How to lose a cross race (HYATTSVILLE CX 2009)

First let me say Big Ups to the city of Hyattsville, Arrow Bicycles, and the cross leads at Route 1 Velo/Arrow Bikes (Bill, Scott, and Ryan) for organizing and putting on a great race this past Sunday.  I had a blast, everyone I talked to had a blast, and I think people are going to come back next year with friends...really looking forward to it.

Now on to the race.  I did the 3/4 (Killer "B"s) race and it started out for me a lot like the 4 race at Charm City...bad start, and the first two laps working my way up from the back third of the pack.  I was a little worried about how the race would unfold since I hadn't spent much time on the bike in the past month.  Work, old house stuff, and other daily commitments had really put a damper on my hobby...which is fine, but frustrating at times as biking is my outlet to release a lot of the stress from the 9 to 5 (or more like 8:20 to 6:35 this past month).  Esmonde and I eventually found us in a strong group of 6 that was being driven by Tim Brown from the Bike Rack.  He was really hauling on the straights and putting the hurt on everyone, but we seemed to be able to hang together due to the technical aspect of the course (always turning it seemed with some sections that really slowed the group down considerably).  With about 3 to go I was sitting 5th wondering how I was going to move up and if I was going to have any pop at the end to make a surge to pass four guys (which I don't think ever happens in cross races...or at least from what I've seen so far).  

There were two spots where I came into some luck with 2 to go to move up.  After coming through with 2 laps showing and right before the barriers, we were grouped together pretty good so I tried to hold my speed right up until the barriers instead of checking early to get ready to dismount.  It worked as I moved up two spots on the barriers and the subsequent re-mount.  Now I was sitting second with Tim in front of me again (I spent two laps earlier in second trying to hold his wheel on the straights and following his lines through the turns) as we headed into the spiral (what a cool feature for a race).  On the exit of the spiral, Tim bobbled enough (may have caught some tape too) to let off the gas and let me through...so I passed, and took the lead with 1.5 laps to go.  Here is where the mistake was made and the race was lost.  I pushed the pace (or at least as much as I could push) through the bell lap and started to try to figure out how I could win.  The problem here was that I was trying to think how to win from the first position as opposed to realizing that I might have had a better shot if I had let Tim take the lead back and then try to make my "winning" move on one of the last several turns towards the finish.  As it turned out, with three turns to go (right before crossing the softball field), Tim made his winning move and surged by me at speed.  He passed me on the inside going into the right hander leading to the pavement.  My only hope at this point was to try to take the same turn on the inside of him as he was carrying enough speed that it would leave him wide going out of the turn.  It sorta worked as I was able to cut the gap to him by a wheel or two and we came out of the last turn with him in front by half a wheel.  The sprint was full on at this point and I ended up second.  As sprinting goes, I think I need more of that 400 meter run-in before the line as opposed to the 50 meters or so from Sunday (sprinting against a guy that sprints slower than I do would have helped too).

Anyway, second isn't bad for an "old" man (I was giving Tim 9 years!!).  I think Tim is a good guy and an excellent bike racer, so as much as I was disappointed with not winning, I was happy for him to get his win.  Some things I'm taking away from the race though:

1. Carrying speed through the barriers is a good thing.  I think cross racing is like the car racing mantra about "he who brakes last, exits first" or something along those lines.
2. I need to practice the re-mount and clipping back into my pedals.  I spent a lot of time fighting to get back into my pedals while trying to keep the pressure on during the last two laps.
3. I need to practice riding through sand. Not a skill I have.
4. More interval workouts.
5. Don't lead out the last lap...

Anyway, DCCX is next on the list...looking forward to it.

Cheers.

TCX on a diet: Pt 2

So after Cross race #1 (Charm City) I came away with three observations:

1) Cross is a lot of fun and I can't wait to do the next one.

2) Cheap SPD pedals are not ideal for cross. This is from my limited experience, but I couldn't clip in to save my life after remounting during the race. I don't know how much it impacted the race, but I spent a lot of time cursing my pedals between gasps for air on Sunday.

