The 2011 race season is in the books. I am simultaneously a little bummed and very pleased with how it ended and simultaneously happy and very sad that it is over. I can very easily say this was the most fun I have had going through the season. Our now well established NEMBA Racing team makes race day much more enjoyable. It is funny now to think back to '06 when I decided to get back into racing, showing up week in and week out by myself, hardly knowing anyone finishing dead last in the SS class a good 30-45mins off the pack...such a sad story.
But now I know just about everyone who races a bike in New England and all that toil is finally starting to pay off.
I can't remember why I haven't done this race the past two years...maybe the usual proximity to the NH100? Last time I did it was '08. I remember that race fondly because it was a milestone in my racing career. I had come in third in the NECS the year prior due primarily to just showing up every race. I was knocking on third again but in order to keep my spot I had to beat someone I had never beaten before. Long story short, I was able to pull it off. That was the first time I started to think I actually had a shot at being as fast as the guys blowing me out by 30mins. Progress was being made, there was hope.
Fast forward 3 years and it is back to the TVR. I like this course, it is really hard and quite brutal to ride but it combines it all. You need legs, lungs, and spot on technical riding skills to do well. I had felt really good coming into this week and I was looking forward to just letting it hang out to see what I could do. I had almost even planned on not bringing tools/tube to save weight and go 'all in' from the start, luckily I changed my mind. The start was a little rushed but I think there were something like 10-11 SSers. I got a decent jump off the line and was sitting about 4th heading into the first section of the course.
I felt strong heading up the first few sections of climbing and heading into the first set of really technical sections I was hitting my lines and really liking my chances. Then as fate would have it I was railing a turn and there must have been a perfectly shaped sharp rock hidden by some leaves right in the trough I was using as a slightly banked turn. Usually I am soft enough on the bike to absorb shots like this one but because I was in the middle of a corner things were pretty locked out and there were a lot of forces in play. All those forces went straight from rock to rim and I knew immediately I was toast. I was able to ride it a bit longer but it started getting squirelly on me and I had to pull over just past a little rock wall. There were some other casualties in this area as well. I watched as all the SSer's and a line of Experts and then Sport riders ride by as I worked on changing my flat. Shaun came up about halfway through the fix after having some chain issues.
We had a chat about the state of the economy and then got back on the trail. Initially I was thinking the day had turned into 'just out for a ride' but eventually I started feeling a little 'randy' and decided I was going to stick to my original plan of hanging it out. I knew this course was gonna be hard for a lot of people to stick with for the full distance. It wears on you and if there is one strength I have compared to other riders it is the ability to take a beating. I was pretty sure if I stayed on the gas I would catch at least one of the guys who passed me so I set to it.
And its a good thing I can take a beating because I got one. It was fun though. One of those fun beatings. I was catching SSer's before long and that just made it more fun. I caught 2 during the end of the first lap and 2 more during the last lap. I spotted them almost 10mins and still almost finished where I had been when I flatted. Looking at results the two I caught on the last lap lapped through 5mins before I did. Bummed about the flat due to the 'what could have been' aspect but I couldn't be more pleased with how things went. Finished the race strong and the season strong.
Results: http://www.efta.com/PDF/results/2011/2011%20treasure%20valley%20results.pdf
Without that flat I think I would have been 4th by just a few minutes...but who knows.
Showing posts with label EFTA 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EFTA 2011. Show all posts
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Horror at Harding Hill EFTA NECS #7
The Tale of Two Gear Ratios.
In the words of that wicked old knight from Indiana Jones...I chose poorly. I was feeling strong after our big KT trip last weekend and confident about trying to run a bigger gear this year for this race. I ran the 32-19 last year and gambled on the 32-18 this time around.
The good news is I am strong enough to push that gear for a long time up some decent climbs in some oppressive heat. A few years ago I don't think I would be able to say that, so there's a win. The bad news is I can't push that gear very fast up some decent climbs in some oppressive heat. Couldn't get the leg speed up and was having a lot of issues generating momentum let alone keeping it. Course was a lot more chattery than I remember as well which also created some issues maintaining speed for me. Course and conditions were pretty identical to last year so I was able to pull some decent comparisons of my data from both races.
This year is on the left and last year is on the right. 1st lap times were somewhat comparable but things fall off pretty quickly after that. I'm bummed I made this goof because I feel much stronger than last year, if anything I think I should have (and would have) been 4 mins faster not 4 mins slower. Its surprising to me the difference one tooth on that cog can make. I spent some time looking back at results and comparing things and I'm beginning to think this course and me are not a good match. Each year it is typically a low spot for me as far as how I compare with my competitors. This year I was beat handily (15+min) by a rider who I have beaten several times this year. Oh well, it was a good training ride. Felt like 2hrs in the gym doing squats non stop.
