Northern California - Cherry Pie Race Reports

I know there were a lot of BFers out there today, let's see the reports.

I'm on my phone right now, so I'll post mine when I make it over to the computer.

They sure know you there -- I heard the announcer say your name over and over. Did he interview you too? I was up and down the hill (not racing; herding kids and dogs) and didn't hear the entire segment.

I did two laps in the W 35+ and was coughing up a lung before I crested the hill on lap two. No legs + no lungs = short race. DNF. Saving myself for another day (Snelling here I come!).

So didn't you win your race?

I saw Blast Radius, Rydaddy, Huytheskigod, and maybe jrennie in the pro-1-2. Maybe others?

haha ya i was hooting and hollaring for ya while you were off the front!

I raced the 3's - and shall keep it short. Started with cold legs so i hoped to sit in for a few laps to warm up the legs and then try to stay near the front. Had a hell of a time moving up in the field and it took me most of the race to reach the front 20...not such a great idea looking back.

Found my team-mate with a sprint @ 3 to go and started to focus on trying to set the guy up at the end.

Out of the chicane and i went right....into a huge 20 person pile up. Stayed upright somehow but had to come to a complete stop and untangle someone from from my rear wheel and step over a few guys collecting there wits on the ground (kind of like Cx)

Got rolling again but the pack (what was left of it) was rounding the 180 and I knew there was little chance of me chasing on with 2 to go...but off i went. Next 2 laps i collecting 5-7 people that were more then content to sit on my wheel. Heading up the hill i did have the pleasure of digging deep while i talked a little smack about riding my wheel and still not being able to come around. Childish yes but that was the highlight of my race :roflmao2:


then i got to watch some fantastic racing!!!

kj

I raced the E4 race. Got there a little later than expected and didn't have the warmup I'd normally want. And I wasn't racing my normal race bike. I had a cable boss pop off the other night on the way home and it wasn't repaired (grist for another thread). So I was racing my steel Gazelle rather than my CF Trek. But enough excuses.

My mantra for '09 is no primes, just upgrade points. Of course that totally went out the window this morning when they announced the last prime with 5 laps to go. I was in good position and the pack seemed to slow to a walk with about 100 to go. I had good momentum so I dropped a cog and hammered up the hill. I thought I won easily until I saw a guy slide by me at the 180. I'd just managed to hold him off and they called my name over the PA. Woo hoo!

I joked to the guy I nipped: Steel is real, baby!

He said, "Yeah, you have all that momentum." :)

Anyway, that put me deep into the red and when the pack caught us, I just let myself drift too far to the back. I tried to move up over the next few laps but I'd already burnt too many matches. Ended up finishing around 20th or so.

My prime was a $15 gift certificate to Napa Cycles so we stopped there on the way out of town to spend it on some tubes. I also got a Bianchi stocking cap and a new cycling cap. Then Mrs. Caloso headed up the Valley where I had to buy her lunch at Auberge du Soleil. Amazing lunch. Mrs. Caloso spent more on a glass of local Chardonnay than my entree, but it was totally worth it.

No time to get back to the race to see the pros. Had to get back to Sac and meet the grandparents and the kids.

No pie, no points, but a great day of racing, eating, and a nice date with a beautiful woman. Can't beat that.

I was a bit concerned going into this race since I didn't get home from the Church crab feed dinner till midnight. Then I couldn't really get to sleep... I had caffeinated Diet Coke at dinner and I hadn't had any caffeinated beverage in months.

If figured I would just sit-in if I wasn't feeling up it but I wasn't sure how I would take to the hill. Luckily it was just short enough that I didn't blow myself up getting up it. Overall, the race was on a fun course.

