Ok, got a little slow with this thing again...
Green Mountain Cross- Day 2:
So the second day of Green Mtn Cross went slightly better than the first. Thanks to Colin's slow leaking front tire, I had one less contender to be concerned about, and the damp/loose conditions made for a more decisive course.
After a couple laps of slowly losing riders, I made the selection with James Tosca and Jeremy Dunn, and we kept it together for most of the race, holding a pretty solid gap to 4th. With 1.5 laps to go, I put in a half-hearted dig on a power section to try and increase the pace, but I just ended up towing them around. In retrospect, a harder attack was needed.
As we got to the final log run/ride up, Jeremy and I dismounted and Tosca rode it, as he had for the previous laps. I was hoping he would slip on the logs one of these times, since he was clearly the strongest rider among the three of us and it's always nice to whittle down the competition. As we crested the top, I hear "to your right" as Tosca thrusted his bike over the last log. Without thinking, I moved over and let him by (and Jeremy), forcing me to attempt a remount on a bumpy rooted section. And that was it. By the time I could remount and find my pedals, I was gapped and they held it to the finish. Game over. I just couldn't make contact again, and I cruised in for 3rd place. Gotta say, I'm pretty happy with that, given that I actually rode well in pseudo-slippery/techincal conditions (not really technical at all, but I'll pretend).
Gran Prix of Gloucester 1 and 2:
Both days at Gloucester went pretty much the same for me. But given that I had not ridden since the previous Monday and had just recovered from food poisoning hours before, I didn't have great expectations. I had a front row spot, but couldn't find my pedal quick enough and slowly slipped into the interior of the field before the hole-shot. However, I fought my way back to the front, actually making contact with the front group on day 1. Unfortunately I couldn't ever comfortably stay attached and eventually I slipped off, barely holding off Colin's late charge to slot into 8th place for the first day. It just wasn't a great day for me...my legs never felt good and I had a couple minor incidents with tripping on the barriers. On day 2, I could see the front, but was consistently 20m off the last wheel of the front group and never actually made the bridge. Another case of mediocre legs. However, a late crash allowed me to pick up another spot and come in with 9th place, maintaining my 3rd place in the overall season standings.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Green Mountain Cross, Day 1
Lacking Swandrome cross the previous week, I embarked on my 2008 cross campaign with the first Verge NECCS weekend in Williston, VT at Green Mtn Cross. Coming in, I had hopes of a top 15 placing, but I wasn't sure how my legs would react (first race in 2 months) or if my neck would even allow me to race. But I paid $70 in registration fees and we had a hotel booked...no turning back now.
When I got to the course on Saturday morning, I instantly recognized it as the place where St. Michael's College histed a cross country meet back when I was a freshman at Clarkson. This was good, because all I remember about that course was the hills. Sure enough, it delivered.
I tried to work the tubular glue off my front rim to no avail, so I was forced to run a clincher (mud2) in the front, and my Challenge Grifo in the rear. I was pretty bummed about this, since I was really happy with how the Grifos rolled...but not so happy with how the front rim made the bike shudder and squeal with any brake application. In any case, the course was dry enough that I could run a reasonable pressure without much fear of pinch flatting.
After call-ups, I was put in the third row...not terrible given how wide the opening stretch was, and the climb directly after. I could most likely slide up during the first climb.
My clip-in was pretty flawless and I weaved through a couple fumbling riders to get within the top 15 going into the "hole-shot" (because it wasn't really a hole-shot). I had to fight a bit for the good line, which was a 3" gravel hardpack in the middle of an otherwise soft grassy hillside...there was a good amount of bumping and grunting but I ended up in the path, which means I won. The next task was the navigate through the field on the uphill.
This would have been a lot harder if Colin Jaskiewicz hadn't crashed through a right hand turn at the top of the hill. Luckily I was far enough behind to navigate through the cursing mass of riders and pull in behind the train that was about to leave the station.
Four riders used this opportunity to get a gap on the field- led by Colin Reuter, who had great legs, despite his misgivings about this being a roadie/climber friendly course. I tried to make the catch before the downhill section, but I remained dangling off the pace. If I could limit my losses in the turning/downhill sections, I could probably bridge on the power intensive sections. Ok, no problem...right?
I spent the next lap clawing back 20-30m until I finally made contact. That was a pretty difficult catch. As I joined the front group, Colin called for some help at the front, since the other riders were wheelsucking pretty intensely. I explained that I just caught on and needed a quick rest. That lasted for about 10 seconds before I shot to the front on a difficult grind to the top of the course. Foolishly they let me by before the downhill! Ha!
Once at the front, I was pretty energized and somewhat nervous about being the one to set the pace. As we came into the downhill, there was a right turn which dumped us over a rock and into 180 left hand. I handled the first turn decent enough, but continued to pedal over the rock, causing my rear wheel to jump/flare out and making me look rather foolish. That didn't go unnoticed, since it came up in the post-race breakdown. For all my technical improvements, I still have some strides to make.
But here's a sweet picture that Colin sent, via some other photographer...
I led the group around for most of the next lap before swinging wide in a turn before the barriers and letting the others by (aka Colin took the lead again). I tagged onto the back as we came through the start finish. Richard Fries made sure to comment that I was apparently "barely hanging on" the train. For the most part we were safe from any big chases behind, but there were a couple of riders looking to make the bridge.
