SWBKRUN fast, furious, and closed (Page 89)

I took out my very 1st road bike for the first time this week. It is a Cannondale CAAD 10 with aerobars. Tony was a big help for narrowing down my choices. I will post a pic soon: )

Happy Friday everyone!

Woo Hoo!  Can't wait to see it.  Are you still in for Hagerstown?  Funny, much faster now but that was my first podium 2 years ago and haven't done it there since..  Looking for an AG win this year.

Ouch is right.   AND I got the invoice in the mail today for next year's tickets.   Fanhood is painful.

Could someone please take a nap for me and then report back on how awesome it was??? 

Tick tock, 4 more hours to go...funny how one less hour of sleep 2 nights in a row really take it's toll.  I'm going to blame it on increased training hours and NOT turning 46!  My ten o' clock rule is going back into effect as of tonite.

I hear you Kim, by Friday after a week of work, I'm toast. Just need to sleep a little more.(nothing to do with 46!)

Tony, I will be racing Hagerstown this year and really looking forward to seeing you and Sam again!

I wish I had it down like he does. needs to be a nutritional coach

I lay in bed for ages this morning thinking there's no way I'm going to be able to get back to sleep; in the end I just got up and went for a ride at 5:20am, btw I'm ONLY 43...

Thank you for your volunteer request(s) for the Ford Ironman Florida. You have selected the following position(s):

Job Position.......: Catcher
Date...............: 11/05/2011
Time...............: 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Location...........: Finish

HA!!!!

well!!!!   you too bryce!!

Joke, just way too easy there.

2nd bike race of the week done.  I really liked this course, flattish with a couple sharp turns thrown in.  AVG speed 23mph.

pretty dull pace until the 2nd to last lap, teammate took off the front of the group and I sped up to the front and blocked, (meaning I went to the front of the group then slowed down a bit to help him get more space), 2 guys jumped around me, so going into the last lap I was in 4th place, guy on my team blew up and 2 guys took off and I tried to close the gap, which ended up putting me over the redline.

We got swallowed up with about 300M to go and I held on for 14th place.  Again hind-sight being 20-20 I should have just stayed with the group and would have probably finished much higher as I would have been able to sprint for the finish instead of having used up all my energy trying to get away.

Still a learning process, the guys that took off seemed like they were strong but turned out not to be. 

Where's the red font?  Linda (havin'fun)?  Could you ask Tony where the red font is?

my fellow catcher may not find these antics humorous.   but lets see what she says...   ;-)

Ok, I admit I might be a little looped after attending a bridal shower for the first time in a very long time, but what are we talking about here? and when did Skinny decide to do Florida?  I could see trotting down there for some MG fun with zero race anxiety!

PS. Looped=sugar overload for me!

Welcome to my world! Lately I rarely get whaqt is being talked about!

I've been waiting for you to chime in on my bike race posts to tell me I need to race smarter, come on Doug!

And mmm, Sam Adams Summer Ale, very tasty on a hot day.

What does heat feel like????????????

It's hot.

OK you asked for it. I have read your reports and they have brought back memories. I have made those mistakes many times. Bear in mind I have NEVER won a race! I have placed 3rd 3 times in my life. That is it. so with that:

First: Forget what you watch on TV in the Grand Tours. Those riders are ridiculous!

Second: Right now you have had enough races to know how you stand sprint-wise relative to the field, but your finding that out.

Third: And you have mentioned it, do not try and sprint off the front. Stay with the main pack and throw it all out there at the closing sprint. Try that a few times and see how you fair relative to the field. You probably wont win but you will finish higher and find out how strong you are relative to the guys you race against regularly. Then you adjust from there relative to how you are finishing.

Fourth: As aI am sure you have noticed you should make hills your friend. Being a good climber provides opportunities to break away from the pack.

Fifth: It is s VERY strategic activity.

I will leave you with a story of one of  my races. I was 17 (so 33 years ago) I have just been asked to join a team. They put me in a one mile race. I had NEVER raced that short a diastance. This was 1978  and way before clipless pedals! No one gave me any strategy. IThe race was on a long oval and started in the middle of one of the long lengths.

When the gun went off I could not get my foot in the "rat trap" and started dead last! I was pissed so I through everything into it from the line. from there until the final turn I moved up in the ranks making the turn in third place with sights on the next 2 in a sprint.

So what happened? Well turns out the entire back stetch where I was goign red-line, we were riding into the wind! Everyone I passed sucked my wheel. When we made the final turn to go with the wind, four riders blew by me having saved their energy and I came in seventh. I knew next to nothing and paid for it. One of the guys who passed me was the youngest brother of the star of my new team. His brothers advice to him had been to follow me. Being broad shouldered I provide a big fairing to the riders behind me.

So be patient, do not ride off the front for now, and learn how you stack up against your competitor in a mass sprint, then work on your weaknesses.

Doug