LandyachtzDH 

Nice race regardless, and Guttertech as well on Saturday. He's killing it. I would have been out there with you guys, but with 1Q close at work I knew I wasn't really going to get to plan my weekend. Turns out I prob could have raced yesterday, but it sounds like it would have been you and me in a 2-up TT just to finish haha.

gerundium

Couple weeks back i posted a first race report, week after that i had a training weekend around the Amstel Gold Race territory and then a rest week. Now this weekend i was back for a second go.

dropped/35

There was a collegiate race organized by my club. This race was the premiere of a new initiative of collegiate racing. Training race format so 2 bucks entry and all license holders had to start in the A category. This meant i had to race against all the big boys. around 35 people in the field and some very strong ones too! Lining up for a race of 80 minutes + 5 laps i didn't think i was going to magically manage a peloton finish. The track this time was the Spartaan training course, which was an easier course than last time. Mostly some pretty easy 90 degree corners, one sweeping 180 kind of turn and a bit of a small rise in the middle.

Race basically went the same as last time. When the gun went off it felt like we were going pretty damn hard already, i started in the back half of the peloton but soon got shuffled back into one of the last wheels. I was suffering on the back of the peloton not really following anything about the actual race just trying to hold on basically. eventually after about 15 minutes a gap opened up on the straight towards the finish line which had a pretty decent headwind. Here i came off the wheel and got dropped. Getting dropped with such a long time left in the race wasn't good for my morale but i figured i'd make it a good training so what i did was that i rode as hard as i could solo. Did this by saving a bit on the back stretch and going very hard into the headwind.
When i got lapped eventually i realized that for training purposes i hadn't done the right thing. Since this is a training race it doesn't matter if you get lapped, you can keep going. I tried latching onto the back of the peloton but because i had been going all out solo for a while i came off again the next lap. Teammate of mine at the side of the track shouted to me: 'doesn't matter, just spin the legs and latch back on when they come around!'.

This really changed my perspective on it. I could get some much needed experience riding in the peloton! I tried to get the heart rate down a bit and looking around i could see there was a break away gone with 8 people, with a lot of the big teams in it.

What happened over the course of the race is that i latched onto the peloton when they came back around, and sitting in the peloton i really did feel like i was learning fast what to do and what not to do. I eventually got dropped two more times but each time i managed to stay in the peloton longer. The best learning experience was when i got myself a little better positioned mid-pack and i found myself on the wheel of a guy who rode very smoothly. The breakaway of 8 had splintered by now and one of the teams that was well-represented wasn't anymore so they were chasing. It was pretty strung out so i was on this guys wheel for a pretty long stretch. Doing what he did in terms of timing when to go hard again after a corner and such really felt like i was saving a lot of energy. The better positioning in the pack probably really helped as well.

Anyway to make a long story short, the last time i got dropped there was a little more than 20 minutes to go, i latched back on quickly after recovering a bit and i managed to hang onto the peloton for the remaining 20 minutes until 2 laps before the finish when they pulled lapped riders. Watching the finish from next to the line i saw the break made it, two of my teammates were in it. Finished 2 and 4th, not quite a win but we did good.

What i learned in hindsight from this is that i was putting a lot more wattage for the first time around until i got dropped, and i started progressively riding with lower wattages in the pack. I think part of the problem wasn't as much that we were really going that hard at the start but that due to my inexperience i was just being very inefficient. Looking at the power data afterwards i had an AP that was 40 watts higher for the first block i rode in the peloton compared to the last (and 50 looking at NP). What i will be focusing on for the next time is really being very attentive right from the start when it comes to positioning but also when it comes to cornering. What i figured out was that getting back on the gas after the corner as early as possible was imperative for not letting a little gap open that i had to close back up.

Overall i didn't expect much knowing i had to ride with some really strong guys, but because as a lapped rider i could still pick up a whole lot of pack experience made it very worthwhile for me. I feel confident that with a little extra training and most of all more practice in the races i can be pack fodder quite soon.

