A quick report on the two races this past weekend:
Cat's Hill was great - one of the last great Norcal criteriums. In the eighties all the crits were held in downtown areas near shops and passers-by who could be almost be counted as crowds. Sadly, there are only a few of these left to treasure: Cat's Hill, Davis 4th of July, Burlingame, Santa Cruz, Giro di SF. There used to more but local business pretty much put the kibosh on them, so nowadays we find ourselves doing battle in corporate office parks in front of a few fanatical friends and family. But oh well.
We had a full crew representin' for the M35s. The first lap was shockingly fast and I thought to myself, "If we keep this up I'm a goner" but thankfully it was just first-lap jitters and we quickly settled into a pretty workable jam-up-the-hill-then-recover-for-a-lap routine. Nobody really laid it out there. I think there was a general fear of the heat and the hill, and I wasn't the one to start complaining about the nice pace. So we rolled around for a while. Finally things started to get interesting. The team did a great job covering or initiating just about everything, as far as I could see from my rearward vantage point. Dylan covered a fairly serious move with a few laps to go, which set us up for the finale. With 5 to go I started looking around to see how I could help and I found Dean. We were pretty far back, but I told him I'd take care of him for the last couple of laps and we went around like that until a couple laps to go. I figured I could pass everybody on the homestretch and get him to the hill with a ton of momentum and he could work it out from there. But next time I looked he was gone, pinched by somebody over the top of the hill. I slowed to find him again and found Larry instead, lurking at the back with two to go. Well, that'll work just fine, assuming Dean is somewhere behind him. So we went over the hill the penultimate time and at the bell Larry and I went past the field. I drove through the 1st and 2nd turn at a pretty good clip, but when I glanced down I saw I was gapping Larry. No matter, I thought, he's got Dean behind him so I didn't slow. We got to the hill going pretty fast and I swung off to let Larry take Dean up the hill. But when Larry went there was no Dean! Shit! Turns out I didn't need to fret; Larry let Chris Wire pass him over the top and rode him down the hill before dispatching him for the win.
Cat's Hill M35
1 Lawrence Nolan AMD-Discovery Channel Masters
2 Jeff Angermann AMD-Discovery Channel Masters
3 Brian Bosch Central Valley Cycling
4 Chris Wire Safeway / G.A. Communications
5 Daniel Martin Safeway / G.A. Communications
6 Billy Clark Morgan Stanley / 24Hr Fitness / Specialized
7 Steve Pelaez Adobe / Schwalbe / Lombardi Sports
8 Craig Roemer AMD-Discovery Channel Masters
9 Scott Fonseca Capo Forma/Vellum Pro Master Team
10 Dean LaBerge AMD-Discovery Channel Masters
Post mortem: I think it's really effective for us to soften up the field before the knockout punch, especially on any course that has obstacles like tight corners or small hills that stretch things out. Nobody wants to respond when their legs hurt.
Santa Rosa Cloterium was painful, mostly because I burned some personal matches to do it, and in the end I didn't get much out of it. I did the Pro 1,2 race. The course was that great downtown course with the bots dots. Yeah that one. 92 degrees with a stiff headwind on the backstretch, intensified by the buildings. 83 riders. I barely know anybody in these fields anymore except Sayers and a couple of old-school Sacramento boys. A couple of our guys crashed in the M35 race so did not partake. The race had moments of fastness but I was shocked more by the moments of slowness. At the risk of sounding like an old fart, I can't recall any flat dreamer crit EVER dropping below 24mph, especially with $2500 on the line, but this one did. It was stop and go go go, then stop and go go go. The heat and wind were tough. Sayers animated throughout. I tried to play a part but would overheat so bad with any effort that in the end I just gave up. Groups would go, be gone for 4-5 laps, then come back suddenly with one big effort from the field. Finally a decent group got clean with like 10 to go. We almost got them back before they opened it up to 20 secs with 3 to go. I kept expecting somebody to kick it up a notch but it was wall to wall creeping at the front. I guess everybody was blocking, and nobody else was interested in doing anything about it. I hate that crap and I got uppity about it, pushed my way past the wall, and broke free with 2 to go. All I wanted to do was close the gap and make a race out of it, but the malaise was so deep in the remaining bunch that nobody bothered to take my wheel despite my telegraphing my intent. I brought them back to 5 seconds before the heat got the better of me and I detonated. Field passed me before the last turn and I was done. I couldn't tell you who won.
