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Yaletown Grand Prix - Cycle


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Vancouver, BC
Canada
Trek Red Truck Racing
Overcast
Total Time = 30m
Overall Rank = 10-12/35?
Age Group = N/A
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Drove to with David to Colin's in Vancouver. Rode from Colin's to Heather's and picked up Heather's. Rode to the race site which was approximately 5kms from Colin's house.

Ate a bowl of vector from breakfast and then a bar and a half of cup of coffee closer to the race. I hate coffee, so I had to load it up with milk and honey. Picked up our race packages and chatted to some other racers.
Event warmup:

Did a few laps of the circuit, then got kicked off of the course while they set up some more, so road around the streets with Kristine. Riding around the streets was not a good warm up as there were too many traffic lights. Went back to the course and rode around the circuit a few more times. Mostly easy spinning.
Bike
  • 19m
  • 11.24 kms
  • 35.49 km/hr
Comments:

There was a field of 35 or so riders. Only the riders that finished are in the official results, so I don't know how many riders there were precisely. The riders were category 3 and 4 women. I was a bit nervous about that, since I am category 4. I got in a good position at the start line and I was in the front of the pack for the first couple of laps. There were a lot of really inexperienced girls out and some of them were pulled from the race within 3-5 minutes. Once you are lapped you are pulled and receive a dnf. Not that it matters, you are either 1st - 3rd and get money or 1st - 5th in your category and get points for your category, otherwise the rest of the placing don't really matter except for your pride I guess.

After a few laps, there was a crash into the first corner. We were going some pretty high speeds, maybe high 40s and I think the girl was too inexperienced and couldn't take the corner. It was a difficult corner to take at high speed and I should have practiced it a bit. I was fine, but I rated my cornering as average because of this corner. I was in front of the crash and that crash separated the pack somewhat. I stayed in the peleton and same corner, next lap, another crash. This time one girl crashed and took another girl down with her. Another girl and I were right behind the crash. We had to brake, slow, and maneouver around them. By the time we did, the peleton had taken off. The girl in front of me was able to work hard and get back up to the peleton, but I wasn't able to get here wheel and couldn't quite catch on.

So now, we have the peleton of about 10 riders, 1 girl off of the front in the lead, me chasing, and a smaller peleton behind me, as well as some girls pulled from the race. I continued chasing and the smaller peleton behind me got lapped and pulled. Two girls from the front peleton fell off and we worked together chasing. Unfortunately that's what we did for our entire race. At 19 minutes, the lead rider, who was half a lap ahead of the peleton almost caught the three of us. So they pulled us and that was the end of my race.

The final results are posted and only 9 women finished the race. So between me and the other two girls that were pulled at the same time we would have been 10-12th. Everyone who dnfs receives no placing. Also it doesn't say in the results what category the riders were. I know some of the categories of the riders and upon further investigation it looks like 5/9 riders were category 3 and 4/9 riders were category 4. Since I don't know the category or names of the riders that got pulled with me, I was either 5-7 category 4 assuming the other two who got pulled with me were also category 4. Is that confusing enough?

I was happy to have made it further than a lot of girls, but I was a bit sad to have the dnf. Also it frustrated me somewhat because I was only lapped by one rider, not the entire pack who was half a lap behind me, or I was half a lap behind them depending on how you look at it. Also a lot of the riders in the peleton and the girl who lapped me is in category 3.


What would you do differently?:

My warm up should include higher speeds around the actual circuit to get a feel for the cornering. Unfortunately that is somewhat difficult to do because they were setting up the fences and the hay before my race, so there were obstacles in the way.
Post race
Warm down:

Rode around the streets for a bit, then came back to watch the Cat 4/5 men race. Rode back to Colin's place, left our bike there, then back to watch the rest of the races.

One cool thing that happened to me is that my team's coach noticed me. Our team has hired a really good coach who has coached national teams to victory, etc. and he has a training ride on Saturdays for the elite racers and some others by invitation. After he saw me race, he gave me a few pointers, i.e. that I should be riding in the drops more as opposed to the hoods, that my seat needs to be tilted up slightly and that I need a bike fitting. Then he told me to come out to the training starting in September. Awesome. He also told my friend Kristine to come out. She's a good rider. She's done Kona and came 3rd/4th (depending on which judge you talk to) in the race.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

More riding. More racing. More hill riding. My race season really starts next year, so that was an interesting prologue, but I've got a lot more training to do over the winter/off-season.

Event comments:

Overall, I would have to say this race was not well organized for the novice women. The pre-race and post-race activities were and it was a fun event, but I think they should not have put cat 3 and 4 together or should not have pulled riders that were only lapped by the lead and not the peleton.

