I really like this course, Garret Lynch describes it better then I ever could, he's spot on. The fog really added to the experience, we climbed straight into a cloud, and it was so dense, you could barely see more then a few feet ahead at a time.
I had wanted to do well at this race, climbing usually suits my relative strengths, but it still had to be seen how I would stack up against the strong A field. I knew that it was going to be a hard race, this is really tough course. It didn't take long on the first time up the climb before I was sliding backwards off the group. After reaching the top, there are a few miles of rollers, and here a relatively large chase group formed, we were all motivated to get back with the leaders. I helped a little through the rotations, and eventually on lap 2 we merged. The field was once again, mostly intact. No one was away, so we just rolled around the course for trip 2 up the main climb.
Once again, I couldn't match the pace of the leaders, and had to settle in my own rhythm. Low clouds had been rolling around all morning, and on this lap we climbed straight into the base of one. The fog was so dense that I could barely see the other side of the road. It felt very isolating, I couldn't see anyone else, and all that I could hear was my own labored breathing. A very surreal (and even peaceful) experience. After I crested the summit, the air cleared slightly, and I could see a few other riders straggled ahead and behind me. We formed a small group of about 7, initially we tried chasing, and rotated pretty well, but the gap was 2+ minutes, and there was just no way we were catching anyone.
We also realized that most likely, all the points were gone as well, it looked like at least 20-25 ahead of me on the climb, but it was hard to tell for sure. We rolled around lap 3, pretty chill, just taking it easy. There had been some light sprinkles, and I was pretty sweaty from 2 trips up the mountain, so combined with some descending and slow riding, I was really getting chilled and starting to shiver. I happened to be on the front through a sharp left hand turn, and when I looked back and pulled off, the group was pretty far back. I didn't really want to finish out the route riding solo, so initially I just sat up and waited. However, the group was really taking its time, and I was really starting to shiver. At this point, I just wanted to finish so I decided to keep rolling at a "warming" pace, and let the group just do what it would do. If I'm caught, great, I've got a group to roll with, otherwise, I just wanted to keep moving.
Up the climb for the third time, and then the rollers again. I caught up with a Dartmouth rider, and we worked together, keeping a good pace going through to the finish. I led through the corner, and let him take the finish. Turns out we finished 21/22nd, so I was only 2 spots out of the points, but it might have well been 20, that group was long gone.
I love this course, and I'll definitely be back next year.
Showing posts with label collegiate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label collegiate. Show all posts
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Jersey Devil RR 2012 - "Col du Skillman"
Living in Eastern PA is a very good thing for cycling: good training roads, and many of the ECCC races are only 1-2 hours from here. Compared to the schools in New Hampshire and Vermont, we've got it good down here. The Princeton Jersey Devil RR was only about an hours drive, and we sent a full 2 carloads with 7 Lehigh cyclists.
It turned out to be one of those days that went well for everyone, check out the full report here.
Cycling is a funny thing, so many times I've done relatively well when I didn't expect to, and totally biffed any good results in races or courses I thought I had a decent shot at. Last summer was a perfect example. I don't know if high expectations are bad thing for good race results, or, on the contrary, having no expectations frees one to just race. Probably both.
Either way, I've had very little actual expectations coming into these collegiate A races, knowing they're a fair bit higher level then the Cat 4 races I was doing through last year. My goals are not to place well, but rather try and become a better bike racer. With this thinking, I'd rather be racing at the highest level that I can qualify for.
So far it's been some of the hardest racing I've ever done, more fun, and a better experience.
Anyway, I watched Molly, Brandon, and Eric race well, got myself good and caffeinated (coffee, coffee, coffee!), and staged myself for the A race. The forecast called for a chance of rain, and we got a few drops here and their, but fortunately it stayed clear.
Based on the course profile, I had expected the climb to be tougher, but like everyone who had raced already was saying, it really wasn't a very steep or long climb. How hard it is, however, is very relative to how fast you go up the climb, and I definitely hit it a couple of times just about pinned. It wasn't enough to break up the field, but 8 laps takes it's toll in repetition.
As expected, some of the best and strongest got away in a break that mortals like myself could do nothing about. Unfortunately, some of the regular names like Adam Bry, Wyatt Stoup, and others DNF'd. It looks like Adam and another guy tangled on the climb, and maybe some MIT teammates waited to try and pace him back to the group. Good teammates, but either they didn't make it, or didn't attempt it.
I spent basically the first 7 laps just sitting at the back, trying to ride efficiently. The climb really stretched things out, and the descent highlighted my poor descending skills. The back of the field was probably a good place for me to be.
On the final lap, as we were mostly still together, I expected things to get very aggressive setting up the final sprint. I moved up to the top 7 spots on the climb, a Pitt rider attacked and looked strong, so I made a few rotations to help bring him back. Cresting the final series of inclines, I was still near the front of the field, however, by the time I got to the bottom of the descent, I was at the very back once again.
At this point, I felt like I was out of contention, the faster guys were now at the front again. I rolled down the flat, straight section of the course, just sitting at the back of the pack. Some West Point guys tried to attack, but nothing was going anywhere. The paced started to ramp up before the final turn, and the struggle for positioning began.
There is a gentle "S" turn after the last corner, before the finishing straight where we get full use of both lanes. Swinging through there, the field fanned out, spreading it's proverbial wings as everyone tried to move up on the outside. As holes appeared, I just played the patient opportunist and slid forward, filling gaps.
It was like the seas parted, and the red carpet rolled out. When the West Point guys in front opened up, I had a clear open line down the very center and followed their wheels out the front of the congestion. I got a little too ambitious when I tried to come around one too early, hit a lot of wind, and couldn't move up further, but managed to hold onto 5th for the field sprint, 9th overall.
I really wish I had kept the video camera on for that race, it was certainly a sprint worth watching. Anyway, I'm definitely happy with that result. Race Predictor had me at 32nd.
Next up, PSU, I absolutely love that course.
It turned out to be one of those days that went well for everyone, check out the full report here.