Cloterium Top 3 Takeaway Tips
1. Do not start 90 minute crits in 90+ heat with just 1 bottle 2/3 full from yesterday's race
2. Skip the dual Sunday morning Bloody Marys, or at least reduce the spice
3. Stop talking smack when I can't follow through myself
Monday, May 7, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Now here's a novel idea...
This is from a triathlon I watched today. This might be the solution for the Sharon TT at the Madera Stage Race. Yellow duct tape. Even I would have seen that...
Click here for the story...
Click here for the story...
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Madera Stage Race - Master's 35+
The Madera Stage race is a VERY low key, but fun race in (surprise) Madera, CA. The last time I did this race was in 1996. The Time Trial has since moved to a different course. This is noteworthy as you'll see soon enough.
Also, this race is promoted by Velo Promo. Velo Promo doesn't put on big money races, but they are the backbone of Nor-Cal racing. If Velo Promo went out of business, most of
the really cool races we do each year would dissapear. A lot of us half jokingly and half seriously consider winning a Velo Promo t-shirt (top 6) at a race as a worthy accomplishment. A drawer full of Velo Promo t-shirts indicates a good season of racing.
Stage 1: Madera Crit - Saturday 1:30pm, Temp ~90 degrees
Nothing special here, just a four corner crit. But there were two 5 second time bonus primes and 20, 10, and 5 seconds for the top 3 at the finish. We were hoping for a pack finish to just "glide" through this stage without using too much energy. With at least four guys who had a shot of winning the time trial in the afternoon our tactic was all about keeping it together and letting the TT decide the first day's GC.
The best laid plans... A break went fairly early with three of us (Larry Nolan, Dean LaBerge, and Steve Cassani) so we let it go. There were two rival GC threats (Brian Bosch and Michael Hernandez) though so towards the end we worked to close the gap to a reasonable amount without chasing them down. We didn't want to give Brian who is a very good time trialist a "head start" going into the TT. By the end we brought them back to a fairly reasonable 17 seconds without expending too much energy. Larry won the stage and both time bonus primes so he had a nice lead going into the TT.
1. Larry Nolan (AMD)
2. Brian Bosch (CVC)
3. Mike Hernandez (Safeway)
6. Dean LaBerge (AMD)
Stage 2: Sharon Time Trial - Saturday 4:40pm, Temp ~95 degrees
The second stage was a 10mile TT in more or less of a loop (as opposed to a more
usual out and back). With the various age, sex and ability categories they had been racing the TT since 10am. We arrived and heard many stories of riders missing corners and getting off course... I had hopes of winning the TT or at least putting in a good ride to put myself near the top of the GC. Mick and Larry were also ready to put in good rides.
I started off well and caught my 30 second man after about 3 miles. I made the first right turn and was still motoring along well. My power output was good etc. The roads were rough
and there were holes in places so you needed to pay a lot of attention to the road so you didn't ride over a big hole and get a flat tire.
After a while I saw a sign on the OPPOSITE side of the road that said "Bike Race Ahead". That sent chills up my spine and made me wonder if I missed my turn. I kept going using this logic: If I missed my turn I am already screwed. If I "think" I missed my turn, turn around and realize that I hadn't missed my turn then I screw myself for no reason. So I kept going with a sinking feeling in my stomach. After about two more miles I came upon a four way stop sign with no cones to mark anything and I knew I had blew it. So, I turned around, put it in the small ring and made my way back to the finish long after the last rider had finished. I rode what should have been a 22 minute TT in around 40 minutes or so. Doh!
The rules clearly state that it is the riders responsibility to know the course. Even still as I rode back to the turn I missed my mind was irrationally trying to find some way to blame the promotor. But when I got the "the corner" I was a bit dissapointed to see that it was marked as well as any others. I can only figure that I was riding along looking for holes, looking up, looking for holes, etc. And didn't look up at the right times. I was bummed because I wanted to blame it on poor course marking, but couldn't!!! Pilot error...
When you have an incident in a stage race TT you get the time of the last place rider so I "only" lost a bit over 5 minutes which put me tied for last place. A friend of mine got so lost he ended up in town and had to call his wife to come get him! At least four people out of our starting field of 32 had the same time as me and presumably all went of course.
TT placings
Brian Bosch (CVC) 1st
Larry 2nd
Mick 3rd
Billy Innes 5th
Wyatt Weisel 7th
Rob Anderson 10th
...