At the line-up, I met up with Rydaddy, Huytheskigod, and a few others I met at the Early Bird crits. It's nice to see familiar faces. Whistle blew and off we go. I kept in the front-mid pack as best I could but still ended up on the front a couple of times. I got out of the wind as quickly as I could. :) The first couple of times I made the hairpin turn close to the inside, mainly following the pack. The second time the guy on my inside decides to widen his line. I couldn't go anywhere since there were others to my outside so I jammed my neck and head onto his arm (ala Robbie McEwen style) to "help" him hold his line. After that, I took PizzaMan's advice and made my way to the outside for the hairpin... it saved so much energy not coming to a near standstill then having to sprint to come back up to speed. The rest of the race was uneventful (for me at least) and I made it in with the pack for an 18th place finish. No pie for me :(

I was real glad to see Rydaddy make his way of the front with "Big Red Dude". It was cool to hear the announcer call out "Ryan O'Dell of ... NorCal leading the pack"*. Great job Rydaddy and everyone else out there!


*paraphrasing.

Sucks that I missed this :(

Looks like the back is a pulled muscle. Not sure how long it will take to heal up.

I arrived early enough to watch BlastRadius in the E5 race. He looked good in there and finished top 20. :thumb:

My first race was the 35+ 1/2/3/4. Since we didn't have a pure sprinter on our team today the plan was for me or Hutch to try and get in a breakaway. I went first on the 2nd lap and as soon as the pack caught me a few laps later Hutch went off the front with another guy. They lasted a few laps as I recovered, but as it became clear they would get caught my teammate Dan told me to reload and I attacked again as soon as they were caught.

This time I was able to get a pretty good lead and I think I got it up to about 15 seconds at one point, but it was just too tough fighting that wind by myself and as the laps went on, the pack was able to reel me back in just as we hit 5 laps to go. So, Hutch attacked again and got away in a 5 man break. I really thought that they would last to the end, but a couple guys went to the front and drilled it for their teammates and the breakaway was caught just as we heard the bell for the final lap.

I attacked again (probably not the smartest move) and led for about half of the final lap until I decided I was toast and started to pull over to avoid the sprint mayhem, but when I noticed that only 12 guys went by me (the rest had been gapped), I decided to jump back on and try for a top 10. I was able to pass a couple guys in the sprint to finish 10th! *Yea, 1 BAR point!* :D

Also, I won a bottle of Cycles Gladiator wine for being the "Most Aggressive Rider" :bang:


In the P/1/2 race I hung out in the middle/back of the pack for most of the race and just got in a workout and finished. :speedy: I saw jrennie in there too.

The best part of the day is that it was pretty safe in my races. No one went down in the 35+ race and there were only a couple minor incidents in the P/1/2 (at least they looked minor and I hope no one was hurt to bad)

Sucks that I missed this :(

Looks like the back is a pulled muscle. Not sure how long it will take to heal up.

Marco, sorry you missed it, I think this would have been a great course for you. Heal quickly, I hope to see you back out there soon.

I did get a mostly blurry picture of PizzaMan off the front.
94415

Sucks that I missed this :(

Looks like the back is a pulled muscle. Not sure how long it will take to heal up.

Not from cycling I hope. Heal well.

I think it was this stupid office chair I switched to, combined with cycling. Then, with it already bothering me.. I played a little football during half time of the superbowl. After that it was much worse.

It will get better... sucks I am not getting any riding in though besides commuting and errands.

Great reports everyone. Good to meet you Blast, and Red Rider - thanks for cheering at the start! I had fun today even though I abolutely blew up on the final sprint :lol:

I kept telling myself before the race to be smart, stay fresh and save something for the end. I started at the rear of the pack and quickly worked towards the front. I remembered seeing the "Big Red" guy at Cal Aggie and I knew he was strong and ready to play. I saw him attack about 6 minutes into the race so I chased and got onto his wheel. We had about 15 seconds on the pack but I knew I wouldn't have enough in me.... there was still 20 minutes of racing left!

After about 1.5 laps in our break, I slowed down and recovered while the pack reeled me in. I slipped in and stayed back for a while. We eventually caught up with Red.

I was feeling good again with about 2 laps to go. The pace was picking up and I found myself up front again. I didn't want it, but nobody would take it. With a half lap to go I realized I was being used and decided my only chance would be to make some sort of attempt at an attack. No way. After the final chicane people launched off me and left me in the dust. I totally blew up... the matchbook was burned! :roflmao2:

The final result wasn't great (not sure, 25th maybe?) but I had a lot of fun and learned more lessons. One of these days I'll learn how to end a race.

