Category: W1/2/3
Field Size: 17
Length: 69 miles
Place: DNF (flat)
The course was a really strange shape, consisting of a 24 mile loop that included two turnarounds. We started at the same place that the TT started, and the first five miles were the same, but then we turned right at a T intersection and went into a loop where we had the whole road (since the yellow line was almost nonexistent - I think I saw a glimpse of yellow paint once) and the road quality varied from somewhat rough to very rough. Obstacles included at least three cattle grates, one of which was preceded by 10 meters of gravel and followed by a lovely dirty puddle to make it a triple annoyance. The loop came back to the same T intersection (rejoining the road a couple hundred meters before it) and went straight across the top of the T for a long out-and-back section that included the feed zone, which was across from the finish line coming back. The road quality improved for this section, but was still not great. The turnaround was extremely narrow, being just the width of the road, which consisted of two narrow lanes. Riders had to slow down and practically wait in line to get around it, which was terrible because then the first people around would take off like mad while the rest of the pack was still making its way around. Then it was back past the finish line to the T again, where we turned right and head back towards where we'd started. There was the other turnaround, which was also quite narrow. Since there were six fields out on the course at a time, everyone had to slow down and stay in lane for the turns at the T, since there could be another pack coming through from another direction.
The race started out at a leisurely pace for the first couple of miles, since no one was really warmed up because our race started about 20 minutes late. The pace picked up soon enough and we really got moving, especially since people started attacking. I'm not sure when the attack went, but one of the ladies on the Third Pillar team (there were two there) went off the front by herself. She actually got pretty far away, and she was out there for a very long time, probably around 15 miles or more, though I wasn't really paying attention to time or mileage. At the second turnaround on the first lap, I was stuck in the back and had to chase down the pack for about a minute to catch back on - there were at least five of us straggling behind trying to catch back on, and I think at about three people did get dropped then. At times I felt like I was hanging onto the pack for dear life in order to not get dropped, but thinking back I think I had a lot more in me than I thought at the time. I think I was a bit intimidated by the pace and the caliber of ladies in the race. Everything was going fine for me, despite being last in the small pack pretty much the whole time, until I hit an unexpected pothole. It was around mile 41 or so, on the way back towards the T before the finish line. I was in the back of the pack, and pretty much just following the wheel in front of me, since I couldn't always see the road ahead. It was a solitary pothole in an otherwise fine section of road, and I think it snuck up on everyone, since the person in front of me barely swerved in time to miss it. I was less fortunate and hit it straight on. I was fine and still riding, and the rider in front of me apologized for letting me hit it like that, but a few seconds later I realized that I had a rear flat - the impact of the pothole gave me a nasty pinch flat. At that point, I wrongly assumed that I was out of the race and should just give up, since I hadn't had any wheels to put in the follow car. Unfortunately, it turns out that I'm actually an idiot and I should have flagged him down anyway, since apparently he had spare wheels anyway (it was supposed to be wheels in wheels out, but I guess he just happened to have spares). Anyway, he didn't see that I had a flat and I didn't flag him down, so I was stuck. I rode the flat tire to the finish line/feed zone where someone was nice enough to give me a tube and a pump so that I could ride back to the parking lot. I'm still kicking myself for not checking, since even though a flat would have caused a big delay, there's still a small chance that I would have been able to catch the pack again and at least hold on to my second place in the GC. I heard afterwords that when the rider in 3rd in the GC realized that I wasn't with the pack anymore that she upped the pace to make sure I wouldn't get back on, though no one knew that I'd flatted, so given that it's probable that I wouldn't have been able to chase successfully, but it's just awful knowing that I could have tried and didn't. Anyway, I won't make that mistake next time I get a flat, especially if it's in a stage race, since this is the second time I've lost 2nd place due to a mishap.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Topsport Stage Race: Circuit Race 3/27/2010
Category: W1/2/3
Field Size: 17
Length: 75 minutes
Place: 14th
The course was a loop of about six miles that mostly consisted of an out-and-back section on a divided road, followed by a loop through Copper Town Square and then back out. The course went clockwise, which meant that on the out-and-back section, we rode on the left side and took our U-turn to the right. The finish line was located just before the town square so that it could be on a straight section. Road quality was very good, and the terrain was slightly rolling, but no big hills. There were sprints for a 5-second time bonus at the end of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th laps.
The race started out fairly calmly, but soon people started attacking. There were four girls from Touchstone Climbing there, and twice one of them (different ones) attacked and stayed off the front solo for a while. The pack chased them down, but we took our time about it. I had kind of planned to contest the bonus sprints, since I didn't know how I'd done in the TT, but I was boxed in for two of them, and went too late to win the other. On the turnaround on the third lap, I was out front chasing down another girl and I took the turn wide, coming out of it all the way on the left. I must have taken a worse line than the people behind me, since one girl was behind me and passed me but was still going wide herself, so despite my verbal warnings, she effectively rode me into the gravel on the side of the road, since I had nowhere to go, and I think if I had let her actually hit me, we would have caused a big crash. Luckily I got right back going again back on the road, but I was all the way in the back of the pack again, so it was really annoying. I stayed in the back most of the time after that, but by the last lap I was getting rather restless. I made a solo attack maybe 1.5 miles from the finish, but I went too early and got caught, and then passed by a whole leadout train. I burned a little too much energy to break into that train so it passed me by and I hung onto the end and finished at the back of the pack.
I definitely learned a lot from the race, since it was the first time I'd been in a race where teamwork played a big role. With four Touchstone and four Dolce Vita ladies all sorts of possibilities opened up. The Touchstone ladies kept the pack on our toes by attacking and then also by feinting attacks before the sprint to distract us so that another of their ladies could attack on the other side. It was also good to see just how strong/fast W1/2/3 races are, since this was my first time in a combined field.
Field Size: 17
Length: 75 minutes
Place: 14th
The course was a loop of about six miles that mostly consisted of an out-and-back section on a divided road, followed by a loop through Copper Town Square and then back out. The course went clockwise, which meant that on the out-and-back section, we rode on the left side and took our U-turn to the right. The finish line was located just before the town square so that it could be on a straight section. Road quality was very good, and the terrain was slightly rolling, but no big hills. There were sprints for a 5-second time bonus at the end of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th laps.
The race started out fairly calmly, but soon people started attacking. There were four girls from Touchstone Climbing there, and twice one of them (different ones) attacked and stayed off the front solo for a while. The pack chased them down, but we took our time about it. I had kind of planned to contest the bonus sprints, since I didn't know how I'd done in the TT, but I was boxed in for two of them, and went too late to win the other. On the turnaround on the third lap, I was out front chasing down another girl and I took the turn wide, coming out of it all the way on the left. I must have taken a worse line than the people behind me, since one girl was behind me and passed me but was still going wide herself, so despite my verbal warnings, she effectively rode me into the gravel on the side of the road, since I had nowhere to go, and I think if I had let her actually hit me, we would have caused a big crash. Luckily I got right back going again back on the road, but I was all the way in the back of the pack again, so it was really annoying. I stayed in the back most of the time after that, but by the last lap I was getting rather restless. I made a solo attack maybe 1.5 miles from the finish, but I went too early and got caught, and then passed by a whole leadout train. I burned a little too much energy to break into that train so it passed me by and I hung onto the end and finished at the back of the pack.
I definitely learned a lot from the race, since it was the first time I'd been in a race where teamwork played a big role. With four Touchstone and four Dolce Vita ladies all sorts of possibilities opened up. The Touchstone ladies kept the pack on our toes by attacking and then also by feinting attacks before the sprint to distract us so that another of their ladies could attack on the other side. It was also good to see just how strong/fast W1/2/3 races are, since this was my first time in a combined field.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Topsport Stage Race: Time Trial 3/27/2010
Category: W1/2/3
Field Size: 17
Length: 10.85 miles
Place: 2nd
The course was just over five miles out, and then back. Roads were a bit bumpy, but no big potholes. The course had a bunch of small curves in it, as well as a number of rises. There weren't any big hills, but there were a couple of long inclines and well as some shorter and slightly steeper parts. The most difficult part of the course was the turnaround, since it was located at the bottom of a small hill, and around a corner, such that there was relatively little warning.
For aero equipment, I got to use my new TT frame! Last week I (actually Jose) came across a Cervelo P2SL frame for a good price on Craiglist. Since it was a 51cm frame, I checked out the geometry and found that it would fit me much better than the Fuji Aloha that I had set up for Madera. Jose was kind enough to swap the components from the Aloha to build of the P2SL in time for this weekend. I found that the fit was much better, with the reach being just right. The front end is also much lower than it was previously, though any lower and my ribs would be bruised from the impact of my knees. I also got to use Jose's disc wheel and front 808 clincher, as well as a skinsuit and shoe covers. I was lucky that it wasn't very windy in the morning, or else it would have been much harder to control the bike using such deep wheels.
The time trial itself went very well. I had a decent warmup, mostly due to the fact that the start was a couple of miles from the town square where we parked (since Jose was still finishing up his circuit race). I was a little nervous on the first downhill bit, since there was a slight crosswind, I was going very fast, and the road was bumpy. Luckily, even though it was my first time using a disc wheel, I still had a good level of control over my bike. There were a bunch of ups and downs, and I tried to keep my cadence up, but the shifting was a little sticky sometimes since I didn't want to ease up in order to shift down on the uphills. I did badly on the turnaround, since it snuck up on me, and I had been hammering down hill and was in almost my highest gear. I braked in time to make it around the U-turn, but then I found myself almost at a stop as I tried to accelerate uphill in a huge gear. I shifted down immediately and managed to accelerate pretty fast, and shortly after that I passed the person in front of me (we started at one minute intervals). She cheered me on and I went hard. I knew that I had to keep the pace up, even though there was a definite headwind on the way back. I passed another girl a while later, probably halfway back. The last 5km were marked off every kilometer, which was really nice since I don't have a computer on my TT bike. I just kept pushing all the way until the end, and I may have even picked up the pace even more.
Afterwards, I was exhausted, but I got in a good cooldown. Results weren't posted until after the circuit race, but it turned out that I'm solidly in second place, being 49 seconds behind the winner of the TT and 32 seconds ahead of 3rd place. Now I just have to hold onto that and not crash, since I've already lost 2nd place that way once this season.
Field Size: 17
Length: 10.85 miles
Place: 2nd
The course was just over five miles out, and then back. Roads were a bit bumpy, but no big potholes. The course had a bunch of small curves in it, as well as a number of rises. There weren't any big hills, but there were a couple of long inclines and well as some shorter and slightly steeper parts. The most difficult part of the course was the turnaround, since it was located at the bottom of a small hill, and around a corner, such that there was relatively little warning.
For aero equipment, I got to use my new TT frame! Last week I (actually Jose) came across a Cervelo P2SL frame for a good price on Craiglist. Since it was a 51cm frame, I checked out the geometry and found that it would fit me much better than the Fuji Aloha that I had set up for Madera. Jose was kind enough to swap the components from the Aloha to build of the P2SL in time for this weekend. I found that the fit was much better, with the reach being just right. The front end is also much lower than it was previously, though any lower and my ribs would be bruised from the impact of my knees. I also got to use Jose's disc wheel and front 808 clincher, as well as a skinsuit and shoe covers. I was lucky that it wasn't very windy in the morning, or else it would have been much harder to control the bike using such deep wheels.
