I was about 20 deep going into it and went as hard as I could. I managed to pass quite a few. I held my position going into the descent and gunned it as much as I could to the finish line to make sure that no one passed me. There was no way in hell that I was going to pass anyone because, yes, that downhill corner got me again. I was happy to come in 9^th but I wished we had another couple of laps because I was finally in a good position.

 

For those who are not typically a crit rider this is a great race to do. The Hill isn’t so bad and makes it a classic. It’s fun because there are a lot of people on the sidelines cheering you on. It’s one big party! And, there’s a great Irish Pub down the street for a post-race cold Guinness anad fries. 

Wente Road Race - April 26, 2008

Category: Elite 5

3 laps ~50 miles

Teammates: None!



The most amazing part of this race was that I got to race...I was 15th on the waiting list, so I wasn't sure if I'd get in, but I woke up Saturday and headed out to Livermore via the Dublin/Pleasanton BART Station (14 miles of flat riding between BART and the race start, which made for a nice slow warmup). I figured if I didn't get to race, I'd just do a ride out nearby Mines road, since I rarely get to ride this part of the Bay Area. I rolled up to the start line just in time to hear my name called for the wait list, pinned my number on, and lined up. It was good old-fashioned hot outside, which was kind of a nice change, but also made for a grueling race. There were Touchstone riders is several other categories, but none in my race.


Unlike other recent races, our field was frisky right from the start, and within 2-3 miles a group of 3 took off. The loop's main climb on Altamont Pass Road started shortly thereafter, and as others had warned me, it was a pretty stiff climb. We were only 5 miles in and I was already redlined - but by the sounds of the breathing around me, so was everyone else. I moved toward the front as we crested the hill to avoid the infamy of sketchy Cat 5 descending, and I was relieved to find that the descent was on near perfect pavement. I was glad to be near the front, as some gaps opened up on the descent, but a group of about 10 were able to stick together near the front. The downhills on this course were strange - they never let you truly recover - I'm not sure if there was a slight headwind, but I know that I did plenty of pedaling even when going downhill.

The 2nd climb of the first lap wasn't nearly as long as the 1st, but it was enough to cause some further gaps to open up. I thought that a lead group of 15 or so would stay away at this point (and I hoped it would, since I was in that group), but I was wrong - a large pack reformed within a few miles. This pattern would become a theme for the day - a lead group consistently opened a gap on the two climbs, but would then rebunch on the downhill and flat sections. We just weren't working together very well at the front (there were lots of us without teammates, and no great organization happening) and there was enough motivation in the pack for a big group to stay in contact. The heat became a factor on the 2nd lap - I was going through water like it was going out of style, and wishing that I had an extra bottle tucked into a jersey pocket. I totally botched an attempted water grab from an unknown (and generous) spectator, and was OUT of water as the 3rd and final lap began.

The action started on the 3rd trip up the main climb (the race was 3 laps, but it finished on the main climb, so we would make a total of 4 trips up the hill). Several guys who were near the front all day still had plenty of juice left, and they hit the hill hard. I struggled to go with them, nearly blew up, and then settled into a manageable tempo with another rider. I hoped that what had happened on laps 1 and 2 would repeat itself, and that we'd catch back on going dowhnill. We alternated pulls, and ALMOST did catch back on before the second climb, but not quite, and the effort was causing me some serious pain. I was unable to do any more serious work, but the guy I was with did bridge to the lead group. I couldn't believe I was putting myself in a situation to ride alone yet again (it happened at Orosi and Wards Ferry too)...what kind of an idiot bike racer am I, I thought? Well that thought didn't last long, because two other riders who were also alternating pulls came flying by a few minutes later. I knew I'd regret not digging hard to latch on with them, and I was relieved when I made contact and could catch my breath for a moment.

One of these two riders was the same guy from Simply Fit that towed Elmar and me to the finish line at Orosi (tree-trunk legs...), and he soon shed me and his compadre. The two of us worked together pretty well along the flats...the poor guy thought we were done when we went past the start area, and patted me on the back for a job well done. I had to explain to him that we still had 5 miles to go, including the Altamont Pass climb. He looked at me in horror, and I didn't mind that he mostly sat on my wheel after that. My mouth was so dry, but my legs felt pretty good at the base of the climb - I punched it as hard as I could, but never did catch the guy from Simply Fit. I crossed the line alone in 11th place.

