Masters Misc Race Report Thread
04-23-14, 07:27 AM
#1951
Old & Getting Older Racer
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Now that I've come to terms with last week... just kidding!
Now that I have a moment... Three more races last week and it wasn't pretty.
Park2Park Race Series
Tuesday night worlds at Eldo started the ugliness. Biggest team in Masters is overwhelmingly large. Their strategy is becoming somewhat predictable (and unfortunately effective because of their numbers) -- go hard from the gun. My teammate jumped in with their rabbits (note the plural) and I start chasing people trying to bridge. Looking at my data, I chased three times in the first two miles. Three was one too many.
I chased one of Ex's ex-teammates. He died, I was dying. By the time there was a space to jump around him, I couldn't close the gap to the already depleted field.
Time for time trial training.
Ended up with a woman who started with us and caught up with me after she surfed the back of the Pro/1/2/3 field. We sort of worked together. My chivalrous side made me pull a lot. 
We got lapped by the Masters pack just as they were finishing. We should have stopped but she wanted to "finish" our last lap (it's a timed race). I obliged. As we approached the line, she starts to sprint (???). I figured she wanted to race so I obliged again.
Easter Sunday Grand Prix (Ontario, CA)
This is one of my favorite industrial park criterium courses. Mid-morning start time but I was still a bit on the late side. Saw Ex in passing during my abbreviated warm up.
Masters 50+/55+ was first up. The "slugfest" started from the gun. Thank you Racer Ex.
Another no rhythm race for me. One second I'm feeling OK, the next I'm losing places in the field. Three laps into the race and I'm at the back on a woman's wheel (this is becoming a bad pattern) and a half lap later she starts dying on the slight uphill section. I go around her but again, I can't close the gap. Three and a half laps later I got lapped and DNF.
For some reason I thought it was a good idea to spend another $10 to do the 45+ race.
Thurlow Rogers in on the line so my self confidence starts hitting new lows. I'm joking with some friends on the outside and crying on the inside. The race starts fast again. (Another bad pattern.) This time I focus on wheels and trying to connect with my inner bike racing zen. It worked. Sort of. There was a large break after a couple of laps so the peloton calmed down. Racer Ex was smiling on the outside when I saw him after falling off of the break. I managed a back-of-the-pack finish. Small victories.
Epilogue: Not-so-interesting fact. My NP for the 50+/55+ race (7 laps total) was 1 watt lower than my NP for the 45+ race (15 laps total). I'd get a sports psychologist if I wasn't doing this just for "fun."
Now that I have a moment... Three more races last week and it wasn't pretty.
Park2Park Race Series
Tuesday night worlds at Eldo started the ugliness. Biggest team in Masters is overwhelmingly large. Their strategy is becoming somewhat predictable (and unfortunately effective because of their numbers) -- go hard from the gun. My teammate jumped in with their rabbits (note the plural) and I start chasing people trying to bridge. Looking at my data, I chased three times in the first two miles. Three was one too many.
I chased one of Ex's ex-teammates. He died, I was dying. By the time there was a space to jump around him, I couldn't close the gap to the already depleted field.
Time for time trial training.
Ended up with a woman who started with us and caught up with me after she surfed the back of the Pro/1/2/3 field. We sort of worked together. My chivalrous side made me pull a lot. We got lapped by the Masters pack just as they were finishing. We should have stopped but she wanted to "finish" our last lap (it's a timed race). I obliged. As we approached the line, she starts to sprint (???). I figured she wanted to race so I obliged again.Easter Sunday Grand Prix (Ontario, CA)
This is one of my favorite industrial park criterium courses. Mid-morning start time but I was still a bit on the late side. Saw Ex in passing during my abbreviated warm up.
Masters 50+/55+ was first up. The "slugfest" started from the gun. Thank you Racer Ex.