Things got going with the mass start up a grassy hill...WEEEEEE! I was about mid pack sucking dust from the dry fireroads kicked up by le peloton. Just like the tour, nervous first lap jitters caused a pile up. Fairly hilarious...looked just like the tour too. From my point of view I just saw a bike shoot up in the air and then a bunch of dudes tip over. Everyone started screaming pile up! and trying to find weird routes around the carnage. Initially things felt good, gear was good on that first flatter high speed portion of the course. Then we hit that first doubletrack climb after a sharp right hander. And I immediately knew I was in trouble. I got up it just fine but my cadence was too slow and I knew I was in over my head and looking at a long day in the saddle.
Shaun caught me shortly after and we cruised together for about a lap and a half. There was still one other SSer off that back with us so I decided my new goal was to race that one guy and forget about everything else. He was good on the climbs but I could pass him in the small techy sections so I figured if I could keep him close enough I could pass him late in the last lap. Heading into the third lap I was getting a bottle when Shaun came through. I asked where Shaun thought he was, I was fairly certain he hadn't passed me but Shaun claimed he was about 30secs in front of him. That was all I had left keeping me going so I took off trying to find him.
Then about 10mins later the guy catches me from behind. Thanks Shaun! You'll get better with that whole who am I racing and where are they compared to me stuff next season maybe haha. I was able to hold him through two more climbs but the one that killed me every lap allowed him to get out of sight and I couldn't claw him back on that descent and that was it. Last lap was solo just out for a cruise, a really hot horrible cruise.
Came in just under 2hrs and snagged 10th for a few points. Yippee. Gonna change gears a bit and start training for the 100 for the next few weeks.
In the words of that wicked old knight from Indiana Jones...I chose poorly. I was feeling strong after our big KT trip last weekend and confident about trying to run a bigger gear this year for this race. I ran the 32-19 last year and gambled on the 32-18 this time around.
The good news is I am strong enough to push that gear for a long time up some decent climbs in some oppressive heat. A few years ago I don't think I would be able to say that, so there's a win. The bad news is I can't push that gear very fast up some decent climbs in some oppressive heat. Couldn't get the leg speed up and was having a lot of issues generating momentum let alone keeping it. Course was a lot more chattery than I remember as well which also created some issues maintaining speed for me. Course and conditions were pretty identical to last year so I was able to pull some decent comparisons of my data from both races.
This year is on the left and last year is on the right. 1st lap times were somewhat comparable but things fall off pretty quickly after that. I'm bummed I made this goof because I feel much stronger than last year, if anything I think I should have (and would have) been 4 mins faster not 4 mins slower. Its surprising to me the difference one tooth on that cog can make. I spent some time looking back at results and comparing things and I'm beginning to think this course and me are not a good match. Each year it is typically a low spot for me as far as how I compare with my competitors. This year I was beat handily (15+min) by a rider who I have beaten several times this year. Oh well, it was a good training ride. Felt like 2hrs in the gym doing squats non stop.
Things got going with the mass start up a grassy hill...WEEEEEE! I was about mid pack sucking dust from the dry fireroads kicked up by le peloton. Just like the tour, nervous first lap jitters caused a pile up. Fairly hilarious...looked just like the tour too. From my point of view I just saw a bike shoot up in the air and then a bunch of dudes tip over. Everyone started screaming pile up! and trying to find weird routes around the carnage. Initially things felt good, gear was good on that first flatter high speed portion of the course. Then we hit that first doubletrack climb after a sharp right hander. And I immediately knew I was in trouble. I got up it just fine but my cadence was too slow and I knew I was in over my head and looking at a long day in the saddle.
Shaun caught me shortly after and we cruised together for about a lap and a half. There was still one other SSer off that back with us so I decided my new goal was to race that one guy and forget about everything else. He was good on the climbs but I could pass him in the small techy sections so I figured if I could keep him close enough I could pass him late in the last lap. Heading into the third lap I was getting a bottle when Shaun came through. I asked where Shaun thought he was, I was fairly certain he hadn't passed me but Shaun claimed he was about 30secs in front of him. That was all I had left keeping me going so I took off trying to find him.
Then about 10mins later the guy catches me from behind. Thanks Shaun! You'll get better with that whole who am I racing and where are they compared to me stuff next season maybe haha. I was able to hold him through two more climbs but the one that killed me every lap allowed him to get out of sight and I couldn't claw him back on that descent and that was it. Last lap was solo just out for a cruise, a really hot horrible cruise.