Cycling is a funny thing, so many times I've done relatively well when I didn't expect to, and totally biffed any good results in races or courses I thought I had a decent shot at. Last summer was a perfect example. I don't know if high expectations are bad thing for good race results, or, on the contrary, having no expectations frees one to just race. Probably both.
Either way, I've had very little actual expectations coming into these collegiate A races, knowing they're a fair bit higher level then the Cat 4 races I was doing through last year. My goals are not to place well, but rather try and become a better bike racer. With this thinking, I'd rather be racing at the highest level that I can qualify for.
So far it's been some of the hardest racing I've ever done, more fun, and a better experience.
Anyway, I watched Molly, Brandon, and Eric race well, got myself good and caffeinated (coffee, coffee, coffee!), and staged myself for the A race. The forecast called for a chance of rain, and we got a few drops here and their, but fortunately it stayed clear.
Based on the course profile, I had expected the climb to be tougher, but like everyone who had raced already was saying, it really wasn't a very steep or long climb. How hard it is, however, is very relative to how fast you go up the climb, and I definitely hit it a couple of times just about pinned. It wasn't enough to break up the field, but 8 laps takes it's toll in repetition.
As expected, some of the best and strongest got away in a break that mortals like myself could do nothing about. Unfortunately, some of the regular names like Adam Bry, Wyatt Stoup, and others DNF'd. It looks like Adam and another guy tangled on the climb, and maybe some MIT teammates waited to try and pace him back to the group. Good teammates, but either they didn't make it, or didn't attempt it.
I spent basically the first 7 laps just sitting at the back, trying to ride efficiently. The climb really stretched things out, and the descent highlighted my poor descending skills. The back of the field was probably a good place for me to be.
On the final lap, as we were mostly still together, I expected things to get very aggressive setting up the final sprint. I moved up to the top 7 spots on the climb, a Pitt rider attacked and looked strong, so I made a few rotations to help bring him back. Cresting the final series of inclines, I was still near the front of the field, however, by the time I got to the bottom of the descent, I was at the very back once again.
At this point, I felt like I was out of contention, the faster guys were now at the front again. I rolled down the flat, straight section of the course, just sitting at the back of the pack. Some West Point guys tried to attack, but nothing was going anywhere. The paced started to ramp up before the final turn, and the struggle for positioning began.
There is a gentle "S" turn after the last corner, before the finishing straight where we get full use of both lanes. Swinging through there, the field fanned out, spreading it's proverbial wings as everyone tried to move up on the outside. As holes appeared, I just played the patient opportunist and slid forward, filling gaps.
It was like the seas parted, and the red carpet rolled out. When the West Point guys in front opened up, I had a clear open line down the very center and followed their wheels out the front of the congestion. I got a little too ambitious when I tried to come around one too early, hit a lot of wind, and couldn't move up further, but managed to hold onto 5th for the field sprint, 9th overall.
I really wish I had kept the video camera on for that race, it was certainly a sprint worth watching. Anyway, I'm definitely happy with that result. Race Predictor had me at 32nd.
Next up, PSU, I absolutely love that course.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Philly Phlyer Crit
This unbelievable weather continues, and we had 60s-70s with sun, awesome for March, and perfect for a crit. Continuing my string of screw ups for the weekend, I pinned my number on the wrong side, and didn't realize it until it was too late. Ah well, on this course, with this field, it was just going to be a matter of hanging on as long as possible anyway. Three weeks in, time to get my act together.
After a neutral lap, we were off in earnest. Like usual, I staged myself towards the rear, and spent the first few laps tail-gunning. I quickly realized that was a bad idea on this course, as the the pace was really high, the accordioning around the turns was really tough, and as riders were popping, I was trying to close gaps. Ouch.
I was too cross eyed to know when it happened, but at one point a break went, and I popped off the main group. I figured I was done at that point, but soon drifted back to a sizeable chase group. We were definitely out of contention, but at least it was a group to ride with. Back here, it was a completely different race, felt like the pace was half as fast. I took some turns at the front, it was definitely much easier and faster riding a clean line through the turns. With a couple to go, the lead pace car came through, and we got over to let the leaders through. I think that technically we were allowed to mix it up as lapped riders, but I had no interest getting into a group that I didn't belong.
Coming into the final lap, we still had a small group going, and I was hoping to at least get a chance to sprint it out, if even for only twenty-umpteenth place. However, approaching the final turn, more riders came through to lap us, and I considered my race pretty much neutralized, so just rode it in.
I still felt like I had a bunch left for a sprint, but not going to happen when you're lapped.
Oh, and I did charge my camera today, but apparently didn't hit start. Oh well, next time.
After a neutral lap, we were off in earnest. Like usual, I staged myself towards the rear, and spent the first few laps tail-gunning. I quickly realized that was a bad idea on this course, as the the pace was really high, the accordioning around the turns was really tough, and as riders were popping, I was trying to close gaps. Ouch.
I was too cross eyed to know when it happened, but at one point a break went, and I popped off the main group. I figured I was done at that point, but soon drifted back to a sizeable chase group. We were definitely out of contention, but at least it was a group to ride with. Back here, it was a completely different race, felt like the pace was half as fast. I took some turns at the front, it was definitely much easier and faster riding a clean line through the turns. With a couple to go, the lead pace car came through, and we got over to let the leaders through. I think that technically we were allowed to mix it up as lapped riders, but I had no interest getting into a group that I didn't belong.
Coming into the final lap, we still had a small group going, and I was hoping to at least get a chance to sprint it out, if even for only twenty-umpteenth place. However, approaching the final turn, more riders came through to lap us, and I considered my race pretty much neutralized, so just rode it in.
I still felt like I had a bunch left for a sprint, but not going to happen when you're lapped.
Oh, and I did charge my camera today, but apparently didn't hit start. Oh well, next time.
Philly Phlyer circuit race
This was the 3rd time I've done this course, first time was as a 5 back in 2009, I think. Last year I did the collegiate "B" race, and went to early, faded on the roundabout, and lost a few spots on the final sprint when I had nothing left. The finish was nervous and positioning was aggressive on the final incline, so I was curious to see what the A race would be like this year.
