Northern California - Madera Stage race... who's in?

I'll be there! Pretty excited, it's my first "stage race." (Only two days/three events, but, still...).


Does anyone know how the overall points/standings are going to be worked out? Is it going to go purely by who finishes the stages in the smallest amount of time, or will they award points for certain place finishes and add those up at the end?

I wanted to do this so much, but my son has a wrestling tournament that weekend. Have fun and good luck :thumb:

I'll be there! Pretty excited, it's my first "stage race." (Only two days/three events, but, still...).


Does anyone know how the overall points/standings are going to be worked out? Is it going to go purely by who finishes the stages in the smallest amount of time, or will they award points for certain place finishes and add those up at the end?

I'll be there!

It's scored by overall time of the 3 events, but there are time bonuses.

In the crit and road race, the winner gets 20 sec, 2nd gets 10 sec and 3rd gets 5 sec.

There are also 2 primes in the crit worth 5 sec to the winner only.

Cool, good to know.

By the way, the bars are working out great, Chris, thanks a bunch! They are a bit short, so I'm having my dad rig up some little extensions to plug in the ends of the bars. You said I could buy them off you for 20 bucks, right? I think I'll take you up on that, I can meet up with you at Madera and pay you there.

I'll be there starting friday. We(p/1/2 race) get the added pleasure of the Ben-hur hill climb TT. PM you want to put on a clif bar kit and do it for me :D

I'll be there starting friday. We(p/1/2 race) get the added pleasure of the Ben-hur hill climb TT. PM you want to put on a clif bar kit and do it for me :D

I'd like to do that! ;)
Seriously though, I'm bummed that the masters guys don't get to do the hill climb TT. I almost entered the P/1/2 just to do the hill climb on Friday, then drop out and just race masters on Saturday & Sunday with my teammates.

I actually calculated that it would be logistically possible to do both the P/1/2 and masters crits and TT's on Saturday, then I could just do the road race in whichever division I was doing better in, but 4 races on Saturday would be pretty tough.

Both Hermes and I will be doing Madera - our first stage race! Hermes will be in the M 55+; I will most likely register as a W Cat 4 rather than the W 35+ category.

First off let me say that the NRC calender needs to start earlier so Bissell, Cal Giant and Kelly benefits will have better things to do.

Stage 1: Ben Hur Hill Climb

This was described as a 10 miles TT with the first 6 being rolling(uphill) and the next 4 a steeper climb(1300ft in 4.5 miles) but run full TT setup minus the disc. I did and I regret it. I would have been much more comfortable on my road bike with clip-ons as would have been may others. I did the first 6 miles hard to catch my 1 and 2 minute guys but blew at the base of the climb. Ben Jacque Maynes set a new course record and I was 5 minutes down already, fark. I went up the climb suffering in the 39/23 and while rolling back down I watched a Kelly Benefits guys rolling it in the big ring and aero bars.
Suffering on the hill:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j180/jrennie/IMG_0388_maderaprott031309.jpg

New goals for the weekend now that the stage race is over, have fun and get training

Stage 2: Sharron TT

Flat 10.2 miles with a good amount of wind. This is much more my style of TT. 1 and 2 went to Ben and the Kelly guy again but 3rd through 14th were less than 15 seconds apart. I was 13th in a strong field and content with the result. My power was better than I expected for both TT's give my current level of fitness.

Stage 3 crit:

Pretty boring 4 corner crit with some bad road and wind. I tried a couple attacks very early on but Bissell or Cal Giant hopped on anything that moved and shut it down unless it had the right guys in it. I didn't have the fire power riding solo to find out which combo that was so I tucked in a waited for the last lap and same time.

Stage 4 RR:

This was the one I was worried about, very rough roads and a "roubaix" section. Last year as a 3 I flatted 2 wheels in the first 10 miles. We rolled out at 8am and it was very cold but warmed up fast. After a neutral couple miles to get on the course it started. Attacks went from the gun and the pace was high. So many flats it was amazing. Ben flatted and all of a sudden you see a bunch of bissell guys pull to the sides and drop back. The pack was flying but still together, nothing escaping for much more than a minute or so and people only dropping out with flats or mechanicals. Third time through the course you start praying for a flat just to end the jarring. On the fourth lap I was tucked in toward the back as I started to develop a twinge in my knee. I was looking down and trying to pick as smooth a line as possible through the rock pile called a road surrounded by a couple guys high up on GC that I knew would be there in the end when I looked up and there was a split in the cross wind section. Alarms start ringing and 20m turns into 100m and bigger and bigger. We chased for a bit but to no avail, race over, such a stupid mistake.

Madera was a fun race. There were a lot of 'funnyness' too. Like parking next to the pig corral and almost stepping in horse dung. Like never knowing what the GC results were. Still. And, like having $40 cash prize money instead of the $100 listed.