Another no rhythm race for me. One second I'm feeling OK, the next I'm losing places in the field. Three laps into the race and I'm at the back on a woman's wheel (this is becoming a bad pattern) and a half lap later she starts dying on the slight uphill section. I go around her but again, I can't close the gap. Three and a half laps later I got lapped and DNF.For some reason I thought it was a good idea to spend another $10 to do the 45+ race.
Thurlow Rogers in on the line so my self confidence starts hitting new lows. I'm joking with some friends on the outside and crying on the inside. The race starts fast again. (Another bad pattern.) This time I focus on wheels and trying to connect with my inner bike racing zen. It worked. Sort of. There was a large break after a couple of laps so the peloton calmed down. Racer Ex was smiling on the outside when I saw him after falling off of the break. I managed a back-of-the-pack finish. Small victories.
Epilogue: Not-so-interesting fact. My NP for the 50+/55+ race (7 laps total) was 1 watt lower than my NP for the 45+ race (15 laps total). I'd get a sports psychologist if I wasn't doing this just for "fun."
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Thanks.
Cleave
"Real men still wear pink."
Visit my blog at https://cleavesblant.wordpress.com/
Lightning Velo Cycling Club: https://www.lightningvelo.org/
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04-23-14, 09:45 AM
#1952
Idiot Emeritus
I don't know what to say, Cleave. Something tells me you're having fun, or you wouldn't be doing this. If I read between the lines, I think I see that the masters fields are larger and there seems to be more talent. Hey, there are VERY strong women out there. Don't hesitate to let them work for YOU (I'd do it)!
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04-23-14, 09:56 AM
#1953
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Sara,
First off, anyone that watches Deadliest Catch is A-OK in my book. Whenever that MH-60 shows up I think of you and what you do.
Im in not your coach but it seems to me like you're going through a growth spurt with your racing knowledge. It can be taught, but it must be learned, if that makes any sense. I question myself after ever single race, even when I win. Maybe it's because I'm an engineer, or maybe just because that's how I'm wired. The questioning is easy. The analysis and lessons learned are the hard part. You are making tremendous progress in that area as evidenced in your last post.
What to do when you are working in a small group and one is not. I usually start with reality and encouragement first. "We're not going to stay out here long if you don't get working. Come in now let's go". If it's a team support thing I say nothing because it's futile. If they are clearly wheel sucking then I deal with it for a bit and then I'll say something like "You don't want me to make this hard for you." That usually puts them into attack mode so you have to be diligent. That's true for all wheel suckers. They will attack you at any moment so save a reserve and keep an eye on their wheel.
I had one in the 55 race last weekend when we were in the chase group with the solo rider up ahead. One teammate was doing nothing, as he should. Some doofus Cat4 was yelling at everyone to work including the teammate but I ignored him. Actually I didn't, I asked him if he was in the wrong race as the Cat5's were earlier. But there was one guy who I have races with enough to know his tricks, a strong Cat3 who will wheel suck and sprint but he is capable of bridging solo so not exactly a sprinter. I just gave him encouragement. "Come on Hartford lets get this guy". And he started working with me. We didn't catch the guy but we did what we could and he finished right behind me.
Things will ill start to get easier once you get a feel for pacing your efforts in the criterium arena where surges can crush you. It takes confidence in your ability to recover and patience to measure your efforts during surges to give yourself the chance. This can again be taught but it must be learned.
Keep up the great work and good luck in the PSG.
First off, anyone that watches Deadliest Catch is A-OK in my book. Whenever that MH-60 shows up I think of you and what you do.
Im in not your coach but it seems to me like you're going through a growth spurt with your racing knowledge. It can be taught, but it must be learned, if that makes any sense. I question myself after ever single race, even when I win. Maybe it's because I'm an engineer, or maybe just because that's how I'm wired. The questioning is easy. The analysis and lessons learned are the hard part. You are making tremendous progress in that area as evidenced in your last post.
What to do when you are working in a small group and one is not. I usually start with reality and encouragement first. "We're not going to stay out here long if you don't get working. Come in now let's go". If it's a team support thing I say nothing because it's futile. If they are clearly wheel sucking then I deal with it for a bit and then I'll say something like "You don't want me to make this hard for you." That usually puts them into attack mode so you have to be diligent. That's true for all wheel suckers. They will attack you at any moment so save a reserve and keep an eye on their wheel.