We started just easy, but the climbs were brisk, and the field was slowly whittling down. I heard one nasty crash off to my right near the gutter along River Dr, probably a victim of a sewer drain. Then on the next lap I got caught behind some crash on the climb near the hay bales, I was far enough back that I managed to scoot around cleanly, and then chase hard, but that probably ended a few races.
I tried out the $40 "keychain camera" from some Chinese eBay seller, and for it's cost, it looks pretty good. This one is the 808 #16 version. One minor drawback is that the battery lasts only about 40 minutes, but a more significant issue is that the cheap CMOS sensor uses a rolling shutter, so you can get some bad motion induced artifacts. Anything with vibration looks just awful. I decided to try and get the camera mounted as securely as possible with a bit of dense rubber, and try out some of the post processing options to remove camera shake. Some of the more advanced tools can even compensate for a rolling shutter by applying a different transformation to different parts of the frame. I tried a plugin for Transcode and it seems to work pretty well. You can really see it working in on the final climb when I'm rocking the bike. Edited with Kdenlive.
Here is the video. I originally had a much better soundtrack picked out, but my M83 selection caused the video to be blocked in the US. So instead I substituted some bad, royalty free beats. Apologies. Anyway:
The finish was much more reserved then the B race was last year, although when the top guy went, the rest of us were left to just drag race for the final few points.
We started just easy, but the climbs were brisk, and the field was slowly whittling down. I heard one nasty crash off to my right near the gutter along River Dr, probably a victim of a sewer drain. Then on the next lap I got caught behind some crash on the climb near the hay bales, I was far enough back that I managed to scoot around cleanly, and then chase hard, but that probably ended a few races.
I tried out the $40 "keychain camera" from some Chinese eBay seller, and for it's cost, it looks pretty good. This one is the 808 #16 version. One minor drawback is that the battery lasts only about 40 minutes, but a more significant issue is that the cheap CMOS sensor uses a rolling shutter, so you can get some bad motion induced artifacts. Anything with vibration looks just awful. I decided to try and get the camera mounted as securely as possible with a bit of dense rubber, and try out some of the post processing options to remove camera shake. Some of the more advanced tools can even compensate for a rolling shutter by applying a different transformation to different parts of the frame. I tried a plugin for Transcode and it seems to work pretty well. You can really see it working in on the final climb when I'm rocking the bike. Edited with Kdenlive.
Here is the video. I originally had a much better soundtrack picked out, but my M83 selection caused the video to be blocked in the US. So instead I substituted some bad, royalty free beats. Apologies. Anyway:
The finish was much more reserved then the B race was last year, although when the top guy went, the rest of us were left to just drag race for the final few points.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Frozen Toed Season Opener Day 2: Rutgers Crit 2012
The A field is definitely a pretty significant jump up from the B field. My plan for the crit was to try and conserve as much as possible, and try to avoid getting behind any big breaks in the field. Step one was to stage well, but then I blew that by completely missing my pedal, and utterly failing to clip in. A couple of attacks, 2 guys got away for a while, but eventually everything came back. I could move up on the back climb, but would invariably slip back on the descent. Several times I let gaps open, and had to find faster wheels to follow down the hill.
Two big changes from last year: not a points race, and the S/F was moved to the front straight, after the descent, not so good for me, it would make for a very fast sprint. There was a near collision at the start of the climb one lap, and things got a little pinched by the curb before that first turn, but mostly good racing.
With two to go, I knew I needed to at least try and move up, but got boxed in on the inside of the climb, and the final lap was so fast, it was all I could do to just hang on. Got behind some gaps on the descent, and finished at the back. At least I didn't flat, and managed to hang on for the duration of the 60 minutes.
Another big difference in the A field is the average cost of their bikes, holy crap. I looked around once and saw a Super Record 11 group, at least one electronic group, several power taps, and lots of expensive carbon fiber. The collective cost of the bikes in the A group must be quite staggering. I also noticed another guy with the same KCNC brakes (in black), don't see those too often.
May skip the crit next weekend, but I'll probably do the RR. Sort of surprised all the distances are so short, though.
Two big changes from last year: not a points race, and the S/F was moved to the front straight, after the descent, not so good for me, it would make for a very fast sprint. There was a near collision at the start of the climb one lap, and things got a little pinched by the curb before that first turn, but mostly good racing.
With two to go, I knew I needed to at least try and move up, but got boxed in on the inside of the climb, and the final lap was so fast, it was all I could do to just hang on. Got behind some gaps on the descent, and finished at the back. At least I didn't flat, and managed to hang on for the duration of the 60 minutes.
Another big difference in the A field is the average cost of their bikes, holy crap. I looked around once and saw a Super Record 11 group, at least one electronic group, several power taps, and lots of expensive carbon fiber. The collective cost of the bikes in the A group must be quite staggering. I also noticed another guy with the same KCNC brakes (in black), don't see those too often.
May skip the crit next weekend, but I'll probably do the RR. Sort of surprised all the distances are so short, though.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Rutgers TT & Circuit Race 2012
Apparently there is some very popular site by the same name as I used to call this blog. So much for me thinking I had a clever and original title, forgive my blogging faux pas. Anyway, no more attempts to be witty, I'll just call this "thing" L&L for now. Besides, maybe that will be harder to google, but probably not.
Road cycling season is finally underway, what better way to start then with a 2.2 mile TT. After moving up to collegiate As, I knew I'd get blown away in this event, nonetheless, I still wanted to see if I could go any faster then last year. It's hard to compare times, because they added a section at the top of the course, maybe I was few seconds faster, but not much.
The road race I was much more looking forward to. The dreary, drizzling rain from the morning was slowly fading out, and the dark clouds began to drift away. Almost on perfect cue, while we were all staged and minutes before the start, the sun broke out and we had blue skies for the rest of the day. I love it when that happens.
