Saturday, August 28, 2010
Deer Trail part 2
The following is a race update I sent to a friend who won his cat. in sanpete in southern UT(i think). I think it captures how I felt after this mornings fun, plus I'm lazy and can't think of to much original to say about a 2 hour bike race. Except for I need to learn to SPRINT!
I raced Deer Trail again today. It was a different course than spring time because of road construction, but same general idea, a couple of out and backs ,45 miles over rolling/flat terrain in the wind. My plan was to stay out of the wind and hide, and try to go in a late break away. I didn't follow my plan! I didn't go in an early break because I figured it would just get ran down, but after 20 miles the early escape artists were still away. None of the teams would go to the front, so being pissed off I went to the front and buried myself, not smart, not part of my plan but I didn't give a fuck! I drug the group with in striking distance to 3 of the 4 escapees, when some others started to work. Still after catching them we wouldn't/couldn't organize to chase down the last survivor. Everyone seemed happy and content to race for 2nd place and we did. After the last turn around our group was still had 25 players and no one was going to get away, I tried to no avail. With a little more than 1 K to go things got a little "Argy-Bargy" and I let a gap open and my day was done! Another skinny climber and I sprinted (insert joke about climbers sprinting here) for 18th. So I finished in 18th today, and it became painfully clear what I need to work on. Once again the mind being primary was driven home until I can learn to be comfortable in the build up and in a field sprint I will continue to be shot out the back with in the last mile of these flatter road races.
I want to be a Rouleur not just a Grimpeur. I hope this all made some kind of sense, I'm still in a bit of a haze.
side note: if you have 6+ man team why not send some to the front to chase down a break. You should have enough bodies to impose you will on the race and not settle for 2nd. Three of the top five were from one team, but no winners. I don't understand the tactics.
This sounds a little negative, maybe I've been listening to too much "SLAPSHOT". just kidding that is impossible.
I raced Deer Trail again today. It was a different course than spring time because of road construction, but same general idea, a couple of out and backs ,45 miles over rolling/flat terrain in the wind. My plan was to stay out of the wind and hide, and try to go in a late break away. I didn't follow my plan! I didn't go in an early break because I figured it would just get ran down, but after 20 miles the early escape artists were still away. None of the teams would go to the front, so being pissed off I went to the front and buried myself, not smart, not part of my plan but I didn't give a fuck! I drug the group with in striking distance to 3 of the 4 escapees, when some others started to work. Still after catching them we wouldn't/couldn't organize to chase down the last survivor. Everyone seemed happy and content to race for 2nd place and we did. After the last turn around our group was still had 25 players and no one was going to get away, I tried to no avail. With a little more than 1 K to go things got a little "Argy-Bargy" and I let a gap open and my day was done! Another skinny climber and I sprinted (insert joke about climbers sprinting here) for 18th. So I finished in 18th today, and it became painfully clear what I need to work on. Once again the mind being primary was driven home until I can learn to be comfortable in the build up and in a field sprint I will continue to be shot out the back with in the last mile of these flatter road races.
I want to be a Rouleur not just a Grimpeur. I hope this all made some kind of sense, I'm still in a bit of a haze.
side note: if you have 6+ man team why not send some to the front to chase down a break. You should have enough bodies to impose you will on the race and not settle for 2nd. Three of the top five were from one team, but no winners. I don't understand the tactics.
This sounds a little negative, maybe I've been listening to too much "SLAPSHOT". just kidding that is impossible.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Rare update
Just thought I'd post a note on today's race. I did the Colorado Senior Road Race Championship at the Air Force Academy. It was 3 laps on a 9 mile course with about 600' E.G. each lap. Today's race had a bonus feature of a block head wind on the finishing straight. I lived at the front today I set a lot of tempo on the flats and every time we climbed the hill I was on the front trying to asphyxiate the field or start a break away. Each lap I shelled more and more folks off the back until on the last lap we were a group of 5. I was thinking we were going to stay away but it became very obvious only two of us had any plans of working. With less than 2 miles left in the race a group of 8 bridged up to us. I was fucking demoralized, I couldn't believe we couldn't make the break stick. I made one last attempt to get away but attacking into a head wind on a slight downhill is just plain stupid. With about 1/2 mile to go things started to get real twitchy for the sprint and I pulled the plug not even contesting the sprint (like I can sprint). I finished in 13th place and few seconds behind.
I'm psyched that I can be competitive in a race that might not suit me the best but still I'm bummed I couldn't stay away. I wished I had one more lap.
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