Thanks to Ken for the lift to Oakland after the race. The 4 mile ride from the finish line to the start area was enough for me...I'm not sure I would have survived the ride all the way back to BART!

Inexperienced at Madera

Cyclists from every corner of the globe share a deep appreciation for the Grand Tours, no matter how dope ridden they may be. The challenge of competing in a long stage race day after day and in different events is one that requires incredible fitness, skill in a variety of cycling disciplines, an extremely high pain threshold, and mental fortitude that would make Yoda proud. I had done the day after day (and night after night) thing fairly successfully, chugging through the French countryside during PBP, half comatose with a cadence of sixty something on the endless rollers of Brittany, powered by a fairly constant recovery heart rate that would spike to LE on a hard effort.

A stage race would be different: shorter, more intense, and varied. For the graying, lowly Cat5, a ‘Tour’ of anything is out of reach, but there is the Madera Stage Race, a two-day event in the Central Valley of California that has all the basic ingredients: criterium, time trial, and road race.

The Criterium: admittedly, I have an aversion to crits. Seems like every crit I’ve ever watched (and there’ve been quite a few) involved an ambulance at some point. Aversion breeds avoidance, thus the Madera Stage Race Criterium turned out to be my first crit. We all line up, but the race is running behind schedule. Instead of worrying about the beneficial effects of my ‘sophisticated’ warm-up behind a parked trailer truck evaporating with time, I start talking to the guys right next to me. Amazingly they’ve both climbed before, one at Pipeworks, and pretty soon we’re passing time reminiscing about routes at Lover’s Leap. Who needs warm-up anyway?!

The crit is pretty basic: 40 minutes, flat, wide, smooth pavement, four corners, one bumpy railroad track, and a good dose of speed. It’s a great first crit: for the most part people hold their line and look out for each other. Riders shout, point, motion, and pat, mostly in a friendly way. The Juniors are pretty solid, the pace around 25mph. The pack stays together, the surges out of corners are forgiving, and there’s always a bit of a rest on the East side of the loop. I sit in and get sucked along. A few riders duel for time bonuses, but the pack stays together – there are no breaks. Everyone seems content and acutely aware that this is just one stage in this race, a stage that will give most riders the same time at the bunch finish. On the last lap I’m somewhere around 15^th and contemplating moving up. It would have been easy to jump five or six spots on the inside between the railroad tracks and last corner, but at what cost? My lack of experience left me wondering and I stayed conservative, easing up, eating wind, and getting passed on the way to the finish line. One down, two to go.

The Time Trial: this was my third weekend of racing in a row. Sometime between Orosi and Ward’s Ferry, I won an eBay auction for a ‘TT bike.’ It was cheap, the dimensions seemed acceptable, and I would finally reap the benefits of slicing through the wind, instead of wrestling with it. If only the darn thing would just show up at my door step. Emergency email to fellow Touchstoners – no replies! None! Panic!!! Riding my Roubaix without aero bars would vanquish the slicing wind dream – not acceptable! Putting clip-ons on the Roubaix would surely doom me to instant carbon handlebar failure (insert picture of Hincape eating dirt instead of winning Paris-Roubaix - fine it was the aluminum steerer, not carbon bars, but you get the picture) – not a good option, but worth consideration. Take my wife’s bike and put clip-on bars on her aluminum bars – hmmm…. That might work, but would be a bit crunched. I rotate for a day (a few days before Madera) and the magic ‘TT’ bike shows up in the afternoon. It’s beat and has been crashed, has a road geometry, but works for the most part AND comes with an aero helmet that would make fans of Styx and Foreigner proud. Ken (thank you, thank you, thank you!!!) from Touchstone/Wrench Science fixes the thing as best as possible and I take the new beast for a spin on San Pablo Dam, the only ‘flat’ real estate nearby. The front end feels worse than a jackrabbit running from a coyote, but it’s an individual TT, so I’ll only hurt myself. Toward the end of my six-mile test ride the bike quiets down and I feel more comfortable. I walk away with a couple of distinct impressions: my heart rate is a good 20+ beats lower for the same speed and in corners I dearly miss the brake/shifter combo of my road bike.