I did cat 4, and wasnt in the money (I ended 7th GC), but two teammates went 1 and 3. 3rd place got $5 and a t-shirt. funny.

I'm not sure what the point of that roubaix / rocky road section was. That was beyond funny, more like ridiculous.

Madera was a fun race. There were a lot of 'funnyness' too. Like parking next to the pig corral and almost stepping in horse dung. Like never knowing what the GC results were. Still. And, like having $40 cash prize money instead of the $100 listed.

I did cat 4, and wasnt in the money (I ended 7th GC), but two teammates went 1 and 3. 3rd place got $5 and a t-shirt. funny.

I'm not sure what the point of that roubaix / rocky road section was. That was beyond funny, more like ridiculous.

Yeah, that parking area was interesting. After a few years of racing you learn how to read velo promo flyers.

$50 means $0 cash and t-shirts for top 6 (valued at $8.33 each?)
$100 means $40 cash ($20 for 1st, $10 for 2nd and $5 for 3rd & 4th) and t-shirts for top 6 (now valued at $10 each)
$200 means $140 cash ($40, $30, $25, $20, $15 & $10) and t-shirts for top 6. (valued at $10 each)

I was in the 35+ 1/2/3. My teammate won and I was 5th.

Lyman destroyed that TT. You would have loved the hill climb PizzaMan.
.

As much as Velo Promo sucks for prize money and road selection, you have to love there dedication. They put on 10x what anyone else does. It isn't glamorous but great racing. With the praise out of the way, VP have truly made an art form out of finding the worst roads in California and racing down them.

The cobbles on the back stretch of the RR broke a spoke nipple on my rear wheel and partially stripped my stem clamp bolt. Not to mention the soreness from having my muscles tenderized. Still, fun!

Lyman destroyed that TT. You would have loved the hill climb PizzaMan.
.

As much as Velo Promo sucks for prize money and road selection, you have to love there dedication. They put on 10x what anyone else does. It isn't glamorous but great racing. With the praise out of the way, VP have truly made an art form out of finding the worst roads in California and racing down them.


Next year I think Lyman and I may want to try this race with you and the other kids in the P/1/2.

jrennie, that's a great looking frame.

Can't say that I'm eager to ride roads that break equipment, tho;-)

Next year I think Lyman and I may want to try this race with you and the other kids in the P/1/2.

:( (takes two steps further back in the GC). I think you will both do very well. Hopefully they move it back to april so the big boys will have better things to do like redlands and san dimas.

This was my first stage race and first criterium. I rode in the male Cat 5s. The crit was okay but at times seemed a little dicey. There was a bad crash about two bikes to my right that took a few riders down on the home stretch right before the final lap. One guy was unconscious but revived and was taken away in an ambulance.

In the TT, I finished mid pack with a 27:14. After all the talk about missing turns on the course, I memorized the map. However, I still slowed down at the first road 26. Something happens in a race where your racing IQ goes down as the power goes up. Otherwise, it was uneventful but very windy.

I was not sure how I would feel for the road race on Sunday. As it turned out, I felt great and the road race was the most fun of the three events. I had heard about the rough section of road. And it lived up to the hype. Lots of water bottles falling off the bikes as well as mechanicals and flats. My Cervelo R3 got to live up to it reputation and provided a good ride on that section of road.

It was a great experience and I would do it again.

Hermes, :thumb:


Also, the results are now posted.
http://www.velopromo.com/mdra-rl09GC.htm

Madera Stage Race, March 14-15, 2009
Cat: W4
Overall General Classification (GC): 7
Field: 43

This was my first stage race. It consisted of a 40 minute criterium Saturday morning, a 10 mile time trial (TT) on Saturday afternoon and a 51 mile road race on Sunday. At a minimum, it would serve as a benchmark at this early point (for me) in the racing season. Last month I was off the bike completely for two weeks due to vacation and surgery, and then had to scale back my training efforts a notch during post-op recovery. I was really looking forward to the race, but also realistically acknowledging that I am not in peak form. I felt surprisingly great during the crit and the road race – my “sweet spot” is typically the time trial, but that turned out to be where I lost time. I am looking forward to the next Beat the Clock TT for some good TT training. I missed 6th GC place by less than a half a second, and would have placed 5th but for my penalty (see TT report below). All in all, a great first stage race. We had perfect weather the entire weekend (high temps around 70 and mostly sunny) which made for an enjoyable weekend of racing. Hermes also completed the stage race with the Cat 5 men and had a stellar time trial stage. Fortunately our race schedules meshed very well because there was a lot of driving around to get to the various race venues.

Stage 2, Criterium
Sat. 9:50 AM
Time: 39:43 – finished with the pack
Course: Flat, a little more than 1 mi, four corner, industrial park, very good pavement, wide streets, one perpendicular RR crossing.

