Wanted to do well (ie: podium), felt great going into it, if a bit hesitant about the course that appeared harder the longer I looked at it. Started off well, sat in the top 10 for many laps as was my goal/strategy, but struggled to stay there for very long and about 15 minutes in lost 10-15 spots per lap just trying to recover on the backside until I got gapped and the field was a long way off. Still I was surprised at the number of riders coming up from behind me after I sat up. Also surprised that the field basically held the vicious pace for the rest of the race. Sam and Jake did a hell of a job in one hell of a race.

In retrospect, worked way too hard during the past couple of weeks and underestimated the course/field. I’m not powerful enough at the moment and was not rested enough to do well on a course like this.

Summary

June 28th through August 3rd, 2008. Last week in terms of training was mediocre at best, but definitely an improvement over no training at all/recovering from post-crash funk.

Monday

Off.

Tuesday

Did a mid-afternoon 3-mile run, track racing.

Wednesday

1/2 Cyclo-core, got a major quad cramp :(

Thursday

First M2 Revolution class, hell of a workout without that thrashed feeling afterword. Feeling the effects the next morning. Late night/poor sleep.

Friday

Ran 4.5 miles to Transverse via Peacebrook Cross and back.

View Larger Map

Saturday

Tried to find Hill 88, required too much hiking, very mellow headlands.

Sunday

Timpani Criterium.

Goals

Top ten, realistic podium shot, pick up any easy primes if I happen to be in position.

Race

Crappy starting position behind a Cal rider who rode like a cracked out chipmunk the whole race, but made an effort and got into the top 10 within half a lap. Bounced back and forth between the top 5 and the top 15. I kept a close eye on my potential rides to the finish line, Maurice, Milroy, and a couple of other strong riders like the more wily 3rd pillar guys who came out in force for this race.

Crash

All was good going into the bell lap, had a decent top 15 position that I improved by taking good lines in the first couple of corners. Going into the soft library turns I was 7th or 8th wheel when I saw something somewhat surreal.

To the side of me I see Milroy take the first corner but continue through the apex shouldering a rider straight through the gutter and over the curb, like a hockey player body checking an opponent. Then he jumped back in without losing a position like nothing happened. This looked deliberate to me, but was so strange that I couldn’t believe it at the moment, and in retrospect it could have been a bar tangle or something like that.

When he jumped back in, it may have been coincidence but all hell seemed to break lose as some chain reaction took out three riders to the side and front of me as riders began attacking for the sprint.

I dodged all three riders, the first on the inside, the second outside, and the third inside as they skated to the curb. I was clear and didn’t seem to have lost any ground and little speed, but dodging the last rider inside sent me straight through a grate in the gutter and I caught my pedal on the curb. From there it was a hop, skip, and a jump headfirst into a “No Parking” sign post.

My Kingdom for a Hay Bail

A $3 hay bail would have saved me a trip to the hospital and probably a $100 helmet and $300 bike computer, but no such luck. As Ben said, “We have a pretty strange hobby, don’t we?”

Going into the last corners I had a fantastic position, and was primed and fresh for the sprint, whereas some of the other riders up front had more recently attacked to get there and seemed to be flagging. Seth, who took 4th, was behind me going into that as far as I could tell at that point. I had a podium spot pegged. No dice though. Pretty bummed, but I guess I should be lucky to have come out of it in one piece. As DP said, it wasn’t by luck I was in the position I was in going into the last corners, so I’ll be there next time.

Course

Crazy fast and technical course with reasonable to great pavement.

View Larger Map

Crew

Solid crit crew: Jake, Sam, Seth and myself. However given the course this would have to be everyone for themselves until the final few laps. “Teamwork starts with guarding your own position.”

Race

Got a funky start from the official – she walked back to the end of the course and then from the back of the field blew the whistle without any warning (and almost 10 minutes late).

Fortunately I was at the front and ready to go. I jumped to 5th wheel and stayed there, fighting for my position around the Crazy P every lap, for the next 10 minutes or so. Apparently I don’t have the top end power for jumping around such tight turns (160s, 180s, etc…) and I started to get fatigued and dehydrated in the heat (even at 8:30am and while drinking constantly).

Lost a position here and there and gained back less positions than I lost as I covered gaps that opened in front riders directly ahead of me. As I lost more positions I had to work harder. My race was effectively over once I hit -20 or so and hesitated to burn the matches necessary to get back into the top ten (didn’t have many matches left to burn after jumping hard out of that Crazy P ever 60 seconds for 20-25 minutes).

