The Course

Flat smooth four corner rectangle. Two long stretches and two very short stretches. Few bots dots, ridges, potholes, etc. Very wide, lots of cornerswarming.

The Race

Started toward the back which didn’t really matter since you could move from front to back in less than a lap. The field rarely got strung out.

Weekly contested one of the primes following Ben up course then pulled the rest of the field for two corners before sitting back in.

Poor position in the final two laps, should have been 10-15 riders up as Matt and Seth were pulling the field on the final corner of the last lap. Tried to move up, got swarmed in the corners and took the second to last corner too wide.

The Finish

Passed most of the guys who sat up after the sprint in the final stretch for another mid-pack finish (32/100). Felt a little better about my racing than at Merco but still contributed very little to the team effort. This was a race for the big guys with power as Third Pillar took 2nd. Finished four spots back from Tim.

Summary

March 3rd through March 9th, 2008. Coming back from Merco I was pretty frazzled, a fun, but hard weekend of racing, driving, etc…

Monday

Needed some good recovery. After an easy commute I spend an hour tooling around in the Park and the Polo Fields just to keep my legs loose.

Tuesday

Commute and an hour on the rollers.

Wednesday

The one hard weekday of the week. Hill repeats with DP and Ben. Easy commute, then hard hour of spin class. Got home feeling pretty worked.

Thursday

Gave the legs a rest and took the bus but got on the rollers for an easy hour at night.

Friday

Needed some extra hours of sleep so got up late, bussed to work, and spent an hour on the rollers.

Saturday

Menlo Park Grand Prix

Sunday

Endurance ride Southward. First time down Skyline, Canada, etc. On the way back a Third Pillar racer stopped us (Ben, Timmay, Julie, Paule) and gave us the news about Matt.

Summary

My first road race. A little stiff from the hard motel bed and crit but felt good. Another full field of 100 riders. Spent my time sitting in the top 20-40 riders occasionally heading up front, sitting top 5 briefly before dropping back a bit. Lots of opportunity to move around, up the middle of the loose pack, or the outside on free wheels. A few attacks went nowhere. Godspeed was marking us and got fidgety every time we’d move up in ones or twos. Headed to the front on every roller in case I dropped back a few spots climbing but managed to hold my positions. Felt strong until 5k when I started to pop over the last few kickers. A crash on the Cox Ferry/Keyes junction split the pack and I trickled in at end of the main field. Result: 58th of 83 finishers, 100 starters.

The Course

Two twenty-four mile laps with some roads overlapping the Snelling course. Fantastic pavement, save for the Cox Ferry portion, mostly long straightaways, a couple sandy corners, some power rollers and a decent triple kicker within 1k of the finish.

The Field

Big squads again, Merco is huge. Matt, Ben, Josh, Seth, Isaias, Federico all looking strong. Godspeed had a presence this time and kept launching little attacks that went nowhere and also was marking us the whole race, shouting “Mouse up the outside, watch the Mouse”, etc…

The Split

We stayed scattered most of the time but I spent the first third of the race following Ben around. Spent the second third close to Seth and Josh. At the end I tried to keep up front but lost a lot of ground as the field shattered at 5k and all the big guys (Third Pillar) started filtering back off the rollers. Taking the time to get around them cost me some time relative to the front of the field that headed onto Keyes pretty fast. I took the turn on the inside just as a crash happened on the outside.

The Finish

DP, Matt, Ben, Seth, and Josh were all drilling it up the last set of rollers in the final corners and I was already too far to make it back up front. So I rolled in at the tail end of the main field with enough time to see Ben rolling in just ahead of Connor from The Freewheel. Another huge Mouse victory!

The Reflection

The road race was pretty tame even at the fairly hot pace we were pushing. When it got strung out on the nice pavement when were easily doing 30mph. What I didn’t expect was the field to take the corners so slowly, but had I been further up front for the corners like I was for most of the rollers that wouldn’t have been a problem. For the rollers that I was not very far up front it was extremely frustrating as the field would slow significantly as it crested and would just coast down instead of pedaling to maintain momentum for the next roller. I guess the solution is just to spend more time further up front.

Another unspectacular personal result despite a fantastic team result. Still, feeling like I didn’t contribute much or anything other than Mouse presence worrying the rest of the field. Felt strong up to 5k when it started to hurt but mostly because I had to make big jumps to get back ground I lost. Had I been further up it would have been smoother, less wasted energy.

The Summary

Flat, fast, technical seven corner downtown criterium in downtown Merced. Course just over 3/4 of a mile, 25 laps. Sold out field of 100 started off fairly fast, but widened up in the middle third of the race going fence to fence. Spent the whole race in the first half of the pack, though I found it very difficult to maintain a position and just sit it, constantly churning pack that took corners very slowly and wide. Went into the final two turns fast in the first half of the pack passing a few racers here and there on the home stretch finishing 33rd out of 65 finishers.