The time trial itself went very well. I had a decent warmup, mostly due to the fact that the start was a couple of miles from the town square where we parked (since Jose was still finishing up his circuit race). I was a little nervous on the first downhill bit, since there was a slight crosswind, I was going very fast, and the road was bumpy. Luckily, even though it was my first time using a disc wheel, I still had a good level of control over my bike. There were a bunch of ups and downs, and I tried to keep my cadence up, but the shifting was a little sticky sometimes since I didn't want to ease up in order to shift down on the uphills. I did badly on the turnaround, since it snuck up on me, and I had been hammering down hill and was in almost my highest gear. I braked in time to make it around the U-turn, but then I found myself almost at a stop as I tried to accelerate uphill in a huge gear. I shifted down immediately and managed to accelerate pretty fast, and shortly after that I passed the person in front of me (we started at one minute intervals). She cheered me on and I went hard. I knew that I had to keep the pace up, even though there was a definite headwind on the way back. I passed another girl a while later, probably halfway back. The last 5km were marked off every kilometer, which was really nice since I don't have a computer on my TT bike. I just kept pushing all the way until the end, and I may have even picked up the pace even more.
Afterwards, I was exhausted, but I got in a good cooldown. Results weren't posted until after the circuit race, but it turned out that I'm solidly in second place, being 49 seconds behind the winner of the TT and 32 seconds ahead of 3rd place. Now I just have to hold onto that and not crash, since I've already lost 2nd place that way once this season.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
San Dimas Stage Race: GC and other thoughts
I ended up 9th in the GC, which was infuriatingly one place out of upgrade points. Ah well, I'll get some more later. I got either 4 or 6 upgrade points for getting 2nd in the road race, depending on if it's officially counted as a RR or circuit race (it was shorter than the minimum qualifying distance for a RR, see previous rant). With the 8 points that I got at Madera, this brings me up to 12 or 14 out of the minimum 25 required for the Cat 2 upgrade, so I'm about halfway there either way.
It's been frustrating being beat by a pro triathlete at each of two stage races two weekends in a row. They need to hurry up and get their upgrades so that I can get mine. If they hadn't been there, I'd have an extra 2 points from each weekend!
In other news, I learned to ride rollers on Saturday, since I needed to warm up for the race somehow and we hadn't brought a trainer. It turns out that as long as I relax and don't freak out, and keep my speed up a bit, then I'm actually quite good at them. I'd noticed previously that riding on PowerCranks (on my commuter bike) seems to have improved my pedaling form significantly, so that I have less wasted lateral energy, and I think that that helped stabilize me on the rollers. I still have to figure out how to start and stop without help, but for now I can keep using the car to lean on.
In more other news, Jose won the green jersey in the Cat 2 field! He was conspiring to win some of the hot spot sprints in the RR and the Crit and got 2 firsts and 2 thirds, for 26 seconds of bonus time and 40 sprint points, which was just enough to win the green (sprinter's) jersey. The bonus time also moved him up to 9th in the GC, which with the large field size, earned him 7 upgrade points.
It's been frustrating being beat by a pro triathlete at each of two stage races two weekends in a row. They need to hurry up and get their upgrades so that I can get mine. If they hadn't been there, I'd have an extra 2 points from each weekend!
In other news, I learned to ride rollers on Saturday, since I needed to warm up for the race somehow and we hadn't brought a trainer. It turns out that as long as I relax and don't freak out, and keep my speed up a bit, then I'm actually quite good at them. I'd noticed previously that riding on PowerCranks (on my commuter bike) seems to have improved my pedaling form significantly, so that I have less wasted lateral energy, and I think that that helped stabilize me on the rollers. I still have to figure out how to start and stop without help, but for now I can keep using the car to lean on.
In more other news, Jose won the green jersey in the Cat 2 field! He was conspiring to win some of the hot spot sprints in the RR and the Crit and got 2 firsts and 2 thirds, for 26 seconds of bonus time and 40 sprint points, which was just enough to win the green (sprinter's) jersey. The bonus time also moved him up to 9th in the GC, which with the large field size, earned him 7 upgrade points.
San Dimas Stage Race: Criterium 3/21/2010
Category: W3/4
Field Size: 29
Length: 25 minutes
Places: 9th (me), 13th (Emily), and 26th (Josie)
The course was a 1.2 mile loop in the shape of a backwards "L". There were 2 rights, a left, and 3 more rights. The first half of the loop was slightly uphill, and the second half slightly downhill. Road quality was beautifully smooth, with the only hiccup being a small gutter going across the road into the left turn. We had a slightly smaller field, since 10 ladies didn't finish the road race (they must have either been lapped, pulled themselves, or flatted). We had been threatened with a 5% time cut on the road race, but afterward they decided not to cut our field, probably since we were so small anyway (at least compared to the other fields). When I checked in for the race, I was informed that I had earned myself a white jersey, which was really confusing because yesterday they didn't have one for our field. I had to switch both of my numbers to the new jersey less than 45 minutes before our race started, so it made race prep a little hectic.
The race was practically a sprint from the start, due to the fact that 25 minutes is so short. People were attacking almost constantly the whole race, but the only attack that succeeded was when Heather went off the front to claim the hot spot sprint halfway through. I managed to stay near the front most of the time, but with two laps to go I got completely boxed in and pushed back. I managed to work my way up to the front third of the pack again just in time for the last corner, but the finish straightaway was too short for me to gain much ground. I'd been spoiled by having nice long finishing straightaways where I had time to build up some more speed and catch anyone who was ahead of me, so it was kind of shock how fast the finish line came up after the last corner. I knew going into the race that I'd have to be at least 5th wheel or maybe better out of that last turn to win it, so I was disappointed that I wasn't able to maneuver my way up to the front. In any case, it was still a good learning experience for me.
I was also infuriated by how insultingly short our race was. The only other race that was 25 minutes long was the free kids race. Even the Cat 5 men got 30 minutes, and the Cat 4's 35. I get that fewer women show up than men, but maybe it's because we're being discriminated against. To have seven different men's fields, but only two women's fields, I can live with that, since to be fair, all of the men's fields were bigger than the W3/4. But the fact that our race was so short (the RR was too!) was just insulting. As a Cat 3, I would expect to race a longer distance/time than the Cat 5 men. For instance, by USAC rules, Cat 5 men's crits only need to be 20 minutes long to qualify for upgrading, but for Cat 3 women, they need to be at least 30 minutes long to count. I get that there are time constraints on the overall event, but they cut the wrong events too short.
On another topic, the Women's P1/2 crit was amazing to watch. About 20 minutes in, there was a 5-woman break away that quickly built up a good gap, that eventually grew to a full minute. One of the women in the break was actually trying to slow it down in order to help her teammate in the pack keep the yellow jersey, but it wasn't working, so she dropped back on purpose in order to help drive the pack to chase faster. The breakaway kept slowing gaining a couple of seconds to maybe 1:10 ahead of the field, and then with 4.5 laps to go everything changed - Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, who was one of the four in the break, attacked the break and took off by herself. About the same time, Robin Farina (who was a threat to Ina-Yoko in the GC) flatted, and had to do a quick wheel swap and hop back in. Over the last four laps, Ina-Yoko gained 38 seconds on the two remaining riders in the break (Meredith Miller and Carmen Small), while the pack gained some time back towards the breakaway. By finishing so far ahead and getting the 20-second time bonus for first in the stage, Ina-Yoko snatched the yellow jersey from Mara Abbott by 18 seconds, despite being around a minute down before the stage. It was truly a privilege to see such amazing women racing. Also, congrats to our own Annie Fulton for hanging onto the pack the entire race. I saw a lot of riders get dropped and pulled from that race, so just finishing a race that fast against such incredible women is no joke.
Field Size: 29
Length: 25 minutes
Places: 9th (me), 13th (Emily), and 26th (Josie)
The course was a 1.2 mile loop in the shape of a backwards "L". There were 2 rights, a left, and 3 more rights. The first half of the loop was slightly uphill, and the second half slightly downhill. Road quality was beautifully smooth, with the only hiccup being a small gutter going across the road into the left turn. We had a slightly smaller field, since 10 ladies didn't finish the road race (they must have either been lapped, pulled themselves, or flatted). We had been threatened with a 5% time cut on the road race, but afterward they decided not to cut our field, probably since we were so small anyway (at least compared to the other fields). When I checked in for the race, I was informed that I had earned myself a white jersey, which was really confusing because yesterday they didn't have one for our field. I had to switch both of my numbers to the new jersey less than 45 minutes before our race started, so it made race prep a little hectic.
The race was practically a sprint from the start, due to the fact that 25 minutes is so short. People were attacking almost constantly the whole race, but the only attack that succeeded was when Heather went off the front to claim the hot spot sprint halfway through. I managed to stay near the front most of the time, but with two laps to go I got completely boxed in and pushed back. I managed to work my way up to the front third of the pack again just in time for the last corner, but the finish straightaway was too short for me to gain much ground. I'd been spoiled by having nice long finishing straightaways where I had time to build up some more speed and catch anyone who was ahead of me, so it was kind of shock how fast the finish line came up after the last corner. I knew going into the race that I'd have to be at least 5th wheel or maybe better out of that last turn to win it, so I was disappointed that I wasn't able to maneuver my way up to the front. In any case, it was still a good learning experience for me.
I was also infuriated by how insultingly short our race was. The only other race that was 25 minutes long was the free kids race. Even the Cat 5 men got 30 minutes, and the Cat 4's 35. I get that fewer women show up than men, but maybe it's because we're being discriminated against. To have seven different men's fields, but only two women's fields, I can live with that, since to be fair, all of the men's fields were bigger than the W3/4. But the fact that our race was so short (the RR was too!) was just insulting. As a Cat 3, I would expect to race a longer distance/time than the Cat 5 men. For instance, by USAC rules, Cat 5 men's crits only need to be 20 minutes long to qualify for upgrading, but for Cat 3 women, they need to be at least 30 minutes long to count. I get that there are time constraints on the overall event, but they cut the wrong events too short.
On another topic, the Women's P1/2 crit was amazing to watch. About 20 minutes in, there was a 5-woman break away that quickly built up a good gap, that eventually grew to a full minute. One of the women in the break was actually trying to slow it down in order to help her teammate in the pack keep the yellow jersey, but it wasn't working, so she dropped back on purpose in order to help drive the pack to chase faster. The breakaway kept slowing gaining a couple of seconds to maybe 1:10 ahead of the field, and then with 4.5 laps to go everything changed - Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, who was one of the four in the break, attacked the break and took off by herself. About the same time, Robin Farina (who was a threat to Ina-Yoko in the GC) flatted, and had to do a quick wheel swap and hop back in. Over the last four laps, Ina-Yoko gained 38 seconds on the two remaining riders in the break (Meredith Miller and Carmen Small), while the pack gained some time back towards the breakaway. By finishing so far ahead and getting the 20-second time bonus for first in the stage, Ina-Yoko snatched the yellow jersey from Mara Abbott by 18 seconds, despite being around a minute down before the stage. It was truly a privilege to see such amazing women racing. Also, congrats to our own Annie Fulton for hanging onto the pack the entire race. I saw a lot of riders get dropped and pulled from that race, so just finishing a race that fast against such incredible women is no joke.
