Masters Racing (All Disciplines) - shovelhd race results

Tuesday at the Rent, A, 95 degrees, humid, a stiff southern wind, 12th or so. This is a weekly training criterium held in the parking lot of Rentchler Field, where the UConn Huskies have their football stadium. The course is laid out on roads that are closed to traffic during the race. It is a wide open, flat, featureless course other than the wind which is always present. Tonight it was brutal, 15mph and higher.

Three riders went at the gun. I had to get to the front first, but managed to start the chase on the first lap. Unfortunately, I was covered. I tried two more efforts to try and get away, but both didn't have the right mix of horsepower to stick. Shortly after my 3rd attack, three Cat1's drilled it and blew the field into smithereens. I would stay with them for a bit, then the next group, then the next group as the wind and pace took it's toll. The groups were strung out for most of the race. I would get lapped once. Others got lapped more than once. Of the 35 or so starters, less than half finished. I lost count. It was just like a bomb went off. I had trouble with efforts longer than 45 seconds as I would start to get nauseous even though I pre-hydrated and was drinking throughout. I have never felt this bad at this race, ever.

Needless to say, my scheduled workout less than 12 hours later was not good. I could not make my numbers. Not exactly stellar results, but I gave both the race and the workout everything I had.

I can picture how a pack would blow up like that - good description. You are obviously really good at really giving it everything you have, which is more than most people. That's something I'm working to improve, as I generally finish with too much left. So good job!

Thanks. When I pressed Stop on my Garmin after the cooldown laps, the NP number was 10% over threshold. 57 minutes worth.

Wind is always a big factor and it does not take much to explode the field when on the limit. I like the way you just race. So much of getting better or being happy with results or both is just doing it.

Thanks, AZT and Hermes. Turns out I made my numbers, actually overshot them a bit. I was aiming 50W high. I can be such a dumbass sometimes.

I raced a road race (gasp) today. I did not finish in the top ten, which was all the results that were posted, but I did not expect to. I may have won a state medal, though. We'll see. Race report to follow once I know how I did.

I raced a road race (gasp) today. I did not finish in the top ten, which was all the results that were posted, but I did not expect to. I may have won a state medal, though. We'll see. Race report to follow once I know how I did.

Shovel, that's great! Congrats!!!

Hoping for your result to be a good one.

Tour of the Hilltowns road race, M50+, 57 miles, 23rd place. This is a typical New England road race with tough climbs, screaming descents, and high powered fields. They come from all over to do this race. We even had one of RacerEx's teammates in my field. This is my club's road race, so I spent all day Friday sweeping the course. Last year, I trained hard for this race, one of my A races, by doing a ton of hill work. This year was just the opposite, as I have been training for criteriums only. So my plan was to chase nothing until after the first climb, and then only to join a group. One lone rider soloed for about 12 miles but we caught him on the descent. At the base of the first climb I was at the front of the group, right where I wanted to be. When they hit the gas, I paced my climb by power. This is a 20-22 minute climb that varies up to 14-15% and is one of the more difficult long climbs in the area. I went above my target for the entire climb, but never blew up, never intentionally backed off, just kept the power on from bottom to top. I was passed by a lot of riders at the bottom but I was passing riders the rest of the way. Guys were blowing up all around me. I was about 500m behind the lead group when they hit the summit, and there were two groups behind them. The first two groups would combine to be the lead group. Once I reached the summit I set out to catch what would now be the second group. It took me five miles, but I eventually caught them. I did some work in the group but generally tried to conserve as much as possible. I had just come off of a pull when I threw my chain on a rise. I thought it was over at that point, but the group sat up for me. I thanked them for it. That was classy. Once we got within 3 miles of the finish, and the long slog begun, the group split up as expected. I had a rider marked that I wanted to stick with. A few rode away from me, but I couldn't have stuck with them anyway. I took the group sprint from the rider I marked.

It's possible that I won a state RR medal, even in 23rd place, as there was only one MA rider in the top ten, and he isn't 55. So we'll see.

Considering I had a very tough few training weeks, that I worked hard all day the day before, and that I haven't even ridden a hilly road ride in ages, I am OK with this result. I felt that I could have gone a little but harder on the first climb without blowing up, but I was in a great rhythm, well above threshold, and I just didn't want to explode.

