Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
2010 Racing Recap
It's over. I finished racing for the year and it's time to refocus and rebuild. I still want to race and that is probably the best way to finish the year. I was planning on just posting a list of results and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions. But... I think that is boring and what if anyone is really that curious how I did in a particular race you know where to find the results.
My plan going into this year was to work on my weaknesses, I wanted to become a better bike racer no just a good climber. My disposition dictates I like climbing races, there is no strategies or tactics in a hill climb race. Just open your mouth and peddle hard. No though, just pain and discontent. So with that said, I entered most every race I could. Flat windy time trials, crits with only four turns and flat/rolling road races, if I could get away from work I raced. Except for one race in my town I have to drive a minimum of an hour to get to my next closest race.
The season started off looking like it was going to be a very long year. Guys the size of NFL linebackers were passing me in TTs, I was getting spit out the back of crits. I questioned my sanity for picking this path. I asked my self more than once "why are you doing this? Just enter races you are good at and fuck this other shit!" Thank god, I have good enouph friends to call me on my bullshit and help me maintain my resolve.
The road race at Air Force academy in the spring is when shit started to come together. The course is almost exactly the same as the 1986 World Championship course just much shorter. The climbs are just long enough to be decisive and I went in with the attitude of just making the group suffer on them. The plan kinda worked and I finished in 6th. Tactics not fitness were the limiting factor, which became the story of this year.
After AFA and a terrible start in Deer trail I realized I can't hide in the pack and just sit in. I need to be on/near the front so I feel like I racing, not just sitting in the middle of a big group ride hoping no one wrecks and knowing if someone attacks there is shit I can do cause I fifty assholes around me are trying to avoid work. This unwillingness to work became my pet peeve, I couldn't understand why one would enter a bike race and just hide hoping for a group finish or some kind of PR. I realize most are just trying to survive, but I still think it is chicken shit!
Small tactical error in Rist Canyon and on Mt Evans were the difference between my Top 5 and truly contesting the win!
Two races are big disappointments for me the first being Iron Horse classic Road Race and the Tour de Park City. It funny tacticaly they played out the same I got into a break away, shelled off the pretenders and then did something stupid to cost contending for the victory. I finished fifth in both races so I guess I shouldn't complain but the legs felt great in both and the tank was plenty deep enough. I ended both races feeling like I wasted good legs.
I like the idea of ending the racing season with a big/brutal event. This year I got into LOTOJA, I felt like I won the lottery when I got in. I was psyched and nervous I had never 150 miles(until TdPC) more or less 205, but was totally up for it. What a disappointment! The course is cool but the events bring out some really crappy behavior in people and some real horse shit tactics like attacking in feed zones.
I ended the season wanting some kind of redemption from LOTOJA, but I decided to pull the plug and rebuild. I hope the fire in my belly after LOTOJA keeps me warm on the long cold winter training rides. I always ride better pissed off anyways.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
LOTOJA Report
My race started at 6:46a.m. it was below 40 degrees F. I was cold as shit! I didn’t want to overdress so I went with a light base layer and arm and knee warmers. I knew the temp. would fluctuate greatly on the 205 mile course. Knowing that to be the case didn’t stop my feet and hands from going numb within the first fifteen minutes. After the neutralized start out of Logan a guy from the Spider Bait team rolled up on me and asked if we were still neutral I said no and he and his team dropped the bomb on our group. We started flying, the five guys from Spider Bait were just crushing it, I was one of the very few who would take turns pulling. The rest of the group was quite satisfied to let seven or eight of us to do 95% of the donkey’s work. I am learning to accept that most racers just suck! I don’t get the attitude of not wanting to work. For fucks sake what could really happen? You could blow up and bonk, how bad could it be? Hell, it might make for a really good story someday. With all that said if I'm not at or near the front I never feel engaged with the race, I get the feeling of being a spectator instead of a competitor.