The next lap or so was relatively uneventful, except for the constant pace surges which were beginning to take their toll on me. Our first group got strung out a bit, with Colin and Tosca ahead. However, I was still in relative contact, and would plan on making efforts on sections where I could close the gaps back down...at least until the barriers came. I knew I had to make this one clean and hopefully close some more distance. As we came around the gentle left turn in, I threw my leg over, un-clipped, and proceeded to trip+slam my front wheel into the first barrier. This caused me to splay out between the barriers in a probably comical fashion, and the bike to follow suit. Luckily I hadn't hit the second barrier and my recovery was pretty quick. However, my confidence was fairly shaken.
Back on the bike, Colin and the eventual winner were well out of sight, and third place was probably 100m ahead. I looked back and didn't see anyone else. OK...safe for now.
Over the next lap I could feel my legs failing all too quickly. Normally you can last the final lap...except that each trip around was taking close to 10 minutes since the course was so damn long! As I came to the top of the hill I began to see a rider in pursuit behind...and Jeremy Dunn was behind him. In other words, I coulnd't cruise in, content with my fourth place. However, even though I felt like I was putting out some respectable power, the chase was closing in. I held off the fourth place rider until just before the barriers, where he took advantage of my failing body and hesitancy. However, Jeremy was just behind him. I had to last at least another 300m to the line.
And I did. As we came through the bushes I glanced back to see 5th place was safe, so I didn't need to kill my legs for a sprint. That's a good thing.
So yeah, fifth place in my first killer B's race, and my first race of 2008. Given that my legs aren't anywhere near ready to race yet, this has got to be a good sign.
When I got to the course on Saturday morning, I instantly recognized it as the place where St. Michael's College histed a cross country meet back when I was a freshman at Clarkson. This was good, because all I remember about that course was the hills. Sure enough, it delivered.
I tried to work the tubular glue off my front rim to no avail, so I was forced to run a clincher (mud2) in the front, and my Challenge Grifo in the rear. I was pretty bummed about this, since I was really happy with how the Grifos rolled...but not so happy with how the front rim made the bike shudder and squeal with any brake application. In any case, the course was dry enough that I could run a reasonable pressure without much fear of pinch flatting.
After call-ups, I was put in the third row...not terrible given how wide the opening stretch was, and the climb directly after. I could most likely slide up during the first climb.
My clip-in was pretty flawless and I weaved through a couple fumbling riders to get within the top 15 going into the "hole-shot" (because it wasn't really a hole-shot). I had to fight a bit for the good line, which was a 3" gravel hardpack in the middle of an otherwise soft grassy hillside...there was a good amount of bumping and grunting but I ended up in the path, which means I won. The next task was the navigate through the field on the uphill.
This would have been a lot harder if Colin Jaskiewicz hadn't crashed through a right hand turn at the top of the hill. Luckily I was far enough behind to navigate through the cursing mass of riders and pull in behind the train that was about to leave the station.
Four riders used this opportunity to get a gap on the field- led by Colin Reuter, who had great legs, despite his misgivings about this being a roadie/climber friendly course. I tried to make the catch before the downhill section, but I remained dangling off the pace. If I could limit my losses in the turning/downhill sections, I could probably bridge on the power intensive sections. Ok, no problem...right?
I spent the next lap clawing back 20-30m until I finally made contact. That was a pretty difficult catch. As I joined the front group, Colin called for some help at the front, since the other riders were wheelsucking pretty intensely. I explained that I just caught on and needed a quick rest. That lasted for about 10 seconds before I shot to the front on a difficult grind to the top of the course. Foolishly they let me by before the downhill! Ha!
Once at the front, I was pretty energized and somewhat nervous about being the one to set the pace. As we came into the downhill, there was a right turn which dumped us over a rock and into 180 left hand. I handled the first turn decent enough, but continued to pedal over the rock, causing my rear wheel to jump/flare out and making me look rather foolish. That didn't go unnoticed, since it came up in the post-race breakdown. For all my technical improvements, I still have some strides to make.
But here's a sweet picture that Colin sent, via some other photographer...
I led the group around for most of the next lap before swinging wide in a turn before the barriers and letting the others by (aka Colin took the lead again). I tagged onto the back as we came through the start finish. Richard Fries made sure to comment that I was apparently "barely hanging on" the train. For the most part we were safe from any big chases behind, but there were a couple of riders looking to make the bridge.
The next lap or so was relatively uneventful, except for the constant pace surges which were beginning to take their toll on me. Our first group got strung out a bit, with Colin and Tosca ahead. However, I was still in relative contact, and would plan on making efforts on sections where I could close the gaps back down...at least until the barriers came. I knew I had to make this one clean and hopefully close some more distance. As we came around the gentle left turn in, I threw my leg over, un-clipped, and proceeded to trip+slam my front wheel into the first barrier. This caused me to splay out between the barriers in a probably comical fashion, and the bike to follow suit. Luckily I hadn't hit the second barrier and my recovery was pretty quick. However, my confidence was fairly shaken.
Back on the bike, Colin and the eventual winner were well out of sight, and third place was probably 100m ahead. I looked back and didn't see anyone else. OK...safe for now.