That's pretty impressive, shovelhd, for a man who hasn't been training for road races. As a novice I'm interested in the five mile chase to get back on. Everyone tells me that one has to bridge up fast and early, that trying to TT one's way across is too taxing. Not the case here?

chasm, in general I would say that this is true, it's better to bury it and catch on fast if you can, and give yourself more time to recover. In this case, however, and I'm certainly open to criticism from anyone, I think what I did made sense. I had just finished 20 minutes climbing above threshold. I know the course well, so I knew that I would have time to catch them on the rollers eventually. I would close the gap on the rises, and they would pull away on the drops, but I was always closing. I caught them on a short punchy 6% section that had fresh chipseal by sprinting hard in the packed down sections. I knew the group would slow due to the loose rock.

Interesting, thanks. A little local knowledge certainly helps. Useful lesson for me to know when to adapt the "rules" to take account of the circumstances.

I think your racing form is excellent.

Thanks, Hermes. It means a lot.

Green and Gold Criterium, mid 70's, on and off rain, tight technical course with a hill finish, gusty variable wind shifting all over the place. M45+, heavy rain. I was excited to do this race because there were a bunch of breakaway guys that I would hope to work with. One of them went at the gun, and I got caught boxed in during the first half lap. I tried to bridge but was heavily covered. There were three teams that made up almost half the field, so my whole race would be all about attacking and getting chased down. I was OTF at least five times, each time with a member of one of those teams, but they didn't have the horsepower. The last break was caught with 2 to go, so I didn't have much left for the sprint. I rolled across the line 8th, out of the money, pissed off and disgusted. There would be 90 minutes to the next race.

M55+, light sprinkles, predominantly dry pavement. The pace was stupid slow at the start. Several riders attacked, I followed, then they sat up. I decided to go for the first prime to stretch out my legs after the break. I won this by two bike lengths. I would again go OTF a bunch of times. One of those times, I was in a two rider break, and I took a prime just because it was my turn on the front. I took a third one the same way. With 6 to go they rang the bell for the final prime. I decided this time to jump early, try and open a gap, let the rider come around me, and stay OTF. When we came around the finish turn, I asked the guy if he wanted to stay out. "Nah". Okay. See ya. I rolled away, hitting the gas hard on the uphill sections and managing my power and aero position everywhere else to deal with the difficult wind conditions. I still had a nice gap on the final lap. I gave it all I had through the final turn and down the stretch in the sprint. I knew they were coming, but would they catch? They did, 6" after I crossed the line. It wasn't Somerville, not even close, but I could not help feeling a bit of redemption, and a boost of confidence that I am still capable of soloing OTF and winning.

Great job on the win. Very aggressive racing paid off today!

shovelhd, that is very impressive and congratulations on the solo win. I can be aggressive in one race but never two in a row.

Congrats on some fabulous racing and tactics.

Shovel, wow! Great, great work! I'm proud of you!

Terrific, shovel. Well done.

I'm in awe of what you do, Shovel. Beautiful way to win a race.

Thank you all for your kind words.

I have no idea what your fields are like, but I'm inclined to think the 8th in 45+ is even more impressive than the 55+ win. Great job on both.

VanceMac, they're all over the place. I'm usually very competitive in the M45+ fields. I won an NCC M45+ race last year, and usually top 10 in most of them. In last weekends race, the one guy got away at the gun with another chaser. The field was small and those two guys had the strongest riders backing them up. It was an exercise in frustration.

I put today's race results in the 33 race results thread. The bottom line, M55+ 4th (3 primes), M45+, 15th.

These shots are from the Green and Gold criterium last weekend.

With 5 laps to go, I hit the gas.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/shovelfl/2012%20racing/GGCritcard384of244.jpg

Drilling it up the hill.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/shovelfl/2012%20racing/GGCritcard398of244.jpg

Meanwhile, back in the field. Look at the suffer face on this guy, the CT Criterium Champion.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/shovelfl/2012%20racing/GGCritcard3101of244.jpg

I knew it would be close, so I saved a little for the sprint.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/shovelfl/2012%20racing/GGCritcard3108of244.jpg

The bike push wins it. This is why you never put your arms up before the line unless you are 100% confident that there is no other rider near you.

http://i331.photobucket.com/albums/l453/shovelfl/2012%20racing/GGCritcard3109of244.jpg

Great racing. You definitely have great form. Keep it fast and fresh for nationals.

