Weekend race report
03-04-07, 06:35 PM
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Oh The Huge Manatee
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Weekend race report
crap this ended up being way too long sorry
I raced for the first and second time this saturday and sunday (3rd and 4th races overall).
Saturday
This is the quicksilver training series. Typical crit, 1 point something mile loop.
Typically I cant race on Saturdays because I work 6am to 6pm. However this race is 5 minutes from my office so on my lunch break I decided to enter.
Being that I only had a short window to do this I ended up making lots of mistakes because of the rush. First I ended up leaving my saddle bag on during the race
. More importantly I forgot that didnt have bar caps on my bike and this wasnt pointed out to me until the last possible minute. I had to run across a muddy field to get some tape to cover them up. I got back to the line with no time to spare. Unfortunately, the mud from the field jammed up my speedplay cleats pretty bad. I managed to get my left foot snapped in but not the right. For the first two or three laps I had to race with only one foot locked down. After that either the mud dried my foot to the pedal or I got half clipped in because my foot wasnt slipping off anymore.
I didnt really have high expectations for this race. I am not in very good shape and didnt get to do any specific training at all. Basically I just wanted to see how long I could last to gauge myself for the rest of the season. Finishing the race with the pack would be a good accomplishment.
4 or 5 laps in I realize I am going to be able to finish the race. The race is pretty sketchy. There is a big unmarked pothole that one guy ends up getting a flat on. There is also two areas that have mounds of snow that jut out on to the course a bit. It seemed like each time we got around these obstacles it would get squirrely. People would almost knock in to each other, etc.
I keep moving up and down through the pack. I never really got to close to the front. It seemed like when I would work my up to the front along the side I couldnt get myself onto a wheel and my energy we start to fade so I would drop back into an open hole. In any case I think I was in the first half of the group most of the time. It seemed like every time I would start to suffer the pack would let up and bunch up and allow me to recover.
With two laps to go I start to move myself up to get near the front. By the last corner I am still some where in the middle. As we go around the last corner I casually sprint up a little to get myself into the top 15 but I dont get crazy since Im not in contention and just cross the line without incident.
I did a lot better then I thought but it almost upset me because I realized if I paid better attention I was in good enough shape to really contend for a podium. Oh well.
Sunday
This is the tradezone crit training series. This is the first time Ive ever raced in events back to back. My first two races last year had about 3 weeks in between. I thought maybe i was biting off more then i could chew here.
When I woke up I was pretty sore. My knees were achey and I just didnt feel good. As I went out to my car to put my bike on my car I got my first taste of the hugh change in weather. Yesterday there was no wind and the temp was in the mid 50s. This morning its in the mid 30s and the winds are gusty. I started asking myself what I was doing. My wife got up and all ready to go with me for the first time so I figured I might as well go.
When I got to the course and got in line to register I was freezing and wind was really hurting when a strong gust would hit. This made me go back to the car and take extra long to get ready because I didnt want to leave the warmth. By the time I was set to go I only had 10 minutes to warm up!
I get to quick warm up laps in and I am not feeling much better. I tell myself its not big deal if I have to pull out after a few laps. This will just be a training ride. My plan is just to race smarter and stay behind the big guys to really keep out of the wind.
As we line up I notice my friend that finished second yesterday. I tell myself I will just stay behind him and everything will be ok. As the race first starts I can tell this isnt going to be the same kind of race as yesterday. I cant tell if it started faster or I was just still tired from yesterday but I had some trouble staying with the leaders right off the gun. The good thing was that no one was going around me so all the dudes back there must have not been doing good either. As we round the first corner you get crushed by the wind. I have to sprint to catch a wheel in front of me. This is going to be awful.
After the first lap or two I am really noticing the affect the wind is having on the group. It seems like the pack is just shredded. Im in the front 10 or so but there is rarely anyone to either of my sides. Quite different compared to yesterday when at times the pack would stretch across to full car lanes. Im to afraid to look behind me to see where everyone is.
Finally after another lap or so everyone sorta comes together. There is still never more then 3 people abreast which still seems odd since I *think* there are more people in this race. Im doing a really good job staying in the front and I even have 3rd wheel for the next two laps.
