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2014-03-06 11:12 AM
in reply to: Rudedog55

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
We had our team crit this weekend, then a super hard road race on Sunday.

San Tan Crit - Masters 40+; I stayed up front to try to get in any breaks, but nothing stuck. I had 2 teammates with me, and we were all involved in attacks throughout the race. On the final lap, I chased a guy who attacked, then he sat up and the REAL attack went up the other side of the road and I couldn't get over. I did what I could, and ended up 8th.

San Tan Crit - Cat 3/4; Our team was well-represented in this race, with something like 10 teammate in it. We were trying to get one of our cat 4's some points so he could upgrade (he only needed 1). The plan was to continuously attack through the race, then let our teammate go out in front to get the win. The plan worked almost to perfection, with my teammate taking 2nd and getting his needed points. I attacked the group along with another guy and took 4th.

Tumacacori RR Cat 3; 10 laps of a 6 mile circuit race with ~500 ft of climbing along a short stretch of 1.5 miles and steep pitches up to 20%. I generally love this race, although I had a tough week with the 3-day stage race leading into a hard build week leading into the crit on Saturday and now this race. I didn't expect a lot out of myself but wanted to do what I could for my 4 teammates. The race started off hard and stayed that way. I did some work, tried to keep things sane and ended up dropping off on the 7th (?) lap. I soloed in for 9th, with my teammates taking 5th, 6th, and 7th. One teammate dropped a lap or two before me and DNF'd. As an idea about the toughness of the course, 40% of the 3's DNF'd and 60% of the P/1's DNF'd.

Fun times! I'm taking this weekend off from racing to prep for another 3-day stage race next weekend.


2014-03-10 1:22 PM
in reply to: MonkeyClaw

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

Nice bike Rudy! I love the paint scheme.

Finally a road race for me this weekend. I also participated in a local women's training camp, so overall a lot of riding this weekend.

Friday:

Rode a fast 85km with some local women racers. Had a support vehicle so that was great. It was my first time riding the race bike this year and it felt great. Seriously felt like a could go faster with less effort.

Raced the C category at the track. Less people there, probably because the outdoor season started this weekend, but all the fast people were there.  First race was a scratch. I think only 6 people finished with the lead group and I managed to outsprint a guy for 4th (I guess two guys, but the last one wasn't sprinting). Then a 10 laps to elimination race. Normallly I am quite good at elimination. However the 10 laps at first kind of screwed me up. I usually ride at the front from the gun, but was going to work my way up there and some people attack from the first lap and I got caught out behind a couple of people. I couldn't close the gap and it became apparent that I was going to get eliminated. Maybe not first, but I wasn't going to catch the lead 5 riders, so I pulled myself out. Last race was a 6x7 progressive points race, so the points get high. First sprint 1 point, second sprint 2,1, third sprint 3,2,1, fourth sprint 5,3,2,1, fifth sprint 7,5,3,2,1 last sprint 9,7,5,3,2,1. So I didn't sprint the first and second time, missed the third, got 1 point in the fourth, then 3 points then 5 points and ended up 4th. Fairly tired in these raced tonight, probably from the earlier ride.

Saturday: There was a race, but the ladies skipped it to finish the training camp. We rode 110km in monsoon conditions. It rains a lot in Vancouver, and this was even worse. Felt okay on the climbs and mostly okay on the ride, but got pretty cold near the end. It wasn't even that cold out, but I was completely soaks. My hands were kind of feeling like I was getting an electric shock every time I moved them.