Kevin LAST
Stage 3: Daulton Road Race - Sunday 8:10am, Temp probably peaked at around 85 degrees or so.
A rider from the CVC team, Brian Bosch (who was also in the break in the crit) won the TT and had the lead on GC. Larry was 2nd and Mick Hellman was in 4th @ 1:19 behind the leader.
We felt like we were in a really good position as a team. We didn't have the lead and didn't have to control the race. But we had a couple of guys nipping at Brian's heels and a strong team try and put those guys in a position to win.
On the first lap a break formed with Mick and Mike Hernandez (another GC threat 25 seconds behind Mick). The CVC team started chasing, but they weren't making any headway so I jumped across to the break alone and we were off. It ended up being six of us. Eric Easterling (CVC), Mike Hernandez (Safeway), Mick (AMD), Clint Gaver (Spine), Shawn Pearson (Reno Wheeleman) and myself (AMD). Dave Nelson (Lombardis) also made the break, but flatted out after one lap.
As Brian Bosch of CVC was leading on GC, Eric rightly sat on the back of the break to protect his leader. Unfortunately for CVC, the team burned themselves out after one lap and then Brian chased alone for another lap before the pack gave it up. Our time splits kept going up and with one lap to go we had around 4:30 on the chasers. At that point I laughed out loud because it looked like I had a good chance to move from last place into a position where I could claim the coveted Velo Promo t-shirt!
But the bigger goal of moving Mick into first place was our top priority. Mick was the highest placed rider in the break. We were very concerned with Mike Hernandez. If Mike won while Mick was out of the top three a slightly gapped at the finish, Mike would win the stage race. So on that last lap I did what I could to keep Mick from having to work too much while waiting for Mike to try something. But it was Clint Gaver who started attacking on the rough section on the last lap. Clint was looking very strong and was causing pain all around, but then his front tire went soft and he got left behind.
Finally we were down to four riders and when we got into the rollers towards the end and I stayed on the front to keep the pace high enough to discourage attacks. In the sprint, Mike Hernandez had enough left to beat the fresher Eric Easterling and Mick held on for third. Mike picked up 15 seconds in time bonuses (20 for 1st vs 5 for Mick's 3rd). With that Mick won GC by about 10 seconds. The pack came in over 7 minutes later and I moved up into 6th place which still makes me giggle a little bit.
We unknowingly dodged a bullet when Clint Gaver got his flat. We were so focused on Bosch and Hernandez that we didn't realize that Clint was only 3 seconds behind Mick on GC. If Clint didn't flat it is possible that he would have finished ahead of Mick, taken a time bonus and won the GC.
Stage results:
Mike Hernandez (Safeway)
Eric Easterling (CVC)
Mick Hellman (AMD)
Kevin Metcalfe (AMD)
Shaw Pearson (Reno Wheelman)
Clint Gaver (Spine) (He had a CO2 cartridge in his pocket and held off the field!)
GC
It was a short, hot, hard, and intense weekend of racing and it felt good to put it together as a team to win the overall. We've had a few close but no cigar's and it was nice to finish one off!
Also, this race is promoted by Velo Promo. Velo Promo doesn't put on big money races, but they are the backbone of Nor-Cal racing. If Velo Promo went out of business, most of
the really cool races we do each year would dissapear. A lot of us half jokingly and half seriously consider winning a Velo Promo t-shirt (top 6) at a race as a worthy accomplishment. A drawer full of Velo Promo t-shirts indicates a good season of racing.
Stage 1: Madera Crit - Saturday 1:30pm, Temp ~90 degrees
Nothing special here, just a four corner crit. But there were two 5 second time bonus primes and 20, 10, and 5 seconds for the top 3 at the finish. We were hoping for a pack finish to just "glide" through this stage without using too much energy. With at least four guys who had a shot of winning the time trial in the afternoon our tactic was all about keeping it together and letting the TT decide the first day's GC.
The best laid plans... A break went fairly early with three of us (Larry Nolan, Dean LaBerge, and Steve Cassani) so we let it go. There were two rival GC threats (Brian Bosch and Michael Hernandez) though so towards the end we worked to close the gap to a reasonable amount without chasing them down. We didn't want to give Brian who is a very good time trialist a "head start" going into the TT. By the end we brought them back to a fairly reasonable 17 seconds without expending too much energy. Larry won the stage and both time bonus primes so he had a nice lead going into the TT.
