My road racing season came to an abrupt ending when I moved. (I'm writing this in a small coffee shop across the street from the Klondike Casino. Across from me is a cowboy -- seriously, a real cowboy, a rancher in a ten-gallon hat and leather, spurred boots. I'd be lying if I said that wearing a spandex kit in this town makes me feel a little uneasy. Levi Leipheimer grew up about a half hour from here, though. He's legit. Does that make me legit? Nah.) Road racing is a far-behind third to mountain and 'cross racing in Montana. There were only ten races in the state this year. Luckily, cyclocross seems to have a decent following here; there are two-day races every weekend from September 25 to Thanksgiving all within four hours, typically within two. I'm already excited. I've been doing laps around my temporary house: ride, dismount, jump two flower pots, remount, repeat in five-minute intervals.
My shortened race season went really, really well. Two years ago, bike racing was a monthly alleycat; in four months, I raced 35+ races and 1,000+ miles. I upgraded from a Cat. 5 to a Cat. 3 in five weeks. If I hadn't left, I'd be on my way to that girl-impressing Cat. 2 upgrade, now my 2010 goal ... all depending on where I'm living. No races means no upgrade. We'll see where this racing obsession takes me next year: stay in Montana or head south to Colorado ...
The highlight of my race season was a 40-man, Cat. 3 crit. I did in New Jersey. And I finished a crowd-pleasing 16th. My father watched me race. I had to beg him to do it. At the beginning of the season he thought when I mentioned racing I meant alleycats, those "silly, brakeless messenger races." Five laps into the 30-lap race, I made a break with two other guys and we held it for 15 laps. He said we got so far away that he didn't think we'd get caught. Then the field prime. I attacked again with five to go, got caught again, and got caught behind a wreck in the sprint, still feeling like I had enough for at least a Top 10 finish. To hear my father yell my name, encouraging me on every lap to keep pushing it, well, it was great. I've never felt so physically strong on a bike and, more importantly, it was probably the happiest I've ever been on a bike.
Training here, even riding here, is really different. How do you focus your training on a road that's dead-flat, dead-straight for ten miles? You can't recover on the descent when there is no descent. It will take some getting used to. I guess it's all about intervals. It's always blowing around ten miles per hour and consistently gusting higher. I forget that I'm a little over 6,000 feet above sea level. The roads are visually confusing. I road out this highway yesterday into the wind, feeling awful, getting pissed at my poor riding. I was trying to ride to a state park 21 miles out. It was a gradual climb, but nothing even vaguely intense. I turned around at mile-12, annoyed. I proceded to descend the next three miles at a little over 45 miles per hour. Okay.
I hate to admit that the lack of variation can make this insanely beautiful landscape mundane ...
Oh, and now one of my road shoes is held together with safety pins. Either Cody or my roommate's dogs decided to chew the ratchet strap off my shoe. An expensive meal for a dog ...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Tour of Tucker County and other race stuff
I got my upgrade from a Cat. 4 to a Cat. 3 today. So much for bike racing being a money-making venture for the rest of the summer. Growin' up.
Me and Steve went down to Thomas, West Virginia, for the Tour of Tucker County. VeloNews says this is one of the toughest one-day road races in America. Whoever said that doesn’t like climbing. As you may know, I love climbing; therefore, I dug this race.
It’s a long drive to Thomas, two and a half hours south of Pittsburgh. I tried not to sleep, I failed. I hadn’t slept well the night before; too much anxiety about racing, people, moving, life in general. A typical theme for the last 26 years. We stopped at a McDonald’s on the way, I needed food. Really, though, McDonald's? Thankfully, I didn’t have the balls to order anything with meat. They have yogurt on the menu now. Did you know that? When was the last time you ate there? It had been at least five years for me. I hope it will be at least another five. (We did eat Taco Bell post-race. Does this make me a hypocrite? This meal also did not include meat.)
