"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Anyone going to Greenville, SC this weekend?

The third - and final - week of the Training Series is this weekend put on by Hincapie Sports.
I'm kinda, sorta, considering it. I'm racing in a couple weeks in Albemarle (near Charlotte) and haven't really thought of doing this but someone asked me to do it. He said this course is better than the Donaldson Center course. Plus the cat5s are age split so it's a lot better for us old guys to race with just old guys.

Anyone else going?

I may race saturday or sunday. Just havent decided yet. Right now, the weather is iffy.

I haven't spoken to the missus on this one yet. We are without kids this weekend - a first in over a year - so it's may or may not go over well.

Every girl loves watching bike races!

I haven't spoken to the missus on this one yet. We are without kids this weekend - a first in over a year - so it's may or may not go over well.

Lemme offer a suggestion... Stay in a nice hotel in Greenville and go out to eat at a nice place downtown. That city has TONS of great restaurants and quite a cool "nightlife scene." The race is only going to last about an hour, so you have her come with you and then you spend the rest of the day doing something fun in that area.

--Steve

Yes, Greenville is a very nice town.

I'm only an couple hours away. She wouldn't want to go. Plus, she's going shopping with my mother and sister tomorrow. It may just clear it up for me to race.

Heck, I was planning on doing a group ride that would bring me home around the same time.


edit: Just got off the phone with my wife. It's a go! Now if the weather holds out. Looks like rain tomrrow morning in Greenville.

im planning on being down there, last i checked there was only a 10% chance of rain. anybody have any updates?

I'll be out there. I'm kinda curious to see what the Fork Shoals course is like.

I'll be out there. I'm kinda curious to see what the Fork Shoals course is like.

Me too. Heck, I'm curious to see if I can hang on. :D

I havent seen the course for the fork shoals race, but the area in general is flat for Greenville. It is going to be about the same as the Donaldson loop in terms of terrain. There are a few hills that are maybe 200-300 yards long that are tough in the area. Whether or not they will be on the course I do not know.

Quick race report here--my son and I did the Fork Shoals race this morning. The course is much more interesting than Donaldson Center (which we Greenville area riders know like the backs of our hands)--a few 1/4 to 1/2 mile climbs and lots of rollers.

It's a pretty fast course too, and the weather was very nice. The Cat 5 35+ racers averaged about 23 mph, and the Cat 4's around 25 mph.

The course appears to be safe. The only slight bottleneck is the final turn toward the finish line. BUT . . . for some reason today was a crash-fest. Apparently the Cat 5 34- race was marred by a good many mishaps. I also saw one fellow lying on the road in a pool of blood--don't know which race he was part of. I did the Cat 5 35+ race, and you would think that older guys with jobs and families would be more careful, BUT NO!!! I heard or saw three crashes. The first happened behind me about two miles fromt the start, and the last involved two guys doing cartwheels in the grass to the right about 1/2 mile from the finish. The Cat 4's had a major pileup, once again about 1/2 mile from the finish, and even the ladies had a bad crash in the last turn. The ambulance drivers got a major workout today.

I finished with the pack, and was just happy to stay clear of the carnage.

Hat's off to Rich Hincapie and Co. for a well-run event, but why can't people be more careful?

Dr. Bill

It was total carnage in the 35+ race. Holy Lord, I was praying to whole time not to be taken out. 1st wreck took out 2 on the 1st lap. Then the next two happened on the second lap. The first one , I saw the two guys come together, then BAM! down right next to me. Then right before the bottle neck two guys get together and then veer off the road and I saw one flip right over his bars. My GOD! what is going on here? It freaked me out and I lost at least two spots before the turn. Finished 14th.

Glad you're OK Dr. Bill. What a freaking mess, huh?

Not sure if I knew you or not. I was the Clif Bar guy in orange and blue. I told my wife about all the wrecks and she says, "So this is suppose to make me feel better about you racing?"

Shoulda kept my mouth shut. But it was just so crazy out there.

