Thursday, July 23, 2009

Aug 9 DC United vs Real Madrid...woo-hoo

We bought 3 tickets so we can take Emi to see his favorite soccer player, Christiano Ronaldo, who now plays for Real Madrid. It will be a blast. Emi won't stop talking about it. Here's a little sample of Ronaldo's skills: Click Here

Monday, July 20, 2009

National Aquarium Baltimore

Igda and I took Emi up to Baltimore to see the National Aquarium on Sunday.  I’ve never been so it was a treat for me as well.  We had a great time.  We caught the Dolphin show and went to the 4-D theatre movie theatre.  A fun trip.

 

 

Giro di Coppi race report

Saturday was the Giro di Coppi road race (4 ~12.5 mile loops) put on by the Squadra Coppi cycling team.  It was a beautiful day with the temperature in the low 80’s, sunny and little humidity.  The Coppi team put on a really great race at a nice venue.

 

Igda and Emi made the trip with me.  It was great having them there.  We passed the feedzone every loop where we could get water bottles as needed.  Emi and Igda were great.  Very pro in their water bottle hand offs!  And, yes, Gus.  You caught me totally off guard when I had to work my way back up to the front on the first climb and you said “You didn’t want or need the bottle!” 

 


Photos courtesy of Linc Brookes

Unfortunately, leading up to the race, I caught the sore throat/headache/cold bug on Thursday that Igda had all week.  Now on Monday, it feels as if it has moved to my chest.  I tried to pound as much Alka-Seltzer cold medicine I could through Saturday morning to keep it at bay, but never really got rid of it.  Oh well, it wasn’t going to stop me from going out and giving my best.  I did suffer from a case of cotton/dry mouth for much of the race regardless of how much water I was drinking.  I felt pretty good during the race, but I definitely think it may have affected my top end a bit. 

 

 

The race.  We had a good crew: Grissom, Gould, Dineen, Flanagan and myself.  We decided beforehand to try and whittle down the field as much as possible.  Be active on the front and if a good move went, one of us would surely be there.  Really not much to report.  Maybe I’m just tired from playing it over in my head.   There were a handful of guys riding really strong, but I think we just kept cancelling out each other’s efforts as the race wore on.  There were many moves by 1 or 2 guys, but none really carried the 4-6 guys needed to really push a break on that course. 

 


On the final loop, there were some solo attacks.  I was near or at the front for much of this lap.  Pitching in where needed but otherwise trying to stay mindful of energy reserves.  An ABRT rider got about 10 seconds up the road, but his lead wasn’t growing after that, so I wasn’t too worried about it.  Right after we made the final turn on Barnesville road, I asked Gus how he was doing?  He gave me a nod.   I don’t  remember exactly what he said, but he grabbed my wheel.  Cool.  I was hoping I could repay Gus for the work he did for me at TofW.  Plus, I thought the little kicker at the end may suit him well for the sprint. 

 

About that time, a BBC rider opened up a gap on the lackadaisical field.  I will admit, there were a couple of seconds where I thought about going hard after him right then when I noticed the field really letting up, but I didn’t do a good job of getting some landmarks for where we were at in relation to the finish.   His gap kept growing.  Gus actually came off my wheel and started pulling the field a bit just to get things going.  As we hit the feedzone, the gap was probably 10-15 seconds.   With Gus back on my wheel I found myself sitting 2nd wheel behind an NCVC guy.  For about 5 seconds, I thought the NCVC guy was ramping things up before the downhill, but he quickly pulled off.  So, what to do? 

 

I decided to go for the all or nothing move and hope I could get Gus to the bottom of the finishing climb without getting rolled by the chase group.  Mistake #1.  I went too hard a bit early.  I should have waited until we hit the gradual climb before it flattens out before the finish hill.   I highly doubt anyone was going to come around me on the downhill portion.  In reviewing the power file, I had a big (~800w) 20 sec dig right before the downhill which put the speed at about 32mph going into the first rise.   Once the speed started to drop, it appears I put in about 40 seconds at 700w’s to just slightly before the finish hill.  We handily caught the solo rider, but in hindsight I think I could have backed off slightly and held the lead-out much further without A) losing Gus from my wheel B) actually getting Gus in a better position to launch with gas still in his tank.  I should have been more cognizant of the course and distances.  For this to work, I really needed to get Gus farther up the finish hill where his jump and climbing ability would have created more of an impact.  Oh well, it was an all or nothing move for us.  I’d honestly rather try it versus sitting in the bunch waiting for others to make the first move.  I guess I blinked first as everyone else didn’t really want to chase.  It was a good lesson for me.  I like being the lead out guy.  I think with time, it may be something that I could do well at for the team. 

 

A little bummed, but power meter dropped about 15 mins during the race so my numbers are suspect.  I need to figure out why my PT is dropping when I’m not pedaling!  I think it may have something to do with the new harness I got after I broke it at TofW. 

