I won't recount the drama that unfolded before the race even began - Chris has documented it well, and I really don't want to relive the horror anyway. But here's my rundown of race day, my first race as a mighty Cat 4:
I guess living in CA has softened me up, because at the race start it was 40 degrees, and I was freezing. I layered up with nearly all the clothes I brought, and except for the fleece cap I was happy to have it all on. There isn't really a great place to warmup at Pine Flat, and I didn't have a trainer, so I just hoped that the first part of the race would be mellow. Not so - after the "neutral" 200' steep starting climb, the action got going, with godspeed riders instigating. The first 20+ miles (out-and-back portion) had lots of little surges that got my heart ramped up quick. I think I had some first race jitters, because I wasn't very focused and let a few gaps open up on some corners, which then required accelerations that were harder than they needed to be. After about 10 miles, things settled down a bit and I took a moment to enjoy the view of Pine Flat Lake. Overall, the field was content to stick together, and didn't much bother to chase when someone shot off the front. I tucked in near the back, and tried to remember to keep drinking despite the cold.
The long descent toward Belmont Road was a blast - great pavement and nice sweeping turns, and all the folks around me holding pretty good lines. For several miles, things were unevenful - I tried to take shelter from the moderate cross-winds, and very slowly moved my way to the middle half of the group as opportunities presented themselves. On a dead-straight section of road, there was a pretty nasty crash near the front of the field - I didn't see what happened, but the sound was awful as both bikes and bodies piled on one another - I was able to scoot around the carnage, but did get clipped by a flailing bike. I turned to make sure Chris wasn't down, and then found myself near the front of a now smaller field. I think nearly 10 guys went down, and a few of their teammates stopped to assist. The crash took some wind out of the sails of the group (or perhaps everyone was trying to save their legs for the climb to come), and for a few miles the pace dipped.
Our Saturday pre-ride of the last 10 miles of the course was really helpful, because when we did finally hit the main climb, I knew where it was going to hurt. I figured attacks would come as soon as we were on the climb, but that didn't really happen - Chris and about 4 other strong men did go to the front and slowly pull away, however. It was clear that this was going to be the winning move, but my legs didn't care, so I settled for cresting the climb alone in ~20th place as the field strung out. Some regrouping happened on the downhill, and about 5 of us got into a semi-organized rotation. The leaders were well up the road, and I knew we didn't have a chance to catch them, but I didn't want to get caught by the stragglers behind us either.
By the time we hit the final 1/2 mile climb, our group had swelled to 7, and I had a little left, so I pushed the pace right away at the 1km mark. This shed a few guys, but Webcor and Dolce Vita were right with me, and when they came around me with ~300m to go, I was toast. Getting to the finish line was painful, and I got nipped at the line by a hard-charging guy that I was too delirious to even hear coming. 16th place. 10 minutes later my sweat was turning to ice as we awaited the rest of our gang from the masters race. Thanks to Elmar for lending a jacket - otherwise I think I would have been in real trouble!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pine Flat Road Race 2009
So, ever wonder what would happen if your bike flew off of the top of your car at 70 mph? Well let me set the scene for you….Dustin, Mike, and I are on Hwy 152, just west of Los Banos. We’re in the fast lane making pace, but keeping it reasonable because it’s a holiday weekend. We are a half hour or so in front of the other car, planning to meet in Fresno before pre-riding the hill. Music is playing, we’re chatting it up, and we hear a loud thump. It almost sounded as if we had just hit a dog or something but with no shock to the car. Mike in the back seat says, “What was THAT?”. I check my mirrors and all seems in order. About 10 seconds later we hear and this time we feel another loud crash. Dustin is looking out the sunroof and says, “The BIKES!”, Mike lets out a “Holy Shit”.
I glance up at the rear view mirror. My stomach hits the road… The entire roof rack with about 12k of our precious carbon cargo is somersaulting down the middle of the highway. Absolute chance had left the lane behind us empty of traffic. I watch the bikes tumble to a stop as I slam on the brakes and pull off the road. We back up to the bikes, which have conveniently landed upright on the shoulder of the road. Mike’s Giant had ripped out of the rear tire strap, but the front fork is still engaged in the clamp. Both Dustin’s bike and mine are still fully strapped in to the racks. We do a quick visual inspection of the bikes. Mike’s bike certainly seems the have taken the major punches. The broken rear strap allowed it to swing back and forth as it tumbled down the road. The front levers are both collapsed inward. My beloved Cinelli was on the other outward side of the rack but stayed completely connected to the rack. It's come to rest with only having a few grams of carbon shaved of the left brake lever. Dustin’s bike, in the middle of the rack, has absolutely no damage.
