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Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium - CycleCriterium


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Gainesville, Florida
United States
University of FL Gators cycling team
Total Time = 25m
Overall Rank = 10/50
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Bike
  • 25m
  • 0 miles
  • 0.00 mile/hr
Post race
Event comments:

I haven't been entering race reports for cycling races, but I thought I might start, just in case there are others interested in road racing who would like descriptions of these events. I've been racing Cat 5 and should have enough races this year to upgrade soon. The description that follows is from the Cat 5 criterium, which was 25 minutes long.

I raced the Gainesville criterium today, Cat 5. I warmed up for longer than the race. :)

It was a gorgeous day and I drove down to Gainesville in the Century. I had my training bike, the $100 Leader frame, with the Powertap and the Hed Jet wheels. I've been training on a set of Tufo tubular clincher tires, which have been very tough so far, and have the advantage of allowing you to run very high pressures with no pinch flat or sidewall blowout risks. I knew the course was going to be rough today so I figured I'd race on these.

Warmed up on Ro's trainer and pre-rode the course between races. It was a rectangle, 4 turn course around a couple of downtown city blocks. Hugely bumpy, with potholes, some cobblestones, manhole covers, missing bricks, and one section on the back downhill where the pavement was torn up with hard packed dirt/asphalt for about 6 feet. Just the sort of pavement you want to be screaming into corners at 30 mph on!

The race started and it was a sprint from the start. I got in the front and a split formed from the first lap; about half of the field was hopelessly gapped. The first few laps were fairly uneventful; hard but not too bad. Coming into the tight corner on the cobblestones on about the 4th lap, I felt the rear of the bike wiggle, and had to go up onto the sidewalk to make the curve. I cussed a couple of times, figured I'd better work on my line, jumped down onto the road, and kept flying. Next time around, I felt it wiggle again and realized that the back tire was flat just in time to hit the sidewalk again! Argghh...

I rode the flat the rest of that lap and made the wheel pit, where Ro was nice enough to let me use his spare wheel -- I am screaming at him all the way into the pit, "what's your number?!" because I couldn't remember his last name. :) The official restarted me when the front pack came by again, and I sprinted back in.

From there I spent a couple of laps trying to go off the front; I wasn't really getting a gap and decided with one lap to go to sit up a bit and save some for the sprint. In retrospect, I should've kept on the gas, as I was leading even if I didn't have any separation. I came into the final corner about 4th and got outsprinted by several guys at the finish. I am guessing I placed somewhere between 8th and 15th..hard to tell in the chaos.

All in all, a good race and a fun day. I remember why I like this bike racing thing again. In the short section I recorded before flatting the Powertap wheel, we averaged 25.4 mph, including turns where I was slowing to about 15 mph.

Here's the peak 5 minute data: this was actually a fairly easy couple of laps; it got quite a bit faster toward the end but by that time I was Powertapless and have no data. :)

Peak 5min (243 watts):
Duration: 5:15
Work: 73 kJ
TSS: 7.8 (intensity factor 0.964)
Norm Power: 260
VI: 1.07
Distance: 2.08 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 857 243 watts
Cadence: 30 152 92 rpm
Speed: 3.4 32.2 24.7 mph
Pace 1:52 17:53 2:25 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 305 70 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 838 225 lb-in






Last updated: 2008-02-10 12:00 AM
Biking
00:25:00 | 00 miles | 0.00 mile/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/50
Performance:
Wind:
Course:
Road: Potholes  Cadence:
Turns: Cornering:
Gear changes: Hills:
Race pace: Drinks:
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]

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2008-02-10 10:44 PM

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium


2008-02-11 11:30 AM
in reply to: #1204347

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium
Ok, now I'm definitely not riding with you...your too fast!
2008-02-11 1:01 PM
in reply to: #1204347

Master
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Subject: RE: Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium
I love watching crit races! Nothing like seeing a pack of in-shape cyclists fly by you at 30 mph! Glad you had fun...i forsee more racing in your future!
2008-02-11 5:41 PM
in reply to: #1204347

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Subject: RE: Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium

Great race...

Fun to read how a bike race should be executed..not like my first day of racing.

Nice power numbers...sounds like a fast bunch of cat 5 guys..nice finish! 

2008-02-11 8:16 PM
in reply to: #1206045

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Subject: RE: Team Florida Race Days Gainesville Criterium

pkingfl - 2008-02-11 11:30 AM Ok, now I'm definitely not riding with you...your too fast!

You need to come out and ride with us a lot..we'll get you hooked on the bike racing too!   

GatorGirl22 - 2008-02-11 1:01 PM I love watching crit races! Nothing like seeing a pack of in-shape cyclists fly by you at 30 mph! Glad you had fun...i forsee more racing in your future!

The Gator squad was out in force; you would've enjoyed it.  I saw a lot of that orange and blue, and warmed up next to a girl on the UF team.  She was riding rollers with no hands. 

KathyG - 2008-02-11 5:41 PM

Great race...

Fun to read how a bike race should be executed..not like my first day of racing.

Nice power numbers...sounds like a fast bunch of cat 5 guys..nice finish!

Don't kid yourself, it was Cat 5...no real strategy.    There were a lot of fairly fast guys, but in these short races, it seems to be all about the accelerations. 

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