I had trouble selecting a bike from the quiver for this year's 6-gaps ride. I don't want to use my new Ridley, as it is set up strictly for road racing. It is also my only 10spd drivetrain bike, and I really don't have any options laying around that will get me down to 1:1 gear ratio. The current issue of Bicycling magazine lists Lincoln Gap as the steepest paved mile in the USA. It averages about 20% with parts so steep you can barely keep your front wheel on the ground. Most people need some crazy low gears for this, especially those not accustomed to mashing low RPM like myself.
My Dean Ti cross bike is suitably geared with compact crank up front and MTB cassette in back, but it is out of commission temporarily. A couple weeks ago I got a call from Ritchey (not Tom Ritchey himself, but the company he started) regarding a recall on cranks. Odd, I thought, as I didn't think I had any Ritchey cranks. I had to go downstairs to look. Turns out I had a Ritchey WCS crank on my cross bike. The left arm was designed too thin and snapping off at the BB. I shuddered thinking about that. How they tracked me down is beyond me, as I don't even remember where I ordered it through. Ritchey gave me an RA# to send left arm back for beefier replacement. I'm grateful they actively tracked folks down and didn't just post it on their website.
So I could consider my Specialized Allez, the oldest bike in my quiver. It has served me well over the years and has always been equipped with a triple. It is beastly heavy however. I use it for winter training and I put the cheapest, heaviest parts that will last a long time on it. I used it once for 6-gaps in a leaner form.
My Dean Ti road bike was most obvious choice, as I've used it for 6-gaps the last few years. But it no longer has a triple crank. I got sick of snickers at training rides and races (I have won masters races using a triple). I would need to swap out BB, crank, and probably front derailleur to get the gears needed for Lincoln Gap. That seemed like too much work, and I would have to pilfer the parts from the Specialized, leaving me with a second unrideable bike.
My Trek 5900 carbon bike was still hanging from a hook where I put it last fall after the Everest Challenge race. Both tires were flat (latex tubes). Bike was dusty from building an oak plasma display stand in the bike shop. But it had a compact crank and XTR mountain bike derailleur on it. Perfect. All I had to do was swap out the cassette for a 32t MTB cassette. I actually did this on my Rolf Vigor wheelset, a little more stout for the dirt sections of 6-gaps. This will get me down to 34:32, plenty low for Lincoln Gap.
Training value of 6-Gaps is dubious this time of year when most guys are beginning to peak. This is mainly true for those doing two hour or less road races and crits. It takes several days to fully recover from 6-Gaps, and intensity workouts don't work so well until you are recovered. Most of us will log several hours near LT during this ride. I don't train only to race though. A few times per year I go on cycling centric trips that involve massive amounts of climbing and consecutive long days in the saddle. This can be enjoyable only if one has the endurance to prevent successive rides from degenerating into miserable slogs. I would like to do the Shenandoah 100 mile MTB race this summer too. That could take 9 hours of hammering. And of course, the killer D2R2 seems to have found a permanent place on my annual calender. When I first reported on that ride a couple years ago, I said I wouldn't do it again. Just can't stay away from a good sufferfest though.
Weather is looking promising for Saturday, and I expect about 15-20 guys to make it. Hopefully rain over the next couple days keeps the gravel tamped down.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Lake Sunapee Road Race
Masters 45+ Report
For a third race weekend in a row, it looked like rain. Procedure is such - check radar, and if it looks like pouring rain during race, go back to bed. But like Jiminy and Sterling, the rain cleared out just in time and other than wind, I found Sunapee conditions ideal.
We had 60 guys pre-reg'd in the Masters 45+ field. Many of the usual suspects were there, minus the New Yawkers. Sunapee is not quite hilly enough to bust things up. As such, I didn't have high expectations in this race. Optimally, I hoped to get away with a few big riders like Bill Thompson (CCC/Keltic) or Keith Button (NorEast) that could fight the tough winds.
Right from the rotary at the start of the race, attacks started. I participated in many of these. The deal is, anybody that went off was a contender, and everybody wanted to have a piece of what they were starting. Nothing worked. We stayed together through the hills on the front side of the course. On back side (Rt 103A), Tom Butler (CCC/Keltic) and I got away on the first few rolling hills with a decent gap. A couple minutes later, we got caught just before the biggest, steepest hill on Rt 103A. I nearly got shelled right then and there.
I sat in for the rest of lap one. Before finishing the first lap, another two riders got off the front. Don't know who they were. They had 30-60 seconds on us at one point. Nobody seemed to be working. A couple attempts quickly became disorganized. I was recovered from initial burst with Tom and worked my way back to the front. IBC teammates Brett Rutledge and Brian Anderson, myself, and one other rider began a four-person tempo pace rotation at the front. This gradually brought the gap down. Around the time we reached Rt 11, the break was shut down. Hard to say how far that break could have gone if IBC hadn't stepped up to do something about it.
More attacks ensued on the hills of Rt 11. Tom Officer (Cycle Fitness) made a decisive move, taking two others with him. Not sure what happened, as the effort abruptly petered out with some strong words exchanged. Over the crest of the big hill, a split of about 10 riders pulled away. It appeared though that some of the strongest riders in the split stayed at the back. It wasn't working and never got very far away. We were all back together before turning onto Rt 103A.
On Rt 103A, with 15-20 minutes to go in race, Randy Kirk (Cycle Fitness) makes a strong surge off the front. For a while, he hung out only 20 seconds or so ahead of us. I was pretty much cooked by this point. It didn't really matter to me that we'd be sprinting for second place, as in these kind of finishes I'm so far out of contention anyway.
Climbing the stair step hill back to the rotary, I figured I'd go out on a suicide launch on the last rise. I did, nobody responded. The field probably knew I was gassed anyway. Cresting the high point, I had maybe 10 seconds lead with Randy 20-30 seconds up. But the descent down to the rotary was not kind to me. I got swarmed as I went into the rotary, and the posturing to the finish had already begun. I pretty much stayed out of the way. I was quite sure the entire field came by. I was so spent I could have walked my bike up as fast.