Came in just under 2hrs and snagged 10th for a few points. Yippee. Gonna change gears a bit and start training for the 100 for the next few weeks.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
All out in Moody Park EFTA NECS #5
They haven't run this race since '08 when this happened. I really liked this course and I was bummed when it got destroyed in '08 due to a huge thunderstorm the day before and the trails not drying out in time before we turned them into so much mud soup.
Unfortunately in its first year back an almost identical scenario played out with a very wet week prior to race day and the trails not having time to drain. Aaaaaand then this happened.
It's hard to remember back to '08 but I think this year might have been worse. Temps warmed up a bit today just enough to dry some of the mud out and make it that lovely heavy peanut butter glue, with some really soupy spots here and there.
Smaller SS field today, only 6 of us got started after the Elites. Got off to a decent start, riding 3rd around the parade lap and into the woods. Held that position about halfway through the first lap and then got passed by Mark Tucker. Things were hashing out exactly how I had guessed based on the names I saw pre-registered. I was behind who I thought I would be behind and in front of who I thought I would be in front of. So I just got down to ticking things out. And by that I mean walking a good portion of the course, riding where I could. My brakes weren't really functioning all that well which made things pretty interesting. Rear brakes were 100% gone and front brakes could only stop me if I was going pretty slow. You could use the mud to slow yourself down a bit but that was unpredictable and didn't always work as expected. Surprisingly I didn't have one epic crash though. Kept things upright all day.
Got to ride off an on with the Ride Bully. He had some tire issues on lap one and then probably just gave up the ghost and was just going for a cruise otherwise I don't think I would have caught him on the last lap. We chatted a bit, mostly about how much fun we were having. Then a singlespeeder had to go and catch me while Shawn and I were enjoying a nice discussion. I've been beating this guy this year but not by all that much and I knew he would be back there lurking but I thought I had enough of a buffer to be able to just keep on trucking home without really needing to push too hard. Wrong. The three of us trudged through the mud through one of the walky sections. Little did he know (or probably care) I was secretly gauging his condition while we made small talk.
We were walking the same speed and when we got to a short rideable section I let him come through and I noticed his riding style was a bit "loose" and he almost crashed twice. That's what happens when you are pretty tired. Shortly after the rideable section I gave a short burst of running a try to see how quickly he would try and stay with me. He stayed on but he didn't rush to close the small gap I created. This made me think he wasn't quite game for a full on slug fest and if I actually gave it some gas on the uphill rideable section coming up I might get away. That was the plan and when we got out onto the first section of doubletrack I 'put the hammer down'. It wasn't quite as impressive as that terminology but it was effective. The gap opened up quickly and by the big switchback that allowed a peek back he was nowhere in sight. I was hoping the out of sight out of mind would kick in and he would give it up but I didn't want to risk it so I kept it on until the Gravity Cavity and then I just went into slowly but surely mode and tried to keep moving without cramping.
I probably put way too much thought into those tactics but thats what its all about at the amateur level. Taking little race scenarios and blowing them way out of proportion so as to increase you're own personal GNAR. Crossed the line with a hilarious time of about 2h41mins. Then I proceeded to just stand around not knowing what to do because I was covered in so much mud.
I held my position and came in for 4th of 6. Bike is fairly annihilated and I will probably have to strip it down and build it back up this week. Probably going to need new brake pads and some fresh applications of grease in the appropriate areas. Lots of teammates were taking pics on course, I'm hoping I'll be able to share some here once they make it online.
Shaun demanded data. Forgot to press the lap button coming through on lap 3 and scored myself a negative split from laps 1 to 2 but I think thats more due to inaccuracies in the track data and me hitting the lap button a tad earlier the second time through.
Unfortunately in its first year back an almost identical scenario played out with a very wet week prior to race day and the trails not having time to drain. Aaaaaand then this happened.
It's hard to remember back to '08 but I think this year might have been worse. Temps warmed up a bit today just enough to dry some of the mud out and make it that lovely heavy peanut butter glue, with some really soupy spots here and there.
Smaller SS field today, only 6 of us got started after the Elites. Got off to a decent start, riding 3rd around the parade lap and into the woods. Held that position about halfway through the first lap and then got passed by Mark Tucker. Things were hashing out exactly how I had guessed based on the names I saw pre-registered. I was behind who I thought I would be behind and in front of who I thought I would be in front of. So I just got down to ticking things out. And by that I mean walking a good portion of the course, riding where I could. My brakes weren't really functioning all that well which made things pretty interesting. Rear brakes were 100% gone and front brakes could only stop me if I was going pretty slow. You could use the mud to slow yourself down a bit but that was unpredictable and didn't always work as expected. Surprisingly I didn't have one epic crash though. Kept things upright all day.