Monday, March 22, 2010
San Dimas Stage Race: Road Race 3/20/2010
Category: W3/4
Field Size: 39
Length: 28 miles
Places: 2nd (me), 16th (Emily), and 24th (Josie)
The course was a 7 mile loop, with a couple of moderately long but gradual hills and one steeper climb (rumored to hit 13% for a short while) followed by a final descent into a flat finishing stretch. To make things more interesting, it being a stage race and all, there were two "Hot Spot" sprints, which happened at the finish line at the end of the first and third laps. There were also QOM points awarded at the top of the steep climb on the second lap. The race started out pretty fast, since the race was so short. By the end of the first lap, we had dropped a bunch of people, mostly on the steep climb. Unfortunately, Josie got stuck at the back and the people in front of her got gapped, so she had to chase the rest of the time. Emily and I tried to contest the first hot spot sprint, but were mostly unsuccessful (I placed 3rd for a 3 second time bonus and 5 sprint points). I think it was at the beginning of the second lap that Heather Jackson took off by herself, though I didn't actually see her go. She stayed out there the whole time and won by almost 2.5 minutes. Anyway, having successfully dropped a fair portion of the field, I think the pack slowed down a bit on the rest of the laps, keeping up a decent pace but not quite as frenzied. Every time we went up that last hill, I was worried that I'd get dropped too because I was really suffering, but I was always able to catch up on the downhill or shortly after on the flats. Emily wasn't feeling so great, having been somewhat sick the previous week, so she was having trouble breathing due to excess mucous, but she did a great job sticking with it anyway. On the final lap, on the final climb, I fell back just a bit, since a bunch of people were really gunning it up the hill, and I just couldn't go any faster. I made up a little ground on the downhill, catching up to a group of about six people, but they were still about 10-20m behind the lead group of maybe 6-8 riders, and apparently there was one more that was even further ahead, who I'm guessing attacked up the hill and got a nice gap. I came around my group and caught the lead group just in time to latch onto someone who was taking off into a sprint (this was probably about 300m from the finish). I sat on her wheel for just a couple of seconds before another rider came up on the right and I came around the left of the one I was on and switched to following the new girl out front. After a moment or two on her wheel, I kicked into gear and sprinted past her just in time to pass the breakaway rider a couple of meters before the finish line. I think that this was probably one of my best sprints yet, since I was able to take advantage of the other riders at just the right time before letting loose.
I think the lesson that I took away from this race is that I am a sprinter. I already knew that I had a decent sprint, and that I've got some endurance as well, and that I like longer sprints. I also know that I'm certainly no climber, since I have a thick, heavy build, and I'll never be able to quite match the smaller ladies on the big climbs (like the HCTT), however, I seem to have enough in me to hang on up the shorter hills. So basically what this means is that I'm going to focus more on crits and get on the track more, and avoid hilly road races (or at least races with an uphill finish). I can still do well in road races I think, but my best shot is probably going to be in winning the field sprint on level ground. I'm excited to spend more time on the track (since I've only been once), but it's been hard to find time since I've been racing every Saturday, and that's when the beginner sessions are. Luckily, they've also started doing Monday evening sessions, but I'd probably have to work from home in order to get there by 5:30pm. We'll have to see what I can fit into my schedule.
Field Size: 39
Length: 28 miles
Places: 2nd (me), 16th (Emily), and 24th (Josie)
The course was a 7 mile loop, with a couple of moderately long but gradual hills and one steeper climb (rumored to hit 13% for a short while) followed by a final descent into a flat finishing stretch. To make things more interesting, it being a stage race and all, there were two "Hot Spot" sprints, which happened at the finish line at the end of the first and third laps. There were also QOM points awarded at the top of the steep climb on the second lap. The race started out pretty fast, since the race was so short. By the end of the first lap, we had dropped a bunch of people, mostly on the steep climb. Unfortunately, Josie got stuck at the back and the people in front of her got gapped, so she had to chase the rest of the time. Emily and I tried to contest the first hot spot sprint, but were mostly unsuccessful (I placed 3rd for a 3 second time bonus and 5 sprint points). I think it was at the beginning of the second lap that Heather Jackson took off by herself, though I didn't actually see her go. She stayed out there the whole time and won by almost 2.5 minutes. Anyway, having successfully dropped a fair portion of the field, I think the pack slowed down a bit on the rest of the laps, keeping up a decent pace but not quite as frenzied. Every time we went up that last hill, I was worried that I'd get dropped too because I was really suffering, but I was always able to catch up on the downhill or shortly after on the flats. Emily wasn't feeling so great, having been somewhat sick the previous week, so she was having trouble breathing due to excess mucous, but she did a great job sticking with it anyway. On the final lap, on the final climb, I fell back just a bit, since a bunch of people were really gunning it up the hill, and I just couldn't go any faster. I made up a little ground on the downhill, catching up to a group of about six people, but they were still about 10-20m behind the lead group of maybe 6-8 riders, and apparently there was one more that was even further ahead, who I'm guessing attacked up the hill and got a nice gap. I came around my group and caught the lead group just in time to latch onto someone who was taking off into a sprint (this was probably about 300m from the finish). I sat on her wheel for just a couple of seconds before another rider came up on the right and I came around the left of the one I was on and switched to following the new girl out front. After a moment or two on her wheel, I kicked into gear and sprinted past her just in time to pass the breakaway rider a couple of meters before the finish line. I think that this was probably one of my best sprints yet, since I was able to take advantage of the other riders at just the right time before letting loose.
I think the lesson that I took away from this race is that I am a sprinter. I already knew that I had a decent sprint, and that I've got some endurance as well, and that I like longer sprints. I also know that I'm certainly no climber, since I have a thick, heavy build, and I'll never be able to quite match the smaller ladies on the big climbs (like the HCTT), however, I seem to have enough in me to hang on up the shorter hills. So basically what this means is that I'm going to focus more on crits and get on the track more, and avoid hilly road races (or at least races with an uphill finish). I can still do well in road races I think, but my best shot is probably going to be in winning the field sprint on level ground. I'm excited to spend more time on the track (since I've only been once), but it's been hard to find time since I've been racing every Saturday, and that's when the beginner sessions are. Luckily, they've also started doing Monday evening sessions, but I'd probably have to work from home in order to get there by 5:30pm. We'll have to see what I can fit into my schedule.
San Dimas Stage Race: HCTT 3/19/2010
Category: W3/4
Field Size: 39
Length: 3.8 miles
Places: 11th (Emily), 18th (me), and 20th (Josie)
The course started out level and downhill briefly before climbing for 3.7 miles at a grade that varied between 5% and 8%. The road curved a lot, so it was hard to see the person in front of you even when you got pretty close. I went as hard as I could the whole time, with my heart rate hovering around 180. I passed two people and didn't get passed myself. They had 1km to go marked, but that almost made it worse since 1km was still a substantial portion of the total distance. My time of 19:13 was good for a middle of the pack finish, which was about what I was expecting. I knew from riding with Nancy that I'm no match for the smaller ladies when it comes to going uphill. Emily and Josie both put in good solid performances too, but no one in our field was a match for pro triathlete Heather Jackson, who blew everyone away with a time of 16:57.
I probably could have gotten a slightly faster time if I had implemented a few weight-saving options, such as using lighter wheels (the PowerTap is heavy), that sort of thing. As it was, I decided that it would be good to know my power data for what was effectively a 20-minute test (it turned out to be 281W average for 19:19). This broke my previous 20-minute power record of 240W, which I think was from climbing Old La Honda last fall (I haven't climbed it in a while). Since I currently weigh about 160 lbs, that translates to about 3.86 W/kg. According to the power profile chart that TrainingPeaks WKO+ uses, that puts me in about the top third of Cat 3 women, which sounds about right right now.
Field Size: 39
Length: 3.8 miles
Places: 11th (Emily), 18th (me), and 20th (Josie)
The course started out level and downhill briefly before climbing for 3.7 miles at a grade that varied between 5% and 8%. The road curved a lot, so it was hard to see the person in front of you even when you got pretty close. I went as hard as I could the whole time, with my heart rate hovering around 180. I passed two people and didn't get passed myself. They had 1km to go marked, but that almost made it worse since 1km was still a substantial portion of the total distance. My time of 19:13 was good for a middle of the pack finish, which was about what I was expecting. I knew from riding with Nancy that I'm no match for the smaller ladies when it comes to going uphill. Emily and Josie both put in good solid performances too, but no one in our field was a match for pro triathlete Heather Jackson, who blew everyone away with a time of 16:57.
I probably could have gotten a slightly faster time if I had implemented a few weight-saving options, such as using lighter wheels (the PowerTap is heavy), that sort of thing. As it was, I decided that it would be good to know my power data for what was effectively a 20-minute test (it turned out to be 281W average for 19:19). This broke my previous 20-minute power record of 240W, which I think was from climbing Old La Honda last fall (I haven't climbed it in a while). Since I currently weigh about 160 lbs, that translates to about 3.86 W/kg. According to the power profile chart that TrainingPeaks WKO+ uses, that puts me in about the top third of Cat 3 women, which sounds about right right now.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Madera Stage Race: Road Race 3/14/2010
Category: W3
Field Size: 22
Length: 68 miles
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 4th (Emily), 5th (Josie) and 13th (me)
The course consisted of 4 laps on a 17 mile four-sided loop. The first two sides of the loop were relatively flat, with a couple of small rises, with smooth roads and slight-to-moderate headwind. The third side of the loop was bumpy. Very bumpy. Luckily, for that stretch, the road was closed, so we could use the whole width of the road. It was definitely the worst pavement that I've ever ridden on, just completely riddled with cracks. It was patched in a number of places with asphalt, but in some places that made it worse, because the asphalt had deteriorated so much that it just left it bumpier than ever. On that whole stretch, nothing exciting happened, because we were all just trying to deal with the road and get through it. After that was the finishing stretch, which they called the "roller coaster", and it was. It started with a medium-sized hill that got steeper near the top, followed by a downhill right into another uphill (but you couldn't quite get enough speed to take you up even half of the hill), then another down and up that was much easier if you kept your speed up, and then another longish hill up to the finish line. The hills continued a little ways after that, before the course turned back onto the first leg of the loop again.