I was surprised to learn that Tom Butler won. I was sure Randy's lead was insurmountable, but he got swarmed in the last meters too. So I took 19th out of 59 finishers. With team support present, I should have done better.
In four road races so far this year, I have not placed better than 9th. I podium'd several races last year. I think multiple things are going on here. First, teammate Brett points out that I can't just anonymously ride away from the field anymore. When you race with the same guys enough times, they get to know who you are. Second, I missed or screwed up in two races this year. I was sick for Turtle Pond and I missed getting in the 45's at Jiminy, both podium finishes last year. I haven't been good at benchmarking my fitness this spring, but I should be pretty close to where I was last year at this time. I think there is one other thing going on.
Since the last couple races have not been very hilly, any chance for a decent finish must come from a clean break. I've spent a lot of time near the front waiting for opportune moments or hopping on promising moves of others. Rarely do early attempts succeed, but it just kills me to sit mid pack fretting over what if THE move happens and I'm stuck there. I could get caught in a split over a hill too. But it is costly to hang out near the front. Kilojoules tick away even though it may not seem much work is being expended. It comes down to being greedy, always being there at the right moment. I'm sure more experienced riders are better at reading the race and know when to move forward. Teammates have mildly admonished me the last couple races for my tactical recklessness, and the criticism is well taken.
Next planned road race is Housatonic. That course is hilly enough to bust things up good. Hope I have the goods to do it justice. In the mean time, 6-gaps (132 miles, 14,000ft vertical, dirt, 20% grades) is this Saturday. Looks like 20+ guys are on board for the sufferfest. Following weekend looks like another long mountains group ride.
For a third race weekend in a row, it looked like rain. Procedure is such - check radar, and if it looks like pouring rain during race, go back to bed. But like Jiminy and Sterling, the rain cleared out just in time and other than wind, I found Sunapee conditions ideal.
We had 60 guys pre-reg'd in the Masters 45+ field. Many of the usual suspects were there, minus the New Yawkers. Sunapee is not quite hilly enough to bust things up. As such, I didn't have high expectations in this race. Optimally, I hoped to get away with a few big riders like Bill Thompson (CCC/Keltic) or Keith Button (NorEast) that could fight the tough winds.
Right from the rotary at the start of the race, attacks started. I participated in many of these. The deal is, anybody that went off was a contender, and everybody wanted to have a piece of what they were starting. Nothing worked. We stayed together through the hills on the front side of the course. On back side (Rt 103A), Tom Butler (CCC/Keltic) and I got away on the first few rolling hills with a decent gap. A couple minutes later, we got caught just before the biggest, steepest hill on Rt 103A. I nearly got shelled right then and there.
I sat in for the rest of lap one. Before finishing the first lap, another two riders got off the front. Don't know who they were. They had 30-60 seconds on us at one point. Nobody seemed to be working. A couple attempts quickly became disorganized. I was recovered from initial burst with Tom and worked my way back to the front. IBC teammates Brett Rutledge and Brian Anderson, myself, and one other rider began a four-person tempo pace rotation at the front. This gradually brought the gap down. Around the time we reached Rt 11, the break was shut down. Hard to say how far that break could have gone if IBC hadn't stepped up to do something about it.
More attacks ensued on the hills of Rt 11. Tom Officer (Cycle Fitness) made a decisive move, taking two others with him. Not sure what happened, as the effort abruptly petered out with some strong words exchanged. Over the crest of the big hill, a split of about 10 riders pulled away. It appeared though that some of the strongest riders in the split stayed at the back. It wasn't working and never got very far away. We were all back together before turning onto Rt 103A.
On Rt 103A, with 15-20 minutes to go in race, Randy Kirk (Cycle Fitness) makes a strong surge off the front. For a while, he hung out only 20 seconds or so ahead of us. I was pretty much cooked by this point. It didn't really matter to me that we'd be sprinting for second place, as in these kind of finishes I'm so far out of contention anyway.
Climbing the stair step hill back to the rotary, I figured I'd go out on a suicide launch on the last rise. I did, nobody responded. The field probably knew I was gassed anyway. Cresting the high point, I had maybe 10 seconds lead with Randy 20-30 seconds up. But the descent down to the rotary was not kind to me. I got swarmed as I went into the rotary, and the posturing to the finish had already begun. I pretty much stayed out of the way. I was quite sure the entire field came by. I was so spent I could have walked my bike up as fast.
I was surprised to learn that Tom Butler won. I was sure Randy's lead was insurmountable, but he got swarmed in the last meters too. So I took 19th out of 59 finishers. With team support present, I should have done better.
In four road races so far this year, I have not placed better than 9th. I podium'd several races last year. I think multiple things are going on here. First, teammate Brett points out that I can't just anonymously ride away from the field anymore. When you race with the same guys enough times, they get to know who you are. Second, I missed or screwed up in two races this year. I was sick for Turtle Pond and I missed getting in the 45's at Jiminy, both podium finishes last year. I haven't been good at benchmarking my fitness this spring, but I should be pretty close to where I was last year at this time. I think there is one other thing going on.
Since the last couple races have not been very hilly, any chance for a decent finish must come from a clean break. I've spent a lot of time near the front waiting for opportune moments or hopping on promising moves of others. Rarely do early attempts succeed, but it just kills me to sit mid pack fretting over what if THE move happens and I'm stuck there. I could get caught in a split over a hill too. But it is costly to hang out near the front. Kilojoules tick away even though it may not seem much work is being expended. It comes down to being greedy, always being there at the right moment. I'm sure more experienced riders are better at reading the race and know when to move forward. Teammates have mildly admonished me the last couple races for my tactical recklessness, and the criticism is well taken.
