Tek Park Criterium

This is definitely a race for the "must-do" list next year, what a great alternative to the common "four-corner crit". The course was a wide sweeping 1.33 mile loop with no tight turns and plenty of elevation gain (200 feet per lap). Sections of it approached 10% which would definitely shake up the race.



We had good team representation with Greg, Jeff, Bobby, and myself. The race started off pretty quickly and I took a few turns at the front hoping to keep the pace high. Jeff asked me how I was feeling, my legs were tired right then, but we decided to try and make a move in two more laps. Coming around to the hill again, I saw Greg and Jeff going strong off the front with one other rider right with them. I was sitting back in the field in not a good position, and I didn't think that I'd be able to get up to them without dragging the field along with me. I wouldn't have had the strength to bridge cleanly, besides, Greg and Jeff were flying. So instead I got to the front and decided to do the easy thing, just start soft pedaling.



The next few laps were tremendously fun. I knew that Greg and Jeff were strong enough to get a good gap, so I just sat on the front of the field. When someone would come up to the front and try to chase, I'd follow their wheel, wait for them to finish their pull, and then slow up again. It was incredibly disruptive to organizing a chase effort. After the hill where the course turns to face the wind, I could drop the pace down to a crawl, and usually no one would want to come around. Greg and Jeff got a lot of time quickly, and they were out of sight within half of a lap.

It may have looked like I was pulling, but this part of the race was slooooow. I felt completely recovered after a lap or two. A few laps later I noticed Greg watching from the curb, so only two guys up the road. I found out later he had been taking some monster pulls, and the heat was really getting to him.

I think I was causing some consternation behind me. After one guy in orange took a big hard pull, only to pull off and see the field slow to a crawl again, he said "XXXX I'm not doing all the chasing for the entire field!". We were getting time checks of 60 seconds, then 90 seconds, the gap was ballooning. The frustration eventually led to a flurry of big attacks, but no one got away.

A lap or two later, a rider from Pure Energy Cycling took a long hard steady pull, and when I looked back, we had a big clean separation from the field, so I talked to him and we decided to make a go of it. We worked really well together, I was feeling very good and rested at that point and could take us through the hill and windy section, and he was a fast descender, so we made a great pair. I think that there were about 5 laps left at this point. On the last one I charged up the last part of the hill, fearing that he would have a bigger kick then I, but I rolled through for 3rd without a challenge.

Jeff ended up taking the win over the Cutter's rider, as well as a prime along the way. It was really fun race, and we had some great teamwork.

Vincentown Duathlon

If there ever was a good reason to get up at 4am (for a sporting event), this Duathlon qualifies. Signing up was a last minute decision on the day before the event. I had been wanting to try a duathlon, and the Vincentown Du seemed to be a good one to give it a shot.

The morning had forecasts for thunderstorms, and I left Bethlehem with spitting rain and bad looking clouds. Fortunately things started to look better once I got into New Jersey. There was a very dense fog, but as I got ready for the race, that lifted as well. It looked like we were going to have great weather.

I didn't really know how to prepare for the event, I was asking myself many questions like how do I warm up? How much can I eat on the bike and not cramp on the run? Where do I pin my number? The answer I got to this last question from an organizer was "Well, don't you have a race belt?" I had no idea what that was, so I pinned my number to the front of my suit. Shows how much I knew.

I lined up for the start and decided that my main goal was to stay within myself, and not overdo it on any of the sections. As soon as the gun went off I found myself running along in 2nd place, it felt fast, but I felt comfortable, so I just tried to stick to a steady pace. The first mile split was 5:40. Right before the transition one other guy passed me. I thought that maybe these would be two of the top competitors, but they were apparently in it for only a fast 2 mile, as their bike was 13.4 mph, and they finished in almost the last 2 places.

I lost track of the other duathletes after the first transition, which was just fine, as I was just focusing on running my own race. Our bike leg dumped out into the waves of triathletes that had finished their swims so it was hard to tell who was doing what race, and in which wave. I felt pretty good on the bike, and settled in the 24-25mph range. I held it in a comfortable range, as I knew that the 5k to come would be the real challenge of the race.