3) I don't know didly-squat when it comes to tire pressure or tire tread..or for that matter anything about cross (other than it is awesome)...but as a result I was sliding around a lot in the corners towards the latter part of the race on Sunday.

So to remedy my three observations:

1) I'd like to do the weekend double the weekend of kelley acres and hagerstown. These are both far away, so it may take some convincing of "the boss", but she had fun on Sunday..so maybe. I'm really looking forward to our race in Hyatsville in October.

2) I picked up some egg beater pedals from my favorite shop of all time (Arrow MF-ing Bikes) and I'm hoping that they work better than the SPD pedals. It looks like there is a little more float and they'll be easier to clip in..what do I know though. We'll see.

3) I won a set of Bontrager Jones CXR 700x34 tires for finishing third in the 4 race and they look like they are more aggressive than the Kenda smallblockeights that came with the bike. They do look cooler on the bike, so I can only assume they'll make me faster. We'll see.

So after swapping out the two tires and pedals, the weight of my huge TCX dropped from 20.2 to 19.6 pounds. Does it feel good to be a new member of the sub 20 pound club? Yes it does.

I'm thinking the next easy swap is going to be the seat post...and maybe I'll get rid of the valve caps on the tires.

Cheers


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

My TCX is on a diet - Part 1

I weighed my stock Giant TCX 1 (XL) and it came in at 21.2 pounds. I figured I'd swap out the wheels from the road bike to the cross bike for Charm City since I haven't ridden in two weeks and I'm bored. :) I don't know if the weight savings was significant for cross..as I've never actually raced cross..but the result was a loss of 1 pound (down to 20.2 lbs) and the bike looks a lot cooler than with the Mavic CXP 22s.

What do you think?

I think next is to get rid of the top bar brakes and move to a single front chainring setup.

I'm such a loser and am more into making bikes look fast as opposed to actually making them go fast.

Cheers.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Asheville, NC Ride, Part 2: Hot Springs

This was a good ride. I stopped by a bike shop afterwards and the owner mentioned that variations of it are regular training routes for guys looking to put in some long tough miles. I was totally exhausted, drenched from riding the last seven miles in a torrential downpour, and jelly legged at the time he was telling me this...so I'm not 100% that is what he said or if he said "stop getting my shop all wet you f@#$!"

The route:
Map-My-Ride Cue Sheet Map

I started off in downtown Asheville at Over Easy Cafe. This place is legit. The breakfast is healthy and delicious, cheap, they have outdoor seating, and the staff are super friendly. I wasn't sure where I was going to ride that day, so I asked the waitress for a recommendation. She said go down to the river and head north. So I did.

Miles 2 through 23 are along the rive on this road that isn't too traveled and actually has a bike lane for a good portion of it. There are some really small rollers, but it was a great place to warm up, put in some tempo, and take in the scenery. You're right next to the river for most of it (which is nice). The first place to get some water/food is Marshall, NC. Marshall is this neat little town with a good mix of country boys/gals & artists. It is real little, but has this cool coffee bar (Zuma Coffee) where I stopped for a coke, bathroom break, and to fill up on water. At this point I was planning to just ride out 50K and then turn around and ride back, but I met a guy at the coffee place that told me that I could do a big loop to this place called Hot Springs which would take me up some "real steep mountains" as he put it. So I pressed onward north.

Miles 23 through 39 were tougher than the first 23. The road starts to go up a little and there are two brutal climbs before crossing the river at mile 39. One reminded me of an unfinished highway Jay took us on last time at the barn...just straight and consistently steep; a grinder that took it's toll. At this point, I had decided I wasn't going to go back that direction as the downhills were just as long and seemed steeper.

Hot Springs is another neat little town. I got directions for the next segment of the ride from Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Stop in as it is a great outdoors shop. Hot Springs is right on the Appalachian Trail and I happened to see some through hikers hanging out while I got my bearings. I filled up on fuel and had myself a fruit cup at the Gallery at Iron Horse Station.