I am really glad that I decided that I was in too bad of shape to race. I did do the Paris Mtn climb on Saturday Am in 12:40, which is pretty good for me for this time of year, so I am starting to get back on top of things.

Quick race report here--my son and I did the Fork Shoals race this morning. The course is much more interesting than Donaldson Center (which we Greenville area riders know like the backs of our hands)--a few 1/4 to 1/2 mile climbs and lots of rollers.

It's a pretty fast course too, and the weather was very nice. The Cat 5 35+ racers averaged about 23 mph, and the Cat 4's around 25 mph.

The course appears to be safe. The only slight bottleneck is the final turn toward the finish line. BUT . . . for some reason today was a crash-fest. Apparently the Cat 5 34- race was marred by a good many mishaps. I also saw one fellow lying on the road in a pool of blood--don't know which race he was part of. I did the Cat 5 35+ race, and you would think that older guys with jobs and families would be more careful, BUT NO!!! I heard or saw three crashes. The first happened behind me about two miles fromt the start, and the last involved two guys doing cartwheels in the grass to the right about 1/2 mile from the finish. The Cat 4's had a major pileup, once again about 1/2 mile from the finish, and even the ladies had a bad crash in the last turn. The ambulance drivers got a major workout today.

I finished with the pack, and was just happy to stay clear of the carnage.

Hat's off to Rich Hincapie and Co. for a well-run event, but why can't people be more careful?

Dr. Bill

FYI,

I just got some info on a friend of mine who was in one of the 5 34- wrecks. He was apparently not moving after the crash and was taken to Simpsonville hospital, then transported to Greenville Memoral later in the afternoon. He has a broken hip, arm, and finger and a whole lot of road rash. The hip may require surgery. I think this was his 3rd or 4th race overall, and he is a very strong 5 rider. He is a new rider (less than 2 years), but had put in allot of work in the short time.

Any explanation for the sharp increase in Cat5 crashes this week compared to the last couple of weeks?

--Steve

Maybe somewhat due to the fact that everyone around here knows the DC ride like the back of their hand, vs the foark shoals RR, which people dont ride every week. Also, the fact that this is the last weekend and people are getting their confidence back up after the winter off, so they are just pushing harder. Just some ideas.

faster course i think, but there were two crashes in the cat 5 34- field that were at over 30 mph and really bad. One thing is on kid who caused a crash the first weekend caused another one yesterday.

The theme seems to be crashes/cat4-5. Time for me to work hard and upgrade to 3 this year.

I was involved in one of the 34- cat 5 crashes yesterday. I was holding in the top 5 of the pack, pretty comfortable. The rider in front of me pops out of his pedal and slams on his brakes. I rode off the road to avoid a wreck and got back on with the group. As soon as I was back on, the same rider takes out a person in front of me and in effect...me. I got back up and kept going after the crash but one of the riders had some pretty bad road rash and was done for the day. I'm not sure about the rider who caused the pile up.

This was the first crash of the day. I believe it was about 4 miles into the second lap.

Holy freaking crap guys...that sounds violent.

Anyone race the CAT4 or CAT3 races? How did those go?

I'm not sure why, just seems like those Greenville training races are mega-crashfests

I'm not sure why, just seems like those Greenville training races are mega-crashfests

I really hope the rest of the season was not as bad as yesterday. I actuatly saw someone cross themselves after a crash a mile out from the finish.

I was there this morning (Sunday). The announcers kept saying at the start of every race to take it easy, and mentioned the rider that went down yesterday and was having surgery today @ 8 AM on his broken hip. I guess everybody paid attention. I did the cat 5 35 + and it was a very controlled race. I stayed until the start of the Cat 1s and then had to go home. I may be wrong but I don't think there was a crash until then. At least none that the announcers mentioned. I don't know the other courses in the training series but this Donaldson Center circuit is good for cat 5s as it doesn't have any technical turns.

