Ohio Valley Racing - Spring Valley - May 3

SPRING VALLEY MAY 3, 2009

Valley indeed. Up, down, up down, rolling, rolling, up and up.

On the way down 71 South in the car, I thought I had raced Spring Valley a few years ago. I remember my friend Layne and I getting lost and I remember a flashing light we went through past Caesar’s Creek, but after arriving at the nice parking lot, I realized I am old and was mistaken. Or maybe I did race nearby in the area and I am not that forgetful.

A great turn-out by our team today, my brother-in-law, Tim’s first race, Luke’s first race and Kurtis’ first race, with Kristian all racing in the CAT 5’s. Just me in the CAT 4’s. Scott and Isaiah racing in the CAT ½. Catherine was filling our women’s spot. It was great to see all the team kits.

I decided at the last moment, while getting my team kit on, that I will race my Powertap wheel and only change out the front wheel to a Carbon aero/tubie and changed out the front brake pads to the Yellow Swiss Stop. I went out with Tim for a quick warm up to check out about ½ the course. Hindsight, I could have run a lighter carbon race wheel, but it was nice to have the Watts data, since my wheel has been gone from me for a few weeks. We climbed up the finish hill that was included with the race during each of the 8 mile laps and checked out the roads and some of the other turns along the way and short –cut back to the start area.

My goal was to sit in the top 10 again during the race, but not burn as many matches as I did during Vandervorts. But to keep an eye on things and try to work with the other independent (solo) team guys to get somewhere, keep things reeled in and/or get in the right break. I did manage to ride a bit smarter, not burn as many matches. The best part was, this race course favored me a bit, the downhills and the “technical” aspect of the turns, downhills and the climb. Not that I am a climber per say, but I have noticed I can surge up through the group, spinning into the bottom of the hills and getting me to the front five of the group pretty quickly, without much effort. We had 5 long laps to complete, the weather and temperature were perfect. Shannon from Darkhorse, the solo Jeni’s Ice Cream, Team Hungry, a COBC guy and a single Echelon rider were all there to keep things interesting. I was hoping to get in a break with one or more of these folks. The Echelon rider had just moved up from slaying it in the 5’s and after one lap, it appears he should be a CAT 2 or CAT 3. Strong kid.
We started the race at the finish line out on the course, not where we parked, but at the top of the hill, the start-line placed about 200 meters from the crest of the hill. A good spot.
From the gun, about 25 of us were off like rockets. Down the road about half way around the course, our lead car, Stevie Wonder at the wheel, decided to take a right turn, while we decided to follow the course signs and go straight. Fun. I couldn’t wait to see the car come back to us – flying down the left side of the yellow line. The driver of our lead car did make it back – pretty quickly – while we were slaying the pavement reeling in the CAT 3’s. We kept them within sight for about 2 laps. There was a jump from our group from a Dayton guy, a Cyclesport guy and Shannon from Darkhorse and the Echelon guy and a guy from Abundance. They had a pretty good gap at one point and oddly enough got clogged up by our leadout car and the CAT 3’s. The race official came by and went up to help sort things out I think. He and the CAT 3 car driver slowed them down and the break of CAT 4’s got around the 3’s. From where I was, the break didn’t look so smooth in the pass. We however I think passed them doing about 30 mph – it was crazy, they were yelling stuff at us and I think pretty surprised to see us flying by them. Where we passed them, it was downhill and then into the crazy turn before the hill climb. We kept a pretty high pace at this point to chase down the break, some of the single team guys were working hard to chase down the break after we came through on lap 3. I felt like I should contribute and got up front…the best part is, myself and the COBC/National Engineering guy were trading off some good pulls with the Jeni’s guy and the Team Hungry guy. At one point, I yelled out, not once – but twice - to Shannon to get up front and help work, since I had no idea he had gone up the road until we got closer to them. Cracked me up when I saw he was in the break. We caught the group on I think the 4th lap. The 4th time up the hill was the slowest of the five, I think the group was resting for the a fast last lap. We came through the finish line and people were dumping water bottles and eating. We get to the highest point of the race and the Echelon guy and another rider go off the front. There is no answer from our group. We start to head into the twisty – slight downhill section, come out of that into the steeper downhill – the tall Buckeye cycling guy, bolts from the back of the group up the yellow center line. Our group accelerates up to around 40 and we catch the guy just before the turn to the hill. I take a few high cadence spins and a few deep breaths knowing I am going to kill myself trying to get up this dang hill in my big ring.
I get up the hill, see I am passing quite a few people that put in a much harder effort at the bottom. I crest the hill, begin to run out of gas, see the finish line and get about 50 feet from the finish and out of the left corner of my eye, I see Shannon from Darkhorse, squeaking by me. I had nothing left to turn my pedals over. Had I known he was so close, I might have put in a longer effort, but hindsight and lesson is, never quit giving it 110% till the finish line.
I don’t mind getting beaten by one place by Shannon, but would have preferred to have had the one place higher at the finish line. I ended up 7th. My highest place finish for the overall Ohio Valley Spring Series. I will take it.
CAT 3 is lurking…