Over the next lap I could feel my legs failing all too quickly. Normally you can last the final lap...except that each trip around was taking close to 10 minutes since the course was so damn long! As I came to the top of the hill I began to see a rider in pursuit behind...and Jeremy Dunn was behind him. In other words, I coulnd't cruise in, content with my fourth place. However, even though I felt like I was putting out some respectable power, the chase was closing in. I held off the fourth place rider until just before the barriers, where he took advantage of my failing body and hesitancy. However, Jeremy was just behind him. I had to last at least another 300m to the line.
And I did. As we came through the bushes I glanced back to see 5th place was safe, so I didn't need to kill my legs for a sprint. That's a good thing.
So yeah, fifth place in my first killer B's race, and my first race of 2008. Given that my legs aren't anywhere near ready to race yet, this has got to be a good sign.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The weekend.
Saturday I went up to Swan's place to help setup the course for Sunday's race. Thanks to ample course tape, I suspect it was the most legit Swandrome cross race to date. I was pretty excited to get my first race done, and hopefully shake the rust off before next weekend's Verge races in VT. Perhaps too excited...
After finishing the course, we did some hot laps with a small pack. As we entered one of the wooded sections, I flatted my front wheel on a small rocky section. I was going probably 15mph through a shallow turn at the time and could not steer the bike at all upon exiting. Next stop- the tree on the outside of the turn.
I hit it square on, cracking my helmet and injuring my neck. Expensive little flat.
I tried to wake up and race the next day, but lacking the ability to turn my head and the noticeable pain precluded any racing. Hopefully it clears up before the weekend. And hopefully I don't suck in VT because I haven't ridden in 4 days thanks to this and ample work to keep me inside. Ugh...
After finishing the course, we did some hot laps with a small pack. As we entered one of the wooded sections, I flatted my front wheel on a small rocky section. I was going probably 15mph through a shallow turn at the time and could not steer the bike at all upon exiting. Next stop- the tree on the outside of the turn.
I hit it square on, cracking my helmet and injuring my neck. Expensive little flat.
I tried to wake up and race the next day, but lacking the ability to turn my head and the noticeable pain precluded any racing. Hopefully it clears up before the weekend. And hopefully I don't suck in VT because I haven't ridden in 4 days thanks to this and ample work to keep me inside. Ugh...
Friday, September 19, 2008
I offer nothing.
Ok, so I haven't written anything since I raced Wilmington-Whiteface. I started to write a post about the Off-Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell, but that became derailed somewhere. Rather than try to remember races from several months ago, I'm going to bring things up to date...
Following Whiteface, I did Fitchburg-Longsjo. I didn't quite have the time trial I wanted(36/111), and I didn't do super well on Mt Wachusett (15th place), but I finished 18th overall on GC in the cat2 field, which is ok by me. It was nice racing against only cat2's, and not being outrageously humbled by future pros (well, there are probably future pros in the cat2 field, but you know what I mean). I'd like to train more intelligently (maybe do intervals!?!?) and get at least a top 10 next year. If I'm smart about my early season, I think it's doable.
Thus ended my road season for 2008.
I followed up Fitchburg with ORAMM in North Carolina, did Tandem Track nationals with Steve, an open track day, and two ECCC track weekends, but have not officially raced my road bike since. Track had varied success- we raced faster than last year on the tandem, but still fell short of winning any races (and no one let us run away in the 5k scratch race). My first two track weekends, one after Tandem nationals and the other at Kissena, were nothing to speak of. I finally was able to muster some speed at the final track day at Trexlertown, where I placed in both the the points and scratch races. Allegedly my performance garnered me an on-site cat3 upgrade, but I have yet to see about that.
All in all, since Fitchburg, I have only done a few long rides, a bunch of fixed gear track rides, some time trials, and some low-key mountain biking. Here and there I threw in a Tuesday night race. I guess the point is that I was preparing to concentrate on cyclocross- I learned my lesson last year when I started CX totally burnt from summer racing, especially GMSR.
Then, last weekend I started racing again with the ECCC MTB season opener at Lehigh- again with varied success.
Saturday was the XC race. I naturally signed up for A's, since I they got cool plastic numbers and the other classes got paper. Also because I figured my fitness could carry me through whatever my bike handling couldn't. Since it had rained a little the previous day, the course was pretty slick, and the rock gardens were proving to be quite a mess for me to deal with. I lowered my pressure to ~38 psi...I figured that was reasonably soft enough to get traction, but not soft enough to cause pinch flats. More on that.
After the bottleneck saw the race leaders well up the trail, I settled into almost DFL with a couple other riders. Soon, we caught up to the field ahead as we went into a short climb and followed with some small rock gardens. I made a couple passes and settled back into the line. Unfortunately, since I couldn't see the line ahead, I plowed right into a couple sharp rocks which pinch flatted BOTH my wheels. Race over. I tried to fix them and continue on, but my mini-pump broke. I raced 1 mile of collegiate mountain biking and proceeded to walk a useless bike back to the start.
Sunday was the short track XC, which was held on a ~800m loop with 500m of climbing and 300m of a switchbacking descent. If there was ever a course made for me, this was it. I could reasonably manage my losses on the downhill and make my time on the up. And the race was only 35 minutes.