The Course

The Merco criterium course is the most technical I’ve raced yet. Seven corners including a tight winding chicane just after turn one that snakes in a sweeping left then a tight right. The chicane comes after a patch of rough pavement which made the field slow up and bunch up in the chicane often.

The Field

Merco is a big race weekend, big prizes in all categories. This meant big squads, Webcor, Third Pillar, etc…still, the field was so large that it didn’t turn into a super cohesive race. I saw and heard teams coming together for primes or at the finish but they didn’t stick together, but neither did we to a large extent. I stuck close to Isaias, James, and followed Josh, Seth, and Matt as best I could. We would move around in twos or threes now again but never formed much of a train.

The Start

Slow initial start which sped up right after turn one going into the chicane. Kept in the top twenty for the first few laps but found it very difficult to just sit into maintain position. There was a lot of jockeying for position and I found myself slowly getting stuck taking the back section much slower than I would have liked.

The Crash

Mid-race some riders started getting nervous about taking the first turn in the chicane too close to the inside because of the fence. On top of the pace settling down this meant a lot more bunching up on the back stretch. The nervous riders started swerving wide on the start of the chicane creating a ripple that forced the outside of the pack into the fence. After a few laps of this finally someone went right into the fence. I was next to the pile up and a few people threw on the brakes, I unclipped and snaked through some of the racers who had stopped but not actually crashed. Put the hammer down and caught back up to the first half of the field.

The Finish

Spent the rest of the race sitting and moving around top twenty-thirty as people got more comfortable in the chicane and started taking the final few corners faster. Found myself not having to move around too much by following Seth and Josh and much as I could. On the bell lap I was twenty or twenty-five back as I watched Seth launch Matt around the first corner and saw him taking the third to last corner which a good gap as I cleared the chicane. Took the final two corners fast passing those who had given up and riding side by side with others who were still driving for the line. I finished at the tail end of the wide group of riders that were going for second since Matt had cleared the line with a huge gap. Result, 33rd out of 65 finishers, 100 starters. Unspectacular and somewhat disappointing result but a decent pack finish for my first real crit of the year and my first real cat 4 criterium (Early Birds not withstanding).

The Reflection

Despite Matt’s huge win, Seth taking 6th, and Josh getting a prime I can’t help feeling a little frustrated with the race. I rode strong but the Mouse wasn’t super cohesive. I either spent time in the back of the first third with Isaias and James or jumping up now again to ride with Matt, Josh, and Seth. Though the results were huge I feel like we didn’t look that great, though of course Josh, Seth, and Matt made us look great with their respective victories. I spent my time up front, moved around with other mice a bit, but I’m a little frustrated with myself for not contributing more or at least placing a little better. Part of that was my expectations of how the race would go and how it actually went. Perhaps sitting top ten would have eliminated getting swarmed in turn one and the chicane as I often was by just making sure I didn’t drop back past midpack. I’m totally stoked with how the Mouse did, but sort of bummed that I didn’t have much to do with it other than just providing Mouse presence in the pack.

Now that I know I have the strength to always finish with the pack in a given criterium perhaps I’m suffering the ennui of feeling like pack fodder, a nameless rider who trickles just after the main sprint. It definitely provides an impetus to drill it at Menlo Park next week.

Congratulations to Matt for the win, Seth for a top ten, and Josh for the prime. They made us look good. Thanks to the rest of the racing mice and the cheering mice. Special thanks to DP for organizing the weekend and Ben for holding together the squad. Extra special thanks to Scott for playing seigneur and helping where ever needed, it’s great to have extra hands.

Summary

February 25th through March 2nd, 2008.

Monday

Commute and half an hour on the rollers.

Tuesday

Commute and an hour on the rollers.

Wednesday

Spin class and a little core, then an hour spin in the park.

Thursday

Commute, a few minutes on the rollers.

Friday

A few minutes on the trainer to keep loose.

Saturday

Merco Credit Union Downtown Grand Prix

Sunday

Merco Credit Union Foothills Road Race

I’ve been laid up with the Plague since Friday of last week. So far that’s nearly a week off the bike, though I’ll try to get on the rollers today and tomorrow. Still, I’m in no shape for Snelling or Merced and I won’t be able to bring my A game to Merced. Skipping this big weekend of racing has me majorly bummed.

If I’m totally recovered by Monday then I predict being fine at Merco and I should be in good enough shape for Menlo Park and Zamora to put in decent finishes.

Summary

February 18th through February 24th, 2008. Sick all week. Ended up missing Snelling and Merced which makes me very sad. Came back from Snelling (Ashley raced) on Saturday and hit the rollers for 30 minutes which felt nice. Spent another hour on the rollers on Sunday.

Summary

February 11th through February 17th, 2008. Just getting back from four days out of town.

Monday

Commuted to school and came right home after class. Did a two hour spin out through the Headlands (all three climbs) and felt pretty good. Pushed pretty hard on the first climb but didn’t post a spectacular time (10:57) but could easily be shaved.

Tuesday

Commute.