It is hot at the Sharon TT, just East of Chowchilla, CA. My Polar HRM reads consistent temperatures in the mid- 90’s. I may not have any TT experience, but I’ve learned to suffer in the heat. The Terrible Two in 2006 was hot, well over 100 degrees on Skaggs, and I was in fair shape while the glassy-eyed lined the side of the road. Riding in 90+ degrees for 7 or so hours on the 2007 Devil Mountain Double was much, much harder, but I still managed to get to the finish… I sacrifice the planned warm-up on the trainer for a horizontal spot among the shade provided by nearby almond trees. Only a handful of racers chose to warm-up on the trainer.

Fifteen minutes before my 2:16pm start time I head out on the road for a quick spin that includes a couple of 30-second accelerations. Not ideal, but it’ll have to do. At the start I put a foot down, opting for security over the jump provided by having both feet clipped in and someone holding on to my seat. The start is slow and discouraging, 21-22 mph, but then I get more comfortable and cruise along at 24-25 mph, passing my 30-second man at about the 4 mile mark. It’s Dean, the guy from Pipeworks, a nice fellow and very solid wheel. He’s out there with no aero bars, riding his hoods. ‘Get in the drops man, get in the drops.’ My right pedal unclips as I hit one of the many grooves running across the road with a jarring thud. I turn the second corner and suddenly confront the wind. Things slow down, but the legs are still fine and the heart rate is steady and right where I want it. Unfortunately my minute man is nowhere in sight, on the other hand I’m not getting passed either. My ten miles are up - Two down, one to go…

I had not been sick in a long time, but the Tuesday before Madera I started getting a scratchy throat. By Thursday my sinuses felt ready to explode, during the pre-ride on Friday there was ‘stuff’ coming out of my nose, Saturday I lost my voice after the time trial, and by Sunday my chest had joined the party.

Before the road race I ask Pat for sage advice. She diplomatically disagrees with my last minute desperate acclimatization technique (keeping the windows up and AC off during the half hour drive to the start) and thinks that shade and no trainer is the way to go. Find out who’s right around you in the GC and memorize their number. I head off to seek shade at the results table and find out that going into the road race I’m 13^th in the GC and that there are 37 riders (of 46?) left. Sweet! Despite the exploding head and oozing nose and lungs, the legs feel fine. The crit and TT didn’t take that much out of me. The goal is top 10 in the GC!

The Road Race – after another fairly lengthy wait at the start we promenade up to the actual race. Three 17-mile laps (actually a bit shorter). It is immediately apparent that the pack stability experienced during the crit is gone. Riders are in and out, the pace surges and slows, and this is just the promenade. Four minutes into the actual race there is a crash in the middle of the field. On a flat section of road, cruising along at a relatively moderate speed! The pack stays jittery for the remainder of the lap and we all curse the stretch of rough road, the ‘cobbles.’ It’s not continuous, but it goes on intermittently for about 4 miles. There’s little cohesion in terms of what to do. Some are out of the saddle, some on. Some are pedaling, some are not. Some hit the ruts and potholes head-on, others jerk the wheel at the last second. It’s no fun… Out of the crud and into the rollers. I’m surprised at how the pack slows at the first big hill, are they saving their legs or are they shot? Most likely a bit of both.

Our group is still well together and settles down a bit on the second lap, until we hit the cobbles again. Attack! The guy comes from somewhere in the back and bounces around on the left side. We watch him move to the front and start accelerating. He gets a small gap, which gets closed quickly. One hard minute and it’s all over. Suddenly I can barely turn my cranks. I look down to see if I’ve flatted. It doesn’t seem like it, but I can’t look too long. I slow, the pack keeps moving. I stop, the pack grows distant. My front left brake pad is stuck to my wheel. I open up the calipers and start riding again. Note to self: you can kiss that top 10 GC spot goodbye. Addendum: when you flat the cranks still keep turning. My inexperience becomes crystal clear as I chase across the rest of the cobbles. Getting closer. The big roller gives me another opportunity, but I’m still down 60-70 yards by the time the tail of the pack crests and done by the time I get to the top. It’s a familiar situation: time to sit down and pick up the pieces…

I catch the first guy, Eddie, at the very end of the 2^nd lap. He’s pretty done, but with some encouragement and persuasion he agrees to work with me. We’ll do 20-30 second pulls, going at our own pace. We stay together and catch another rider half way through the lap. He’s in a bit worse shape, but contributes some short pulls. Finally he complains of back problems and drops off on the cobbles. The Pro/1/2/3 women pass us. Ouch! I see a blur of four Touchstone jerseys! We pick up a group of three just before the rollers and one more on the big roller. They have a hard time staying with us and drop back a little, but not too far. The finish is near. I really appreciated Eddie’s efforts on this last lap and decide we should go across the line together. However, I don’t want the rest of the guys behind us to beat us. As we crest the big roller, they’re nipping at our wheels. One last roller - a rider passes us. Eddie tells me to go for it and I put the hammer down…