I came in to the second transition feeling alright, my legs were tired, but I had been pretty conservative so far. However, that second transition just about did me in. First of all, I had a hard time finding my spot, as the marker I used to find my bike the first time was now on my head (my helmet). I was looking for a pair of running shoes among piles of tri-paraphernalia. Finally I found my two shoes, and hung up the bike. Now things really started to fall apart, I took off both my cycling shoes, got my right running shoe on, and my right calf cramped down hard. I couldn't move my leg, and had to hobble around to find some posts to stretch against. After prying for a bit, I returned to the task of putting on shoes, but it didn't feel right at all. I finally realized that I had put my right biking shoe back on my left foot. That was so totally wrong I had to just stop and laugh. So I finally got two running shoes on the correct feet, and headed out for the 5k.

Wow, that was a tough 5k. My legs felt heavy, my heart rate was much higher then it usually was for that pace, and I felt like I was barely trodging along. No, that isn't a word, but that is what it felt like. I slowly picked up my rhythm, and my legs slowly wound themselves out, but I never felt like I had good foot speed. I just tried to maintain.



I came up to the finish without any extra kick, and crossed the line glad for a chance to really stretch. I spent the next 3 days trying to stretch my legs back out, and by day 4, they finally felt normal again.

Ryan had an awesome tri, taking top honors and posting the only time under one hour. I managed second over all in the du. I was only 25 seconds behind the winner, and I kept wondering where I could have found that extra 25 seconds. How much did I lose in the transition? How slow was my 5k? Those kinds of questions that are useless to ask after the race, but I couldn't help wondering.

A few days later when the full results were posted with time splits, I got some answers. Unfortunately a timing mat missed my first 2 mile split, but by working backwards, I figured that I had a 10:40 2-mile (but then my first mile split doesn't make any sense), T1 of about 0:45 to 1:00, and a bike of about 23.4 mph.

The notable thing was T2, mine was 1:12 and the winner had 0:47, that is a difference of exactly 25 seconds.

I'm still very happy with my result in the du, but seeing what I can work on to improve is definitely motivation for next time. I can also see where those seconds saved with aero gear on the bike can really help. I think I'll take my winnings and buy an aero helmet. I also want to get more running miles before my next du, and practice those transitions to the run, I think I can go faster then a 19:34.

Can't wait for the next one.

JBN Criterium (Just Be Natural)

JBN Criterium Cat 4 from Bikelink on Vimeo.

Highlights:

5:00 first Lamprey sighting, moving up
7:00 more Lamprey riders moving up
9:40 I move up to the front
11:20 more butt shots
20:50 Roland and Greg come up
22:10 Jeff and I chatting
22:30 then Jeff goes
25:30 Greg
26:20 Getting together
27:20 together and towards the front
31:20 Greg follows up to Roland
34:15 Greg pulling the pack along
35:30 Note how much louder the wind noise gets when the cameraman pulls out of the side of the field and hits the full wind. Gives a relative sense for those who don't race how much more effort that takes.
36:15 I follow another guy when he goes off the front, but don't get anywhere
37:55 Jeff and Greg together
40:00 Me moving up, things are starting to get fast, looking for the rest of the guys
42:10 Two Bikeline/LWA move up quickly, and things string out for the bell lap
43:00 Cameraman is sitting behind eventual winner from F&M
43:15 I move up, hoping that it will somehow help Greg, Jeff, or Roland, but I'm not looking back. I'm probably too impatient and go too soon, it's that Pavlovian response from the bell lap. I think that I only manage to bring the camerman along. Things get rearranged on the backside hill and I slip back.
44:40 Jeff comes up to top 10 or so, is that Roland next to him?
45:30 F&M guy swings left to open up his sprint for the win
45:42 A Bikeline/LWA goes down at the finish line

Having spectators is great, you can definitely hear the "GO LAMPREY!" on every lap around!

As far as criteriums go, this was well ridden with smooth riding and generally good bike handling. Unfortunately one broken collar bone at the finish line, may have been a case of looking down instead of up during the final sprint.

It was a fast one as well. I recorded an average of 25.9 mph, which is I believe the fastest Cat 4 crit I've done, up there with the Thursday night crits. Having a wide open, smooth, and flowing course really helped, I'm sure.

Positioning is still the hardest part of criterium racing. That was fun, we're getting better as a group and figuring it out as we go.

Brief Race Report for Bob Rodale Fitness Park Criterium

That was a battle, swords were drawn, and nunchucks flying. Kudos to Jeff for putting in a huge effort at the front with 2 laps left to go. Roland was up there right with him, and occasionally I was also, except I kept losing wheels on the turns. It was really tough to hold position, twice I was bumped into the grass.

Like most crits I've done so far, this race was really a battle of positioning. The pace was fast enough that no moves got very far off the front. But slow enough that the field was constantly bunched together. With half a lap left, I was in the top 10-15, but got swarmed coming down the riser and I couldn't move up again. I felt great, I had a ton of strength left in my legs, but alas, no where to go.

