Wheels of Thunder/ Coal Miners Classic

after a week of hardly any riding due to weather and other stuff I had a weekend of races. I lasted only 42 minutes of a 60 min race on Saturday. It was to be expected. Then with much thought I decided to race Sunday even if I get shelled off the back early (a costly race given that it's $30 and gas is $3.65 and it's 200 miles round trip)
I did better than expected even though I couldn't hold a position near the front of the race for more than 1/4 a lap and even thought about dropping 20 minutes into the 60 minute affair. I had a last lap adrenaline surge that found me move up to 4th wheel through the first corner that I maintained til just before the last corner. I finished 13th which was 9th in the field sprint to the line as there was a breakaway that finished right before us. Not bad for not being in prime form yet.

To maintain the intesity it may be hard as there are no races that I'm planning on doing in the next 6 weeks
31 May Hugo: Drive all that way (410 milesround trip) for an 80 mile training race? I don’t think so
1 June City Park: 7:30 start time for Masters? Maybe the Pro-1-2 painfest at 12:30
7&8 June State TT and a Hill Climb? Nope good luck to the rest of the team
14&15 June Glenwood Springs: If I can get time off to travel I would like to do these otherwise another dead weekend
21&22 Rist Canyon RR and Hill Climb: Probably not unless my power to weight ratio is >4
and 6 weeks later…
28&29 Dead Dog SR: FINALLY this race I will do

Then July at last. Almost a race every weekend for me.
Bring on July!!

Work and racing

In the last post I mentioned a follow up to Sunday's race, after a busy week of work I forgot that I hadn't posted anything.

The AST criterium in Golden Colorado was a blast. Got together with most of my team and flashed some Skins power. Unfortunately, my power was short lived (re-aclimation phase) and my teammates were unable to bring down a top 10 finish. Afterwards we had our Team Photographer, Mark Woolcot, shoot our team shots. We then headed out to our various assignments that we had volunteered for as co sponsor of the race. Some of us even had a go at a second race (me included) and did well (I got shelled after 3 laps of the Pro race).

Monday I arrived at work to find about 2 dozen repairs awaiting me. As service manager you would think that I would have someone there to assist me. Well I do for about 3 hours when the youths get out of school. I'm not complaining, I like the challenge. Although I am looking forward to when I pick up another day mechanic late May. One of the busiest days so far was this Friday. I went into work at 9:30am and left @ 7:30pm. I didn't have one break, it was fun.

I'm on my way to owning a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro Carbon compliments of the employee purchasing program at the bike shop. This will replace the '04 Epic that I sold tonight.

I've already commited my entry into the Laramie Enduro to break it in at a race setting.

It occurs the same week as the Salida Omnium that I won 2 years ago when I raced as a 35+ cat 4 rider. I have no intentions of racing that race in the open 35+ category until I grow wings on my back.

Tomorrow (or is it today) I'm headed down to Boulder to ride with the team up to Ward.

Sounds Fun

L8r

Work, snow, and altitude

3 days after returning from my trip I landed a job as the service manager at a local bike shop. This was the type of job I was looking for - fun, challenging, and a change of pace. I'm once again a productive member of society.
Then last Sunday was my first race back at altitude. It did not go too well as I was dropped early and fought my way alone for most of the race.
Now it seems my last name must be Jones because since I have returned with my shiny new trailer 2 of my nieghbors have gone out and bought new travel trailers (not Airstreams though)
in the 2 weeks that I have been back I believe it has snowed 6 or more of those days.
Tomorrow I'll post today's race results in Golden CO

More Georgia racing

10 miles from my sisters house was the "EPIC PERRY-ROUBAIX - Georgia Cup Series 7" in Perry Georgia.

I skipped the morning time trial in favor of the circuit and road race. It wasn't a stage race so time didn't matter. I got in a nice warmup ride to the course. My sister Chris, husband Shack, niece Katie, and a few of the local riders I had been riding with including Felix - a rider I new from my days in Germany. No pressure at all on me to do well :-). Race was 20 laps of a 1.35 mile loop. Pace was fairly civilized because of the TT many of the riders had done less than 3 hours earlier. I took a flier off the front to chase down a lone rider early on just to stretch my legs before sitting in and waiting. With no teammates there was no need to react to any of the attacks. There where others willing to do the work. I was focused on the final sprint to the finish and would save my legs for then. 2 riders ended up crossing the line before the field (1 guy, a track rider took off with 4 to go and soloed to a win) I was able to grab wheels near the front for a leadout coming around the final turn. Unfortunately the rider in front of me pulled off with 300 meters to go leaving me with a clear road into a headwind to the finish. I was nipped by 2 other riders at the line fiinishing 5th overall, 2nd 40+. This meant a podium spot for me.