Right out of the start, someone fell in the middle of the field, causing a small pile-up, which I quickly navigated through. I looked ahead to see a small group of 5-6 riders up the trail. Beyond them, I couldn't see anyone. Either the first few guys really flew off the line, or I was actually near the front of the race. Over the next couple laps, I made up the gap and joined their group. While catching my breath, I settled in behind Vanya, who had avoided the earlier crash altogether.
Over the next few laps (before they started showing lap cards), I moved my way up, passing what I believed were the remaining leaders, including a rider who I saw got third on the previous day. This race was going pretty well by all accounts. I kind of thought I was winning, but I was not sure. At this point we began to lap some riders, so I really could not tell what was going on. I began to wonder if the 'officials' were paying attention and that I woulnd't get screwed in the confusion of riders being lapped everywhere. In any case, I kept pressure on the pedals.
Unfortunately, I probably gave too much too early, as I began to get caught by a UMass and UVM rider I had passed earlier. As I got more tired, my already limited ability to descend the hill began to get progressively worse. With 3 laps to go, I was passed and really didn't have the ability to respond. Oh well, I still am on the podium, right? I mean, I don't see any others ahead, and I haven't been passed/lapped myself...
As it turned out, I ended up 7th...apparently one lap down(?!?!). At least I guess that was the case, since they placed me behind a rider marked as being down a lap. I personally find this highly improbable, since I was only passed by two riders whom(who?...I don't care) I had previously passed. It's a good thing I don't care too much about my collegiate ranking, because otherwise I'd be a little more bitter about it. However, I'm feeling pretty positive about the race with cross around the corner.
This weekend is Swandrome cross, then next weekend is the official season opener in VT. I think I'll be able to stay on top of race reports now that the races are actually exciting...
Following Whiteface, I did Fitchburg-Longsjo. I didn't quite have the time trial I wanted(36/111), and I didn't do super well on Mt Wachusett (15th place), but I finished 18th overall on GC in the cat2 field, which is ok by me. It was nice racing against only cat2's, and not being outrageously humbled by future pros (well, there are probably future pros in the cat2 field, but you know what I mean). I'd like to train more intelligently (maybe do intervals!?!?) and get at least a top 10 next year. If I'm smart about my early season, I think it's doable.
Thus ended my road season for 2008.
I followed up Fitchburg with ORAMM in North Carolina, did Tandem Track nationals with Steve, an open track day, and two ECCC track weekends, but have not officially raced my road bike since. Track had varied success- we raced faster than last year on the tandem, but still fell short of winning any races (and no one let us run away in the 5k scratch race). My first two track weekends, one after Tandem nationals and the other at Kissena, were nothing to speak of. I finally was able to muster some speed at the final track day at Trexlertown, where I placed in both the the points and scratch races. Allegedly my performance garnered me an on-site cat3 upgrade, but I have yet to see about that.
All in all, since Fitchburg, I have only done a few long rides, a bunch of fixed gear track rides, some time trials, and some low-key mountain biking. Here and there I threw in a Tuesday night race. I guess the point is that I was preparing to concentrate on cyclocross- I learned my lesson last year when I started CX totally burnt from summer racing, especially GMSR.
Then, last weekend I started racing again with the ECCC MTB season opener at Lehigh- again with varied success.
Saturday was the XC race. I naturally signed up for A's, since I they got cool plastic numbers and the other classes got paper. Also because I figured my fitness could carry me through whatever my bike handling couldn't. Since it had rained a little the previous day, the course was pretty slick, and the rock gardens were proving to be quite a mess for me to deal with. I lowered my pressure to ~38 psi...I figured that was reasonably soft enough to get traction, but not soft enough to cause pinch flats. More on that.
After the bottleneck saw the race leaders well up the trail, I settled into almost DFL with a couple other riders. Soon, we caught up to the field ahead as we went into a short climb and followed with some small rock gardens. I made a couple passes and settled back into the line. Unfortunately, since I couldn't see the line ahead, I plowed right into a couple sharp rocks which pinch flatted BOTH my wheels. Race over. I tried to fix them and continue on, but my mini-pump broke. I raced 1 mile of collegiate mountain biking and proceeded to walk a useless bike back to the start.
Sunday was the short track XC, which was held on a ~800m loop with 500m of climbing and 300m of a switchbacking descent. If there was ever a course made for me, this was it. I could reasonably manage my losses on the downhill and make my time on the up. And the race was only 35 minutes.
Right out of the start, someone fell in the middle of the field, causing a small pile-up, which I quickly navigated through. I looked ahead to see a small group of 5-6 riders up the trail. Beyond them, I couldn't see anyone. Either the first few guys really flew off the line, or I was actually near the front of the race. Over the next couple laps, I made up the gap and joined their group. While catching my breath, I settled in behind Vanya, who had avoided the earlier crash altogether.
Over the next few laps (before they started showing lap cards), I moved my way up, passing what I believed were the remaining leaders, including a rider who I saw got third on the previous day. This race was going pretty well by all accounts. I kind of thought I was winning, but I was not sure. At this point we began to lap some riders, so I really could not tell what was going on. I began to wonder if the 'officials' were paying attention and that I woulnd't get screwed in the confusion of riders being lapped everywhere. In any case, I kept pressure on the pedals.