Next planned road race is Housatonic. That course is hilly enough to bust things up good. Hope I have the goods to do it justice. In the mean time, 6-gaps (132 miles, 14,000ft vertical, dirt, 20% grades) is this Saturday. Looks like 20+ guys are on board for the sufferfest. Following weekend looks like another long mountains group ride.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Off-road Analgesic
Some of you may be expecting a Sunapee race report but instead find another boring trail ride report. Maybe the one or two trail riders that stop by occassionally will have moderate interest. I'm dissapointed in how the racing season has gone so far and need another day or two to sort out what to say about Sunapee. This is only my second season racing Masters 45+, and yet something seems to have changed. Other competitors have commented on the nature of 45+ races lately too. There's probably more to say about post Sunapee race happenings than the race itself, such as the 60k ride with Solobreak and Penney, or the state trooper hottie that pulled me over for speeding on Rt 103.
Whole ride, Massabesic Lake lower, Wahoo loop upper left
For now though, you get a trail ride report. Often my weekends throughout the summer have a race on Saturday and long trail ride on Sunday. Sunday's are my fun riding day. Probably junk miles, but psychological benefits outweigh fretting over what the training task master we all have in our heads dictates to do. There's nothing like a long, solo woods ride to sooth over disappointments.
The FOMBA trail system near Manchester, NH has been open a while now this spring. Conditions were dry. I parked at the Massabesic Lake park and started my ride like the annual FOMBA Turkey Burner fun ride. It's a big, fast loop around the lake on a mix of single and double track. I brought my new Garmin Edge 705 with me to gain more familiarity with it. I noticed that about 10 miles into the ride, the riding time and distance of both the 705 and my Cateye wired computer were within 0.1% of each other. In other words, they were in exact agreement.
FOMBA singletrack, clockwise from upper left, Ladyslipper, Deer Run, Red Pine, Sampler, Moose Track, Fisher Cat, Woodpecker
Then I got to the FOMBA singletrack network. This is the most noodly cluster of trails you can imagine. Tight, twisty, technical, and probably packed in something like a mile per acre. I noticed my Edge 705 started losing distance against the Cateye. In fact, in 8 miles of squiggly trail, I lost nearly a mile against the Cateye. That's >10% discrepancy, or 100x the error on straighter, faster terrain. The elapsed moving time stayed in perfect agreement. I know that a downloaded track file in DeLorme can truncate the distance in twisty terrain, but the GPS itself should never do this, as it integrates velocity to accumulate distance. Or so I would think. This is going to require more research, maybe a post or two on Garmin forums.
After riding seven FOMBA singletrack loops, I thought to myself that no ride at FOMBA is complete without doing a lap around the old Watershed Wahoo MTB race loop. This was my favorite race in the EFTA Championship series, partly due to its non-technical nature. It was essentially a 100 minute time trail speed fest with a couple thousand feet of climbing, four times around the hilly circuit. It was easy for me to win my expert class and placed 4th and 5th out of 300+ overall a couple years. No race-paced laps today though. At best, I was bumping up into tempo pace on the climbs. Sunapee race and post race ride really sapped me.
I did not do any MTB races last year, although I signed up for the Hampshire 100k and bailed on it. This year will not pass by without some competition on dirt. I'm planning to race the Shenandoah 100 later this summer. The longest MTB race I've done to date was the Vermont 50 Miler several years ago. The Shenandoah will take much longer (9+ hours?) and has much more climbing. Floyd Landis finished 3rd in 7:24hrs last year. Ought to be an epic.
It was an amazing morning to be out. Perfect temps, light breeze, pretty near had the place to myself, and bugs were barely noticeable (maybe if I stopped, I might have noticed more bugs). I rode 33 miles in 3hrs with about 3200ft of climbing, nearly all on dirt.
Whole ride, Massabesic Lake lower, Wahoo loop upper leftFor now though, you get a trail ride report. Often my weekends throughout the summer have a race on Saturday and long trail ride on Sunday. Sunday's are my fun riding day. Probably junk miles, but psychological benefits outweigh fretting over what the training task master we all have in our heads dictates to do. There's nothing like a long, solo woods ride to sooth over disappointments.
The FOMBA trail system near Manchester, NH has been open a while now this spring. Conditions were dry. I parked at the Massabesic Lake park and started my ride like the annual FOMBA Turkey Burner fun ride. It's a big, fast loop around the lake on a mix of single and double track. I brought my new Garmin Edge 705 with me to gain more familiarity with it. I noticed that about 10 miles into the ride, the riding time and distance of both the 705 and my Cateye wired computer were within 0.1% of each other. In other words, they were in exact agreement.
FOMBA singletrack, clockwise from upper left, Ladyslipper, Deer Run, Red Pine, Sampler, Moose Track, Fisher Cat, WoodpeckerThen I got to the FOMBA singletrack network. This is the most noodly cluster of trails you can imagine. Tight, twisty, technical, and probably packed in something like a mile per acre. I noticed my Edge 705 started losing distance against the Cateye. In fact, in 8 miles of squiggly trail, I lost nearly a mile against the Cateye. That's >10% discrepancy, or 100x the error on straighter, faster terrain. The elapsed moving time stayed in perfect agreement. I know that a downloaded track file in DeLorme can truncate the distance in twisty terrain, but the GPS itself should never do this, as it integrates velocity to accumulate distance. Or so I would think. This is going to require more research, maybe a post or two on Garmin forums.
After riding seven FOMBA singletrack loops, I thought to myself that no ride at FOMBA is complete without doing a lap around the old Watershed Wahoo MTB race loop. This was my favorite race in the EFTA Championship series, partly due to its non-technical nature. It was essentially a 100 minute time trail speed fest with a couple thousand feet of climbing, four times around the hilly circuit. It was easy for me to win my expert class and placed 4th and 5th out of 300+ overall a couple years. No race-paced laps today though. At best, I was bumping up into tempo pace on the climbs. Sunapee race and post race ride really sapped me.
