Road Bike Racing - Superpenguin. AKA WTF?

Just got back from the NYS Cat4 championship RR...we were mixed in with the 3's as well so who knows who was what. Anyway, my comp is on the fritz so I took it off my bike. I did the 63.6mi in approx 2:55, for an avg. speed of 21.8mph. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Didn't feel too bad during the race either, for most of it anyway. Take a look at the course profile though, we did this 3 times:

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/3725/balloonjustprofile0wd.jpg
That's a hair under 5000ft of climbing.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't know what you're doing it! :eek:

I finished about 20-30 seconds down from the peloton...lost them right at the top of that last climb on the last lap, and had to solo it from there. Almost caught em at one point too, I was literally 2 seconds from em but I just couldn't catch back on. Bah!

This was my second race as a 4, and my longest race to date (previous was 55mi and that nearly killed me, this race felt pretty nifty). Not sure how I did compared to the other 4's in the field, they didn't have the results ready an hour and a half after the race so I left. Was a hell of a fun time though!

edit: BTW, what was left of the peloton was 10-15 guys out of what I guess was originally 75-100 guys in the beginning. There were probably 5-10 guys in a break further up the road too.

Wow, that's a lot of little spikes! That sounds like a great course and it gives me motivation to get "good enough" to try my hand at racing.

--Steve

Impressive speed for Cat 4s and that profile. The bumps make it look like the profile of the Terrible Two ride the Santa Rosa Cycling Club is putting on, just make the bumps 2000-3000 feet and the distance 208 miles.
The best racers finish in 12-14 hours.

How was the weather?? Was planning on attending but after last weekend I had no desire whatsoever to to be that wet and cold ever again...

wayne

Was this the Balloon Festival Classic? That part of upstate NY is a bit eery, but cool. I watched that race last year -- it's quite a course.

yeah, I did the ESG qualifier last week and was miserable... today was mid 50's and cloudy. It actually didn't rain for once! Pretty nice day overall.

And yep, this was the Balloon Festival Classic. They changed the route from last year, don't know how much but I do know they added a dirt section to it this year.

Impressive speed for Cat 4s and that profile. The bumps make it look like the profile of the Terrible Two ride the Santa Rosa Cycling Club is putting on, just make the bumps 2000-3000 feet and the distance 208 miles.
The best racers finish in 12-14 hours.
All the short climbs were too close to all out sprints for my liking. I'm a fan of long steep grades, I can work into a groove and put some damage on most of the peloton. Hills like these are basically 30 second -2 minute intervals...they suck.

^^ Come to Colorado. The front range has little steep hills as well as 10+ milers that never seem to end.

Are you a heavy rider? I think one of my team mates placed 5th. Wish I did race but had to work yesterday. He is a relatively slim, tall rider. Are you doing the Housatonic race? I am. As a 130lb rider, I think the later season hilly races should suit me best.


yeah, I did the ESG qualifier last week and was miserable... today was mid 50's and cloudy. It actually didn't rain for once! Pretty nice day overall.

And yep, this was the Balloon Festival Classic. They changed the route from last year, don't know how much but I do know they added a dirt section to it this year.

I'd say I'm light for my height, 6'2.5'' 168lbs. I was going to do the Housatonic but the 4's are closed.

You are not light. :D


I'd say I'm light for my height, 6'2.5'' 168lbs. I was going to do the Housatonic but the 4's are closed.

I may have 38lbs on ya, but I bet I could still outclimb you any day!

The same team mate also placed either 7th or 8th in the NY Bear Mountain race. That course profile is similar to the Balloon race. Some serious elevation gain but a lot of staircase-like climbs. Big riders like yourself can do well in these races because you can easily power you way over each roller. Smaller riders would tend to keep up for a while but get tired sooner. You need to work on your 30sec to 1 minutes power for over 30 minutes +.

No, for a 170lb rider you can't outclimb a 130lb rider. Is just the law of physic and physiology. I can sustain 5w/kg at 300w for 5 minutes. I can do that maybe 6 times. For you to generate 5w/kg+, you need to sustain 400w. You know, the pros can generate 400w for an hour TT. One of the fastest and strongest racer in NYC is about your size. He can TT, race crit, and open road races. But you will not see his name listed in the Housatonic race. Big guys will suffer on hilly races.




I may have 38lbs on ya, but I bet I could still outclimb you any day!

You're the first person that's ever accused me of being a big guy! You're right about me being a good TTer, and judging by my experience racing and training, are wrong about most everything else you said. I have been working on that short interval stuff, though.

btw, one of my teammates was at the Bear Mountain RR, he was the one that single handedly tore the 3 field a new one. He pulled the same sort of stunt at the ESG qualifier, and won that one too. Booyah!

^^ Come to Colorado. The front range has little steep hills as well as 10+ milers that never seem to end.

Oh yay for me. And at an altitude of around 5k feet. From sea level to 5k feet overnight...

I hate those steep short hills... But then again I just hate short hills in general.

You are not light. :D


Ignore R600DuraAce. Simply because you own a Power meter doesn't make you a font of cycling knowledge. There was a guy around a few years ago, just about your size that wasn't a half bad climber. Name was Miguel Indurain.

Hahahahaha......he ain't Miguel Indurain. A power meter won't lie. What power you can put out is what you can put out. Numbers do not lie.


Ignore R600DuraAce. Simply because you own a Power meter doesn't make you a font of cycling knowledge. There was a guy around a few years ago, just about your size that wasn't a half bad climber. Name was Miguel Indurain.

