revchuck 

Somebody had to set the pace. Way to go, young lady!

For that post-bonk soreness, I prescribe pasta and Chianti.

Heathpack 

Fun day, @sarals, even if the race itself wasn't what you hoped. It sounds like the rest of it was pretty fun. Dogs are good people.

sarals 

@revchuck, last night - Corona! Today, I'm working...ugh!!
@Heathpack, dogs are among my favorite people! My two sure liked Ex!

It was a tough day in the saddle, but it was the kind of tough that was very good. No complaints from me at all.

Racer Ex 

Central California Circuit race 55+. 1/9.

Sara described the course...rolling nasty thing with two 180 hairpins at each end. Uphill sprint. Combined with the 45's.

First half of the race was "lively", which is to say nasty full of attacks. By the mid point I figured no 55 was getting away in a field that was all Cat 2's and moi. So it was surf and cover, keep things stretched but under control. Lap cards came up and the pace stayed high. I was 3rd wheel coming out of the last hairpin, sitting on one of the strong 55 guys. Let a few of the 45's launch then saw my leadout guy and another 55 go.

Caught and passed them midway up the hill, won by a bike length and change.

Nice chat with Sara after. Had a good Team Pursuit practice the following day, and saw M & M Hermes for a few seconds on Monday heading out with some friends to meet a couple of other folks. Counting down to State Track, then Nats.

revchuck 

Way to go, Ex!

Heathpack 

Nicely done, @Racer Ex, congrats.

sarals 

Ex, it was so good to see you, have you meet The Dogs, watch you WIN, and get that Fist Bump! That chat afterwards was just what the doctor ordered.

You Da Man!!

Congrats again, my friend!!

happybday29475

Sounds like you had fun and learned a fair bit, @sarals...pretty hard to top that!

@racerEx, that's a pretty sweet Caddy. Congrats!

Is your secret to consistent, long-term, world-domination: a) superior race tactics; b) superior fitness; c) superior genes; d) superior know thyself; e) superior CdA; f) superior aero hair-do (me too!); g) superior psych-ops; h) general absence of Kryptonite in the area; or i) something else?

I promise I won't use it against you at Nats if and when I am ever worthy of making the trip.

sarals 

I had a brain fart, but I did indeed have fun. A big lesson was "beware of the lure of adenaline..."

sarals 

Beat the Clock Time Trial #4, Canada Road, Woodside, CA
Time: 31:46



This was my third "attempt" on this hilly ten mile time trial. The race itself is billed as a "training race", and is not USAC sanctioned. No matter, it gets a good turnout and is quite popular. With reason! It's short course, but it's a tough one! I've described the course before. In a nutshell, it's downhill out (300 foot elevation change), with a decent sized "hill" in the middle, and then uphill back. Today, there was a 4-5 MPH wind blowing down the hill. Tailwind out, headwind in. At the start, the temperature was 64 degrees, sunny. The air felt a little heavy, but not too bad.

I like to get to races early, because I don't want to be rushed. I checked in, got my number, did a better pinning job than I usually do, got prepped, and put the bike on the trainer. At the allotted time, I warmed up to protocol. I felt okay on the warmup, although the first stepped up effort concerned me, because I built lactic quickly. The next step ups were better, though.

After getting the bike off the trainer, getting my helmet on and adjusted, I did a quick loop on the road, and then arrived at the start house with three minutes left before my start. I did a held start, and got a good launch when I rolled off. Just before getting up to speed, my left foot popped out of the pedal and I just missed getting smacked in the shin with that pedal. I got clipped back in, settled my nerves and worked into concentrating on my plan.

That plan was to stay on target with the power. To not let the power sag over the top of climbs. To not soft pedal onto the bottom of a climb. Those traits were time sinks, and I'd been guilty of them in the past and I'd determined, with Coach's help, that I needed to fix them. Today, the concentration on those faults worked, and I kept a steady output up and over the rollers and hills.

My one minute back passed me just prior to the turnaround. I had expected her to catch me after the turnaround, but I didn't let that concern me. I arrived at and made the turnaround right at 13 minutes, faster than I expected. I had a momentary thought that I'd gone too hard outbound, but decided that I'd been steadier and that was likely the difference. I did a good turn, came off the saddle and punched it hard to get back up to speed. There is a long false flat after the turnaround, which plays to me. I settle into a good rhythm on false flats when things are working right and just be steady as she goes. Today, things were working well. Next was the backside of the "middle hill", not as long or as steep as it is outbound, but that's deceiving, because you're already climbing when you roll onto that hill. I ramped the power to my upper target and stayed there. I got over the top, and shifted up, staying in it, wanting to take advantage of the slight descent to recover a little, but to also make up time.