Oh for those interested this is the course we rode btw: Strava Segment | Clubparcours RWV De Spartaan

misterwaterfall

Kind of a race result, well more like a summary of my season so far. In with the big dogs, I'm excited and nervous at the same time

The following request to change your USA/Road category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:
Request to change category from Cat 3 to Cat 2

Ygduf

congrats and good luck.

bmcphx

Wish you, guttertech, or anyone else even remotely on my level would have been there. He's been racing very smart lately. Unfortunately will be upgrading soon leaving me all alone in cat 4... again.

Andy STi

Nice! Doing Walla Walla as a 2 will be sweet.

misterwaterfall

I'm actually pretty excited about racing walla walla with the 1/2's. It's gonna be fast and painful but I was already getting kind of complacent in the 3's which isn't good. We'll have to plan a BF meet up I know a couple others will be there

shovelhd

Congrats, waterfall. Have fun in the 2's.

caloso

Very cool gerundium.

mattm

Congrats!

Tyrell

Congrats!!

Rule #10: It never gets easier, you just go faster.
As this famous quote by Greg LeMan tells us, training, climbing, and racing is hard. It stays hard. To put it another way, per Greg Henderson: “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.” Sur la Plaque, ********s.

gruveb

My number 1 goal for 2014 was to win The Nogales Bicycle Classic. It was the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] annual rendition, so certainly not a storied race, but a chip timed race, none-the-less. Also, in the first edition I discovered that I had some potential. I missed last year’s race with a torn quad. So, while it’s a charity ride, it’s in my hometown. Plus, there are some strong local riders and this is for bragging rights among friends!

Nine months ago, after healing the torn quad that allowed me to brew and drink a lot of beer, I couldn't hang with the local guys. I'd be 100% invested in hanging on but I’d get dropped anyway. Afterwards I’d be so tired the rest of the day that I could do nothing. I’d cramp up sitting around the house. But, this is what I wanted, to win this race. I wanted to beat these guys. All of the suffering and all of the other races were preparation for this one.

The race route has changed each year and this was the toughest. The route was 84 miles with two cat4 climbs in the first quarter of the race followed by some generally downhill rollers, then turning around into general uphill with a traditional headwind. With about 5 miles left we would hit some rollers that had short, but deadly 20%+ grades.

While there were some out of town racers that showed up, and a few of them strong, this was for bragging rights. We knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. So, myself, and a couple of others, planned on breaking away with five or six total guys on the second cat3 climb. I went up front and did my pull and dropped everybody. Sixty miles to go solo is too far, but I’d thought about the possibility. I figured I’d give it a good 80% effort over the top of the hill, use my descending skills to fly down the other side (the one bright spot about weighing 215), slam it up the last steep but short hill and see how things shook out.

After that last hill there was a long straight away with a grade of about -2%. At the bottom I snuck a peak and could see nobody! While I ride with many of these guys, we are not a team and I knew they’d try to chase me down. I had to pick my spots. On the flat portions I just dialed in my best tuck (my forearms are still sore from resting on the handlebars). On uphill portions I spun up the first 3/4s and pushed hard over the top, ducking down as small as I could on the downhill, nearly catching my police escort several times. But the whole time, I kept thinking about the typical headwind for the last 20 or so miles, which was also generally uphill. I needed to save some for that.

Where I’d lose the favorable wind and gradient was where route went north on a frontage road, swung under the overpass and returned south. When I swung south I looked at my clock. When I finally saw the group, about 2 ½ minutes had passed…so about a 5 minute gap, 20 miles to go. They were down to five riders, single file, riding hard. Oh boy!

I thought about my family doctor, a man about my age, who recently caught a strange bacterial infection that left him in a wheel chair, barely able to speak. “That’s suffering!” I kept telling myself. “Just spin, stay out of the wind, eat and drink. If they catch me, they’re going to pay to do it.” That’s what I did, kept thinking my pain is temporary, eat, spin, drink, stay low.
When I got within two miles of the finish line the lane was blocked off from traffic. I was tucked, and dropped my head. When I looked up I almost hit a traffic cone. I was mentally fried. I looked back but see very far. I had no idea if they were just around the corner coming hard, or if I was away and safe. There were plenty of riders finishing that had ridden shorter distances. It motivated me to pass them, took my mind off the cramps in my right foot.
When I was about half a mile from the finish I looked back as I could see a long way. NOBODY! I pumped my fist over and again.
When I crossed the finish line I bunny hopped over the cables and what-not leading to the timing equipment. I got off the bike and was totally spent. My wife and some other friends were congratulating me. After a few minutes, still nobody. Someone eventually started a timer. Twelve minutes after they started the time the next 4 guys came in.