Well once that was done, the post race party was great. There was a lot of food for racers and free red bull. Lots of spectors cheered me on and congratulated me, even though I dnfed. Beer and appies at the Yaletown brew pub later in the evening.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2005-06-30 12:00 AM
Biking
00:19:00 | 11.24 kms | 35.49 km/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 10/35?
Performance: Average
Did wear my heart rate monitor as I didn't want a high heart rate to psych me out.
Wind: Strong
Course: The course was approximately a 1km circuit (maybe a bit longer) around Yaletown. The race was 30 minutes plus 2 laps. The long stretch on the same side as the start/finish line was in good shape. There were lots of potholes/manhole covers after the first turn. On the straight stretch at the back side of the course you encountered a strong headwind. Then up a little hill before beginning the long straight stretch to the start finish line again. Also there were refelectors on the while lines on the road in the last stretch before the turn to the start/finish.
Road: Potholes Dry Cadence:
Turns: Cornering: Average
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Hard Drinks: Not enough
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Below average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 2
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 2

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2005-07-04 12:13 PM

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Pro
4578
20002000500252525
Vancouver, BC
Subject: Yaletown Grand Prix
Here's the race report for my Crit on Canada Day. Unfortunately I didn't achieve my goal of finishing with the peleton and dnfed. I was in a group of 3 and were were the last pulled, so 9 people finished and I would have been 10, 11 or 12th.

Jen

Edited by jeng 2005-07-04 12:15 PM


2005-07-04 12:42 PM
in reply to: #189776

Sydney Australia
Subject:
2005-07-04 1:46 PM
in reply to: #189776

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Master
2314
2000100100100
Gulf Shores, AL
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Glad you went for it and thanks for the race report. I really want to try some bike racing but so far the nerve has only been for time trials. Your description of the racing is helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to explain it all. Keep pushing!

Ken
2005-07-04 3:22 PM
in reply to: #189838

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Pro
4578
20002000500252525
Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Hey Ken,

Bike racing is very exciting. I think you should go for it. From reading your logs it looks like you will be able to do it no problem.

Jen
2005-07-04 3:27 PM
in reply to: #189776

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Extreme Veteran
311
100100100
St. Albert
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Wow Jen, that is great about the coaching - I am so happy for you!!! Then you can pass on all of your hot tips to us
2005-07-04 4:54 PM
in reply to: #189776

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Master
1494
1000100100100100252525
Kingston Ontario
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix

Hey Jen!!

I am so impressed that you are doing cycling races!! You rock, girl!!



2005-07-04 9:40 PM
in reply to: #189776

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Elite
2553
20005002525
Tucson, AZ
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Wow...that race sounds gnarly!  Great job in hanging in there for as long as you did, especially having to maneuver around crashes like that.  And it's so cool the coach guy noticed you and invited you to the training!  Keep up the great work! 
2005-07-04 10:02 PM
in reply to: #189776

Subject: ...
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2005-07-05 3:09 AM
in reply to: #189776

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2005-07-05 7:10 AM
in reply to: #189776

Master
2005
2000
South Florida
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
My stomach is in knots from reading your report!  Honestly, it sounds scary to me..you rode well, though.  just luck of the draw, huh?  So get your bike adjusted per the coaches tips, and gear up for september and riding under a coach's watch.  You're gonna be scary next year!  Great race report. 
2005-07-05 3:39 PM
in reply to: #189776

Master
1320
1000100100100
Chilliwack, BC
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Nice work.
Your pretty fast.
Wish I could keep up!
You know, I was thinking, its too bad I live out in the boonies.
It's too far to do anything like that.


2005-07-05 4:21 PM
in reply to: #189776

Pro
4578
20002000500252525
Vancouver, BC
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
Haha Dan. I read your log. I know what speeds you are capable off. This was my speed because I was drafting the whole time. You do that speed solo.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I probably wouldn't have done this race without all your inspires to help me along.

Jen
2005-07-05 7:03 PM
in reply to: #189776

Kodiak, Alaska
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix
An amazing swimmer and now an accomplished biker...dang! You ROCK!
2005-07-05 9:04 PM
in reply to: #189776

Elite
2796
2000500100100252525
Texas
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix

Wow. Just looking at your race pics made me scared! I'd be out there on my MTB getting run into a hay bale at the first turn. Nice job!

2005-07-06 6:02 PM
in reply to: #189776

Regular
92
252525
Washington, DC
Subject: RE: Yaletown Grand Prix

Congrats on the race Jen!  Those pictures look great.  The race sounds so challenging.  You did great.  Rock on. 

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