I am still alive - Riding, Training, Windham World Cup-650b and Watching the Tour

I live on.
I need to get back to blogging about bike stuff.

I've been racing here and there, training as I can, and heading to Tour of the Valley Stage Race with TeamSixOneFour next weekend.

Things with Team614 are amazing, exciting and really great this year. We've added quite a few new members and things have just clicked this year. Lots of growth, lots of great people, more ladies, and some super exciting things in the works for us for cyclocross season. Kristian and Katherine are now State Road Champions, Doug just outside the podium. Allison, showed up at our practice crits two Tuesday's in a row, then races at the Tour D' Grandview and wins her first ever Crit. Props to the team.

I traveled to the Windham World Cup UCI event last weekend, which was awesome, I've got quite a few photos from that....

I rode the course a few times and enjoyed the technical aspects of it - the climbing was brutal from a racing perspective, compared to what I'm used to riding and racing.

I spent last Saturday evening eating dinner/drinks with, Stan' of No Tubes Wife/owner, Team Kenda/Seven (Mary McConneloug and Michael Broderick) and the Stans No Tubes Women's team. Some of the nicest people I ever encountered. Mary and Mike are sponsored by Kenda and even brought us some yummy cold tea, rice crackers and dip early in our week....pro's just real pro's and down to earth people. An experience I won't ever forget.

Mike even got on my mountain bike for a quick bit on Sunday and had some setup suggestions for me - which I will implement shortly when I have some time. Mike is a detail guy and has an amazing understanding of bikes, and related technology. Mary is an amazing woman, person, bike racer and inspiration. They both, are great listeners, humble people and are just so fit, and awe inspiring to view as athletes and human beings.

I've acquired some prototype Kenda 650b tires, now installed, on my Stans NoTubes 650b crest wheels on my 26" mountain bike that created quite a buzz out in front of the Kenda Tent in the Expo area. The Argentinians, Mexico team, Dominican team, South American teams and a few others all were interested and currently racing this wheel size.

"Rumor" has it, several of the Pro XC racers will be on newly designed 650b bikes for 2013. I saw quite a few of the Euro pros - men and women - all racing various 26" bikes and new prototype 650b bikes, with 650b/27.5 wheels.

On our way out of the hotel in Big Flats, NY, Stan's wife, rolled up next to the van in her car at DunkinDognuts (who doesn't love a good doughnut). She invited us back to tour the No Tubes facility and meet Stan himself, his wife and family and other amazing nice people that work at the facility. It was impressive to say the least. Stan is a obviously a technically minded guy and continues to innovate and develop new technologies. Inside and outside of the office, he likes to perfect his bow/arrow skills. No photos were permitted inside, because of all the new and current super secret things in progress.

I acquired a new 70's Schwinn 5-speed Bike project that is coming along quite nicely. It will make a nice bike to ride around town. After taking it apart, it appears, it had never been maintained, since there was not a drop of grease in the crank, headset, or either wheel. However, whomever originally owned the bike, kept it out of the rain, all the rust was just surface and cleaned up quite nicely. Funny part is I think it might weigh 40lbs.


Looking forward to cross season for sure....assembling a few things and planning to get on the CX bike in August.

Last few stages of the Tour very, exciting. I haven't dug around for any new 2012 Tour Tech stuff....will get to it.

Cap City Cross - Big Run Park - October 16, 2011

The one thing each week about cross racing, is you just never know when someone is going to have a better day than you are having. Some days, you get served...

Cyclocross Race #5 for the year

This day, I was not having an amazing day on the bike. I knew I would suffer, but suffering and having the engine are two separate things. I put in a fairly tough week of training in the days-week preceding. I knew my legs wouldn't respond with everything I needed, but I didn't know just how.

I got a good pre-ride in, but was arrived at the race way early and I think spent too much time riding around and not enough eating. No matter, the Senior Citizens club of Masters line up at the bottom of the hill, along side CAT 1 road racer, Jim B. It is an open masters race right, yea it is. Whistle. We are off, as I smartly settle in behind the leaders pulling my fat ass up that soap box hill. Over the top we go, my team mate Glen and I battle for position in the first few turns, I take a different line down into the ditch than most everyone else, it provided a smoother straight line into the next hard right turn. We head into the hillside and the barrier at the bottom of the hill, then back down towards the bottom of the Box derby hill, but over a giant dirt climb.

It was rough on the other side, and required quite a bit of focus and attention to avoid the ditch and raised sections of hard dirt and rocks. Scott Young was having a good day, and was not going ot be reeled in, however, Glen and Blair and I were riding around like we were chained together. I had a few moments where I was suffering and Glen, slowed up the pace, there wasn't anyone gaining on us, so it was going to come down to the last few turns and the run up the hill, or the grass section at the bottom....