We get there. We register. There are no bathrooms -- we crap in the woods. The race begins.
It’s a neutral roll-out to the starting line, an almost-five-mile descent. The race ends where the descent began; this is our preview. Awesome. I didn’t think I’d have brake pads for the race by the time we got to the line.
The race starts. About ten miles in, we hit the first climb, a steady two-miler. As expected, the field of fifty splinters. Now there’s a 15-man lead group, I’m in it. We soft-pedal the next 25 miles. We hit some crazy, sketchy, gravely, just-cut-grass-covering-the-road three-mile descent. Three deer emerge from the woods and dart across the road in front of us. One of the guys in our field rides into a ditch going at least 40. I see one of my teammates from the pro race covered in mud, standing in the ditch. I hate descending; I get dropped; I don't want to die. Thankfully, we regroup at the bottom. This was Top Three Sketchiest Times Ever on a Bike for me.
We hit the base of "The Climb." My strategy: mid-paced and steady wins the race; keep thinking about Going-to-the-Sun Road, that was a 6.6-mile climb, this is only four and a half. Easy. Two guys go. The rest of us just pedal. A mile and a half up the climb, I’ve dropped the field. I keep pedaling. The two guys in front of me never get any closer, but I keep getting further away. I catch a ton of masters and pro DNFers, but not the guys that finished one, two.
I finished two minutes back from the winner -- it turns out he’s a Cat. 4 on the road, but some kind of mountain biking and cyclocross national champion who only races road five times a year. I finished about a minute out of second. I got third. Fourth place finished a little over two minutes behind me. I love climbing.
I won a $40 computer with a cadence meter. I’m not feeling all that scientific; my speed will determine my cadence. Drop under 20, you're going slow, pedal harder, right? Probably not.
We drove back: We listened to "Emergency & I," sang all the words, and I drank a celebratory forty. West Virginia gas stations sell handles of whiskey, but not Sparks. Huh?
Revelation of the race: Race season is only really preparation for the Dirty Dozen!
Other races (and there have been quite a few):
May 24, Michelob Ultra presents “The Downtown Erie Criterium”: 9th Place. 20-some laps on a cool L-shaped course with lots of fun road hazards like manhole covers and pot holes. A promoter asked me how I liked the course post-race. I told him I don’t like crits., but I liked this crit. except for the poor condition of the streets. It’s May, he told me, in Erie. “What did you expect?” I won $60 worth of tires in a prime. I rode well, could have easily gone another ten, went nowhere in the sprint, finished ninth. I could have done better if I worked harder? Eric made a two-man break and stuck it for second. He got to stand of a podium! Good job, dude!
May 27, Allegheny Cycling Association: 9th Place.
June 3, Allegheny Cycling Association: 1st Place. It rained like hell. I seem to race well in the rain. I came around some guys and won the sprint. This was the first points race of the season. I'm winning. Cool! If I can win an "A" race, I'll pull a trifecta. Yeah right ...
June 7, Downtown Oakmont Criterium: 5th Place. We rode there and back: not as next-level as Aliquipa, but sorta, only ten miles. It was a crit.: We rode around in circles. I won a $20 prime. Ted King-Smith soloed away and won! Awesome job, dude! I finished fifth for $15.
June 10, Allegheny Cycling Association: 9th Place. One spot out of the points. I'm frustrated. I felt like hell all race. No fun.
June 13, Tour of New York Prospect Park Criterium: Field finish.
Me and Steve went down to Thomas, West Virginia, for the Tour of Tucker County. VeloNews says this is one of the toughest one-day road races in America. Whoever said that doesn’t like climbing. As you may know, I love climbing; therefore, I dug this race.