Got to ride off an on with the Ride Bully. He had some tire issues on lap one and then probably just gave up the ghost and was just going for a cruise otherwise I don't think I would have caught him on the last lap. We chatted a bit, mostly about how much fun we were having. Then a singlespeeder had to go and catch me while Shawn and I were enjoying a nice discussion. I've been beating this guy this year but not by all that much and I knew he would be back there lurking but I thought I had enough of a buffer to be able to just keep on trucking home without really needing to push too hard. Wrong. The three of us trudged through the mud through one of the walky sections. Little did he know (or probably care) I was secretly gauging his condition while we made small talk.
We were walking the same speed and when we got to a short rideable section I let him come through and I noticed his riding style was a bit "loose" and he almost crashed twice. That's what happens when you are pretty tired. Shortly after the rideable section I gave a short burst of running a try to see how quickly he would try and stay with me. He stayed on but he didn't rush to close the small gap I created. This made me think he wasn't quite game for a full on slug fest and if I actually gave it some gas on the uphill rideable section coming up I might get away. That was the plan and when we got out onto the first section of doubletrack I 'put the hammer down'. It wasn't quite as impressive as that terminology but it was effective. The gap opened up quickly and by the big switchback that allowed a peek back he was nowhere in sight. I was hoping the out of sight out of mind would kick in and he would give it up but I didn't want to risk it so I kept it on until the Gravity Cavity and then I just went into slowly but surely mode and tried to keep moving without cramping.
I probably put way too much thought into those tactics but thats what its all about at the amateur level. Taking little race scenarios and blowing them way out of proportion so as to increase you're own personal GNAR. Crossed the line with a hilarious time of about 2h41mins. Then I proceeded to just stand around not knowing what to do because I was covered in so much mud.
I held my position and came in for 4th of 6. Bike is fairly annihilated and I will probably have to strip it down and build it back up this week. Probably going to need new brake pads and some fresh applications of grease in the appropriate areas. Lots of teammates were taking pics on course, I'm hoping I'll be able to share some here once they make it online.
Shaun demanded data. Forgot to press the lap button coming through on lap 3 and scored myself a negative split from laps 1 to 2 but I think thats more due to inaccuracies in the track data and me hitting the lap button a tad earlier the second time through.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Pinnacle XII EFTA NECS #4
HOLY CRAP THE BERMS! Team Pinnacle has been hard at work making this already awesome course and trail network even better. Seriously these things were like 5ft tall and you could get all kinds of horizontal. There were several people set up taking pics of racers can't wait until those start trickling out.
Ok had to get that out of the way now to the standard recap:
Singlespeeders got started after the Elites again this year. I used to hate this because you'd always have all the Experts breathing down your neck. But now that I'm a bit faster I like gauging how I'm doing by how long it takes certain people to catch me. I geared down to 32-20 for this race, I think I made the right choice. I was a bit worried I might get blown out the back during the 'parade lap' at the start but I was actually able to stay towards the front of the field.
A few of the usual suspects got off the front early never to be seen again but I was in the next group of about 4-5 riders. I was hoping I would feel better later into the race but like just about every year at the Pinnacle those climbs make you feel like crap immediately and then its just suffering for the rest of the day. But also like every other year those descents make it all worth it and even more so now with those berms!
Steve caught me just before we topped out on the first lap. He came by looking pretty haggard but also moving pretty fast. Those typically go hand in hand at the Pinnacle. I was able to hold his wheel for a bit finishing off the climb, because of this I started screaming at him that he was not going fast enough. He heard me and took off and won Expert Vet I. Glad I could help.
Heading into the 'pump track in the sky' Shawn caught me and we got to shredding pretty hard. We were caught in some Expert traffic a bit (yeah thats right EXPERT traffic, get out of the way EXPERTS team NEMBA coming through) but we finally got free'd up and started getting a little loose and taking some risks. Hard to not let it rip at dangerous speeds, just a bit too fun. Things were going great and I was happy to be getting whisked along this far up in the Expert field. Then unfortunately I got into auto pilot a bit. We were just about to the clearing before the plummet and I've done this race so many times that in my head I was remembering a mostly straight run into that area with no serious obstacles in the way.