I have some great photos of the E5 race. I'll post them soon.

Ryan, I think you were 19th. Pretty good for being spent. :)

Next time, recover off the front a bit, hit me up and we'll attack together.

My report........I SUCK..........enough said.

I was in the E5s and I was mid-pack until the third lap when some guy hit the breaks real hard in front of me and I almost went down. I could not get back on after that so me and this other guy chatted for a few more laps before we both got pulled. I am getting better every race so no harm done.

I am going to stay in the 5s for a little bit longer :D

With a half lap to go I realized I was being used and decided my only chance would be to make some sort of attempt at an attack. No way. After the final chicane people launched off me and left me in the dust. I totally blew up... the matchbook was burned!

Thanx for the lift!

-Red

I have some great photos of the E5 race. I'll post them soon.

I got some good video of you when we were on that break. I had a cam under my seat.

-Red

The Oregan Scientific cam? I noticed the bike with that after the race.
You're not the "big red dude" are you?

The best part of the day is that it was pretty safe in my races. No one went down in the 35+ race and there were only a couple minor incidents in the P/1/2 (at least they looked minor and I hope no one was hurt to bad)

Hey great 2nd effort out there, sorry I missed it.

I got some good video of you when we were on that break. I had a cam under my seat.

-Red

I saw the cam before the race! That's a cool place to put it. Watch the field suffer! :roflmao2:

Nice job by the way! :thumb:

Not a good day for me. In the 4's race I was really suffering just trying to hang on. Was not recovering at all for some reason. I eventually ended up off the back and chased for 3 or 4 laps before being pulled. My legs really suffered the entire time. I made another attempt in the Masters 35+. I was actually feeling better, well until we hit the hill on lap one. My ass cramped and it was a struggle just to get up the hill and off the course.

I couldnt understand why I was having such a bad day. I figured it out later on. Been throwing up since 6pm last night and it still continues. The lousy part of self employment is Im at work.

So it was still good to meet Pizza Man, Bottle ROcket, Blast Radius.

Sorry to hear about the flu. It's really been going around, much more proliferate than other flus I've seen.

The Oregan Scientific cam? I noticed the bike with that after the race.
You're not the "big red dude" are you?

Yup.

I fared about the same as Deb. Cramped coming up the hill the first time and pulled out the second time. I thought I got a good warmup but I guess not. This big small guy needs to go do some hill repeats. I took a tone of pictures after my race so I'll get them up once their edited.

I fared about the same as Deb. Cramped coming up the hill the first time and pulled out the second time. I thought I got a good warmup but I guess not. This big small guy needs to go do some hill repeats. I took a tone of pictures after my race so I'll get them up once their edited.

Cantelow, Huy? ;) C'mon, you know you want to!

No Garmin, no Astana just 120 local yokels. I never wear a heart rate strap in a race and decided to this time, what a mistake. I started to get side cramps almost instantly. It took me 25 minutes to figure out what was doing it and I tried to pull my strap down but it isn't easy when your wearing a skinsuit. Finally about 45 minutes into it the cramps started to go away and I went to the front but running tailgunner for 3/4's of the race had taken a toll and I couldn't push up the hill anymore. I just rolled with a whimper. I rolled most of the last lap and ended with a np of 326w

I kept looking behind me and swear there were people there but nobody. I would move up, look back and no one. My girlfriend said they started to pull guys on the second or third lap. Jesse Moore and Nate English went off about 10 minutes in and stayed away, although the sprint finish was very close behind them in the end. Felt great at Land Park and horrible today, oh well it's only february and it is a long year.

