Road Bike Racing - Wasted Race? Could've Been Worse- Tokeneke CAT 4

Had everything planned for a good result in the Tokeneke CAT 4 race today. Felt really strong early, made a point to keep myself near the front before the hills, the weather was pristine (Sunny,Dry)............then something happened 3/4 of the way across the dam.......some guy in the middle of the pack two wheels ahead of me lost control, went down, and took a couple of other riders with him........I had nowhere to go to avoid the carnage, as it was right in front of me, and I figured it was going to be my first crash in three years of racing (15 races). I had no time to stop, but somehow, instead of flying over my handlebars, I rode right over the bicycle on the ground in front of me without going down.........After my Monster Truck impression, I realized my bike wasn't right. My bars were twisted to the left, and my front tire was rubbing against my brakes. I wa also worried that my rear tire was going flat. There was no choice but to stop and assess the damage as the maing group rode on up the road. Thankfully there was no major damage to the wheels, so it was a simple adjustment to stop the brake rub. As for the handlebars, I placed the front wheel between my knees and was able to straighten the bars........The time it took to get back in the race (at least a minute) made it virtually impossible to bridge back on to the main field. I picked off a number of riders jettisoned on the early climbs, and we were able to put a small group of 4 -5 riders together for a while to try to chase back. Problem was, there were too many hills left, and there was a reason those riders were dropped off the back. It was a weak group to hang with based on climbing ability. I busted my a** trying to catch back on, but there just weren't enough other riders around to put together a serious chase.........When I had to stop after the crash, I seriously thought of dropping out as I knew my chances of a good finish had just evaporated. I'm glad, however, that I chose to ride on. In retrospect, it could've been a LOT worse.

no such thing. good show

Did u run down a red orbea orca with reynolds wheels? That was my buddies ride, frame is toast....but thats racing. He was telling me two riders' bars hooked.....sucks especially since we drove up from Jersey.

Did u run down a red orbea orca with reynolds wheels? That was my buddies ride, frame is toast....but thats racing. He was telling me two riders' bars hooked.....sucks especially since we drove up from Jersey.Could've been him. I believe the bike I rode over was red....thought it might be a Specialized................Sorry to hear about the frame, though. Carbon's great, but sucks holy hell in a crash.......Are you guys Velocity?

Wa there a wheel truck? Sometimes you can get a bit of a draft back up. Not technically legal, but usually not sanctioned unless its abused.

wow, i remember that whole situation. i watched you ride right over the bike, i was right behind you. i somehow fenangled my way through the crash. i weaved in and out with my rear wheel barely touching the ground. i was so lucky since i just bought my new bike like a week and a half ago.

First of all, grafsk8er, congrats on the WIN! Very impressive. The good news for me is that your young self won't be a Cat 4 for very long :thumb: Maybe you could get a few more wins in this year and upgrade before Bethel next Spring? That would be great :)


I picked off a number of riders jettisoned on the early climbs, and we were able to put a small group of 4 -5 riders together for a while to try to chase back. Problem was, there were too many hills left, and there was a reason those riders were dropped off the back. It was a weak group to hang with based on climbing ability.

Patman, I think I was one of the riders you speak of (I ride for Bethel). Truth is, my legs weren't in it yesterday. Since I'm 172 lbs, that's a problem on those climbs :cry: After getting dropped, I spent most of my time chasing. I think your group came up on me and a couple of other guys right before the descent and finishing climb on the first lap. Were you the one who rode away from the rest of us on that finishing climb? If so, you're a pretty good climber for a bigger guy.

thanks tyrade. i'd like to upgrade to 3 by middle to the end of september. i've got quite a few races planned out for the rest of the season.

Patman, I think I was one of the riders you speak of (I ride for Bethel). Truth is, my legs weren't in it yesterday. Since I'm 172 lbs, that's a problem on those climbs :cry: After getting dropped, I spent most of my time chasing. I think your group came up on me and a couple of other guys right before the descent and finishing climb on the first lap. Were you the one who rode away from the rest of us on that finishing climb? If so, you're a pretty good climber for a bigger guy.[/QUOTE] I was the guy in the Zephyr Kit (White/Blue/Red/Yellow). I rode away from a few on the finishing climb at the end of the first lap, but there were two other guys that rode away from me. I felt pretty good climbing today (I'm not the best at 6'1", 170 lbs, but those long hills allowed me to get in a good rythm), so that's my biggest disappointment. I felt like I was going to have a breakthrough race, for me.

First of all, grafsk8er, congrats on the WIN! Very impressive. The good news for me is that your young self won't be a Cat 4 for very long :thumb: Maybe you could get a few more wins in this year and upgrade before Bethel next Spring? That would be great :)



Patman, I think I was one of the riders you speak of (I ride for Bethel). Truth is, my legs weren't in it yesterday. Since I'm 172 lbs, that's a problem on those climbs :cry: After getting dropped, I spent most of my time chasing. I think your group came up on me and a couple of other guys right before the descent and finishing climb on the first lap. Were you the one who rode away from the rest of us on that finishing climb? If so, you're a pretty good climber for a bigger guy.

was the guy in the Zephyr Kit (White/Blue/Red/Yellow). I rode away from a few on the finishing climb at the end of the first lap, but there were two other guys that rode away from me. I felt pretty good climbing today (I'm not the best at 6'1", 170 lbs, but those long hills allowed me to get in a good rythm), so that's my biggest disappointment. I felt like I was going to have a breakthrough race, for me.

idk about you guys, but i think those 3 short steeper climbs before the final were actually a little worse. once you got into a nice rythm, the final climb wasn't all that bad.