It’s a long drive to Thomas, two and a half hours south of Pittsburgh. I tried not to sleep, I failed. I hadn’t slept well the night before; too much anxiety about racing, people, moving, life in general. A typical theme for the last 26 years. We stopped at a McDonald’s on the way, I needed food. Really, though, McDonald's? Thankfully, I didn’t have the balls to order anything with meat. They have yogurt on the menu now. Did you know that? When was the last time you ate there? It had been at least five years for me. I hope it will be at least another five. (We did eat Taco Bell post-race. Does this make me a hypocrite? This meal also did not include meat.)
We get there. We register. There are no bathrooms -- we crap in the woods. The race begins.
It’s a neutral roll-out to the starting line, an almost-five-mile descent. The race ends where the descent began; this is our preview. Awesome. I didn’t think I’d have brake pads for the race by the time we got to the line.
The race starts. About ten miles in, we hit the first climb, a steady two-miler. As expected, the field of fifty splinters. Now there’s a 15-man lead group, I’m in it. We soft-pedal the next 25 miles. We hit some crazy, sketchy, gravely, just-cut-grass-covering-the-road three-mile descent. Three deer emerge from the woods and dart across the road in front of us. One of the guys in our field rides into a ditch going at least 40. I see one of my teammates from the pro race covered in mud, standing in the ditch. I hate descending; I get dropped; I don't want to die. Thankfully, we regroup at the bottom. This was Top Three Sketchiest Times Ever on a Bike for me.
We hit the base of "The Climb." My strategy: mid-paced and steady wins the race; keep thinking about Going-to-the-Sun Road, that was a 6.6-mile climb, this is only four and a half. Easy. Two guys go. The rest of us just pedal. A mile and a half up the climb, I’ve dropped the field. I keep pedaling. The two guys in front of me never get any closer, but I keep getting further away. I catch a ton of masters and pro DNFers, but not the guys that finished one, two.
I finished two minutes back from the winner -- it turns out he’s a Cat. 4 on the road, but some kind of mountain biking and cyclocross national champion who only races road five times a year. I finished about a minute out of second. I got third. Fourth place finished a little over two minutes behind me. I love climbing.
I won a $40 computer with a cadence meter. I’m not feeling all that scientific; my speed will determine my cadence. Drop under 20, you're going slow, pedal harder, right? Probably not.
We drove back: We listened to "Emergency & I," sang all the words, and I drank a celebratory forty. West Virginia gas stations sell handles of whiskey, but not Sparks. Huh?
Revelation of the race: Race season is only really preparation for the Dirty Dozen!
Other races (and there have been quite a few):
May 24, Michelob Ultra presents “The Downtown Erie Criterium”: 9th Place. 20-some laps on a cool L-shaped course with lots of fun road hazards like manhole covers and pot holes. A promoter asked me how I liked the course post-race. I told him I don’t like crits., but I liked this crit. except for the poor condition of the streets. It’s May, he told me, in Erie. “What did you expect?” I won $60 worth of tires in a prime. I rode well, could have easily gone another ten, went nowhere in the sprint, finished ninth. I could have done better if I worked harder? Eric made a two-man break and stuck it for second. He got to stand of a podium! Good job, dude!
May 27, Allegheny Cycling Association: 9th Place.
June 3, Allegheny Cycling Association: 1st Place. It rained like hell. I seem to race well in the rain. I came around some guys and won the sprint. This was the first points race of the season. I'm winning. Cool! If I can win an "A" race, I'll pull a trifecta. Yeah right ...
June 7, Downtown Oakmont Criterium: 5th Place. We rode there and back: not as next-level as Aliquipa, but sorta, only ten miles. It was a crit.: We rode around in circles. I won a $20 prime. Ted King-Smith soloed away and won! Awesome job, dude! I finished fifth for $15.
June 10, Allegheny Cycling Association: 9th Place. One spot out of the points. I'm frustrated. I felt like hell all race. No fun.
June 13, Tour of New York Prospect Park Criterium: Field finish.
