TheKillerPenguin

So I started my kamikaze mission with gusto, and went off the front almost immediately and strung the field out for a couple of laps. Then I got delusions of grandeur and decided that hey, maybe I should save energy to try to win. I then let myself fade back into the peloton, never to be seen again. Penguin is not aggressive enough moving up through the field, and so I wound up pack surfing for the rest of the race.

Overall on the GC- 18th out of 112 starters. I gots my ass handed to me.

I was thinking about why my weekend didn't go as planned on the drive home, and I figured out a couple of things, besides the obvious (that I wasn't the strongest guy in the race).


Here's my main limiter: I want to win, but i'm afraid to lose. Because I'm afraid to lose, I'm afraid to take chances. Because I'm afraid to take chances, I'm turning myself into high class pack fodder. Example: yesterday's crit. I came into the race figuring I had nothing to lose, so I was willing to take a chance and go off the front. Once I got it into my head that I should go for the win, I became more conservative and as a result wound up as pack filler.

I did the Empire State Games qualifiers knowing that the top 10 finishers go to the games. I knew there was realisitically no way I wasn't going to go, so I was willing to take chances. The result was that I solo'd off the front and chased down a breakaway that had 4:30 on the peloton by that point, and I finished 3rd.

Methinks Penguin needs to rewire his racing thought process.

This same thing happened to me last year. I went into Fitchburg crazy nervous and tried to play it safe, and finished 15th on the GC. At the Owasco Stage Race, I decided to just have fun and do my thing, and I wound up placing 5th on the GC, 3 seconds off the podium. Besides the fact that the field wasn't quite as deep, my mindset was different, and it let me mix things up and have influence on the race.

So on the plus side, I am $40 richer for the 18th GC finish. And it was a fun weekend. And I got served, which I suppose can be considered a good thing since it got me thinking. Realistically, there was no way I could have won this weekend. When I realized this it bruised my ego, but I'm cool with it now. There are just some guys stronger than me, and I should have realized it considering I was racing in the biggest race in the NE.

I'm entering a crit this coming up weekend and racing for fun. No expectations, no worrying about upgrade points, just gonna do my thing and see where I end up.

*ahem* that is all.

Cypress

You and I are on the same page. It's a kick in the nuts to my ego.

dmotoguy

dude.. 18 out of 112? I'd kill for that.

I just finished a stage race (first 4 race) and got last out of the people that finished the whole thing. I suck.

skinnyone

Penguin you’re so money, you don’t even know it.You’re like this big bear with claws and fangs… and big f*ckin’ teeth…

Use that on the field..



methinks 18 is pretty good but hey I am a wannabe couch sitting racer..

oboeguy

DFL > DNF, no?

And to KP: get over yourself. I mean it in a good way. Stop @#$%ing worrying and do your thing! Easy for me to say, I don't race, but it holds true in other disciplines outside of racing.

recneps

Its a stage race, top 20 is good. In regular races theyre really only a handful of guys who have the legs to win, and some of them are just training through the race. In stage races everybody comes to win, they all taper they all set theyre mentality to win, 18th in a stage race is like top 5 in a regular race.

If your not the strongest guy in the field racing conservativly is the smart thing to do, skip a pull in a break, sit in on the chase thats just plain bike racing.

Dont get me wrong, sitting in the entire race to sprint for the finish is kind of a ***** move but hey some people like it.

Seems like youve been doing well, I would just keep doing what your doing.

patentcad

Only Cat 3's who are on their way to Cat 2 get top 20 @ Fitchburg dude. Get serious.

This 'I suck because I didn't win' schtick is pointless. If you're REALLY that pissed off that you didn't do better because you were 'afraid to lose' then push all your chips out onto the table the next time they spin the wheel. And if your 18th place in the G.C. becomes 38th place as a result, will you still be crying in your Gatorade? Maybe you will.