1. Larry Nolan (AMD)
2. Brian Bosch (CVC)
3. Mike Hernandez (Safeway)
6. Dean LaBerge (AMD)
Stage 2: Sharon Time Trial - Saturday 4:40pm, Temp ~95 degrees
The second stage was a 10mile TT in more or less of a loop (as opposed to a more
usual out and back). With the various age, sex and ability categories they had been racing the TT since 10am. We arrived and heard many stories of riders missing corners and getting off course... I had hopes of winning the TT or at least putting in a good ride to put myself near the top of the GC. Mick and Larry were also ready to put in good rides.
I started off well and caught my 30 second man after about 3 miles. I made the first right turn and was still motoring along well. My power output was good etc. The roads were rough
and there were holes in places so you needed to pay a lot of attention to the road so you didn't ride over a big hole and get a flat tire.
After a while I saw a sign on the OPPOSITE side of the road that said "Bike Race Ahead". That sent chills up my spine and made me wonder if I missed my turn. I kept going using this logic: If I missed my turn I am already screwed. If I "think" I missed my turn, turn around and realize that I hadn't missed my turn then I screw myself for no reason. So I kept going with a sinking feeling in my stomach. After about two more miles I came upon a four way stop sign with no cones to mark anything and I knew I had blew it. So, I turned around, put it in the small ring and made my way back to the finish long after the last rider had finished. I rode what should have been a 22 minute TT in around 40 minutes or so. Doh!
The rules clearly state that it is the riders responsibility to know the course. Even still as I rode back to the turn I missed my mind was irrationally trying to find some way to blame the promotor. But when I got the "the corner" I was a bit dissapointed to see that it was marked as well as any others. I can only figure that I was riding along looking for holes, looking up, looking for holes, etc. And didn't look up at the right times. I was bummed because I wanted to blame it on poor course marking, but couldn't!!! Pilot error...
When you have an incident in a stage race TT you get the time of the last place rider so I "only" lost a bit over 5 minutes which put me tied for last place. A friend of mine got so lost he ended up in town and had to call his wife to come get him! At least four people out of our starting field of 32 had the same time as me and presumably all went of course.
TT placings
Brian Bosch (CVC) 1st
Larry 2nd
Mick 3rd
Billy Innes 5th
Wyatt Weisel 7th
Rob Anderson 10th
...
Kevin LAST
Stage 3: Daulton Road Race - Sunday 8:10am, Temp probably peaked at around 85 degrees or so.
A rider from the CVC team, Brian Bosch (who was also in the break in the crit) won the TT and had the lead on GC. Larry was 2nd and Mick Hellman was in 4th @ 1:19 behind the leader.
We felt like we were in a really good position as a team. We didn't have the lead and didn't have to control the race. But we had a couple of guys nipping at Brian's heels and a strong team try and put those guys in a position to win.
On the first lap a break formed with Mick and Mike Hernandez (another GC threat 25 seconds behind Mick). The CVC team started chasing, but they weren't making any headway so I jumped across to the break alone and we were off. It ended up being six of us. Eric Easterling (CVC), Mike Hernandez (Safeway), Mick (AMD), Clint Gaver (Spine), Shawn Pearson (Reno Wheeleman) and myself (AMD). Dave Nelson (Lombardis) also made the break, but flatted out after one lap.
As Brian Bosch of CVC was leading on GC, Eric rightly sat on the back of the break to protect his leader. Unfortunately for CVC, the team burned themselves out after one lap and then Brian chased alone for another lap before the pack gave it up. Our time splits kept going up and with one lap to go we had around 4:30 on the chasers. At that point I laughed out loud because it looked like I had a good chance to move from last place into a position where I could claim the coveted Velo Promo t-shirt!
But the bigger goal of moving Mick into first place was our top priority. Mick was the highest placed rider in the break. We were very concerned with Mike Hernandez. If Mike won while Mick was out of the top three a slightly gapped at the finish, Mike would win the stage race. So on that last lap I did what I could to keep Mick from having to work too much while waiting for Mike to try something. But it was Clint Gaver who started attacking on the rough section on the last lap. Clint was looking very strong and was causing pain all around, but then his front tire went soft and he got left behind.
