shovelhd

Nice job.

sarals 

Thank you, my friend!

valygrl

Nice work sarals, that is a big improvement! Good luck in your crit tomorrow, can't wait to hear about that!

sarals 

Thanks, VG! There is more improvement to be made. I'll crack that nut, yet.

I hope there's a decent sized field in the crit tomorrow. It's hard to hide in a field of five thirty-somethings!

Cleave

Hey LAJ, a little late on the congratulations -- congratulations on what reads as a masterful race!

sarals, inch-by-inch, step-by-step, you're getting there.

sarals 

@Cleave...it is a patient, incremental advance! Thank you!

Racer Ex 

Sara, knocking a minute off a TT time, especially on a shorter course, is a huge amount. Terrific job, can't wait to see the file.

Posted my Master's Nats report over here. Cliff Notes are a silver in the road race, gold and a jersey in the TT, and more mechanical issues than I want to think about. We were truly lucky to finish both races, let alone collect the hardware that we did.

valygrl

Dude, that is nuts!! Mechanical nightmares and podiums at the same time! Congrats.

Does anyone use those MTB narrow-wide rings on a tandem?

revchuck 

Ex - Now that is a tale to be repeated over multiple beers!

I think the biggest one you can get is 42t.

Racer Ex 

I think that's the case. We're looking into a Rotor double with a belt drive at this point.

globecanvas

Believe it or not, SRAM makes road narrow-wide chainrings in every even number from 38T to 54T.

https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produ...sync-chainring

I run a 40T on my cross bike and it's pretty magical. There was a guy at the crit last week with a 52T single, pretty cool.

revchuck 

Dammit, I should've known that since I work in a Specialized LBS and we've sold several bikes with that setup. This old age stuff sucks.

sarals 

Holy Hannah, Ex - that is AWESOME!! But then, you are!!

And thanks for the kind words - files are on the way!

sarals 

Memorial Day Criterium, Morgan Hill, CA - W Cat 3 (Combined with Cat 4)



My focus this week was the BtC TT on Saturday. I'd done a lot of training specific to that TT in the prior week. I wanted to get the crit in today because I like racing crits, and I haven't had many opportunities this year to do them. The Memorial Day Crit is hosted by San Jose Bike Club and is held in an industrial park off of Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill. It's flat, with reasonably good pavement on wide streets. The field was large - I didn't count, but it was around thirty. JL Velo had a HUGE turnout (of course), and SJBC was also well represented. I was the lone PV rider, and the lone senior citizen. The temperature at the start of the race was over 90 degrees, and it would get to over 100 by the time the race finished. The wind was blowing into the front straight and the short chute after it at around 10 - 15 MPH. Not horrible, but enough.


I had a good warmup, which I did on the road. I felt that the temperature was manageable, I was able to cool off while moving into the wind, and I felt pretty good. I had no lingering effects that I could discern from the TT, I had a good recovery yesterday, and I felt ready.


I lined up on the front row and was positioned well into the first turn. I held good position all the way through the first lap, although I was on the inside and wanted to get to the outside to move move up (I hate being dive bombed in corners). I made that move on the third lap on the front straight and slotted in around sixth or seventh wheel - just in time for a prime bell and for one of the young Cat 4's to take a flyer off the front. Of course the field chased! On the back chute we were strung out single file at around 27 to 28 MPH, and I began to feel it. I was close to full gas, and hanging on the wheel in front of me almost desperately! I got gapped a little bit, and I held the power on to make it up into the fourth turn, and I had a pedal strike. The back wheel kicked out, I don't know how much, but it was enough to get a loud reaction from the spectators. I didn't panic, I didn't do anything, really. I just kept riding the bike, and I saved it. I stopped at the wheel pit to have a look at the bike, and I realized when I stopped how maxed out and hot I was, so I sat out a lap to recover a bit. I jumped back in, and once again tried to move up, but those kids were flying. I was also way overheated, at VO2max, and setting some power and HR all time highs for me (so said my CP score on Golden Cheetah when I uploaded my data and had a look). No wonder I was cooked!


I drifted OTB, just running down like a car with a broken fan belt. The mentor came along side of me and said "Hey, chase back on!!" I replied something on the order of "Arghguss@%$Grrlffl" and drooled a lot in the process. She got my point and kept going...


I did what I could. The heat was too much for me, and those kids were just too good in the heat for me to survive. I finished the race, and the fact that the crowd was giving me a lot of love, as was the announcer, had a lot to do with me keeping myself out there.


On my last lap, one of the JL Velo gals offered to lead me out for the sprint, and I took her up on it. It was sweet of her to do that! Anyway. I tossed a pretty massive sprint (the power number was one I had not seen previously), heard a few "wow..."s and almost threw up!


This was a hard, hard race. The young women in the field were in season fitness, and they were very strong. Yes, it hurt, I was overmatched, overheated, but I still had fun.


Next stop - District TT!

shovelhd

Sounds like fun. Nice recovery.

Heathpack 

I hate heat.

Nice racing, @sarals! I'll bet it was "fun" to be back out there.

nacler22

This report just bumped the "loafer race" to second. Stopping the bike in both races, and pulling Silver and Gold.........Nucking Futs.

Huge congrats, and thanks for the new Racer Ex Classic.

nacler22

Narrow-wide rings are ligit. Four years of riding and racing CX,XC,DH and enduro, and only one drop....because the RD clutch was toast.

If the Rotor belt drive set-up doesn't pan out, NW could be a option......or not, if you want front shifting.

revchuck 

Dang, Sara, you were movin' during that race! The heat affects us fogies more than the kids. And that was a helluva sprint. You know those girls were thinking "She's my grandma's age and she can hang with us!" during those first laps. You deserved the love everyone was showing you!

LAJ

Thank you @Cleave!

LAJ

That would be worth watching, @Racer Ex. Amazing stuff, and well done!

LAJ

Nice job, @sarals! Remember, crits are fun.

sarals 

I told myself that at least twice a lap!

Thanks!!

sarals 

Chuck, thanks! The field was divided between 3's and 4's and they were ALL on form. Strong, strong, they were. I was reminded, twice, by medical people (at the race and then at work last night) that the cooling system in people our age isn't up to snuff. I could clearly feel that every time I ramped up the power and tried to sustain it - I just got SUPER hot! After the race I asked the RD why he didn't have the women race early, when it was cooler, as is the custom in these parts. "Not enough pre-reg". Oh - there we go again!

sarals 

He and Big M have a big "S" on their base layer!