Vandervorts Corner CAT 4 Road Race

Vandervorts Corner CAT 4 Road Race Sunday, April 19, 2009 What was projected by every weather professional on local TV and every inter-web weather site I know as being a full on race in the pouring rain – ending up not being the case. We missed it or it missed us, I didn’t really care if it rained or not. I had my days this year of riding in the rain and have hardened the &*^%$ up because of that riding in the rain. I was thinking it would separate the men from the boys and see who was willing to ride their bike fast in the crappy rain. I think if it had rained with the wind we had, it would have been only ugly race day on the bike. A decent turnout, I think about 25 pre-registered for the CAT 4 race, maybe over 80 racers for the day- I am guessing. Certainly not the numbers we had at the Deer Creek race the week prior.

Today was going to be my day, the day I change it up and do something different, something to change the results of my race, something to change my expectations and therefore get a top 5 finish.

How did that all workout you ask? Not bad, overall I suppose, in retrospect. Racing is racing. Just when you think you have done so much more training than someone else and you are more fit, faster, etc – you go out and race and get virtually checked up against the hockey glass so to speak. I burned many a match at this race, maybe 2 or 3 too many - chasing and chasing and chasing. I did chase and get into a break or two, that by the time I got there, I had nothing left to contribute for the group or other guy in hindsight. One of the strong guys from Cyclosport went up the road and him and I had a good gap at one point, we went up a riser, turned the corner, he looked back and just quit, so that was that. I am not sure some of those guys in the breaks, wanted me there...Cyclosport, Team Dayton and Team Abundance were represented by at least 6 guys each. It was pretty tough being one of the small teams today.
I ended up 10th, which is about 5 places further back than I wanted, but I came away from this race knowing I had some mettle. Knowing I made my presence and I think many of these guys will be keeping a small watch on my bike moving forward. Jen took great photos - Pic 1&2 are of the small hill which ended up being nothing, Pic3 is the sprint finish for the CAT4 >pimped again - :Rest of the Pics Here:

Deer Creek Road Race - Not Quite 3rd Place

Racing at the “Creek of the Deer” Ohio Valley Race #2 – Deer Creek State Park

Since our team/club was co-sponsor of this race we were requested to arrive earlier than most to assist and getting corners swept, setting up registration, signage, etc. Jen came with me and volunteered to work registration. Unfortunately, COBC did not need any assistance, at the registration area.
Jen and I went out to sweep a few corners before the finish, to contribute. The only thing I didn’t want to touch was the dead rabbit in the road. My broom was not worthy of dead animal, especially, since it would sit in the car while I was racing and bake in the sun and stink up the car – not good and ewwww.