New England Criterium Championships, M50+. This was a single, money paying race with separate medals for M50-54 and M55-59. I took the silver last year and wanted the gold this year. Well, I got squat. Jack squat. There were three teams that pretty much controlled the large (50-60 or so) field. It was an attackfest, as I expected, and I was as active as any human could be, going with anything that had one of those team members in it, and creating on my own. I was not allowed to escape for more than 1/2 lap. Every single time. I got away once solo, late, right after two teams had beat themselves up. I tested the waters but did not bury myself. Caught on the same lap. Immediately afterwards one guy that knows me well attacked solo. I did not chase. He won. Shortly after another team sent a rider with a hanger-on up the road. I tried to go with them but they chased us down. They attacked again. I stayed back. They stayed away. Finally, a guy who has been recruiting me for next year, who is a very strong M50+ sprinter, got me on his wheel with one to go offering a leadout. I took it. The three guys up the road were all M50+ so the gold was still within reach. His leadout started too far back. I got within a length of the M55+ winner. 7th M55+, 23rd overall. Just a totally frustrating day.

I swapped my jersey, bottles, downed a gel, and lined up for the M40+ race. A big break got away early and stayed out. I decided to recover a little before trying anything. I got in a few moves off the front but they weren't solid enough, and I didn't have enough in the tank to do anything heroic. I was about 2nd wheel in the field sprint, looking great coming through the final corner on the inside. I started my sprint, and got shoved pretty good onto the grass. Three riders pulled slightly ahead as I bombed across the turf and got back onto the pavement. I never took my foot off the gas. I finished 4th in the field sprint. Final finish position unknown. The positive coming out of this was that I had just done 2 hours of racing and had a sprint at the end good enough to hold off a M40+ field.

Chris Thater is next. This is a big, big race. A Nationals preview.

Shovel, Squat or medals, that was some great racing. I like to focus on the process and not the outcome. All you have to do is change a couple of variables that were out of your control in both races and you could have had a better outcome. And that is not saying that your results were not great. Nationals is going to be tough and you will need some things that go your way. But this type of racing and competition is great preparation. Congrats and keep it up. You are going to do great in the upcoming races and Nationals.

+1

You are clearly a marked man... would a team help offset that?

Hermes, thanks. I was just so frustrated and mad afterwards. I burned up a year's worth of coaching time on the phone last night as he talked me down off of the edge. I couldn't stop thinking that Nats was going to go down just like this. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Right now it's all about Thater. Winning that again is going to be extremely difficult but if I do well it will be the confidence boost I need.

AZT, thanks. I am pretty well known around here. The guy that went solo to win would sit up whenever I was on his wheel. He knows I'm strong enough and willing enough to go with him and make a break stick. He just won't go with me because he is afraid that I'll beat him in the sprint. Right now I have several teams interested for next year. There is only one I am seriously considering joining.

Right now I have several teams interested for next year. There is only one I am seriously considering joining.

What sets that team apart from the others?

What sets that team apart from the others?

That's a simple question with a complex answer.

It comes down to many factors. #1 for me are the players. Do I like them? Do I respect them? Are they all M45+ racers or do they have a presence in M50+ as well? What are their strengths? Where do they need help? #2 is where I would fit in. Would my role as an older rider be mainly support at every race? In the M50+ would I be able to do what I felt was best at any given moment? #3 is trust. If I join, how confident am I that if I go OTF that I will have help back in the field? Do they trust me enough to know that if one of them is in the right break that I'll kill my own chances to help him win? #4 are the team goals. What do they want to be? What kinds of races to they want to focus on? Are there any obligations to do certain races, i.e. high priority events that I really need to be entered in no matter what.

I'm not looking for a bunch of beer buddies, although having a pop or two afterwards is something missing right now that I'd love to fix. I am looking for a dedicated group that has goals and enough presence in the M50+ age group to make it worthwhile. The bar goes up when you join a team. There are expectations on both sides. Matching those expectations is the key to good team dynamics. It's when those expectations fall out of line, that's when the drama starts. I have enough drama at home. I quit the best regional team in the 1980's over team drama. I won't make that mistake again.