Sunday: My first road race of the year! The races this month are called "Spring Series" and are training races, so we just self seed and race A, B or C. I raced with the Cs. Maybe 40 starters. Course was a perfect square. The finish line of the course is slightly uphill with a headwind, then you turn right and it’s a couple smaller climbs, then you turn right and it is a fast section with a tailwind, then you turn right again and it’s downhill and quite fast, then right it is back to the finish straight. So for me the race mostly went this way: move way up on the hill, lose some positions on the tailwind fast road, really lose positions on the fast downhill often at the very back (I just couldn’t keep up with those guy’s accelerations), then make up some positions in the corner, make some positions on the finish straight, then back to the hill and repeat for 11 laps. I felt good on the hills at least for the first half of the race. After 3 laps, I think we had dropped all of the girls except me and one other. The other girls always had a better position than me, but I could see she was struggling on the hills. A harder lap came and I made up lots of positions on the hill and she didn’t so when the fast section came, she couldn’t hang on. So for the last 5 laps, I was the only girl left in the race. The last couple of laps, I could feel the hills more, but so were most people, so there were lots of gaps opening. I was always able to crest close enough to the front that I caught back on. On the last lap, only 12 people made it up the hill in the lead and I was the last one. I was fairly tired and just hung on and wasn’t really able to sprint, so crossed the line probably a minute down from the leader. I just kind of rolled in. Anyway, I won a sweet jersey for first woman so that was cool. Compared to last year, this felt much harder. I rode on the front and even got in some breaks on this course last year and sprinted at the end and finished top 10 overall, so I definitely am not in the road race shape that I am last year. Which I know is what I want since I probably peaked too early last year and it is all about track this year.

 

2014-03-10 1:51 PM
in reply to: jeng

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Gratz Jen!!!! That is awesome!!! Glad you had a first good weekend of racing!!!



2014-03-10 1:58 PM
in reply to: Rudedog55

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
We had week 2 of the Bethel Spring Series.

nothing to write home about, we had our first outside group ride Saturday, and i just did not feel right. Got some good sleep, woke up in plenty of time, and headed to race Sunday.

Warmups still found me wanting for something, i just could not get comfy, short of breath etc. Did the Cat4 and Masters race, got my sprinter 3rd in Cat 4, but i could tell i was not firing on all cylinders. Missed a break, went to bridge a gap i coulda closed and just could not get HR and breath under control after the first minute.

Second race was masters, it was attack, settle, attack, settle, the whole race. i hung in the middle, tried not to do much work, went ot the front twice on easy pulls, just felt like doo doo.

Had good position for the last two laps and got shuffled back anyway, struggled to make up space on last lap and limped in for a field finish with a stomach that felt like it was gonna hurl.

i do not know if i was dehydrated or did not get enough food in me. I was thirsty, but didnt want to eat till almost 4 hours later. so i hd some fluid, kept it down, but still woke up not feeling sharp today. I am trying to get a lot of water in my today, i am thinking i mighta been a touch dehydrated.

ehhh, cant be sharp every weekend.



2014-03-10 2:31 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

First RR for me.  A short one...just 7.2 miles, with the first 3/4 of a mile neutral, then it starts with a 4.7 mile climb averaging 4%, then a 1.5 mile flat/rolling section before making a 90 degree right and the finish line 200m after that.  This was the first time this event was held, but the course is familiar as we normally do 3 full loops of the climb and descent (15 miles total per lap) as part of another road race.  The only sketchy part was the placement of the finish line so close to the 90 degree turn.  We didn't have both lanes of traffic closed, and you can take that turn at 25+ mph if you wanted to be aggressive.  You just don't want to wash out into oncoming traffic.  In the 3 loop road race, they place the finish line over a mile after the 90 degree turn, so that turn is not hotly contested if you're in a pack.  To make matters worse, it was raining and there is some white paint on that turn.

Ok...onto the race.  I knew the OA race would be contested by 3 guys, but was surprised when another guy I didn't know that was in my division made the break with them.  I was marking one of my main rivals who I knew, and he didn't want to go with that lead group either, so we made up the second group with another guy from an older division.  It was mainly me and my rival doing the work...the other guy just sitting in playing it smart knowing his division placement was pretty much set already, it's just a matter of saving energy so he has a chance to beat us OA.  My rival accelerated on a pitch and got a gap on me.  I looked at the other guy to chase him down as he hadn't done any work but he said no.  I tried to accelerate, but it was a bit too late to reel him back in at once...so I went into TT mode with the other guy on my wheel.  He did oblige to take a couple of short turns, but it was up to me to chase my rival.  He had about 30-40 yards, but the gap was not growing.  I could also notice that the other guy in our division was up the road on his own...dropped from the elites.