I did not do any MTB races last year, although I signed up for the Hampshire 100k and bailed on it. This year will not pass by without some competition on dirt. I'm planning to race the Shenandoah 100 later this summer. The longest MTB race I've done to date was the Vermont 50 Miler several years ago. The Shenandoah will take much longer (9+ hours?) and has much more climbing. Floyd Landis finished 3rd in 7:24hrs last year. Ought to be an epic.
It was an amazing morning to be out. Perfect temps, light breeze, pretty near had the place to myself, and bugs were barely noticeable (maybe if I stopped, I might have noticed more bugs). I rode 33 miles in 3hrs with about 3200ft of climbing, nearly all on dirt.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sterling Flogging
Sterling Classic Road Race, Master's 45+
I reluctantly signed up for the Sterling road race since most of my team was going to be there. The organizers also created a separate Masters 45+ field this year. Looking at Bikereg pre-reg before the race, it seemed most of the combined masters 35+ field in year's past were 45+ rides, as our field was much bigger than the younger field this year. Sterling is raced more like a crit, as the hill is not steep enough for long enough to break things up. Successful breakaways are tough to pull off on this course. The finish usually comes down to a bunch sprint, albeit not a high speed one going up the short rise to the finish line. This was my first time racing Sterling.
Lining up, our field of 75 riders was asked if we wanted to do 6 laps instead of 5. Apparently many 45+ riders felt cheated from year's past riding in a combined masters field for 6 laps. Nobody objected, so moments before the start of our race, another 8 miles was tacked on. I was cool with that.
The 35's were staged 20 minutes ahead of us. A lap takes about 20 minutes. The race has a 2.5 mile neutral roll-out to the actual course. We no more than went live than a two-man break from the 35+ field came flying past. Then we were told to neutralize for the rest of the field to come by. Paul Curley (Gearworks) had a better idea. He got the field and our officials to completely stop our field for about 2 minutes to give the 35+ field a little gap ahead of us before we started racing again. It was the right thing to do, although Curley speculated that with all the fire power in our field, we'd catch them soon again anyway. It never happened, but looking at the results, they finished with about the same 2 minutes on us we gave them when stopping. The Bikereg results show elapsed time for each field and do not reflect that we were not moving for at least two minutes in the 45+ field. Bikereg also shows we did only 40mi, which is incorrect. We did 48 miles.
Our race stayed quite fast. The first time up the hill finishing lap 1 was quite hard. But many flat parts that intersperse the climb to the high point of the course gave the "gravity challenged" opportunities to stay on. The hill simply wasn't enough to be a "selector" as they say. Our field stayed largely intact to the finish.
I think it was on lap 4, Eric Pearce (Bethel Cycle), Dave Kellog (Arc en Ciel), myself, I think Tom Butler (CCC/Keltic), and one other rider got away at the top of the hill. We actively worked this, growing a sizable gap for a couple minutes. But it didn't stick. Strangely, after the race another rider thought one of Kellog's teammates chased us down. I couldn't confirm this. If true, why? Too many guys? Wrong mix of guys?
A few minutes later on the descent, Pearce, Kellog, and Mark Sumner (Battenkill-United) saunter off the front again. For a minute, it didn't look serious, and I made conscious choice to stay in field. I was right there and could have gone if I wanted. I just figured they'd be ruthlessly reeled in again. Nope. They put the hammer down and were gone, game over. Sumner was dropped a short while later and commented after the race that he couldn't hang on. Apparently Pearce was motoring something fierce. For much of a lap, the break was only 30 seconds up the road. We could have shut it down quickly, but nobody wanted to work. Gearworks? Mystic? BOB? Nope. IBC (my team) gave chase for a while, expending two of the riders in the process. In hindsight, I was mad with myself for not pursuing this one. But it very well could have been the case that had I joined, the threat would have been too big and not let away. You never know.
I continued to hang out in the front 10 guys for the rest of the race. Sometimes I was hung out off the very front to flounder. I was quickly draining my matchbook by doing so. Teammate Brett Rutledge commented that I was spending way too much time up there. But I am as non-sprinter as they come. In a bunch finish, I'm lucky to get 20th place. On a fast course like Sterling, my only hope is to create or join a break. Usually the types that are successful in breaks are more like myself, in that they can time-trial but not sprint well. This levels the playing field when coming in to the finish and I have a shot for a win. Otherwise, forget about it. Staying out front and draining myself at worse was going to knock me down a few places in a bunch finish, and who's counting at 20th place anyway? There were numerous attacks and counter attacks in laps 4-6. I tried to participate in many of these but was pretty much fried by the last lap. Anything that went off the front was viciously snuffed out. Butler, Joe Rano (Bike Alley), and Tyler Munroe (CCB) were mixing it up at the front a lot too.
I was in another unsuccessful break attempt near end of lap 5. Butler, myself and two other riders got away on Rt 12 as we overtook groups of Cat 4 riders. But on the initial climb to the finish, we were caught. That was the last couple matches I had left in my book.
Coming into the home stretch on Rt 12, we had a nice tail wind going up slight grade. Pace initially was 34mph, which ironically wasn't that hard. It did string things out good though. We still had over 40 guys in main field with Pearce/Kellog a minute up the road. I tried rolling off the front a couple times. If I got more than 1-2 seconds off the front, the gap would get slammed shut. Several attacks ensued, with two riders getting a few seconds on us at turn to the finish. I believe they were caught, as there were no time splits other than for Pearce/Kellog. I was in front few guys rounding the corner to the finish but was completely gassed from my futile efforts to get a gap. I kind of just stayed out of the way as what seemed like the whole field came by in the last 200m to the line. At least this isn't a 40mph sprint finish. It's more like a 20mph finish for the fastest guys, and they give us the whole road once rounding the corner. I finished in 18th place, mid pack-ish, which is typical for me in a sprint finish. Had I raced conservatively, I might have made the cash cutoff for top 6. To do so on a course like this, however, is to give up any chance for a podium finish.