Finally we were down to four riders and when we got into the rollers towards the end and I stayed on the front to keep the pace high enough to discourage attacks. In the sprint, Mike Hernandez had enough left to beat the fresher Eric Easterling and Mick held on for third. Mike picked up 15 seconds in time bonuses (20 for 1st vs 5 for Mick's 3rd). With that Mick won GC by about 10 seconds. The pack came in over 7 minutes later and I moved up into 6th place which still makes me giggle a little bit.
We unknowingly dodged a bullet when Clint Gaver got his flat. We were so focused on Bosch and Hernandez that we didn't realize that Clint was only 3 seconds behind Mick on GC. If Clint didn't flat it is possible that he would have finished ahead of Mick, taken a time bonus and won the GC.
Stage results:
Mike Hernandez (Safeway)
Eric Easterling (CVC)
Mick Hellman (AMD)
Kevin Metcalfe (AMD)
Shaw Pearson (Reno Wheelman)
Clint Gaver (Spine) (He had a CO2 cartridge in his pocket and held off the field!)
GC
- Mick Hellman (AMD)
- Mike Hernandez (Safeway)
- Clint Gaver (Spine)
- Eric Easterling (CVC)
- Shaw Pearson (Reno Wheelman)
- Kevin Metcalfe (AMD)
- Brian Bosch (CVC)
- Larry Nolan (AMD)
- Billy Innes (AMD)
- Rob Anderson (AMD)
It was a short, hot, hard, and intense weekend of racing and it felt good to put it together as a team to win the overall. We've had a few close but no cigar's and it was nice to finish one off!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Copperopolis Jr's 15-16
Joel, Davis and I attended the race and had two laps on the course, which equaled to about 45 miles with a good amount of climbing. Our plan was too push it up the hill testing peoples’ limits and to drop as many people as possible. Then we were to decide to wait for Joel if he fell off, or keep up the pace. Then I would attack on the last hill before the next lap and make whoever was with us work to catch me, or let me go. Then we would work it up the next climb hard, and Davis would attack on the last hill the next lap.
Here is how it went: We worked perfectly up the first hill. We kept it to the max effort up the hill, and got the group to 5 riders, with our three teammates in the top group. All of us then worked in a pace line for a few miles. Then one rider took a wrong turn, and we all decided to wait for him. That was when we started not working so well together. We stayed at a semi-slow pace for the rest of the lap before the last hill. Soon, two other riders caught us. Coming up to the next hill, I was expecting someone to attack, and failed to attack on the last hill. One rider then pulled the pace over the downhill at a very fast pace. Right after the downhill a rider attacked semi-weakly, and we let him stay just in front of the group while we were pace lining. We timed it so we caught him right before the hill. This is where we made our big mistake. All but one rider was falling off our group at times going up the hill, and we didn't bring the pace up to drop them. We stayed slow all the way over the hill. Then on one fairly steep roller, I drove the pace up, and got a gap with Joel, me, and another rider. We were working for just a little bit when the Pro 1/2 group came up behind us. I moved to the left to get out of their way, and I guess they moved to the right. When the pack passed through, I was gapped from Joel and the other ride. Here is another one of my mistakes. I think I might have been able to catch back on, but I went back to the other group. I ended up blocking and they got away. In the sprint, Joel won! Then I took fourth, and Davis took sixth.
-Daniel
Going into this race I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew that I had great endurance, but wasn’t sure how my climbing was compared to others. Onto the race - as planned we rode hard up the first big hill. I was feeling really good and took a pull or two at the front helping to set the pace. It was immediately evident that our fast pace was dropping a lot of the weaker riders. As we crested the hill we eased off the pace for a short time, but then this select group of 5 started a fast pace line. To my surprise we were caught not too long after by two riders and then we eased off the pace for almost the rest of the race. As Daniel mentioned we let a rider off the front for a little while, but we were in control of the race. After foolishly not pushing the pace up the hill on the second lap, I got off the front with Daniel’s help. He attacked, I waited and jumped on the wheel of a rider trying to bridge. No one else followed and we started cruising, but we lost Daniel in the Pro 1/2 field. My breakaway mate and I decided to ride hard until the 200m and to sprint it straight up from there. Perfect for me, as I felt that I could beat him in the uphill sprint. I ended up winning the sprint by a bike length or two. It feels awesome to have a win under my belt, and I know there will be many more to come for the team. Daniel and Davis, my two teammates in the race did an awesome job of keeping me off the front - thanks guys!