This was my first road race or race for that matter, of 2009. It was the test of tests, to see how all the hours of sweat, hard work and hours of laboring on my skinny flat, pad-less saddle would play out.
Test indeed, the nerves and pre-race jitters returned. Looking around the parking area, lots and lots of new bikes, new wheels, carbon wheels, carbon bikes, a few SRM’s, a few of the new Quarq units and lots of the old standby Powertap units. The atmosphere seemed good, lax and 'friendly' compared to years past to me for some reason. The 30 minutes before we lined up seemed like the longest 30 minutes of my life and went by like the 30 minutes waiting in a doctors office lobby.
The Start - line-up started with the CAT 1-2, then the 3’s and then my group of good looking CAT 4’s, the CAT 5’s, then the Women and the Jr's. Each group had their own lead car, as usual, the USA Cycling Official instructed us not pass the car and stay right of the yellow line, except for the sprint from 1000 meters out.
BANG - We are off, guys in my group already play the Euro racing game and go off from the GO gun, and virtually chase the the CAT 4 car bumper. We all find out little home and settle-in to reel them back in. The first turn from our start is into the beginning of a head wind, but not the worst of the head winds for the day. Lots of guys in this section trying to get up front, make sure they are ready for any break that might happen. I think, "fine, let them sit up there". My game plan was to finish the race, play about in the group and see what kind of fitness I had for the sprint. This was one of the few races I have had a teammate to race with, Brian did quite a bit of work chasing some breaks down and doing his turn at the front of the group. I choose to not go up front and burn any matches, there were so many teams with more than 4 guys there, and enough people who wanted to do their turn up front, I wasn’t interested at all in sitting up there in the wind. Brian did way more work than I did to try to bridge gaps and keep the pace up front moving along.
In the sections with the worst headwind, we hit 8-12 mph and when the tailwind section came around on the backside of the lap, we were hitting 36-40 mph each lap. I think there was less than 40 or so that started the race, but when I went out towards the yellow line in the 2nd lap, to see who was left, I think there was about 25 or so remaining. So, in two laps the group had blown apart.
There were two small hills (rises) in the road on each lap, one on the backside of the course and one just after the base of the Deer Creek Dam. These little climbs, were interesting every lap for me, as I watched and studied those around me, their form, sitting or standing, what gear they were in and how much breathing was happening. Good stuff I thought. Many of the laps, I was in the back ¾ of the group, but would easily surge up through the group to the front 10, without much effort on my part. Even better. I rolled up next to team mate Brian and asked him how he was feeling lap 3 I think, he said not great. I guess that meant it was me for the sprint. We got the bell for the last lap, everyone got itchy (as ususal). There was the usual last lap initial adrenelene rush and then a severe slow down into the headwind. I think everyone was saving it for the tailwind and final sprint. We made the right turn, into the tailwind section and throttled the gas, everyone was working to dump everyone else. I stayed calm, got into the drops and found a wheel or two to draft. We make the sweeping left, which was a super nice banked turn, I go inside and carry all of my 30 + speed through the corner and find another wheel or two to get on, before we make our last right before the sprint. I don't see Brian ahead of me, yet, but as we make the turn I see not many guys in front of me, it appears I am where I need to be, I am sitting good in the middle of the right side of the road, I look over and see Brian's tail, flying by me on the left, just inside of the yellow, I think, "I guess this is us - we are hitting it now". I glance over to the right side of the road and notice the 1000 METER sign, after we had been going pretty hard for some time. Brian ramps us up to his limit and I get squeezed out by someone that saw the opportunity, I think to myself, "last time that will happen this season", Brian rolls off to the right as I stuggle to find a wheel to suck to stay out of the wind and I see a whoosh fly me right and left. Riders flying by and somone that was on our wheel the entire time Brian was working. The legs are struggling, I find energy to stand up and go again, to get into the top 10 I hope. Hindsight, I had more to give I know and will not let someone suck my wheel and beat me next time. Funny part is, the kid and I do mean kid sucking mine and Brian's wheel got 3rd place! He's 16 or 17 and certainly come a long way. His dad was a decent racer in his day. So, IF - Brian had waited a little longer to go for it - he and I would have been sitting pretty in the top 5 - I know it. In the Photo up left you can see the top of Brian and me just split off the three on the left. I was there, but will be there next time!@

A great video here from Dave Tinger of the Olympus Cycling Squad. My buddy Ben is in the car, doing those wheel changes. Go Ben! Nice Job Dave on the video.
Deer Creek Road Race VIDEO.