I was hoping to start off the 65 miles with a parade lap, but that didn't happen. There were some good attacks, and the field got really stretched out, but basically stuck together. The third lap felt particularly tough, for a while I was in a very delicate position, totally at my limit to just hang on. I looked up once and noticed several big buzzards circling around, with any extra effort, they'll be picking at my carcass for sure. Finally, two big groups got away, one with about 10, and another slightly smaller. Suddenly, the pace really relaxed. I think we all realized that the points were up the road. We still had a group of about 10, but we mostly just soft pedaled the 4th lap. A few of us tried to organize some basic rotation, but there was not a lot of motivation.
About halfway up the long straight climb on the 5th lap, I suddenly felt my front rim bottom out, and I was involuntarily out of the race. That first section of road had some really nasty potholes, and it definitely sent a bunch of people walking back with flats.
It was disappointing to flat out of the race, with only about 10 miles left, especially as I starting to feel much better again and recovered from lap 3. Just riding that group in to the finish would have put me in the top half of the field, but can't change what happened, and many others had the same problem.
Tomorrow is another day, and another race.
Road cycling season is finally underway, what better way to start then with a 2.2 mile TT. After moving up to collegiate As, I knew I'd get blown away in this event, nonetheless, I still wanted to see if I could go any faster then last year. It's hard to compare times, because they added a section at the top of the course, maybe I was few seconds faster, but not much.
The road race I was much more looking forward to. The dreary, drizzling rain from the morning was slowly fading out, and the dark clouds began to drift away. Almost on perfect cue, while we were all staged and minutes before the start, the sun broke out and we had blue skies for the rest of the day. I love it when that happens.
I was hoping to start off the 65 miles with a parade lap, but that didn't happen. There were some good attacks, and the field got really stretched out, but basically stuck together. The third lap felt particularly tough, for a while I was in a very delicate position, totally at my limit to just hang on. I looked up once and noticed several big buzzards circling around, with any extra effort, they'll be picking at my carcass for sure. Finally, two big groups got away, one with about 10, and another slightly smaller. Suddenly, the pace really relaxed. I think we all realized that the points were up the road. We still had a group of about 10, but we mostly just soft pedaled the 4th lap. A few of us tried to organize some basic rotation, but there was not a lot of motivation.
About halfway up the long straight climb on the 5th lap, I suddenly felt my front rim bottom out, and I was involuntarily out of the race. That first section of road had some really nasty potholes, and it definitely sent a bunch of people walking back with flats.
It was disappointing to flat out of the race, with only about 10 miles left, especially as I starting to feel much better again and recovered from lap 3. Just riding that group in to the finish would have put me in the top half of the field, but can't change what happened, and many others had the same problem.
Tomorrow is another day, and another race.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easterns at PSU, Nittany Classic Black Mo' RR
Wow, I missed out on the TTT and crit, but Penn State put on an awesome road race.
I was concerned about the forecast of 100% chance of rain, plus thunderstorms, that could make for a wet and miserable 64 miles.
We came from the east, so we got to preview the 5+ mile climb from the comfort of our car. As we ascended, we entered the clouds and the fog got so thick that the visibility was nearly nil. I crept along at 20 mph and we kept our eyes peeled for cyclists in the mist.
Tom on the climb in the fog. Sorry, I don't know who took these pictures, I think that they circulated from somewhere in facebook land.
Devin on his way to a 28th place finish in a huge C field, his last collegiate race.
Brandon, Eric, and I staged for the start of the B race, and after a short delay, we were off. Everyone seemed well aware of the long race ahead of us, not to mention the climbing, so we rolled off relatively chill. I sat at the back, and just took it easy until we came around to the base of the climb. There is a short "prelude" to the actual climb, not long or steep (about a mile at 3%), but it seemed like a good place to start moving towards the front.
On the first time up the main climb, I decided to just set a steady tempo, and see what happened. I wanted to keep a small group together, and keep good reserves for the next two trips up that climb.
By the time we crested the summit, we had somewhere around 10-12 guys, and I think a few more chased on in the following rollers. The first time check we got was something over a minute, but shortly after it came down to 30-40 seconds. There was some attempt to re-organize and start rotating, and we managed to do a respectable job. I wasn't too worried about more people chasing on, as we had 2 more trips up the climb, and that is where the race would be decided.
In between the climbs, it was just like a chill group ride, plugging along at a leisurely pace which was just fine with me. The second time up, I tried to ride as efficiently as possible, steady, and protected from the wind. I could feel the effects of two trips up the climb, but still felt very comfortable.
Coming into the "prelude" climb before the big one on the last lap, Pitt was the first to make an attack, but it got swarmed very quickly by the group. When we hit the switchbacks on the big one, Dickinson accelerated smoothly away, and Pitt went off in hard chase. I didn't want to blow up at the bottom of the hill, as that would be disastrous. I tried to keep a steady pace, and the U of Michigan rider was climbing right with me. We had a good tempo going, definitely making up time on the Pitt rider, however my legs were giving out, and I was starting to crack. The U Mich rider and I bumped wheels a couple of times, as we were both about at our limits. He was incredibly tenacious, and kept digging deeper. Finally we crested and decided to work together to try and keep up our progress on the Pitt rider. Dickinson was long gone, at this point.
We traded pulls on the rollers, but I was really cracking, my legs were blocking up. I lost U of Michigan's wheel, and he went on to chase down Pitt for second place. Shortly after, RIT came by charging hard. I jumped on his wheel and he led the entire way down the descent and around the final turn before the finishing straight.
I sat on his wheel like a true wheel sucker, and with short acceleration, passed him before the line. Later I found out that Yale was behind and chasing hard 6 seconds back, so that is probably why RIT was so willing to pull.
Kudos to the U Mich rider for battling his way to take second, and second in the crit on Sunday as well. That's an impressive combo. And RIT, taking 3rd in the crit (after 5th in the RR)!
Eric caught the two-up sprint on video.
The Lehigh Cycling blog entry.