This is where my inexperience, or just lack of thinking killed me.  Once we finished the climb, I was able to bridge up to my rival.  After a short rest behind him, I went to the front on a slight downhill and got a 20 yard gap.  We still had 1.5 miles to go and 1st place in our division was by himself only 150 yards away.  I should have sat up a bit, worked together with my rival to reel in the other guy, and use my sprint to contest for the division win...which I was pretty confident in.  But I'm dumb.  I saw the gap I had, and full knowing I couldn't catch 1st on my own, I tried to solo it for 2nd.  I mean...how stupid is that...LOL.  After about 45 seconds, and still 1 mile left, I shut it down after I couldn't get the gap to grow more than 30 yards and I was on the brink of blowing up.  So I eased up for 20-30 seconds to catch my breath.  1st was now about 75 yards up the road.  I mistimed my jump to get back on the wheel of my rival and the other guy and had to use way to much energy to get back on.  I was dangling off the back.  Heart and lungs in my throat.  1st was still 50 yards up the road when we approached what I thought was the 90 degree turn, but it was really just the soft right before it.  I wasn't seeing straight and I let up not interested in taking that wet corner hot and sprinting for 2nd in my division.  But in reality, we had about 300 more yards before the 90 degree, which just might have been enough time to reel in 1st.  My rival got wihin about 15 yards of him chasing on his own.  The other guy in the older division sprinted past my rival, but short of 1st in my div...which might have been my lead out ticket to sprinting past 1st in my division.  Oh well...live and learn.  Fun times.  3rd 18-34 Cat 4/5, 6th OA.  One other the other elites flatted.



Edited by Jason N 2014-03-10 2:35 PM
2014-03-17 9:23 AM
in reply to: Jason N

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Another cold weekend

Cliff notes say that it was 34* (1*c) for the 4's race with a 20mph (32kph) headwind on the back straight and a tailwind up the hill and down front straight.

I accidentally rolled off the front on the first lap, i went to point to do a little pull and when i turned around half lap later, i had a 9 second gap, i could not believe what i saw, so as i rolled up the hill easy, i made a decision that i was gonna attack and see how long i could stay away, it was not the plan, but i have the power for the wind and the uphill had a helping wind. Fast forward 2 preems, 13 laps and 38 mins later and the field finally caught me, at one point i had a 40 second gap, but the hill took its toll on my 218lbs. i led laps 14 and 15, then field finished laps 16-20.

strava with power http://www.strava.com/activities/121277511


Masters race i took a flyer and won $20 cash on a preem, attacking well before anyone else and i guess the field said, ummm no we are not gonna try to chase, was able to sit up well before line coasted across and got back in peloton. a lap later and a counter attacked happened, which blew us apart, it ended up 3 man break, solo rider, 4 man break and 15 others then the field of 25 more. The GC leader had 3 guys in my group, they did a fantastic job controlling us, and me and my teammate tried to bridge the gap to the second 4 3 times but never made it. Gave the solo female in our group a last lap leadout, trying to get her a top 10, but we were both shot from our first race that we coasted in for 19 and 20th.

strava with power http://www.strava.com/activities/121277506

i just do not have enough HP or endurance to contest two races, maybe if i sat in for the 4's i could contend the masters, but realistically, this is training for my June Half, so i will continue to attack and chase preems, and i am sure i will place or win a 4's race. our sprinter took 4th and moved to 3rd in GC, so as a team we are soing well for him. Once he upgrades to 3's i am done with 4's and concentrate on Masters.