Sunday Was the "Epic Perry-Roubaix" road race. It's styled like many of the early season races in the US after the Paris-Roubaix race in France which consists of cobblestone and dirt sections that are really nasty when it rains as in this YouTube video.

I started the day with another 10 mile warmup ride to the course feeling pretty good. The overnight thunderstorms had left some moisture still on the road and I was wondering how the dirt section would be. The course is 12.4 miles with 2 bothersome climbs back to back coming within the first 2 miles after the start. The “Roubaix” part is the 2 miles of slippy, softening mud/dirt road that comes at about 5 miles (this was my favorite part). Well the race started fast at over 30 mph approaching the first climb. My legs were not feeling spry but the pace slackened to a manageable pace on the climb. The pace picked back up after the climbs, and on the dirt I rode 3rd wheel. In fact every lap through the dirt I rode at the front, partly to lessen the amount of mud on my face but mostly because I kept having visions of mid 80’s Paris – Roubaix with the music of John Tesh running through my mind powering me on.
8 riders attacked at the start of the second lap and the way my legs were feeling, I was not going to join them on their assault of the hills. The race pretty much got shut down then with 2 strong teams represented in the break. So for the next 4 laps to the finish (except for a half lap where a couple of jacka$$es jumped in the passing break from the cat 3 field and we ended up going full tilt in pursuit to slap them around for their wrongdoing) it was a fast training ride. My legs started cramping with a lap and ¾ left and my whole lower body was burning with pain from various muscle aches. I even entertained thoughts of dropping out but decided to give it one last go on the climbs and if I cramp then it’s over. Somehow I made it through the climbs and was able to shift all focus to the final 1km run into the finish to win the field sprint.

With a long 1km straight away to the finish I again made it up near the front and chose a wheel that looked best. Speed was winding up again and I was sure I had the right position this time. But with 300 meters that rider died and once again I was in no mans land. “Oh crap, not again”, I thought as I opened it up. I couldn’t even keep it going hard out of the saddle and sat down and continued to pour on everything I had fully expecting to be passed.

I wasn’t.

It felt good, even though I wasn’t first I had still beaten out the rest.

I was 9th overall and was the 6th 40+ Master rider.

and unlike Colorado racing, I took home $75

Pedal Harder

Got through the opening weekend of Georgia racing without a scatch.
Loaded up the dogs, my sister Chris, and my niece Katie for the drive south to Albany where we stayed at the Parks at Chehaw. A quiet park with a wild animal zoo that was designed by Jim Fowler (TVs Wild Animal Kingdom). Too bad there was no time for the zoo.

Albany Georgia 1-2 March
First race was a prologue TT of 3.6km containing 8 corners through a downtown circuit. I wish I could have pre-ridden the course because I almost hit the 3rd turn barriers because I was going too fast. This of course probably caused me to brake a little more than I needed to on some of the subsequent corners before I regained confidence. Not fast enough as I finished 14th some 30 seconds back.

Second race was a 45minute +3laps criterium 3 hours later. It was a figure 8 course with uphills into the wind. Team One/Memorial Health with 6 riders put on heavy pressure with attacks and counterattacks trying to get their riders free of the peloton. The breakaways were always shutdown after a lap and after a while the attacks ceased with just the normal accelerations on the hill to try and shed riders. With 3 laps to go I was sitting in up near the front, just where I wanted to be for the final lap. In Colorado the pace would be blistering and it would be near impossible to move up. Hearing the bell signifying 1 lap remaining I was feeling good. Then a kink was thrown in the cog. The riders slowed up after the first corner allowing everyone to move up on both sides of me. To say I was pissed was an understatement. I spent the next 2 corners riding all out, even cutting across the sidewalk at one point. I was unable to jump on the back of the Team One leadout train as we turned the 6th corner and ended up 15th.
Sunday was a 97Km road race. It was fast at times but nothing I couldn't handle. With less than 12 miles to go it looked like a serious threat up the road a ways with 2 riders, 1 from Team One/Memorial Health. The gap was growing. Banking on his teammates to shut down any chase I launched solo from the pack in pursuit of the 2 riders. I was feeling good and settled into a good rhythm closing the gap pretty well before we approached the first of 2 hills which put me in trouble. I had already caught one rider and he was struggling to keep my wheel so he was of no help. We were eventually swept up by the field and shortly thereafter so was the lone rider. About 5 miles I had held off the pack. I felt pretty good about that. The thing I found most frustrating was the riders that would sit in the front of the field with no teammate in the breakaway and not lend chase. “Move the F over!” I think I pissed off a few riders in the final miles because of the names I was calling some of the riders. Oh well, I call it like I see it. What part of pedal harder don’t you understand? I mean, why are you sitting up letting 6 riders roll off the front when you have nothing in there? The gap was never closed down and the field officially finished 12 seconds back. If there had been no gap I would have finished 9th overall. Instead the revised results show me at 11th after applying the time bonuses they forgot to initially put in.