The criterium has is not usually the deciding factor for the general classification. There are 20/10/5 second bonuses for 1-3 and two 5 second bonuses for the primes. This was my first crit – my goal was to finish with the pack and move on to the next stage – mission accomplished. I actually enjoyed the crit and took part in a couple breakaways and led out on the last lap. A crash on corner 3 took down one cyclist and a woman next to me hit a traffic cone that came my way. Otherwise, uneventful and fun.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/velodiva/startW4crit.jpg

Start of W Cat 4 crit

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/velodiva/MEAleadcrit.jpg

Velodiva leading the peloton on last lap

Stage 3, Sharon ITT
Sat. 2:22 PM start time
Time: 27:14 (official time w/30 second penalty 27:44)
Place: 7/43
Course: Flat, rectangular, 10-mile loop, breezy, moderate temperature. Cross-tailwind on first two legs, cross-headwind on third leg, headwind on short final leg.

I was the first W Cat 4 out – I am used to it with the last name beginning with “A”. There was a lag of 2 minutes between the two groups, so it was unlikely that I would catch anyone – and no one passed me. There was so much hype, talk, and warnings about people going off-course that I wrote the road names on my hand. All that I think led to distraction. I had an ambitious goal of 26:30 but that was not to be realized. I think that I was so wound up about the crit and relieved that it was over that lacked that TT inner drive. The cross-headwind/headwind on the last two legs of the course took its toll. I love to TT and this was a good early season test. Don’t ask about the penalty – that hurt! Before the race (before anyone was on the course), I was warming up on Santa Fe Road mentally gauging the wind effect and was on the TT course for 200 meters – yes, I know better – I swear something happens to your brain during a race. I deserve the penalty for being stupid. Live and learn. It cost me 2 places in the GC.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/velodiva/TT-1.jpg

Velodiva on the TT

Stage 4, Daulton RR
Sun. 11:25 AM
Place: 11/43
51 miles (3 laps)
Course: 3 laps of 17-mile loop. Slightly downhill windy section, 2.5 miles of “Paris Roubaix” cobblestones followed by the roller coaster through the finish/feed zone.

I was happy to start in the second wave, have a relatively relaxing morning, and more recovery time. The temps were perfect for a road race. That said, I was still a little bummed out about the TT/penalty and not psyched for a 51 mile road race. As it turned out, the road race was a lot of fun and I was able to easily respond to any attacks or breakaways. We dropped almost half of the peloton on the rollers on the first lap and my sole team mate and I were in the lead pack. I loved the series of short roller coasters – this was a fun course. There was an unsuccessful breakaway attempt on the rough section that really rattled everyone up. We passed the Women’s 3 peloton (who started 10 minutes ahead if us) at the beginning of lap 3, so were maintaining a fast pace. Just after the bumpy section when the course was open to two lanes, the official on motorcycle directed us to the right side of the road so the men’s peloton could pass. This bunched us up so I wasn’t positioned up front when the attack on the hills occurred. I felt strong but finished 11th in 2:19:52 (27 seconds behind first place finisher).

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/velodiva/rollers2.jpg

The roller coaster

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/velodiva/RRroughroad.jpg

The Paris Roubaix section

Thanks for reading.

Great job Velodiva! Thanks for the excellent report.

Ended up 10th in GC! Pretty happy with this considering it was my first stage race, third crit, first TT, first road race, and I was taken out in a crash in the crit that threw my wheels out of true for the remaining two races. Stoked!

Velodiva & Arexjay,

Congratulations on the top 10 finishes for your first stage races!

That was a lot of fun. Too bad this is the only one we have in Nor Cal. Oregon has at least 5 and I go up there every year to do one.

I thinke Tour De Nez is going to be multiple stages even for masters and the downtown Reno crit is back!

And the women have Kern :)

I thinke Tour De Nez is going to be multiple stages even for masters and the downtown Reno crit is back!

Thanks Josh. I checked out the website (http://www.tourdenez.com). No TT though, huh? I wonder if it will be a timed or Omnium format. I had fun last year just doing the circuit race at Northstar, and plan to go back this year. With Nevada City on Sunday that will be a great (& tough) 4 days of racing.

poor skid got messed up in the crash

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/full/3637804.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1237441617&Signature=jzMwrtcN8HH3vtMn6xmcIupDEks%3D

poor skid got messed up in the crash

http://s3.amazona ws.com/twitpic/photos/full/3637804.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1237451937&Signature=OMbqU2i1PIr4o63ELcYpmr2dqfw%3D

Looks like he still finished all the stages.

Thanks Josh. I checked out the website (http://www.tourdenez.com). No TT though, huh? I wonder if it will be a timed or Omnium format. I had fun last year just doing the circuit race at Northstar, and plan to go back this year. With Nevada City on Sunday that will be a great (& tough) 4 days of racing.

Tim just changed that at a meeting on saturday I guess. It was slated for
Thurs: reno crit
Friday: TT and truckee crit
Saturday: circuit race

I wonder why he scratched it. It does almost make more sense to run it as an omnium now.