So it was a frustrating race for the team and for me. I killed myself pretty much during the whole race and have nothing to show for it. Such is bicycle racing. Ironically, the races I place best in are ones where I didn't feel like I worked very hard. These tend to be big climbing races or where I get away and TT to the finish. Sterling was either 500W for a minute or nothing. Give me 350W for 30 minutes or more, maybe I can do something.
I debuted the new Ridley at this race. It performed flawlessly. One final tweak I still plan to make is change bar from 44cm to 42cm. I feel like I'm steering a school bus. The frame/wheels are ultra stiff. Energy transfer is immediate. The bike also rides harshly compared to my Dean Ti bikes. But the Ridley is race bred. It is supposed to be responsive, not a touring comfort bike. The steering is very quick. I feel a little less secure in tight pack than I do on my Dean. I'm sure I will adapt to this quickness as I ride and race it more.
I reluctantly signed up for the Sterling road race since most of my team was going to be there. The organizers also created a separate Masters 45+ field this year. Looking at Bikereg pre-reg before the race, it seemed most of the combined masters 35+ field in year's past were 45+ rides, as our field was much bigger than the younger field this year. Sterling is raced more like a crit, as the hill is not steep enough for long enough to break things up. Successful breakaways are tough to pull off on this course. The finish usually comes down to a bunch sprint, albeit not a high speed one going up the short rise to the finish line. This was my first time racing Sterling.
Lining up, our field of 75 riders was asked if we wanted to do 6 laps instead of 5. Apparently many 45+ riders felt cheated from year's past riding in a combined masters field for 6 laps. Nobody objected, so moments before the start of our race, another 8 miles was tacked on. I was cool with that.
The 35's were staged 20 minutes ahead of us. A lap takes about 20 minutes. The race has a 2.5 mile neutral roll-out to the actual course. We no more than went live than a two-man break from the 35+ field came flying past. Then we were told to neutralize for the rest of the field to come by. Paul Curley (Gearworks) had a better idea. He got the field and our officials to completely stop our field for about 2 minutes to give the 35+ field a little gap ahead of us before we started racing again. It was the right thing to do, although Curley speculated that with all the fire power in our field, we'd catch them soon again anyway. It never happened, but looking at the results, they finished with about the same 2 minutes on us we gave them when stopping. The Bikereg results show elapsed time for each field and do not reflect that we were not moving for at least two minutes in the 45+ field. Bikereg also shows we did only 40mi, which is incorrect. We did 48 miles.
Our race stayed quite fast. The first time up the hill finishing lap 1 was quite hard. But many flat parts that intersperse the climb to the high point of the course gave the "gravity challenged" opportunities to stay on. The hill simply wasn't enough to be a "selector" as they say. Our field stayed largely intact to the finish.
I think it was on lap 4, Eric Pearce (Bethel Cycle), Dave Kellog (Arc en Ciel), myself, I think Tom Butler (CCC/Keltic), and one other rider got away at the top of the hill. We actively worked this, growing a sizable gap for a couple minutes. But it didn't stick. Strangely, after the race another rider thought one of Kellog's teammates chased us down. I couldn't confirm this. If true, why? Too many guys? Wrong mix of guys?
A few minutes later on the descent, Pearce, Kellog, and Mark Sumner (Battenkill-United) saunter off the front again. For a minute, it didn't look serious, and I made conscious choice to stay in field. I was right there and could have gone if I wanted. I just figured they'd be ruthlessly reeled in again. Nope. They put the hammer down and were gone, game over. Sumner was dropped a short while later and commented after the race that he couldn't hang on. Apparently Pearce was motoring something fierce. For much of a lap, the break was only 30 seconds up the road. We could have shut it down quickly, but nobody wanted to work. Gearworks? Mystic? BOB? Nope. IBC (my team) gave chase for a while, expending two of the riders in the process. In hindsight, I was mad with myself for not pursuing this one. But it very well could have been the case that had I joined, the threat would have been too big and not let away. You never know.
I continued to hang out in the front 10 guys for the rest of the race. Sometimes I was hung out off the very front to flounder. I was quickly draining my matchbook by doing so. Teammate Brett Rutledge commented that I was spending way too much time up there. But I am as non-sprinter as they come. In a bunch finish, I'm lucky to get 20th place. On a fast course like Sterling, my only hope is to create or join a break. Usually the types that are successful in breaks are more like myself, in that they can time-trial but not sprint well. This levels the playing field when coming in to the finish and I have a shot for a win. Otherwise, forget about it. Staying out front and draining myself at worse was going to knock me down a few places in a bunch finish, and who's counting at 20th place anyway? There were numerous attacks and counter attacks in laps 4-6. I tried to participate in many of these but was pretty much fried by the last lap. Anything that went off the front was viciously snuffed out. Butler, Joe Rano (Bike Alley), and Tyler Munroe (CCB) were mixing it up at the front a lot too.
I was in another unsuccessful break attempt near end of lap 5. Butler, myself and two other riders got away on Rt 12 as we overtook groups of Cat 4 riders. But on the initial climb to the finish, we were caught. That was the last couple matches I had left in my book.
Coming into the home stretch on Rt 12, we had a nice tail wind going up slight grade. Pace initially was 34mph, which ironically wasn't that hard. It did string things out good though. We still had over 40 guys in main field with Pearce/Kellog a minute up the road. I tried rolling off the front a couple times. If I got more than 1-2 seconds off the front, the gap would get slammed shut. Several attacks ensued, with two riders getting a few seconds on us at turn to the finish. I believe they were caught, as there were no time splits other than for Pearce/Kellog. I was in front few guys rounding the corner to the finish but was completely gassed from my futile efforts to get a gap. I kind of just stayed out of the way as what seemed like the whole field came by in the last 200m to the line. At least this isn't a 40mph sprint finish. It's more like a 20mph finish for the fastest guys, and they give us the whole road once rounding the corner. I finished in 18th place, mid pack-ish, which is typical for me in a sprint finish. Had I raced conservatively, I might have made the cash cutoff for top 6. To do so on a course like this, however, is to give up any chance for a podium finish.