My strategy for this race was just to sit in, unless I saw a likely break go off the front, in which case I would probably bridge to it, especially if it didn't contain Tyler, since that's the only way that I could beat her in the GC. I was 46 seconds back, so I'd have had to gotten first place (for the 20 second bonus) and been in a break that was at least 26 seconds in front of the pack. I also knew that I couldn't let the woman in 3rd place who was 31 seconds behind me in the GC go on a break without me. As it turned out, all of my scheming was for nothing. The only interesting thing to happen in the first 3 laps was that we took a pee break halfway through the first lap. I was completely confused by this, but was told that this was common in long women's races, at least for Cat 3's. We all stopped while half of the women squatted. Then we continued on our way. Other than that, there were a couple of attacks that didn't amount to anything and just served to speed up the pack for a bit. It was actually kind of refreshing when that happened, as it was turning out to be a very slow race. In the fourth lap, things started to get a bit more interesting. I was still hanging out near the back for a while, but some people up front decided to remind us that we were racing, so the pace for the first half of the lap increased considerably. Then, on the 3rd leg of the loop, disaster struck. I had been nearer to the front of the pack, but had recently gotten forced back because the person in front of me decided to drop back, and I had nowhere else to go. Then, (and this is all a little blurry, so I could be wrong on the details), the person two bikes in front of me hit a pothole wrong and I think hit the person on her left, causing them both to go down, as well as the person in front of me, me, and the person behind me. Since I was near the back of the crash, I had time to brake a little bit, so I didn't go down too hard, but I do know that we landed in a bit of a tangle. Right away, I got my bike out, only to discover that not only was my right shifter pushed all the way inwards, my bars were also twisted by about 30 degrees. I had to wrench them straight, then adjust and loosen my brakes before I could get going again. I lost about a minute getting straightened out, and immediately started chasing as soon as my bike would go. I could feel that I'd gotten a bit scraped up, but ignored it. This happened by my estimate about 5-6 miles before the finish, but I can't be sure since I didn't have a computer on my bike. I chased the pack the whole way to the finish, and I could see them up the road. I may have even gained on them on the bumpy section, since I was going all out but I suspect that they weren't, and it looked like I was getting closer. Unfortunately, I think I lost time on the rollercoaster finish, since I had to climb by myself into a slight headwind and could only go so fast on the downhills. I ended up finishing 1:10 behind the pack, which ended up being just good enough to hold onto 3rd place in the GC. Although I didn't see it, Emily and Josie did well enough on the uphill finish to get 4th and 5th, well done ladies!
I was really frustrated that the ladies in front of me crashed, and I'm guessing that they were just tired and had a lapse in concentration which caused the crash with the help of that pothole. Even if I hadn't done well in the uphill finish with the pack, I still would have easily held on to 2nd in the GC, so it was really frustrating to lose that. When I went down, that was all that was going through my mind, that I had to chase or else it would have all been for nothing. Also, this has been my third crash this season, and the second that wasn't my fault and could only have been avoided by being in a different place in the pack. I'll admit that the Merced Crit crash was my fault, since I did follow a bad line, but it's even more frustrating to have no control over crashing. I still haven't had time to fully examine my bike for damage, but I already know that my (Jose's) front 404 tubular that I was riding got damaged by someone's bike landing on it. It's got a crack on the inner part of the rim, but we're hoping that we can patch it. I'm also concerned that my steerer tube is cracked or damaged, since my handlebars were out of whack from the crash, and then I wrenched them back around so that I could chase. Anyway, I guess the lesson this time is that sometimes shit happens and you just have to deal with it. I'm very thankful that I wasn't more seriously injured in the crash (I have some scratches on my right knee and a small raw spot on my right elbow), and that no one else was too badly injured. I didn't hear all of the details, but I heard that Morgan (from Dolce Vita, who I'd met on Saturday) bit her lip pretty badly, so I hope she's ok and that she heals quickly. The other part of the lesson is that I need to get better about being in the front of the pack and staying there, since if I'd been nearer to the front, I wouldn't have been behind a crash.
Anyway, I was pleased that under the circumstances, I was still able to get 3rd place in my first stage race (and my first set of races as a Cat 3). Congratulations also to Emily for getting 4th in the GC! And once again, well done to Josie for keeping 8th place!
Field Size: 22
Length: 68 miles
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 4th (Emily), 5th (Josie) and 13th (me)
The course consisted of 4 laps on a 17 mile four-sided loop. The first two sides of the loop were relatively flat, with a couple of small rises, with smooth roads and slight-to-moderate headwind. The third side of the loop was bumpy. Very bumpy. Luckily, for that stretch, the road was closed, so we could use the whole width of the road. It was definitely the worst pavement that I've ever ridden on, just completely riddled with cracks. It was patched in a number of places with asphalt, but in some places that made it worse, because the asphalt had deteriorated so much that it just left it bumpier than ever. On that whole stretch, nothing exciting happened, because we were all just trying to deal with the road and get through it. After that was the finishing stretch, which they called the "roller coaster", and it was. It started with a medium-sized hill that got steeper near the top, followed by a downhill right into another uphill (but you couldn't quite get enough speed to take you up even half of the hill), then another down and up that was much easier if you kept your speed up, and then another longish hill up to the finish line. The hills continued a little ways after that, before the course turned back onto the first leg of the loop again.
My strategy for this race was just to sit in, unless I saw a likely break go off the front, in which case I would probably bridge to it, especially if it didn't contain Tyler, since that's the only way that I could beat her in the GC. I was 46 seconds back, so I'd have had to gotten first place (for the 20 second bonus) and been in a break that was at least 26 seconds in front of the pack. I also knew that I couldn't let the woman in 3rd place who was 31 seconds behind me in the GC go on a break without me. As it turned out, all of my scheming was for nothing. The only interesting thing to happen in the first 3 laps was that we took a pee break halfway through the first lap. I was completely confused by this, but was told that this was common in long women's races, at least for Cat 3's. We all stopped while half of the women squatted. Then we continued on our way. Other than that, there were a couple of attacks that didn't amount to anything and just served to speed up the pack for a bit. It was actually kind of refreshing when that happened, as it was turning out to be a very slow race. In the fourth lap, things started to get a bit more interesting. I was still hanging out near the back for a while, but some people up front decided to remind us that we were racing, so the pace for the first half of the lap increased considerably. Then, on the 3rd leg of the loop, disaster struck. I had been nearer to the front of the pack, but had recently gotten forced back because the person in front of me decided to drop back, and I had nowhere else to go. Then, (and this is all a little blurry, so I could be wrong on the details), the person two bikes in front of me hit a pothole wrong and I think hit the person on her left, causing them both to go down, as well as the person in front of me, me, and the person behind me. Since I was near the back of the crash, I had time to brake a little bit, so I didn't go down too hard, but I do know that we landed in a bit of a tangle. Right away, I got my bike out, only to discover that not only was my right shifter pushed all the way inwards, my bars were also twisted by about 30 degrees. I had to wrench them straight, then adjust and loosen my brakes before I could get going again. I lost about a minute getting straightened out, and immediately started chasing as soon as my bike would go. I could feel that I'd gotten a bit scraped up, but ignored it. This happened by my estimate about 5-6 miles before the finish, but I can't be sure since I didn't have a computer on my bike. I chased the pack the whole way to the finish, and I could see them up the road. I may have even gained on them on the bumpy section, since I was going all out but I suspect that they weren't, and it looked like I was getting closer. Unfortunately, I think I lost time on the rollercoaster finish, since I had to climb by myself into a slight headwind and could only go so fast on the downhills. I ended up finishing 1:10 behind the pack, which ended up being just good enough to hold onto 3rd place in the GC. Although I didn't see it, Emily and Josie did well enough on the uphill finish to get 4th and 5th, well done ladies!
I was really frustrated that the ladies in front of me crashed, and I'm guessing that they were just tired and had a lapse in concentration which caused the crash with the help of that pothole. Even if I hadn't done well in the uphill finish with the pack, I still would have easily held on to 2nd in the GC, so it was really frustrating to lose that. When I went down, that was all that was going through my mind, that I had to chase or else it would have all been for nothing. Also, this has been my third crash this season, and the second that wasn't my fault and could only have been avoided by being in a different place in the pack. I'll admit that the Merced Crit crash was my fault, since I did follow a bad line, but it's even more frustrating to have no control over crashing. I still haven't had time to fully examine my bike for damage, but I already know that my (Jose's) front 404 tubular that I was riding got damaged by someone's bike landing on it. It's got a crack on the inner part of the rim, but we're hoping that we can patch it. I'm also concerned that my steerer tube is cracked or damaged, since my handlebars were out of whack from the crash, and then I wrenched them back around so that I could chase. Anyway, I guess the lesson this time is that sometimes shit happens and you just have to deal with it. I'm very thankful that I wasn't more seriously injured in the crash (I have some scratches on my right knee and a small raw spot on my right elbow), and that no one else was too badly injured. I didn't hear all of the details, but I heard that Morgan (from Dolce Vita, who I'd met on Saturday) bit her lip pretty badly, so I hope she's ok and that she heals quickly. The other part of the lesson is that I need to get better about being in the front of the pack and staying there, since if I'd been nearer to the front, I wouldn't have been behind a crash.
Anyway, I was pleased that under the circumstances, I was still able to get 3rd place in my first stage race (and my first set of races as a Cat 3). Congratulations also to Emily for getting 4th in the GC! And once again, well done to Josie for keeping 8th place!
Madera Stage Race: Time Trial 3/13/2010
Category: W3
Field Size: 22
Length: 10 miles
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 2nd (me), 4th (Emily), and 8th (Josie)
The time trial course was vaguely rectangular, with 2 90 degree right turns, then a turn that was closer to 100-110 degrees, then another slight right onto the finishing stretch. The course was dead flat, except for a number of pothole of various sizes, as well as some rough pavement. The hard part though was the wind. I'm terrible at judging how fast the wind in blowing, but it was a very strong wind, I would guess around 20mph gusting to 30mph. It was so windy that if you set a bike up parallel to the wind and let go, it would roll by itself. Since the course was rectangular, that meant that for the first leg, there was a cross tail wind, for the second side, there was a big tailwind, the third side was a strong cross headwind, and turning onto the fourth side felt like hitting a brick wall. Since this was my first time trial, I got to try out my new TT bike and see how it was, as well as using a bunch of borrowed stuff. For wheels, I had brought Jose's Zipp 404 tubulars, as well as a Zipp disc wheel. Given the wind and my lack of experience using the aero bars, especially with deep wheels, I opted not to use the disc and stuck with the 404s. Given that on the 3rd leg of the TT with a strong cross headwind with gusts I was being blown all over the road, I was very glad that I didn't use the disc, as I think it would have been much worse and I might have even been blown over. As it was, I was leaning into the wind on that side just to stay in the right lane of the road. My other aero equipment consisted of a nice Giro TT helmet (Jose's), a long sleeve skinsuit (a little too big for me, but still much better than a normal kit) and shoe covers (thanks Heather!). I found that my long hair is not very aero, so I ended up doubling up my braid twice so that it fit underneath the back of the helmet. I decided that this is the final straw, and that I am going to cut my hair short (probably to minimum ponytail length) whenever I upgrade to Cat 2. Anyway, I went out pretty hard at the beginning of the time trial, knowing that it would be very easy to go too easy by accident due to the tailwind on the first two stretch. I got into a rhythm right away and just concentrated in keeping up the intensity and chasing down the person in front of me. I don't remember how many people I passed, but I always had another target in front of me to catch. I think I passed about 8 people, give or take a couple. Unfortunately, I think I lost a couple of seconds on the second corner, since I slowed down a little more than necessary, having misjudged my line. I did leave my aero bars on the 3 sharp corners, since I wasn't completely confident in my ability to turn in the bars with the additional complication of the strong wind. By the third leg I was going quite hard and I tried to hunker down into a slightly lower position because the wind was so strong. I think that I judged my effort just about right, since when I saw the sign for 1km to go, I don't think I was able to speed up at all, since by that time I had already been going as fast as I could for a while, and it was all I could do to keep it up until the finish.