I realized just a bit too late that I was screaming at probably 20+mph at a 90 degree hairpin turn with a large tree on the inside corner and two smaller trees on the downhill side. i.e. you had to get it just right no margin on this one. I locked em up and started tokyo drifting, I knew fairly early in my slide that this wasn't gonna work out so I started thinking optimum bail strategies. Looked like the only viable option was to try and rail the corner going way too fast and just see what happens. Went for it and I think I hit a rock or root just as I was pulling through the trees, if I had suspension I might have been ok but the shot I took was a bit too much. Couldn't keep my weight back and ended up over the bars and flying and I could tell my wheel took a beating as well. Lots of forces being applied in a short time.
Luckily, as some will attest that ride with me often, I have perfected the 'graceful step over'. This one was a bit more violent than graceful but I was able to avoid any damage to my person and kept on trucking. Unfortunately I lost my train and had to get to suffering by myself for a bit. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. Just trying to hold on and keep things upright. I had a pretty good wobble in my front wheel (which can hopefully be fixed) so I was trying to keep an eye on that as best I could.
I was starting to fade quite a bit heading into the last lap. I'm usually good with one bottle but it was pretty hot today and I was really craving some straight hydro as opposed to Cytomax. Coming through the lap point heading into lap three I see Carl standing there with a bottle yelling at me if I need water. I think I yelled something like Hell Yeah! or maybe I didn't and he just looked at me and it was obvious. Either way I wanted to make certain I got that bottle so I proceeded to ride directly into him. PRO BOTTLE PASS ACHIEVED.
That really hit the spot, thanks again Carl. MEGA. Mentally I felt like I was right back in it. I saw a SS just up the trail who was loosing me on the climbs and I was catching him after the descents. He started walking up the climb to the fireroad and I figured this was my best shot to try and get past him and out of sight. So I burned the few matches I had left to at least put on a show of strength. I was hoping he was fading as well and if I blew by with authority he might give up the chase and let me go. Unfortunately I think he might have been a bit more seasoned of a racer to fall for my shenanigans. He prob just set to reeling me in slowly and I was fading fast on the rest of the climb after my fake out effort to get away. He caught me at the top of the fireroad climb just after the water tower and started putting little incremental gains into me in the following switchback climbs. I could see him for awhile but he kept gaining and I had nothing more to put down.
I think he had some left in the tank because he ended up putting a few minutes into me by the finish and I was descending better than him. Final descent was just trying not to kill myself or loose any places. I noticed on my Garmin that making the 2hr mark was gonna be close so I got after it a bit trying to come in under. I was successful and stopped the clock in 1h:58m flat. I didn't get a chance to really peruse results to see how that time compares but it was good for 6th in a field of about 15ish? I beat some names I wasn't sure I was going to beat. Mentally I'm starting to get to the point where I will be expecting to beat half the people on the line and If I'm towards the front of the field early its not a fluke. It's a good feeling. This season is probably the first with consistent results that are confirming the years of flogging I put myself through. I'm glad I made that seemingly weird decision to ditch derailleurs and start racing again 6 years ago.
I mean seriously.
Ok had to get that out of the way now to the standard recap:
Singlespeeders got started after the Elites again this year. I used to hate this because you'd always have all the Experts breathing down your neck. But now that I'm a bit faster I like gauging how I'm doing by how long it takes certain people to catch me. I geared down to 32-20 for this race, I think I made the right choice. I was a bit worried I might get blown out the back during the 'parade lap' at the start but I was actually able to stay towards the front of the field.
A few of the usual suspects got off the front early never to be seen again but I was in the next group of about 4-5 riders. I was hoping I would feel better later into the race but like just about every year at the Pinnacle those climbs make you feel like crap immediately and then its just suffering for the rest of the day. But also like every other year those descents make it all worth it and even more so now with those berms!
Steve caught me just before we topped out on the first lap. He came by looking pretty haggard but also moving pretty fast. Those typically go hand in hand at the Pinnacle. I was able to hold his wheel for a bit finishing off the climb, because of this I started screaming at him that he was not going fast enough. He heard me and took off and won Expert Vet I. Glad I could help.
Heading into the 'pump track in the sky' Shawn caught me and we got to shredding pretty hard. We were caught in some Expert traffic a bit (yeah thats right EXPERT traffic, get out of the way EXPERTS team NEMBA coming through) but we finally got free'd up and started getting a little loose and taking some risks. Hard to not let it rip at dangerous speeds, just a bit too fun. Things were going great and I was happy to be getting whisked along this far up in the Expert field. Then unfortunately I got into auto pilot a bit. We were just about to the clearing before the plummet and I've done this race so many times that in my head I was remembering a mostly straight run into that area with no serious obstacles in the way.