Congrats again graf! (I think I talked to you briefly right after the race)

I guess it's always good to be optimistic, but all those questions about tactics were for not! (I won't embarrass myself and give my brief report on this thread instead of the others) I suppose it would be hard for anything to really get away without a flat section after the climbs. It was really either up up up or down. I'm kind of disappointed with my race- I was feeling great the whole time until I totally cramped up on the final climb. After falling back I regained the use of legs and managed to catch back up to you guys, but when that last surge came it was like "see ya." In retrospect I was at the front way too much, doing stupid things. Live and learn!

I think I talked to someone else from the boards, but forgot who. Anyways, nice to meet everyone!

idk about you guys, but i think those 3 short steeper climbs before the final were actually a little worse. once you got into a nice rythm, the final climb wasn't all that bad.

You mean the short, steep climbs like the first one where you guys dropped me? ;) Yeah, it's the steeper ones that tend to get me into trouble.

Out of curiosity, grafsk8er, how much do you weigh? I'm trying to calculate how much more power I need to generate to keep up with guys like you on those climbs.

Tyrade,
Did you finish? I finished 52'd, and I didn't see any Bethel riders after me on Bike Reg. Also, Bike Reg shows 80+ starters, but only 64 finishers. I had one Zephyr teammate in the race, and his name doesn't show up in the results. He was ahead of the crash, but must have dropped out later on. Although I finished pretty far back trying to go it alone, I didn't think the course was so bad that so many would drop out. I think Union Vale is a tougher course with the shorter, steeper climbs.

........AND that nasty, steep, long, finishing climb (Union Vale).

Graf,
My CONGRATS as well!!

Tyrade,
Did you finish? I finished 52'd, and I didn't see any Bethel riders after me on Bike Reg. Also, Bike Reg shows 80+ starters, but only 64 finishers.... Although I finished pretty far back trying to go it alone, I didn't think the course was so bad that so many would drop out. I think Union Vale is a tougher course with the shorter, steeper climbs.

41st. Not a good day for me, but better than those who crashed. I glanced back after avoiding the crash, and I saw at least 8-10 bikes and bodies on the pavement. There's your dropoff in numbers.

I had to go it alone or rode with just a few guys for 75% of the race too. It's tough, especially early on when you're trying to chase down the group in front of you, but you just don't have the numbers with you. What I don't understand is guys who are dropped and don't do any work to chase. They're still riding tactically (e.g. sucking wheel). Do they not know that 40 guys are up the road? Very frustrating.

I turned yesterday's race into a mega-workout. My legs are still quite fatigued.

+1 on Union Vale course being tougher - especially the finish.

41st. Not a good day for me, but better than those who crashed. I glanced back after avoiding the crash, and I saw at least 8-10 bikes and bodies on the pavement. There's your dropoff in numbers.

I had to go it alone or rode with just a few guys for 75% of the race too. It's tough, especially early on when you're trying to chase down the group in front of you, but you just don't have the numbers with you. What I don't understand is guys who are dropped and don't do any work to chase. They're still riding tactically (e.g. sucking wheel). Do they not know that 40 guys are up the road? Very frustrating.

I turned yesterday's race into a mega-workout. My legs are still quite fatigued.

+1 on Union Vale course being tougher - especially the finish.

I agree 100% on those who don't want to put in the work to chase. I don't mind taking longer pulls when I'm feeling strong, but if you're going to suck my wheel, you better be ready to take at least a 30 second pull........After I stopped, I looked back and there was no one behind me. I hit the first climb last, and could see the main field already cresting the hill. With no real help other than a few guys weak on the climbs and descents, I expended way too much energy on the rest of the first lap trying to catch up. The second lap was making sure I paced myself well enough to make it over the climbs without red-lining.... I had no idea that many riders went down in the crash. I guess I dodged a major bullet in that one. I can't believe my wheels are still true, and my tires didn't go flat. I have no clue how I got over that guy.

Out of curiosity, grafsk8er, how much do you weigh? I'm trying to calculate how much more power I need to generate to keep up with guys like you on those climbs.


i'm 5'6" and right around 137-138 lbs. i'm not really sure what i'd be classified as of yet. cause i can sprint 40 mph, but i climb with the climbers. coming from a running and hockey background really helped in my power to weight ratio and my cardio, that's for sure.

i'm 5'6" and right around 137-138 lbs. i'm not really sure what i'd be classified as of yet. cause i can sprint 40 mph, but i climb with the climbers. coming from a running and hockey background really helped in my power to weight ratio and my cardio, that's for sure.

Um...how about we classify you as, well, FAST.

Hmmmm. I'm giving you 35 lbs. Maybe I'll just go do some squats...about 400 reps.

tyrade, you going to bethel tomorrow?

Yeah, I was in that race. That crash came out of nowhere. It was a perfectly flat wide open section with perfect pavement where the crash occured. I think maybe someone in the middle of the pack was enjoying the scenery a bit too much and did not pay attention to the people around him or something. I was behind it and made my way right stopping right next to the wall on the side of the bridge. The only thing that I saw of the crash was a Zipp 404 clincher wheel on its side because I made my way around it really fast and did a longish sprint to rejoin the pack only later to be dropped right towards the end of that first major climb. (past the sketchy pavement portion) I stuck with a chase group for the rest of the time and finished in 24th.