Friday, May 22, 2009
USCF points totals through May 20
I calculated my points toward an upgrade today: 27 points! Sweet! It took me less than a month to do it! I'm going to apply for my Cat. 3 upgrade after the Tour of Tucker County in West Virginia in two weeks. One more race -- according to "Bicycling Magazine" one of the "toughest one-day road races in America" -- to "sandbag"!
April 18, 2009, Trek of Pittsburgh presents “Mingo Creek” (road race): 3rd Place. 50+ starters. 7 points.
May 2, 2009, Beaver County Velo presents “Aliquippa industrial park” (criterium): 5th Place. 21-50 starters. 1 point.
May 6, 2009, Allegheny Cycling Association, “Washington Boulevard” (criterium): 4th Place. 11-20 starters. 1 point.
May 10, 2009, Beaver County Velo presents “Aliquippa industrial park” (criterium): 2nd Place. 21-50 starters. 4 points.
May 13, 2009, Allegheny Cycling Association, “Washington Boulevard” (criterium): 3rd Place. 21-50 starters. 3 points.
May 17, 2009, Onondaga Cycling Club presents “The Tour De Syracuse” (road race). 1st Place. 50+ starters. 10 points.
Also:
- May 20, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race": "Abandoned." My first P-course experience. This course is legit. Respect it. The course kicked my ass; the other racers kicked my ass. On lap-three, a guy went down in front of me in the five mile an hour, tight, 180-degree turn. I slowed, the race was over. A 50-meter gap from the lead group that at first seemed easy to bridge was still 50 meters five laps later. The next lap it was 60. And so on, and so on. At least I held on and didn't get lapped until the 30th and final lap. What I learned: respect the P-course and if you're not in the lead group, you're toast. (12 miles)
April 18, 2009, Trek of Pittsburgh presents “Mingo Creek” (road race): 3rd Place. 50+ starters. 7 points.
May 2, 2009, Beaver County Velo presents “Aliquippa industrial park” (criterium): 5th Place. 21-50 starters. 1 point.
May 6, 2009, Allegheny Cycling Association, “Washington Boulevard” (criterium): 4th Place. 11-20 starters. 1 point.
May 10, 2009, Beaver County Velo presents “Aliquippa industrial park” (criterium): 2nd Place. 21-50 starters. 4 points.
May 13, 2009, Allegheny Cycling Association, “Washington Boulevard” (criterium): 3rd Place. 21-50 starters. 3 points.
May 17, 2009, Onondaga Cycling Club presents “The Tour De Syracuse” (road race). 1st Place. 50+ starters. 10 points.
Also:
- May 20, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race": "Abandoned." My first P-course experience. This course is legit. Respect it. The course kicked my ass; the other racers kicked my ass. On lap-three, a guy went down in front of me in the five mile an hour, tight, 180-degree turn. I slowed, the race was over. A 50-meter gap from the lead group that at first seemed easy to bridge was still 50 meters five laps later. The next lap it was 60. And so on, and so on. At least I held on and didn't get lapped until the 30th and final lap. What I learned: respect the P-course and if you're not in the lead group, you're toast. (12 miles)
Monday, May 18, 2009
I won the Tour De Syracuse!
Rob Lochner won on his 30th birthday in West Virginia last month. So, in a sense, I "Rob Lochnered" the Tour De Syracuse -- I won on my 26th birthday!
Steve and I left around seven on Saturday night -- we got there around 1:30. It was a long drive. I think we listened to "Milo Goes to College" about four times. We camped in the parking lot (though Steve would like you to know that he slept on a cot in a crappy sleeping bag while I crashed in my expensive tent on my expensive sleeping pad in my zero-degree bag). It got cold, probably down into the high 30s. I slept well. We were the only ones that did this. Remember, we're next-level. We ride to races when they're within 30 miles; we don't pay to sleep in beds. In the morning some guy pointed awkwardly at my tent and asked me if I'd actually slept there. "Um, yeah, you know, that's why I set my tent up." I figured it was obvious. "Huh," he mumbled, confused, "well good luck to you today." Good luck to you, dude!