I realized just a bit too late that I was screaming at probably 20+mph at a 90 degree hairpin turn with a large tree on the inside corner and two smaller trees on the downhill side. i.e. you had to get it just right no margin on this one. I locked em up and started tokyo drifting, I knew fairly early in my slide that this wasn't gonna work out so I started thinking optimum bail strategies. Looked like the only viable option was to try and rail the corner going way too fast and just see what happens. Went for it and I think I hit a rock or root just as I was pulling through the trees, if I had suspension I might have been ok but the shot I took was a bit too much. Couldn't keep my weight back and ended up over the bars and flying and I could tell my wheel took a beating as well. Lots of forces being applied in a short time.
Luckily, as some will attest that ride with me often, I have perfected the 'graceful step over'. This one was a bit more violent than graceful but I was able to avoid any damage to my person and kept on trucking. Unfortunately I lost my train and had to get to suffering by myself for a bit. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. Just trying to hold on and keep things upright. I had a pretty good wobble in my front wheel (which can hopefully be fixed) so I was trying to keep an eye on that as best I could.
I was starting to fade quite a bit heading into the last lap. I'm usually good with one bottle but it was pretty hot today and I was really craving some straight hydro as opposed to Cytomax. Coming through the lap point heading into lap three I see Carl standing there with a bottle yelling at me if I need water. I think I yelled something like Hell Yeah! or maybe I didn't and he just looked at me and it was obvious. Either way I wanted to make certain I got that bottle so I proceeded to ride directly into him. PRO BOTTLE PASS ACHIEVED.
That really hit the spot, thanks again Carl. MEGA. Mentally I felt like I was right back in it. I saw a SS just up the trail who was loosing me on the climbs and I was catching him after the descents. He started walking up the climb to the fireroad and I figured this was my best shot to try and get past him and out of sight. So I burned the few matches I had left to at least put on a show of strength. I was hoping he was fading as well and if I blew by with authority he might give up the chase and let me go. Unfortunately I think he might have been a bit more seasoned of a racer to fall for my shenanigans. He prob just set to reeling me in slowly and I was fading fast on the rest of the climb after my fake out effort to get away. He caught me at the top of the fireroad climb just after the water tower and started putting little incremental gains into me in the following switchback climbs. I could see him for awhile but he kept gaining and I had nothing more to put down.
I think he had some left in the tank because he ended up putting a few minutes into me by the finish and I was descending better than him. Final descent was just trying not to kill myself or loose any places. I noticed on my Garmin that making the 2hr mark was gonna be close so I got after it a bit trying to come in under. I was successful and stopped the clock in 1h:58m flat. I didn't get a chance to really peruse results to see how that time compares but it was good for 6th in a field of about 15ish? I beat some names I wasn't sure I was going to beat. Mentally I'm starting to get to the point where I will be expecting to beat half the people on the line and If I'm towards the front of the field early its not a fluke. It's a good feeling. This season is probably the first with consistent results that are confirming the years of flogging I put myself through. I'm glad I made that seemingly weird decision to ditch derailleurs and start racing again 6 years ago.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Weeping Willow EFTA NECS #2
I kept both my pedals on for the entirety of the race this year! Unfortunately my gastrointestinal system imploded shortly after the race and I spent the rest of the day battling stomach cramps incapacitated on the couch. Good times. Took a recovery day from work today to try and get my bearings. Still not 100% right but getting there.
Too bad the day had to end that way because the race went quite well. This is a pretty good course for me and SS in general and I wanted to put in a pretty big effort to see how I could do within such a large field. Wouldn't surprise me if they hit their 400 rider cap, most categories had 20+ racers with 30 in SS.
Things got started on a short stretch of doubletrack and it was full bore wire to wire. A group of about 5-10 got off the front pretty early made up of the names/faces I see at the start and resign myself to never seeing again until the finish. In my head and on paper I thought I should be towards the front of the next group if I could put everything together. I was there or there abouts towards the end of the initial section of doubletrack. I was red lining pretty well at that point and was hoping for a chance at recovery. That was hard to come by on this course however. Just before diving into the singletrack I was passed by a rider that was a bit stronger on doubletrack than fast twisty singletrack. I got a bit of recovery holding his wheel and he probably got sick of hearing me lurking on his wheel and let me by, which was nice because I probably would have had to try a really sketchy pass if he hadn't.