Oh, and get this there were only 2 portajohns at the road race start for 300 riders, they are the ones used by the soccer fields. Toilet paper ran out in the first 15 minutes. I never saw the portaJs at the crit, lucky for them there were plenty around the start of the marathon that ran the same day.

To Quote my teammate Brad, these guys practice "Southern Charm" riding. Alerting others as to the approacing potholes, "braking" or "slowing", letting other riders back move back into the sheltered strung out lineup instead of forcing them to the back of the pack.

I can deal without all the "nice guy" etiquette, this is stuff you rarely here in Colorado.

Check out the retro Look colors on this turtle

2 weeks of racing

Road cycling season is almost over. I've done some pretty neat races in the last couple of weeks. The Dillon and Copper Mountain races were at 9000+ feet. I went from the lowest point in my season to one of my highest in 24 hours. Lasting only 5 minutes at Dillon, I rebounded the next day and rode well. the course at Copper featured an uphill section with cobbles. It was a pretty cool course. Unfortunatly I held back as I was a bit timid after the prior day's lesson. Yesterday, at Niwot I felt great again (probably something to do with the Red Bull that was provided by Larry). I rode at or near the front most of the race and when Larry was able to slip into a break KOB and I played the perfect teammates and thwarted all efforts to bridge. Larry eventually finished 7th and I wandered through 22nd. I felt so good that I entered the Pro-1-2 race.
That race was FAST from the gun! I started out well, but a crash in one of the two 120 degree corners broke up the race and I found myself in the second chase group as there was a breakaway up the road. About 30 minutes into the race my inner thigh cramped forcing me to sit up and massage it out. 1/2 lap later I fired up the engines instead of dropping out. I was flying through the course but no way as fast as if I was still in the field. 3 laps later and the leaders caught me and I was whistled out. It was a good race regardless.

Next weekend is the Santa Fe stage race and then the final race on the 15th of September, Parker Twilight Criterium.
In between those 2 races I'll be camping/relaxing with a friend from Indiana. Should be a fun next 3 weeks.

Bike Racing Devils Tower style

I raced the High Plains Classic stage race this past weekend. This race probably qualifes as overkill seeing as it was my 3rd 3 race weekend in a row. (others would call it great training) This year with the race getting a little more turnout than last year was much more competetive. I had hoped to fair better in the 85 mile first stage, but a return of muscle cramps left me just hoping to finish the last 2 miles. As expected, I was unable to hold the pace of the leaders on Bear Lodge Pass which is 6 miles long 30 miles from the finish. In total there was at least 6 climbs on the course including the 2+ mile ascent to the finish. I finished in 7th, 15 minutes down on the winner, not bad since I was basically on my own for 30 miles. Sunday's 2 stage event was a morning 8 mile TT and afternoon 42 mile RR. I did well in the TT (3rd) seeing as I had only spoked Zipp wheels to ride. The RR went off smoothly for the first 21 miles and we even stopped to let the Cat4-5s ride through as we were in no mood to be fighting it out in the heat for the full distance. (Temps were in the 90s both days and the Cat4-5s olnly did 45 miles the day before with less than half the climbing we did) At the turn-around in Avla the smooth ride went into hyperdrive as Brent from MOB Cyclery attacked the climb and everyone jumped to get on his wheel. Then someone else hit the gas and I knew I was in for some pain. As I dropped off the back I could only think of how much I could afford to lose and still catch them on the long descent. As I neared the summit I picked up one of the dropped Saskatchawan jr team riders that came down for the races and told him to grab my wheel and hold on. I knew that if I could not catch them my race would be over. So I opened up the floodgates and picked up as much speed as I could as I downhill timetrialed my way back into the race. When I got there after what seemed like over 5 minutes of chasing, the Junior rider, Steven, that I towed with me was extremely grateful. The thanks was paid back a little later when, unable to grab a bottle in the feed due the high speed, he handed me a bottle of gatorade. I finished 3rd in the field sprint as one of Steven's teammates (there were 6 of them) had attacked on the descent and soloed in the 15+ miles for the win. Next year should be huge after the guys go back and tell their teams (MOB, ColoBikeLaw, Denver Spoke, VC, Montana Velo, etc. about this event.
There is no road race like this in Colorado and once the word gets out about the courses and level of rider support (neutral rolling feeds) The masses will drive more than the 10 hours it took the guys from Team Saskatchawan to make this race.