So it was a frustrating race for the team and for me. I killed myself pretty much during the whole race and have nothing to show for it. Such is bicycle racing. Ironically, the races I place best in are ones where I didn't feel like I worked very hard. These tend to be big climbing races or where I get away and TT to the finish. Sterling was either 500W for a minute or nothing. Give me 350W for 30 minutes or more, maybe I can do something.
I debuted the new Ridley at this race. It performed flawlessly. One final tweak I still plan to make is change bar from 44cm to 42cm. I feel like I'm steering a school bus. The frame/wheels are ultra stiff. Energy transfer is immediate. The bike also rides harshly compared to my Dean Ti bikes. But the Ridley is race bred. It is supposed to be responsive, not a touring comfort bike. The steering is very quick. I feel a little less secure in tight pack than I do on my Dean. I'm sure I will adapt to this quickness as I ride and race it more.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Value of Stan's
I've been bringing my Dean hardtail back up to peak riding form. The recent Arizona trip was hard on it. Vertical mile descents, desert dust, and cacti thorns up the wazoo. I destroyed the rear tire accidentally on 
my first trail day when I wasn't even on the bike. I brushed a cholla cactus and put many nail-sized thorns through the sidewall. There wasn't enough sealant in there to deal with that catastrophe. I was still able to finish the ride though. The next day I had to put worn spare UST (tubeless) tire on the rear wheel. It was almost bald, and after a week of hard riding, it was completely bald. It was a most worthless tire for trail riding.
Tonight I put two new WTB tubeless tires on. The ones I took off were full of thorns. The Stan's sealant I use really does the trick. I'm saving the old WTB tire off the front (it still had some tread left on it) for my spare. I pulled the thorns out. If I have to use it on my next trip, the Stan's will promptly fill the thorn punctures.
The original Hayes disk brakes have seen better days on that bike too. The front lever was going down to the bar with little braking action going on. Bleeding the system did not revive it. The master cylinder is toast I think. It would cost almost as much to rebuild it as to buy a whole new brake, which is what I did. For the rear too. With recent XTR overhaul, now brakes and tires, the bike will ride like brand new again. I built this one up in 2000 or 2001 I believe.
My new Ridley road racing machine is ready. I've been dialing things in over the last couple weeks. I swapped out the Bontrager tires and tubes for Michelin Pro2 Race tires and Specialized heavy weight tubes. Puncture flats irritate me, and brand new tires/tubes should not flat as easily as the Bontrager setup did. I've got seat height set now. This requires cutting frame (seat mast) with hacksaw. Scary. I take off exactly minimum amount to fit me with one spacer. If I ever sell the bike, somebody up to 2" taller than me should be able buy it. I had some nuisance chain drop issues I could not adjust out with certainty. The frame does not have a round seat tube, so I could not simply bolt on a Deda "Fang." I had to cut the clamp off and glue just the tip of the fang to the seat tube. I can now shift from big to little ring in any cog with 100% confidence.
IBC is a pleasure to work with in getting fit dialed. They let me swap the stem out for a 1cm shorter one to achieve a fit more like my Dean I've been riding for 7 years. I may want to put narrower bar on there too, but shop was out of the 3T bar in 42cm size. Many thanks to IBC in working this out with me after I've had the bike a few weeks. The local shop here in Nashua would never accommodate a rider this way.
I took the Ridley out for its first serious training ride today at lunch. Dave and I did 45mi with 3500ft of climbing. The climbs got progressively bigger, starting with Pine Hill 1&2, Tyng Hill, Federal Hill, Abbot Hill, and finally Pead Hill in Wilton. The ride cooked me about as thoroughly as the Jiminy Peak race did. The first five climbs were VOmax efforts. Hope to debut the Ridley at Sterling this weekend.
my first trail day when I wasn't even on the bike. I brushed a cholla cactus and put many nail-sized thorns through the sidewall. There wasn't enough sealant in there to deal with that catastrophe. I was still able to finish the ride though. The next day I had to put worn spare UST (tubeless) tire on the rear wheel. It was almost bald, and after a week of hard riding, it was completely bald. It was a most worthless tire for trail riding.Tonight I put two new WTB tubeless tires on. The ones I took off were full of thorns. The Stan's sealant I use really does the trick. I'm saving the old WTB tire off the front (it still had some tread left on it) for my spare. I pulled the thorns out. If I have to use it on my next trip, the Stan's will promptly fill the thorn punctures.
The original Hayes disk brakes have seen better days on that bike too. The front lever was going down to the bar with little braking action going on. Bleeding the system did not revive it. The master cylinder is toast I think. It would cost almost as much to rebuild it as to buy a whole new brake, which is what I did. For the rear too. With recent XTR overhaul, now brakes and tires, the bike will ride like brand new again. I built this one up in 2000 or 2001 I believe.My new Ridley road racing machine is ready. I've been dialing things in over the last couple weeks. I swapped out the Bontrager tires and tubes for Michelin Pro2 Race tires and Specialized heavy weight tubes. Puncture flats irritate me, and brand new tires/tubes should not flat as easily as the Bontrager setup did. I've got seat height set now. This requires cutting frame (seat mast) with hacksaw. Scary. I take off exactly minimum amount to fit me with one spacer. If I ever sell the bike, somebody up to 2" taller than me should be able buy it. I had some nuisance chain drop issues I could not adjust out with certainty. The frame does not have a round seat tube, so I could not simply bolt on a Deda "Fang." I had to cut the clamp off and glue just the tip of the fang to the seat tube. I can now shift from big to little ring in any cog with 100% confidence.