We make a phone call to Mr. Rossi who is now only about 10 minutes away and we wait for them to show up. We pull the wheels off of the bikes, move their luggage to my car and put the bikes in the back of his station wagon. We head to the hotel to unload gear and meet up with John S. who is already there. Later that afternoon we reassemble the bikes, and give things a twice over. Everything is working, not a single component is broken on any of the bikes! We pre-ride the last 10 miles of the route, making sure the bikes are "ok".
Mike's bars post crash
Race Day…
As the high for the day is only forecasted to be 44 degrees at noon, deciding what to wear is easy. My strategy is to just sit in at the back of the field and wait for the hill. I know anyone that attempts a breakaway is going to be toast by the climb, at least I'm hoping it's so.
Two riders, each on his own individual breakaway are somewhere out in front of the group for quite a while, as the group turns on to Watts Valley Road. Shortly after the turn something happens and a pile of what looks like 8-12 guys is in a mound in front of me. Water bottles, bodies and bikes are all over the place. Those that are still up fan around the crash, and a few teammates stop to help their own.
The pace slows as everyone’s bodies absorb some adrenaline. It’s not clear exactly what happened to cause the pile up, but the pace is slow and doesn’t really pick up for a mile or so as people get their legs back. By the hard right on WVR, everyone is alert again, and it’s back to race pace. The tempo is very reasonable and I just sit in waiting for someone to go. The front of the pack where I’m at is a total mess. No one wants to pace set and we just inch our way to the start of the real climb. On the way we pick off a few dropped riders and one of our breakaway guys. By now I’m ready to split the pack up. I put on a little pace and a group of 4 other riders hop on. A CVC rider hops to the front of the pack and pace sets up the climb. I settle into a comfortable pace, while watching and listening to the other riders around me. I can tell some of the other riders are hurting. I remember there’s still five miles of rollers after the hill. Rather than pushing the pace some more, I opt just to sit in and ride with the group over the hill.
Descending, we catch the other breakaway guy, and work pretty well as a group for 2-3 miles. At least two riders seem to be hanging on by a thread or just are sitting back in the rotation. At one point I rode up to the CVC rider who was taking a huge pull (because the rotation wasn’t pulling through) and told him to ease off and let the other rides move to the front or he was going to shell himself. Looking over my shoulder occasionally I could see a chase group behind us. After talking with the CVC rider and signaling to the guys behind us to pull through with no results, I dropped an f-bomb at the other riders. I apologize for that… but it did seem to get people working again.
We roll up to the 1km marker and the pace picks up a little. At the base of the hill I singled out Roland from Webcor and the CVC rider as contenders. I move to the front, checking over my shoulder to see who would match my pace. Webcor and CVC are right there. I ramp it up a little and the group starts to string out. It’s just Roland and I at the 200m mark. I stay seated and maintain a constant pace. I can hear Roland’s breathing picking up. He’s out of the saddle but drifting back. I keep it comfortable for myself to the finish line.
Coming up to the finish line
Picture by K. Weixel
Dustin and Kim's husband at the line
Photo by K. Weixel
--
Chris K.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Early Bird RR 2009
It starts like almost all the others… race jitters and a restless nights sleep. The anxiety of racing is about the only thing that can break my daily hibernation most refer to as sleep. Race day breakfast, (1) CPK Frozen thin crust pizza, heated of course - 960 calories. One large glass of OJ, no pulp – 200 calories.
Mike has a family emergency and has canceled. A call to Dustin and Elmar the night before but come up empty… I get to share my jitters and resultant gas with no one, damn! Car is packed and I leave the city around 5:30. It’s 5:40, I’m on the bridge and realize my wallet, and license are still at home. Great… after a fortunate u-turn on Treasure Island a half dozen other excuses pop in to my head on the way back to the house as to why I should climb back in bed. I convince myself that I’ve already committed to the day by downing an entire pizza. Wallet, money, license, got them, back on the road.
Almost the entire drive is in the dark. At about Patterson Pass I hit some dense fog. It’s rained heavy the day before and a little over night. The fog is so dense traffic on the 5 slows to about 30 mph. The fog thins by the time I get to Patterson.
Race number in hand, I’ve got 45 mins to warm up. Luckily there’s the exact proportional amount of mud to water on the road that kicks up about a 3ft rooster tail of brown goop with just the proper viscosity and trajectory to lay a 4” streaker up the back side of my shorts. After about 30 minutes, I feel pretty.
Back at the car again and I notice my front tire is flat. Luckily I had taken my saddlebag off my bike while putting the bike on the car. It conveniently is sitting on a shelf in my garage. Hmmm, I’m having one of those mornings…. 5 minutes until start time, but this is Velo Promo, I know I have a solid 15-20 minutes. With some help, I make it to the start line with 10 minutes to spare.