I had one in the 55 race last weekend when we were in the chase group with the solo rider up ahead. One teammate was doing nothing, as he should. Some doofus Cat4 was yelling at everyone to work including the teammate but I ignored him. Actually I didn't, I asked him if he was in the wrong race as the Cat5's were earlier. But there was one guy who I have races with enough to know his tricks, a strong Cat3 who will wheel suck and sprint but he is capable of bridging solo so not exactly a sprinter. I just gave him encouragement. "Come on Hartford lets get this guy". And he started working with me. We didn't catch the guy but we did what we could and he finished right behind me.
Things will ill start to get easier once you get a feel for pacing your efforts in the criterium arena where surges can crush you. It takes confidence in your ability to recover and patience to measure your efforts during surges to give yourself the chance. This can again be taught but it must be learned.
Keep up the great work and good luck in the PSG.
Yes, like you, I analyze every race I do, over and over, until I do another race. I've decided that this is a thinking game, it really is. I'm just starting to understand it. The thing is, when I'm in the thick of things, staying in the pack and sheltered dominate my thoughts, the chess games going on around me are noticed, but their priority is low. It's after the race that I start to see the importance of some of them and how they could have helped me. I am thoroughly enjoying this thinking aspect of the sport, and it seems to me that crits offer more of this because of the compacted time frame. I am positively anxious to get into another crit as soon as I can so I can learn more and maybe exercise what I have learned.
Thanks for the props for PSG! That will be fun. The Bay Area SG is going to be good old fashioned HARD. I really don't know how that will come out.
Shovel, again - thanks!
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Last edited by sarals; 04-23-14 at 09:59 AM.
04-23-14, 10:05 AM
#1954
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Did the local TNW last night. Not a good profile for Racer Ex (see screen shot).
Big climbs tops out at 6100'. Not a good elevation for Racer Ex. And it was 38 degrees. Not a good temperature for Racer Ex. There are a couple of pros up here so I decided to downgrade and race the "B" race. But only 3 "A" racers showed up so they combined us with the "A" folks. Not a good combination for Racer Ex. I'm still getting over the illness and I'm a fair bit overweight from the time off. Not a good body for Racer Ex.
So I attacked early but was covered. One attack and I felt like I was being water boarded and drowning, despite a heart rate that I normally get walking Ridley at a brisk pace. So I attacked again and was covered; this time it was sort of like being hung from a tree with a loose noose. Not a good sign for the upcoming climbs for Racer Ex.
Result:
Offthebackistan is quite chilly this time of year. I need to bring wool socks next time. I wouldn't have been DFL had I not pulled the plug, but it would have been close. But pull the plug I did. Coughed up stuff for the next 30 minutes.
Crit Thursday night. I need a long extension cord for my oxygen concentrator.
Last edited by Racer Ex; 04-23-14 at 10:18 AM.
04-23-14, 10:07 AM
#1955
Idiot Emeritus
Ex, be careful....
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04-23-14, 10:45 AM
#1957
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So quick note on small group tactics. Either you're in the race (front group or break) or you're not. If you're in a break or not in the race it is best to work together, so you either get back in the race or end up in the winning break.
Pointing this out to people who don't want to work is the first step. Next step is either deciding if they are actually blown or just being cheesy. Ask.
If they can't work then you get them to agree not to contest any sprint. If they agree but later they contest then call them out and spread the word that they have no honor.
If they are being cheesy then you sit up and stop working unless you decide if you can still get back in the race or stay in the break (and beat them) without their help. If yes, then work. While you're working bug them and try to get them to agree not to contest. Bug them a lot.
If you can't beat them then you sit up in the break. You don't want to get a rep as someone who's silly enough to pull people around.