The field was 65. The race was 57 miles, two 23-mile laps, with two shorts climbs and a sorta-steep, half-mile climb to the finish. Perfect! I hung in the field until the climb to the start-finish at mile-22. I broke away on the hill to win my personal "King of the Mountain" satisfaction and then rode solo for about ten miles into the wind until I got caught. With about ten miles to go, some Army/West Point cadet and I went. We put a huge gap on the field that somehow kept getting bigger and bigger. He did most of the work -- thanks, general. I soft pedaled the climb until about 200 meters, stood up, he yelled something at me to the affect of, "I thought you were going to let me win!", and took the win by about 20 seconds and around 1:30 over the field. I threw the ugliest victory salute ever, wobbling, probably going about six miles an hour; I'm lucky/glad I didn't go down. Also, at the base of the hill I chucked my water bottles, one was still full. Apparently, I chucked them so hard that they rolled down an embankment and into a creek. I didn't find them. Well, that sucks.
I drank a Sparks on the way home to celebrate, for both the win and my birthday. I got a winners jersey. It doesn't fit so I hung it on the wall in my classroom. My 4-year-olds are very impressed! It was my Monday morning show-and-share.
With the win, I'm able to upgrade from a Cat. 4 to a Cat. 3. I went from a Cat. 5 to a 3 in four weeks!
Other recent races:
- May 10, Aliquipa industrial park criterium, "B Race": 2nd Place. I won one $10 prime and got beat in the sprint by the same kid who out-sprinted me at the last Mingo Creek race. You would think I'd remember that. Also, a 16-year-old kid got me by half a tire for another $10 prime. Why wasn't I doing this when I was 16? I won $35. We rode there and back. Next-level. (21 miles)
- May 13, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race": 3rd Place. About six laps in, me and four other guys made a break. It took us 17 laps, but we eventually lapped the field of 33 riders! We averaged a little over 28 miles per hour doing it. The UPMC team blocked everything including their own rider who'd also lapped the field in the sprint (they have a nine-man team); I got around them, but they slowed me enough to finish sixth in the field sprint but third overall. Great race! $10 race; $10 back in my wallet. (20 miles)
Steve and I left around seven on Saturday night -- we got there around 1:30. It was a long drive. I think we listened to "Milo Goes to College" about four times. We camped in the parking lot (though Steve would like you to know that he slept on a cot in a crappy sleeping bag while I crashed in my expensive tent on my expensive sleeping pad in my zero-degree bag). It got cold, probably down into the high 30s. I slept well. We were the only ones that did this. Remember, we're next-level. We ride to races when they're within 30 miles; we don't pay to sleep in beds. In the morning some guy pointed awkwardly at my tent and asked me if I'd actually slept there. "Um, yeah, you know, that's why I set my tent up." I figured it was obvious. "Huh," he mumbled, confused, "well good luck to you today." Good luck to you, dude!
The field was 65. The race was 57 miles, two 23-mile laps, with two shorts climbs and a sorta-steep, half-mile climb to the finish. Perfect! I hung in the field until the climb to the start-finish at mile-22. I broke away on the hill to win my personal "King of the Mountain" satisfaction and then rode solo for about ten miles into the wind until I got caught. With about ten miles to go, some Army/West Point cadet and I went. We put a huge gap on the field that somehow kept getting bigger and bigger. He did most of the work -- thanks, general. I soft pedaled the climb until about 200 meters, stood up, he yelled something at me to the affect of, "I thought you were going to let me win!", and took the win by about 20 seconds and around 1:30 over the field. I threw the ugliest victory salute ever, wobbling, probably going about six miles an hour; I'm lucky/glad I didn't go down. Also, at the base of the hill I chucked my water bottles, one was still full. Apparently, I chucked them so hard that they rolled down an embankment and into a creek. I didn't find them. Well, that sucks.
