LARPD #3
Goals
See how the ankles hold up. Starting to feel a bit better, but kind of flat after a training-free week.
Course
Billed as a beginner friendly course, didn’t have a whole lot of surprises. Wood chips. Long windy but easily navigable grass section (power sucking, but still fairly fast). Barriers to short run up. Long hard pack and pavement section littered with some loose rocks and gravel. A few tight turns. Log barriers.
Race
Got a much better start this time and with the wide open hard pack homestretch I was able to move up into 10th or so. However, the leaders got a good gap and stayed away. Passed and got passed here and there on the first lap, Hank passed me and stayed away about halfway into the first lap. The next three laps were about the same, rode hard, took all the obstacles fast and smoothly, passed and got passed. I guess I netted about five spots down from my start and ended up 15th/23. Not great, but I think I rode well, especially with hurt ankles.
Weekly Training Report
Summary
October 6th through October 12th, 2008. Ankles hurting a lot after too much cyclocross practice and racing. Need to ice them and take it easy.
Monday-Thursday
Nothing. Took the bus, iced the ankles. Thursday did a very brief ride.
Friday
Commuted.
Saturday
Sunday
Rode out to the Presidio to watch the Blue Angels.
Sacramento CX #2
Goals
See if I could improve my start. Though, ankles were hurting majorly so no particular ambitions.
Course
Night and day difference between the course yesterday and today in Sacramento. Long dry course with very few technical turns.
Long wide open start with barriers a few hundred yards in. Long pavement section leading to a small dirt climb (enough to put the hurt on the bigger guys). Through a gully to a long hard pack section and up a loose dirt hill for some uphill barriers. Down onto more hard pack with a few wide open turns and back to the finish.
Race
Again a poor start, but focused on picking off as many as I could through the start. After the barriers I dragged Hank up through the pavement section and we got through the little climb in a decent position. Hank got away after the uphill barriers since with my hurt ankles I couldn’t take them very fast. Still, thought I held onto 10th or so for the next 2 laps. Got passed by two guys 3/4 of the way into the final lap.
Rode harder today on the fast open hard pack course (suited for a roadie/crit racer), but turns out I was further back than I thought in the start and several riders opened a big gap that I couldn’t see through the turns later on. Hank was able to close it early on, but with my ankles hurting on the barriers I lost big chunks of time. Ended up 21st/33.
CXSR #1
First cyclocross race.
Goals
Finish, stay upright, stay smooth on the barriers and run ups.
Course
Doyle park: barriers followed by a mix of a long windy grass section wrapping around trees with a lot of loose debris. Rain the previous night made it very slippery and slow. Long pavement section (bike path/sidewalk) back on to grass. Barriers then pavement and down into a creek bed with a short muddy run-up, just about unrideable though later races were riding it. Back onto some grass and behind the playground again down into the creek bed, another run up and back behind the playground with an unrideable sand section. Back onto grass and a wood chip mound just before the finish.
Race
I got a poor start, despite reading all the advice on getting a good start. Fortunately starting further back kept me out of the huge pileup in the first corner. Snuck around the tangle of bikes and headed out on my way judging my position to be about 8th or 9th. Several laps in I started to get complacent and confused as I passed a few here and there but got passed by others (some singlespeeds Bs that went off just behind us, including Hank and Ryan). The race ended before I knew it and I definitely could have gone harder on the last lap. Cyclocross races seem like they last forever when you are out there, but 30 minutes (Men’s Cs) is a very short time and it’s over very quickly. Result: 10th/24.
Rode fairly well in my first race, though I have some work to do in the pacing and handling departments. The windy turns on the loose leaves and grass were really slow. I finished with a lot left in the tank which means I could have definitely gone harder. My barriers, dis/mounts, and run-ups were all very smooth though, attributed to the hours of practice.
Weekly Training Report
Summary
September 29th through October 5th, 2008. Transition to cyclocross. Horrible homework week and tests looming.
Monday
Cyclocross practice.
Tuesday
Nothing.
Wednesday
Cyclocross practice.
Thursday
Cyclocross practice.
Friday
Nothing.
Saturday
Sunday
Weekly Training Report
Summary
Monday September 22nd through Sunday September 28th, 2008. Excited about the new ‘cross bike and done with road for the season.
Monday
Off, sore from doing a million run-ups and feeling kind of run down (no pun).
Tuesday-Friday
Officially something wrong, not quite sick, but serious fatigue. Stayed home for the middle of the week. Friday started to feel better and went out for a little over an hour and a half and did a billion dismounts/remounts at the polo fields plus some trails and a couple of run-ups. Finally nailed about a dozen solid remounts stutter step free. Later, Timmay’s birthday party!
Saturday
Bailed on Mt. Tam. Planned to ride to watch Lion of Fairfax, instead rode to Fairfax and hung out with Caitl and Michael briefly before riding back. Total almost 4 hours of road riding in hot and cold.
Sunday
Stayed up too late stressing out about school project, slept in some and worked more on the project, no riding.
Weekly Training Report
Summary
Disappointing final crit of the season, but showed that I’m completely toast. Time for some rest. Monday September 15th through Sunday September 21st, 2008.
Monday-Thursday
Nothing much, just some commuting and rest. Lazy.
Friday
No riding, but did go to the final Friday Night Track racing and cheered for Ashley who kicked butt.
Saturday
New Bike Day! Picked up my ‘cross bike, 2009 Redline Conquest Pro. Went to visit family in Marin so couldn’t christen it quite yet.
Sunday
Took the ‘cross bike out for a spin. Spent about an hour and a half in the park riding the trails and doing drills with Hank after meeting up with him. Later rode the ‘cross bike to Seth’s parents in Belvedere.
Weekly Training Report
Summary
Monday September 8th through Sunday September 14th, 2008. Winding down the season, only things left to do but rest before final races.
Monday
Off.
Tuesday
Commute.
Wednesday
Commute.
Thursday
Commute.
Friday
Commute.
Saturday
Off.
Sunday
San Francisco Twilight. Hardly a race for me. Got a bad start in the back of the pack and Fusion immediately launched attack after attack on the super fast course. I spent 10 laps or so leap-frogging stragglers just out of reach of the pack before finally losing it and getting whistled off after 15 minutes.
Wednesday Night Track Fights
Sexual Camel
Previously of A40 and RMC, Kirt Fitzpatrick and the SC crew including Darren have managed to put together a Wednesday night training crit points race.
Course
Take the Brisbane crit, cut off the 180 nose and then run it backward and you’ve got the course. Pretty fun, but narrow at times especially with a large variety of handling skill trying to shoot some little gaps. Fast fun course though.
A’s Race
Similar to last weeks track points race I’ve got very little pop and am finding it hard to cover moves, much less moves from a bunch of Cat 3s and people who are peaking later. Still I got a good workout just hanging out in the middle and the back of the pack. I contested the first sprint, but missed it, taking 5th. A fast crowd on a tricky course, especially at night.
Impressions
Not sure if I’m sold, definitely a decent workout, not nearly as fun as Hellyer, but it goes through September and it’s close (and it’s something to do).
Weekly Training Report
Summary
Monday September 1st through Sunday September 7th, 2008. Started back up commuting again to school, nice to be riding more regularly despite the awful heat.
Monday
Tuesday
Commute, recovery.
Wednesday
First Wednesday Night Track fights for me, 4th one in the series.
Thursday
M2
Friday
Off, commute day.
Saturday
Easy Barber Shop Loop.
Sunday
Benicia Town Race.