If you're in a chase group then you sit up and point out that racing for 18th is a waste of time and you aren't taking another pull because you are fine with getting pulled or being out there all day. Coast to a complete stop if need be.
You don't want to get a rep as someone who's silly enough to pull people around.
If I had been is Sara's shoes my commentary would have gone something like this:
"You DO realize the actual race is up there right? And that if we work together we might get back in the actual race, which by the way is up there (pointing)."
If still nothing then:
"You know I'm old enough to be your Grandmother, right? Or at least your mother? So you're going to let me pull you around for what, 18th? Just so you can tell all your friends you beat a 60 year old in the sprint? Wow, that's pretty sad. You DO realize the actual race is up there right? You know, the people actually trying to win and stuff. If you pull you might get a workout and we won't be out here all day"
And finally:
"I'm going to stop and pee then"
I stay away from calling people names and things. I just like to point out the actuality of the situation.
Pointing this out to people who don't want to work is the first step. Next step is either deciding if they are actually blown or just being cheesy. Ask.
If they can't work then you get them to agree not to contest any sprint. If they agree but later they contest then call them out and spread the word that they have no honor.
If they are being cheesy then you sit up and stop working unless you decide if you can still get back in the race or stay in the break (and beat them) without their help. If yes, then work. While you're working bug them and try to get them to agree not to contest. Bug them a lot.
If you can't beat them then you sit up in the break. You don't want to get a rep as someone who's silly enough to pull people around.
If you're in a chase group then you sit up and point out that racing for 18th is a waste of time and you aren't taking another pull because you are fine with getting pulled or being out there all day. Coast to a complete stop if need be.
You don't want to get a rep as someone who's silly enough to pull people around.
If I had been is Sara's shoes my commentary would have gone something like this:
"You DO realize the actual race is up there right? And that if we work together we might get back in the actual race, which by the way is up there (pointing)."
If still nothing then:
"You know I'm old enough to be your Grandmother, right? Or at least your mother? So you're going to let me pull you around for what, 18th? Just so you can tell all your friends you beat a 60 year old in the sprint? Wow, that's pretty sad. You DO realize the actual race is up there right? You know, the people actually trying to win and stuff. If you pull you might get a workout and we won't be out here all day"
And finally:
"I'm going to stop and pee then"
I stay away from calling people names and things. I just like to point out the actuality of the situation.
Last edited by Racer Ex; 04-23-14 at 10:51 AM.
04-23-14, 10:57 AM
#1958
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Classic Ex.
There is a technique I'll use called gapping off to shed a rider that won't work. It's basically just sitting up but I do it a little more subtly. Just keep riding and back off the power until a gap opens up. The other guy will either jump around you to bridge or go OTB with you.
The best retribution to a wheel sucker is to beat them in the sprint. All that nothing wasted.
There is a technique I'll use called gapping off to shed a rider that won't work. It's basically just sitting up but I do it a little more subtly. Just keep riding and back off the power until a gap opens up. The other guy will either jump around you to bridge or go OTB with you.
The best retribution to a wheel sucker is to beat them in the sprint. All that nothing wasted.
04-23-14, 12:02 PM
#1959
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AzT, you reminded me of some things I've thought about around my last race. I'm sitting here watching "Deadliest Catch", and the term "greenhorn" stings every time I hear it. Even though I am not going all in in the races I'm doing right now,because they are training races, I can't help but think over the mistakes I've made and the opportunities that I have missed. My team mate made the comment "she wanted it more than you did" when I told her about how I'd been tricked into doing 90% of the work by the rider I was working with, and then watched her ride away and finish ahead of me because I was pooped. That remark irritated me at first, and then I remembered the mind game aspect of this sport. The part I don't know much about. The part that could keep me in the race at the end or out of it early. Two other things that happened in that race have been a focus to me, as well. One was watching a rider move strongly up the leeward side of the pack to position herself second wheel, and I had every opportunity to follow her. And it would have been helpful to me if I had. The other was watching the other 60+ woman in the field move smartly up the same side moments earlier, and thinking that I should have been marking her. In both cases, I thought about what was going on when it was happening rather than reacting to it. Why? Because, I'm new to this. I thought and then had second thoughts, rather than being decisive. But - I'm remembering these opportunities, and it's probably good that I recognize them. I look forward to when I know enough about this sport so that I can react the right way and be there at the end of the race.
