shovelhd

How did the race go, crit monster?

Racer Ex 

Encouraging. I had done an hour of weights including 4 sets of leg presses right before the race, did a really aggressive warm up, so I had 120 TSS in my legs before the race started. I rode the "B" race which was around 24 MPH on a really windy day (speeds were 18-32 mph). No problem hanging at the front, jumping on stuff, Etc. Took a 2.5 lap flyer half way through the race, hit my best peak number for the year on that attack, no problem getting on when I got caught. Pulled the plug at 25 minutes in.

I don't have great TT fitness right now, but my snap is better than 2013/14; 7 weeks out of surgery and barely riding since August (my CTL was 14 in October) that's pretty nice to see.

shovelhd

I like it.

Fingolfin

From the side lines your flyer looked really strong. Hope you keep getting your fitness back.

Racer Ex 

It felt like slow death

Fitness is going to be less a question of "if" and more of "how much". Don't get old.

Say "hi" at the next race. Boca?

Fingolfin

Haha, I was approached twice yesterday to switch to a masters team and I was a little bummed to be a couple years short of being able to race with them over the hill.

That wind was a slow death for everyone riding into it. See you a Boca.

IBOHUNT

@Ex... amazing stuff

Cleave

Racer Ex is back to making himself and everyone else in the race hurt. Nice.

sarals 

Bay Area Senior Games, Cycling Event 60-64 Age Group

Second overall, first in my age group.

The 2015 BASG was held on the Fort Ord CCCX Road Course, which is a circuit course designed by Keith DeFiebre for his CCCX Road Series. It's a tough little course, a 4.3 mile loop with some punchy climbs, rollers, false flats, and an uphill finish. I train on the course a lot, it's close to home. I know it well. We were to do 20K, three laps. There was a pretty good breeze blowing on the top of the course, out of the southwest, which is nothing new. I'm used to that.

The field was only five, and we were all in different age categories. Three of the other gals were very strong riders. Two are my team mates, and one of the other ladies is my training partner. This was not going to be a pushover, even though, Barb, my training partner was not at her best, and neither was Norma, one of my team mates. My plan was to stay with Norma and Barb, as I expected that getting away from them would not be easy. Yvonne was the class of the field (she's one of the top Cat 3 racers in the NCNCA district), and I knew she'd ride off whenever she decided to. With such a small field, and no place to hide, there would be no point in trying to stay with her or chase her once she did that.

We rolled off fairly easily, and settled into a single file group, Yvonne on the front, Norma second wheel, me third, and Barb and the other lady behind us. It stayed that way until we got to the steeper section of the first climb. Norma slowed, and I went around her, grabbed Yvonne's wheel, and off we went. Yvonne was steady as a rock going up that climb, and I was glued right to her. We did the short descent following that, and then hit the rollers. Near the top, Yvonne asked if Norma was still there, and I looked back, and was surprised to see that not only was she not there, but the other two were also gone. I told Yvonne "no", and that was when she ramped it up. I was already close to the limit hanging on to her wheel. We were in the headwind section, climbing the next short hill, and she started to pull away from me. I had already decided that chasing her was fruitless as well as unwise, so I kept my pace steady and concentrated on staying ahead of everyone else.

The next two laps went just that way. I worked hard, stayed in it, and passed a lot of slower riders from the fields in front of ours. I was hoping to perhaps bridge to one of the men's groups, but I never did. Most of the passing that I did was on the climbs, something I am not used to doing, and I admit I was quite stoked in being able to do that!

I decided to ramp up the pace on the top of the course for a strong finish, but I started cramping in my right calf. One time I had to slow considerably to work it out, and was I ever concerned that someone would catch me while I was massaging that calf. No one did, though.

I finished a strong second overall, probably a couple of minutes or more behind Yvonne, but over a minute ahead of everyone else. That earned me my first ever Gold Medal. I didn't back into it this time, and did that ever feel good!

Tomorrow I race a W 3/4 crit on a short, windy course with a small field of young women. Things will be much harder in that race!

Heathpack 

Nicely done @sarals.

And good luck tomorrow!

nacler22

Plus One.

Stellar job Sara. Loved the part where you were passing racers on the climbs. Well Done!!!

revchuck 

Damn right!

shovelhd

Textbook racing. Congratulations. Have some fun today.

valygrl

Nice work Sarals! Good luck with today's race!

sarals 

Thanks everyone! And, good luck to those of you racing today!!

LAJ

Very well done, Sara!

sarals 

Clean Air Criterium, W 3/4, Salinas, CA

I met Ex at this race, and I decided to enter the men's M 55+ race and ride a few laps with him. I also entered the M 45+ race right after that. I did five or six laps in the M 55+ race, three in the M 45+. Those races were eye openers! The 55+ I felt I could have stayed in, but it was NOT my race, so my mindset and plan was to stay out of the way, and then drop out after a good workout. I did follow an attack, I just couldn't help myself. I worked the tailgun position, making sure to stay covered and attached, until I finally felt it was time for me to drop out.