6 laps in the ring the bell for the first preme<sp?>. Im still in the top 5 and this is the first time im ever in a situation like this. As we get in to the wind the people in the lead start to play games. Who ever is in the lead immediately pull to the side to try and get someone else to pull. By the time I get to the front I just say eff it and stay there. I figure I will just pedal lightly and conserve energy and see what happens. As expected a guy or two go around me and I stick to them. As we get near the second to last corner these guys take off so I go with them. As we near the last corner Im thinking "hey maybe I will get this!" As we get around the corner the two guys in front of me are really going at it. I start debating wether this is worth it so I sit up and let these guys fight it out.
I drift back into the pack and realize how dumb that move was. Now Im super tired and we have to turn right into the wind. I start losing position but then my friend from yesterday goes by so I jump on his wheel. All of a sudden he pulls off to the side to spit and I am left in the wind. I lose a ton of spots and am now somewhere near the back. There are still like 5 laps to go and I am suffering. I start planning my way out of the race. Then all of a sudden a huge wind hits the pack and really slows everyone down. I manage to get right in the middle of the pack and really get to recover.
Another lap or two and I am right near the front again. With like 3 or 4 laps to go they ring the preme bell again. This time I move my way up near the front but have no intention of going for it. I just want to be in better position for the final lap. With two laps to go Im in the top 10 and I manage to stay there the rest of the way.
With two corners to go the guys ahead of me pick it up. I cant really tell how many people are really ahead of me because we are passing straggler and people from other races. As we get to the first corner I notice two guys get through the corner first right before these two stragglers are going through. At this moment im concerned that these moving obstacles are going to make it impossible to catch up. Another guy takes off so I follow him. I get into a big gear and tell myself I will just follow this guy the rest of the way and finish in the top 10. I think there are 7 or 8 people ahead of me. Then all of sudden my buddy flys buy trying to bridge up to the other dudes. I jump on his wheel and get dragged almost all the way up to the other guys. As we go through the last corner there are a bunch of people in front of me and people spread out everywhere. Some how I lose my friends wheel. I think he moved to the right to go around some people. I go to the left and just start to sprint as hard and as long as I can. As Im doing this im passing people like crazy. This is the first time ive ever sprinted like this and now I understand how accidents happen in bunch sprints. The force of the sprint almost makes it feel like my wheels are moving side to side!
Now I can see the finish line and im still sprinting. I pass another 2 people and realize im almost in the front! As we get to the line Im right next to two other guys including my friend. I cant believe it! As we cross the line the guy that wins beats me by half a length and my friend beats me out by half a wheel. I finished 3rd! How did this happen!?!?!?! I felt so crappy! As I crossed the line I heard my wife yell out in shock and happiness. That was an awesome feeling. I never had some cheer for me before!
I let out a might curse as we get away from the line. I feel like im going to die. my HR is pretty much maxxed out. I congraduate the winners. Im feeling so awesome right now. I felt like i raced so smart. I wasnt strong but i got 3rd!
As we get back to the start line my buddy wants to confirm his position and the official tells me she thinks i was 4th. What? I didnt think there was anyone else next to me during that sprint but it happened all fast and i passed so many people its possible i just didnt see the other person. When I get back to my wife she is all excited for me but then she asks me who the guy was that was in the lead the whole race! What! Apparently someone must have broken away as the wind was hitting us and we were passing the other races or something. No one had any idea there was someone ahead of us. At first I didnt think it was right but then I realized I never saw the car in front of us. I eventually tracked down the winner and he didnt know what happened. He just said all of a sudden he was by himself.
Oh well. Now I felt better about my 4th because to me it was still a 3rd place finish. I out sprinted almost everyone in the end and thats good enough. Definitely great for the confidence. Im still shocked someone got away like that and no one had any idea. It made me feel a whole lot better for not contesting that preme in the end.
I LOVE THIS SPORT!
I raced for the first and second time this saturday and sunday (3rd and 4th races overall).
Saturday
This is the quicksilver training series. Typical crit, 1 point something mile loop.
Typically I cant race on Saturdays because I work 6am to 6pm. However this race is 5 minutes from my office so on my lunch break I decided to enter.
Being that I only had a short window to do this I ended up making lots of mistakes because of the rush. First I ended up leaving my saddle bag on during the race
. More importantly I forgot that didnt have bar caps on my bike and this wasnt pointed out to me until the last possible minute. I had to run across a muddy field to get some tape to cover them up. I got back to the line with no time to spare. Unfortunately, the mud from the field jammed up my speedplay cleats pretty bad. I managed to get my left foot snapped in but not the right. For the first two or three laps I had to race with only one foot locked down. After that either the mud dried my foot to the pedal or I got half clipped in because my foot wasnt slipping off anymore. I didnt really have high expectations for this race. I am not in very good shape and didnt get to do any specific training at all. Basically I just wanted to see how long I could last to gauge myself for the rest of the season. Finishing the race with the pack would be a good accomplishment.