And I know Norma and she is a wonderful woman and I see her all the time training on the TT course.
04-23-14, 12:50 PM
#1960
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Awesome report to read, Cleave, and nicely done.
04-23-14, 12:51 PM
#1961
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Racer Ex, please be careful, and please keep writing.
04-23-14, 12:57 PM
#1962
Idiot Emeritus
Since you are coached by Ex, I keep my comments to myself - too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the meal. However, since you brought it up, iMO, Norma was your race. You want 60+ competition and got it. It should have been a classic Ali/Frazer slugfest with you and her using the field to work each other over. Forget about the other racers in situations like this. Since she is a CA criterium champion 60+, you should have been glued to her wheel from the get go. If she rides you off her wheel then you know where you stand. Plus being glued to her wheel, you would have learned HER tactics that may be of value in the state criterium this year. Just my 2 cents.
And I know Norma and she is a wonderful woman and I see her all the time training on the TT course.
And I know Norma and she is a wonderful woman and I see her all the time training on the TT course.
A few things. I looked for Norma on the line, and I didn't see her. I found her in the race, and as I said, I realized I should have been marking her. I know she would have been game to race with each other, because she does know who I am. And, she finished about 1/3 lap ahead of me, and two places ahead of me - we could have mixed it up! I was holding back, because, my coach has said (and I'm finally listening) "training race". I likely misunderstand some of what that means, but to me it means don't kill yourself, don't take chances, and if it's over, don't try for glory. Am I wrong? Probably.
I know where I stand with several "serious" 60+ women racers, most of whom are Cat 3's, by the way (experienced). I've ridden with Phyllis Orlich - she's stronger and smarter than I am, and a better climber. I've ridden with Kay Tsui (10 time national champ) - she's stronger than I am, in every way. I ride and train all the time with Barb Gicquel, who is 74, and she can drop me on a climb any time she wants to, and she matches me in every other aspect. I haven't ridden with MEA, but I'm pretty sure she could work me over, too.
So, I do know where I stand with my contemporaries who race, and it gives me lots of reason for improvement, and I'm definitely working towards that.Which race is the state criterium championship? Lorri isn't holding Menlo Park any more.
Classic Ex, yes, but he makes some great points. The funny thing is, I did ask a young woman after a race earlier this year (I was pissed off about something she did), "so, how did it feel to beat up on grandma, anyway?" She looked pretty chagrined - but I know she'd do it again - she's a racer!
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04-23-14, 07:58 PM
#1963
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By the way, in my ~3 years experience, there is a difference between the road racing and the cyclocross communities exactly along these lines. In CX, the second you finish, you're chatting with even your biggest rivals, and pretty much zero nonsense is tolerated. In road it's not always so, and I've seen field-of-play rivalries/animosities frequently carry over to post-race festivities.
I personally am on a mission to be an example to try and change this. I love in-competition throat-slitting as much as the next guy, but I enjoy post-race beer and banter even more.
(Shovel, love the quote).
One of the things Ex and I have talked about is those situations when someone does something which makes you think "what the %(#$ is in his mind? Am I missing something?" Chances are, if you are thinking about things enough to have that sort of thought, it means the other guy(s) are just not making sense. Not making sense happens a lot in races - like 3 guys launching from the front of the pack. That's typically a real long shot, absent a course feature that dictates it. Which is possible, if they were just trying to use the hill to 'decant' the peloton a bit. Do you know how those three ended up?
I don't know how those guys ended up - they were new faces, I don't know their names, and (very sadly) I don't know the faces of the guys that won.
04-23-14, 08:45 PM
#1964
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Cleave, that was some great racing. The NorCal and SoCal pelotons are just insanely fast. Thurlow was a nice addition to your racing.