Reflection

Finally a super technical course with a 180-degree type turn and good conditions (no wind, no rain, but hot) to show that I’m not quite there in terms of power to put in such a huge jump every minute. The only way I could have stayed in the race was to stay top 5-10 the entire race, and even 10th wheel would have been pushing it. Kudos to Sam for getting to the front and staying there, to Seth to making it all the way to the front from the back by the end of the race, and to Jake for hanging in there until the finish.

Toughest crit yet, even harder than Brisbane in the wind.

Summary

First Race – Elite 4/5

Lead out by Nole then Ben to take two primes but ended up being trashed and poorly positioned for the final sprint, rolled in at the end of the pack. Nole wins on his own.

Second Race – Elite 4

Switched up team tactics and gained some allies to keep the race very strung out and fast (against some wind). Solid leadout train briefly materialized then dissolved despite my best efforts to keep it together for Nole and Ben. Rolled at 21st with Seth after we both got somewhat swarmed around the last corner.

Details…

Course

Fun course: wide open decent pavement, five corners, with corners 3 and 4 forming sort of a chicane on the back stretch. Long enough sprint where you don’t necessarily want to be on the front through the last corner.

Crew

Solid crit crew: Ben, Jake, Nole, Sam, and Seth.

Goals

Top tens in each race, easy primes, and help Nole get Ben his points.

First Race – Elite 4/5

Strategy

Pairing off we’d lead each other out for various primes then form Voltron for the sprint.

Reality

Our pairing scheme immediately fell apart and I found myself following Nole for the first few laps before I passed him to take a couple pulls up front. Sat back then he came back up, hip tap, followed him in to win the one of the first few primes. Awesome lead out.

Yo-yo-ed back and forth between the front of the pack and midpack. Found myself near the front as I saw Ben come by late in the race, jumped on his wheel and he sent me through the last corner to one one of the last few primes which ended up being one of the coveted Flaming Toilet Seats (pictures soon, I promise).

The prime sort of destroyed my final sprint as I took a while to recover midpack and never got a good position. Rolled in toward the end of the main pack, ahead of any stragglers, but still didn’t get scored by the judges for some reason. Bogus, but the Flaming Toilet Seat speaks for itself. I’d put myself around 40th of 75 starters.

Reflection

Nole and Ben’s leadouts for me worked like clockwork. 2 for 2 leadout and sprint in one race left me thinking about simplifying our goals/strategy for both races. I want to try just having a dedicated sprinter (chosen before or during) sitting up front with a good position top 10 on the bell lap and having our leadout guys come from behind in the last few corners – the sprinter just latches on and follows. Our leadout trains always seem to dissolved before the are useful. A lone sprinter is always going to go for the hole shot, so have a surprise leadout is very helpful and throws the other sprinters off guard.

Second Race – Elite 4

Strategy

Realizing how much cornerswarm the relatively slow race had and how it threw off our whole strategy we resolved to keep the next race super stretched out, fast, and safe. Between races we made some alliances with the entire Metromint squad, Stage 5 and DBC riders, and Maurice from SJBC. Plan: fast constant pace, drilling it up front, no wild attacks.

Reality

Nole, the Stage 5 and DBC guys, and myself controlled the first third of the race taking big steady pulls. Second third many Metromint riders and non-allies tookover but still kept it nice and fast now that the pace had been dictated. Final third fell into somewhat disarray as the allegiances dissolved and we started to set up our leadout trains and non-allied attacks (many from Godspeed) went off.

We started to form and had to together from 6 to go until 3 to go when things went horribly wrong. Ben fell back, and then Seth and I got swarmed. I took Ben back up to Nole with 3 to go, but attacks still came from either side. With Jake off the front at the bell, Nole and Ben further back, and Seth and I a little further back at -20 or so, Sam looked like the only one in position. Unfortunately he had no snap left and went from 3rd or 4th wheel to 15th as fresher legs took over in the sprint. Seth and I rolled in soon after (20th and 21st respectively out of 48? starters).

Reflection

We successfully kept it stretched out and worked hard, but failed to deliver in the end. No one thing went wrong, it was just very difficult to work hard consistently throughout the race and have much left in the end. We all agreed we were pretty spent after the second race on a very hot day (I still feel dehydrated).