Shortly after I caught another rider who I have traded wins/losses with over the years. Got past him and got to enjoying myself. Such a fun course. High speeds, corners you can really lay into and just enough technical features to keep you on your toes. I could have done without the sections of doubletrack mid lap and the water crossings that cooled me right off and made my shoes feel like they weighed 10lbs each but it did help keep the traffic on the singletrack down I think. Unfortunately putting out power on doubletrack is not my forte. My friend who I trade places with caught me shortly after the doubletrack sections. Luckily I was able to get away again in the singletrack and stay away.
I had no idea where I was in the grand scheme of things but I was feeling decent and no SSers had passed me yet. Those laps felt much longer than 8-9mi and it was hard to find places to eat. I tried to keep the pressure on during the second lap but things were starting to get a bit loose. Reaction time and control was getting sloppy but luckily I never laid it down. Came close several times though. I spent most of the second lap by myself periodically getting caught by experts coming through. I held wheels as long as I could. Legs still felt ok well into the second lap. Cramps were on the horizon but as long as I didn't push things too far in the wrong spot I was able to hold them off.
Finished in a little over 1h45m for 13th of 30. Thought it was 12th but must have read the results wrong. I'm still really pleased with the result. The names in front of me are all very fast individuals. No points but further indication that I'm getting faster. Now for a bit of time off racing to get my gut and hopefully wrists recovered.
Too bad the day had to end that way because the race went quite well. This is a pretty good course for me and SS in general and I wanted to put in a pretty big effort to see how I could do within such a large field. Wouldn't surprise me if they hit their 400 rider cap, most categories had 20+ racers with 30 in SS.
Team Green sticks together
Things got started on a short stretch of doubletrack and it was full bore wire to wire. A group of about 5-10 got off the front pretty early made up of the names/faces I see at the start and resign myself to never seeing again until the finish. In my head and on paper I thought I should be towards the front of the next group if I could put everything together. I was there or there abouts towards the end of the initial section of doubletrack. I was red lining pretty well at that point and was hoping for a chance at recovery. That was hard to come by on this course however. Just before diving into the singletrack I was passed by a rider that was a bit stronger on doubletrack than fast twisty singletrack. I got a bit of recovery holding his wheel and he probably got sick of hearing me lurking on his wheel and let me by, which was nice because I probably would have had to try a really sketchy pass if he hadn't.
eye of le'tigre
(all photos courtesy of @ToroLocoCycling)
Shortly after I caught another rider who I have traded wins/losses with over the years. Got past him and got to enjoying myself. Such a fun course. High speeds, corners you can really lay into and just enough technical features to keep you on your toes. I could have done without the sections of doubletrack mid lap and the water crossings that cooled me right off and made my shoes feel like they weighed 10lbs each but it did help keep the traffic on the singletrack down I think. Unfortunately putting out power on doubletrack is not my forte. My friend who I trade places with caught me shortly after the doubletrack sections. Luckily I was able to get away again in the singletrack and stay away.
Not sure how I'm so spotless in this pic, this bridge was basically at the end of the lap
I had no idea where I was in the grand scheme of things but I was feeling decent and no SSers had passed me yet. Those laps felt much longer than 8-9mi and it was hard to find places to eat. I tried to keep the pressure on during the second lap but things were starting to get a bit loose. Reaction time and control was getting sloppy but luckily I never laid it down. Came close several times though. I spent most of the second lap by myself periodically getting caught by experts coming through. I held wheels as long as I could. Legs still felt ok well into the second lap. Cramps were on the horizon but as long as I didn't push things too far in the wrong spot I was able to hold them off.
Finished in a little over 1h45m for 13th of 30. Thought it was 12th but must have read the results wrong. I'm still really pleased with the result. The names in front of me are all very fast individuals. No points but further indication that I'm getting faster. Now for a bit of time off racing to get my gut and hopefully wrists recovered.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Glocester Grind EFTA NECS #1
UPDATE: Results Ended up 5th of 11 SS starters (9 finishers)
Aaaand we're off!
Got the 2011 race season kicked off yesterday and good god was it sloppy. Things appeared to be shaping up nicely in the morning. Rain was holding off, temps were nice for riding, a short half lap preride of the course with the team showed there were a few really boggy spots but the rest of the course was in pretty decent shape considering the previous nights rain. I would have described most of the course as tacky, not really muddy.
Things were looking up, spirits were high, turnout was good. Everyone was ready to race and excited for the season. The team was looking real sharp and definitely standing out. We had a lot of people coming by the tent and chatting. Speaking of that tent, it is BAD ASS.