Race is off, and after the neutral start two guys are off the front, slightly, and over the next 10 miles or so stay about a half mile or so in front of the group. I’m guessing they were wondering what the hell everyone was doing, as the group made absolutely no attempt to bring them back. I just hung out in the back, enjoy the leisurely warm up, and added another 2” in length to my streak. Yes, I checked often.
Somewhere around mile 12 the group is all back together again. I’m still hanging out in the back, having small talk with who ever will share some. A few attempts at a break away happen up front, but the group reels them back in fairly quickly. I’m getting yo-yo’d at the back of the pack, and hit AT2 once or twice as we reorganize. It’s clear to me no one is going anywhere until the real climbing starts. At around mile 16 I make my way to the middle of the field and hold, I know we’ve got a little more than two miles of over 8% climbing coming up, yippy! The group hits THE turn, and the road kicks upward. Ahhhh, I love hills. I hold my ground in the middle to see what will unfold. The wheezing has begun all around me. I take a quick peek at my HR and I’m only at 80%. I drift to the front and pick up the pace to put a little distance on the main field. There are a couple guys off the front and I slow my pace to regroup with a couple of them. Only two guys have made it away from main field to join me. I know we’ll need distance if the three of us are to survive to the finish line. I pick up the pace again, but my two compatriots are falling back. I ease off again hoping some more guys will jump to the carrot that is only a 100 yards or so in front of them. It doesn’t happen.
I summit and hit the turn around about 50 yards in front of my 2 Webcore chasers. The main field is another 200 yards back. I get to bomb the descent, maybe a little to fast for the conditions. At one point I brake hard only to do a slight front wheel wheelie. About half way down I’ve caught up to a chase car heading in my direction. It’s driving at about 20 mph. I’m lucky and pass without having to tap my brakes.
Back in the flats, solo, with no one in site for as far as I can see behind me. They’ve gotten caught behind the descending chase car…. I hang out in the drops pushing for a while, but don’t really want to attempt an 18 miles solo. I ease off again, until I see a chase group behind. It’s the Webcore crew and they’ve got a nice pace line going. I slow and wait for them. As they approach i get the, “Keep Going” callout. I think to myself, yeah right, I’ve been out here solo for 8 miles already. I’m going to suck your wheels for a while, so get pulling. I hop on the back and we’re off.
The main field is holding steady, a ¼ mile or so behind us for about 3-4 miles. At one point I sit up and ask if they want to keep pushing. A chase group of about a dozen or so guys in a few hundred yards back, and I’m assuming they are just reeling us in ever so slowly, we still have 10 or so miles. My suggestion is to wait for the group, but after a brief discussion, we opt to push a little further. We get in about three more rotations, and we’re sucked back in. I’m wondering how my streak looks?
Ok, we’re at least 12 or so guys now and I drift to the back to recover a little. It takes us a mile or so to reorganize back in to a pace line, but it eventually happens, reluctantly.
Boom! A Godspeed racer is off the front with about six miles to go, solo. I grin and wait for his demise… At the 1 km mark the group is on him, and I can hear Phil Leggett lament. We start to get strung out as the pace accelerates. I feel as if I’ve only ridden 20 flat miles. One of my Webcore buds jumps at about the 500 m mark. There are quickly six or so wolves behind him. I catch a Mouse signaling to his teammate to get on his wheel and the two accelerate past the Webcore racer. We’re at about 350 meters, and I ease in behind them. The lead man starts to gap his teammate so I step in and pull up beside him. This guy was so focused, that for 30 meters I ride right next to him staring, waiting for him to jump… I never get a glance. Nothing happens, so I go with about 250 meters. At 100 meters I look over my shoulder, the field is 50 meters back. With about 50 meters left my sprint starts to fade so I give it one more look, they’re 75 meters back. I raise my arms, give my solute, and coast in.
--
Chris K.
Mike has a family emergency and has canceled. A call to Dustin and Elmar the night before but come up empty… I get to share my jitters and resultant gas with no one, damn! Car is packed and I leave the city around 5:30. It’s 5:40, I’m on the bridge and realize my wallet, and license are still at home. Great… after a fortunate u-turn on Treasure Island a half dozen other excuses pop in to my head on the way back to the house as to why I should climb back in bed. I convince myself that I’ve already committed to the day by downing an entire pizza. Wallet, money, license, got them, back on the road.
Almost the entire drive is in the dark. At about Patterson Pass I hit some dense fog. It’s rained heavy the day before and a little over night. The fog is so dense traffic on the 5 slows to about 30 mph. The fog thins by the time I get to Patterson.