What sets this team apart? I've gotten to know, ride, and race with the key players. They race mainly criteriums, just like me. They have 3 or 4 M50+ riders already. They have an M45+ "star" that I have been able to work for in early season races, with great success, but the same guy worked for me when I was OTF. It's the trust factor.

They wound up scoring these races in a bizarre way. I can't quite explain it. I ended up 7th in the M55-59 and 9th in the M45-49.

Hermes, thanks. I was just so frustrated and mad afterwards. I burned up a year's worth of coaching time on the phone last night as he talked me down off of the edge. I couldn't stop thinking that Nats was going to go down just like this. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Right now it's all about Thater. Winning that again is going to be extremely difficult but if I do well it will be the confidence boost I need.

AZT, thanks. I am pretty well known around here. The guy that went solo to win would sit up whenever I was on his wheel. He knows I'm strong enough and willing enough to go with him and make a break stick. He just won't go with me because he is afraid that I'll beat him in the sprint. Right now I have several teams interested for next year. There is only one I am seriously considering joining.

It is amazingly frustrating to expect to improve position on the podium at a championship only not to make it at all. It totally sucks. I missed the 500 meters bronze at States by .1 seconds but yet got a medal at Nationals last year. However, IMO, the key for you is to focus on Nationals and not draw any conclusions from the state outcome - especially emotional ones. Stay on your plan and be prepared for a great race at Bend. You are going to be a rockstar at Nationals so put this one behind you. If you want to put a positive spin on this result, you are not peaking now but saving it for Bend.

A little push from me, too, shovel. Your frustration is palpable, and you have good reason. Don't waste your energy on it, though. File the burn, and channel the energy to the Nationals. You'll shine. I know you will!

Good luck at Chris Tater.

Posted in the 33 but repeated here.

Chris Thater NCC M45+, mid 80's, wind on the hill, in the field. I won this race last year with a late flyer. It was my last race before Nats, so I was prepped and ready for battle. Warmups were pretty bad but last week was not a taper week. I staged early and got a front row spot. The pace was hard at the gun as expected. The guys I had marked were active, and i was an active participant, but nothing stuck. After I was reeled in for the 5th time, a two man break got up the road to stay. I would initiate as well as join several chase attempts but nothing stuck, no matter how much firepower was in the group. It was a totally different race than last year, as we finished 3 minutes faster. On the last lap I felt the field was a little too lazy going into turn 1 so I attacked hard up the hill and got a nice gap. I got caught by one of my marked guys at the top but the gap had promise. As soon as I got on his wheel I had a very sharp pain in my side that took my breath away. I could not hang on his wheel, so I just started grinding it out at a pain level where I could still breathe. Going into turn four I still had a gap. I stood up to sprint and the pain was unmanageable, so I ground it out seated as the field sprinted by me. It must have been some sort of cramp. No damage, no lingering pain, a little soreness today. Just wasn't my day.

You OK, Shovel? Sounds unpleasant, to say the least.

Yeah, I didn't do any damage. Just a stitch in my side at the absolute worst possible time. I have a day off scheduled for today but I'm going to roll around a little on the MUP.

Yikes... Sorry it hit at such a bad time.

:eek::eek::eek:

Hoping it was just a bad day.

Hoping it was just a bad day.

As do I - "pain in the side" gives me concern - with reason!

I appreciate the concern, although I'm pretty sure it was just a side stitch. I've had them every now and then since I started riding again. It used to be related to my breathing, but I don't think that was the issue on Saturday. I have a hard set of over-unders scheduled for this afternoon. If it's anything serious, that set will bring it out.

I wasn't going to win on Saturday, but I had a solid top ten going until the pain hit.

I've gotten side stitches my whole life. I get one occasionally after/during a hard effort, always on the right, and I can't figure out what triggers it. I can typically ride through it, as it isn't too severe - just annoying.

This one shut me right down. Once it hit, I couldn't breathe deeply without severe pain. After a 20+ second flat out anerobic effort, I need to breathe deeply in order to transition into an aerobic effort. I managed to do that by grinding away at the edge of pain but once I called for more, it was unmanageable. This is the first time I can remember it ever happening in a race.