We caught the group that started before us before we got to the first feed zone, theoretically that group was the same ability as us. I am glad I didn’t plan on stopping at the first feed because the spider bait guys didn’t ease up. We gust kept flying right through the feed zone. I was very aware that I needed to follow the S.B. boys but couldn’t tell which one of them they were riding for, they all worked. I have to admit I am impressed with their motivation. At the start of the first climb other teams started cuing up so not being sure who was real players and who were the pretenders I covered every move.(NOT SMART!) We flew through the second feed zone once again hardly easing off the pace. On the KOM climb I went with a few guys early on a hard little attack and was caught very quickly by the S.B. boys who were now down to three. I tried to hold on but they dropped me and another one of there own guys. I tried to recover and went back on the offensive again. I could see them as they went over the top at the KOM sign, and I felt like I was with in striking distance (less than a min.) if I could get some help from the guys behind me. So I took it easy on the descent and let a couple of my group join me. Our small group gained a few more players from the other groups (complete bullshit in my mind but everyone assured me this is common place, but I still didn't like it). We worked well together for a while but on any small rise or any time the wind picked up our organization went to shit! My support team missed me at Afton and I was quickly running out of water, so I struck a deal on the road and a guy from another group gave me a water bottle, THANK YOU! After Afton our group organization waxed and waned, this action continued pretty much for the rest of the race. With about ten miles to go my motivation was in the can, I was frustrated by people’s unwillingness to work together. I just wanted the day to be over with. Some where around the 5 mile mark I see a familiar face and my disposition improved and I decided to give it one more go. So at 5k I buried my head down and gave it a go but 4 vs 1 always wins! After getting caught with about 2-3k to go I decided to take my chance in the sprint which played out like I thought it would. I finished in 10th place, in 9 hrs 21 min.
I still don’t know how I feel about this race, parts are ran pretty shitty and it really sucks for your support crew. The course is cool but it is logistical nightmare. The volunteers were great but it seems like a lot of the race seems set up to sell LOTOJA gear. The event is set up more for a fun ride/ citizen ride and less of a race. The tactics employed by a lot of the participants I find distasteful at best. I'm not trying to be the moral compass for bike racing, I just don't agree with a lot of the practices. I had many of the same feelings when I was climbing/bouldering a lot and even when I was playing in bands. My opinion is people want to fly a flag before they know what it really stands for. They want a label or title before earning it or paying dues.
The whole event just left me feeling let down. I think there are other events I would rather do in the future than LOTOJA. I'll wait and see.
Go but the new Terror Record!
We caught the group that started before us before we got to the first feed zone, theoretically that group was the same ability as us. I am glad I didn’t plan on stopping at the first feed because the spider bait guys didn’t ease up. We gust kept flying right through the feed zone. I was very aware that I needed to follow the S.B. boys but couldn’t tell which one of them they were riding for, they all worked. I have to admit I am impressed with their motivation. At the start of the first climb other teams started cuing up so not being sure who was real players and who were the pretenders I covered every move.(NOT SMART!) We flew through the second feed zone once again hardly easing off the pace. On the KOM climb I went with a few guys early on a hard little attack and was caught very quickly by the S.B. boys who were now down to three. I tried to hold on but they dropped me and another one of there own guys. I tried to recover and went back on the offensive again. I could see them as they went over the top at the KOM sign, and I felt like I was with in striking distance (less than a min.) if I could get some help from the guys behind me. So I took it easy on the descent and let a couple of my group join me. Our small group gained a few more players from the other groups (complete bullshit in my mind but everyone assured me this is common place, but I still didn't like it). We worked well together for a while but on any small rise or any time the wind picked up our organization went to shit! My support team missed me at Afton and I was quickly running out of water, so I struck a deal on the road and a guy from another group gave me a water bottle, THANK YOU! After Afton our group organization waxed and waned, this action continued pretty much for the rest of the race. With about ten miles to go my motivation was in the can, I was frustrated by people’s unwillingness to work together. I just wanted the day to be over with. Some where around the 5 mile mark I see a familiar face and my disposition improved and I decided to give it one more go. So at 5k I buried my head down and gave it a go but 4 vs 1 always wins! After getting caught with about 2-3k to go I decided to take my chance in the sprint which played out like I thought it would. I finished in 10th place, in 9 hrs 21 min.
I still don’t know how I feel about this race, parts are ran pretty shitty and it really sucks for your support crew. The course is cool but it is logistical nightmare. The volunteers were great but it seems like a lot of the race seems set up to sell LOTOJA gear. The event is set up more for a fun ride/ citizen ride and less of a race. The tactics employed by a lot of the participants I find distasteful at best. I'm not trying to be the moral compass for bike racing, I just don't agree with a lot of the practices. I had many of the same feelings when I was climbing/bouldering a lot and even when I was playing in bands. My opinion is people want to fly a flag before they know what it really stands for. They want a label or title before earning it or paying dues.
The whole event just left me feeling let down. I think there are other events I would rather do in the future than LOTOJA. I'll wait and see.
Go but the new Terror Record!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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