Props

Huge Shout Out™ to Lars Norlund, the rest of 2 Wheel Racing, officials and volunteers for putting on a fantastic race. Cool course (excited to try it out as a twilight with a small field), very well organized, smooth timing, cold water, good prizes (especially for an inaugural race). Awesome!

Summary

June 2nd through June 8th, 2008.

Monday

Rest day, commute.

Tuesday

Commute, planned on the park ride, but missed it due to work.

Wednesday

No commute, but track racing.

Thursday

No commute, bike still in track mode.

Friday

No commute.

Saturday

Home improvements, no ride.

Sunday

2 Wheel Racing Criterium.

Summary

Mostly stretched out, fast, a little windy, easy course. Top 10-15 most of the race. Took the second cash prime. Got a little lazy just before the lap cards went up. Jake finds me with 4 to go, we move up, sit top 10-15. We come through the last corner together as planned, I tell Jake to gun it, I come around at what I think is the last second, but ends up being a little late. We passed a couple of riders in the sprint, both narrowly getting into the top ten, Jake 9th, me 10th.

Details…

Course

Another standard four corner course, some curve to the roads, decent pavement. A bit windy by the time we got started at 1:05pm, maybe a factor, considering we shelled nearly 20 riders by the finish. Relatively long finish straightaway, 350-400m sprint, enough room to change things after the last corner.

Crew

Just me and Jake.

Goals

Top ten and either take the 2nd prime or deliver Jake to the 2nd prime.

Race

Started okay, weaved in and out of the 10-20 riders who had no business being up front, sat in top 15. For the first half of the race I watched and covered as riders would go off the front here and there, even before the first prime. We let two riders off the front for the first prime. Godspeed was doing a good job of controlling the front, working together more than I have ever seen from them before. Dragged the pack around a little myself watching the couple of guys dangling up ahead.

Second prime bell rings and I start looking for Jake on the backstretch. Couldn’t find him as an attack went off on the outside after corner three. I cover another attack on the inside of corner four and hop on a wheel. BBC guy takes off on the outside, I take another wheel to the gutter and then jump at 100m to narrowly win the Dash for Cash™ prime.

Sit back in, ignore the next three primes, just covering the attacks enough to stay top 20 comfortably. I got a little lazy before the lap cards went up, and should have been top ten when the countdown began. Took me too long to get together with Jake and close to the top ten.

The Finish

We came around the last corner, Jake a little far inside, me through the middle watching for the loose bricks. I hopped back on his wheel, and off we went. We passed a few riders in the sprint. I thought I came around him and another rider to snag 7th or 8th, but I think I confused a ridge in the road immediately after the finish line for the finish line itself -the official confirmed that Jake and I took 9th and 10th respectively and I made a little fuss for nothing.

Not quite as good as I would have liked, but respectable. Goals accomplished. Two consecutive top tens and races where I took the 2nd prime. As Kate put it, “consistent.”

Summary

Flat, fast, easy. Big crew. Felt awful after Mt. Hamilton. Took a prime and got 7th. Best race yet.

Details…

Warm-up

Felt awful after yesterday (Mt. Hamilton), seriously reconsidering lining up, I could barely turn the pedals over on the trainer.

Course

Fast flat easy, no rain, no wind. 90 degree corner, shallow corner, long sweeper, and 90 degrees going into a fairly quick homestretch.

Crew

2pies, James, Nole, Jake, Ryan, Sam.

Race

Good start up front with Nole, Stephen, and Jake. Nole goes with a early Third Pillar break and I sit up front with other Third Pillar riders to block. Pack gets wise and the break is successful for about 30 seconds. Nice try but the course is too fast and easy for a break. Nole sits back in and I drag the pack with unsure legs through the next two corners.

Fast forward about 20 minutes and one prime. Bell goes off for another prime and the pack surges. Sam attacks on the long sweeping back stretch and gets some to burn out early. I move to the front thinking of attacking after the prime but then James asks if I want this one and off we go. He gave me a ferocious leadout around the final corner to launch me for the second prime.

I kept spinning through corner one wondering if I was done, but I recovered soon enough. Fast forward, Jake snatches up the 3rd prime, then with three to go I start looking for my spot with no clear goals for the finish.

I jump up the gutter to head to the front at two to go and fight for my spot top 20 or so as some riders start getting shed left an right and others swarm the corners. Bell lap and it’s a little strung out, I try to get up ahead of Nole to give him some kind of leadout but I was uncommitted, not to mention dodging riders that went too early. I’m set up top 15-20 going hot into the last corner and gun it hoping for a top ten.