I drank a Sparks on the way home to celebrate, for both the win and my birthday. I got a winners jersey. It doesn't fit so I hung it on the wall in my classroom. My 4-year-olds are very impressed! It was my Monday morning show-and-share.
With the win, I'm able to upgrade from a Cat. 4 to a Cat. 3. I went from a Cat. 5 to a 3 in four weeks!
Other recent races:
- May 10, Aliquipa industrial park criterium, "B Race": 2nd Place. I won one $10 prime and got beat in the sprint by the same kid who out-sprinted me at the last Mingo Creek race. You would think I'd remember that. Also, a 16-year-old kid got me by half a tire for another $10 prime. Why wasn't I doing this when I was 16? I won $35. We rode there and back. Next-level. (21 miles)
- May 13, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race": 3rd Place. About six laps in, me and four other guys made a break. It took us 17 laps, but we eventually lapped the field of 33 riders! We averaged a little over 28 miles per hour doing it. The UPMC team blocked everything including their own rider who'd also lapped the field in the sprint (they have a nine-man team); I got around them, but they slowed me enough to finish sixth in the field sprint but third overall. Great race! $10 race; $10 back in my wallet. (20 miles)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Bike-related racing and otherwise
- May 2, Aliquipa industrial park criterium, "B Race": 5th Place. A cool little four-corner crit. with a half-mile straightaway to the line. Me, Eric, Steve, and Ted rode out there: 25 miles. According to Steve, riding to races this far away is "next-level shit." Cool. Then we raced: 22 miles. I should have won -- excuses, excuses. I got blocked in the sprint and finished fifth ($15). At least I won two of the three $10 primes. We rode home. A 75-mile, $35 day. I like it!
- May 6, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "A Race": 4th Place. This was the most fun I've ever had on a bike! Sixty degrees and pouring rain all 45 laps. Only 15 people showed so they combined the As and the Bs. It was essentially an A race; I think I was only one of three Cat. 4 guys out there. I made a nice six-lap break; nobody chased because, well, I'm nobody. That doesn't mean it didn't feel cool! I felt great the whole race; probably the strongest I've ever felt. It turns out that I'm not as poor at sprinting as I had thought (still need to work on it, though, of course). I got blocked by the CAT/Pittsburgh Elite Velo guys in the sprint and got fourth, good enough to get $5 back! Great night of training! Great night in general!
Other bike things:
- I've been asked to join the Steel City Endurance team. I have accepted. I'm real psyched to race with Dr. Carl Flink and company!
- I'm up to around 2,000 miles on the bike since January 1.
- After talking about hitching Susie's baby-carrier for Cody for the last six months, I've finally done it! Dragging a 55-pound dog and a 25-pound trailer sort of sucks. But, at the same time, it sort of rules.
- The Trexlertown swap is this weekend. The tax return came yesterday. Nice.
- May 6, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "A Race": 4th Place. This was the most fun I've ever had on a bike! Sixty degrees and pouring rain all 45 laps. Only 15 people showed so they combined the As and the Bs. It was essentially an A race; I think I was only one of three Cat. 4 guys out there. I made a nice six-lap break; nobody chased because, well, I'm nobody. That doesn't mean it didn't feel cool! I felt great the whole race; probably the strongest I've ever felt. It turns out that I'm not as poor at sprinting as I had thought (still need to work on it, though, of course). I got blocked by the CAT/Pittsburgh Elite Velo guys in the sprint and got fourth, good enough to get $5 back! Great night of training! Great night in general!
Other bike things:
- I've been asked to join the Steel City Endurance team. I have accepted. I'm real psyched to race with Dr. Carl Flink and company!
- I'm up to around 2,000 miles on the bike since January 1.
- After talking about hitching Susie's baby-carrier for Cody for the last six months, I've finally done it! Dragging a 55-pound dog and a 25-pound trailer sort of sucks. But, at the same time, it sort of rules.