For all of my effort, I finished 2nd, a full 1:05 behind first place. Then again, since Tyler Stewart is a world-class professional Ironman Triathlete, I don't feel to bad for losing, since it was my first time trial. Next time I'll put my bars a little lower for a better position, and maybe I can cheat the wind a little more. I beat the 3rd place finisher by 11 seconds, and Emily came in 4th at 2:02 behind 1st place. Josie managed to get a very respectable 8th place finish as well.
Field Size: 22
Length: 10 miles
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 2nd (me), 4th (Emily), and 8th (Josie)
The time trial course was vaguely rectangular, with 2 90 degree right turns, then a turn that was closer to 100-110 degrees, then another slight right onto the finishing stretch. The course was dead flat, except for a number of pothole of various sizes, as well as some rough pavement. The hard part though was the wind. I'm terrible at judging how fast the wind in blowing, but it was a very strong wind, I would guess around 20mph gusting to 30mph. It was so windy that if you set a bike up parallel to the wind and let go, it would roll by itself. Since the course was rectangular, that meant that for the first leg, there was a cross tail wind, for the second side, there was a big tailwind, the third side was a strong cross headwind, and turning onto the fourth side felt like hitting a brick wall. Since this was my first time trial, I got to try out my new TT bike and see how it was, as well as using a bunch of borrowed stuff. For wheels, I had brought Jose's Zipp 404 tubulars, as well as a Zipp disc wheel. Given the wind and my lack of experience using the aero bars, especially with deep wheels, I opted not to use the disc and stuck with the 404s. Given that on the 3rd leg of the TT with a strong cross headwind with gusts I was being blown all over the road, I was very glad that I didn't use the disc, as I think it would have been much worse and I might have even been blown over. As it was, I was leaning into the wind on that side just to stay in the right lane of the road. My other aero equipment consisted of a nice Giro TT helmet (Jose's), a long sleeve skinsuit (a little too big for me, but still much better than a normal kit) and shoe covers (thanks Heather!). I found that my long hair is not very aero, so I ended up doubling up my braid twice so that it fit underneath the back of the helmet. I decided that this is the final straw, and that I am going to cut my hair short (probably to minimum ponytail length) whenever I upgrade to Cat 2. Anyway, I went out pretty hard at the beginning of the time trial, knowing that it would be very easy to go too easy by accident due to the tailwind on the first two stretch. I got into a rhythm right away and just concentrated in keeping up the intensity and chasing down the person in front of me. I don't remember how many people I passed, but I always had another target in front of me to catch. I think I passed about 8 people, give or take a couple. Unfortunately, I think I lost a couple of seconds on the second corner, since I slowed down a little more than necessary, having misjudged my line. I did leave my aero bars on the 3 sharp corners, since I wasn't completely confident in my ability to turn in the bars with the additional complication of the strong wind. By the third leg I was going quite hard and I tried to hunker down into a slightly lower position because the wind was so strong. I think that I judged my effort just about right, since when I saw the sign for 1km to go, I don't think I was able to speed up at all, since by that time I had already been going as fast as I could for a while, and it was all I could do to keep it up until the finish.
For all of my effort, I finished 2nd, a full 1:05 behind first place. Then again, since Tyler Stewart is a world-class professional Ironman Triathlete, I don't feel to bad for losing, since it was my first time trial. Next time I'll put my bars a little lower for a better position, and maybe I can cheat the wind a little more. I beat the 3rd place finisher by 11 seconds, and Emily came in 4th at 2:02 behind 1st place. Josie managed to get a very respectable 8th place finish as well.
Madera Stage Race: Criterium 3/13/2010
Category: W3
Field Size: 22
Length: 40 minutes
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 1st (me), 3rd (Emily), and 13th (Josie)
The course was a nice simple 1 mile square loop with four right turns. The start was on the western edge. The northern stretch was nice and smooth, and we had a tailwind. The eastern edge had more of a cross tailwind, and was also pretty nice. The southern edge was slightly rough and bumpy, with a crossing of railroad tracks (thankfully perpendicular), as well as a fierce headwind. The last stretch with the start/finish also had a strong cross headwind. Unfortunately, the race was organized such that the Women's 1/2 field was on the course at the same time as the Women's 3 field. They started the 1/2's first by just over a minute. There were 2 primes, each of which was worth a 5 second bonus in the GC. I contested the first prime, since I saw the chance to latch onto someone else who broke away halfway through the lap, but unfortunately she went far too early, and I waited too long after she was tiring to go out front myself. On the finishing stretch, another rider broke away from the pack and beat me by a wheel. After that, I returned to my strategy of sitting in the back of the pack and getting a good draft in the crosswinds, so that I could really save my energy for the end. Then, on what turned out to be 6 laps to go, we got passed by the 1/2s. This would have been fine, but by the time we hit 5 laps to go, they were only maybe 50-100m in front of us, and a prime was called. So the 3's field surged forward and attacked through the 1/2 field, causing widespread confusion. For at least a lap, maybe 2 (it's all kind of a blur), the fields were partially mixed, even though the motorcycle official was attempting to instruct the 1/2s to ride on the left lane and the 3's to ride in the right. Unfortunately, that simply didn't work out very well, especially since everyone got close together every corner. After much confusion, I realized with about 2.5 laps to go that there had been a successful breakaway from the 3's field that was in front of the 1/2 field, even though the rest of the 3's were mostly behind the 1/2s at that point. I managed to bridge the gap over the course of about a lap, and found that I had joined a group of four riders, including Emily. Since I had latched onto the back, I got a little time to recover, and I launched my final attack coming out of the last turn. I finished the turn very wide of the riders in front of me and sprinted up the left side to get first place. I didn't see it, but Emily sprinted as well to snatch 3rd place. In all of the field mixing confusion, Josie got stuck in one of the later Cat 3 groups, and finished well considering the circumstances. I feel very lucky that I was in a position to see the break up ahead of the 1/2 field and had the opportunity to bridge. That said, great job Emily for being up front when the break happened. I learned in this race that I should work on trying to stay near the front of the pack, so that I can go with the break when it happens instead of getting on the hard way once it's gone. As a bonus for placing, I got a 20 second time bonus, and Emily got 5 seconds for third. Oh, and I also learned that when there are two fields on the same course at the same time, you should be ready for anything, since sometimes crazy things like this can happen.
Field Size: 22
Length: 40 minutes
Teammates: Emily and Josie
Places: 1st (me), 3rd (Emily), and 13th (Josie)
The course was a nice simple 1 mile square loop with four right turns. The start was on the western edge. The northern stretch was nice and smooth, and we had a tailwind. The eastern edge had more of a cross tailwind, and was also pretty nice. The southern edge was slightly rough and bumpy, with a crossing of railroad tracks (thankfully perpendicular), as well as a fierce headwind. The last stretch with the start/finish also had a strong cross headwind. Unfortunately, the race was organized such that the Women's 1/2 field was on the course at the same time as the Women's 3 field. They started the 1/2's first by just over a minute. There were 2 primes, each of which was worth a 5 second bonus in the GC. I contested the first prime, since I saw the chance to latch onto someone else who broke away halfway through the lap, but unfortunately she went far too early, and I waited too long after she was tiring to go out front myself. On the finishing stretch, another rider broke away from the pack and beat me by a wheel. After that, I returned to my strategy of sitting in the back of the pack and getting a good draft in the crosswinds, so that I could really save my energy for the end. Then, on what turned out to be 6 laps to go, we got passed by the 1/2s. This would have been fine, but by the time we hit 5 laps to go, they were only maybe 50-100m in front of us, and a prime was called. So the 3's field surged forward and attacked through the 1/2 field, causing widespread confusion. For at least a lap, maybe 2 (it's all kind of a blur), the fields were partially mixed, even though the motorcycle official was attempting to instruct the 1/2s to ride on the left lane and the 3's to ride in the right. Unfortunately, that simply didn't work out very well, especially since everyone got close together every corner. After much confusion, I realized with about 2.5 laps to go that there had been a successful breakaway from the 3's field that was in front of the 1/2 field, even though the rest of the 3's were mostly behind the 1/2s at that point. I managed to bridge the gap over the course of about a lap, and found that I had joined a group of four riders, including Emily. Since I had latched onto the back, I got a little time to recover, and I launched my final attack coming out of the last turn. I finished the turn very wide of the riders in front of me and sprinted up the left side to get first place. I didn't see it, but Emily sprinted as well to snatch 3rd place. In all of the field mixing confusion, Josie got stuck in one of the later Cat 3 groups, and finished well considering the circumstances. I feel very lucky that I was in a position to see the break up ahead of the 1/2 field and had the opportunity to bridge. That said, great job Emily for being up front when the break happened. I learned in this race that I should work on trying to stay near the front of the pack, so that I can go with the break when it happens instead of getting on the hard way once it's gone. As a bonus for placing, I got a 20 second time bonus, and Emily got 5 seconds for third. Oh, and I also learned that when there are two fields on the same course at the same time, you should be ready for anything, since sometimes crazy things like this can happen.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Cat 3 Upgrade!
My upgrade to Category 3 was approved on Monday, and I'm still super excited! My first race as a Cat 3 will be the Madera Stage Race this weekend. Even though the Cat 3 women will be picked separately, I think we still race in the same pack as the Cat 1/2 Women, so I'll be racing with the fast ladies for the first time. Also, I bought myself a TT bike a couple of weeks ago and have been commuting on it this week to get used to it. It's a 2004 Fuji Aloha frame that I bought for $200 on eBay, and I built it up using spare parts that Jose had lying around. The position isn't perfect, and since the bar-end shifters are 9-speed, they're in friction mode to accommodate the 10-speed derailleur and cassette. It's a very beginner-level setup, but I'm still very excited to try it out in my first time trial this Saturday.
