TMonk

Started 2020 off with a course record in the Men's 20k TTT at the Fiesta Island Time Trial (FITT) series. The four of us rode a 24:56 20k. To put that result into perspective, the course record for the Men's 20k ITT is only 24:07 ... but that was set in warmer temperatures by a pro (Sam Boardman).

We had zero practice (a mid week session fell through), one of our four was brand new to riding with us and TTT and the island had all sorts of dried mud from the recent rains that sapped speed, and it was cold, and..... Excuses, I know. Our ride was pretty janky/could be smoothed out a lot. In april we will be going for the 40k TTT which is 48:51... yeah we have our work cut out for us.

The ride was good for ~25 minutes of ~29.5 MPH. I spent the first two and a half (of three) scared that I was going to get dropped, then the last half lap hurting a lot... But I think that's a bout right, as far as effort distribution goes. Looking fwd to more ITT and TTT work in 2020!


Our squad looking fly in the 2019 SCNCA skinsuits - I'm the shorter of the two on the top step

Hermes

Wow. What a great result on a cold day. And fabulous execution for 25 minutes at 29.5 mph. As racers, we always think that we could do better but the fact is holding a team together in the TT position at that speed for that time is amazing. I find this type of race and execution totally satisfying and makes racing so much fun.

furiousferret

Starting off the thread with a W, that's good sign!

TMonk

Thanks guys, TTT is a total blast and I can't wait to defend our SCNCA title in late May, and go for the 40k Fiesta FITT course record in April. Those will be great achievements! Also, some day I wish to get in to IP and TP on the track as well!

burnthesheep

More updates later, but I'm absolutely incensed about something that happened racing this weekend. After everyone has their story/say, I'll post up.

I've kept it professional and factual, but I'm freaking livid.

TMonk

subscribed

topflightpro

Oh come one now. You can't do that. Don't leave us hanging. Back it up with the story.

furiousferret

Doge

Nice I'm not the only guy that often feels that way - and I don't race the bike I ride.

This is a sport that disadvantages one class over another.
-based on age.
-based on health (PED use allowed by some, not others)
-mandated prize size for genders, so net profit losers for promoters. (State laws)
-has dudes compete with women
Why is anyone surprised something is not fair?

burnthesheep

Yup. Totally get it. I won’t let it keep me from doing what I enjoy doing. But, I can always exercise choice.

It will probably take a day or so to hear back, but based on when I posted there’s only so many things that were going on local to me if you need a small clue.

I seek no remedy really. As you said, life’s not fair and sometimes sport isn’t either. But, best I can say is at work we tell people all the time “if you’d only said something!”. So, I did. Now I await the response.

burnthesheep

Haven't heard back, might not. I talked to Topflight in PM a bit about it. I'l go ahead and post up.

Myself and a couple others at the weekend TT race went by the published route map. When I went through the fiinish round-about, I took the 2nd exit per the published route. Nobody was at that turn when I came through that part of the course.

This resulted in myself (and maybe one or two others) getting a DQ.

I specifically asked at checkin about changes to the route, and specifically asked about the finish as there's a couple turns there to get right. I was told "it's per the published route online". Ok. Then I get there to that point and it's downwind and I'm approaching it at about 25mph and see a volunteer or staff member about 30 yards away from the turn kind of motioning to not short-cut the roundabout by going against traffic. OK. Nobody was in the roundabout to point you down the changed route around the back of the parking lot.

Topflight's acquaintance got sent the right way. Given what was available to me, there's no way on God's green Earth I could have gone any different path.

It was windy AF and the signs were flapping around. In my pre-ride I went out to the main road, then back into the park using the published route.

Honestly, I can't accept that I should have done anything even more extra here. If I specifically ask about how the finish arrival is, somebody should have been able to describe that change to me. I asked.

Now, I've got a DQ instead of a W. Even with the piece behind the parking lot, I would have won my class.

**** happens, but I've never ever ever done another event with any ambiguity as to which way to go. Gravel grinder, TT, duathlon, 1/2 marathon, road race.........I drag raced my car years back...........all of it was very obvious.