We all stuck to each other like a kids magnetic toy train, until we rolled off the grass and onto the pavement at the bottom of the Soap Box Hill, near where we started the race (see start pic above for perspective on the sprint distance) Blair put in a dig, Glen countered, I sat on, waiting for the moment. Blair was up front, I was on Blair's wheel, I knew I couldn't out sprint Blair or let him get the jump, I had to go, I think my shift click was a trigger for him, however, I jumped flew hard left and gave it full-throttle. Blair had his gas wide open, so I swung back to his wheel and tried to suck any wind I could, I pushed and pushed, but still missed beating Blair by about a bike length.

That is the first time he's beat me this year. Glen rolled in right behind me...he didn't even bother getting up to sprint.

The BWE (wife Jen) always takes amazing photos....

I pulled a decent 6th place in, just missing 5th.


that was one long uphill sprint. I hit a high Heart Rate number for the year. Ouch.
Lots of coughing after this race.

oh, Masters CAT 1 road racer guy, finished over 2 minutes ahead of us...he was rollin.

Lake Hope Mountain Bike Racing - Left My Jelly & Bread At Home

Right after my finish

This looks bad right?

Real quick from my phone, Yesterdays mountain bike race at Lake Hope. Rain, rain and more rain turned the trail into a sloppy peanut butter mess. Odd thing, the trail was faster and easier to race while it was raining. Once it stopped or slowed, the trail got tacky, sloppy, slippery, and turned into a wild stallion ride around every corner and down every hill. Of course, I still wanted to, a) live to ride another day b) make it to work today and c) have energy to finish.

looks like doody on my saddle?

Mud and more so the peanut butter mud will suck the life out of your legs and back in a 30 mile race. I let the air out of my back tire twice. No luck gaining any traction. I ended up walking a few sections where I just couldn't even find traction to walk, let alone pedal.
I spent some time singing Peanut Butter Jelly time to myself and wondering why I keep putting myself through the pain of these expert races. The mental battle raged on the latter half as my avg speed was reduced and my legs shouted out explatives at me.
I know I wasn't in the top five of my group about 12-15 of Vet Expert starters, I was however one of the top 5 into the woods after the start and the climb up the gravel road and on the rollers before the trail entrance.

Dried - at Home

I had no shifting issues, contrary to the 5.5 lbs of mud on my bike at the end of the race. I weighed it when I got home, then spent two hours cleaning my bike, bike clothes, shoes, camelbak and helmet.
However, my back is killing me today.
I felt pretty amazing for about 85% of the 30 miles which is a great sign. I also think about comparing riding 30 miles at Mohican and how long that would take....so that brings perspective to my finish time and effort on the day, considering the peanut butter time.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8


And Just in case you need a moment:

2011 Ohio State Masters Road Racing Championships - Podium

Unhappy Master racers - not excited to race in the rain for 2 hrs.

and we're off, fighting tractors and traffic

gotta love wheel spray in your face for 2hrs.

  Well, I interrupt this regularly scheduled blog and my inability to finish my write up about Mohican 100k --->>> to post up a photo of me on a Podium (see below).



I really liked showing up to this race with no serious expectation other than to stay up right and finish in the front part of my group. Although I did feel I had some fitness to put power down after my efforts at the Mohican 100k. The legs responded well to these high speed efforts. Our average speed was about 24mph. I had a max of 40mph and much time spent at 28-30 mph. It's always amazing to me, during these road races to look down and see a low HR and speeds in the 28-30 range. Ahhh summer fitness.

This was the first time I have ever stood on a podium for a road race or cyclocross race or for that matter any skinny tire race. I have had a few good placings over the years at mountain bike races, but never on the road. So, I was pretty happy to see my name in the top three of the results posted on the side of BigDave's trailer after our race was completed.


My team mates Teresa, Doug and Kelley all had good results as well, but I was the lone wolf from our team with podium. Doug was 4th and Teresa 4th, they both just missed being third by half a wheel. Teresa got to race early and stay dry.

200 Meters - go time

Our race however, actually from the time I went out to warm up, about half way around the 14 mile course loop I got soaked. Shoes, socks, just soaked.
I returned to the start area with about 45
 min before my start time. We sat under a picnic area all staring at each other, checking phones and radar. It was going to rain, but most of the hard stuff was gone. Suck water off of wheel fest.

Ohio can be stunning in it's own way.

