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.