I just politely disagree that something in the system failed to guide every competitor the right direction. I know for sure it's happened before at UCI road and TT events in the past. They had a lady on Fast-talk podcast describe why she doesn't make races an "A+" priority after getting a DQ in an almost identical scenario.

Soccer cones on Amazon are like $5 a set. I'll donate some. Would have made this guy's day.

/Fin

Spesh

Sucks. For sure. But **** happens. We're amateurs... I wouldn't let it bother you too much. But that's just me...

burnthesheep

Fasttalk podcast hit the nail on the head for this one when it gave the example of the female UCI pro in a similar situation. Don't make something an A++ priority event. Have plenty of B and C. And likely you'll win some C along the way and be happier than having weird random crap happen to your A races.

Rides4Beer

Had my first road race a week ago, it was great! I'm a pretty strong rider, ultra running background, so I was able to jump into A group rides pretty much as soon as I started riding a little over a year ago. But I wasn't keen on racing, well, more specifically, crashing. So I'm still not interested in tight crit courses, but we have a spring series here that has some open road races. So I figured I'd try out the first one, 5 loops of a 7 mile course that I'm very familiar with (it's where we do Tues night worlds).

Men's Cat 4/5 had 97 people. I'm used to fast group rides, even faster than we rode for the race, but a group ride where people are riding two by two and taking turns up front is very different from a pack running 4-5 wide and no one working together. lol I was pleasantly surprised that we didn't have any crashes, but I was also very careful to try to stay on the edges of the group, so I had a way out in case things went sideways. Couple of close calls and some bumping, but nobody went down. There were 3-4 breakaways, but none of them held, the group would always reel them back in. I think because it was a two day deal (same course the next day), no one wanted to just put it all out there on the first day. I didn't race the second day, rode gravel, since I'm training for Dirty Kanza.

Going into the last lap, I found myself in the back third of the pack, and knew that I needed to work my way back up front if I wanted to have any chance when we came off the last climb into the sprint. It's crazy how fast most of the group can move around you when you get boxed in, I spent most of the race up towards the front, got stuck going into one curve and suddenly I was at the back. lol But I did manage to work my way back up front without burning too many matches. Looking back, I had enough gas left and should have worked to get further up front before going into the sprint. Because once we hit the sprint, I only passed one person, and then everyone pretty much held their positions to the finish. Finished 15th out of 97, probably could have been top ten if I had positioned myself better, but I'm still very happy with that.

Overall, it was a good experience, I wouldn't mind doing it again, so long as it's an open course. Don't think I'll get licensed, I don't race enough (sanctioned) to make it worth it, I'll probably do a few one day events the whole year. The rest of my racing will be gravel and my club's TT series in the summer. But I can see what people have said about it not just being about power, positioning is def key.

topflightpro

Nice job. Hincapie Series?

cmh

Really good job Rides4beer for your first race. Welcome to road racing. I hope you decide to do more races.

Rides4Beer

Yup! Was thinking about the Fork Shoals race this weekend, but I also need to keep my gravel volume up, DK is gonna be here before I know it! lol

Thanks! It was def a good experience, I'm sure I'll do it again.

Wylde06

I have a few teammates that were in that race with you. A group of guys from up here went down to get some early season racing in. I heard pretty good things about it

Hermes

Congrats on race and tactics rides4beer

burnthesheep

I posted that in the wrong topic, oops.

Anyways, digging more. The person who had my HED's had filled the latex tubes with sealant. It just came out all over when I fully removed everything. The tube was also stuck to itself in spots.

So, that's possibly even worse. A latex tube doesn't hold shape when not always inflated. If it ever deflated hardly at all, it would have stuck to itself! Geeee whiz man.

People have been warned about doing this to latex. You could do it right before an A event and then toss the tubular or latex tube in the trash after one use. But, soon as the latex tube loses air/shape and the sealant does its job........you're effed.

Rides4Beer

Right on, hope they had a good race! It was a good event, I enjoyed it.