Race number in hand, I’ve got 45 mins to warm up. Luckily there’s the exact proportional amount of mud to water on the road that kicks up about a 3ft rooster tail of brown goop with just the proper viscosity and trajectory to lay a 4” streaker up the back side of my shorts. After about 30 minutes, I feel pretty.
Back at the car again and I notice my front tire is flat. Luckily I had taken my saddlebag off my bike while putting the bike on the car. It conveniently is sitting on a shelf in my garage. Hmmm, I’m having one of those mornings…. 5 minutes until start time, but this is Velo Promo, I know I have a solid 15-20 minutes. With some help, I make it to the start line with 10 minutes to spare.
Race is off, and after the neutral start two guys are off the front, slightly, and over the next 10 miles or so stay about a half mile or so in front of the group. I’m guessing they were wondering what the hell everyone was doing, as the group made absolutely no attempt to bring them back. I just hung out in the back, enjoy the leisurely warm up, and added another 2” in length to my streak. Yes, I checked often.
Somewhere around mile 12 the group is all back together again. I’m still hanging out in the back, having small talk with who ever will share some. A few attempts at a break away happen up front, but the group reels them back in fairly quickly. I’m getting yo-yo’d at the back of the pack, and hit AT2 once or twice as we reorganize. It’s clear to me no one is going anywhere until the real climbing starts. At around mile 16 I make my way to the middle of the field and hold, I know we’ve got a little more than two miles of over 8% climbing coming up, yippy! The group hits THE turn, and the road kicks upward. Ahhhh, I love hills. I hold my ground in the middle to see what will unfold. The wheezing has begun all around me. I take a quick peek at my HR and I’m only at 80%. I drift to the front and pick up the pace to put a little distance on the main field. There are a couple guys off the front and I slow my pace to regroup with a couple of them. Only two guys have made it away from main field to join me. I know we’ll need distance if the three of us are to survive to the finish line. I pick up the pace again, but my two compatriots are falling back. I ease off again hoping some more guys will jump to the carrot that is only a 100 yards or so in front of them. It doesn’t happen.
I summit and hit the turn around about 50 yards in front of my 2 Webcore chasers. The main field is another 200 yards back. I get to bomb the descent, maybe a little to fast for the conditions. At one point I brake hard only to do a slight front wheel wheelie. About half way down I’ve caught up to a chase car heading in my direction. It’s driving at about 20 mph. I’m lucky and pass without having to tap my brakes.
Back in the flats, solo, with no one in site for as far as I can see behind me. They’ve gotten caught behind the descending chase car…. I hang out in the drops pushing for a while, but don’t really want to attempt an 18 miles solo. I ease off again, until I see a chase group behind. It’s the Webcore crew and they’ve got a nice pace line going. I slow and wait for them. As they approach i get the, “Keep Going” callout. I think to myself, yeah right, I’ve been out here solo for 8 miles already. I’m going to suck your wheels for a while, so get pulling. I hop on the back and we’re off.
The main field is holding steady, a ¼ mile or so behind us for about 3-4 miles. At one point I sit up and ask if they want to keep pushing. A chase group of about a dozen or so guys in a few hundred yards back, and I’m assuming they are just reeling us in ever so slowly, we still have 10 or so miles. My suggestion is to wait for the group, but after a brief discussion, we opt to push a little further. We get in about three more rotations, and we’re sucked back in. I’m wondering how my streak looks?
Ok, we’re at least 12 or so guys now and I drift to the back to recover a little. It takes us a mile or so to reorganize back in to a pace line, but it eventually happens, reluctantly.
Boom! A Godspeed racer is off the front with about six miles to go, solo. I grin and wait for his demise… At the 1 km mark the group is on him, and I can hear Phil Leggett lament. We start to get strung out as the pace accelerates. I feel as if I’ve only ridden 20 flat miles. One of my Webcore buds jumps at about the 500 m mark. There are quickly six or so wolves behind him. I catch a Mouse signaling to his teammate to get on his wheel and the two accelerate past the Webcore racer. We’re at about 350 meters, and I ease in behind them. The lead man starts to gap his teammate so I step in and pull up beside him. This guy was so focused, that for 30 meters I ride right next to him staring, waiting for him to jump… I never get a glance. Nothing happens, so I go with about 250 meters. At 100 meters I look over my shoulder, the field is 50 meters back. With about 50 meters left my sprint starts to fade so I give it one more look, they’re 75 meters back. I raise my arms, give my solute, and coast in.
--
Chris K.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
CCCX #5 - November 23, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, November 17, 2008
BASP CX #3 - November 15, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Surf City CX - October 26, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
BASP CX #1 - October 19, 2008
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)