Merco Foothills Road Race 3/7/2010
Category: W4
Field Size: 39
Length: 48 miles
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 2nd (me) and 10th (Nancy)
The course was largely flat with a couple of small rises throughout and a few larger rollers in the last 5 miles of the 24 mile loop. Road quality was good in some stretches, rough for most of it, and downright bumpy in parts. There were a lot of potholes in the road, as well as some stretches with a lot of cracks in the road that made it very bumpy. As a result, we had to spend the whole race in the drops, which reminded me that I need to go back to stretching my hamstrings more often, since riding in the drops for 2 hours makes my lower back very sore. Anyway, nothing exciting happened in the first lap, though it was nice to be able to see the last 5 miles so that Nancy and I could plan our move. Near the beginning of the second lap a small bunch of girls, I think mostly from the Stevens team, decided to up the pace a bit. I think they were trying for a breakaway, since I had to really sprint to catch up (they attacked on a corner), but enough of the pack responded that all it amounted to was a fast couple of minutes. I realized during that effort that although my legs felt fine keeping up a steady pace, they were really tired when I tried to bring up the speed to chase. I think that the sprinting on Saturday tired me out more than I realized, and I also didn't recover properly, since I was outside the whole day watching the other races (my boyfriend Jose did the Pro/1/2 race, which started around 2:45pm). Anyway, next, disaster struck - I saw Nancy pull over and stop. I could only assume that she had a flat and hope that she could swap out her wheel fast enough that she could still chase and get back on. I tried to look back for her, but I couldn't afford to stay in the back of the pack forever, and I couldn't drop back to help her chase if I couldn't see her, since I didn't know what had happened. Luckily, it turned out that she had gotten a large clump of packing tape stuck between a wheel and her brakes, which had made her think she had a flat. I'm still confused as to where the tape came from. Anyway, she got going again pretty quickly and caught the pack after chasing for 25 minutes. I was so happy to see her when she caught back on, she did a fantastic job chasing us down. I had been slightly disappointed that no one was pushing the pace in the pack, but I was glad that they didn't because it helped Nancy get back on. In the last 10 miles or so, the mentor who was with us tried to tell us to start upping the pace, but I think people were either tired or lazy, and we didn't speed up very much. Since I was being lazy at that point and trying to save my energy for the end, I can't really blame them. There were a couple of small moves near the enough though, especially when we hit the rollers. I was actually marked out by one of the Stevens girls who recognized me from some of the races that I've done well at, and she warned her teammates that I was going to sprint up the left side and that they had better go with with me. Well, little did they know that even though I had planned on making a move a few miles later, I found that my legs simply didn't have it in them, my top end was too dead to pull it off. So we went to the finish pretty much in a pack. One girl got off the front with probably 0.5 km to go, and I couldn't catch her. I barely even made it back to the front of the pack by the last kilometer, since I'd gotten boxed in a little ways back. I still managed to pick up the pace enough at the end to snatch second place by a wheel, but I was still at least 5m back from the winner. Nancy still managed to snag 10th place, which I think was phenomenal considering her bad luck earlier and the lack of help from me. So it looks like we're very good at coming up with plans, but not I'm not so good at executing them successfully. I guess I'll just have to keep practicing :-)
Field Size: 39
Length: 48 miles
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 2nd (me) and 10th (Nancy)
The course was largely flat with a couple of small rises throughout and a few larger rollers in the last 5 miles of the 24 mile loop. Road quality was good in some stretches, rough for most of it, and downright bumpy in parts. There were a lot of potholes in the road, as well as some stretches with a lot of cracks in the road that made it very bumpy. As a result, we had to spend the whole race in the drops, which reminded me that I need to go back to stretching my hamstrings more often, since riding in the drops for 2 hours makes my lower back very sore. Anyway, nothing exciting happened in the first lap, though it was nice to be able to see the last 5 miles so that Nancy and I could plan our move. Near the beginning of the second lap a small bunch of girls, I think mostly from the Stevens team, decided to up the pace a bit. I think they were trying for a breakaway, since I had to really sprint to catch up (they attacked on a corner), but enough of the pack responded that all it amounted to was a fast couple of minutes. I realized during that effort that although my legs felt fine keeping up a steady pace, they were really tired when I tried to bring up the speed to chase. I think that the sprinting on Saturday tired me out more than I realized, and I also didn't recover properly, since I was outside the whole day watching the other races (my boyfriend Jose did the Pro/1/2 race, which started around 2:45pm). Anyway, next, disaster struck - I saw Nancy pull over and stop. I could only assume that she had a flat and hope that she could swap out her wheel fast enough that she could still chase and get back on. I tried to look back for her, but I couldn't afford to stay in the back of the pack forever, and I couldn't drop back to help her chase if I couldn't see her, since I didn't know what had happened. Luckily, it turned out that she had gotten a large clump of packing tape stuck between a wheel and her brakes, which had made her think she had a flat. I'm still confused as to where the tape came from. Anyway, she got going again pretty quickly and caught the pack after chasing for 25 minutes. I was so happy to see her when she caught back on, she did a fantastic job chasing us down. I had been slightly disappointed that no one was pushing the pace in the pack, but I was glad that they didn't because it helped Nancy get back on. In the last 10 miles or so, the mentor who was with us tried to tell us to start upping the pace, but I think people were either tired or lazy, and we didn't speed up very much. Since I was being lazy at that point and trying to save my energy for the end, I can't really blame them. There were a couple of small moves near the enough though, especially when we hit the rollers. I was actually marked out by one of the Stevens girls who recognized me from some of the races that I've done well at, and she warned her teammates that I was going to sprint up the left side and that they had better go with with me. Well, little did they know that even though I had planned on making a move a few miles later, I found that my legs simply didn't have it in them, my top end was too dead to pull it off. So we went to the finish pretty much in a pack. One girl got off the front with probably 0.5 km to go, and I couldn't catch her. I barely even made it back to the front of the pack by the last kilometer, since I'd gotten boxed in a little ways back. I still managed to pick up the pace enough at the end to snatch second place by a wheel, but I was still at least 5m back from the winner. Nancy still managed to snag 10th place, which I think was phenomenal considering her bad luck earlier and the lack of help from me. So it looks like we're very good at coming up with plans, but not I'm not so good at executing them successfully. I guess I'll just have to keep practicing :-)
Merco Grand Prix Crit 3/6/2010
Category: W4
Field Size: 26
Length: 21 laps (0.8 each)
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 1st (me) and 9th (Nancy)
The course was nice and flat, with 6 corners and a chicane. The corners were nice and wide, so it wasn't too crowded on the course with our small field (unlike the Men's Pro/1/2 race with the full 125 racers). Road quality was pretty good, with some Botts dots everywhere and somewhat rougher pavement on the chicane. In our 21 laps, there were 6 primes, which was really nice because I think it helped keep the pace a little faster and safer, since every couple of laps we'd get people attacking to line up a nice sprint for the prime. I managed to win the 2nd and 6th primes, which I decided to go for mostly because I wasn't always comfortable in the back of the pack. There weren't any serious breakaway attempts, since the pack responded quickly to the few times that someone made a move. I actually spent a lot of time at or near the front of the pack in an attempt to really drive the pace, because I knew that if the pace was too slow, not only would it be more dangerous, but the pack would be too fresh at the end for me to make a move with Nancy. Unfortunately, no one wanted to pull the pack at a decent pace, even though we did speed up in the last 5 or so laps, so I ended up deciding to just push the pace on the front for the last two laps before making a final sprint on the home stretch to win by a length. I think I succeeded in stringing out the pack a bit, but unfortunately I was never in a good enough position next to Nancy that we could make a break for it instead, since I was already up front. I also knew that with a few laps to go, if I stayed near the front but the front riders got tired and stayed there (as often happens it seems), we'd get boxed in by the entire pack coming around us on both sides, destroying any chance we had to make a break for it. So I guess that I learned that I need to figure out how to anticipate the moves within the pack a little better so I can avoid getting stuck behind slower riders. I also need to work on being aware of where my teammate is and do a better job setting up for a move. Even with a less than ideal setup for the finish, Nancy did well in the field sprint by staying near the front, so all in all, I think it was a good race experience for both of us.
Also worth noting is that this race was the best organized one I've seen yet. There was an announcer who kept up a commentary on the current race, as well as sharing interesting tidbits about racers or things going on in the cycling world. The street corners were blocked off with trailers from semi trucks, making it absolutely impossible for a vehicle to get on the course by accident. The front straightaway had fencing on both sides, about a yard into the street, to make room for people watching as well as to better control when/where people could cross the course. In addition to being well set up, it was clearly well sponsored (mainly by the Merco Credit Union), since even the Cat 4 Women got cash prizes for the first 10 places. I won $50 for first place! I also got a trophy, in the form of an engraved and painted river rock, as well as a champion's jersey. The prizes for our primes weren't cash, but they were worth three boxes of energy bars (some combination of Clif, Luna, and Mojo). Winning felt a lot more special when I actually won something besides bragging rights, since the other races I've done haven't actually bothered with podiums or real prizes.
Field Size: 26
Length: 21 laps (0.8 each)
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 1st (me) and 9th (Nancy)
The course was nice and flat, with 6 corners and a chicane. The corners were nice and wide, so it wasn't too crowded on the course with our small field (unlike the Men's Pro/1/2 race with the full 125 racers). Road quality was pretty good, with some Botts dots everywhere and somewhat rougher pavement on the chicane. In our 21 laps, there were 6 primes, which was really nice because I think it helped keep the pace a little faster and safer, since every couple of laps we'd get people attacking to line up a nice sprint for the prime. I managed to win the 2nd and 6th primes, which I decided to go for mostly because I wasn't always comfortable in the back of the pack. There weren't any serious breakaway attempts, since the pack responded quickly to the few times that someone made a move. I actually spent a lot of time at or near the front of the pack in an attempt to really drive the pace, because I knew that if the pace was too slow, not only would it be more dangerous, but the pack would be too fresh at the end for me to make a move with Nancy. Unfortunately, no one wanted to pull the pack at a decent pace, even though we did speed up in the last 5 or so laps, so I ended up deciding to just push the pace on the front for the last two laps before making a final sprint on the home stretch to win by a length. I think I succeeded in stringing out the pack a bit, but unfortunately I was never in a good enough position next to Nancy that we could make a break for it instead, since I was already up front. I also knew that with a few laps to go, if I stayed near the front but the front riders got tired and stayed there (as often happens it seems), we'd get boxed in by the entire pack coming around us on both sides, destroying any chance we had to make a break for it. So I guess that I learned that I need to figure out how to anticipate the moves within the pack a little better so I can avoid getting stuck behind slower riders. I also need to work on being aware of where my teammate is and do a better job setting up for a move. Even with a less than ideal setup for the finish, Nancy did well in the field sprint by staying near the front, so all in all, I think it was a good race experience for both of us.
Also worth noting is that this race was the best organized one I've seen yet. There was an announcer who kept up a commentary on the current race, as well as sharing interesting tidbits about racers or things going on in the cycling world. The street corners were blocked off with trailers from semi trucks, making it absolutely impossible for a vehicle to get on the course by accident. The front straightaway had fencing on both sides, about a yard into the street, to make room for people watching as well as to better control when/where people could cross the course. In addition to being well set up, it was clearly well sponsored (mainly by the Merco Credit Union), since even the Cat 4 Women got cash prizes for the first 10 places. I won $50 for first place! I also got a trophy, in the form of an engraved and painted river rock, as well as a champion's jersey. The prizes for our primes weren't cash, but they were worth three boxes of energy bars (some combination of Clif, Luna, and Mojo). Winning felt a lot more special when I actually won something besides bragging rights, since the other races I've done haven't actually bothered with podiums or real prizes.
Merced Crit 2/28/2010
Category: W4
Field Size: 22
Length: 20 laps
Teammates: Heather and Nancy
Place: 5th (Heather), 8th (Nancy), and DNP (me)
The Merced Crit course had 3 right turns plus a loop around the courthouse with a chicane right after. Road quality was decent, although there were some bumps all around the courthouse. The race course was crowded though, due to the fact that the race organizers scheduled one time slot for 22 Cat 4 women, 10 Cat 3 women, and 20 Cat 1/2 women. They ended up starting the 1/2/3 women in one group, then 30 seconds later the 4 women. We got passed once, but the race also ended a couple of laps early for the 4's field to avoid field overlap at the finish. Unfortunately, my race ended even earlier. With about 6 laps to go, I crashed on the second corner. I was about seventh in the line at the front of the pack, and I was distracted by seeing the first rider around the corner hit the lip of the gutter and nearly go down. Unfortunately, since she had taken a bad line, and I had been watching her, I accidentally took the same line and was down before I knew it. I tried to spring back up and get on my bike, but a half second after standing up the pain kicked in - I had road rash on my right upper thigh. Instead, I rode back to the start hoping that there were enough laps left to get back in by taking a free lap, but there were only five left. They had the medic lady clean my wound, and neither of us realized that I had another scrape until noticed a hole in my sock. I had also scraped a layer of skin off of my ankle, on the bony part that sticks out. I hadn't even noticed the pain since I was paying much more attention to the larger wound. Anyway, I got cleaned up just in time to watch Nancy and Heather in the final sprint. I saw Nancy going up the center just behind a couple of others, then I noticed that Heather was sneaking around the right side to snatch 5th place. I later learned that Heather had actually lost one of her contacts and rode the last lap half blind, so well done Heather!