4 or 5 laps in I realize I am going to be able to finish the race. The race is pretty sketchy. There is a big unmarked pothole that one guy ends up getting a flat on. There is also two areas that have mounds of snow that jut out on to the course a bit. It seemed like each time we got around these obstacles it would get squirrely. People would almost knock in to each other, etc.
I keep moving up and down through the pack. I never really got to close to the front. It seemed like when I would work my up to the front along the side I couldnt get myself onto a wheel and my energy we start to fade so I would drop back into an open hole. In any case I think I was in the first half of the group most of the time. It seemed like every time I would start to suffer the pack would let up and bunch up and allow me to recover.
With two laps to go I start to move myself up to get near the front. By the last corner I am still some where in the middle. As we go around the last corner I casually sprint up a little to get myself into the top 15 but I dont get crazy since Im not in contention and just cross the line without incident.
I did a lot better then I thought but it almost upset me because I realized if I paid better attention I was in good enough shape to really contend for a podium. Oh well.
Sunday
This is the tradezone crit training series. This is the first time Ive ever raced in events back to back. My first two races last year had about 3 weeks in between. I thought maybe i was biting off more then i could chew here.
When I woke up I was pretty sore. My knees were achey and I just didnt feel good. As I went out to my car to put my bike on my car I got my first taste of the hugh change in weather. Yesterday there was no wind and the temp was in the mid 50s. This morning its in the mid 30s and the winds are gusty. I started asking myself what I was doing. My wife got up and all ready to go with me for the first time so I figured I might as well go.
When I got to the course and got in line to register I was freezing and wind was really hurting when a strong gust would hit. This made me go back to the car and take extra long to get ready because I didnt want to leave the warmth. By the time I was set to go I only had 10 minutes to warm up!
I get to quick warm up laps in and I am not feeling much better. I tell myself its not big deal if I have to pull out after a few laps. This will just be a training ride. My plan is just to race smarter and stay behind the big guys to really keep out of the wind.
As we line up I notice my friend that finished second yesterday. I tell myself I will just stay behind him and everything will be ok. As the race first starts I can tell this isnt going to be the same kind of race as yesterday. I cant tell if it started faster or I was just still tired from yesterday but I had some trouble staying with the leaders right off the gun. The good thing was that no one was going around me so all the dudes back there must have not been doing good either. As we round the first corner you get crushed by the wind. I have to sprint to catch a wheel in front of me. This is going to be awful.
After the first lap or two I am really noticing the affect the wind is having on the group. It seems like the pack is just shredded. Im in the front 10 or so but there is rarely anyone to either of my sides. Quite different compared to yesterday when at times the pack would stretch across to full car lanes. Im to afraid to look behind me to see where everyone is.
Finally after another lap or so everyone sorta comes together. There is still never more then 3 people abreast which still seems odd since I *think* there are more people in this race. Im doing a really good job staying in the front and I even have 3rd wheel for the next two laps.
6 laps in the ring the bell for the first preme<sp?>. Im still in the top 5 and this is the first time im ever in a situation like this. As we get in to the wind the people in the lead start to play games. Who ever is in the lead immediately pull to the side to try and get someone else to pull. By the time I get to the front I just say eff it and stay there. I figure I will just pedal lightly and conserve energy and see what happens. As expected a guy or two go around me and I stick to them. As we get near the second to last corner these guys take off so I go with them. As we near the last corner Im thinking "hey maybe I will get this!" As we get around the corner the two guys in front of me are really going at it. I start debating wether this is worth it so I sit up and let these guys fight it out.
I drift back into the pack and realize how dumb that move was. Now Im super tired and we have to turn right into the wind. I start losing position but then my friend from yesterday goes by so I jump on his wheel. All of a sudden he pulls off to the side to spit and I am left in the wind. I lose a ton of spots and am now somewhere near the back. There are still like 5 laps to go and I am suffering. I start planning my way out of the race. Then all of a sudden a huge wind hits the pack and really slows everyone down. I manage to get right in the middle of the pack and really get to recover.
Another lap or two and I am right near the front again. With like 3 or 4 laps to go they ring the preme bell again. This time I move my way up near the front but have no intention of going for it. I just want to be in better position for the final lap. With two laps to go Im in the top 10 and I manage to stay there the rest of the way.