04-23-14, 09:35 PM
#1965
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A while back I likened racing to going into a supermarket and randomly pulling things off the shelf, then seeing if you got something healthy. Odds are you got some organic kale and a lot of stuff that's mostly high fructose corn syrup. Go in with a shopping list (like a plan for the race) and you end up with a lot less junk.
New riders often see finishing as some grand goal. In some cases it can be, if just finishing is your goal for the year or the month or whatever.
In others it's driving your car into a brick wall to prove the airbags will deploy. Problem is folks forget that they have to take their kid to the doctor they next day and end up doing something that really matters with a shattered windshield, no airbags, and a leaking radiator. The car breaks and the kid misses the appointment. In the rider's case they miss the next week of training. Or fry themselves mentally. A short term, ego thing that hurts them over the long term.
Taking a long view and developing a plan has worked pretty well for me and folks I've worked with. Some races that might mean working on pack skills. Sometimes it's attacking. Sometimes it's sitting in and sprinting for primes and the win. Or just hanging on till the end. But there should always be a plan.
Last edited by Racer Ex; 04-23-14 at 09:45 PM.
04-23-14, 10:06 PM
#1966
Idiot Emeritus
Nope. That's pretty much it.
A while back I likened racing to going into a supermarket and randomly pulling things off the shelf, then seeing if you got something healthy. Odds are you got some organic kale and a lot of stuff that's mostly high fructose corn syrup. Go in with a shopping list (like a plan for the race) and you end up with a lot less junk.
New riders often see finishing as some grand goal. In some cases it can be, if just finishing is your goal for the year or the month or whatever.
In others it's driving your car into a brick wall to prove the airbags will deploy. Problem is folks forget that they have to take their kid to the doctor they next day and end up doing something that really matters with a shattered windshield, no airbags, and a leaking radiator. The car breaks and the kid misses the appointment. In the rider's case they miss the next week of training. Or fry themselves mentally. A short term, ego thing that hurts them over the long term.
Taking a long view and developing a plan has worked pretty well for me and folks I've worked with. Some races that might mean working on pack skills. Sometimes it's attacking. Sometimes it's sitting in and sprinting for primes and the win. Or just hanging on till the end. But there should always be a plan.
A while back I likened racing to going into a supermarket and randomly pulling things off the shelf, then seeing if you got something healthy. Odds are you got some organic kale and a lot of stuff that's mostly high fructose corn syrup. Go in with a shopping list (like a plan for the race) and you end up with a lot less junk.
New riders often see finishing as some grand goal. In some cases it can be, if just finishing is your goal for the year or the month or whatever.
In others it's driving your car into a brick wall to prove the airbags will deploy. Problem is folks forget that they have to take their kid to the doctor they next day and end up doing something that really matters with a shattered windshield, no airbags, and a leaking radiator. The car breaks and the kid misses the appointment. In the rider's case they miss the next week of training. Or fry themselves mentally. A short term, ego thing that hurts them over the long term.
Taking a long view and developing a plan has worked pretty well for me and folks I've worked with. Some races that might mean working on pack skills. Sometimes it's attacking. Sometimes it's sitting in and sprinting for primes and the win. Or just hanging on till the end. But there should always be a plan.
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"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
04-23-14, 11:35 PM
#1968
Idiot Emeritus
As usual, I fell right into that one....
__________________
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
"Can you add a signature line please? The lack of words makes me think you are being held hostage and being told to be quiet"
04-24-14, 05:57 AM
#1969
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04-24-14, 08:19 AM
#1970
Senior Member
Nope. That's pretty much it.
A while back I likened racing to going into a supermarket and randomly pulling things off the shelf, then seeing if you got something healthy. Odds are you got some organic kale and a lot of stuff that's mostly high fructose corn syrup. Go in with a shopping list (like a plan for the race) and you end up with a lot less junk.
New riders often see finishing as some grand goal. In some cases it can be, if just finishing is your goal for the year or the month or whatever.