Wards Ferry- April 5, 2008

Hilly course: One longer climb (2k?), several small steep hills, fast winding descent, no flats

Elite 4/5 A

4 laps- 51 miles

Touchstone riders: Markham Connolly, Ken Dick, Jonathan Buck, Elmar Stefke, Valentino Pelizier

Woke up to a beautiful but brisk morning at the Alladin Hotel in Sonora. I went downstairs to the lobby at 5:45am and had a prerace meal with a guy in a cowboy hat, shorts, birks, and earphones clearly engaged in his own world. Shortly after, Andrew, who now rides for Zteam, Pieps, an old Telluride buddy who now resides in Grass Valley, and I loaded up the car to head to the start. After taking a wrong turn out of the hotel and losing, uh…hum, valuable warm-up time we finally got to registration. Burrrrrr….it’s cold. Veterans said that it was warmer than last year and that it'll get hot when we get on the course. I have to admit, it was hard to believe. I started digging for extra clothing. Do I wear knee warmers? Nope…because I can’t find the left one. Do I wear full fingered gloves? Nope…because I can’t find the right one. Fortunately, the sun started to shine on us and made the temp much more comfortable.  I love the sun. The veterans were right on. I got the bike on the trainer and was able to get a good 25 minute warm-up and had plenty of time to get to the start without rushing. This was a first.

50 of us paraded out to the course behind the race official on a motorcycle. He pulled off but apparently we were still in neutral. I never quite got when the race started. I asked Andrew when the race started. He said, “now, you idiot.” The pace all of sudden started picking up. Great! Let’s get the show on the road.

The first lap was slower than I thought it would be. I stayed behind two guys at the front waiting for an attack on the first climb, which turned to be the longest climb of the course- about 2k. On the descent to the backside, the field was jittery and unsettled. I made sure to stay near the front because the winding roads were narrow with potholes. We were going pretty darn fast. We hit a couple of rollers after the first descent which slowed everyone down quite a bit and then another fast but shorter descent lead us to the next series of steeper hills. I decided to make the first and longer one a place to feed every lap. The subsequent shorter but steeper hills felt stiff and the hill to the finish was going to be a leg burner. It was good to see what was in store for the next three laps.

Shortly after the finish hill, we passed the feed zone and turned to start the second lap. I stayed in the top 5 on the longer climbs. Two guys (I think it was a Zteam and Davis rider) decided to "gitty up" and try to create a gap. I was in the front of the group watching them. They pulled away a little more, so I decided to bridge to them making sure that they didn't sneak away. It was a pretty easy effort and knew that I'd cause a little surge for the folks in the back. At this point, possible contenders started to appear (1 member of each): ZTeam, Fusion, and Davis. We, along with a few others, controlled the front. Fusion was just sitting in with us. I noticed that Andrew would start towards the front when we started climbing but then drift back. When we crested the hill he would then jet up to the very front for the descent. He said it was by design because he was getting taxed on the climbs and didn’t want to be gapped on the descent. The descent felt smoother and the short steep hills felt better this time around. I was starting to loosen up and getting into a good rhythm. Still, I felt there were too many of us at front for this race.

When we approached the feedzone at the start of lap 3 I decided to pick up the pace for the longer climb because I felt good and at home on this climb. I got out on front and picked up the pace but still within a reasonable heart rate zone. I looked back to see who was still hanging on. More were starting to hurt and I almost felt that I could take off at that point and make a real break for it. But, I also thought that I’d pull too many guys with me and worried about blowing up. That’s the risk, huh. This is where lack of experience comes in. I stayed at front to the top and then let the contenders come around to do some pulling. No one wanted to, so I slowed down and started demanding that they do it. Andrew told me that I should go pull. I had to remind him that I pulled everyone up the hill. This is where I really felt in control of the race. The backside was fine and some of us pushed it on the steep climbs and really pushed it on the finish hill before starting the fourth lap. We  turned the corner with fewer guys.