With two corners to go the guys ahead of me pick it up. I cant really tell how many people are really ahead of me because we are passing straggler and people from other races. As we get to the first corner I notice two guys get through the corner first right before these two stragglers are going through. At this moment im concerned that these moving obstacles are going to make it impossible to catch up. Another guy takes off so I follow him. I get into a big gear and tell myself I will just follow this guy the rest of the way and finish in the top 10. I think there are 7 or 8 people ahead of me. Then all of sudden my buddy flys buy trying to bridge up to the other dudes. I jump on his wheel and get dragged almost all the way up to the other guys. As we go through the last corner there are a bunch of people in front of me and people spread out everywhere. Some how I lose my friends wheel. I think he moved to the right to go around some people. I go to the left and just start to sprint as hard and as long as I can. As Im doing this im passing people like crazy. This is the first time ive ever sprinted like this and now I understand how accidents happen in bunch sprints. The force of the sprint almost makes it feel like my wheels are moving side to side!
Now I can see the finish line and im still sprinting. I pass another 2 people and realize im almost in the front! As we get to the line Im right next to two other guys including my friend. I cant believe it! As we cross the line the guy that wins beats me by half a length and my friend beats me out by half a wheel. I finished 3rd! How did this happen!?!?!?! I felt so crappy! As I crossed the line I heard my wife yell out in shock and happiness. That was an awesome feeling. I never had some cheer for me before!
I let out a might curse as we get away from the line. I feel like im going to die. my HR is pretty much maxxed out. I congraduate the winners. Im feeling so awesome right now. I felt like i raced so smart. I wasnt strong but i got 3rd!
As we get back to the start line my buddy wants to confirm his position and the official tells me she thinks i was 4th. What? I didnt think there was anyone else next to me during that sprint but it happened all fast and i passed so many people its possible i just didnt see the other person. When I get back to my wife she is all excited for me but then she asks me who the guy was that was in the lead the whole race! What! Apparently someone must have broken away as the wind was hitting us and we were passing the other races or something. No one had any idea there was someone ahead of us. At first I didnt think it was right but then I realized I never saw the car in front of us. I eventually tracked down the winner and he didnt know what happened. He just said all of a sudden he was by himself.
Oh well. Now I felt better about my 4th because to me it was still a 3rd place finish. I out sprinted almost everyone in the end and thats good enough. Definitely great for the confidence. Im still shocked someone got away like that and no one had any idea. It made me feel a whole lot better for not contesting that preme in the end.
I LOVE THIS SPORT!
03-04-07, 06:43 PM
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Nice!
When we went riding the other day you said something to the effect of it was going to take you a few months to get into race shape. Not so, apparently!!!
--Steve
When we went riding the other day you said something to the effect of it was going to take you a few months to get into race shape. Not so, apparently!!!
--Steve
03-04-07, 06:47 PM
#3
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Originally Posted by zimbo
Nice!
When we went riding the other day you said something to the effect of it was going to take you a few months to get into race shape. Not so, apparently!!!
--Steve
When we went riding the other day you said something to the effect of it was going to take you a few months to get into race shape. Not so, apparently!!!
--Steve
Congrats, riskus!
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"Unless he was racing there was no way he could match my speed."
"Unless he was racing there was no way he could match my speed."
03-04-07, 06:59 PM
#4
Oh The Huge Manatee
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seriously after that ride with you two i was so bummed. i felt like i was in worse shape then i even thought. i dont know what happened
03-04-07, 09:12 PM
#7
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good work
03-04-07, 11:15 PM
#9
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Fantastic report. Like I realy liked it. Some people say that the second race in a back to back race is better because the you have everything running including your mind. Fatigue is not much of a factor becaue you are not realy as tired as you feel. Note this for your tapering for your next race.
Great race.
Great race.
03-05-07, 03:52 AM
#10
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Awesome reports. Really awesome.
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Envision, Energize, Enable
03-05-07, 08:02 AM
#11
Making a kilometer blurry
Nice. Felt like I was there suffering in the wind. Congrats on the podium!
03-05-07, 08:09 AM
#12
Oh The Huge Manatee
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Originally Posted by hiromian
Some people say that the second race in a back to back race is better because the you have everything running including your mind. Fatigue is not much of a factor becaue you are not realy as tired as you feel. Note this for your tapering for your next race.
Great race.
Great race.