By this point my brain was pretty well fogged up from the Pain Cave and oxygen deprivation. I was aware of a tingling in my right foot and lower leg, which was an indication to me that I was going hard. Good! I got to the steep kicker on the course, and rather than trying to big ring it and stay aero as I had the last time I rode it, I went to the small ring and came off the sticks. I never did come off the saddle, just powered my way up that painful thing seated and on the horns. I got back up to some semblance of speed over the top of that kicker and started up another false flat. By now, I was noticing my legs through the fog, and they were getting pretty heavy. I told myself to push through. I passed under the 280 Freeway, and I knew then I had a little over 1K to go. Time to ramp. I pushed as hard as I could against those heavy legs, and they slowly responded.

I got to the line going as hard as I could, uphill, and and gave it one last shove as I went over the stripe.

31:46. I wanted below 31, but I'll take this time. I'm getting better, I'm more technically adept, and that's going to help me a great deal as the season progresses.

Heathpack 

Nice one, @sarals!

Good luck tomorrow too.

sarals 

Hey, thanks!! It felt pretty good. I'm anxious to see what Coach thinks of it.

I have legs left for tomorrow, for a few laps anyway. It's me and another 60+ teammate against the Twentysomethings!

sarals 

I received a message from the RD for tomorrow's crit this afternoon telling me that he created a 55+ category for us old ladies. Woot! Let the games begin...

sarals 

Red Kite Criterium #9, Livermore CA, MW55+ Field

The was the third race in my "month of racing". It was a criterium held in a typical industrial park. The course was little over a mile, four corners, good pavement, wide streets with Botts dots, some pavement deterioration here and there but nothing significant, and some garden debris scattered about. The field was a combined 3/4 field, around 18 strong. The race director had broken out the 55+ women for scoring purposes and would allow us our own podium. There were three 55+ women in the field. Me, my teammate Norma, and a rider from San Jose Bike Club, whom I did not know. The conditions were close to ideal, save for the 8-15MPH wind out of the southwest, which was a headwind on the back straight. The temperature at the start was 63 degrees, just perfect for me. This was to be a mentored race, and the mentor was a solid Cat 2 rider that I knew.

When I signed up for the race I had the choice of the 3/4 combined race, or the P 1/2/3 race which followed the 3/4. In spite of my wariness of Cat 4 fields, I felt I stood a better chance of staying in and racing in the 3/4 race than I did in the much stronger P 1/2/3 race. It was a good choice, because the RD decided to break out the 55+ riders in the 3/4 contest.

I arrived early, got checked in, set the bike up on the trainer (no more "on the road" warmups), and at the allotted time, started my TT protocol warmup. I shortened the warmup slightly to allow myself a recon lap of the course. I felt okay for the first part of the warmup, in spite of having done a hard TT the day before, but when I got through the first ramped up effort I had concerns that my heart rate wasn't responding as it should. However, when I got through the second ramp up, my body started to react the way I expected.

My plan was to stay in, stay attached, stay out of the wind, stay close to Norma and the SJBC woman, and stay safe. A mass start race never unfolds the way you expect, they are quite dynamic. I was aware of that, and I took it into account.

I was also aware that there were a significant number of Cat 4's in the field, probably half. I didn't know them, and in the past I've been so wary of them that I've been afraid to really race, not wanting to be aggressive when I could have been and sacrificing good position in the name of safety. I've learned and have adopted a technique of always making myself present in the peloton. I let people know where I am, either verbally or by touching them. I'm not concerned with lateral separation, as long as I'm not half wheeling and as long as the riders next to me know I'm there. I'm not above staying right on the wheel in front of me, either. The reasons for me saying this will be apparent later.

I lined up on the second row, next to Norma, and marked where the SJBC rider was. She was also on the second row. We received the prerace brief, and then rolled at the whistle. The pace ramped right up, and I thought "oh boy, here comes a sufferfest". Norma, the SJBC rider and I had to chase in order to catch back on. I thought that the wind on the back chute would slow the pack, and if I didn't go so hard as to run into trouble, then I'd be able to slot back on when the peloton slowed. That wasn't necessary, the pace came down of it's own, and I settled into position on the left rear side, with Norma moving up along side me to my left.