 

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Nick in town

My nephew, Nick, is in town for a few days visiting a college friend.  It was great to see him over lunch today.  Man, I remember when I was changing his diaper.  Kids grow up too quick! 

Monday, July 13, 2009

Dawg Day's Crits

After regrouping in the evening once I got home from Hagerstown, I settled in to get to the bike fixed up. I washed it good and inspected it for any cracks and visual damage. Nothing found. It appears the brunt of the force fell onto my right foot/pedal and the rear skewer. I got the shifters/bar straightened and wrapped the bars as well as a novice can do. Both wheels are out of true (can anyone help me with getting these trued back up?). This is getting expensive! The rear skewer was bent so it took a little MacGyver work to get it out of the wheel. I pulled the cracked carbon Keo right pedal off and thankfully I have the same pedals on the TT bike, so I swapped it out. I was really nervous since I couldn’t get the damn thing off for about 10 minutes. I almost gave up, but finally managed enough torque to get it off. Threw on the 808’s and the shifting seemed to be fine. It was a midnight before I wrapped it all up and I was ready for bed.

I did have thoughts about bagging the M35 race at 11:30, but I finally convinced myself that I needed to get back on the horse and get some work in. This weekend was all about riding hard and getting some race fitness back. If I completed all the races, that would make it 3 crits in less than 24 hours. I was a little bruised up, but not that bad really. Heck, not many chances come along where you can line up with the likes of Chuck, Ramon, SuperDave, etc, etc.

I spotted Joe in the lot and said hello. I was really glad he was there. It’s a little nerve rattling when you are entering these M35 races solo. I didn’t really have any expectations. Joe gave me a little advice and suggested I try to work on staying at the front of the group and get some work. See how it feels. That’s pretty much what I did.

I don’t know how many starters there were, but I’d guess ~25-30. Although the course wasn’t selective, it quickly became apparent that the attacks were. In a small, powerful field there really is nowhere to hide. Two guys shot off the front right away, Warno & Hoover I believe. Somehow, I found myself up toward the front and began marking attacks. My legs felt pretty good. It seemed pretty strung out for much of the time. My peak 30s (676w), 1min (594) & 2min (492) all came within the first 2 minutes of the race. Yowza.




It was sort of weird. I found myself a few times chasing down attacks. Getting on the wheel and then pulling through. BUT, I started to notice a trend. When it was only me marking an attack, they’d sit up and I ended being in no man’s land. It occurred a couple of other times with various riders throughout the race. I will admit that it was sort of a highlight of mine to have the opportunity to chase behind Chuck a few times. Thinking back, I think it was good lesson. If you attack, and the make-up of the fellow guys isn’t to your pleasing, shut it down quickly because the other attacks will be going right away. There were a few times where I went, got caught and then viscous attacks came on. I was hurting to hold on after redlining already. This has got be an art form to get it right. Very cool to experience it, although it was very painful.

Maybe ignorance is bliss. I was trying not to be bashful. I felt like I did a good job of being active in the race. I got to the front at times and tried to help keep the pace up. Everything got a little foggy about 2/3’s through, but somehow I ended up with another a guy off the front of the field. I think by now there were about 6 guys up in THE break. THE 6 guys you’d expect to be there of course. I just ask the guy to do short, hard pulls and see what happens. Eventually another ~3-5 guys joined us. We got a little sporadic and the small field finally came back. On the bell lap, I found myself toward the front. I turned to look for Joe on the backstretch and he hollered to get on his wheel. I did for a bit, but when riders started peeling off the front I had to go around the outside. I eventually got back on his wheel after the final roundabout and threw down an “on fumes” sprint. Bo was crushing it and opened up a pretty large gap.

I now know why I was completely spent during the 4 race after a one hour break.

1st 10mins of race my power was 349avg/413np. 1st 20mins 355ap/403np. 1st 30mins 336ap/384np. Entire race= 319ap/365np. Ouch

Overall, I had a great time. It was a blast. It was like a noon HP ride on steroids. It was nice to actually finish one of these M35 races after my forays at Bikejam and Clarendon Cup.

Oh, yeah, the 4 race. Honestly, I knew I was pretty wiped out, so I pretty much chilled at the back and just tried to stay out of trouble. It was fun to watch Flanagan attacking off the front. At one point, I decided to give it go. I attacked to bridge up to him, but I was totally gassed once I caught him. I brought one pretty strong ABRT guy with me, so I thought maybe he would start working with him. It didn’t work out.