Thanks! Def learned a lot about tactics and positioning. Some folks were telling me that the next race will be better because there's a good hill that will break the group up more. Might have to check it out.

TMonk

So is the solution to just not use sealant with latex? That's what I do, but my latex tubed wheels (tubular and clincher) are race-only.

TMonk

Haven't been as active with posting, super busy at work and with all of the wedding planning! It's in 2 months. But I have been racing!

VoS cat 2 was fun, minus being 2 minutes late to the start of my TT... (D'oh!). My ride was still only 32' (by my watch) and would have been 22/52... Yeah there's some room for improvement there. Due to my botched start I was lacking motivation on the return leg when it really mattered, so that was worth some time, but still I'm humbled to be mid-pack after all the TT training I've done. Still though, this is a specialist's race and I'm excited to do more ITT in the future and continue to improve on my position, power and pacing tactics. I've spoken with a coach at the velodrome down here who offered to do a complimentary TT fitting for me, which should help establish a baseline I can tinker off of instead of just winging-it, which is what I have done up until now.

RR and crit were fun, no results personally but as a team we got 2nd and 1st in them, respectively. Our racer is so talented that I doubt my help mattered, but I went on strong moves late in each race to help string things out and keep him safe and slotted up front. In the crit I grabbed a $100 prime in the lap cards and stayed OTF until the bell lap with another rider which was cool. We still had 1 leadout man for our talented rider left so they finished that one off nicely.

Outside of that it's been a couple crits just getting bossed around by Legion of Los Angeles. This is def. a new level of speed for me and while I'm fit and feel just fine in the field, when I pop out into the wind I'm like "OK this is actually fast" and moving up is hard. Still I've been able to attack a couple times in the races but unless I have other riders I can hardly even last a lap in front of them doing their thing without any acceleration from them. Kind of like how most moves are really against them... Even a concerted effort of a few riders won't last against an 8-man TTT till the sprint finish. It's been like a group ride behind their team basically. If Cory or Justin aren't in a move up front in a SoCal crit, and they have a full squad, a break just won't stick, period. These guys are basically pros and need a bigger pond to swim in! Still, it should be fun in TdM or other bigger races to have some real pro teams give them a run for their money.

Oh and they can be super aggressive, like physically pushing anyone who ends up near the front/in their train, so you kind of have to launch from like 10 riders back which is more than I'd prefer. It's like cool guys, I get it that you're all pro and aggro and stuff, but some of us have day jobs...

As for me I'm looking forward to TTT states and weekly track racing once that starts. I still need to race a few more times to get my reimbursement, clothing and other benefits, but not super interested in getting beat by Legion again. Wish there was more Cat 2 only racing...

Regardless of the predicatable finisih in these SoCal crits I'm still having fun training and racing and that's what counts!

burnthesheep

The solution is to not trust something somebody else did with an uknown of care.

The rim tape was crap. And, the front sat forever while letting out a lot more air for the same time as the rear. If it is done correctly, and managed yourself, it is probably fine. Mine, lots of uknowns. When I bought those HEDs I should have trashed the tubes at least. I didn't.

Doge

I only use latex for me, wife, tandem and junior racing (since on this forum maybe 50 tubes?). Although now Junior's on his own, he doesn't like to pump, so he rides normal clinchers, that black rubber stuff (just won the first collegiate ITT on them).

Pre-filling latex with sealant is something I don't do. Some sport director helper thought it would be a nice thing to do to fill my kid's (I bought) custom made silks with sealant without asking. That did not go over so well.
Anyway, I do ride with Stan's, a valve remover and will use it only when needed. Sealant seems to be good for about a year. Resealing/adding more after it dries just does not work.

The flats you get vary a bit by region. Wire cuts, Goat Head thorns, small glass cuts are sealed easily - after the fact and you can turn the tire to just the right spot.
Kid can ride a couple years in CO without a flat if he stays out of the city. I get Goat Head thorn flats. Pretty much, I have become resigned to that.