Wednesday

Slept through my first class by mistake, just a commute.

Thursday

Commute.

Friday

Commuted to work but ended up coming home sick.

Saturday

Sick!

Sunday

The plague.

Summary

February 4th through February 10th, 2008. Have to get as much workouts done before Thursday this week because Ashley and I are gone through the weekend after that. Hard to do because the homework has started and I’m already late with my work project.

Monday

Rest day. Just an easy commute.

Tuesday

Trying to get in the miles today. Spent an hour at the Polo Fields with Ben, DP, Hank, Josh, and Ryan. Afterward went to meet up with the Freewheel crew but no one showed so I did a solo Barber Shop loop with the lower Conzelman climb and Rabbit Hole on the way back, 3.5 hours, ~60 miles.

Wednesday

Skipped Twin Peaks Dawn Patrol, up too late. Still got in a spin class and a little lifting (upper-body, core) as well as a short spin after getting home.

Thursday – Sunday

Out of town.

The Weather

Coming from the rain, cold, and wind after the previous day in San Jose I wasn’t optimistic about the weather in Fremont. A few sprinkles on the way down, but we warmed up and lined up without getting wet at all so it looked somewhat promising. The only thing that worried me was the headwind on the front stretch, it was the strongest I’d seen yet on that course and it is totally exposed.

The Racers

Our semi-regular Early Bird crit crew was in attendance, though no one was feeling particularly fresh since many were either working the cold out of their joints or were tired from the previous day’s ride: Andrew, Nole, Josh, Timmay!, James, and Myself. This appeared to be the largest field yet as well, about 60.

As DP mentioned, many racers had come out for the real thing that were not here for the earlier races. I recognized many racers from the Park Ride (Godspeed), so I anticipated a slightly hotter pace this week if not more attacks and breakaway attempts.

The Accordian

As expected the race started out at a good clip after the first corner and the field was relatively strung out, but it wasn’t fast enough to be uncomfortable. At one point I was on the tail end of about 15 riders that were drifting off the front. However, after a couple of laps of hitting the headwind on the front side the pace slowed considerably and it got a little bunched up.

The Leadout

The Mouse crew stuck together pretty well throughout the entire race. Even after both Timmay! and Nole flatted they got back in and we were all within sight or a wheel of each other. At one point before the lap cards went up Andrew and I had drifted a little bit further back and really started to feel the affect of people braking through the turns, so on the back stretch we rode up and kept up in the first 20 riders or so for the rest of the race.

With three or four to go Nole asked us all how we were feeling and told us to move up with two to go and sit up front.

The Finish

Two to go and we started getting organized after the first corner, and on the back side we were all pretty much together save for Timmay! who was up front but on the right side and James who I couldn’t find. At the bell the pack got excited and surged briefly but we were all where we needed to be, together and mostly out of the wind with a small group just ahead of us. That group surged slightly after the first corner on the bell lap and Josh and Andrew jumped up the outside right before turn two.

Nole and I followed. Both Josh and Andrew took huge fast pulls. Trying to keep us from blowing up too early I dialed it down a little bit telling Josh to drop back and take a longer rest. I didn’t realize that they had worked so hard until I felt what it was like to be up front at that pace, so it was only Nole left on my wheel. I took a pull up to the last corner after pulling off to let who I thought was Andrew pull through. Unfortunately the hard jump only left Nole and I going through the last corner.

Nole pulled through and told me to jump on to get a short rest in order to lead him out. We took the corner and Nole just barely avoid bailing after skipping hard off a Bott Dot. I jumped back on for a split second but didn’t have enough left to hold on. The pack was coming and Nole took off in one of the longest sprints I’ve seen. I sat up on the inside with the finish line in sight after he was away and rolled in mid pack after watching the sprinters go by.

I couldn’t see the finish but it seems like the pack caught Nole close to the line, he jumped back in to get a rest, and then jumped again to finish top 15 or so.

The Reflection

Our attack, though it failed, was fairly well coordinated. We got together and ready very easily, and when Josh jumped we took off in a well coordinated Mouse train. Obviously we jumped too early and too hard because we couldn’t pull it back together after one full rotation. Another mistake that I tried to correct quickly was dialing it down without yelling for Andrew to do the same which created a slight gap where Josh tried to jump back in before I told him to drift back. Not as smooth as it could have been, perhaps some wasted effort there.

Either our pulls should have been slower and longer or we should have coordinated getting back on with Nole staying rested at the back. Nole did a good job trying to keep it together by offering me his wheel before we wound it up for the final stretch.

As we described this to our cheering section afterward Ben was glad that we tried something, that it was somewhat well coordinated, and particularly that it failed. DP commented that it sounds more like we tried to make a breakaway than just setting up for the sprint, which is true because we got off the front way early and blew up a little. It was definitely a great learning experience. Had we done the same effort around the second corner rather than the first we might have pulled it off. We all agreed that it came down to timing and smoothness, something we can expect to practice.