I did get to witness some amazing bunny hop skills by Flanagan though. Since I was in the back, I saw the whole thing play out. I guess we were about 35 mins into the race and just after first turn, Flanagan got sandwiched onto the curb by a guy. The guy came over way to quick off his line and Flanagan had nowhere to go. It just happened to be at a parking lot entrance so he was able to hop right, but he was heading straight for the ensuing curb at 25mph+. Astonishingly, he managed to bunny hop the curb, but his rear wheel still caught the 8” curb pretty hard. He didn’t blow his tire, but at this point he was in the grass. I slowed and Michael started rolling down the sidewalk, but then his rear tire blew. I hollered to him if he wanted my wheel. This race was classified as a road race, so there wasn’t a wheel pit or free lap. He was riding well and I wanted to see him continue. We hollered at the moto ref if it was ok that I give him my wheel. Looking back, I should have just stopped and gave him my wheel. It was legal. Michael said, “no, no. Go on.” But really, I know he said that so he didn’t ruin my race. He didn’t realize how shot I was. So, I used what was left in my tank and put in a minute at like 650 watts to catch back up to the field. It was kind of funny. I think I startled the moto ref as I came by him to the back of the field. I think he had written me off. That was all she wrote. Finished with the field.

Legs are definitely a bit sore today but in a good way. I accomplished what I set out to do for the weekend and had fun. It was also good to end the weekend on a high note versus not racing after a crash.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Hagerstown Crit cat 4

Short version:

Preface- just got home. Showered and pounded 2 French martini's. I used to be a big martini guy and now I know why...senses are a little tingly.

Race Goal: just ride freaking hard to get some fitness back. If I place well, so be it.

The race was set for 60 mins. An enormous storm ripped through right as we are lined up to start. Official decides to postpone start for 30 mins. Good call. It rained HARD for about 20 minutes. Flanagan and I sat in the car and shot the sh!t. Rain stops and we are called to the line right away. I hit the porto-loo instead of going for an ez lap as everyone else...real motive was to get back to the line so I could be on the front.
Photos courtesy of Jim Wilson:

Race starts and I just made sure I was in top 5 or drilling it at the front for the first 30 mins or so. There were roughly 45 guys starting and the race finally whittled down to ~15 or so finishers, so I like to think I helped shorten a few folks day. Turn 2 proved fatal for lots of guys since folks were sliding out on it all race. I just made sure to keep things safe and wheels up.


With 2 to go, the pace became absurdly slow on that lap. I decided what the hell right before the bell lap. I attacked hard from the back and shot off the front right coming across S/F with nobody on my wheel. As I approached turn 2, somehow a car had snuck on the course and was sitting right at the intersection of turn 3 which is a short hop right after turn 2. I was like, "uh, oh!" I slowed up as the driver was getting yelled at and was doing some move forward/brake yo-yo. I was able to sneak right behind the bumper through the turn. I don't know why, but my first thought was, "I don't think it's fair to keep attacking since I could hear the field yelling all sorts of stuff behind me and if that car hadn’t moved, very few were getting through." I probably had 4-5 seconds at that point. What did I do? I let up going down to turn 4. Why? I don't know, but I guess I thought it was the gentlemanly thing to do. I seriously didn't think the field would get through, but I guess the car got out of the way at the last moment for them. So, a few riders finally catch back on right after turn 4, one of which is really drilling it. I think, "ok, I'll just see what I have left for a sprint." Right after the chicane, I'm hugging the right curb (MAYBE a foot off of it) a couple of wheels back from what I recall when, WHAMO! A guy decides to sprint past between me and the curb. WHY? I don't know. There was no way there was space for that move. We had the whole road. Well, right as I hear on your right, then bam. Front handlebars go sideways and I'm flying across the ground. Take out the guy next me as well. Great!

Bike's all jack upped and my shifters now look they went through a war. I think I can get it fixed tonight for Dawg days. I hope. I have some road rash in almost the identical spots as I got at TofW. Sweet. Tegaderms patches are plentiful at the household.

A couple guys who were behind and witnessed the whole thing came by afterward and said they couldn't believe what they just saw. One said he was behind me and doesn’t know how his pedal missed my head. The guy, Andrew, did come back to apologize. It was big of him. Was I pissed, sure. Did I yell at him, no. What do I think? Folks make bad decisions all the time. Am I perfect, no. I’m sure he will be harder on himself more than anything else I could have said. I just hope he learns from it. It’s just a race. We all have jobs and families to attend to. Thankfully, everyone walked away.

The quick positives of the day. Flanagan and I bought a case of Rockstar sugar free energy cans for $20 while we were leaving. The volunteers were stuck with a bunch of it after the event and were offering a great deal! And, since Flanagan and I rode up together, it was good to shoot the breeze about life.

Friday, July 10, 2009

5 year Anniversary

Today is a big day!  Igda and I are celebrating our 5 year anniversary.  Woo-hoo!  Here’s to many great years to come!

 

Also, I know it may sound a little weird as an anniversary present, but I arranged for her 12 year old brother to come visit for 3 weeks beginning next Thursday.  We love having Emi with us so we are both looking forward to having him here with us, especially Igda.

 

Heading up to Hagerstown tomorrow for a crit race in the afternoon and then I’m hoping to do two races on Sunday in Darnesville, MD.  I’m trying to get my racing legs back after some time off the bike.