I still wanted to get more guys off the back. I got up front and again controlled the pace with a reasonable tempo. I noticed the Davis guy who always started the lap up front wanted to increase the tempo as well. I matched him and upped the ante. He couldn’t stick. Zteam was right behind me and Fusion behind him. Andrew hung on. At the top there were 7 of us left. We drove it fairly hard through the descent. I stayed tucked in behind Zteam and Fusion. Zteam decided to do a pull until we got to the steep rollers. Zteam, Fusion, Davis, and I controlled the front. I knew that I was not going to be finishing below 3^rd at this point. Don’t really know why but I knew that Davis wasn’t going to be a factor on the steeps and I saw guys behind us hurt on previous hills as well. I kept my eye on Zteam and Fusion. The three of us hit the first steep hill pretty hard. We hit the second steep really hard. We cruised to the 200 meter mark and that’s where the three of us took off for the sprint leaving the others behind. Zteam started in front. I was left of him and Fusion was on the right. With 10 meters left I saw a gap happening. C’mon legs! Damn! Fusion hands went up and won the race. Zteam was a very close second. I crossed the line in third place about 5 yards behind. I felt pretty good about it especially knowing that I put some work into the race to make this happen. Fusion congratulated me for the effort Touchstone put in. I appreciated the Davis and Zteam riders for their effort as well. I never really saw the Fusion rider do any pulls. He just tucked in and hung in there- probably the best strategy.

It was great riding with so many Touchstoners in the race. I think that was the most teammates I’ve ever had in a race. Ken helped me by identifying the contenders and riding strong. I remember Elmar coming up to me to say this isn’t anything like the P-B-P (Paris-Brest-Paris). Valentino was going strong down the descent and hanging in there on the hills. Jonathan had a frustrating race by flatting on the first lap. Jonathan, we’ve all been there. As a matter of fact, my front wheel spoke broke in the first 200 yards of the Brisbane Circuit Race the week before Wards Ferry. Good job everyone.

Results: Markham 3^rd,Ken 11^th, Valentino 16^th, Elmar 19^th- please correct me if I’m wrong. The results aren't up yet.

Congrats to Chris, Amy, Vanessa and Anne on their top 10 finishes. 

Note: I encourage anyone who was in this race to give their perspective. This report is obviously from the recollection and view from my saddle. 

Cat 5 Men - Strong at Orosi

Seems like in the past Orosi’s been good to Touchstone riders: Pat won there, Markham and Craig S. also fared well. This year it was the Cat 5’s turn.

Chris K. and I drove down to the metropolis of Visalia (would you believe wine bars and chique restaurants with $25+ entrees on Main Street) on Friday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and rode one lap of the loop course, a whopping 30 miles (more than I rode all week).

Seems like Orosi’s got a bit of a reputation. A Google search will turn up reports of sustained climbing and ‘hardest race in the district!’ During our reconnaissance ride we focused on the beauty of our surroundings: mainly the vast fields of flowers, which marked various stages of the ‘hill’ – yellow on the bottom, white near the top. Huge bulls were strutting among the oaks, decomposing granite boulders dotted the landscape, the sun had a late afternoon glow, and we knew the leisurely pace would be far removed from the pain we anticipated for race day.

The course has a flat promenade to a left turn, another short, flat section, and then kicks up to a gentle grade (mostly 4-5%) with some relief and a few steeper sections for a little over five miles. Then there are some more bumps and rollers, until the high point around 12 miles, followed by more bumps and rollers with a gentle downhill trend. Much of this section is bumpy and has gravel and sand on it. With tubulars and a Specialized Roubaix it didn’t feel all that bad, but it was certainly the most technical section of the race. Eventually one turns right on Boyd, goes through more rollers (with a downhill trend), until finally descending steeply on a narrow road which is flanked to the East by a spectacular view of orchards on the valley floor below. Climbing, bumps, gravel, and every thing else – this was a varied, fun, and spectacular course!

We went for dinner at some Italian place in town and I assured Chris K. and our table neighbors that I would indeed be able to finish the rather large Calzone in front of me. Know this – it’s the little skinny guys who can eat massive quantities of food and still walk away from the table! Needless to say I had to finish off with Chocolate Mousse, but unfortunately forsake the port. We rolled back to the hotel and did a quick rear derailleur adjustment on my bike.Seems like I have somewhat of a reputation of pulling up to the starting line at races with a maladjusted rear derailleur, leading to later fiddling with the barrel adjuster when I should be thinking about my legs going soft and my heart and lungs evacuating!