The test would be the prime laps. I knew the field would ramp up through the short chute prior to the final corner for the prime sprint, and I felt that they would keep things moderate until they made that turn onto the short chute because of the wind on the back straight. I knew to prepare for and be aware of the accelerations and to stay on a solid wheel in case a gap opened. I knew the field would likely sit up after the sprint, and I'd get back on with minimal energy expenditure if I used my head. As a rule, I do not contest primes in races populated by young racers. That's a huge waste of precious energy.

The first prime lap came and went, and I was able to stay in, things working as I had hoped.

About halfway through the race there was a stupid crash on the back straight. The field would turn onto the back straight and the wind would cause it to slow, and of course, the front would fan out. The line took us over to left side of the street, and it was a curbed street. There was no reason to get close to the curb, and there was every reason to understand that there would be slowing on that back straight! However, a young rider found herself against the curb when another rider moved into her from her right, and she hit the curb, going down, and taking the rider behind her with her. Norma and I were together behind the carnage, but we had room and time to avoid it.

At six laps to go I was still riding well, feeling good, able to move around the peloton with little issue, and doing a good job of not feeling much wind. I started thinking that I'd be there for the finish and I was reasonably sure that my sprint would work and that if I was in good position I could beat the SJBC racer. I decided to either be on her wheel coming off the last corner or on the wheel of a strong rider close to the front and use that rider as a leadout. I tested that theory on the fifth lap, carrying some speed on the outside of the last corner and making a small effort up the left side of the peloton towards the line. I got up to around third wheel, and looked around to see if I'd been noticed. I couldn't find the SJBC woman, but I saw Norma and I suspected she was close to the other rider. There seemed to be no concern by any of the riders. Old woman moving up. Let her!

With two to go I was sitting on the solid wheel of another rider in the middle of the pack, favoring the left side, when the woman to her right suddenly braked and then moved left, putting the skewer of her back wheel into my front wheel. It happened so quickly that I didn't have to react. I saw her moving and then I heard a loud metallic "ping!!!" My bike moved left of it's own, and luckily it didn't impinge the front wheel onto the other rider's skewer. I was calm, but I did ask the woman why she'd done that? She had a rider "moving over on to" her from her right, she said. "Why didn't you push back??" I yelled. "I couldn't!" Oh, so move laterally and take someone else out instead. Great.

My front wheel had damage. I thought one or more spokes were broken and it had a noticeable wobble in it, and the rim was contacting the brake pads. I had to drop off the back, because I didn't know what the wheel was going to do. I sure didn't want to corner at speed on it. I didn't bring a spare with me for the wheel pit, and there was no neutral support. I'd been robbed of my chance for a sprint finish due to dumb race luck, but I needed to keep going and finish if the bike could make it.

It did.

I made my first podium of the season. Not the way I wanted to, but I did get on it, and I made the third step. In the end, my bike skills and a whole lot of luck kept me upright. I was thankful for that, and I was very pleased with how well I rode.

Heathpack 

I wasn't really planning on any TTs this summer, but a friend wanted to race and I said I'd go with him. He bailed, but I decided it would be a good test of the wedges. Besides the wedges (which I've never yet raced with), this is the first time my new skin suit and shoe covers have seen this course.

I was feeling pretty strong this week and felt like today might go well and it did. Not in a home-run-with-the-bases-loaded kind of way, but more like a triple that scored a run.

It was a nice warm day, sunny and high 60s at the start, upper 70s by the time we finished. Maybe 30 degrees over my ideal temp but it was ok. We had maybe a 7-10 mph headwind going out on the slightly downhill leg and a tailwind coming back.

I had seen the promoter out at the Ojai Century (that one is a boy scout fundraiser and his son is a scout in that area, so he was running the ceremonies afterward) and he had mentioned that the women's race team B4T9 had promised to show up in force to this race. And they did- there were 7 of them plus me. Pretty decent turnout, women comprised maybe 1/4 of the people racing today.

No issues with my warm up and I got to the start on time. But things were running 15 min or so behind and I wound up standing around for a while. I was the second start behind a woman who appeared to be a triathlete and had never raced a TT before.