In others it's driving your car into a brick wall to prove the airbags will deploy. Problem is folks forget that they have to take their kid to the doctor they next day and end up doing something that really matters with a shattered windshield, no airbags, and a leaking radiator. The car breaks and the kid misses the appointment. In the rider's case they miss the next week of training. Or fry themselves mentally. A short term, ego thing that hurts them over the long term.
Taking a long view and developing a plan has worked pretty well for me and folks I've worked with. Some races that might mean working on pack skills. Sometimes it's attacking. Sometimes it's sitting in and sprinting for primes and the win. Or just hanging on till the end. But there should always be a plan.
A while back I likened racing to going into a supermarket and randomly pulling things off the shelf, then seeing if you got something healthy. Odds are you got some organic kale and a lot of stuff that's mostly high fructose corn syrup. Go in with a shopping list (like a plan for the race) and you end up with a lot less junk.
New riders often see finishing as some grand goal. In some cases it can be, if just finishing is your goal for the year or the month or whatever.
In others it's driving your car into a brick wall to prove the airbags will deploy. Problem is folks forget that they have to take their kid to the doctor they next day and end up doing something that really matters with a shattered windshield, no airbags, and a leaking radiator. The car breaks and the kid misses the appointment. In the rider's case they miss the next week of training. Or fry themselves mentally. A short term, ego thing that hurts them over the long term.
Taking a long view and developing a plan has worked pretty well for me and folks I've worked with. Some races that might mean working on pack skills. Sometimes it's attacking. Sometimes it's sitting in and sprinting for primes and the win. Or just hanging on till the end. But there should always be a plan.
04-24-14, 09:41 AM
#1971
Idiot Emeritus
04-24-14, 09:59 AM
#1972
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The biggest issue that I have to continually work on is patience. From the gun through to the final sprint. It doesn't help that I start my season racing negatively for the most part. That requires the opposite, and patience can cost the team the race. So I have to do a Vulcan mind meld after that series is over and try and shift my focus to patience. It's not easy for a type A like me. It's part of why I placed 3rd last week. I let the solo rider go until I figured out who he was, but by then it was too late. In the sprint I wanted to time it right into the wind but I waited just a bit too long. That's the risk that you take. But I still ends up on the podium, and that is the lesson learned. That, and now I know who that guy is and what his generic kit looks like and he's not going off again without me.
04-26-14, 09:09 PM
#1973
So it is
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Federal Center Classic. 55+. 1 hour, 4 mile circuit, 18 corners, with some traffic islands to make some corners tight, and a couple tiny little hills that were made a bigger deal that they really were. I was hoping to hang on, as these guys are known to be speedy. I expected it to be smooth as silk, and every corner wide open, and planned on doing all I could to hang on as long as I could. We took off, and we were doing a good clip, but I was surprised that we were slowing for corners. I commented on that, and was surprised how "surgey" it was. More on that later.....
As the race wore on, the corners were faster, we cornered 3-4 abreast more, and the speed wasn't dropping as much. 5 to go, I was still there. 3 to go, same, and I actually took a pull to help chase back a 5 man break. 2 to go was a prime lap, and I was still there. Last lap, I was still there? WTF? In the pack, sprinting. Some lapped/off the back riders from another cat that started ahead of us were on the finish straight. Scary. 12th, out of 36 that finished. I obviously need to work on my finishes.
.be
45+4. 3 hours later. Another 1 hour race. 25th out of 60? OK. I was surprised at how the Master cornered, and I take all that back. They were better, smoother, faster. These guys damn near stopped for the tighter corners, and slowed down big for the fast ones. Man, did I have to work hard. I was lucky to sneak up to the front 1/4 of the race, as someone clipped a pedal shortly after on a fast corner, and took a whack of riders down. Ambulance on that corner for 3 more laps. I was in the pack, ready to try and place "OK". I'm not a sprinter, but I can follow a wheel.... I just didn't pick the right one.
Either way. I survived, and I am pleased with my races, though the 45+4 is a scary thing, at times.