A really great road race, probably the toughest course I've ever ridden, felt harder then Battenkill, can't wait to do it again.
I was concerned about the forecast of 100% chance of rain, plus thunderstorms, that could make for a wet and miserable 64 miles.
We came from the east, so we got to preview the 5+ mile climb from the comfort of our car. As we ascended, we entered the clouds and the fog got so thick that the visibility was nearly nil. I crept along at 20 mph and we kept our eyes peeled for cyclists in the mist.
Tom on the climb in the fog. Sorry, I don't know who took these pictures, I think that they circulated from somewhere in facebook land.
Devin on his way to a 28th place finish in a huge C field, his last collegiate race.
Brandon, Eric, and I staged for the start of the B race, and after a short delay, we were off. Everyone seemed well aware of the long race ahead of us, not to mention the climbing, so we rolled off relatively chill. I sat at the back, and just took it easy until we came around to the base of the climb. There is a short "prelude" to the actual climb, not long or steep (about a mile at 3%), but it seemed like a good place to start moving towards the front.
On the first time up the main climb, I decided to just set a steady tempo, and see what happened. I wanted to keep a small group together, and keep good reserves for the next two trips up that climb.
By the time we crested the summit, we had somewhere around 10-12 guys, and I think a few more chased on in the following rollers. The first time check we got was something over a minute, but shortly after it came down to 30-40 seconds. There was some attempt to re-organize and start rotating, and we managed to do a respectable job. I wasn't too worried about more people chasing on, as we had 2 more trips up the climb, and that is where the race would be decided.
In between the climbs, it was just like a chill group ride, plugging along at a leisurely pace which was just fine with me. The second time up, I tried to ride as efficiently as possible, steady, and protected from the wind. I could feel the effects of two trips up the climb, but still felt very comfortable.
Coming into the "prelude" climb before the big one on the last lap, Pitt was the first to make an attack, but it got swarmed very quickly by the group. When we hit the switchbacks on the big one, Dickinson accelerated smoothly away, and Pitt went off in hard chase. I didn't want to blow up at the bottom of the hill, as that would be disastrous. I tried to keep a steady pace, and the U of Michigan rider was climbing right with me. We had a good tempo going, definitely making up time on the Pitt rider, however my legs were giving out, and I was starting to crack. The U Mich rider and I bumped wheels a couple of times, as we were both about at our limits. He was incredibly tenacious, and kept digging deeper. Finally we crested and decided to work together to try and keep up our progress on the Pitt rider. Dickinson was long gone, at this point.
We traded pulls on the rollers, but I was really cracking, my legs were blocking up. I lost U of Michigan's wheel, and he went on to chase down Pitt for second place. Shortly after, RIT came by charging hard. I jumped on his wheel and he led the entire way down the descent and around the final turn before the finishing straight.
I sat on his wheel like a true wheel sucker, and with short acceleration, passed him before the line. Later I found out that Yale was behind and chasing hard 6 seconds back, so that is probably why RIT was so willing to pull.
Kudos to the U Mich rider for battling his way to take second, and second in the crit on Sunday as well. That's an impressive combo. And RIT, taking 3rd in the crit (after 5th in the RR)!
Eric caught the two-up sprint on video.
The Lehigh Cycling blog entry.
A really great road race, probably the toughest course I've ever ridden, felt harder then Battenkill, can't wait to do it again.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Philly Phyler day 2
The good weather continued, and even got a bit better for the criterium on Sunday. Initially, I wasn't really looking forward to a short four corner crit, but it ended up being much more fun then I expected.
After sleeping in, I arrived at the race barely 20 minutes before the start, and got a quick warm up in.
As usual, I staged at the back of the field, and started off at the very back. After two laps, I realized that the accordian effect back there was brutal, and after braking through the turns, there was some fast accelerations afterwards. One guy was yelling at another for breaking in the turns, but in the middle and back of the field, that was the only way for everyone to get through safely. I decided to move up to the front, and found that the riding was way easier up there. In the top 5-10, I could take smooth lines through the turns, no need for braking, and maintain a steady speed on the exit.
It is the accelerations that wear you out, not the speed.
One guy was off the front, and I took a few turns pulling until I suddenly saw the pace car in front of us. I never saw him come back to the field, and afterwards I heard that he crashed out.
I focused on staying near the front on the final laps, and came through the final turn in 8th. At speed, I felt my rear wheel bouncing across some of the chop in the pavement, but no real issues.
The sprint for the win was close, with Colombia taking it.
I think I actually really like crits.
After sleeping in, I arrived at the race barely 20 minutes before the start, and got a quick warm up in.
As usual, I staged at the back of the field, and started off at the very back. After two laps, I realized that the accordian effect back there was brutal, and after braking through the turns, there was some fast accelerations afterwards. One guy was yelling at another for breaking in the turns, but in the middle and back of the field, that was the only way for everyone to get through safely. I decided to move up to the front, and found that the riding was way easier up there. In the top 5-10, I could take smooth lines through the turns, no need for braking, and maintain a steady speed on the exit.
It is the accelerations that wear you out, not the speed.
One guy was off the front, and I took a few turns pulling until I suddenly saw the pace car in front of us. I never saw him come back to the field, and afterwards I heard that he crashed out.
I focused on staying near the front on the final laps, and came through the final turn in 8th. At speed, I felt my rear wheel bouncing across some of the chop in the pavement, but no real issues.
The sprint for the win was close, with Colombia taking it.
I think I actually really like crits.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Philly Phlyer day 1
I still can't believe the awesome weather we had for both days this weekend. Especially because this morning it snowed.
I headed down to Philly with 5 other Lehigh cyclists Saturday morning early for the TTT. Rob and Tom were doing the intro TTT, and Pat and I were doing the Bs. For never having ridden before as a pair, and for Pat's first collegiate race, we did pretty well. Our main goal was to keep rotating smoothly.