Aaaand we're off!
Got the 2011 race season kicked off yesterday and good god was it sloppy. Things appeared to be shaping up nicely in the morning. Rain was holding off, temps were nice for riding, a short half lap preride of the course with the team showed there were a few really boggy spots but the rest of the course was in pretty decent shape considering the previous nights rain. I would have described most of the course as tacky, not really muddy.
God bless grassroots racing
Things were looking up, spirits were high, turnout was good. Everyone was ready to race and excited for the season. The team was looking real sharp and definitely standing out. We had a lot of people coming by the tent and chatting. Speaking of that tent, it is BAD ASS.
There was a lot of tent envy going on
SSers got started after the elites. Can't really remember how many of us there were. 8 were pre-reg'd and there were 8 finishers when I left but I also saw riders I know who didn't pre-reg so there must have been more unless a bunch of riders didn't show due to weather. I almost got the reverse hole shot but I managed to stay in front of one guy heading through the little grass roped off area before heading into the first huge mud bog techy area. Guy in front of me got hung up on literally the first root on the course and tipped into me and I got passed by the one guy behind me. Perfect, DFL...home sweet home. I thought I might be in for a long day off the back riding lone wolf.
Most of the guys I had spotted at the start were fast and I knew at least a handful of them would be gone never to be seen again. There were only a few I thought I might have a chance of racing but I was worried because I remembered two of them from the Big Ring Rumpus last year where they blew me out by probably 20+ mins. Turns out those guys can go real fast on dirt roads, but not so much on wet roots and rocks. I caught them shortly after my bobble and quickly realized I needed to get by them fast. Coming into a turn way too hot and taking a slightly sketchy inside line around a corner took care of both of them.
Caught another rider shortly after also having issues with the terrain. He had some trouble with a techy turn followed by a short, shallow uphill. He lost all his momentum and I did not and gassed right by him on the up, must have been demoralizing enough because he didn't put up a chase and I was out of sight fairly quickly. By this point I was feeling pretty good on the day. I had made some passes early (very rare for me to date) and was riding pretty cleanly.
look how happy I am!
I caught another SSer towards the end of lap 1. I could tell he was strong but he was walking everything even remotely techy. The back half of the course was a bit more wide open and I was yo-yo'ing behind him a bit. Catching on at the rock gardens and falling off a bit on the more open stretches. I decided to just save my energy a bit and keep him in sight and wait for the tech on the beginning of lap 2 to try and get by and gap him. Strategy worked like a charm, we traded spots a bit through the really boggy stuff early and then at my trusty techy turn with the slight uphill after I used the same line to better use my momentum to punch it up the hill. Got a quick gap and kept the pressure on through the next mile or so of techy stuff. I got out of sight and was really getting pumped on my ride. Then the skies opened up.
Tacky conditions went straight to hell. Slop everywhere...brakes? forget 'em. Had to stash the glasses in order to see. Lines needed to get straighter and I dialed things back a bit through rock gardens to avoid a bad crash. I was still keeping things together though, barely. Towards the end of lap 2 a pace line of geared guys caught me while I was slogging up one of the slight uphills on the back half of the course. At the rear of that line was the last SSer I had passed. He must have put in a pretty big effort and taken some risks to get into that line to get back to me. The line wasn't moving fast enough to drop me though and I latched on and decided to just do what I did before. Keep him in sight and wait for the now hilariously techy stuff on the front half of the last lap.
Plan worked again. He just didn't quite have the confidence/hail mary recovery abilities to go the same speed as me through the tougher stuff. I kept the pressure on through the front half of the last lap and really dug deep on the back half to make sure he couldn't catch back on. Luckily a geared Expert caught me on the back half of the last lap and I latched on with him for that little extra bit of motivation to keep the pressure up. We came to the finish shoot together I was on his wheel through the last two turns in the grassy area and then for the first time ever I got to do a sprint to the line. He underestimated my extreme power output and I nipped him at the line. Unfortunately he started at least 1-2 minutes behind me so he still beat me.
Garmin gave me a time of 1h:51m which I think is probably fairly accurate although I am starting to question this things accuracy. Organizers claimed laps were 5 and change my data says 4 and change. I'm kinda surprised how much my lap times slowed but I guess conditions probably factored into that quite a bit. On the results sheet I was in 5th of 8 but now that I think about it I passed 4 people so there must have been at least 9 starters.
I'm really pleased with this outing, I actually felt like I was racing for the entirety of the race. I have been putting in a lot of time trying to get myself into the mix in the SS class and this was a pretty good sign my work is paying off.
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