Miles 39 through 56 were f@#king brutal! Uphill, uphill, uphill. Route 209 is a GREAT road. It climbs steadily, it's through a forest, there are not a lot of cars, and the views are legit. Although I was suffering, it was a beautiful and very relaxing form of suffering (is that possible?). It was hot at this point during the day and I was going through water real quick. I stopped in Spring Creek at this old school that someone had converted into a restaurant and got some water, but there was another place in Trust (where 63 intersects) that I probably would have preferred to stop at. The guy in Hot Springs who gave me my route said to "watch out for a dog on 209"...which messed with my head as I was going uphill since I knew there was no way I'd have the legs to outsprint a dog going up 3% to 7%. Luckily there was no dog (I think he was messing with me).

The rest of the ride is mainly down hill with some risers thrown in as you make your way back to the river. There were a few convenience stores/gas stations along 63 where I got Gatorade and filled up on water. The closer you get back to Asheville, the more "urban" it starts getting. The road widens at one point to 4 lanes, but if you don't miss the turn onto Old Leicester Highway (like I did)...you're only on a busy road for just a little bit. The rain started coming down at this point and it got really bad right when I crossed the river. There is a nice little climb back into downtown Asheville from the river at the end of the ride (which was a nice touch on fried legs) and the road had turned into a roaring river of water.

Overall, I think it ended up being right around 90ish miles (give or take 2 or 3) from the resort and a bit over 5 hours of saddle time. Asheville, NC has got to be one of the cycling centers of the east coast. I didn't see a ton of cyclists on the roads while I was out there (due to weird start times and week day rides), but the terrain is legit. Worth a trip.

Cheers.

Asheville, NC Rides - Part 1: The Gates of Mt. Mitchell

So if you ever find yourself in Asheville, NC and want to put some time on a bike, do this ride.

62 miles, 4500 feet of climbing during the first 31 miles.

We were staying at the Grove Park Inn Resort (the wife had a conference there and I tagged along for a bit of relaxing and biking while she was working). I had done some research (very minimal) on the surrounding area, but went into this trip knowing that western North Carolina had some terrain that was going to be "fun" to ride. Anyway, on to the ride:

Monday: The Gates of Mt. Mitchell:
I had stopped by a local bike shop and asked some questions on Sunday afternoon (did a little spin to loosen the legs from the drive) and they mentioned that Mt. Mitchell wasn't too far away up the Blue Ridge Parkway. I figured I'd give it a shot. Half way through this ride I was convinced that there were no downhills in North Carolina. From the resort, it is essentially uphill for 31 miles till the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park. The road leading up to the parkway is great; small two lane road with plenty of switchbacks and barely any cars. I had never ridden on the parkway before and I was suprised by how few cars there were and how well maintained it was. There was some construction at different points, but nothing to serious. The way they do construction zones on the parkway is that they have a pickup truck lead the waiting cars through the zone to the other end, and then the pickup truck leads the group waiting at that end back down to the other end...works well. One thing to think about is the tunnels on the parkway. They have no lighting in them and between Asheville and Mt. Mitchell there is one that is long enough that you won't be able to see anything (or be seen) when you're in the middle of it. Bringing a blinky or some sort of light might be a good idea (even during the day) for safety. Here are the important notes:

• Bring plenty of food. There are no places to buy anything along the route.
  
• You can get water at two spots on the ride. Craggy Gardens Picnic area (which is a b!tch of a hill from the parkway at milepost 367.5) and at a visitor center not much farther up the road (milepost 364.6). I took two bottles, filled them up multiple times, but could have used one more.
  
• A 27 would have been nice, but a 23 is doable.
  
• When planning for time, remember that it's all downhill on the way back. I was back in Asheville much sooner than I thought I'd be.
  
• Mt. Mitchell is at Mile Post 355. The mile posts are all on the west side of the road (left as you're going out, right as you're heading back).
  

Map-My-Ride Cue Sheet

I only did the way out on the cue sheet. From the resort the ride was just around 62-63 miles. From downtown, add another 3 to 6 miles. I've never done continuous climbing like that before. West Virginia gave a taste with some climbs that were 6 miles or longer, but 31 miles uphill was something ridiculous. Nothing was deathly steep, but had I had some time to go up Mitchell (had a date with a Mint Julip or two back at the resort that was calling), I'm sure I would have seen upwards of 10% incline.