The quick answer everyone likes to give is electrolytes, but I've had it happen when pounding Endurolytes and lots of water. When I used to get them as a kid, they were more debilitating.

shovelhd, I used to get a lot of side stitches as a junior and young senior in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I decided (never had a real diagnosis) that it was related to mild lactose intolerance since I seemed to get them when I drank milk before a race. I stopped drinking milk altogether and the side stitches and stomach cramps stopped. Not saying that the cause is the same for you.

Anyway, it sounds like you had a good race from a fitness perspective which bodes well for natz. See you there next week.

Thanks everyone for your ideas, thoughts, and concerns. Cleave, I look forward to meeting you.

I did what turned out to be a very hard workout today. I pushed my last interval so hard I saw double and had to quit 2/3 of the way through it, the first time I've quit since training at this level. No issues with my side.

USAC Masters Road National Championships M55-59 criterium, 13th place. The rest is long, so you have been warned.

I basically dedicated the last three months of the season preparing for this race. I wanted that jersey real bad, but I also wanted to know where I stood at the national level outside of the East Coast. I didn't get the former, but I did get the latter. I flew out on Thursday, spent Friday doing openers and a recovery ride and course recon with Cleave, and had dinner with RacerEx and his UC Cyclery team on Friday night. Great day. I woke up rested on Saturday morning with my body clock just starting to adjust. I went down to the course to pick up my race packet and watch some early racing. On the 3rd lap of the W40-45 race there was a horrific crash right in front of me, basically from stupid riding, that put a rider down hard, knocked her out with seizures, and a compound fracture of her right shoulder. Best of luck to you, Jenna. It would become a story line for the whole day.

My warmup routine went exceedingly well. I had tons of power on tap. I went straight to the staging area early and staged on the front row. Then the Chief Official made us roll out for a warm up lap. I still managed a front row slot. The start was clean and fast, and I settled into the top ten. I had scouted my main threats, and sure enough, things started to go as I figured. There were non-stop attacks on the front early. I held back and watched, ready to bridge if one looked serious. They all got reeled back in. Meanwhile, after a few attacks and catches, the riding started to get really sketchy. This was a tight, 1km 6-turn course with a chicane, an off-camber 140 degree turn, and a very short sprint. At around the halfway point, a rider in front of me got too close to the barriers in the chicane and hit them hard. I got around him, but carnage ensued behind me. There would be five crashes, two serious, in just my race. I could not believe how poorly a lot of these riders rode. These are not beginners, these are Cat1's and 2's all at the front. A lot of them really struggled with this course at speed. So on the lap after the crash, I was right up front behind a World Champion who had been attacking like mad. He attacked again, I went with him. We got a nice gap, about a second or two, which was a lot on the day, but even though we were both drilling it, they caught us after two laps. I was faster through the technical sections than him and only got one chance to take us through it. I went with him again a little bit later, same result. With about 10 to go, a rider took off solo, too fast for me to latch on to. He got his 3-4 second gap, so I took to the front and reeled him in. With 2 to go I was 5th wheel, knowing that I could not beat the sprinters but I had a chance at a top ten. In the course of one lap, I nearly got wrecked out four times. A guy chopped my wheel after slamming on the brakes, another guy checked up so hard my rear wheel skidded out, I got bumped pretty hard within inches of the barriers, and two guys wadded it right in front of me in turn five. I got through it, but I fell back to about 12th or so. The speed on the last lap was high enough to cut down on the antics, but I wasn't where I wanted to be. Going into the final 300m, I had a clear way on the right if I wanted to start my sprint early. I had a choice, try and gain a few places at the risk of hitting the final turn too hot and crashing out. I saw that exact thing happen in two early races, so I just made the decision right then and there not to be That Guy. I passed one guy in the sprint but was passed by another. 65 riders started, something like 22 finished. As I crossed the line, it felt like a huge weight had lifted off of my shoulders.

Am I satisfied with 13th place? No. Not at all, but put me in a field with some of the best criterium sprinters in the country, and I'm probably not going to win. I did what I could, it just didn't work out. I know I belong with them, though. I know I can win at this level. I spoke with a bunch of them afterwards. I ended up on the same flight as a podium finisher from Florida, and we had breakfast at Newark Airport before we took our connecting flights. It was these conversations that took the sting off of the finish.

Two more M40+ crits left, White Plains and NCC/Boston I have great fitness and speed. We shall see.