As the race wore on, the corners were faster, we cornered 3-4 abreast more, and the speed wasn't dropping as much. 5 to go, I was still there. 3 to go, same, and I actually took a pull to help chase back a 5 man break. 2 to go was a prime lap, and I was still there. Last lap, I was still there? WTF? In the pack, sprinting. Some lapped/off the back riders from another cat that started ahead of us were on the finish straight. Scary. 12th, out of 36 that finished. I obviously need to work on my finishes.
45+4. 3 hours later. Another 1 hour race. 25th out of 60? OK. I was surprised at how the Master cornered, and I take all that back. They were better, smoother, faster. These guys damn near stopped for the tighter corners, and slowed down big for the fast ones. Man, did I have to work hard. I was lucky to sneak up to the front 1/4 of the race, as someone clipped a pedal shortly after on a fast corner, and took a whack of riders down. Ambulance on that corner for 3 more laps. I was in the pack, ready to try and place "OK". I'm not a sprinter, but I can follow a wheel.... I just didn't pick the right one.
Either way. I survived, and I am pleased with my races, though the 45+4 is a scary thing, at times.
Last edited by LAJ; 04-28-14 at 06:25 AM.
04-26-14, 10:44 PM
#1974
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Federal Center Classic Circuit Race 45/4's with LAJ
This is a tough sport.
Last week I wrote about being happy about feeling safe in the pack and about moving around well in the pack, all on a course that didn't suit me.
Today I raced a course that suited me and that I thought I could do well on. However the pack was a nightmare with lots of sketchiness. I include myself here; I never got settled in and I rode poorly. I wasn't smooth at all. Once somebody braked in front of me and I brake checked too, hard enough to skid my rear a bit - I've never done that unintentionally before. Another time I was on the inside of a corner and I guy moved in on me, pushing me onto the concrete gutter, which was fine, except for the 3/4" death crevice between the asphalt and concrete, which made me do a little jog to have a decent angle of attack over it, and this scared the bejeesus out of everybody around me. And, with maybe 2' to go, I was 3rd wheel, and then with 1' go to, I was 30th wheel...whoops. I sat up for the sprint and coasted in somewhere close to the back of 50 starters.
60' power was 218w average 237w neural. These are the lowest power numbers I've ever seen in a race. Likely my Quarq is acting up, but if they're right, then perhaps I did an OK job hiding from the wind. The race did not feel very hard to me at all, but I just couldn't get in the groove. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and especially so after last week's fun.
This is a tough sport.
Last week I wrote about being happy about feeling safe in the pack and about moving around well in the pack, all on a course that didn't suit me.
Today I raced a course that suited me and that I thought I could do well on. However the pack was a nightmare with lots of sketchiness. I include myself here; I never got settled in and I rode poorly. I wasn't smooth at all. Once somebody braked in front of me and I brake checked too, hard enough to skid my rear a bit - I've never done that unintentionally before. Another time I was on the inside of a corner and I guy moved in on me, pushing me onto the concrete gutter, which was fine, except for the 3/4" death crevice between the asphalt and concrete, which made me do a little jog to have a decent angle of attack over it, and this scared the bejeesus out of everybody around me. And, with maybe 2' to go, I was 3rd wheel, and then with 1' go to, I was 30th wheel...whoops. I sat up for the sprint and coasted in somewhere close to the back of 50 starters.
60' power was 218w average 237w neural. These are the lowest power numbers I've ever seen in a race. Likely my Quarq is acting up, but if they're right, then perhaps I did an OK job hiding from the wind. The race did not feel very hard to me at all, but I just couldn't get in the groove. Overall, it was a disappointing experience, and especially so after last week's fun.
04-27-14, 05:50 AM
#1975
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Yeah, big difference between a stacked open Masters field and Cat4's of any age. Glad you both survived and rode smart. LA, that's a good finish in an open race. rwt, nice bike handling. It's only a scary move if you scare yourself. Screw the guys around you.