I was there this morning (Sunday). The announcers kept saying at the start of every race to take it easy, and mentioned the rider that went down yesterday and was having surgery today @ 8 AM on his broken hip. I guess everybody paid attention. I did the cat 5 35 + and it was a very controlled race. I stayed until the start of the Cat 1s and then had to go home. I may be wrong but I don't think there was a crash until then. At least none that the announcers mentioned. I don't know the other courses in the training series but this Donaldson Center circuit is good for cat 5s as it doesn't have any technical turns.

weird thing is i dont think theryre were any wrecks in the turns, the wrecks seems to happen when the pace picks up and riders want to change theyre line to grab a different guys wheel, crossing someone else. There was also an odd almost wreck where two rider touched wheels but instead of anyone going down one riders QR got caught in someone elses spokes lifting rider A's front wheel into the air, although they were able to recover this.

The race Saturday made me start second guessing the whole thing. I'm the main income provider for my family. Crap, if get really hurt because of something like this, my wife will kill me. All joking aside, I'm trying to think positively about my next race in a couple of weeks. I'm actually trying to talk myself into doing it.

That is what kills me. I enjoy the racing stuff, but I enjoy being able to ride and run every day a whole lot more. On top of that, it is just a hobby. Major bodily harm affecting my ability to work is not cool. It is an odds thing, but racing vs century and fast group rides puts the statistics in a whole new level.

On a side not, the guy who was hurt really bad on Sat had screws put in his hip and screws and a plate on his arm. He will have to do PT, obviously, but they expect him to recover full range of motion, which is really good to hear.

That is what kills me. I enjoy the racing stuff, but I enjoy being able to ride and run every day a whole lot more. On top of that, it is just a hobby. Major bodily harm affecting my ability to work is not cool. It is an odds thing, but racing vs century and fast group rides puts the statistics in a whole new level.

On a side not, the guy who was hurt really bad on Sat had screws put in his hip and screws and a plate on his arm. He will have to do PT, obviously, but they expect him to recover full range of motion, which is really good to hear.


That is good.

Thing with me is, I had a major spill last year. I came from a sprint to rejoin the group and someone shot out from that group at the same time and clipped my front wheel. I hit the ground at 25 mph. Woke up in an ambulance. I was shredded and broke my hand really bad. I still have a screw in my thumb and scars all over the place from the wreck. I do not need anything else like that.

The race Saturday made me start second guessing the whole thing. I'm the main income provider for my family. Crap, if get really hurt because of something like this, my wife will kill me. All joking aside, I'm trying to think positively about my next race in a couple of weeks. I'm actually trying to talk myself into doing it.


That, precisely, is the dilemma! Those of us who have people depending on us have to think very carefully about the risks.

I almost didn't renew my USCF license this year because of these issues. Two years ago I broke a collarbone in one of the GTS crits. It was one of those stupid Cat 5 situations where two or three fellows got tangled up on a straightaway at 30 mph and I had nowhere to go but over one of their bikes. I ended up with a smashed helmet, a broken clavicle, and road rash galore. My bike came through it better than I did!

My problem, and I know at least three or four other guys roughly my age in the Greenville, SC area in basically the same situation, is that I'm 50 years old with lots of endurance but limited speed. I just don't generate the wattage to hang with a Cat 4 field for long. I've done plenty of races but there is no point in moving up to Cat 4 if I can't handle the pace.

I wish there were more racing participation options for old geezers like me who like to race and have the bikehandling skills to do it safely. Right now the choice is either "Crash 5" or Masters (which around here seems to be populated primarily by former Pro/1/2's, which often makes for VERY fast races).

I've also done the RUSA thing with brevets and so forth, but there's nothing quite like the rush of racing! I just wish we didn't have to think about upping the life insurance coverage when I go out to race.

Dr. Bill

The problem with Greenville is the fact that it's the first races of the year and people are edgy to get out and race. Those same people ride until they are looking through the pain-tunnel and they just lose their wits and whatever small amount of handling ability they had in the first place. When you get a bunch of guys together who think that Europe will call them when they win a 5 or 4 race, stupid sh*t happens.

