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08-08-06, 01:52 PM
Last weeks race after 2 weeks off and they were dishing out the nasty kind of pain. I was on the receiving end of full out suffering this time . Some new faces were in the crowd. One new guy built like a concrete block without holes was in the group. I bet he can sprint to peel pavement. A couple of guys (bike store boy and a new nemesis for him)were tossing around attacks like it was salad. Bike store boy found a rival. It did not take them long to have their own full out race with the rest of us just hanging on and me I found myself falling off the back.
I kept telling myself there was a coasting lap coming after the prime but the pain disher-outers had other ideas. The pace was the quickest yet. I was falling off the back and had to dig down to find something, anything to stay in it. I was far enough off the back to loose the slipstream. How did that happen? Think slow motion movie scene where the hero erupts the deep guttural "NOOOOOOOOOO" and leaps in slow motion to save his GF or Bugatti. I get back on the last wheel with an all out crank bending effort and keep mechanically going through the laps just hanging on.
3 laps to go, the pace is nutty and I'm in last. Pain. Suffering. I don't think so. My stimulants kick in. (caffeine and sugar) I find someone to lead me up in the final lap positioning frenzy. I'm on his wheel and up we go up on the outside. Bike store boy and his nemesis are off on another attack way ahead of me at the halfway point on the last lap. These guys are sprinting for the line one km out. WTF.
The pack attacks with them. Instead of the entire group being bunched up for the final sprint at this point, the group is very spread out. I'm up to the middle of the group and passed concrete block boy, (don't get to see him sprinting, I'm kinda disappointed). I'm pushing the limits of what my stimulants will allow. Bike Store Boy and his nemesis were jockeying with bike store boy trying to loose the drafters but his nemesis was stuck to him like glue. I know this because I was finally close enough to see.
I'm up to 9th spot at the what should have been the long spring point. The pain continues with my lead out dying and I'm on to a new wheel. 8th place and the final sprint is on for me with 2 others right in front. I grab the guys wheel who is passing and we pass 7th place guy. One more shift and I stand up to muster the last piece of energy I have. The pain, the pain. Just before the line I dart out from the wheel I'm on we compete to see who can bend their bike apart. I squeak over the line 1/2 wheel length ahead. Oh the glory of 6th place.
Bike store boy got the prime and the win again. He does not lose. Talked to him later and he was wondering who his nemesis was as none of us had seen him before.
No racing next week.:(
3 weeks ago post
>After the two weekends of Cypress mountain climbs I was not doing my best
>with mid pack finishes in the weekly crit. Well this week no weekend hill
>climb so I guess I was fairly recovered for my Race 5 at the local crit and
>I'm back with a 5th place finish. 2 points Yay. I think my sprinting is
>coming up. I was in a good position at 5th going into the sprint. I stood
>up and shifted just as the others were making their move. I over shifted
>and was into my smallest cog, a 13, but the pace was already fast so I just
>got in the drops kept standing the hole way and worked my ass off. The
>hole shot sure was poor being in my 13 though. Half way into the sprint a
>guy young enough to be my son overtakes me putting me in 6th but I was
>still accelerating and I was coming up on another guy but I did not think I
>could get past him before the line. He lost his wind I guess and I shot my
>bike forward just at the line eking out my 5th place and bumping him back
>into 6th . Sucker. He was young enough to be my grandson I think. God it
>feels good to beat the kids. His mom looked passed. Ha.
>
>I've was not very aggressive in sports back in school. I never had that
>killer instinct. Probably because I have too much empathy for the looser.
>So I'm trying to break that problem. Is feeling good about inflicting pain
>on your competitors the necessary ingredient? If so I will mend my ways
>and start inflicting pain now as I see that I can do it. Ha.
>
4 weeks ago Previous race post
Last night was a good one for me. The learning experience continues. I pasted my goals on my handle bars to remind myself why I was there. The goals were: enjoy this, smooth, look ahead. The enjoy this thing comes from the fact that I'm 45 and can reflect on life a bit now that I have been around the block a few times. One thing for sure is I will not be bike racing forever just like other things in my life are not forever. Like cottage life, downtown life, ski hill life, 20 something life etc,etc. So I will enjoy this moment now as this sort of thing does not come around every day, just every Thursday, ahem. Being smooth is one thing I have noticed with any accomplished athlete, dancer, musician. Not being smooth is wasted energy which is, well , a waste. Looking ahead, like driving a car, I don't focus on the bumper in front but out way ahead. This facilitates smoothness and avoidance of problems. Also it helps to get the picture of what is happening. In hockey I enjoyed the position of defense where I was in the position to take in the whole picture of what was happening.