Sometime during the night Justin joined us to complete the trio of Cat 5 Touchstone starters.We awoke way too early, ate breakfast, and headed to the start at Orosi high school. Dustin and I spent 15 minutes on the trainer, while Chris K. opted to be chased by the local dogs instead.The race started late, which facilitated two more bathroom breaks. Finally we’re off, but as soon as we’re a couple of miles into the promenade people are pulling off into the orchards.The main group turns the corner and the race is on!

The flat part is benign, the group in a forgiving mood. The orchard stragglers (including myself) catch back on, the hill kicks up - the pace stiffens a bit, but remains manageable. I suck wheel, until I realize that the guy in front of me is hyperventilating. Primal instinct tells me that I ‘Must go find new wheel!’ Move up, but stay out of the wind. The hill goes on a bit, which is a good thing. I figure I eat too many Calzones to be a ‘real’ climber, but the fact is that I enjoy climbing, thus the longer the hill the better – grind it out! A carpet of white flowers appears, the worst is over. Looking around it becomes apparent that there’s been quite a bit of carnage.We’ve decimated the field by over a half and eight riders remain in the lead group. The three Touchstone jerseys are there. We stay together for the remainder of the lap and the start of the hill on the second lap. About two thirds of the way up I’m in 4^th place, Dustin is right behind me, and Chris K. decides to make his move in the front, ratcheting the pace up another notch or two. I sense impending doom, the transformation of legs to noodles, and wave Dustin through: ‘if you can hang with them go for it, if not wait for me.’ He gives it a spurt and pulls away, but doesn’t quite latch on to the three in the front. Another guy passes me and pulls away, there are two more behind.

I reach the top and recover a bit, mindfully trying to keep some sort of pace. Looking around I see a guy from Simply Fit chasing me. He pulled us through the flats on the first lap and has legs the size of tree trunks! I hear his shifting problems on the last steep bump and give it all I’ve got. He’s gone. Hammer, hammer, hammer. I’m resigned to riding the remaining 25 miles on my own and taking sixth!

A couple of miles later Simply Fit is back - the man’s a moose. I’ll work with him (suck wheel) and let the tree trunks kill me at the finish, taking 7^th. Fine, (in my mind) it’s settled! However, the race has a different agenda. We catch the last guy to pass me on the hill AND, surprisingly, one of the three riders from the lead group. Cool! Chris K. is in line for 1^st or 2^nd! We drop the former lead group rider on the steep descent (no time to look at the pretty orchards below this time around) and Simply Fit starts pulling us through the flat. We catch Dustin, who’s struggling a bit. I give him a pat and he hops in the back. Simply Fit pulls, and pulls, and pulls.The pace is strong and steady. We round the corner and head toward the finish and he’s still pulling. I’m amazed at the fact that he’s so damn strong and that he’s willing to tow us to the finish. I figure the tree trunks are just getting warmed up for the sprint and tuck in behind, watching his every move.

Wow – what just happened??? We’re 100 yards or so from the finish. Simply Fit blows, slows, and pulls off. I see the other guy (FastTrek?) come around from behind me on the left and watch Dustin pass him further over to the left! Everything is in slow motion. I hear Chris K. scream! It’s over! Chris K took 2^nd, Dustin 3^rd, and I finish 5^th… Touchstone likes Orosi!

- Elmar

Copperopolis- March 22, 2008 (Milton, CA)

Hilly course: One big hill, One small hill, one screaming descent all on terrible roads.

Touchstone riders: Markham Connolly, John Ormsby, Larry Benzie

2 laps- 44 miles

It was a beautiful day for a picnic and maybe a race - sunny, upper 60’s, very little wind and no ants.  The Masters Cat. 4/5 (A Group) gathered at the start around 11:10 trying to get in position toward the front anticipating that the race was going to be fast from the get-go.  Getting to the front early was on my mind constantly leading up to the the race. Sure enough there was a little jockeying for position toward the front once the whistle blew, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

John Ormsby got to the front easily and I fell right behind him.  Thanks, John. (Comment from John: I am very good at getting to the front early, not so staying there late.)  We passed the feed zone about 2 miles in at a good pace but all was intact.  We were all looking for “The Climb."  Finally, the road started to go up.   I kept reminding myself to stay relaxed.  I got behind the wheel of a Pacific Bank rider and stayed on it.  Our tempo was good and steady.  I had no idea what was happening behind us.  Were we dropping people or were they hanging on? I did a quick look around to see that there were a good number as we hit the steep section about 3/4 of the way up.