-Joel
Here is how it went: We worked perfectly up the first hill. We kept it to the max effort up the hill, and got the group to 5 riders, with our three teammates in the top group. All of us then worked in a pace line for a few miles. Then one rider took a wrong turn, and we all decided to wait for him. That was when we started not working so well together. We stayed at a semi-slow pace for the rest of the lap before the last hill. Soon, two other riders caught us. Coming up to the next hill, I was expecting someone to attack, and failed to attack on the last hill. One rider then pulled the pace over the downhill at a very fast pace. Right after the downhill a rider attacked semi-weakly, and we let him stay just in front of the group while we were pace lining. We timed it so we caught him right before the hill. This is where we made our big mistake. All but one rider was falling off our group at times going up the hill, and we didn't bring the pace up to drop them. We stayed slow all the way over the hill. Then on one fairly steep roller, I drove the pace up, and got a gap with Joel, me, and another rider. We were working for just a little bit when the Pro 1/2 group came up behind us. I moved to the left to get out of their way, and I guess they moved to the right. When the pack passed through, I was gapped from Joel and the other ride. Here is another one of my mistakes. I think I might have been able to catch back on, but I went back to the other group. I ended up blocking and they got away. In the sprint, Joel won! Then I took fourth, and Davis took sixth.
-Daniel
Going into this race I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew that I had great endurance, but wasn’t sure how my climbing was compared to others. Onto the race - as planned we rode hard up the first big hill. I was feeling really good and took a pull or two at the front helping to set the pace. It was immediately evident that our fast pace was dropping a lot of the weaker riders. As we crested the hill we eased off the pace for a short time, but then this select group of 5 started a fast pace line. To my surprise we were caught not too long after by two riders and then we eased off the pace for almost the rest of the race. As Daniel mentioned we let a rider off the front for a little while, but we were in control of the race. After foolishly not pushing the pace up the hill on the second lap, I got off the front with Daniel’s help. He attacked, I waited and jumped on the wheel of a rider trying to bridge. No one else followed and we started cruising, but we lost Daniel in the Pro 1/2 field. My breakaway mate and I decided to ride hard until the 200m and to sprint it straight up from there. Perfect for me, as I felt that I could beat him in the uphill sprint. I ended up winning the sprint by a bike length or two. It feels awesome to have a win under my belt, and I know there will be many more to come for the team. Daniel and Davis, my two teammates in the race did an awesome job of keeping me off the front - thanks guys!
-Joel
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sea Otter Classic Jr 17-18 Circuit Race
Micah and I woke up pretty early the morning of the race to get a spin in (and good parking). We went out for roughly an hour and watched some of the guys finish the road race. Then just checked out the venues for a few hours and then it was warm up/race time. We arrived at the start finish and as always had to cram in as close as we could manage to the front of the race. We started and a national team member Grant Van Horn (going with me to europe) attacked straight from the gun. The main group of guys which after mile 1 was about half the size of the field caught him on the downhill and continued going hard. That first lap of the 2.1 mile circuit was completed in under 5 minutes and was by far the hardest lap of the entire race. Every lap afterward Grant attacked on the hill getting caught everytime on the downhill. Then with about 3 laps to go he launched another massive attack up the hill and widdled the field down to about 8 guys. Myself and two other racers tried to catch him back, and we got very close until Grant reached the hill when he launched ANOTHER attack. This time he was gone and took one of the major motion guys with him. For the last couple laps it was a mad chase to catch Grant, but we were unsuccessful. With one lap to go I told Micah to get to the front and empty his tank going over the hill and he surprised me by not only doing this but also by staying on the front until the hairpin before the finish. This is where things got nasty. During the race we had lapped one of the masters fields as well as the 15-16's and we were caught them again just before the finish. In the last sweeping turn before the finish I had about seven 15-16s infront of me, and when I saw a gap I launched and gained about 20 meters on the field and since they were not catching I just rolled into the finish infront of them. Three hours later at the podium I found out that I finished 4 seconds behind the leaders, but couldn't see them because of the 15-16s. It was a great race and I am glad that I didn't have to park out in the boonies.
Ben
Ben
Monday, April 9, 2007
Copperopolis Report by Micah
So my first really hard road race of the year went down the other day when I threw aside all common sense and decided to race Copperopolis in the Cat 3's instead of the Juniors.