I watched " the Look" video for a visualization of smoothness today before the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpblb...ce%20armstrong
Go
Bike store boy was back, this time with a friend. The friend did not do as well but bike store boy cleaned up again. At least this time I was able to see him cross the line. I spent more time in the back of the race and focussed on staying smooth , getting good drafts and early coasting ahead of the corners in anticipation of the accordion effect in the corners. All was going well and I did not want to make any kind of move up until the 3rd from last lap. The field was stronger than the last two races as lap after lap and corner after corner was fast. The accordion affect was minimal unlike the past two races. There was a very harry moment combing out of one of the corners as the group got very tightly bunched up at speed. I was in the middle of it all and my handle bar bumped into the guys leg on my left. I wobbled a bit but we both did not miss a beat. This did freak out the racers in back of me from the verbals I heard. Not against me, just in general. I was boxed in around the 3rd from last lap and this is where I wanted to make my move up into around 5th. The second last lap was coming and the race picked up from its already fast pace. A gap opened up as various riders were making moves up. I followed one guy up but he ducked into the drafting line leaving me exposed on the head wind section so I imidiatly relaxed and held back awaiting another opportunity which came right away as another rider blasted up the outside. I followed him up and was in second with a lap to go. Three or so racers leap fogged us putting me in 5th. on the last lap. Hey. This is where I wanted to be. I'm fifth on the last lap, not boxed in and have lots of gas. Coming in to the final turn, three more get in position in front me. I'm 8th. "Don't jump too soon and follow the sprinters and forget about race store boys race, just do my own race" I say to myself. We are in early sprint territory and no one is taking off yet and the pace is very fast. I glance at the speedo. 49 km/ hour and we are not sprinting yet. Middle sprinting distance and boom we are all standing up and hammering away. This time I feel good and am right there with everyone. I've got the "the look " tune in my head. We pass the initiating sprinter, I'm standing and shift up, shift up, others are coming up at my side, shift up, I didn't know I had that other gear. Boom I'm smoken and leave the two at my side behind. No one is passing me. Alas, I'm not passing anyone ether and I cross the line 7th a bike length behind 5 in front who cross the line together. Bike store boy is 10 lengths in front of them. I did not have to go around looking for my lungs which means, to bad, I still had some unused gas.
Cypress Hill climb race this weekend. I'm going.
I kept telling myself there was a coasting lap coming after the prime but the pain disher-outers had other ideas. The pace was the quickest yet. I was falling off the back and had to dig down to find something, anything to stay in it. I was far enough off the back to loose the slipstream. How did that happen? Think slow motion movie scene where the hero erupts the deep guttural "NOOOOOOOOOO" and leaps in slow motion to save his GF or Bugatti. I get back on the last wheel with an all out crank bending effort and keep mechanically going through the laps just hanging on.
3 laps to go, the pace is nutty and I'm in last. Pain. Suffering. I don't think so. My stimulants kick in. (caffeine and sugar) I find someone to lead me up in the final lap positioning frenzy. I'm on his wheel and up we go up on the outside. Bike store boy and his nemesis are off on another attack way ahead of me at the halfway point on the last lap. These guys are sprinting for the line one km out. WTF.
The pack attacks with them. Instead of the entire group being bunched up for the final sprint at this point, the group is very spread out. I'm up to the middle of the group and passed concrete block boy, (don't get to see him sprinting, I'm kinda disappointed). I'm pushing the limits of what my stimulants will allow. Bike Store Boy and his nemesis were jockeying with bike store boy trying to loose the drafters but his nemesis was stuck to him like glue. I know this because I was finally close enough to see.
I'm up to 9th spot at the what should have been the long spring point. The pain continues with my lead out dying and I'm on to a new wheel. 8th place and the final sprint is on for me with 2 others right in front. I grab the guys wheel who is passing and we pass 7th place guy. One more shift and I stand up to muster the last piece of energy I have. The pain, the pain. Just before the line I dart out from the wheel I'm on we compete to see who can bend their bike apart. I squeak over the line 1/2 wheel length ahead. Oh the glory of 6th place.
Bike store boy got the prime and the win again. He does not lose. Talked to him later and he was wondering who his nemesis was as none of us had seen him before.