Unfortunately, I probably gave too much too early, as I began to get caught by a UMass and UVM rider I had passed earlier. As I got more tired, my already limited ability to descend the hill began to get progressively worse. With 3 laps to go, I was passed and really didn't have the ability to respond. Oh well, I still am on the podium, right? I mean, I don't see any others ahead, and I haven't been passed/lapped myself...
As it turned out, I ended up 7th...apparently one lap down(?!?!). At least I guess that was the case, since they placed me behind a rider marked as being down a lap. I personally find this highly improbable, since I was only passed by two riders whom(who?...I don't care) I had previously passed. It's a good thing I don't care too much about my collegiate ranking, because otherwise I'd be a little more bitter about it. However, I'm feeling pretty positive about the race with cross around the corner.
This weekend is Swandrome cross, then next weekend is the official season opener in VT. I think I'll be able to stay on top of race reports now that the races are actually exciting...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wilmington-Whiteface
Somehow I was coerced by my advisor to attend a conference at Colby College in Maine from June 22-27. But damn, such a long drive...I had to come up with a way to make it shorter. Luckily, the Whiteface-Wilmington race provided a nice stop-over in Lake Placid so that I could pretend it wouldn't be so painfully far from Ithaca.
We (the Cornell/Chris' Cookies cycling conglomerate) rolled in pretty late on Friday night, where we camped off the Marcy Dam access road just prior to the ADK Loj. Since I really haven't been back to the High Peaks since I left Clarkson, I forgot how much I miss hiking and camping there. But no...no time for that-we're here to race bikes!
After a huge breakfast at the Lake Placid Brewing Company and some bike porn at High Peaks Cyclery, we headed out the Wilmington for a 12:30 start. In reality, there was no reason to browse bikes at High Peaks since there were triathletes everywhere, previewing the course for the ironman which was this past weekend. I've never seen such a density of high priced bikes under so many goofy looking riders. I've also never seen such little regard for such high price bikes. Imagine several Cervelo P3c's left unwatched outside of practically any store where one can fill water bottles and buy snacks. Anyway...
The race consisted of a 6-7 mile jaunt out to the main loop, which we would do several times (I don't remember how many) before returning and climbing to the finish located a couple miles up the toll road. 72 miles total. Naturally, I should have looked at the climb before the race, but I didn't.
The 1/2/3 race was pretty small with only 25 starters, but there were a couple Canadian wild cards and a lone Fiordifrutta rider, Cory Burns. From the start it was obvious that he was not going anywhere off the front of the race. Any move on his part was instantly covered...wearing that jersey earns you quite a bit of respect from the field, but must be a pain to deal with.
Here's us sucking Cory's wheel over the top of the climb
The main loop was gently rolling, save one punchy climb through the feed zone. If any separations were going to occur, it would certainly be there. Luckily our group was well represented, with myself, Steve, Cameron, and Jake. While we're not quite CSC, we were hoping to have some minor control over the race...or at least settle to not chase each other down. Unfortunately, our strength was cut by 25% when Steve got off the bike to piss. An attack soon followed, and he found himself on a 50 mile time trial. We tried to get to the front to slow the field, but that didn't work very well. I suppose a real team may have dropped to pace him back to the field, but then we may very well have had a 4 person 50 mile team time trial. Oh well.
The race stayed together for the most part, with a couple small attacks going off, and actually gaining some ground. The desire to chase was decidedly lacking, but the time gaps seemed reasonable enough to pull back in the final miles, as long as they didn't grow. More than a few times we found ourselves at the front to accelerate the pace when it slowed significantly. None of us made any real moves, but we definitely did quite a bit of time with our faces in the wind and the stinging, intermittent rain. Given the speed on the flats and especially on the climb, the breaks weren't going anywhere.
This played out for several laps, and we reeled in the final solo breakaway with probably 10 miles to go. As we crested the climb through the feed zone, we were guided off the loop and back towards the Whiteface toll road. The race had officially started...all the rest was a warm-up (not really).
We came flying back into Wilmington on a road that was largely flat and downhill. Those not so confident in their climbing skills (or those overly confident) fired small attacks off the front, hoping to open a gap before the turn to the final climb. I'm not too sure what happened in that stretch of road, but I'm pretty sure all of them came back. It's possible the Canadian rider who won shot off in the flurry of attacks. Cory Burns put in a ton of digs, but clearly he was the last person the field would let go. As I shook out my legs on a small downhill section, Cory remarked, "Yeah, I hear ya." We talked for a bit as I tried to glean as much information about the climb from him. He described it well, warning me to ride my own pace and not get sucked into early efforts, doomed to fail. As we made the right turn onto the toll road, we wished each other good luck and dropped onto our little rings.
The Whiteface climb starts out very gently; I was honestly expecting something a little steeper. I didn't picture it very well from Cory's description- I openly queried whether this was the final climb or just a lead-in. The silence around me confirmed that it was indeed the final climb. In retrospect, I think they just thought I was being an asshole. No, I was being genuine. The road stretched out straight in front at a small, but tiring grade.
At this point, the field shattered as the climbers grouped near the front and others went into survival mode. I was hurting, but kept an eye on the front. I knew Steven Pingree was strong- he placed just behind me at GMSR, and had been beating me all spring in ECCC races. Also at the front was Nicholas Bruno, who beat me at Housatonic Hills in the cat4 race and placed 13th in the p/1/2 at Housatonic the week before. And then there was Cameron, not that I was racing against him. I knew we'd all make it hurt. The Canadian guy held a small gap to our group of 4.