The circuit race was fun, I really like that course. Some long straight fast sections, some tighter sections with a roundabout near the finish, and a little hill at the turn around. Somewhere in the very beginning a rider got away, and it wasn't until after the race that I found out who it was. I asked around in the field, but it seems that no one else knew either. Turns out it was Aaron Snyder. At first I wasn't concerned, I figured that the long straight windy sections would bring back a solo effort, but after two laps when the gap had grown to almost a minute, some of us started trying to organize the chasing effort.
We never really got organized, we'd have a few good pulls, and then things would fall apart and the pace would slow again. I took a few turns at the front, mostly on the hill sections, but after 3 laps when it didn't look like we were going to bring him back, I decided to sit in more and wait until the end. There were a few more attacks, hoping to take advantage of an unorganized field, but nothing really got far.
Coming down the downhill after the S/F line, I found myself at the front leading the way past the hay bales. That was probably a good place to be as somewhere behind me I heard the sound of bikes and crunching hay bales. I'm not sure what happened, and I didn't look back.
Positioning for the finish was going to be tricky, there was a 90 degree right hand turn into a single lane climb with hay bales on the left, followed by a short false flat, and then the 3/4 of a roundabout into the finishing straight. Before the turn up the last hill, I found myself several rows back, and I was sure I'd get totally boxed in on the climb if I stayed there. I used a big effort to try and get near the front before the climb started, but it was probably too much of an effort too late. I had a decent position by the top, but then I lost a bunch of spots before the roundabout, and had nothing for any sprint at the end. I rolled in at the back of a relatively small group of a dozen or so. In hindsight, I would have been better off getting to the front sooner, but I don't know how I could have gotten any where without swarming the yellow line. It would have been worth hitting the wind on the straight section just to be in position for the climb without having to accelerate there.
Still, another good day of racing, and a crit to look forward to tomorrow. The rest of the day was spent hanging out in Philly with my friend Sheila, drinking tea, going to this crazy sculpture garden place, and eating awesome Ethiopian food.
I headed down to Philly with 5 other Lehigh cyclists Saturday morning early for the TTT. Rob and Tom were doing the intro TTT, and Pat and I were doing the Bs. For never having ridden before as a pair, and for Pat's first collegiate race, we did pretty well. Our main goal was to keep rotating smoothly.
The circuit race was fun, I really like that course. Some long straight fast sections, some tighter sections with a roundabout near the finish, and a little hill at the turn around. Somewhere in the very beginning a rider got away, and it wasn't until after the race that I found out who it was. I asked around in the field, but it seems that no one else knew either. Turns out it was Aaron Snyder. At first I wasn't concerned, I figured that the long straight windy sections would bring back a solo effort, but after two laps when the gap had grown to almost a minute, some of us started trying to organize the chasing effort.
We never really got organized, we'd have a few good pulls, and then things would fall apart and the pace would slow again. I took a few turns at the front, mostly on the hill sections, but after 3 laps when it didn't look like we were going to bring him back, I decided to sit in more and wait until the end. There were a few more attacks, hoping to take advantage of an unorganized field, but nothing really got far.
Coming down the downhill after the S/F line, I found myself at the front leading the way past the hay bales. That was probably a good place to be as somewhere behind me I heard the sound of bikes and crunching hay bales. I'm not sure what happened, and I didn't look back.
Positioning for the finish was going to be tricky, there was a 90 degree right hand turn into a single lane climb with hay bales on the left, followed by a short false flat, and then the 3/4 of a roundabout into the finishing straight. Before the turn up the last hill, I found myself several rows back, and I was sure I'd get totally boxed in on the climb if I stayed there. I used a big effort to try and get near the front before the climb started, but it was probably too much of an effort too late. I had a decent position by the top, but then I lost a bunch of spots before the roundabout, and had nothing for any sprint at the end. I rolled in at the back of a relatively small group of a dozen or so. In hindsight, I would have been better off getting to the front sooner, but I don't know how I could have gotten any where without swarming the yellow line. It would have been worth hitting the wind on the straight section just to be in position for the climb without having to accelerate there.
Still, another good day of racing, and a crit to look forward to tomorrow. The rest of the day was spent hanging out in Philly with my friend Sheila, drinking tea, going to this crazy sculpture garden place, and eating awesome Ethiopian food.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Crit update
So check out the finish photo from the crit on Saturday for the B race. Of particular note is the jean shorts guy in 2nd place.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Rutgers Scarlet Scurry Day #2
Link for 2012 race.
More rain today, but this time it wasn't letting up. Brandon and I arrived in New Jersey ready for another day of racing. Devin had given us a car tarp, considering the rain, so I starting working on setting it up, while Brandon went off to warm up.
However, my attempts at raising the tarp did not go well. I had parked at a corner of the lot, near the grass, so I could stake down the tarp. The rain was really coming down, and a stiff wind was blowing off of the nearby lake. Every time I managed to get the tarp 90% up, a big gust would tear it back down. For about 20 minutes, I wrestled with stakes, poles, cords, and tarp in the wind and rain, but all I managed to do was coat the mess in a combination of motor oil in the parking lot, and duck poop from the grass. Somehow I had chosen a spot next to the Exxon Valdez of car lots, and the entire area was covered in piles of duck poop. Apparently, I was at the low end of the parking lot, and all the runoff was flowing around my car. Finally, when a gust picked up the entire mess and launched a tent stake across the lot into a parked car, I gave up and shoved the soaked, oily, stinky duck poop mess into a bag in the trunk of my car. Egh.
Brandon leading the chase in the splintered C race:
The course was tough, slightly under a mile, with a 3-4% grade on the back side. Nothing super steep, but after a dozen laps, it really starts to hurt. Brandon had a good race, earning points on every sprint lap, I believe. One really strong rider got a way and stayed away in the C race, and swept up most of the first place points.
Fortunately the rain let up for the B race, and the breeze wasn't too bad. Because of the points format, I think some guys decided to go all out for the first 2 sprint laps, they were very fast. Scoring at least one point was critical to placing ahead of the majority of the field, which probably wouldn't score. I sat back for these first ones, hoping that I could hang on and that the later sprint laps would be easier as the legs wore down. Maybe some of those that managed to get points on the first few laps, would not contest the later points.