2014-03-17 11:06 AM
in reply to: MonkeyClaw

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
From my first race on 3/2:

Bethel #1 - Cat 5
My first Crit race! Was freezing and I slept through the alarm. Wore my full race gear in the car for the hour long drive. Registered, did the clinic warm-up laps and hung out with Ben (a 'teamate' and riding friend who was also doing his first crit).

This is a 0.8 mile loop for 15 laps with a quarter mile hill to finish the lap and the race which makes things interesting after you go around it enough.

We started conservative as a group. It was the first race of the year for the series and I don't think anyone wanted to lead the way. After one lap, for the sake of putting some work in and potentially warming up more and testing the field, I did a little tester on the hill and quickly created a gap on the field. I looked back hoping a couple of people would bridge but they didn't, so I tried to be smart and rather than try to solo off the front on lap 2 of the race, I sat back in a couple rows back. About half way through I did the same thing but it yielded the same result. On the last couple of laps things started heating up and one young gun got a little jumpy too early and dropped the hammer on the second to last lap but he didn't gap the field as Ben and I quickly grabbed his wheel. He towed us around a couple of minutes and exploded himself. There were a few guys in contention and when I felt it was time to go just before the hill, I jumped and held on. I edged out my buddy Ben who took 2nd. Great time overall. Definitely doing more of these.

Despite the slower start and easy effort on the middle laps, the NP was high.

From the race:
Power (watts): 227
NP (watts): 345
Cadence (rpm): 87
Heart Rate (bpm): 156
VI: 1.517
IF: 1.131
Work (kJ): 451
TSS: 70

The last 2 minutes I was at 467 watts and the last 30 seconds of that I was at 820 watts (not my best but for the circumstances it was good).
2014-03-17 11:08 AM
in reply to: JAYCT

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Second race after a week off the bike for vacation.

3/15: Plainville Spring Series Criterium # 2- Cat 4/5
I won the first prime, led out a friend for the second prime (which he won), 3rd Place overall.
Won $25

Good course. 4 corner 0.6 mile, 40 laps. Very stiff headwind on the backside.

I was a little too aggressive judging by the real-time tweets but had another good result. First there was a two man break and we sat up with too much to go. Then we hit it again and there was a 9 man break and a couple more bridged. We started lapping a lot of guys who were pulled and had a big gap on the rest of the field. I spent too much juice early on and too much time in the wind. The winner made a great tactical move by gently rolling off with 5 laps to go in a non-threatening way. By the time we knew it was a threat, it was too late. I pulled the field too much the last couple laps trying to close the gap and guy on my wheel was able to come around and edge me out as I didn't have sprint legs left. Winner told me after that he realized after the prime laps that he didn't have the sprint legs to match us and that it was strategic. Very solid tactic. Fun race. Never really felt 'ON'. Probably from the 8 day lapse and packing on a quick 5lbs.


Power (watts): 253
NP (watts): 298
Cadence (rpm): 86
Heart Rate (bpm): 161
VI: 1.177
IF: 0.977
Work (kJ): 875
TSS: 92
2014-04-07 8:40 AM
in reply to: JAYCT

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Sunday i was just going to sit in and attack with a couple to go, but i saw a strong rider go up the road so i bridged, after starting the race late because of pinning on the wrong number, so i was off the back for the first lap, caught the field on lap 2, saw the attack go, went with him. We did two laps together with me doing most of the work as he struggled to stay on my wheel, the bell rang for the preem, and he basically said, im done, and holding you back, leave already, so i attacked him on the hill, took the preem and never got out of the gas. 16 laps later i had built a 1 min lead (laps are 2 mins) and was able to enjoy the last 2 laps knowing that unless i had a mechanical the race was over. I did not sit up, but kept pushing and finished 55 secs ahead of field. Cliff notes and Quarq say that i averaged 344w for 40 mins with a NP of 361w/h. That is 15w higher than my power test FTP so i have made some progress in the last month.

Masters race was just plain fast, so i held on for dear life on tired legs and had a field finish.