- The Trexlertown swap is this weekend. The tax return came yesterday. Nice.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tour of Ephrata
April 25, 26, All That is Good Racing presents "The Tour De Ephrata."
A three-part race; I was in way over my head. I was only one of three "unassociated" riders in a 100-man field. I was also probably one of only about 10 Cat. 4 riders in the field; I've only been a Cat. 4 for about a week. This race apparently fields some of the best up-and-coming Cat. 3 racers in the country.
I held on for dear life in the road race. It was in the mid-90s. The course was super-technical (or dangerous if you want to look at it like that), the one-lane rule was in effect. Around 10 riders crashed-out in the first lap; I had to clip-out twice to avoid wrecks. I finished 41st -- only 17 seconds behind the winner. I'm happy with it all things considered. Riding in the country made me not want to come back to Pittsburgh. (52 miles)
I was psyched for the time trial -- eight miles, four of climbing, two of "intense" climbing. This was going to be my first test to see if I really am the "strong climber" I fancy myself to be. What happens? I flat four miles in, right at the base of the climb. I had to wait about 10 minutes for a new wheel (Where was the sag wagon with the Zipp 404s when I needed it?). I did finish, though -- 77th of 78 riders. Ouch.
The four-corner criterium. Twenty-five laps, .07 miles a lap. Carl went on to say it was probably the hardest, fastest crit. he's ever done. I abandoned at lap-17. I checked my computer at lap-13, while still clinging on to the back for dear life (Notice a trend?) to find my average speed was a little over 28 miles per hour. It was just too fast for me; over half the field didn't finish which made me feel a little better.
Lesson learned this weekend: As soon as we get two hours out of Pittsburgh, we're all in a little over our heads. Also, I don't really like criterium racing. Note: Every race I'll do in May will be a criterium ...
Fun times, though! Great training miles! Good weekend with good friends!
A three-part race; I was in way over my head. I was only one of three "unassociated" riders in a 100-man field. I was also probably one of only about 10 Cat. 4 riders in the field; I've only been a Cat. 4 for about a week. This race apparently fields some of the best up-and-coming Cat. 3 racers in the country.
I held on for dear life in the road race. It was in the mid-90s. The course was super-technical (or dangerous if you want to look at it like that), the one-lane rule was in effect. Around 10 riders crashed-out in the first lap; I had to clip-out twice to avoid wrecks. I finished 41st -- only 17 seconds behind the winner. I'm happy with it all things considered. Riding in the country made me not want to come back to Pittsburgh. (52 miles)
I was psyched for the time trial -- eight miles, four of climbing, two of "intense" climbing. This was going to be my first test to see if I really am the "strong climber" I fancy myself to be. What happens? I flat four miles in, right at the base of the climb. I had to wait about 10 minutes for a new wheel (Where was the sag wagon with the Zipp 404s when I needed it?). I did finish, though -- 77th of 78 riders. Ouch.
The four-corner criterium. Twenty-five laps, .07 miles a lap. Carl went on to say it was probably the hardest, fastest crit. he's ever done. I abandoned at lap-17. I checked my computer at lap-13, while still clinging on to the back for dear life (Notice a trend?) to find my average speed was a little over 28 miles per hour. It was just too fast for me; over half the field didn't finish which made me feel a little better.
Lesson learned this weekend: As soon as we get two hours out of Pittsburgh, we're all in a little over our heads. Also, I don't really like criterium racing. Note: Every race I'll do in May will be a criterium ...
Fun times, though! Great training miles! Good weekend with good friends!
Here are some notes on my racing between March 28 and April 22
I'm going to keep track of my racing "stats" here. I'll update as I go. Read on if you're into it. I'll probably start getting more indepth about the stupid stuff that goes on before, after, and during as well. Cool, man!