Up ahead I spied a sign that read 1km...YES! Only a couple more minutes of suffering left! Somewhere around here, Cameron just barely slipped off the back of our group. I think he was still adjusting to not having a triple crankset and couldn't spin his insanely fast cadence. I was just following wheels, not processing the fact that the Canadian guy was going to ride away untouched. Not that I could do anything about it anyway, haha.
As we came to the 200m sign, I debated making an early charge to the line, but I still couldn't see the finish. The road curved left, and the trees successfully obscured the tent and timing equipment. The road was also noticeably steeper than before. With probably 150m, I jumped on the left, pulling around Nick and drawing Steven out on the right. My move was strong enough to get a little room, but perhaps a little too early. I also should have taken up another gear somewhere, because I was chugging a bit and couldn't match Pingree's acceleration when he finally pulled past at the line. 3rd place! Not too bad- two podiums in two weekends. Photographic evidence suggests that I could have won the sprint if I had been in the drops!
We (the Cornell/Chris' Cookies cycling conglomerate) rolled in pretty late on Friday night, where we camped off the Marcy Dam access road just prior to the ADK Loj. Since I really haven't been back to the High Peaks since I left Clarkson, I forgot how much I miss hiking and camping there. But no...no time for that-we're here to race bikes!
After a huge breakfast at the Lake Placid Brewing Company and some bike porn at High Peaks Cyclery, we headed out the Wilmington for a 12:30 start. In reality, there was no reason to browse bikes at High Peaks since there were triathletes everywhere, previewing the course for the ironman which was this past weekend. I've never seen such a density of high priced bikes under so many goofy looking riders. I've also never seen such little regard for such high price bikes. Imagine several Cervelo P3c's left unwatched outside of practically any store where one can fill water bottles and buy snacks. Anyway...
The race consisted of a 6-7 mile jaunt out to the main loop, which we would do several times (I don't remember how many) before returning and climbing to the finish located a couple miles up the toll road. 72 miles total. Naturally, I should have looked at the climb before the race, but I didn't.
The 1/2/3 race was pretty small with only 25 starters, but there were a couple Canadian wild cards and a lone Fiordifrutta rider, Cory Burns. From the start it was obvious that he was not going anywhere off the front of the race. Any move on his part was instantly covered...wearing that jersey earns you quite a bit of respect from the field, but must be a pain to deal with.
Here's us sucking Cory's wheel over the top of the climbThe race stayed together for the most part, with a couple small attacks going off, and actually gaining some ground. The desire to chase was decidedly lacking, but the time gaps seemed reasonable enough to pull back in the final miles, as long as they didn't grow. More than a few times we found ourselves at the front to accelerate the pace when it slowed significantly. None of us made any real moves, but we definitely did quite a bit of time with our faces in the wind and the stinging, intermittent rain. Given the speed on the flats and especially on the climb, the breaks weren't going anywhere.
This played out for several laps, and we reeled in the final solo breakaway with probably 10 miles to go. As we crested the climb through the feed zone, we were guided off the loop and back towards the Whiteface toll road. The race had officially started...all the rest was a warm-up (not really).
We came flying back into Wilmington on a road that was largely flat and downhill. Those not so confident in their climbing skills (or those overly confident) fired small attacks off the front, hoping to open a gap before the turn to the final climb. I'm not too sure what happened in that stretch of road, but I'm pretty sure all of them came back. It's possible the Canadian rider who won shot off in the flurry of attacks. Cory Burns put in a ton of digs, but clearly he was the last person the field would let go. As I shook out my legs on a small downhill section, Cory remarked, "Yeah, I hear ya." We talked for a bit as I tried to glean as much information about the climb from him. He described it well, warning me to ride my own pace and not get sucked into early efforts, doomed to fail. As we made the right turn onto the toll road, we wished each other good luck and dropped onto our little rings.
The Whiteface climb starts out very gently; I was honestly expecting something a little steeper. I didn't picture it very well from Cory's description- I openly queried whether this was the final climb or just a lead-in. The silence around me confirmed that it was indeed the final climb. In retrospect, I think they just thought I was being an asshole. No, I was being genuine. The road stretched out straight in front at a small, but tiring grade.
At this point, the field shattered as the climbers grouped near the front and others went into survival mode. I was hurting, but kept an eye on the front. I knew Steven Pingree was strong- he placed just behind me at GMSR, and had been beating me all spring in ECCC races. Also at the front was Nicholas Bruno, who beat me at Housatonic Hills in the cat4 race and placed 13th in the p/1/2 at Housatonic the week before. And then there was Cameron, not that I was racing against him. I knew we'd all make it hurt. The Canadian guy held a small gap to our group of 4.
Up ahead I spied a sign that read 1km...YES! Only a couple more minutes of suffering left! Somewhere around here, Cameron just barely slipped off the back of our group. I think he was still adjusting to not having a triple crankset and couldn't spin his insanely fast cadence. I was just following wheels, not processing the fact that the Canadian guy was going to ride away untouched. Not that I could do anything about it anyway, haha.
