My main task with NCNCA Women's Committee, of which I am a member, for the coming season was to research how many 50+ women riders race actively in our District, what they prefer to race, and why. The answers were right there - 50+ women prefer, for the most part, time trials over mass start events. If they do consider racing a mass start race, they prefer one with a smaller field, and they don't like being combined with younger, stronger, less experienced women. Safety is a huge issue with them but so is just racing. They don't like being trounced by the younger gals because they're competitors, and they want to race. Being blown out the back is not racing. And we know that many RD's, due to permitting, staffing, the low number of entries and other associated costs are reluctant to provide separate races for the women, so the fields are almost always combined. The answer is TT's. And the number of women who compete in those speaks pretty loudly to the reasons why.

I agree that there is a large untapped resource in the rec rider world. The same holds true for the Tri folks. I know many women who are 50+ and curious/interested in racing, and either compete in triathlon or do nothing. The common reason is mass start races frankly scare them. Many don't consider TT's, and I have nothing definitive as to why, just an opinion. It is: some feel they don't have the time (but they can go ride a century or enter a tri), it's not "social" (yes it is), they need "equipment" (no they don't), and they don't know about it (our bad). The cost of entry, as Heathie has indicated, is not mentioned. The tri folks obviously don't balk at entry cost, because tri's are expensive. She's absolutely right that older riders are less concerned with the cost of an event than the younger riders are.

I cannot argue that choice of events is a factor. There are a lot, even in the off season. Here's another thing - I haven't heard about the SoCal TT fall/winter races, not that other folks are aware of them (Hermes and MEA and the folks they race with know of them), but perhaps if the RD's of the SoCal events could put the word out up here about their series they'd get a better turnout? Put a post on the NCNCA FB page, and on the NCNCA Women's FB page with the links to the events. It can't hurt.

From my POV, I'd rather race TT's through the winter than cross. I won't bore everyone with a lengthy digress. Some of the events are a bit far for me to travel, but I'd sure try to make a couple of them. Do a TT with Heathie and MEA? Oh, yes, I'd love that!

Exactly.

Looking at the last Tempus Fugit ITT https://www.usacycling.org/results/i...ar=2015&id=120 There were 15 Merckx racers. I suspect Santiago Canyon would be delighted with a turnout similar to this time trial.

Merckx TT needs to become the singlespeed of CX.

Try to google Santiago Canyon TT to learn about the race and see where that gets you. You would wind up here http://santiagocanyontt.com/, a site which hasn't been updated since 2013.

I only knew about it because my coach told me about it. It was not easy to find basic info about the race. I probably wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't part of the SoCal Series.

The SoCal Series is also hard to get info about- the website is not updated that frequently and sometimes when I email to find out basic things (like the dates of races that are 6ish weeks away), it takes a few emails to get a response and I feel like I'm being a PIA. I actually started to wonder if the entire series was called off.

So some of it may be lack of enthusiasm from riders but some also from the organizers. For whatever reason.

Sara is right on with her analysis of women's amateur racing. I could add more but I'm just getting off the spin bike at the gym and need to start my workout.

I saw two photographers on the course on Saturday. I have not found / seen any links or references.

For our Old La Honda Low Key Hill Climb, there are 8 links on the results page on the website for pictures. Including start, finish line and on the course. And we had pics available in a couple of days after the event.

BTW @sarals

Piru (which is 25 minutes from my house so you can stay with me)
Dec 6
Jan 3
Feb 7
Mar 6
and so on, the first Sunday of every month

Info on the Facebook page. Search for Uncle Tren's Race Productions. Dec 6 there may be birthday cake, because its Trens' daughters' birthday. His kids come and help with the race. They are cute. Best kind of podium girls- actual little girls getting mixed up as to which color ribbon goes with which place. :)

Fiesta Island is all the way down in San Diego but its your kind of course- flat. You could drive down to my house Friday, stay overnight and then we could go down to SD Sat and race Sunday, then head home. I'll even share my increasingly experienced soigneur. ;)

www.fiestaisland.info/


I'm in for the two left in the series: Jan 24 and Apr 10.