Curiosity ha the best of me. What teams do R600 and Penguin race for? I am sure I see you guys once in a while, but wasn't it Mike Gisler who put people to shame at bear mountain in the threes?

Naw man, Justin Lindine is the guy that did it. A 60 mile solo breakaway and he finished 3 minutes faster than the next guy. He and I race for Windham Mountain Outfitters, we're the guys in blue and orange. Mostly a mountain bike team, I think I'm the only one that rides exclusively road. Justin has been concentrating a lot more on road though, and just recently upgraded to cat2.

Results say I did it in 2:51:00, so I actually avg'd 22.3mph. There wasn't anywhere near 75-100 guys...only 47 at the start. I came in 17th out of the field, 8th out of the 4's, and finished 55 second back. There were only 2 guys off the front, not 10, so now I'm kickin myself for not pushing through the pain on the final hill.

On the plus side, after finishing one race as a Cat4, I'm 12 points behind my dear friend DuraAce :D

[QUOTE=
On the plus side, after finishing one race as a Cat4, I'm 12 points behind my dear friend DuraAce :D[/QUOTE]


So who is this guy??

Well done SP. That was a very tough race and you had a good result. I know the racer who came in 4th (1st in NYS) and he is a very strong rider and the dude who won it is a nice rider as well.

Great job. With your size you should be at a benefit for the NY races (IMO).
Keep up the good work and the race reports.

Hahahahaha......he ain't Miguel Indurain. A power meter won't lie. What power you can put out is what you can put out. Numbers do not lie.


And you ain't even a competitive cat 4 so why don't you shut your pie hole and go pick on some unsuspecting commuter.

Well, I know who penguin is, but I want to hear about the DuraAce. I am especially interested as his LT power should make him a decent TTer, especially for the cat 4s. Who is the Man behind the PowerMeter?

I don't want to be a marked man in the Housatonic race. :D Let's say I did the NY Empire State games in Prospect Park and the next day I did a 40k TT in the NJ TT Championship. Time: 1 hour and some minutes. For the El Diablo, maybe you can lose few pounds and climb better. Otherwise, yes, power numbers do not lie. You can fool yourself about your climbing ability but if you will never outclimb guys who weight 130lb.



Well, I know who penguin is, but I want to hear about the DuraAce. I am especially interested as his LT power should make him a decent TTer, especially for the cat 4s. Who is the Man behind the PowerMeter?

Someday DA, you and I will do battle in the same race, and I vow to you upon the soul of my bike's ancestor (may my R800 RIP) I will defeat the man, the legend, the unholy power house that is R600. You will cry like a little school girl, and I will laugh the hearty laugh of a siberian lumberjack as I look behind me and see you far off on the horizon, churning your 400W at roughly 19mph.

Hehehe.....there are 2 freaking hilly races I will do. Tour of Hill Towns. Tokeneke Road classic. Will do one or two more 40k TT with better areo gears and position. Seriously considering Green Mountain Stage race and the NY Empire State Games.


Someday DA, you and I will do battle in the same race, and I vow to you upon the soul of my bike's ancestor (may my R800 RIP) I will defeat the man, the legend, the unholy power house that is R600. You will cry like a little school girl, and I will laugh the hearty laugh of a siberian lumberjack as I look behind me and see you far off on the horizon, churning your 400W at roughly 19mph.

ok, is it Ev racing, first state, or main line? Sorry to keep pushing you, but curiosity has the best of me.

oh, and what do you use for a power meter?

Well done SP. That was a very tough race and you had a good result. I know the racer who came in 4th (1st in NYS) and he is a very strong rider and the dude who won it is a nice rider as well.

I don't know the winner but you're right JW is a nice guy and absolutely scorched the ESG Central TT. It's funny the faster guys in the lower cats are usually pretty cool. It's the midpack and farther back guys that tend to be the real ******bags...

Wayne

Hey ODonnell, have we raced together?


DA, you know you have to qualify for the ESG's, right? ;)


IKYR & Namaste, definitely some cool dudes racing that day. One guy shared his hammergel with me, and a couple of others were cheering me on as I grunted and tried to keep pace up the final climb.

DA, you know you have to qualify for the ESG's, right? ;)
.

He thinks the qualifying races are the 'I dialed it up to 440w and dropped a commuter' stage race and the
'I dialed it up to 400w and dropped a rec rider' crit series. Based on his results he's now at the top of the top 1000 idiots in the NY area.

Here are some of his results...it puts anything he posts in perspective.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=200376&highlight=600durace

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=136161

Hey ODonnell, have we raced together?

Its possible. I live in NW Jersey and so occasionally go into the city for the morning races there. I also go into PA and up into the binghamton area sometimes (Chris Thater anyone??). I was actually going to do the stage race in auburn this year, but they moved the date, and I will be in France training instead. As a NJ resident I raced in the State time trial and so I know I have raced with R600, though in a different category, and on a different level entirely. I race with Westwood Velo currently, so if you see any of our guys (yet another blue, yellow, white kit), I might be him. :) Wanna come out and try me in the Route 29 TT tomorrow?

Ahh man, if it wasn't a 360 mile round trip, I'd totally do it.

Hahahaha.....dude, you got issues. :D I don't even want to know. Just be on your way.


He thinks the qualifying races are the 'I dialed it up to 440w and dropped a commuter' stage race and the
'I dialed it up to 400w and dropped a rec rider' crit series. Based on his results he's now at the top of the top 1000 idiots in the NY area.

Here are some of his results...it puts anything he posts in perspective.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=200376&highlight=600durace

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=136161