As we came to the 200m sign, I debated making an early charge to the line, but I still couldn't see the finish. The road curved left, and the trees successfully obscured the tent and timing equipment. The road was also noticeably steeper than before. With probably 150m, I jumped on the left, pulling around Nick and drawing Steven out on the right. My move was strong enough to get a little room, but perhaps a little too early. I also should have taken up another gear somewhere, because I was chugging a bit and couldn't match Pingree's acceleration when he finally pulled past at the line. 3rd place! Not too bad- two podiums in two weekends. Photographic evidence suggests that I could have won the sprint if I had been in the drops!
Looking naturally resplendent with my moustache.
Monday, July 21, 2008
And a picture!
I finally hooked up the digital cam to unload some pics...
WARNING: Gratuitous side-butt nudity
For whatever reason, this picture doesn't capture the full essence of the road rash...and it sure as hell hurt a lot more than it looks.
WARNING: Gratuitous side-butt nudity
For whatever reason, this picture doesn't capture the full essence of the road rash...and it sure as hell hurt a lot more than it looks.
Another (late) update
It appears I've let this thing lapse again...time to recap...
Sunday, June 15, 2008- Housatonic Hills RR
After my respectable 2nd place at the Cyclonauts race, I was happy, but kept my hubris reserved since the big names of New England cycling weren't there. Sunday would be my chance to see them again...and be horribly beaten again.
During the pre-race period at Cyclonauts, there was a lot of talk about the "new" course for Housatonic Hills- suffice to say, people were worried. The climb up Constitution Hill was now part of the actual loop...not just the last 2 kilometers. Allegedly each lap had 2700 feet of climbing- we had to do 3 loops, for a total of ~81 miles. I was less bothered about the climbing and more concerned about the length. I'm not used to racing these distances yet, and without help in the feed zone, we had to carry anything we wanted to drink. I did 81 miles on two water bottles. Dehydration imminent!
The first time up the climb was neutral, but it was still annoying since I could not climb at my pace. That's not to say we were going slow, but I was not in the rhythm I'm used to. My legs felt pretty bad- I guess I didn't recover well enough from the previous day. And I had to piss like Sea Biscuit (to steal a line from Juno). Now I'm in for it.
After the neutral climb, we hit a rather long descent where I lost a few wheels. On the subsequent flat and climb I began to fall off the back of the field. What the hell? Not even 5km into the race and I'm in trouble! The SRAM wheel car pulled around, placing itself between me and field. Considering this somewhat of an insult, I forced myself to man-up and get back in. And it worked. Safe for now.
This happened a few more times on the first lap as the pace shifted when attacks went off the front. Eventually I could see Targetraining sitting on the front- presumably they had a rider up the road and they were slowing the pace. Phew...thanks guys!
As we finished the first lap, we began our first race pace ascent of Constitution Hill...and my legs felt awful. I could still see the big names just ahead, but they were pulling away. I guess when the field includes a soon-to-be Olympian (Todd Wells) and more than a handful of other great riders, the pace is bound to be hot. I grabbed a few wheels and managed to pull myself up to the middle of the group as we came over the top. And then I was dropped on the descent again...time to chase.
Once again, I spent the second lap yo-yo'ing with the peloton, almost losing it for good at one particular point. I practically turned the bike around to head back to the start...but then I remembered how much I spent in time/money on this weekend...so I chased back on, with a little help from a Targetraining rider who was also popped off. We were even applauded by the neutral support car! Safe again, at least for the remainder of the second lap. What a crappy day.
The third lap began with an insanely fast ascent of Constitution Hill, where the big separations occurred. In front were the elites of new england cycling...behind them formed the human cat2's. I was happy for this separation, because it meant the last lap would be easier and I wouldn't die. With both of my bottles practically empty, it probably wasn't long before dehydration and cramping set in.
As expected the third lap was easier, as people became content with what was left of the peloton. The pace ahead must have been tough, as we picked up Josh Lipka, who drifted back to us mere mortals. Small attacks went off, but were usually brought back without much effort. Matt tried a few pulls, but didn't get much help in the wind. It looked as if the final KOM climb would be the launch point for attacks.
We turned onto the KOM climb (which was more of a 3-4% false flat than a real climb) and people went nuts. I'd say the group got split in half in only the first third of the hill. I had my front wheel pinched as two riders stood in front, but managed to stay upright (yes, bike handling!). Someone swerved severely and forced Matt out of his pedal and practically into the side of the road. For a race of allegedly good riders, it wasn't pretty.
Matt managed to claw himself back with surprising speed, but had lost Lipka's wheel in the prior melee- and now he was gone. As we looked ahead, he had sufficiently buried his head and was riding away from really damn quickly. And like that, he was gone for good. Ridiculous.
The final drag was extremely fast as riders tried attack after attack on the largely flat/downhill miles...great effort, but largely wasted. I sucked wind at the back as my mouth became increasingly cotton-like. Since my bottles had been sucked dry miles earlier, I could do little but think about the cold drinks at the finish line. Concentrate on the race for now.
As we came flying past the front of the school things that got pretty sketchy as everyone jockeyed for position into the final turn. Having pretty fresh road rash from Balloon Fest, I slid back and let the others fight it out. We slammed through the turn, where a slight uphill sprint of ~200m began. I passed quite a few people in our group as they popped. Unfortunately I got boxed into the side of the road by someone, which quickly ended my charge to the line. I hit the brakes and maneuvered around, losing precious speed and severely screwing up my gearing into the final 100m. I managed to hold on for a mid-pack finish within the group, good for 32nd overall, 5:17 back from the winner. Meh. Matt uncorked a pretty solid finish, getting 4th in the group sprint and 23rd overall. But he stole a coke from someone at the beginning of the last lap, so that's cheating, haha.