All the while I stayed attached to Mr. Pacific Bank’s wheel hoping that we would start to splinter the field.  We got to the false flat at the top and I did another quick assessment. Damn! More people than I thought.  I think there were about twenty of us. John and Andrew, a former Touchstoner but still good friend, were still in there, though. Good! But, where's Larry? Larry is new to the race scene who manages to start his season signing up for one of the hardest races on the calendar, and with very little training. He must've realized that when we hit the climb. Ouch! At the top one Synergy guy took off but we let him go thinking it was way too early. The rest of the lap was uneventful and downright slow.  This allowed more riders to join the lead group.  I remained toward the front to cover any significant attack

The second, smaller hill is preceded by a section of short rollers.   Once on the hill we went again at a solid tempo, with no one really trying anything dramatic.  I was in good position on the hill before the descent.  The descent at Copperopolis is almost as notorious as the first climb.  Together they define the race.  The descent is fast, twisty and bumpy.  Some racers hate it, some love it.  I love it.   We all went down mixing it up some with the Juniors. I have to say that it was a little nerve racking passing the little grommets.  Coming to the end of lap one I saw John go after the finish line like he was going for a preem.  I think he "won" it but no prizes handed out on this one.

As we rounded the corner in Milton to start the second lap I saw that I was not far enough toward the front. Again, it was easy to make my way up there. This is where I thought things were going to get really hard.  We hit the feed zone, and I was still in great position being among the top 5 guys.  Mr. Pacific Bank was there and I thought I’d just do the same as the first lap, sit on his wheel.  Too late, someone else got there. I saw Mr. Webcor come up and sucked his wheel and stayed on it through the steep section. I think we were all starting to hurt and heard some grunts exposing the “that’s it, I’m done.” I started to see a gap separating Mr. Webcor and me. It was on the very last little bit of steep before the false flat. I had to dig a little to get back on. They decided to surge again. I had to dig again. I was cursing at these little climber rugrats. I got on Webcor’s wheel and stayed there knowing that he would not let a gap happen.  I recovered fairly quickly as we rolled around the reservoir. There was, I believe, about 10 of us with more clawing back to the pack including John.

I was getting a little frustrated thinking that this supposed race of attrition was going to end up in a bunch sprint with 20 guys. I looked around to see who the contenders were. I got to the front with the Synergy guys remembering that there was one of them out front. I also saw a SF Sport and Spine rider go off the front somewhere on the flats.  Okay…two guys off the front and twenty of us here.  I’m not happy.  I want to make sure to go after the next one who goes. Sure enough, the two Synergy guys went on the last hill. I jumped and had them within reach and feeling pretty good on the climb.  I passed the Sport and Spine rider and saw that there were three Synergy guys just ahead of me as I was closing the gap.  Good, we caught the last from the earlier break.

As we started to crest the hill I looked back to see if we created a gap. Right behind me were two Wells Fargo riders, Mr. Webcor, and an unattached guy who was up with me in the front most of the day. The eight of us, in fact, created a good gap and shattered the rest of the field.  We bombed it down the descent at 48 mph keeping or extending the gap.  Coming to the uphill sprint finish, I was in perfect position being 5th rider with only a K and a half to go.  We passed the 1k sign and all of sudden the guys in front of me slowed down. I suddenly found myself in 2nd position- the 2nd worst possible place to be before the sprint to the finish. I got out of there with about 200 meters left. I lost all my momentum doing that stupid move. The rest barreled past me. I got on a Wells Fargo wheel and started to gain on him as we saw the crowd on top of the hill. I saw the yellow line and noticed I was on the left hand side of it and had to make my way back adhere to the center line rule. We were all together and I was with the Wells Fargo rider half a bike’s length in front. I finished 8th with the front pack.  John Ormsby came in 17th after getting dropped with cramps on the last climb.

All in all I felt pretty good.  I was a little heavy-legged coming in, so I was happy that even so I stayed strong and where I needed to be until the very end.  Looks like I need to work on my tactics and sprinting.  I've got Orosi, Wards Ferry, Sea Otter, Wente and Berkeley Hills coming up so I hope I have several more chances to apply lessons learned.