I ended up winning by almost 15 minutes! I soloed in just under a 24 mph average. My hamstrings weren’t cramping, but they weren’t working either. My right foot had a knot in the arch that lasted until well into the evening. I hurt, bad. But, it was totally worth it! Such a strange experience, mind and body separately taking in different results from the same event.

I soaked it up for the day. Sunday I did a little recovery and today, while I’m enjoying a lot of congratulations and conversation, it’s time to move on to what’s next.

Creakyknees

5th place and a $30 prime, baby. Dallas Racing Spring Criterium.

Racer Ex 

San Dimas 2014 Photos

Creakyknees

jeepers that course is insane... don't they have any parking lots out there?

tetonrider

i'm considering getting mine removed, but that decision doesn't have to be made for 6+ months. the bone needs to heal more fully.

most docs will tell you the plate, esp new anatomic plates, do not need to come out and it makes sense.

the reason i'm considering it is that racers are in a higher risk group for re-breaking the clavicle. it may be unlikely, but if it happens to break then it can be much messier.

the plate creates a stress riser at the end of the clavicle and i understand breaks there are trickier to deal with. also, in my case if i suffer a break i have 9 screws (=9 holes) in the bone. old hardware would have to be pulled and existing holes may limit options.

if i proactively remove it, then the holes fill in and i'm basically back to where i started.

it may be unlikely to break the same one again, so i need to balance the severity of the consequence against the low probability. my deductible has now been met for the year, but every surgery carries risk; removal of hardware *should* be easier.

my other deal is i wear a pack for skiing/mountaineering ~150 days a year. don't have any indication yet that it will be a problem, but it might be.

mattm

Awesome pics!

I loved the obstacles on the course like this island thingy:



link

Last year when I did SDSR for the first time I was surprised by those, but this time was ready for 'em.. have seen videos of guys crashing into them tho!

Also at one point we came through that and there was a car at the guard house.. guys still squeezed through the left side lol.

Ygduf

Conversation was happening on a ride, so it was clear we were talking in a still-racing perspective. Now it's a few votes each way.

Mine's a harder call, as I have both sides plated. They probably wouldn't take them both out at once, so that's like 12 weeks recovery instead of 6. Meh.

tetonrider

my doc does not believe in removal unless there is cause, but when i discussed the concerns and risk of breaking he was instantly open to the conversation.

the other opinion that matters to me is from a pro team doc who sees lots of these. my own rehab was based on work he does with riders.

my understanding is the removal is minor and one can be back on the bike, doing intervals, at 4-5 days. if done in the off-season, barring complications, it is likely to be no big deal. outdoor riding in 3 weeks or less.

both sides at once? i wonder if that is really a problem for removal. weight-bearing/lifting is a problem when worrying about the bone fusing, but at the point of removal the bones are fused and we're just worried about the holes filling in over time.

lots to think about.

Ygduf

The guy who balked at removing both at once was at Kaiser. I'm now with a different plan at Stanford, so maybe they'll be more open. I actually asked them to remove the first when they installed the second, but they refused. That would have been perfect, really.

tetonrider

i generally race open cats. i like the fact that there are some dev kids passing through that will kick my butt--but will someday be on TV. lots of wildcards.

i also like that the open field had ~90 riders (and ~110 last year). made the racing super wide-open and fun, and on a tight course it adds some great intensity. the circuit race was sort of like a crit in that you needed to be in position the entire course.

echappist

amateur bike racers driving 2hrs each way just to get pelted with driving cold rain. smh...

Once i got up at 4:30am just so that i can ride 1 hr in the cold rain to Prospect Park in Brooklyn (from 110th street in Manhattan ) and then racing in the same damn cold rain. It was so damn cold i took the subway home and was shivering from 9am until noon time. I vowed to eschew from partaking in such stupidity from then on.
ooph, sorry to hear that. hope you have a speedy recovery

Racer Ex 

We call them "freeways".

UmneyDurak

That is true.

revchuck 

gruveb - Awesome result!