Overall- pretty happy to finish, especially given the difficulty in the early miles. Could have done better, but man was that race hard!
Wilmington-Whiteface report next!
Sunday, June 15, 2008- Housatonic Hills RR
After my respectable 2nd place at the Cyclonauts race, I was happy, but kept my hubris reserved since the big names of New England cycling weren't there. Sunday would be my chance to see them again...and be horribly beaten again.
During the pre-race period at Cyclonauts, there was a lot of talk about the "new" course for Housatonic Hills- suffice to say, people were worried. The climb up Constitution Hill was now part of the actual loop...not just the last 2 kilometers. Allegedly each lap had 2700 feet of climbing- we had to do 3 loops, for a total of ~81 miles. I was less bothered about the climbing and more concerned about the length. I'm not used to racing these distances yet, and without help in the feed zone, we had to carry anything we wanted to drink. I did 81 miles on two water bottles. Dehydration imminent!
The first time up the climb was neutral, but it was still annoying since I could not climb at my pace. That's not to say we were going slow, but I was not in the rhythm I'm used to. My legs felt pretty bad- I guess I didn't recover well enough from the previous day. And I had to piss like Sea Biscuit (to steal a line from Juno). Now I'm in for it.
After the neutral climb, we hit a rather long descent where I lost a few wheels. On the subsequent flat and climb I began to fall off the back of the field. What the hell? Not even 5km into the race and I'm in trouble! The SRAM wheel car pulled around, placing itself between me and field. Considering this somewhat of an insult, I forced myself to man-up and get back in. And it worked. Safe for now.
This happened a few more times on the first lap as the pace shifted when attacks went off the front. Eventually I could see Targetraining sitting on the front- presumably they had a rider up the road and they were slowing the pace. Phew...thanks guys!
As we finished the first lap, we began our first race pace ascent of Constitution Hill...and my legs felt awful. I could still see the big names just ahead, but they were pulling away. I guess when the field includes a soon-to-be Olympian (Todd Wells) and more than a handful of other great riders, the pace is bound to be hot. I grabbed a few wheels and managed to pull myself up to the middle of the group as we came over the top. And then I was dropped on the descent again...time to chase.
Once again, I spent the second lap yo-yo'ing with the peloton, almost losing it for good at one particular point. I practically turned the bike around to head back to the start...but then I remembered how much I spent in time/money on this weekend...so I chased back on, with a little help from a Targetraining rider who was also popped off. We were even applauded by the neutral support car! Safe again, at least for the remainder of the second lap. What a crappy day.
The third lap began with an insanely fast ascent of Constitution Hill, where the big separations occurred. In front were the elites of new england cycling...behind them formed the human cat2's. I was happy for this separation, because it meant the last lap would be easier and I wouldn't die. With both of my bottles practically empty, it probably wasn't long before dehydration and cramping set in.
As expected the third lap was easier, as people became content with what was left of the peloton. The pace ahead must have been tough, as we picked up Josh Lipka, who drifted back to us mere mortals. Small attacks went off, but were usually brought back without much effort. Matt tried a few pulls, but didn't get much help in the wind. It looked as if the final KOM climb would be the launch point for attacks.
We turned onto the KOM climb (which was more of a 3-4% false flat than a real climb) and people went nuts. I'd say the group got split in half in only the first third of the hill. I had my front wheel pinched as two riders stood in front, but managed to stay upright (yes, bike handling!). Someone swerved severely and forced Matt out of his pedal and practically into the side of the road. For a race of allegedly good riders, it wasn't pretty.
Matt managed to claw himself back with surprising speed, but had lost Lipka's wheel in the prior melee- and now he was gone. As we looked ahead, he had sufficiently buried his head and was riding away from really damn quickly. And like that, he was gone for good. Ridiculous.
The final drag was extremely fast as riders tried attack after attack on the largely flat/downhill miles...great effort, but largely wasted. I sucked wind at the back as my mouth became increasingly cotton-like. Since my bottles had been sucked dry miles earlier, I could do little but think about the cold drinks at the finish line. Concentrate on the race for now.
As we came flying past the front of the school things that got pretty sketchy as everyone jockeyed for position into the final turn. Having pretty fresh road rash from Balloon Fest, I slid back and let the others fight it out. We slammed through the turn, where a slight uphill sprint of ~200m began. I passed quite a few people in our group as they popped. Unfortunately I got boxed into the side of the road by someone, which quickly ended my charge to the line. I hit the brakes and maneuvered around, losing precious speed and severely screwing up my gearing into the final 100m. I managed to hold on for a mid-pack finish within the group, good for 32nd overall, 5:17 back from the winner. Meh. Matt uncorked a pretty solid finish, getting 4th in the group sprint and 23rd overall. But he stole a coke from someone at the beginning of the last lap, so that's cheating, haha.
Overall- pretty happy to finish, especially given the difficulty in the early miles. Could have done better, but man was that race hard!
Wilmington-Whiteface report next!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