My suffer pic from yesterday:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/jrennie/cp1.jpg

E4 race, actually had forgotten to take my pack off the back of my bike before the race...so as I am taking it off the guy blows the whistle and off everyone went...minus me!!! uggghhh! So i threw the bag and off for the chase..caught the back off the pack just before the hill on lap 1. Knowing the goal early in the season for me was to just finish near the front I was not too worried about my position at that point. Slowly started working my way forward and found myself mid pack with 3 to go. Moved forward a bit more until I found my teammates wheel for a leadout on the final lap. Through the chicane he got up to lead and there was no where to go..too many bikes not enough space, I had plenty left for a good sprint but could get to a spce to move forward so I sat on his wheel to the finish.
What I learned today...leave the bag at home and get to the front on such a tight course!(I believe the 4's had the largest group?)

The E4 group had 99 riders, according to the announcer.

I did the E5 race. Didn't have such a good day. After warming up on the trainer, I went out and did 2 lap pre-ride as this was my first time racing Cherry Pie. I didn't expect everyone to line up so quick, so i ended up in the very back row. The course was pretty narrow and didn't have too many opportunities to move up (this was my first race that wasn't an Early Bird, which is super easy to move up in). I was able to hang for about 20 minutes, then the accordion effect and the wind finally got the best of me and i got popped.

Being a guy that doesn't climb all that well, i thought the hill was going to be my downfall, but it's actually where i made up the most ground on every lap.

I refused to quit the race so i just kept riding as hard as i could to get a decent workout and practice my cornering. I kept trying to get dropped riders to jump in with me, but everyone was toast and i couldn't get anyone to hold my wheel. I finally got yanked by the race official just before the bell lap, resulting in the dreaded DNF. Its frustrating that i was on the front or in the break for almost all of last week's Early Bird and then the next sunday (between which i got some good training in) i get my but handed to me.

It was still a hell of a fun day though. It was my first time doing a race where there was an announcer, which made racing pretty fun. After the race my girlfriend and i got lunch at Taylor's and then hit Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery for some goodies before returning to see the pros do their thing. No Lance, no Astana, no Trek-Livestrong U23, and no Argyle Armada, but the pro race was still a really fun race to watch. I can't belive the break survived by such a small margin. Did anyone else see with 2 or 3 laps to go after the group hit the 180 when Moos refused to pull? It got a little sketchy there for a second, but no one crashed.

Going back and forth between being in the front and getting dropped is frustrating as all hell. I guess it was cold (i'd much rather it be hot) and I woke up this morning with a sore throat, but still. I'm just going to keep doing my thing until i get this figured out.

Here (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046301&l=b0a02&id=24900572) are my pictures if anyone is interested. It's just the E5, a few shots of the pro women, and then a bunch of the pro/1/2 men. Enjoy.

Thanks for posting the photos. I found one with me in it :thumb:

I did the E5 race. Didn't have such a good day. After warming up on the trainer, I went out and did 2 lap pre-ride as this was my first time racing Cherry Pie. I didn't expect everyone to line up so quick, so i ended up in the very back row. The course was pretty narrow and didn't have too many opportunities to move up (this was my first race that wasn't an Early Bird, which is super easy to move up in). I was able to hang for about 20 minutes, then the accordion effect and the wind finally got the best of me and i got popped.

Being a guy that doesn't climb all that well, i thought the hill was going to be my downfall, but it's actually where i made up the most ground on every lap.

I refused to quit the race so i just kept riding as hard as i could to get a decent workout and practice my cornering. I kept trying to get dropped riders to jump in with me, but everyone was toast and i couldn't get anyone to hold my wheel. I finally got yanked by the race official just before the bell lap, resulting in the dreaded DNF. Its frustrating that i was on the front or in the break for almost all of last week's Early Bird and then the next sunday (between which i got some good training in) i get my but handed to me.

It was still a hell of a fun day though. It was my first time doing a race where there was an announcer, which made racing pretty fun. After the race my girlfriend and i got lunch at Taylor's and then hit Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery for some goodies before returning to see the pros do their thing. No Lance, no Astana, no Trek-Livestrong U23, and no Argyle Armada, but the pro race was still a really fun race to watch. I can't belive the break survived by such a small margin. Did anyone else see with 2 or 3 laps to go after the group hit the 180 when Moos refused to pull? It got a little sketchy there for a second, but no one crashed.