Thank you, Heathie! I'll have a look at (you've seen it) my work schedule and the NCNCA schedule and let me see what i can do. That would be a blast!

@Shovel and @Hermes - yes, indeed. And Shovel, thank you!

Thursday morning was the last Low Key Hill Climb which is a race up Mount Hamilton. This has become a tradition at the Hermes' household where we put a boneless turkey breast in the crockpot in the morning and race up Mount Hamilton in the AM and have Thanksgiving dinner in the PM.

Thursday was no different other than the temps on the mountain were in the 30s with sunny skies and light winds. We decided to forgo a warmup and just line up and hit it. We had a bag of clothes that was taken to the top for the descent.

It was really cold but climbing was okay. However, it felt like I was climbing in soupy air - too much air density, clothes and weight. I had a good ride but not a great time for me. The descent was bone chilling and there was a section of the road near the observatory that did not get any sun that was covered with snow. Fortunately, they sanded it. So the climb was okay and the descent was very slow with one foot unclipped ready for action.

Our team won the team competition which is always a great feeling and had some great competition.

This is a totally fun race series and I am looking forward to 2016 hill climb season.

Nice @Hermes!

Googled your race, that's a nice little 18 mile climb.

How do they score the teams?

@Hermes, I remember well that climb. It was my first face to face with Ex, and I crashed on the way UP. Momentous! I expect you had a cold descent, it's been VERY chilly as of late! Congrats on the team win!

It is the top 4 scores from a team for the week men and women combined. Then it is the top 5 aggregate scores for the series for each team to determine the overall winner.

I was 75 out of 252 men based upon doing 5 races.

The beauty of this series is that there are a lot of different competitions. Individual races, team, age adjusted, mass adjusted, most improved, most consistent and individual and team overall.

So even though, I was bumping along the bottom of the peloton at each race, overall, I did more races than most people and scored in the top 1/3.

@Hermes Well done!

Surf City CX/NCNCA Championship Cyclocross Race, MW 55+



I'll give the ending first - I finished, DFL, fifth of five. Because this was a championship race; the big guns were there and they brought their A game. I brought a knife to a gunfight.

The race was held on a tight course on a CalFire property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, above the town of Felton. It was tight and technical, traction was good, the air temperature was 55 degrees, no wind, and conditions were dry. There was one short runup, three barriers, and 1/2 of the course was single track in a wooded section. Another 1/4 of the course was heavily rutted and VERY rough!

I did a hasty warmup, prerode a short section of the course and called it good. It wasn't good, I needed more warmup, but I didn't have the time. I lined up with four other 55+ women, and I knew all of them. I thought I might be able to stay with two of them, but I'd gauge that as the race unfolded. We started with the 35+ and B women's fields. It wasn't a hard start, not leisurely by any means, but I was in no difficulty staying attached. The C women started behind us and immediately overtook us and started passing, and some of those moves were pretty sketchy. Adrenaline and kids - be on your toes! Early on we reached the first of two embankments that we had to climb, each about 6 feet tall. They were rideable, but there was a log jamb of riders there, and most were dismounting and running it. I did the same and passed two of the women in my group, and managed to stay ahead of them for a good while. One tried to pass me back on another embankment (she's a gal I've raced crits with, and I know her to be impatient), and she ended up crashing for that ill-advised move. I shared a chuckle with her later on about that.

I crashed myself about 2/3 of the way through the first lap on an uphill single track section. There was a root right in the middle of the lane, which was marked. I tried to move to the inside of the root, but my back wheel hit it and pitched me off to the right into a stanchion. Of course there were hecklers there, and of course they were impressed, but they were nice about it. I got back on the bike and got going again, but the two riders I was ahead of had passed me. I had also hurt my middle finger on my right hand - I ripped the nail half off - and although I could feel that something was wrong, I wasn't sure what. When I got to the rough section I found I was using an enormous amount of energy to go nowhere. I could deal with the faster sections, the single track, the barriers, the runups, but the rough? It was killing me, just sapping my strength!