My teammate retained the yellow for the 3rd week and has a 4 point lead over second, so the work is not done. We also have the team lead now, so next week will be cover and kill and make sure our sprinter is in a place to wrap up both titles.

Thats my story and i am sticking too it.



(Rudy wins.jpg)



(Jay wins.jpg)



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2014-04-08 9:44 PM
in reply to: Rudedog55

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

got to ride in an ambulance and get a CT scan along with spine xrays after mile 61 of a 64 mile race... full report to come when i can see my bike. 

2014-04-09 1:23 PM
in reply to: Clempson

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

Originally posted by Clempson

got to ride in an ambulance and get a CT scan along with spine xrays after mile 61 of a 64 mile race... full report to come when i can see my bike. 

Hope your injuries are nothing you can't recover from.  Hope the bike is okay too.



2014-04-09 8:38 PM
in reply to: Jason N

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

injuries aren't too bad. just missing skin. went for a run today and my back hurt a bit, but that was all.

the race was a 32 mile loop which was done twice for a total of 64 miles.  some say it was "hilly" i thought it was pretty flat with only three sections bringing the group to a "climbing" pace.  the race was originally supposed to be just CAT4 racers, about 40 of us, but at the last minute they added the Masters 50+ 1/2/3 into the group.  so the group more than doubled in size and there were quite a few ex pro's in the mix now.  now I have been doing group riding since I first got my road bike a few years ago and I've seen just about anything, but I was not prepared for this race.  we were 4 wide for as far as I could see down the road averaging ~24 mph each loop which included some of the roughest most pothole infested roads I have ever ridden.  it was by far the most stressful ride I have ever been on.  no matter how hard I tried I could not move forward and get to the front of the peloton; mainly because a few of the teams with a large presence were intentionally blocking everyone and trying to let breaks get going, but as soon as those of us stuck in the back heard about them we fought our way to the front and chased them down.  I stayed out of the wind for the most part and did a good job not wasting any energy and felt great going into the finish, but at this point I really didn't care.  I would have had to do some really reckless stuff to get anywhere near the front for the sprint, and even then the front group I was in was about 40 people.  I was content to let it play out, stay back, keep my skin, and have a post race beer for my first CAT4 start.  

then a guy blew a tire about two lengths in front of me and went down taking everyone else with him.  we were bunched together so tight trying to get to the front that there was no escaping.  I tried to escape into the left lane since I was riding the yellow line but got caught up by another falling rider and went over the handlebars.  next thing I know I woke up on the ground, not knowing how I got there or where I was but knowing I felt like crap.  got loaded into an ambulance which was there when I woke up and off the the emergency room for scans and xrays.  everything came out negative luckily, and I saw my bike today which only had a bent out of place shifter, which I bent back. i guess my head took all the impact; that's my second cracked helmet of the year.  I can't wait for triathlon and TT season to start. 

2014-04-10 12:38 PM
in reply to: Clempson

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Originally posted by Clempson

injuries aren't too bad. just missing skin. went for a run today and my back hurt a bit, but that was all.





Sorry to hear about this, crashing always sucks. Glad you weren't any worse off than some lost skin! Heal up quickly!

PS - that is BS that he combines the two groups. I wouldn't have been happy.
2014-04-10 6:39 PM
in reply to: MonkeyClaw

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

Originally posted by MonkeyClaw
Originally posted by Clempson

injuries aren't too bad. just missing skin. went for a run today and my back hurt a bit, but that was all.

Sorry to hear about this, crashing always sucks. Glad you weren't any worse off than some lost skin! Heal up quickly! PS - that is BS that he combines the two groups. I wouldn't have been happy.

thanks, yeah i'm pretty lucky.  could have been a lot worse.

2014-04-15 2:29 PM
in reply to: Rudedog55

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Originally posted by Rudedog55

Thats my story and i am sticking too it.


You've definitely found your groove by getting rid of running.