I didn't know that Ben was going to be there, or I would have done the junior race so we could work together. But, alas, I knew not and so it was 4 laps of brutal Copperopolis roads, which equals out to about 87 miles of racing.
We started fairly quick going through the feed zone and up the climb, so we shedded some guys but for the most part everybody stayed together for the better of three laps. There were close to 60 starters so it wasn't a problem staying out of the wind and conserving energy, which was very important for a race close to 90 miles.
On the fourth lap though, things really got hot. There were probably 40 dudes going into the feed zone with about 20 coming over the summit of the climb. The amount of pain it took getting over that hill was enough to make me wish I HAD done the junior race. I had done great eating and drinking during the race but the last lap was so miserable that I didn't eat anything. I knew I had to, so as to have some kick at the end but my head was in such a state that eating was beyond me. Drinking was also hard. I just sat at the back and prayed it would end soon.
The funny thing is, the whole lap after the big climb I felt like I was coming out of a coma but when we got to the base of the last short steep climb before the finish, I started to feel halfway decent. I almost considered attacking the small group of 15 or so guys with me but reconsidered and thought to wait for the sprint. Everybody else must have thought the same thing because there were no real painful moves going up it.
The usual crazy descent down to the finish, which I prayed the WHOLE way down...every lap!
Seriously though, I was pretty scared doing 48 mph. down that thing with so many guys around me but it seemed to get easier with each lap.
I actually got a little behind coming down the climb but managed to get back on with 2K to go. I was so tired...all I wanted was my mommy and teddy bear but I knew I had to move up for the sprint. I made it to 4th wheel at 500 meters and was in the perfect position for the finish, when all of a sudden, in a flash...I died!
The guy on the front started his sprint about 250 before the corner and 2nd and 3rd were bumping a little bit. They untangled and 3rd started to fade so I came 'round the outside, dropped it down two gears and started to go for third. Almost instantly my legs bogged down and I was pushing a HUGE gear with my tiny legs after 87 mile s of racing. Not cool.
Third place went out of my grasp and I was passed so gracefully by 4th, 5th and 6th. I, on the other hand, looked and sounded like I was giving birth. The end result was 7th for my longest race so far. I was very pleased though not knowing what to expect from a Cat3 field on that type of course.
What can I say? It was good weather, good racing and good fun.
Micah
I didn't know that Ben was going to be there, or I would have done the junior race so we could work together. But, alas, I knew not and so it was 4 laps of brutal Copperopolis roads, which equals out to about 87 miles of racing.
We started fairly quick going through the feed zone and up the climb, so we shedded some guys but for the most part everybody stayed together for the better of three laps. There were close to 60 starters so it wasn't a problem staying out of the wind and conserving energy, which was very important for a race close to 90 miles.
On the fourth lap though, things really got hot. There were probably 40 dudes going into the feed zone with about 20 coming over the summit of the climb. The amount of pain it took getting over that hill was enough to make me wish I HAD done the junior race. I had done great eating and drinking during the race but the last lap was so miserable that I didn't eat anything. I knew I had to, so as to have some kick at the end but my head was in such a state that eating was beyond me. Drinking was also hard. I just sat at the back and prayed it would end soon.
The funny thing is, the whole lap after the big climb I felt like I was coming out of a coma but when we got to the base of the last short steep climb before the finish, I started to feel halfway decent. I almost considered attacking the small group of 15 or so guys with me but reconsidered and thought to wait for the sprint. Everybody else must have thought the same thing because there were no real painful moves going up it.
The usual crazy descent down to the finish, which I prayed the WHOLE way down...every lap!
Seriously though, I was pretty scared doing 48 mph. down that thing with so many guys around me but it seemed to get easier with each lap.
I actually got a little behind coming down the climb but managed to get back on with 2K to go. I was so tired...all I wanted was my mommy and teddy bear but I knew I had to move up for the sprint. I made it to 4th wheel at 500 meters and was in the perfect position for the finish, when all of a sudden, in a flash...I died!
The guy on the front started his sprint about 250 before the corner and 2nd and 3rd were bumping a little bit. They untangled and 3rd started to fade so I came 'round the outside, dropped it down two gears and started to go for third. Almost instantly my legs bogged down and I was pushing a HUGE gear with my tiny legs after 87 mile s of racing. Not cool.
Third place went out of my grasp and I was passed so gracefully by 4th, 5th and 6th. I, on the other hand, looked and sounded like I was giving birth. The end result was 7th for my longest race so far. I was very pleased though not knowing what to expect from a Cat3 field on that type of course.