It seemed that the main challenge was a field of 66 riders bunched up on a narrow course. There are no long straight sections at the fitness park, and it isn't very wide. That meant that there were no good places to move up through the field and as a result there was a lot of diving into the insides of the turns, and consequent bunching.

Watching the Masters and Cat 3 races, they played out very differently. The field was strung out, breaks were going, gaps were forming, moves were being made. I think Cat 4 races would benefit greatly from some more attacking and driving the pace up to stretch things out. As long as I'm not going to be contesting the sprints anyway, might as well have some fun. Make a race of it.

No pictures of videos this week, boring post for posterity.

Marten

New Bethlehem Criterium

New Bethleham Criterium: Cat 4 from Bikelink on Vimeo.

Highlights:
12:45 guy goes down (hard to tell what happens)

15:00 My move

16:15 Greg goes

21:40 back in the field

As much as I'm not a crit racer, (as a <140 lb "skinny guy", my element is anywhere the road is going up) I really enjoyed this crit. The roads are plenty wide, tons of room to maneuver and pass, plus the race is only a few miles from where I roll out of bed.

I crawled out at 8am to catch David, Jeff, and Frank in the Cat 5 race. The first time the pack rolled around, I saw David out in front with a several second gap. He looked very comfortable and sat near the front for most of the race. The first half I watched from turn 3, the small hill and false flat was taking its toll on the back part of the field. Riders were trickling off of the back constantly. It was here that 2 years ago I got dropped on my first ever road race in the Cat 5 field.

David had a good sprint at the end, good enough for 3rd in the Cat 5s. I'm sure if he had a better position coming into the final sprint, he would have placed even higher.

I still had 2-3 hours before my race, so I went back home to get breakfast and get ready. It was going to be a hot day, so hydrating would be important.

I rolled to the start with Greg and Roland. Greg usually does masters races, and I think he expected the Cat 4 field to be sketchy, dangerous, and slow. Last year, when Roland did the Masters 35+, he missed his clip in at the start and the field just rode away from him right from the gun.

There were no team plans, but we had a good cheering squad and were on our "home" course. My only goal was not to just sit in and wait for the field sprint which I usually can't contest anyway.



The pace felt pretty comfortable, both F&M and QCW had good team representation and did plenty of pace setting at the front. After the first few laps of sitting on the back, I moved up to the front around turn 3 and decided to push the pace. It wasn't intended as a solo attack, but when I looked back I was on my own. At that point I just decided to make a go of it, bury myself, and see how long it lasted.



I could hear the cheering section really going when I came around, and that was a little extra motivation. On the next lap, I saw Greg coming up, so I waited a bit and joined with him.



We rotated for a bit, and soon a third guy joined us. Unfortunately, at that point my efforts were catching up with me, and my pulls weren't enough to gain any more time. The three of us dangled off the front of the field for a while.



I slipped back into the field, and let myself recover for a bit. It was early enough in the race that I had plenty of time before thinking about the finish yet. Roland was still fresh, so I wanted to see if I could get him into position.



Greg moved us up, and for a while I followed him with Roland behind me. With 2 laps to go, I lost Greg's wheel and he went to the front to drive up the pace. On the last lap, I got separated from Roland so my leadout idea didn't come to fruition. I actually felt good at the finish, and moved up some spots, but I was coming from pretty far back so only just managed 18th. While not a big result, the race was a ton of fun, and I enjoyed helping to animate it a little. Check out the helmet cam video.

Can't wait until next year...

How not to prepare for a TT, or TTing to the start of your TT

As much as I enjoy the intrinsic pleasures of a scenic bike ride, or a relaxing run, there is something that compels me race. I find satisfaction in pushing my body to its limits, and I'm thrilled to see that my limits are pliable. What goals once seems unobtainable, eventually are exceeded.

I did my first TT (time trial) tonight, and actually really enjoyed it. It felt like racing, I like to feel like I really went at my limit, and get all those good endorphins going.



Deciding to start putting on my aerobars at 4 pm with a start time of 6:28:30 in New Jersey was not good planning. I swapped out the road bars for bullhorns with aerobars which meant I needed new brake and shifter housing and cables, and a trip to the bike shop. At 5pm I was just starting to put on the bar tape and I didn't hit the road until 5:20. The TT was at least 50 minutes away in New Jersey, if I didn't hit traffic. Of course I not only hit traffic, but made a wrong turn and got mildly lost (usual course for me). I finally asked for directions and when I started seeing people warming up on TT bikes, I knew I was close, but it was after 6:20. I hadn't eaten anything, so I was trying to get down a power bar that turned into a gooey mess because of the 90+ degree weather. Not easy.