Great job.
2014-04-30 9:44 AM
in reply to: everlong

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Popping in, went to Watch the Little 5 this weekend. If you've seen Breakaway you're familiar with the race. 18K fans going nuts! A race for IU students

Amazing experience. Highlight video from 2013

https://vimeo.com/66751640

this year a crash in the 199th lap caused 6 of the lead 7 teams to go down.


2014-05-05 1:40 PM
in reply to: running2far

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Piscitello Law Great Valley Crit, May 4 2014, Cat 5 race.

This was my third crit of the season, having started this year, after starting CX last year. Ankle issues have prevented much running, so I've been focusing more on cycling.

I'm starting to "get" some of the tactics, though I still seem to get out on the front more than I probably should. I think I'm also starting to see that I'm not a sprinter. Maybe everyone is holding back more so they have more in the tank for the last sprint, or I'm just getting old (cat 5 around here is loaded with young guys) or both.

15 laps on a business park loop, pretty wide open, so the pack stayed together for the most part. The general advice I was given was to stay "near the front" without being "on the front". Needed to heed that a bit more, I pulled for 2-3 laps a little more than halfway through, and then with about 3 laps, though I wasn't pushing really hard from what I remember. But certainly working harder than those behind me.

I tried getting back in the front of the pack with 2 to go, and starting with the last lap, a couple just broke away, so no way was I letting them get too far, and managed to keep up with them. We apparently dropped about half the field at that point, but then going into the last turn, which is a slight climb (but was downwind) I just didn't have enough to keep up, and lost 5-6 spots in the last 200 ft.

Looking at the power file, my "sprint" power peaked at about 200% of FTP, and I don't remember having anything more than that. That was at the end, but I suspect that's what makes one a "sprinter"

Ended up 12/25, finishing in the pack.

Avg Power: 227 W
Max Power: 874 W
Max Avg Power (20 min): 262 W
Normalized Power (NP): 276 W
Intensity Factor (IF): 0.889

2014-05-09 10:33 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Last week our local velodrome racing kicked off. I managed 2nd place in the Elite (Cat 1 and 2s) scratch race and 5th place in the Elite point a lap race. I did ok in the final race of the night, 6x5 points race but never check on the results.

Video from the scratch race http://vimeo.com/93710455



Edited by magic 2014-05-09 10:34 PM
2014-07-10 8:14 PM
in reply to: magic

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

6/28 - Cycle to the Sun.  Paia to the Summit of Haleakala.  35.5 miles, 10k feet of gain.

Perfect conditions.  Clear day, little wind, no rain, and very comfortable temperatures throughout.  Dropped back from the main group after about 2.5 miles once I realized they were going way too hard.  Settled in to a nice comfortable groove but was still getting passed until I was about in 50-55th position.  At around 5k feet, I started to make up ground on those that went out too hard.  By 6500 feet I was starting to make a serious charge back up the standings and was holding my pace/effort nicely.  At 7500 feet I decided to put in a little more effort as I knew I could finish without blowing up and tracked down the almost everyone that was within realistic range of me and my potential.  Except for one guy...who I tried to sprint past the last 100 yards.  I made up a ton of ground on him, but came up half a wheel short.  3:33:34, 25th OA and a 4+ minute personal best.  23rd was another 6+ minutes ahead and I wasn't going sub 3:30 no matter what I did.

7/5 - 40k Mountain bike race in Kuuloa Ranch.

My first ever mountain bike race.  Heck, I haven't even ridden a mountain bike at all in 12 years.  Borrowed a bike, shoes, and pedals and just went for it.  I was in total shock of how technical the course was.  I thought I was going to die and it didn't help that the hole first lap I didn't realize that my fork was locked out.  Descending was much easier after I figured that out.  I had the power to get up most of the crazy steep climbs (over 30%), but didn't have the technique to keep the front wheel down and had to push my bike up the last bits...as did many others.  Took a few spills here and there, but nothing serious.  Had a great time and finished MOP...mostly because I chickened out on the downhills and had a lot of trouble on the technical single track that was rocky.  