Not the best start, I was over-geared. Doh. Two minutes in, I dropped my chain but was able to pedal it back on. Lost a few seconds between these two mishaps.

But the rest of the race went well. And I got my best time on this course by 15-40 seconds (its unclear because my previous best time is a corrected time, due to construction on the course). Positive splits, but with the headwind this time the outbound leg was slower (its usually the opposite), so I think I rode it right.

Good power, tied with my best ever on this course. And I felt really good out there, just strong. Good final 1 min effort. VI was 1.0. Power was a little more uneven than it should have been, but I was thinking I might hit a home run on this one and was a more lax than usual on exceeding my upper power target. Probably that was the wrong thing to do, but I was looking at this race as something of an exploratory thing.

Results were really tight today- of the eight women racing, the three in my category were the three fastest times and we were within 11 seconds of each other. Winner, then me back by two seconds and then third place nine seconds back from me. We're just not going to think about the fact that losing the chain probably cost me 4-5 seconds and what that means as far as the day's placements go.

Now I really want another crack at it this summer. I'll probably put the Aug race on my schedule, need to look at dates.

Fun day. Boy, I am kind of really interested in cracking this TT nut. Surprises even me.

Heathpack 

Way to stay in it. @sarals! And to finish intact...

sarals 

Thank you!

And way to go to you!!! I'd say you've cracked that TT nut, you are a natural. Terrific race, great job!!! Next time - top step!!

Racer Ex 

@rapwithtom, the tactics thing has been my biggest strength. I've won a lot of races on pretty mediocre genetics. I was lucky to come from a BMX and Moto GP background so high speed chess is pretty familiar and a lot of things transferred over. Picked a lot of smarter-than-me brains over the years, a lot of that was by watching races and riders who won a lot, or riders who won on a lot less talent than others.

You can learn a bunch watching guys like Vinokourav, Simon Gerrans, and Valverde. And Cavendish. Cav doesn't win so much because he's the fastest guy, but because he's a witch on positioning. Robbie McEwen was pretty good as well.

And it's a sport that's won or lost by fractions of a second at times, so I pay attention to little stuff. Or big stuff that other folks ignore. If you're racing in 100 degree weather, why would you leave all your gear out in the sun? Things like that.

But mostly it's the hair cut

Perspective though...if I had started this in my teens and stuck with it at best I'd be the guy with 18 water bottles shoved down his jersey trying to make the time cut. Although who knows how things would have gone loaded up with Kickapoo Joy Juice.

Sara and Heathpack you both rocked it this weekend. Really pleased.

sarals 

Ex! Thank you! I appreciated being able to chat with you today, too...thanks for that!!

LAJ

Very cool, @Racer Ex. It is pretty dang amazing what you pull off. To many, it just seems like you throw a dart, and decide to go win that race. We know better, but it makes it no less extraordinary.

LAJ

Great work, @Heathpack! Off season isn't quite so off.

LAJ

Very nice, @sarals! Way to keep that bike on two wheels. Skillful stuff indeed. It's always good to live to fight another day.

sarals 

LAJ, luck was a huge factor! Thank you!!!

LAJ

I flew back from Washington Friday night and did the Sunshine Hill Climb on Saturday morning. 13/27

After a heavy week of training in WA, no sleep, and travel, this was a pretty tough thing. 9 miles, 3K elevation, and the last 3 miles on dirt. Power was low, heart rate was high, and I didn't have much fun.

Longmont Crit 10/29

This was a combined field/scored separate deal. 6 corner L shaped thing, and when I did it in prior years, there was sure to be a wreck or two. This year, it was pretty speedy, and it was lined out a lot, so the wadded up nonsense wasn't as much of an issue. I got a slow start, and it immediately took off. I looked up, and it seemed to me that the line was a 1/4 mile long. I slowly worked my way up, and started mixing it up a bit. I was able to stay top 10-15 mostly the whole race, and was pretty happy with that, simply because my big takeaway from today was my comfort in the pack and the cornering in the same. My confidence is returning nicely, and that makes me happiest of all. I wasn't willing to lay it all on the line on the last lap/last corner, as surviving for 3 Days of Salida next weekend was my goal. I'm feeling pretty crisp for that.

Heathpack 

Good luck next week, @LAJ!