I try to look like a road racer

I felt really great the first lap, chased down a few attempts at breaks, sat up in the front 10 fairly easily. The second lap got ugly, and for some reason I kept waiting for the moment where 4-6 guys would get going and get off the front, everytime, I was right there, in that group, thinking we were putting in a gap, we weren't. Then about 3/4 a way around our 2nd lap of 3, I got in a rotating paceline with about 8 guys, just throttling it up front at about 30 mph. I thought, for sure, ok this is it, we are going to have a big friggin gap and I'll get a podium for sure. Nope, I look back after a few miles and the entire group is still there. I was gassed, thankfully the rest of the group was too and we all sat up, grabbed some fuel and pedaled through the finish/start for our last lap.

Me and Kelley after a nice 1000 Meter sprint

A few more attempts and one almost successful, by one guy, in the middle of some real confusion by a race ref on a motorcycle and our lead car, while we over took the Masters group of YOUNGER racers in front of us. Yes, we were crushing it. The group was yelling at the lead car driver to reel back the guy off the front, since he left us during all the overtaking confusion. He was pissed. The last lap was fairly un-exciting, by the time we rolled through East Liberty, the group had realized nothing was going to stick and it was going to come down to the last turn and the 1000 meters to the finish from the turn. I thought I would make it up front to be top 5 into the last turn, but I wasn't and ended up about 12th or 8th maybe. Not the best place to be, but I managed to hold my sprint out of the saddle for almost the entire length, sitting down right before the line. Placement into that last turn is key.
 All in all a good solid group of steady racers. I was impressed with the professionalism of everyone and the communication going on since we all had to go back to work on Monday.

I was happy the BWE was there supporting me and there to see me stand on a podium. She also took some amazing photos.

My sprint finish

The Result of my sprint finish. 3rd Place and a medal.

Plus my team mates Kelley and Doug hung out to support me.

Hats off to coach - I got to see him stand on the 30+ Masters Podium in first place as well. Hand claps, cow bells all around.

So, I am ranked - nationally. Now back to mountain biking.

First Race of 2011 - Lynchburg, Ohio Road Race - May 1, 2011

la la la la

Lynchburg, Ohio - Road Race
Yesterday my team mates and I, Doug, Teresa, Kristian, Brian and I all went out to battle the wind and damp country roads in Lynchburg, Ohio, just south of Wilmington Ohio.

Doug on the front

It was a good day, the rain held off, the wind was windy (but somewhat manageable) and there was about 200 racers total registered on the day I heard. Props to Big Dave Sports on building this series and putting together quality races.

Teresa

Z-Courza - There was very little elevation change each lap, which was fine with me for my first race. We had a long roll-out from the registration area until we were on course.  I hadn't done this race for a few years and it was familiar territory after we passed the finish line area. Each lap consisted of long false-flat section into the finish line and into a massive headwind, a right turn into another flat with a massive side wind onto the non-drive side of the bikes. Everyone was singled up, in the gutter and gravel on the right side of the road. We then turned right again into an awesome tailwind, where speeds reached around 30 mph for quite some time into a downhill sweeping left. Passed the dead cat each lap, then a hard right turn onto a concrete bridge up the short hill into a series of really fun rollers, up and down. One more right turn into a longish 5% grade hill, then the last right into the long 1500/2000 meters to the finish line.
    Doug, Kristian and I held off and chased down a few little breaks. I kept an eye on Doug since he is signed up for the entire series and I wanted to try to help him out as much as possible and try to help Kristian get to the front of the field before the sprint finish.

Brian

 

      The group of about 35 CAT 4's kept things groupo compacto for most of the first three laps, until one of the big teams (UDF) sent one guy up the road and left us all standing while he TT'd to the finish line in the last two laps. In the middle of some confusion in an attempted break, another guy shot off the front and no one reacted. UDF and Cyclesport had huge numbers and were very aggressive at the front of our CAT 4 field. There were other small 2 and 3 member teams, doing their fare share of the work.

     Doug had his best finish of the season with a 8th Place, Kristian got 21st (maybe his best finish?). Teresa pulled out another 2nd place and Brian toughed out a finish in the CAT 5's. I battled for elbow space and some wobbly bike handlers to sprint for 12th.
There was only one moment with three laps to go where I was cross-eyed and thought I was going to pass-out. My heart-rate was through the roof, I unzipped a bit, tried to calm down, relax and cool-off. Thankfully the headwind section was close and I knew there was an opportunity to get some drink and recover.

Doug, Me, Kristian sprint for it

     It was great from my perspective to see our newly designed Team SixOneFour kits out racing. Tim, James and I worked really hard getting them done. James deserves most of the credit.
Heck I was happy to be out there, racing, seeing some old friends, enjoying dry time on the bike, having fun and giving it the berries with a group that all appeared half my age.