No racing next week.:(
3 weeks ago post
>After the two weekends of Cypress mountain climbs I was not doing my best
>with mid pack finishes in the weekly crit. Well this week no weekend hill
>climb so I guess I was fairly recovered for my Race 5 at the local crit and
>I'm back with a 5th place finish. 2 points Yay. I think my sprinting is
>coming up. I was in a good position at 5th going into the sprint. I stood
>up and shifted just as the others were making their move. I over shifted
>and was into my smallest cog, a 13, but the pace was already fast so I just
>got in the drops kept standing the hole way and worked my ass off. The
>hole shot sure was poor being in my 13 though. Half way into the sprint a
>guy young enough to be my son overtakes me putting me in 6th but I was
>still accelerating and I was coming up on another guy but I did not think I
>could get past him before the line. He lost his wind I guess and I shot my
>bike forward just at the line eking out my 5th place and bumping him back
>into 6th . Sucker. He was young enough to be my grandson I think. God it
>feels good to beat the kids. His mom looked passed. Ha.
>
>I've was not very aggressive in sports back in school. I never had that
>killer instinct. Probably because I have too much empathy for the looser.
>So I'm trying to break that problem. Is feeling good about inflicting pain
>on your competitors the necessary ingredient? If so I will mend my ways
>and start inflicting pain now as I see that I can do it. Ha.
>
4 weeks ago Previous race post
Last night was a good one for me. The learning experience continues. I pasted my goals on my handle bars to remind myself why I was there. The goals were: enjoy this, smooth, look ahead. The enjoy this thing comes from the fact that I'm 45 and can reflect on life a bit now that I have been around the block a few times. One thing for sure is I will not be bike racing forever just like other things in my life are not forever. Like cottage life, downtown life, ski hill life, 20 something life etc,etc. So I will enjoy this moment now as this sort of thing does not come around every day, just every Thursday, ahem. Being smooth is one thing I have noticed with any accomplished athlete, dancer, musician. Not being smooth is wasted energy which is, well , a waste. Looking ahead, like driving a car, I don't focus on the bumper in front but out way ahead. This facilitates smoothness and avoidance of problems. Also it helps to get the picture of what is happening. In hockey I enjoyed the position of defense where I was in the position to take in the whole picture of what was happening.
I watched " the Look" video for a visualization of smoothness today before the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpblb...ce%20armstrong
Go
Bike store boy was back, this time with a friend. The friend did not do as well but bike store boy cleaned up again. At least this time I was able to see him cross the line. I spent more time in the back of the race and focussed on staying smooth , getting good drafts and early coasting ahead of the corners in anticipation of the accordion effect in the corners. All was going well and I did not want to make any kind of move up until the 3rd from last lap. The field was stronger than the last two races as lap after lap and corner after corner was fast. The accordion affect was minimal unlike the past two races. There was a very harry moment combing out of one of the corners as the group got very tightly bunched up at speed. I was in the middle of it all and my handle bar bumped into the guys leg on my left. I wobbled a bit but we both did not miss a beat. This did freak out the racers in back of me from the verbals I heard. Not against me, just in general. I was boxed in around the 3rd from last lap and this is where I wanted to make my move up into around 5th. The second last lap was coming and the race picked up from its already fast pace. A gap opened up as various riders were making moves up. I followed one guy up but he ducked into the drafting line leaving me exposed on the head wind section so I imidiatly relaxed and held back awaiting another opportunity which came right away as another rider blasted up the outside. I followed him up and was in second with a lap to go. Three or so racers leap fogged us putting me in 5th. on the last lap. Hey. This is where I wanted to be. I'm fifth on the last lap, not boxed in and have lots of gas. Coming in to the final turn, three more get in position in front me. I'm 8th. "Don't jump too soon and follow the sprinters and forget about race store boys race, just do my own race" I say to myself. We are in early sprint territory and no one is taking off yet and the pace is very fast. I glance at the speedo. 49 km/ hour and we are not sprinting yet. Middle sprinting distance and boom we are all standing up and hammering away. This time I feel good and am right there with everyone. I've got the "the look " tune in my head. We pass the initiating sprinter, I'm standing and shift up, shift up, others are coming up at my side, shift up, I didn't know I had that other gear. Boom I'm smoken and leave the two at my side behind. No one is passing me. Alas, I'm not passing anyone ether and I cross the line 7th a bike length behind 5 in front who cross the line together. Bike store boy is 10 lengths in front of them. I did not have to go around looking for my lungs which means, to bad, I still had some unused gas.
Cypress Hill climb race this weekend. I'm going.