IBC is a pleasure to work with in getting fit dialed. They let me swap the stem out for a 1cm shorter one to achieve a fit more like my Dean I've been riding for 7 years. I may want to put narrower bar on there too, but shop was out of the 3T bar in 42cm size. Many thanks to IBC in working this out with me after I've had the bike a few weeks. The local shop here in Nashua would never accommodate a rider this way.
I took the Ridley out for its first serious training ride today at lunch. Dave and I did 45mi with 3500ft of climbing. The climbs got progressively bigger, starting with Pine Hill 1&2, Tyng Hill, Federal Hill, Abbot Hill, and finally Pead Hill in Wilton. The ride cooked me about as thoroughly as the Jiminy Peak race did. The first five climbs were VOmax efforts. Hope to debut the Ridley at Sterling this weekend.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Jiminy Spanked
Raced in the Masters 35+ today at Jiminy Peak. Weather was dank - drizzly, windy, with temp in the low to mid 40's. We lucked out though. At least the rain stopped before we rolled off. The roads remained wet for most of the race.
I know very few riders in the Master's 35+ field. I recognized names of many pre-registered riders that place well, but I can't put faces to those names. A lot of riders have switched teams or have completely redesigned team kits too, further complicating who's who. 113 were pre-registered, and I'd guess 100 lined up. My plan was to not drift too far back from the front and not get caught behind a split. This plan did not serve me well.
As soon as we popped out on Rt 43, three riders took off and the field did nothing. I was not going to hop on every wisp that went off the front. We went so pathetically slow, 12mph at one point on Rt 43, that the 45+ field caught up to us as we turned onto Rt 7. The officials tried to neutralize us, but they weren't very successful. Eventually we started racing, setting a blistering pace over the finishing climb. This brought us all back together. I hit 55mph on the descent.
Back on Rt 43, attack after attack ensued. I did not participate in any of these, but I stayed very close to the front and had no choice but to all-out accelerate to stay with lead guys. It seemed guys like Ruiz (CCC/Keltic - who won 35's last year) and Aspholm (Westwood Velo - at least I think that was him) weren't concerned about many of these attempts either. This type of racing doesn't play into my strengths well at all. Each acceleration removed a match from my book. It seemed at any one time, there were always two or three guys off the front, but not very far, and not for long. We'd go gang-busters, catch somebody, then sit up. Our average speed was pretty slow, but when we went, we really went.
The second time over the finishing hill, I started to think I wasn't going to survive it one more time. Jiminy always does this to me. More riders got away on Rt 43 again, and this time it stuck. I don't know who they were. It seemed odd that some of strongest guys I knew in the field weren't part of this and teammates didn't seem to be proactive in chasing them down. There were several CCC/Keltic guys in the field and I don't think they made it in this initial break. On one of the risers on Rt 43, we got a nice split of about 15 riders away from the main pack. I pulled through working this a couple times, but was barely able to pull through. The field still had some fire power and caught us after a few miles. I'm guessing teams of the three-man break didn't want us spoiling their party. A little later, a couple more guys rolled off the front, then again on Rt 7 we lost a couple more.
I've learned my lesson in the past hopping on everything that takes off only to get reeled back in and being toast well before the finish. Well, in this race, pretty much anybody that took off on the third lap was let go. Go figure. We still had Aspholm, Ruiz, Gump (Incline Training) in the field of at least 30, maybe 50 guys going into finishing climb. Climb or no climb, I hate these kind of finishes. We would be competing for about 10th place. I was perfectly content just finishing with the field at this point. I was near the front rounding the corner onto Brodie Mtn Rd. It was still wet and a little muddy on the inside, the line I took each time. Half way up, about 10 more guys come past me, but then as we approached the finish, a lot of guys ran out of gas and I passed many. This was still good for at best 20th place, but more likely 25th or lower. We were mixing in with other dropped riders, so it was hard to tell. Not really that disappointed. It was a safe race and I got an excellent workout.
Talking with guys from the field I really wanted to be in, the 45+ field, I heard there were a couple minor crashes. Teammate Brett flatted on the first lap and was not able to get back on. The finishing climb was also quite mellow too.
So if the race was the main course for today, a tasty little climb I did after the race was dessert. A local rider pointed this out to me a couple years ago. It is Mt Tom near Springfield, MA. There used to be a cog railroad that went to the summit. Now a very narrow paved path sits in its place. The grade is heinous, 16% for 0.9 miles. That's average. I'm betting sustained sections exceed 20% with one bit at 25-30% right at the top. I nearly wheelied over backwards on that. On the descent, I had trouble keeping my rear wheel from skidding on the damp surface. Kids, don't try this right after a punishing road race without a triple crank. I think I was at 40rpm standing the whole way up. Anyway, the Google Earth and photo images tell the rest of the story.
I know very few riders in the Master's 35+ field. I recognized names of many pre-registered riders that place well, but I can't put faces to those names. A lot of riders have switched teams or have completely redesigned team kits too, further complicating who's who. 113 were pre-registered, and I'd guess 100 lined up. My plan was to not drift too far back from the front and not get caught behind a split. This plan did not serve me well.As soon as we popped out on Rt 43, three riders took off and the field did nothing. I was not going to hop on every wisp that went off the front. We went so pathetically slow, 12mph at one point on Rt 43, that the 45+ field caught up to us as we turned onto Rt 7. The officials tried to neutralize us, but they weren't very successful. Eventually we started racing, setting a blistering pace over the finishing climb. This brought us all back together. I hit 55mph on the descent.
Back on Rt 43, attack after attack ensued. I did not participate in any of these, but I stayed very close to the front and had no choice but to all-out accelerate to stay with lead guys. It seemed guys like Ruiz (CCC/Keltic - who won 35's last year) and Aspholm (Westwood Velo - at least I think that was him) weren't concerned about many of these attempts either. This type of racing doesn't play into my strengths well at all. Each acceleration removed a match from my book. It seemed at any one time, there were always two or three guys off the front, but not very far, and not for long. We'd go gang-busters, catch somebody, then sit up. Our average speed was pretty slow, but when we went, we really went.