On the other hand you could look at this realistically (that a Cat 3 racer in his very early 20's who beat 100 other motivated Cat 3's in the big stage race in the NE is going places in bicycle racing) and BUILD on it. What you're doing here hand wringing and whining mostly to yourself. Dude, we all do it on whatever level we ride/race on, you are not alone. You are a very talented bicycle racer. What may hold you back is that internal KP coach. Tell him to shut the F up and just continue to race your bicycle. I remember you talking about not training enough back in March or April. I'm not half the bike racer you are and I can't say that I EVER didn't train enough this year. But I don't have your talent or youth.

How bad do you WANT this? You can be quite talented and this sport is still incredibly demanding. I'm sure you could WIN Fitchburg in the future. But you won't do it by beating yourself up over getting top 20 in the G.C. That's silly. That KP is a stellar performance by just about anyone's amateur bike racing standards. You're already one of the fastest 5000 guys in US amateur bike racing. You will get there (Cat 2) soon enough.

It's the classic 'glass half empty or full' situation. You beat nearly 100 guys at one of the major stage races in the NE. How many were faster than KP? 17? THOSE are the guys who have something to worry about. You're younger than all of them. If I were you this would get me incredibly revved up and psyched to win races in the future.

MDcatV

I cant recall your age, did you do Cat 3 or Jr?

Big talent in both of those groups.

You competed at a very high level against a stacked field. Much respect to you.

TheKillerPenguin

Homie, you're right. I'm lookin at this as a glass half empty thing, because I came into it thinkin I could win. And I got 18th. But you're right that I need to turn it into a positive, and I am.

You've confused me identifying a limiter for whining. I'm just sayin that I identified why I think I got semi-pwned and what I plan to do about it (and, IMO, 18th is semi-pwned, especially when you come into a race thinking you can win it).

It seems that there are generally 10 guys in a field like this that are really the ones fighting it out for the win. I wasn't one of em in this race, and it bums me out. I'm not sayin I suck, I'm just sayin I needs to get better. Oh, and I will get better. Fuel for the fire, g.

recneps

My point is that in stage races especially big ones like fitchberg, theres like 50 guys going in who are really fighting for a win. Whether they did bad in one stage and are out of GC contention or no.

Vinokurtov

Vino says:

Attack, but commit.

recneps

I vote attack but dont commit, Commit 1 mile from finish.

TheKillerPenguin

my heart lies with herr vino!

Greg180

As it should. Wiser words were never spoken.

patentcad

Incorrect.

Vino never says anything beyond:

ATTACK!



The only committing associated with a Vino attack involves men in white suits and butterfly nets coming escort Mr. Vinokourov to the appropriate mental health care facility. His next team jersey:



That dude is one ANGRY elf.

patentcad

From KP's Fitchburg Day One Thread:

>>TT- 6.55mi slightly uphill, with a headwind. My time: 18:51.69

Penguin came in 22nd out of 115(?). I'm seperated from 21st place by .15 seconds. I'm seperated from 12th place by 17 seconds. I'm seperated from 9th place by about 30 seconds. I'm seperated from 6th place by 40 seconds. I'm about 1:30 behind the leader.

I need a TT bike. That is all.<<

That IS all. You went to college. Figure it out. A TT bike/race wheels/aero helmet and it would appear that KP is in the GC top 10. Not much of a stretch, and it doesn't appear to be that complicated since the RR stages appear to have finished with a large bunch sprint for the most part. If you had a proper TT bike and you knew how to ride it I'd say your TT result could well have been a minute faster. Maybe more.

So train your little weenie heart out, come down and stomp us @ Nyack in March, get a TT bike and go back next year and get on the Fitchburg podium already.

I need KP's motor and he needs Pcad's budget. I'd make that swap in a heartbeat kid. But I can't do that, so you'll have to use your newly acquired LBS Insider status to procure the requisite gear. Unfortunately I realize that may require yet ANOTHER part time job to earn the money, but so it goes. You can train like Floyd @ midnight on darkened country roads. It will build character.