I was disappointed that I crashed, since I think I could have placed well or won, but it wasn't the end of the world. I knew that I'd have plenty of other races to do, so there was no point in getting all upset. Dwelling on the past is no way to move forward in life - or bike racing! I've been learning something from every race I do, and I think the lesson this time was to pay better attention and to not blindly trust the choices that other people (especially Cat 4's) make on corners.
Field Size: 22
Length: 20 laps
Teammates: Heather and Nancy
Place: 5th (Heather), 8th (Nancy), and DNP (me)
The Merced Crit course had 3 right turns plus a loop around the courthouse with a chicane right after. Road quality was decent, although there were some bumps all around the courthouse. The race course was crowded though, due to the fact that the race organizers scheduled one time slot for 22 Cat 4 women, 10 Cat 3 women, and 20 Cat 1/2 women. They ended up starting the 1/2/3 women in one group, then 30 seconds later the 4 women. We got passed once, but the race also ended a couple of laps early for the 4's field to avoid field overlap at the finish. Unfortunately, my race ended even earlier. With about 6 laps to go, I crashed on the second corner. I was about seventh in the line at the front of the pack, and I was distracted by seeing the first rider around the corner hit the lip of the gutter and nearly go down. Unfortunately, since she had taken a bad line, and I had been watching her, I accidentally took the same line and was down before I knew it. I tried to spring back up and get on my bike, but a half second after standing up the pain kicked in - I had road rash on my right upper thigh. Instead, I rode back to the start hoping that there were enough laps left to get back in by taking a free lap, but there were only five left. They had the medic lady clean my wound, and neither of us realized that I had another scrape until noticed a hole in my sock. I had also scraped a layer of skin off of my ankle, on the bony part that sticks out. I hadn't even noticed the pain since I was paying much more attention to the larger wound. Anyway, I got cleaned up just in time to watch Nancy and Heather in the final sprint. I saw Nancy going up the center just behind a couple of others, then I noticed that Heather was sneaking around the right side to snatch 5th place. I later learned that Heather had actually lost one of her contacts and rode the last lap half blind, so well done Heather!
I was disappointed that I crashed, since I think I could have placed well or won, but it wasn't the end of the world. I knew that I'd have plenty of other races to do, so there was no point in getting all upset. Dwelling on the past is no way to move forward in life - or bike racing! I've been learning something from every race I do, and I think the lesson this time was to pay better attention and to not blindly trust the choices that other people (especially Cat 4's) make on corners.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Cal Poly Classic Crit 2/21/2010
Category: W4/3
Field Size: 14
Length: 40 minutes
Place: 3rd
I went searching for a race last weekend and found that I only had to drive 200 miles to San Luis Obispo to get to one! Since Jose and I just bought our first car (a 1999 Subaru Outback) last Thursday specifically so that we could get to races easier, we decided to drive down. The Cal Poly Classic was a very tough crit. It was half uphill, half downhill, and part of that uphill was rather steep. There were two 90 degree right turns right after each other (not quite a u-turn, but maybe 20 meters between them?) on the downhill part, which was insane. There was one Cat 1 woman in our race, since she was the only one preregistered for the 1/2 race, although she raced again when 4 others showed up. A couple of laps in, the Cat 1 and two others managed to make a break, and I ended up chasing them the rest of the time. For a few laps, I had a SoCal girl almost behind me, which I knew only because people would cheer for her as I went by, but I barely saw her, since I wasn't looking back. I dropped her, and at 10 laps to go, I was 21 seconds back on the 3 leaders. For the next 5 laps, I gained on them (Jose was yelling out how far behind I was every lap), up to only 12 seconds back, and I could see them getting closer. Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain the pace, and I lost concentration on the corners, so I slowly lost time back to probably 20 seconds back until the finish. I found that the 5 or so laps that I was gaining, I took very good lines through the downhill corners, but I'm not great at cornering, so on all of the other laps I ended up having to brake more (I always had to brake, since I didn't want to slide out or go over the hay bales). Part of my difficulty on the corners was due what I thought was a nasty bump in the road exactly where I thought the otherwise best line would take me, so I had to experiment with other lines. Along the way, I lapped at least 3 riders, but I didn't really know where the rest of the ladies were. What I didn't know the whole way was that I was 20 seconds behind the leaders and 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack. It was a fight the whole way to try to maintain my distance to the leaders, but I think I'm glad that I didn't know where the pack was. Going it alone was totally worth my 3rd place finish (4th technically, but the Cat 1 doesn't count). It was a really good learning experience for me, since I got some great cornering experience.
Field Size: 14
Length: 40 minutes
Place: 3rd
I went searching for a race last weekend and found that I only had to drive 200 miles to San Luis Obispo to get to one! Since Jose and I just bought our first car (a 1999 Subaru Outback) last Thursday specifically so that we could get to races easier, we decided to drive down. The Cal Poly Classic was a very tough crit. It was half uphill, half downhill, and part of that uphill was rather steep. There were two 90 degree right turns right after each other (not quite a u-turn, but maybe 20 meters between them?) on the downhill part, which was insane. There was one Cat 1 woman in our race, since she was the only one preregistered for the 1/2 race, although she raced again when 4 others showed up. A couple of laps in, the Cat 1 and two others managed to make a break, and I ended up chasing them the rest of the time. For a few laps, I had a SoCal girl almost behind me, which I knew only because people would cheer for her as I went by, but I barely saw her, since I wasn't looking back. I dropped her, and at 10 laps to go, I was 21 seconds back on the 3 leaders. For the next 5 laps, I gained on them (Jose was yelling out how far behind I was every lap), up to only 12 seconds back, and I could see them getting closer. Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain the pace, and I lost concentration on the corners, so I slowly lost time back to probably 20 seconds back until the finish. I found that the 5 or so laps that I was gaining, I took very good lines through the downhill corners, but I'm not great at cornering, so on all of the other laps I ended up having to brake more (I always had to brake, since I didn't want to slide out or go over the hay bales). Part of my difficulty on the corners was due what I thought was a nasty bump in the road exactly where I thought the otherwise best line would take me, so I had to experiment with other lines. Along the way, I lapped at least 3 riders, but I didn't really know where the rest of the ladies were. What I didn't know the whole way was that I was 20 seconds behind the leaders and 20 seconds ahead of the rest of the pack. It was a fight the whole way to try to maintain my distance to the leaders, but I think I'm glad that I didn't know where the pack was. Going it alone was totally worth my 3rd place finish (4th technically, but the Cat 1 doesn't count). It was a really good learning experience for me, since I got some great cornering experience.
Cantua Creek Road Race 2/13/2010
Category: W4
Field Size: 22
Length: 52 miles
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 1st (me) and 3rd (Nancy)
The Cantua Creek road race was 52 miles on a mostly flat course with some rolling hills and larger hill at the start/finish/turnaround. The course was 13 miles out, 13 back, 13 out, 13 back, so we got to climb the hill twice. The race was very boring for at least the first 39 miles, with the pace being very slow, and there being no serious attacks. As a result, the pack was a little dangerous at times, when half the pack would pass the other half because they got fed up with the slow pace. I think that for me the worst parts where when I was riding on the left side of the pack and people to my right would crowd me such that I had to either move forward (not usually any space), to my left (across the double yellow), or back. As a result, I spent a lot of time at the very back of the pack, which didn't worry me too much since it was obvious that nothing exciting was going to happen in the earlier parts. However, it was a very good learning experience for me, and I got some good practice moving up in the pack. The race only got interesting in the last 10 minutes (I'm not sure how many miles it was), and it was because I decided that it was finally time to make a move. I reasoned that there was no way that I would last in a breakaway for very long on the flat section, since the pack had been going so slowing that they had to have a lot of energy left, so I timed my move to be close to the end. I also wanted to avoid having the finish be decided by a bunch of fresh skinny people on an uphill, since I wasn't sure that I could beat them in a sprint. I attacked going into a small uphill with a big sprint, so that I managed to open up a sizable gap right away, since I didn't want to just pull the pack, and I knew that if I waited for someone to get on my wheel to go with, the whole pack would be with me. I was out front by myself for a couple of minutes, but I got caught by two other girls on an overpass. They had bridged to me and we still had some space on the rest of the field, though I wasn't looking back very much to check. Despite being caught, it was actually my salvation, as I was beginning to tire from my continued hard effort. I managed to draft the pair of them as we went over some of the remaining hills (the hills got bigger near the finish), and was soon rested enough to attack again. I knew that I needed to keep attacking and keep my pace up, as I think at that point we were slowing and some of the field was getting closer. I dropped the two ladies with me and went as hard as I could up the finishing climb. My attack had helped string out the pack and gave Nancy the chance to break away to follow me up the hill, along with one other girl, and I could hear Nancy cheering me on as we went up the final hill. I managed to hang onto my lead, and Nancy pulled off 3rd place, with the rest of the pack quite a ways behind us. So although the race started out being boring, it was a great finish for both of us - it was my first road race, and Nancy's first podium finish!
