Bs: Me, Jay, and Ashley

Competition: the usual suspects + Milroy and Joel looking for 3>2 upgrade points. I didn’t think you could get 3>2 points in the Bs, but Rick said it was a deep enough field that it was ok, especially since they weren’t getting their points in the As. Sounds a little suspect to me since Joel has been winning A races.

Chariot

A personal favorite. First heat Hanan got a good start and a gap of 3 or 4 bike lengths. I quickly got on top of the gear (90” was a good choice) and closed the gap at the 200m. Rode over her between 3 and 4 for the win. The final showed how stacked our field was. Sambagger Milroy and Joel Schaeffer got good starts and I closed the small gap that opened by turn 2 – took me a little while to get on terms though and tried to come over Joel too late in turn 4. Finished about half a bike behind Joel.

Win & Out

Not my favorite. Followed Milroy around figuring he’d take go long. Joel and Vince(?) got an early gap. I let Sam close it and we got in the rotation briefly before shutting it down and bringing it all back together. Just before the bell the attacks go and I try in vain to follow. No dice.

Scratch

Basically the same as the Win & Out. Followed either Milroy or Joel the whole race, but got suckered into closing on the brief attack from Godspeed at 3 to go. Hanan counters at 2 to go and I get trampled. I need to learn to be patient in the final few laps.

Miss & Out

Big field meant a long race. I put myself in the pole and set a reasonable pace hoping it would be enough to keep anyone from attacking hard. Vince got antsy 8 laps in since I must have started to slow down and attacked, creating a small gap. I rev’d up to keep Joel on my hip but it wasn’t enough. Spent the whole time in the wind and the entire pack rode over me on the backside. Tried to get up and over quickly enough but I didn’t leave myself enough time. M&O are tough because you can’t employ one single strategy, especially in a big field. I should have moved back into the pack a couple laps earlier, rested for a lap, and then perhaps played the devil up high or get back up for another turn at the front.

Overall: 7th/22 in Omnium.

Summary

Monday June 1st through Sunday June 7th, 2009.

Monday

Off.

Tuesday

1.75hr Presidio GGP

Wednesday

Track

Thursday

Off

Friday

1.5hr Skyline-Lake Merced

Saturday

Dash for Cash

Sunday

Two Wheel Criterium

Keirin

Having tried 90” I geared way up to 92.5 (48×14). Took second wheel on the motor from Brennan in the first heat. Millar and Licatessi tried to ride the outside but couldn’t match Brennan’s razor when the motor pulled off. I launched hard at the 200 after the bell and won by about 2 bike lengths. For the final I drew right above Milroy and hopped right on his wheel (3rd). Andreas rode the outside with Millar right behind him. Couldn’t find my way around early enough since riders were stacked 3 high on the bell lap and held on to 4th. A little disappointing for such a good first heat, but still a placing. The higher gearing felt great.

Scratch

Marked Milroy and basically sat on his wheel the entire race. Tim took a 10 lap flyer that a few of us slowly reeled in at which point Ted V took off and got a trivial gap. Lap cards were winding down though and Milroy looked a little annoyed that we might not close it soon enough. I unfortunately got stuck with the final pull to bring back Ted. Mateo launched a well time attack at this point, figuring I wouldn’t/couldn’t chase. This is just when Milroy got behind me. He was able to follow and I was not. I died in the pole with 1 lap to go. Rode the entire race very well, but the second I let Milroy out of my sights it was game over. I probably worked too hard and should have taken “polite” pulls rather than “honest” pulls. Major props to MAO for a successful attack from a lap and a half even though he got relegated.

Miss & Out

Smaller field for this one. I played it pretty conservatively and sat toward the front for the first five laps. Felt myself getting boxed in so I rotated down through the bottom at the 200m line for the next 3 laps and marked a rider to box in at each sprint. Worked perfectly but it left me with little left for the 3-up sprint. Beth and Tim didn’t have to work during the 4th place sprint but I was still gassed and when Beth launched from Tim’s wheel I couldn’t follow.

Madison

First time. I couldn’t seem to get the exchange down very well during the practice and I totally screwed up our first four or five exchanges, but then Mateo and I kind of got the hang of it and got into a good rhythm. I kept trying to fling with my arm bent or outward, but as soon as we got really close and kept our arms mostly straight for the fling it started to work. The exchanges make a huge difference. We started out slow and basically only lost a lot of ground (down a lap and a half) during the first 10 laps. Then for the remainder we kind of just held our position relative to everyone except Nole and Nick Harter. Tons of fun and excited to do it again.