I managed to get to the start of the climb in good position, one guy was a few seconds ahead of the field, so only 3-2-1 points were up for grabs. I got passed half way up, and then shortly after, another guy. I was charging pretty hard, and didn't have much more to give, but I was totally invested at this point. The difference between scoring, and not scoring, would have a big impact on placing because of the points system. Two guys were coming up fast, and I only barely managed to stay ahead at the line for a single point. After that I breathed a little easier, scoring that single point was important.
Only sprint point:
The last few laps were very tough. I didn't have much left, I was starting to get sloppy on the bike and pedaling squares. I started switching to the small ring and going high cadence which I think got me up a little more efficiently.
The single point was good enough for 9th overall, satisfied to make the top 10 again. Awesome race, tons of fun, and a good challenging course.
Best bike of the race: Really cool bright purple frame, every time he went by, I couldn't help but stare.
Best quote heard from the sidelines: You're riding Dura-Ace, you can get up that hill!
Now I'm spending the evening cleaning road grime out of the nooks and crannies of my bike. Shower time, the dirt gave me a bad looking uni-brow.
More rain today, but this time it wasn't letting up. Brandon and I arrived in New Jersey ready for another day of racing. Devin had given us a car tarp, considering the rain, so I starting working on setting it up, while Brandon went off to warm up.
However, my attempts at raising the tarp did not go well. I had parked at a corner of the lot, near the grass, so I could stake down the tarp. The rain was really coming down, and a stiff wind was blowing off of the nearby lake. Every time I managed to get the tarp 90% up, a big gust would tear it back down. For about 20 minutes, I wrestled with stakes, poles, cords, and tarp in the wind and rain, but all I managed to do was coat the mess in a combination of motor oil in the parking lot, and duck poop from the grass. Somehow I had chosen a spot next to the Exxon Valdez of car lots, and the entire area was covered in piles of duck poop. Apparently, I was at the low end of the parking lot, and all the runoff was flowing around my car. Finally, when a gust picked up the entire mess and launched a tent stake across the lot into a parked car, I gave up and shoved the soaked, oily, stinky duck poop mess into a bag in the trunk of my car. Egh.
Brandon leading the chase in the splintered C race:
The course was tough, slightly under a mile, with a 3-4% grade on the back side. Nothing super steep, but after a dozen laps, it really starts to hurt. Brandon had a good race, earning points on every sprint lap, I believe. One really strong rider got a way and stayed away in the C race, and swept up most of the first place points.
Fortunately the rain let up for the B race, and the breeze wasn't too bad. Because of the points format, I think some guys decided to go all out for the first 2 sprint laps, they were very fast. Scoring at least one point was critical to placing ahead of the majority of the field, which probably wouldn't score. I sat back for these first ones, hoping that I could hang on and that the later sprint laps would be easier as the legs wore down. Maybe some of those that managed to get points on the first few laps, would not contest the later points.
I managed to get to the start of the climb in good position, one guy was a few seconds ahead of the field, so only 3-2-1 points were up for grabs. I got passed half way up, and then shortly after, another guy. I was charging pretty hard, and didn't have much more to give, but I was totally invested at this point. The difference between scoring, and not scoring, would have a big impact on placing because of the points system. Two guys were coming up fast, and I only barely managed to stay ahead at the line for a single point. After that I breathed a little easier, scoring that single point was important.
Only sprint point:
The last few laps were very tough. I didn't have much left, I was starting to get sloppy on the bike and pedaling squares. I started switching to the small ring and going high cadence which I think got me up a little more efficiently.
The single point was good enough for 9th overall, satisfied to make the top 10 again. Awesome race, tons of fun, and a good challenging course.
Best bike of the race: Really cool bright purple frame, every time he went by, I couldn't help but stare.
Best quote heard from the sidelines: You're riding Dura-Ace, you can get up that hill!
Now I'm spending the evening cleaning road grime out of the nooks and crannies of my bike. Shower time, the dirt gave me a bad looking uni-brow.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Rutgers Scarlet Scurry Day #1
Link for 2012 race.
2011 road racing has officially begun with the first collegiate race of the year. I decided to jump into the Bs, as they are supposedly equivalent to 3/4 racing and that sounded like it would be good experience.
I was not super thrilled about getting up at 4 am in the cold and dark to drive out to New Jersey, especially when the weather was threatening to rain. When we got to the TT course, the roads were soaked and kept spitting more rain. But, in one of those miraculous events, just as the first riders were hitting the course, the clouds rolled out, and the warm sun dried the roads quickly.
From Lehigh, we had 3 car loads of people and bikes. A pretty good turnout I thought, but some other teams like F&M had 30+, spread throughout the categories.
Brandon on his way to 3rd in the C2 division:
A 2 mile flat TT is not exactly my forte, but I wanted to see what I could do. There is no way to get "comfortable" for that kind of effort, I was all over the bike, in the drops, on the hoods, in the "invisible aero bars", but it was really tough hitting a good consistent effort level. With a full aero cockpit, I've been able to hold 24+ mph for 10 miles, but struggled today at only 23.5 average over 2 miles. I think the aero stuff really does make a huge difference, plus I'm not quite where I was at the end of the season last year. I do like the fact that collegiate doesn't allow any aero equipment, it really levels the playing field. Good enough for 22 out of 41, and for this event, I'm happy with that.
Eric did some big turns at the front of the C2 crit and helped Brandon out for more points:
For the crit I started with moderate goals, work on positioning and sprinting, the two most important things for a flat four corner crit. The race started off pretty fast, and combined with the high winds that afternoon, finding shelter was crucial. I started off in the back, like usual, but the accordian affect there was brutal, I had to almost sprint out of every corner to stay in the field. Fortunately the front finishing straight was sheltered from wind by the stadium, and the downwind leg had a slight uphill which made moving up very easy. The road was wide, and I could get just about as far up in the field as I wanted. Riding in the top 10-15 was much smoother and easier then sitting at the back.