By the third lap I had settled into a sort of rhythm. I was still getting killed on the rough section, my right hand was a bloody mess (so was the right shifter and drop), but I was "embracing the suffering" (thanks Holly!) and enjoying the hecklers who were themselves enjoying seeing a white haired older lady giving it a good go. I would slow and let faster (read "younger") riders get around me, and when I did that it would allow my heart rate to drop to LTHR (but it was never below around 150, my average was 152). Recovery was NOT to be had, but I'd try for some of it when I could.

I did finish, I did go right to the medical tent, and then I did go get something to eat and then drove home.

No one, especially someone used to a degree of success, takes well to a butt kicking like that one. I was seriously outclassed, way behind on fitness, lacking some bike skills, and my do I now have a case of track-hack! However, I did have a good time, and there were moments out there today where I was actually enjoying myself!

Thanks for reading.

I actually read the scoring rules on the website after I posted. Interesting, the scoring adds a strategic element to the whole thing. It would be fun to set something like that up down here. We even have enough climbs that we could set a series up in town, let Strava be the time keeper. We could do short (3 miles), medium (8 miles), long (15ish miles) and longer (25 miles). We even have a long gradual 30ish mile uphill road that would be perfect for a TTT. It might be worth floating this idea around to a couple of local clubs. Set the rules up to encourage maximum participation. :)

Congrats on your finish. That is a great series to have locally, you guys are lucky.

@sarals, OMG. That cyclocross stuff sounds so appealing. ;)

My hat is off to you for getting out there, though, it's not for the faint of heart.

Big calorie burn, I hope!

Nice work Sara. Nail ripped half off in a bloody mess.

@sarals I want to thank you for confirming my prejudices and giving such an eloquent description of why I have always maintained that CX racing is the work of the devil. All that running through mud and falling off has nothing to do with bike racing, you know. Much too undignified for an older gentlemen like me... ;)

@sarals You are a beast! What a tough race that sounds like. Good to hear you had fun despite the bloody mess. :thumb:

Sorry for the tough race sarals. I've only done 3 cross races, my HR has never been below LTHR in any of them. Tough sport.

Here in CO, it has been well below freezing since last Wednesday and we got some snow, so I skipped the cross race and raced in Zwift instead, on my new smart trainer. Zwift is fun, my legs are toast. A better mental experience than just riding intervals on the trainer.

Great idea. This series is the most fun and best run race series in NorCal, IMHO. Key to its success is the promoter's scoring and results system plus participation by racers and volunteers to put on the events each week and it starts after the USAC racing season is over.

Scoring has evolved over the years and it is extremely complicated. Dan takes each climb and rates them using a model. Old La Honda is rated at 100 and each climb is rated against it. So even though, each race ranks racers by time there is also the score which is a function of ones position relative to the fastest time up the mountain and degree of difficulty. Those scores are used for the various competitions.

The race costs $10 and net proceeds go to charity. Racers volunteer and one earns points if you volunteer. Likewise, one can be a coordinator and run the race by directing volunteers. Even if you volunteer, it is still possible to race. I volunteered for starting duty and then rode up with the last group.

Teams are formed ad hoc and new members added at will. Our team started out as a group of women and expanded its name and scope to include men. Most racers are on other USAC teams.

We have a couple of Strava timed races but IMO, those are not as fun. Getting everyone together for the start and at the finish line make for a more fun day. It is pretty straight forward to time racers using a time trial format or in groups. Hill climbs spread out racers. We take start and finish line pictures to confirm position if necessary.

Results are posted day of or day after and we always have several photographers that donate pictures and if they race, earn scoring credits.

I wimped out with the ribs and fingers being dinged up. Now I feel bad. Maybe I need to go south for a TT.

Piru on Sunday. ;)