After the ride I was reflecting and decided that it would be more fun to live in western North Carolina if I was 5'6" and 110 lbs. Guys over 185lbs in North Carolina should be riding bulls and chewing on tobacco, not riding bicycles...If anyone does the "Assault of Mt. Mitchell" (from South Carolina to the top) they get my respect...102 miles with that at the end would be impressive.

I'll do part 2 later...

Cheers.

Mountain climbing

So far:
66K
2:53 ride time
Avg speed: 22.9 K/hr

Its been all uphill from Asheville to the base of Mt. Mitchell. Very very pretty up here.

I'm out of water though...woops.

2hrs back to the hotel.

Cheers

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Adding Value..

Boy it's been a long time since I posted...I suck.

I have this new thing I'm going through where I try to add value with all of my actions. I wash the dishes to have a cleaner house...value added. I provide comments on documentation only if they are needed to improve the quality of the final product...value added. It's been pretty good so far, but I've been pretty quiet online because of it. I haven't had much value to add to the online-osphere (is that trademarked?). So I figured I'd post about something that's been bothering me the past couple of weeks. Not really bothering, but just sitting in the back of my mind: Thursdays nights at Hains Point. Hopefully, it'll add value. :)

There should be four types of bike riders that show up for the group ride on Thursday nights down at the point. Depending on the day, and even the lap, you should be able to classify yourself within one:

1) The aggressor, the pusher-of-the-pace, the screw-turner, the one who strikes fear into the hearts of other bike riders. You show up to the Thursday night group ride to dish out pain and suffering to everyone else each lap. You're less happy winning the bunch sprint to the line and would be more satisfied crossing the line first and leaving a shredded field behind you gasping for air and waiving their little white flags in surrender. You attack often, you ride smooth, and you believe that the ride is safer between 30 to 35 mph than it is between 20 to 25 mph.

2) The organized rider, sometimes the sprinter, sometimes the leadout, each lap their is a goal for the lap. Maybe you'll organize a leadout train with the rest of your teammates that show up this lap and then attack and counter with a teammate the next. Maybe you'll take a 2K flyer at the beginning of the lap. Maybe you sit in every lap and then set yourself up in the top 5 for the sprint once you cross the double manholes. You understand when you're out of the sprint. You're not dangerous and you don't take crazy risks because you know that this is training and the glory is in winning the race and not the bathroom sprint.

3) The along for the ride rider, the enjoying the camaraderie rider, the check out my sick new 404s on my new colnago guy, the "I'm getting stronger and one day will whip all of you guys" guy. You're out to enjoy the pace and get a workout and aren't contesting the sprints. You're holding onto the back end of the group and will contribute in a pace line if one forms, but aren't going to be spending much time on the front. You don't sprint for the line because you want to hang with the group for all the laps and not just one or two. You're safe in a pack. You don't do anything stupid because you don't want to risk getting your bike all messed up with pavement. You let the guys coming off the front back into the paceline in front of you when they're looking over their shoulder for a draft. You know what people should be doing because you used to be in groups 1 and 2 before (you actually might be in that group but are taking a recover day/recovery lap). You also might not quite be strong enough to be in the 1 and 2 group yet, but you're working on it, and until then, you understand that it is safer for you to hang back.

4) The Suck. You are dangerous. You sprint for the line when there is no chance you can win. You like to contest the sprint when you are 30th wheel when the first person jumps. You like to pass cars on the outside when they are trying to turn left at a stop sign. You ride way too close to riders being passed by the group when you are on the front. You surge during pacelines and aren't smooth. When you "pop" you just sit up and stop pedalling instead of letting those behind you know you are about to blow up. You're strong, but you're not yet 100% comfortable in a pack and swerve left and right way too much. You'll sit in when guys from 1 & 2are killing themselves on the front driving the pace and attack them for the sprint way to early (disrupting the whole thing).

I guess the goal at HP on Thursday nights is to find yourself in either 1, 2, or 3. If you see that you're a type 4...reconsider what you're doing and try to get back to being a 1, 2, or 3. It's better for everybody.


See you next Thursday at HP....cheers.