Going back and forth between being in the front and getting dropped is frustrating as all hell. I guess it was cold (i'd much rather it be hot) and I woke up this morning with a sore throat, but still. I'm just going to keep doing my thing until i get this figured out.

Here (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046301&l=b0a02&id=24900572) are my pictures if anyone is interested. It's just the E5, a few shots of the pro women, and then a bunch of the pro/1/2 men. Enjoy.

I'm in Photo 6!...to the right and behind the zTeam guy.

Photos of the E5 Race (http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/?albumview=slideshow) First time my mom has watched me race. And she took some good shots! Basically tells the story of my race. Plenty of field shots too.

Photos of the E5 Race (http://s673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/?albumview=slideshow) First time my mom has watched me race. And she took some good shots! Basically tells the story of my race. Plenty of field shots too.

She did a great job!

She did a great job!

Thanks, I thought so too! I gotta get her out for more. Nice shot of you at the finish too. The full-size photos show lots of sufferring faces. :lol:

Tribulbous, is this you?
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/_MG_8467.jpg

Awesome pic.
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/_MG_8514.jpg
Announcer: RyDaddy of NorCal puts the hurt on the field.

Tribulbous, is this you?
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/_MG_8467.jpg

Yeah that's him... lap 3, the attack is on!

Yeah. That's me.

Man we could have totally organized a break. Oh well, next time.

Awesome pic.
http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv97/odell124/2009%20Cherry%20Pie%20Criterium%20Elite%205s/_MG_8514.jpg
Announcer: RyDaddy of NorCal puts the hurt on the field.

I remember turning up the volume; a BF racer getting recognition! W00t!

Ryan, your mom took great pics. You and tribulous did a great job, creating excitement in the race.

Henry, man when I go we should definitely organize a break (as long as you're not a 4 yet ;) )

When's your next race planned. My back is starting to feel better :)

Alright, finally got some pics up. I'll post some that you guys would appreciate. The rest can be found at the links below. The large size should be good enough for 5"x7" :innocent:(Huy pretends he knows what he's doing...which he doesn't).

World Champions are so fast not even the camera can keep up.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1383/3267563684_d2f0f74c92_b.jpg

THE LOOK!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3338/3269886430_f728c186d3_b.jpg

Old Ubers

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1276/3266747061_a6cf276815_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1239/3267572300_44f01cd241_b.jpg

Lovely FAST ladies

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/3266750195_db909a6ec9_b.jpg

Max Jenkins hurt his wrist in a crash at the turn around but he should be ok. Good luck in Belgium Max!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3269832176_6d599f8013_b.jpg

The Break

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3269832392_4673f6cffc_b.jpg

The Chase

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3269833400_c58e9933ec_b.jpg

The ones that got away!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3355/3269014529_8a564f0301_b.jpg

The rest of the Photos can be found here:

Cherry Pie 09 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76935843@N00/sets/72157613559942614/)

Cherry Pie 09 Elite Pro/1/2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76935843@N00/sets/72157613602059658/)

@uspspro
Doh, I just sent in the request last night.

I waited too long and all the coming up races I wanted to do are filled. :(
The ones coming not too soon are Ronde Von Brisbeen, Burlingame crit, Menlo Park Grand Prix.

Part 1 of rear facing pov vid from 2009 Cherry pie cat 5 race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw1rMBsurN4

Thanks for posting! And thought I was the only hungover drunk in the race :innocent:

Part 2 Cherry pie cat 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsML3CFeV-Y

Last ten minutes of Cherry Pie cat 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SOXH07PL-s

Great videos; thanks Red.

Haha...you can see me fall off center frame right at the beginning of video 1 never to be seen again!

I'm loving the seatcam. Almost like studying film.... I see the field almost got split in half at ~minute 5 of part 3. That was prime attack time. Oh well.

I'm stealing Red's idea for my next race. I have the same camera and it's not being used enough.

My nephew Brandon won the cat 3 race:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3273718154_d2d09791b6.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3273719364_3c2ee868d6.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3392/3273745426_6a6bb5f61f.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm7JSzQhxv8&eurl=http://bike4more.com/&feature=player_embedded