I saw a dozen riders lined up, some traffic cones, and an official with a clip board, so at least I knew where the starting line was. I pulled over and parked on the road, but I still had to register. I biked up to the start and asked the riders lined up where to register, and they sent me other way down the road. I finally got my number and I'm pinning it on while the guy tells me I have 2 minutes to make my start time. I book it back to the start line. I know the guy starting right after me, and he yells to get over and hurry up, because my 30 second man is about to go. I get in position with 40 seconds to spare!

He counts me down and pushes me off, but I've never even tried shifting yet, and the indexing on my bar end shifters is way out of adjustment, as I suspected it would probably be. I manage to get the rear shifter into friction mode, but I'm still in the small ring up front. I push the chain over but it drops and hangs around my crank. Somehow I managed to get it back on with a combination of careful pedaling, and sliding the derailleur over. My adrenaline is still going strong from just getting to the starting line, and by the time I first look at my computer, I'm ticking over 27, 28 mph. CRAP, waaay too fast. Over the next mile I manage to settle down to a good rhythm and tried to catch my 30 second man. I finally get past him at about the half way mark, and shortly after, I get passed as well.

Biking in the aero position was a very different experience. Instead of biking, it felt like I was piloting some machine. The sensation of speed was definitely heightened and I was captain of my carbon fiber craft.

I have no idea what I can sustain for a TT, so I'm just going with feel moment to moment. At mile 8.5, I start to crack, fortunately it is just a 10 mile TT, so only 1.5 to go. But it was a struggle and I was pretty cooked when I finally got across the line. My time was 24:46, for an average speed of 24.2 mph, and I'm happy with that. No warmup, shifting messed up, never ridden in a TT position, 32 spoke box section wheels, road helmet, and first timed effort.

And of course I got lost going back home as well.

But that was fun. I think I placed 4th in my age group (scored by age, not category), but there may have only been 4 riders between 30-35. One of my season goals was to do 8 miles in 20 minutes (24mph), and I thought I was a long way from hitting that one. My next goal is sub 24 minutes for 10 miles, cracking 25 mph.

Now I want an aero helmet.

Refocusing

I went for a run the other day, and it felt good. Then I went on another run, and it felt very good.

2010 started off with some ambitious goals, featuring a Cat 3 upgrade as the main quest for 2010. Battenkill was a big event early in the season, and I trained hard hitting the weights aggressively in February and logging over 500 miles in March. I felt really good, it was the best cycling shape I've ever been in. In April I logged a century the week before Battenkill, felt good for the main event, and noticed my improvements in the Thursday Night Crits. It was a great start to 2010.

I still logged over 400 miles for April, but my training totally dropped off in May. It didn't help that I spent almost 2 week off the bike, sprawled out on my couch trying to get over some nasty flu type virus that completely knocked me out. Coming back after that was tough, and now with June half way over I want to pause and re-examine my season. It didn't help that my next big season goal, Mt. Nebo had lost sanctioned status with the USAC. I was interested in doing the race anyway, but felt that doing a 25 mile event with 90+ other Cat 4/5 riders was too perilous to my health. Those descents are fast and tight.

So now I want to step back, re-assess my goals for 2010, and regather some training motivation and focus. Given that my top races are no longer USAC sanctioned (all the good hilly ones!) the singular goal of upgrading to Cat 3 no longer seems to be in the picture. Rediscovering running will help to diversify my season goals, which I think will be important to maintaining my training motivation. Running provides an intrinsic enjoyment and doesn't require any specific goals.

This has been a good long break, probably mostly a mental recovery, but now I'm ready and excited to start some focused training again.

Here are some tentative plans. Cyclocross will remain a top goal for the year, and I want to add some running events, a stage race, a duathlon, and maybe some adventure races.

Thursday June 24 - Route 29 Time Trial

Sunday July 11 - Catfish Duathlon in Harrisburg

Sunday July 18 - Route 29 Time Trial

Saturday July 31 - Pottsville 17

August 14 & 15 - Tour de Millersburg Stage Race

Sunday September 5 - Robeson Township State Race

Saturday October 2 - Lamprey Systems Cyclocross

Sunday November 22 - Philadelphia half marathon

That's something to get excited about.