- March 28, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 1": 2nd Place. Lost by half a wheel. Won $30. I'm happy with it for the first race of the season. (33 miles)
- April 5, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 2": 12th Place. Missed the break, nobody wanted to work to catch the break, finished in the field, not in the money, not happy. (33 miles)
- April 11, Backyard Bike Club presents "Morgantown, West Virginia Road Race": 8th Place. Lots of climbing, great course. Hung in with the lead group the entire race which was eventually whittled down to about ten. Not enough room to make a move in the sprint (stupid one-lane rule in effect). Overall, I'm happy with it. I won a Campy wheel bag. What the hell am I going to do with that? Rob Lochner won in a breakaway on his 30th birthday. Good job, dude! (50 miles)
- April 14, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "C Race, No. 1": 1st Place. Rode about eight solo laps and then broke away with about a lap and a half left and held it. Almost too easy. Won three of six primes and most aggressive rider. $40 in my wallet. (15 miles)
- April 18, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 3": 3rd Place. Rode real well. The field was eventually whittled down to around ten. I broke a little early, burned out bright, looked around too much says Steve, and got beat. That's the way it goes I suppose. $20 paid out. (33 miles) I finished third in the omnium for another $30 and a $20 Trek gift card. Cool!
- April 21, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "C Race No. 2": 3rd Place. Eh. What is there to say? I broke a little early, had already blown my load, sat up, had nothing left, got passed. A good night of training, though! This will probably be my last "C Race" of the season. $10 to race; $10 for third place. A good night of training! (15 miles)
- April 22, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race No. 1": 9th Place. My first "B Race." I wasn't as fresh as I would have liked because of last night. I missed the break like everybody else and died on the last lap. I've realized I have no idea what the hell I'm doing out there strategy-wise. I have a lot to learn; luckily, it's still April. A good week of training prior to the hell that awaits me in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, this weekend! (18 miles)
- March 28, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 1": 2nd Place. Lost by half a wheel. Won $30. I'm happy with it for the first race of the season. (33 miles)
- April 5, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 2": 12th Place. Missed the break, nobody wanted to work to catch the break, finished in the field, not in the money, not happy. (33 miles)
- April 11, Backyard Bike Club presents "Morgantown, West Virginia Road Race": 8th Place. Lots of climbing, great course. Hung in with the lead group the entire race which was eventually whittled down to about ten. Not enough room to make a move in the sprint (stupid one-lane rule in effect). Overall, I'm happy with it. I won a Campy wheel bag. What the hell am I going to do with that? Rob Lochner won in a breakaway on his 30th birthday. Good job, dude! (50 miles)
- April 14, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "C Race, No. 1": 1st Place. Rode about eight solo laps and then broke away with about a lap and a half left and held it. Almost too easy. Won three of six primes and most aggressive rider. $40 in my wallet. (15 miles)
- April 18, Trek of Pittsburgh presents "Mingo Creek, Race No. 3": 3rd Place. Rode real well. The field was eventually whittled down to around ten. I broke a little early, burned out bright, looked around too much says Steve, and got beat. That's the way it goes I suppose. $20 paid out. (33 miles) I finished third in the omnium for another $30 and a $20 Trek gift card. Cool!
- April 21, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "C Race No. 2": 3rd Place. Eh. What is there to say? I broke a little early, had already blown my load, sat up, had nothing left, got passed. A good night of training, though! This will probably be my last "C Race" of the season. $10 to race; $10 for third place. A good night of training! (15 miles)
- April 22, Allegheny Cycling Association, Washington Boulevard Criterium, "B Race No. 1": 9th Place. My first "B Race." I wasn't as fresh as I would have liked because of last night. I missed the break like everybody else and died on the last lap. I've realized I have no idea what the hell I'm doing out there strategy-wise. I have a lot to learn; luckily, it's still April. A good week of training prior to the hell that awaits me in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, this weekend! (18 miles)
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