Overall: 4th in Omnium. Mice rounding out the podium

Summary

Monday May 25th through Sunday May 31st, 2009.

Monday

Memorial Day Criterium. Rode well with Tim during the race but slightly out of place for the sprint, wound up 27th or so.

Tuesday

Nothing. Took 2 hours to get home because of the anti-prop 8 protest. Bogus.

Wednesday

Two hour Twin Peak/SBM Ride.

Thursday

Nothing. No excuse.

Friday

Nothing. No excuse.

Saturday

Golden State Criterium. Rode well for the duration of the race, but super hot conditions. Felt like crap with 2 to go and basically gave up.

Sunday

GRFS #4

Summary

Monday May 18th through Sunday May 24th, 2009

Monday-Thursday

???

Friday

Spectated at the track and took photos.

Saturday-Sunday

???

Summary

Monday May 11th through Sunday May 17th, 2009.

Monday-Sunday

I didn’t record and don’t remember what I did this week. :(

Summary

Monday May 4th through Sunday May 10th, 2008.

Monday

Day off.

Tuesday

2AM Loop. Planned on Muir Woods but it was super foggy – descending Muir Woods Rd. in blinding fog didn’t seem like a good idea so I turned toward home at four corners.

Wednesday

No track, instead Ashley and I met Bergen for some hill repeats in the Presidio.

Thursday

Urban recovery loop: GGP, Polo Fields (a couple laps with Noe, Dent, Phipps, etc), Skyline to John Daly, back via Lake Merced, SFSU, Portolo, Laguna Honda.

Friday

Friday night track! Got my ass handed to me in the Scratch and Points race by the SJBC Juniors and Old Man Rick.

Saturday

Planned on Joseph Mendes Criterium (EBC) but got home way too late from the track.

Sunday

Nada. Zip. Zilch. Worked on homework.

Summary

Monday April 27th through Sunday May 3rd, 2009.

Monday

Day off.

Tuesday

Planned 2hr ride then team meeting. Homework got in the way of both.

Wednesday

Track racing.

Thursday

1.5hr recovery/hills ride around Lake Merced and up Twin Peaks.

Friday

No commute :(

Saturday

Cat’s Hill

Sunday

No ride :(

Summary

Excellent first half of the race, but lost my edge when the race slowed down and the cornerswarm from the back of the pack became unmanageable.

Course

Same as last year.

Goals

Control the race, top ten.

Approximate minute by minute

0-20: Sat on the front, pulling through for about 10-20 seconds once per lap (short enough to stay fresh), usually timing it to pull through on the backside out of the headwinds. Helped control the race with three or four other riders who were willing to work, worked hard enough to keep it strung out, stayed top 5-10

20-27: Three back to back primes I decide to let others duke it out for, still on the front as a few riders sprint for Belgium Budder. Mike sets a good pace chasing down a prime flyer, however the few early workers and the mid-race Metromint contingent died quickly as I tried to stay up front.

27-32: Lap cards come out, initial surge and I get back up on the front. Lots of tentative pulls and people not pulling through, race slows WAAAY down. I try pulling through faster to set the pace, but very few people willing to work. I find myself getting swallowed as the cornerswarm really ramps up. Starting to mentally check out – lots of crashes, I’m far up enough to avoid them but still starting to lose my nerve.

32-38: Looking for good wheels to ride back up to the front as the pace picks up again. Latched onto Robert Orcutt twice, but both times we fell victim to failing drafts and cornerswarm from both sides. Paul takes a massive pull up front at two to go, tough feat to endure though and eventually the pack blobs up again. My last ditch effort to move up after the penultimate corner came too late and didn’t bother contesting the sprint.

For next time

Never give up the front. Watching several races throughout the day showed that this could be a tailgunners race. Even though it can be a fast course the laps are long enough that riders can come from the back to place well if it slows down at any point. However this race, like most, is still won from the front.

Disappointed with my result, but raced fairly well. My late race attempts to re-establish my position just didn’t quite pan out.

Ashley got 4th in her race though!

For sale: track/fixed gear wheelset with tires/tubes. Handbuilt by Louis at Avenue Cyclery. $250.

As seen on this bike:

• White Velocity Deep V rims (machined front, non-machined rear). Good braking surface on the machined front.
• Silver Surly “New” Track hubs. Double fixed rear.
• 32x DT Swiss Spokes, 2x/3x rear, radial front, good spoke tension, true
• Continental Gatorskin front tire, GP4000 rear tire, both with some life left
• Brand new 15 tooth cog and lockring