What can I say? It was good weather, good racing and good fun.
Micah
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Copperopolis Master's 35+ race
Copperopolis is one of my favorite Nor-Cal road races. It's got climbing, but it's not a pure climbers race. It's got rough roads and cross winds, but it's not a race for a pure power rider either. The course basically just beats you down over time and rarely does the strongest rider not win.
We had a strong group of guys with Craig, Jeff, Rob, Mick, Dean and myself. Safeway had the always dangerous Dan Martin and Mike Hernandez and a strong, well drilled team. The first lap was relatively uneventful. The pace was high and riders went out the back in dribs and drabs. On the second lap after a series of attacks and counter attacks I got up the road with Mike Hernandez and two others. Mike's been riding crazy strong this year so I was hoping for some reinforcements. Jeff almost made it across in a small group but they got reabsorbed. We quickly lost one rider and then on the second climb of the second lap (of three laps) we lost the other guy. And I was getting close to the edge myself. Coming by the start area I passed on the message that I really needed "some help up here!"
Starting the final lap Mike put the pressure on and I got gapped through the feed zone. The gap wasn't huge so I kept chasing hoping to either catch back on or at least make it over the climb before the pack so that I could help the other guys bring Mike back. Over the steep section Dan Martin escaped the main pack and caught up to me. I stayed on his wheel for a little while but finally got gapped. He joined up with Mike and the group caught me. We had Jeff, Rob and Mick still in the group so we worked hard together with some of the other teams to bring Mike and Dan back. It didn't go so well. They weren't riding away, but we weren't closing either.
Finally on the last climb we splintered our group down to about eight guys including me, Mike and Jeff. Dan Martin had been dropped by Mike Hernandez and we were able to bring him back after the descent. But the gap was too big and we couldn't catch Mike. I did what I could and brought our group with Jeff to the final kilometer and that was about all I had left. Safeway's Chris Wire won the field sprint for second and Jeff finished fourth. This is AFTER he had to chase back on after minor crashes on each of the first two laps. I rolled in with Dan Martin for 11th.
Afterwards Mick, Rob, Craig and I rode another lap to take advantage of the nice day and watched as Discovery pro rider Levi Leipheimer dropped Andy Jaques-Maynes and Kevin Klein to solo the final lap. Dressed in all black like a bike racing Johnny Cash of all things...
We had a strong group of guys with Craig, Jeff, Rob, Mick, Dean and myself. Safeway had the always dangerous Dan Martin and Mike Hernandez and a strong, well drilled team. The first lap was relatively uneventful. The pace was high and riders went out the back in dribs and drabs. On the second lap after a series of attacks and counter attacks I got up the road with Mike Hernandez and two others. Mike's been riding crazy strong this year so I was hoping for some reinforcements. Jeff almost made it across in a small group but they got reabsorbed. We quickly lost one rider and then on the second climb of the second lap (of three laps) we lost the other guy. And I was getting close to the edge myself. Coming by the start area I passed on the message that I really needed "some help up here!"
Starting the final lap Mike put the pressure on and I got gapped through the feed zone. The gap wasn't huge so I kept chasing hoping to either catch back on or at least make it over the climb before the pack so that I could help the other guys bring Mike back. Over the steep section Dan Martin escaped the main pack and caught up to me. I stayed on his wheel for a little while but finally got gapped. He joined up with Mike and the group caught me. We had Jeff, Rob and Mick still in the group so we worked hard together with some of the other teams to bring Mike and Dan back. It didn't go so well. They weren't riding away, but we weren't closing either.
Finally on the last climb we splintered our group down to about eight guys including me, Mike and Jeff. Dan Martin had been dropped by Mike Hernandez and we were able to bring him back after the descent. But the gap was too big and we couldn't catch Mike. I did what I could and brought our group with Jeff to the final kilometer and that was about all I had left. Safeway's Chris Wire won the field sprint for second and Jeff finished fourth. This is AFTER he had to chase back on after minor crashes on each of the first two laps. I rolled in with Dan Martin for 11th.
Afterwards Mick, Rob, Craig and I rode another lap to take advantage of the nice day and watched as Discovery pro rider Levi Leipheimer dropped Andy Jaques-Maynes and Kevin Klein to solo the final lap. Dressed in all black like a bike racing Johnny Cash of all things...
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