Early in the race, one rider got a relatively large gap solo off the front, and soon after we came through and the bell rang for an intermediate sprint. I had no intention of going for it, planning on just saving myself for the final sprint. But one by one, the riders in front of me pulled off to the escape the wind, and on the final turn I found myself 3-4 wheels back. What the heck, I have to go for it now, the positioning was perfect. I started accelerating and got past them relatively easily, I was moderately surprised, as I'm generally not a sprinter in any regard, whatsoever. It may have been a bit easier, as the solo guy was still gone and picked up the first place points, so there was less motivation in the field to scrap for 2nd place points.
Fortunately, the pace eased up after this, and I sat in for a while to recover. It was a short race, though, only 45 minutes, so nobody was waiting around and a fair number of attacks went constantly. First race, everyone wants to test their legs out. F&M was very active and constantly sending people off the front. Several others in the field seemed to be very worried about these solo moves, and kept trying to organize more chase effort. Considering the massive winds, I didn't think anyone had a ghost of a chance solo, so I did my personal duty and neatly followed wheels.
Patience, maybe I'm finally learning....
As expected, everything came together with 5 to go. The pace ramped up, and I concentrated on just trying to maintain a good position. I came into the final upwind stretch a little further back then I wanted, but I really wanted to stay sheltered for that stretch of the course. I felt really good coming out of the final turn, and started passing way on the right side, but everyone went wide, and I ran out of road between the field and the cones. I sat up too early, as I definitely think I had more sprint left. I think I probably managed top 10, but I haven't seen the results yet.
So a very satisfying race, the Collegiate Bs actually felt easier then most Cat 4 crits I've done. I think the course, with wind, and small hill really helped in that regard.
The weirdest part of the race was some guy, who for the last 3 laps of the race, kept yelling to everyone asking how many laps were left, and if it was time to sprint yet. Every time we came around, he apparently forgot to check the lap cards. Every time....
Oh, and the guy with the faded denim bike shorts. Those were, surreal.
Tomorrow is points race in the rain, this will be interesting.
2011 road racing has officially begun with the first collegiate race of the year. I decided to jump into the Bs, as they are supposedly equivalent to 3/4 racing and that sounded like it would be good experience.
I was not super thrilled about getting up at 4 am in the cold and dark to drive out to New Jersey, especially when the weather was threatening to rain. When we got to the TT course, the roads were soaked and kept spitting more rain. But, in one of those miraculous events, just as the first riders were hitting the course, the clouds rolled out, and the warm sun dried the roads quickly.
From Lehigh, we had 3 car loads of people and bikes. A pretty good turnout I thought, but some other teams like F&M had 30+, spread throughout the categories.
Brandon on his way to 3rd in the C2 division:
A 2 mile flat TT is not exactly my forte, but I wanted to see what I could do. There is no way to get "comfortable" for that kind of effort, I was all over the bike, in the drops, on the hoods, in the "invisible aero bars", but it was really tough hitting a good consistent effort level. With a full aero cockpit, I've been able to hold 24+ mph for 10 miles, but struggled today at only 23.5 average over 2 miles. I think the aero stuff really does make a huge difference, plus I'm not quite where I was at the end of the season last year. I do like the fact that collegiate doesn't allow any aero equipment, it really levels the playing field. Good enough for 22 out of 41, and for this event, I'm happy with that.
Eric did some big turns at the front of the C2 crit and helped Brandon out for more points:
For the crit I started with moderate goals, work on positioning and sprinting, the two most important things for a flat four corner crit. The race started off pretty fast, and combined with the high winds that afternoon, finding shelter was crucial. I started off in the back, like usual, but the accordian affect there was brutal, I had to almost sprint out of every corner to stay in the field. Fortunately the front finishing straight was sheltered from wind by the stadium, and the downwind leg had a slight uphill which made moving up very easy. The road was wide, and I could get just about as far up in the field as I wanted. Riding in the top 10-15 was much smoother and easier then sitting at the back.
Early in the race, one rider got a relatively large gap solo off the front, and soon after we came through and the bell rang for an intermediate sprint. I had no intention of going for it, planning on just saving myself for the final sprint. But one by one, the riders in front of me pulled off to the escape the wind, and on the final turn I found myself 3-4 wheels back. What the heck, I have to go for it now, the positioning was perfect. I started accelerating and got past them relatively easily, I was moderately surprised, as I'm generally not a sprinter in any regard, whatsoever. It may have been a bit easier, as the solo guy was still gone and picked up the first place points, so there was less motivation in the field to scrap for 2nd place points.
Fortunately, the pace eased up after this, and I sat in for a while to recover. It was a short race, though, only 45 minutes, so nobody was waiting around and a fair number of attacks went constantly. First race, everyone wants to test their legs out. F&M was very active and constantly sending people off the front. Several others in the field seemed to be very worried about these solo moves, and kept trying to organize more chase effort. Considering the massive winds, I didn't think anyone had a ghost of a chance solo, so I did my personal duty and neatly followed wheels.
Patience, maybe I'm finally learning....
As expected, everything came together with 5 to go. The pace ramped up, and I concentrated on just trying to maintain a good position. I came into the final upwind stretch a little further back then I wanted, but I really wanted to stay sheltered for that stretch of the course. I felt really good coming out of the final turn, and started passing way on the right side, but everyone went wide, and I ran out of road between the field and the cones. I sat up too early, as I definitely think I had more sprint left. I think I probably managed top 10, but I haven't seen the results yet.
So a very satisfying race, the Collegiate Bs actually felt easier then most Cat 4 crits I've done. I think the course, with wind, and small hill really helped in that regard.
The weirdest part of the race was some guy, who for the last 3 laps of the race, kept yelling to everyone asking how many laps were left, and if it was time to sprint yet. Every time we came around, he apparently forgot to check the lap cards. Every time....
Oh, and the guy with the faded denim bike shorts. Those were, surreal.
Tomorrow is points race in the rain, this will be interesting.
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