Field Size: 22
Length: 52 miles
Teammates: Nancy
Places: 1st (me) and 3rd (Nancy)
The Cantua Creek road race was 52 miles on a mostly flat course with some rolling hills and larger hill at the start/finish/turnaround. The course was 13 miles out, 13 back, 13 out, 13 back, so we got to climb the hill twice. The race was very boring for at least the first 39 miles, with the pace being very slow, and there being no serious attacks. As a result, the pack was a little dangerous at times, when half the pack would pass the other half because they got fed up with the slow pace. I think that for me the worst parts where when I was riding on the left side of the pack and people to my right would crowd me such that I had to either move forward (not usually any space), to my left (across the double yellow), or back. As a result, I spent a lot of time at the very back of the pack, which didn't worry me too much since it was obvious that nothing exciting was going to happen in the earlier parts. However, it was a very good learning experience for me, and I got some good practice moving up in the pack. The race only got interesting in the last 10 minutes (I'm not sure how many miles it was), and it was because I decided that it was finally time to make a move. I reasoned that there was no way that I would last in a breakaway for very long on the flat section, since the pack had been going so slowing that they had to have a lot of energy left, so I timed my move to be close to the end. I also wanted to avoid having the finish be decided by a bunch of fresh skinny people on an uphill, since I wasn't sure that I could beat them in a sprint. I attacked going into a small uphill with a big sprint, so that I managed to open up a sizable gap right away, since I didn't want to just pull the pack, and I knew that if I waited for someone to get on my wheel to go with, the whole pack would be with me. I was out front by myself for a couple of minutes, but I got caught by two other girls on an overpass. They had bridged to me and we still had some space on the rest of the field, though I wasn't looking back very much to check. Despite being caught, it was actually my salvation, as I was beginning to tire from my continued hard effort. I managed to draft the pair of them as we went over some of the remaining hills (the hills got bigger near the finish), and was soon rested enough to attack again. I knew that I needed to keep attacking and keep my pace up, as I think at that point we were slowing and some of the field was getting closer. I dropped the two ladies with me and went as hard as I could up the finishing climb. My attack had helped string out the pack and gave Nancy the chance to break away to follow me up the hill, along with one other girl, and I could hear Nancy cheering me on as we went up the final hill. I managed to hang onto my lead, and Nancy pulled off 3rd place, with the rest of the pack quite a ways behind us. So although the race started out being boring, it was a great finish for both of us - it was my first road race, and Nancy's first podium finish!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Cherry Pie Criterium 2/7/2010
Category: W4
Field Size: ~40
Length: 30 minutes
Teammates: Kira, Nancy, Heather
Place: 4th
The Cherry Pie crit course was about a mile long and mostly flat, except for a short uphill to the start/finish followed by a u-turn back down the hill. Road quality was decent but not great, and the corners were nothing special. The race started out reasonably well and the pace wasn't too slow. I made a stupid attack about halfway through, not realizing just how much of the race was left, and wasted a lot of energy to not really get anywhere. I also learned that I needed more practice maneuvering through the pack, since I kept getting pushed to the back, and that I need to practice cornering. While I wasn't in a great position going into the last lap, unfortunately Kira was in a worse position, and she ended up crashing because of another rider's incompetence through the downhill turn. I saw her go over her handlebars, but realized that I couldn't afford to get distracted or I would crash too. For the rest of the lap, I managed to slowly work my way forward, despite being blocked in most of the time, and in the end I broke free to sprint after the leaders to snatch a 4th place finish. After the race, we had to wait for Kira to be brought up the hill to see how she was, and we found her with a broken collarbone. Heal fast Kira, we want you back! On a (very slightly) happier note, Kira's bike was unharmed, her body having taken the brunt of the fall, so when she heals up she can get right back on.
Field Size: ~40
Length: 30 minutes
Teammates: Kira, Nancy, Heather
Place: 4th
The Cherry Pie crit course was about a mile long and mostly flat, except for a short uphill to the start/finish followed by a u-turn back down the hill. Road quality was decent but not great, and the corners were nothing special. The race started out reasonably well and the pace wasn't too slow. I made a stupid attack about halfway through, not realizing just how much of the race was left, and wasted a lot of energy to not really get anywhere. I also learned that I needed more practice maneuvering through the pack, since I kept getting pushed to the back, and that I need to practice cornering. While I wasn't in a great position going into the last lap, unfortunately Kira was in a worse position, and she ended up crashing because of another rider's incompetence through the downhill turn. I saw her go over her handlebars, but realized that I couldn't afford to get distracted or I would crash too. For the rest of the lap, I managed to slowly work my way forward, despite being blocked in most of the time, and in the end I broke free to sprint after the leaders to snatch a 4th place finish. After the race, we had to wait for Kira to be brought up the hill to see how she was, and we found her with a broken collarbone. Heal fast Kira, we want you back! On a (very slightly) happier note, Kira's bike was unharmed, her body having taken the brunt of the fall, so when she heals up she can get right back on.
Early Bird Training Series 1/3/2010-1/31/2010
The Early Bird Training Series was a set of short clinics followed by mentored practice criteriums. Every week, the clinic (which was about an hour long) focused on a different subject, and they built on as it went. Following the clinic, there were practice races for all categories, with the lower categories first, since it was mostly for our benefit. For the women's category 4 races, we did 40 minutes, and we were usually split into two fields that raced simultaneously - the experienced (those who'd done 10+ races) and the inexperienced. Being myself inexperienced, I always chose the latter. The course was a perfect training course, about a mile around with wide roads and nice wide turns. The road quality was quite nice, although there were Botts dots everywhere. Each week I had a nice 11 mile warmup, as I rode from Menlo Park to Fremont, across the Dumbarton Bridge. Here's a quick summary of how each week went.
#1 - 1/3/2010
The clinic the first week was a basic introduction to racing and pack skills. We were told that it's very important to stay relaxed and breathe calmly, so that when something unexpected happens, we don't freak out and overreact. Being relaxed also helps absorb bumps on the road. Also a very important lesson was to protect your front wheel, that your front wheel is your responsibility to keep safe. Predictable riding was also a key point, as sudden lateral movements can easily cause a crash, especially if someone behind you has their front wheel overlapped with your rear wheel. Don't overlap wheels was another guideline to follow. Also, ride in your drops during a crit or crowded road race, since you have better control in your drops and it also protects your bars from hooking on other people's bars.
The race was a lot of fun. We had probably 20 people in the inexperienced field, and with the wide course we weren't crowded at all. The corners were wide enough to pedal through, so the pack didn't have too much of a bungee effect. The pace was somewhat slow, and I stayed near the front as much as I could. I think I took off with about a quarter lap to go and dropped everyone for a solo win.
#2 - 1/10/2010
The next clinic was a lesson in how to take the turns. It wasn't quite a lesson in cornering, as they were teaching us the best line to take through turns that we could pedal through. The gist of it was that you should set up the turn by starting wide, then go to the inside as you go around the turn, then finish wide. By doing this, you can keep your momentum more effectively. They had us do drills on a corner with mentors standing in our way to make us take the correct line. We also practiced doing it in groups of up to six, so we could see how it was to follow other people through a turn.
The race was very similar to week one, and once again I stayed near the front most of the race. However, at point I was actually near the back and a couple people in front of me went down because there were squished between a curb and another rider, and I actually went down briefly. My bike and I were ok (so were the others), so I hopped up immediately and chased down the pack, with the help of a friendly mentor. After that I stayed up front and took off in the middle of the last lap for another win.
#3 - 1/17/2010
I think the third clinic was about filling in the gaps and moving through the field. We did a drill where we formed up a double pace line and the mentors would tell someone to let a gap open up in front of them, and then someone else would have to pass them to fill in the gap.
This week we combined the inexperienced field with the experienced since fewer people had shown up (it was threatening to rain and had been raining a little bit). The pace was maybe a little faster, but nothing too exciting happened until it started pouring down rain with 2 laps to go. At that point, I just got up front and pretty much took off with a lap to go, as I didn't trust myself or the other ladies to corner well in a pack in the pouring rain. Once again I won by a fair margin.
#5 - 1/31/2010
I skipped the fourth clinic/race due to a combination of lack of enough sleep for several nights in a row and the fact that it was 40 degrees and raining outside. They said that the fourth clinic talked about making breakaways and how to bridge a gap. The fifth clinic was partly review, and then we did a drill of a threaded paceline, where there was a line on the left and a line on the right, and the last riders in the lines would take turns passing everyone by going between the lines and then taking their turn on the front. This wasn't a situation that would happen in a real race, but it was giving us practice moving up between two riders.
The race this week was a bit bigger, since the final race of the series was a real race instead of a training race, so they actually recorded placings and it was good for upgrade points. The race was probably the fastest of the five, and more people were pushing the pace. After a group of about five of us almost made a break in the next to last lap, I found the perfect opening to gap the field for the last lap and I managed to hold everyone off until the end. A group of five or so tried to chase me down, but I still beat them.
So all in all, the Early Bird Training Series was a great experience for me. I got a lot of practice riding in a pack, learned some important skills, and figured out that I can go really fast for 500-1000 meters. I kept to that strategy for every race since I didn't know how I'd be in a field sprint. The whole experience got me super excited for bike racing, I had so much fun every week.
#1 - 1/3/2010
The clinic the first week was a basic introduction to racing and pack skills. We were told that it's very important to stay relaxed and breathe calmly, so that when something unexpected happens, we don't freak out and overreact. Being relaxed also helps absorb bumps on the road. Also a very important lesson was to protect your front wheel, that your front wheel is your responsibility to keep safe. Predictable riding was also a key point, as sudden lateral movements can easily cause a crash, especially if someone behind you has their front wheel overlapped with your rear wheel. Don't overlap wheels was another guideline to follow. Also, ride in your drops during a crit or crowded road race, since you have better control in your drops and it also protects your bars from hooking on other people's bars.
The race was a lot of fun. We had probably 20 people in the inexperienced field, and with the wide course we weren't crowded at all. The corners were wide enough to pedal through, so the pack didn't have too much of a bungee effect. The pace was somewhat slow, and I stayed near the front as much as I could. I think I took off with about a quarter lap to go and dropped everyone for a solo win.
#2 - 1/10/2010
The next clinic was a lesson in how to take the turns. It wasn't quite a lesson in cornering, as they were teaching us the best line to take through turns that we could pedal through. The gist of it was that you should set up the turn by starting wide, then go to the inside as you go around the turn, then finish wide. By doing this, you can keep your momentum more effectively. They had us do drills on a corner with mentors standing in our way to make us take the correct line. We also practiced doing it in groups of up to six, so we could see how it was to follow other people through a turn.
The race was very similar to week one, and once again I stayed near the front most of the race. However, at point I was actually near the back and a couple people in front of me went down because there were squished between a curb and another rider, and I actually went down briefly. My bike and I were ok (so were the others), so I hopped up immediately and chased down the pack, with the help of a friendly mentor. After that I stayed up front and took off in the middle of the last lap for another win.
#3 - 1/17/2010
I think the third clinic was about filling in the gaps and moving through the field. We did a drill where we formed up a double pace line and the mentors would tell someone to let a gap open up in front of them, and then someone else would have to pass them to fill in the gap.
This week we combined the inexperienced field with the experienced since fewer people had shown up (it was threatening to rain and had been raining a little bit). The pace was maybe a little faster, but nothing too exciting happened until it started pouring down rain with 2 laps to go. At that point, I just got up front and pretty much took off with a lap to go, as I didn't trust myself or the other ladies to corner well in a pack in the pouring rain. Once again I won by a fair margin.
#5 - 1/31/2010
I skipped the fourth clinic/race due to a combination of lack of enough sleep for several nights in a row and the fact that it was 40 degrees and raining outside. They said that the fourth clinic talked about making breakaways and how to bridge a gap. The fifth clinic was partly review, and then we did a drill of a threaded paceline, where there was a line on the left and a line on the right, and the last riders in the lines would take turns passing everyone by going between the lines and then taking their turn on the front. This wasn't a situation that would happen in a real race, but it was giving us practice moving up between two riders.
The race this week was a bit bigger, since the final race of the series was a real race instead of a training race, so they actually recorded placings and it was good for upgrade points. The race was probably the fastest of the five, and more people were pushing the pace. After a group of about five of us almost made a break in the next to last lap, I found the perfect opening to gap the field for the last lap and I managed to hold everyone off until the end. A group of five or so tried to chase me down, but I still beat them.
So all in all, the Early Bird Training Series was a great experience for me. I got a lot of practice riding in a pack, learned some important skills, and figured out that I can go really fast for 500-1000 meters. I kept to that strategy for every race since I didn't know how I'd be in a field sprint. The whole experience got me super excited for bike racing, I had so much fun every week.
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