2014-07-14 9:00 AM
in reply to: Jason N

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Race Avenue Criterium Cat 4/5, Lancaster, PA 6/15/14

Race Ave crit is a one mile course, suburban city block, 4 turns.

There were some rough patches from utility access covers in a couple turns, which were marked, but otherwise the streets were in pretty good shape. Another small dip just past the start line that I kept hitting until the end when I finally remembered to stay clear of it.

Started off pretty strong, in the second row, and pretty much held on to stay in the top 15 or so through the race.

This was a 20 lap race. There was no announcement at the beginning (or I didn't hear it) that they would NOT be pulling lapped riders. I found this out around lap 12 or 13, when we found those lapped riders on the course. It got a little hectic avoiding those riders and keeping a good, smooth line through some of the turns.

There was never a real breakaway, though I think one guy tried, but must have gone early.

Going into the final turn, I was in the front of the pack, and started to turn it up. Not being a sprinter, I figured I'd just try to stretch things out as much as I could and hang on. The sprinters started to pass, several at a time on my right...

When out from my left side, someone drifts or swerves into me. Not sure what he was doing, if he was a lapped rider rejoining the pack or what, I kind of got that feeling, like he was merging with traffic.

Either way, I went down hard on my left side, and being in a sprint GPS shows I was doing 28 mph when it happened. Bike slid, I rolled. Broke the helmet and a collar bone.


While this is probably a regional thing, this was my first crit where they DIDN'T pull lapped riders. The rules say it's the discretion of the officials, and they can pull riders for safety and/or lap counting logistics.

Now this guy may not have been a lapped rider, in which case it wouldn't make any difference. But if he was, the rules state you're supposed to rejoin at the back of the pack, not the forward part (while I was no longer leading, I was about 10 bikes back in a field of about 50 starters)

Anyone have similar experience with officials not pulling lapped riders? Road racing is looking more attractive every day.
2014-07-15 2:21 PM
in reply to: tcj103

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread

Sorry about your crash.  Do you think you'll be okay for Savageman (from your sig line)?

I haven't done any crit racing (it's non existent here), but for sure lapped riders should be pulled or at least verbally instructed that they need to get out of the way or yield to the leaders.  Similar to how lapped Nascar riders will get out of the way of the leaders and if anything...fold in at the back.  

I've done a couple of road races where we do laps and the slowest riders (the ones just doing it to finish) do get lapped, but given the course it's almost never an issue.  Technically speaking, the RD could pull those riders, but really there isn't much point.



2014-07-18 1:48 PM
in reply to: Jason N

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
Thanks, seems to be healing well. Two weeks to go before I can ride again.

I'm still planning on Savageman, though probably won't be 100% where I'd want to be. Won't be overtrained, that's for sure...
2014-09-15 8:23 AM
in reply to: tcj103

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Subject: RE: 2014 cycling race report thread
So no Savageman for me this year, the collar bone didn't help, but I would have been ready. A confluence of friends losing motivation, the injury, and some family issues making it hard to leave town for a full weekend conspired against SM for me.

So I got out for my first Cyclocross race of the year yesterday, Granogue, in Wilmington, DE. That was pretty savage, though only 40 minutes worth.

Started in the back-third of the field (registered late) and the start seemed a bit more "relaxed" than usual. The start was on pavement for about 100 yards, with a turn onto the grass. Someone got excited with braking at the beginning of the turn and went down while still on pavement. Managed to stay away from that, found myself on the outside of the pack, and once on grass, shot around a big chunk of the field.

The first couple laps went pretty well, passed a few people in both turns and on some straight sections. Lots of off-camber turns (which freaked out a roadie friend) and it had rained the day before, but was cool, dry and sunny yesterday so there was some mud, but no bogs.

Somewhere in the last laps an old problem came back, lower back pain. Hung on for the last lap, finishing 27/63. I think I need to look again at the fit, or maybe do down a size in the frame.
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