Result

7th/65 and a $50 gift card to The Grill (James, I owe you dinner). Best result yet, first cat 4 top ten, pretty happy considering I felt like garbage after yesterday’s four and half hour debacle, and I was kinda bummed out after the Golden State Crit on Saturday.

French Toast

I also just had post-race French toast-without a doubt the best way to finish three days of racing.

Course

Pretty tricky, even trickier in the rain. A lot like Brisbane, but replace wind with rain. Short homestretch, hard left, 180, sweeping left to hard right, another couple of sweeping stretches into right turns and a 200m sprint out of the corner.

Crew

Seth, Sam, and I. Felt awesome lining up, even okay with the rain after watching a bunch of juniors wipe out in the 180.

Race

Got a decent start, stayed top 10-15 for the first half of the race, but had to work hard to do so, the jump out of the slow started to 180 hurt, and the cold/wet didn’t help much.

Crash

Decided to sit back, catch a little break. Bad idea. Boom, first corner riders starting at 7th wheel go down, dominoes across the entire width of the field. Sam and Seth and many others manage to sneak through pretty quickly and get back in the reforming pack. As soon as I get to the crash riders start standing up, reinforcing the wall. Takes me a lot of time and a huge effort to get back onto the end of the pack. I dangle there for another few laps before losing them in the 180.

No Man’s Land

I time trial off the back for a while until the crashed/restarted group catches up to me, I sit in for the remainder of the race. We trade pulls, avoid being lapped/pulled, paceline to an one-lap early finish. I take second in our bunch sprint.

Result: DFL + 8 or 9. No camera, they only picked the top 10 riders. Kind of lame but understandable.

The Skinny

Flat, fast crit, lots of team mates. Spent some time on the front. Sat back in. Sam and I kept it stretched out on the front again. Sat back in. Regroup with 5 to go to set Nole up with a leadout starting at the second corner. I get a little anxious, hit the front too early, drop back too far, get back up to the front, take Nole around the second corner, then I ran out of gas. Nole takes 11th. Not a total success, but a plan somewhat well executed.

Photo by Larry Rosa

The gory details…

Original Goals

After giving Seth a little help at the Wente crit, I was looking for a minor personal victory, top 10, top 15 something along those lines. However, the week was spent writing a final paper rather than riding so I couldn’t tell how I felt until race day.

Revised Goals

Come race day, feeling good after a warm up, liking the conditions, course, teammates (Nole, Sam, Jake, 2pies) but not feeling very ambitious. We have a loose idea of regrouping at five to go and then giving Nole some kind of lead out.

Course

Flat, fast, nice corners, beautiful new asphalt, the course everyone thinks they can win on. Start finish on a short straightway going into a sweeping turn, then a 90 degree turn, another sweeper, and the final 90 degree corner into a really short sprint with a slight kink.

The Race

Jumped up to the front right away and after a few laps in I pulled on the front for a lap before a prime lap and sat in for the prime (which Nole took with Sam’s help). A few laps later, repeated this time with Sam on my wheel. We traded laps and then both sank back in to sit in the top 10-25 for the next half of the race.

Photo by Larry Rosa

Nole finds me after the last prime and gives me the heads up to make a jump around the second corner on the bell lap and dig until he passes.

Five to go I’m up front with Nole, no one wants to work, eventually over the next two laps the few guys ahead of us part ways and I’m on the front itching to go. Nole yells to hold back and I sit back in but lose about 10 spots after scrubbing too much speed in a corner. Two to go I make my way back up to Nole, we sit top 10-15 with a handful of Team Oakland riders.

At the bell a Team Oakland rider guns it, the rest block. No chase, no need, it wasn’t much of a jump. We catch him before the next corner and I jump up the inside, take it a little hot inside and couldn’t pedal through without striking. Jump hard out of the corner, pass the Team Oakland guy with Nole in tow, but about 20 pedal strokes later I’m totally gassed.

Goals (Sorta) Accomplished

Not much of a leadout for Nole but enough to get him in the mix at the end. Riders start passing me right and left around the last two corners (including Sam) I sit up, rolling in 47th out of 77 starters, 74 finishers.

No personal glory, but good teamwork here and there and some time spent on the front to get the Larry Rosa photo-op (thanks Larry!). Gave Nole what help I could, just sorry I couldn’t go much longer.