The 45+ race was a different animal entirely. It was a big field, and it was FAST, right from the whistle. On the second lap, I was full gas down the back straight away, doing 28 MPH, and thinking "this is a bit much for me seeing as I have a money race later today". I pulled the plug after the next lap, without getting dropped. I just sat up. The men's fields are much more aggressive and animated than any women's field I've ever raced in. They hit accelerations hard, too, I mean, they punch. I can see the value in doing more Master's men's races in the future, they'd be great for fitness, as well as skills.

My 3/4 race had three riders total in it. It rolled off at 3:15 PM. By then the wind was gusting over 25 MPH. Two of us were Cat 3's, and the other was a Cat 4. I knew both ladies, I'd raced with them several times. We made a deal with the head official to shorten our race to ten laps. We also made a deal with each other to stay together until the bell lap, and then let the chips fall. With such a small group, it was well nigh impossible to stay out of the wind, and after I won the prime (they let me, but they said "make it look good", so I sprinted for all I was worth into that headwind) I was starting to feel the weekend in my legs. When the other ladies ramped it up on the bell lap, I tried hard to stay with them, but no dice. The legs had nothing left. I was respectable, though, I finished about 75 yards behind Lorna and Lindsay.

All in all, it was a GREAT weekend of racing! I learned a lot, I got to race with Ex, and I earned a podium in a tough race. This was definitely a watershed for me.

valygrl

Lafayette Crit SW3, 3rd/7

Yeesh, that was hard! IF=1.01 for 60 minutes. Tough course, 1.7 mile loop with a big steep hill and a little steep hill, two fast corners and some bad pavement (in one of the fast corners). Plus wind. Longest crit I've ever done - the flyer said it would be Open, but when I registered, it turned out they raced P12 separate from 3/4 (30 second gap), and scored 3's and 4's separately. Fine with me. Coryn Rivera won the P12 race, and lapped us. That was super cool to see.

I'll just tell the short version - I mostly sat on, helped pull back one attack, had a few desperate moments when I was gapped off and had to chase, then clung on for dear life on the last hill, and sprinted for an eternity but couldn't pull back my team mate (who won) and the gal who was on her wheel. It started raining the second we crossed the finish line.

rapwithtom has a story (or 2) to tell, i see by the results.

sarals 

Awesome, VG! Another great finish. Oh, those small fields are hard. The men have got it easy. Congrats on another smart race!

Heathpack 

Sweet weekend, @sarals! "Watershed" sounds pretty swell.

sarals 

It was a swell, all right! Heathy, I did important things, for me, on many levels this weekend. It was great!

revchuck 

Great job, ladies!

happybday29475

Congrats @ex, @sarals, @valygrl...it sounds like everybody's race fitness and/or race strategery are improving by leaps and bounds!

I hope @Shovel and @LAJ are able, and choose, to rejoin the fun and games soon!

Racer Ex 

Weekend race report:



Saturday- Cat’s Hill

Passed on this. Arrived, changed, pinned on the number and did a recon. I had won this race before and finished well several times but it had been a while. Half of the course is poured concrete vs. pavement and while I remember it being rough, it was really bad. Heavy jolts at the expansion joints. Some big potholes, wheel eating cracks, and the final corner, a fast downhill right was really broken up. Considering a pretty big 35/45 combined field, and being 8 weeks out of back surgery, I decided to eat tacos and shop with the wife instead.

Sunday- Salinas Criterium 55+

Small field. Knew that we had a guy in there that had been winning and placing really well in the 55+ races, so I figured I’d temper the aggression a bit and see how things played out. Sara joined us and it was fun having her in the rotation while I was in there.

60 minute race; after 14 minutes the strong guy takes a flyer. Got further and further away without much urgency in the field’s chase, gap got past 15-ish seconds so I figured it was time and hit the gas. Got separation, made the bridge up.

Next 30 minutes we did the TTT thing and finally lapped the field. We sat in keeping an eye on each other taking turns in the rotation and at 3 to go dropped off the back and started playing the cat and mouse thing. Joked that we’d be caught before the finish or crash into each other.
Came through the last corner side by side. OK Corral time. He drew first and we drag raced side by side. He had a slight lead, and started to move over. Closing in on the line I slotted in behind him, still at 600+ watts. Last 5 seconds I put in my biggest dig and came around to take him at the line.

Fist bump with Sara on the coast down.

Very pleased with the result. Sprint was very strong and while I’m not there yet, it’s coming around. Good race, top notch opponent.


Salinas Crit 45+:

Some hitters in here including last year’s 45+ BAR rider. Figured this was a good time to bury the legs, so I kept attacking and was mostly wheel 1-5 otherwise.

Me: "Hey guys, I'm a 55, you can let me go"
45 rider: "Uh, there's no 55 class in here"
Me: "Made you think"


10 attacks (counted them in WKO) and 30 minutes later I took a 40 second, 400w pull at the front and then pulled myself right out of the race.

222TSS, best 0-10 second numbers since 2013 at the end of a hard race. Considering it’s 8 weeks since surgery, I’m pretty pleased.

globecanvas

Good racing and good judgement Mr. Ex.