The second time over the finishing hill, I started to think I wasn't going to survive it one more time. Jiminy always does this to me. More riders got away on Rt 43 again, and this time it stuck. I don't know who they were. It seemed odd that some of strongest guys I knew in the field weren't part of this and teammates didn't seem to be proactive in chasing them down. There were several CCC/Keltic guys in the field and I don't think they made it in this initial break. On one of the risers on Rt 43, we got a nice split of about 15 riders away from the main pack. I pulled through working this a couple times, but was barely able to pull through. The field still had some fire power and caught us after a few miles. I'm guessing teams of the three-man break didn't want us spoiling their party. A little later, a couple more guys rolled off the front, then again on Rt 7 we lost a couple more.
I've learned my lesson in the past hopping on everything that takes off only to get reeled back in and being toast well before the finish. Well, in this race, pretty much anybody that took off on the third lap was let go. Go figure. We still had Aspholm, Ruiz, Gump (Incline Training) in the field of at least 30, maybe 50 guys going into finishing climb. Climb or no climb, I hate these kind of finishes. We would be competing for about 10th place. I was perfectly content just finishing with the field at this point. I was near the front rounding the corner onto Brodie Mtn Rd. It was still wet and a little muddy on the inside, the line I took each time. Half way up, about 10 more guys come past me, but then as we approached the finish, a lot of guys ran out of gas and I passed many. This was still good for at best 20th place, but more likely 25th or lower. We were mixing in with other dropped riders, so it was hard to tell. Not really that disappointed. It was a safe race and I got an excellent workout.
Talking with guys from the field I really wanted to be in, the 45+ field, I heard there were a couple minor crashes. Teammate Brett flatted on the first lap and was not able to get back on. The finishing climb was also quite mellow too.
So if the race was the main course for today, a tasty little climb I did after the race was dessert. A local rider pointed this out to me a couple years ago. It is Mt Tom near Springfield, MA. There used to be a cog railroad that went to the summit. Now a very narrow paved path sits in its place. The grade is heinous, 16% for 0.9 miles. That's average. I'm betting sustained sections exceed 20% with one bit at 25-30% right at the top. I nearly wheelied over backwards on that. On the descent, I had trouble keeping my rear wheel from skidding on the damp surface. Kids, don't try this right after a punishing road race without a triple crank. I think I was at 40rpm standing the whole way up. Anyway, the Google Earth and photo images tell the rest of the story.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Hosed at Jiminy
I forgot how quickly some of our local "spring classics" can fill. When I got around to signing up for the Masters 45+ field at Jiminy Peak, it was full. The 35+ race was nearly full too, so I jumped into that field. I'll be only IBC/Global guy racing 35+. So why am I hosed? Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo) will be there, for one. He rides away from the field in nearly every masters race he competes in. The race can be brutal until the field relents and lets Roger go. That means the rest of us will be competing for second place.
Since this is my second year racing in 45+, I haven't kept track of riders moving into the 35+ field. I know a few other strong riders in there, but there may be others I don't know. In some ways, if you exclude the Roger factor, the 35+ race might be easier than the 45+ race. The 45+ field is one of the most stacked fields I've seen. There are at least 20 guys in there that can win.
I entertain the idea of winning most races I enter. Not Jiminy this year. That will take a lot of pressure off. Maybe I'll even race smarter and not burn so many matches at the front early in the race. Hope the weather holds up, as I really don't care to race in a cold down pour.
I signed up for Sterling. Teammates say this is the first year that a 45+ field has been created. I haven't done this race but am familiar with parts of the course from training rides I do down that way. I would say it's not a pure climbers or pure sprinters course. Hard to say what can be done there. I'll have at least five teammates. There should be no excuse for IBC/Global to not take a podium spot. The pressure is on.
A while back, Solobreak extended an invite to a few local hammers to test their mettle in a "Big Blue jamboree." The Sterling race weekend is out for me. Legs would be in less than ideal shape, and Mothers Day is a no-go. The following weekend is Sunapee race. Then we have our annual 6-gaps sufferfest on May 24, which is Memorial weekend. Solo, interested in this? 132 miles, 14,000ft of climbing, two dirt gaps, and 24% grade on Lincoln Gap. It feels so good when it is over. So an assault on Big Blue may have to wait until May 31 or June 7.
Since this is my second year racing in 45+, I haven't kept track of riders moving into the 35+ field. I know a few other strong riders in there, but there may be others I don't know. In some ways, if you exclude the Roger factor, the 35+ race might be easier than the 45+ race. The 45+ field is one of the most stacked fields I've seen. There are at least 20 guys in there that can win.
I entertain the idea of winning most races I enter. Not Jiminy this year. That will take a lot of pressure off. Maybe I'll even race smarter and not burn so many matches at the front early in the race. Hope the weather holds up, as I really don't care to race in a cold down pour.
I signed up for Sterling. Teammates say this is the first year that a 45+ field has been created. I haven't done this race but am familiar with parts of the course from training rides I do down that way. I would say it's not a pure climbers or pure sprinters course. Hard to say what can be done there. I'll have at least five teammates. There should be no excuse for IBC/Global to not take a podium spot. The pressure is on.
A while back, Solobreak extended an invite to a few local hammers to test their mettle in a "Big Blue jamboree." The Sterling race weekend is out for me. Legs would be in less than ideal shape, and Mothers Day is a no-go. The following weekend is Sunapee race. Then we have our annual 6-gaps sufferfest on May 24, which is Memorial weekend. Solo, interested in this? 132 miles, 14,000ft of climbing, two dirt gaps, and 24% grade on Lincoln Gap. It feels so good when it is over. So an assault on Big Blue may have to wait until May 31 or June 7.
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