The key is just give and take. 5s all want to get to the front, then don't know WTF to do when they get there.

I was involved in one of the 34- cat 5 crashes yesterday. I was holding in the top 5 of the pack, pretty comfortable. The rider in front of me pops out of his pedal and slams on his brakes. I rode off the road to avoid a wreck and got back on with the group. As soon as I was back on, the same rider takes out a person in front of me and in effect...me. I got back up and kept going after the crash but one of the riders had some pretty bad road rash and was done for the day. I'm not sure about the rider who caused the pile up.



I'm afraid I would have had to have taken too much time kicking his ass, to still get back with the group.

So the crashes weren't around the turns? This was only my 2nd race so hardly an expert here. One thing I noticed (Sunday's Cat 5 35+) is that no one wanted to take turns at the front after the couple of rolling hills. This allowed all stragglers to catch up and the entire field was together again. I think too many read bikeforums :) and want to stay tucked to save themselves for the final sprint. I was at the front during the 2nd lap and after a little bit I slowed down to let other(s) get in front. Well... the entire field slowed down behind me. We were going at 15 miles/hr for a bit and I hadn't been going that fast to begin with.

I think I've pretty much settled on never racing the GTS...ever.

I think I've pretty much settled on never racing the GTS...ever.

I hope you'll reconsider, and I think I speak from considerable experience--having raced in a fair number of GTS events, and having attended a lot more watching my son compete. Rich Hincapie knows how to organize and promote events, and I thought Glen Thrift, Steve Baker and the rest of the gang did a fine job. The GTS courses are invariably pretty safe. Donaldson Center and the BMW Performance Center are particularly safe venues, in my judgment. The road courses used in previous years--River Falls and Vinyards--are great sites and quite safe as well. Also, you are going to have much the same cast of characters racing as in Charlotte, Ashville, and Atlanta.

I still can't figure out why the Saturday Fork Shoals races were so snakebit this year, though some plausible suggestions have been made above. All seriousness aside, maybe the announcer needs to spend a bit less time warning the racers about peeing in the bushes, and a bit more time warning about race safety.

Dr. Bill

I still can't figure out why the Saturday Fork Shoals races were so snakebit this year, though some plausible suggestions have been made above. All seriousness aside, maybe the announcer needs to spend a bit less time warning the racers about peeing in the bushes, and a bit more time warning about race safety.

Dr. Bill

Dr. Bill,

I think this is exactly what happened on Sunday. The race organizer, not the announcer, took over the microphone at the start of each race and told the riders to think of everyone's safety and talked about the rider with the broken hip being operated that morning. I know it made a huge difference in my group.

While we can all think for ourselves the announcers may contribute a little to the tension by trying to act like rush hour radio jockeys.

oh man the announcer, they must have found the most redneck cyclist they could find.

My friend from NJ was racing and he kept ask "wtf is he saying", and i couldnt figure out why on the last lap he kept telling us to 'bail out'.

I hope you'll reconsider, and I think I speak from considerable experience--having raced in a fair number of GTS events, and having attended a lot more watching my son compete. Rich Hincapie knows how to organize and promote events, and I thought Glen Thrift, Steve Baker and the rest of the gang did a fine job. The GTS courses are invariably pretty safe. Donaldson Center and the BMW Performance Center are particularly safe venues, in my judgment. The road courses used in previous years--River Falls and Vinyards--are great sites and quite safe as well. Also, you are going to have much the same cast of characters racing as in Charlotte, Ashville, and Atlanta.

I still can't figure out why the Saturday Fork Shoals races were so snakebit this year, though some plausible suggestions have been made above. All seriousness aside, maybe the announcer needs to spend a bit less time warning the racers about peeing in the bushes, and a bit more time warning about race safety.

Dr. Bill

I rode the Downtown Greenville Cycling Classic last year and I loved it...I'll race that again for sure. For early season fitness, the weekend hammerfests are just fine for me and crash free.