Well, the first semi-pro race is in the bag. Again, everyone has already blogged about it, but I'm usually just too tired to think when I've actually got time to blog.
The race was near Buena Vista, Colorado. Nathrop to be exact. It has a post office. That's about it. My race wasn't until 2:15, so I slept at home as I usually do for this race. I got to the venue at about 12:30, and rode the 2 miles to register out in the middle of a field. It wasn't that bad, but I felt sorry for the people that had to walk that.
This venue is kind of unique in the fact that it's all on private land. The owners are nice enough to let us race on it every year. It's not the best singletrack in the world, but it's definitely a good race venue. Well, it's good for some. I usually flat out suck at this race.
We'll skip forward to the race. My group was delayed just a bit. We ended up starting 2 minutes after the pros who started at 2:30 instead of 2:15. The start was a flat dusty road. I spent my time hanging out in the back of a front pack of about 20 guys. Somehow I managed to get behind this guy that was extremely afraid of rocks and zig zagged back and forth across the road. I guess no one told him that sometimes there are rocks in mountain bike races. Not to worry though, my mediocrity allowed him to pull away after the first lap.
So anyway. We start up the first climb, and I'm still in the front group. In fact, I was behind a reigning Elite National Champion. HER name is Georgia Gould. After that first steep pitch, I never saw the stars and stripes jersey again.
There were a few of us riding together for the first lap, and let me tell you we were hammering it. It was me, Brian, and his teammate Derrick. There was orange everywhere! That's their team color.
After the only descent, there is a windy (not the stuff that blows, the stuff that goes around and back and forth, but they have the stuff that blows too) section. I managed to eat a little dirt. No harm. I just hopped back on the bike. Brian passed me, and I think I held Derrick up.
Like I mentioned, the first lap was blazing fast. I meant to set my Garmin to auto laps, but I forgot, so I don't know my lap times. My goal going in was for a finishing time of around 2:06, so 30-32 minute laps were in order.
Halfway through the 2nd lap, Brian and Derrick must have thought I stunk, so they rode off without me. Bastards! I decided to settle into my own groove. I had about 9 not so easy training hours going into this race, so I was expecting my legs to be wasted. Funny thing was, they really weren't. I felt pretty good. However, this is Chalk Creek. We both hate each other equally. Toward the end of the 2nd lap, I started to get my hunger thing. Not sure what causes this, but it happened a few times last year. On the last couple of laps, it wasn't my legs that were keeping me from pushing it, it was feeling like I would bonk if I took it up a notch.
Also, somewhere on the 2nd or 3rd lap, I could hear my front brake rotor dragging a touch on the brake pad. It didn't seem to be slowing me down, so I just had to keep on going. Besides, when I came through the start/finish area for the 4th and final lap, my time was at 1:32. Well on my goal pace. I was really surprised by that, until I was given a moment to catch my breath. Once the oxygen reached my brain, I realized that there was a lack of the normal gale force headwinds on the false flat at the very back of the course.
I ended up finishing with a 2:04:xx. Well past my goal, but without the typical race conditions. For instance, 2:06 won my expert group last year. This year it was around 1:55. Chalk Creek strikes again.
All and all, I wasn't surprised by the result. I kind of expected it because of my training going into the race and the fact that it's a raw power course. I'm definitely more of a climber and descender. Funny thing is, back in my early days of racing, the raw power courses were the courses where I excelled. Of course my race weight then was 170-175. Last year it was about 164-165. Now it's a solid 160. Less weight does not usually equal more power.
Sunday was a big snafu at the race. I'll keep it short and say that I originally thought I would be racing at 2:00 PM. I was driving back to Buena Vista and got to Fairplay when I was told that it would be closer to 5:00 or 6:00. The the prospect of driving 2+ hours home after that, I pulled a Uey in the middle of Highway 285 and headed home. I got a nice, hard 3 hour ride in instead of a 30 minute short track race.
Here is the Motion Based file of the race:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2715478
Showing posts with label motionbased files. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motionbased files. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
A little late/Deer Trail RR
Everyone and their respective brothers has blogged about this race. At 77 advertised miles (ended up being 75), it would equal my longest ride of the year. That was during my base phase, so that one was a lot slower.
Not much to say about this one. It was fun. Close to 90 guys started. We were on narrow road, and we only had half the road the whole time because the centerline rule was in effect. I really didn't make much of an effort to be at the front of the pack at the start because I thought I would have plenty of time to work my way up. Well, that didn't happen. Each time I made some progress, a group of guys would come up the opposite side. I guess I still have a thing or two to learn about moving up in the group, but I'm making progress. I'm sure it will all be lost once the dirt season starts.
Anyway, I sat in the whole time because of this lack of ability to get up. Found my self in the main group in the last few miles of steep rollers. Legs still felt good, and I hoped to wind up in a sprint. Three guys got off the front with about a mile to go. I guess that prevented the group I was in from picking up the pace, and it never really strung out at all. As we were coming into the last few hundred meters to the finish, there were guys all across the half road we had, so even though the legs felt good, there wasn't much I could do with them. So I finished in the main group. The back of the main group. I guess it doesn't matter if I was 29th or 8th in that group. Oh well. Good times nonetheless.
Here is the motionbased file:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2590220
I've been struggling a bit of late. Questionable scheduling for my training, and a little over-enjoyment on the beer scene have worn me out a bit. I'm not quite as disciplined with that this year. Last year I would have a beer or two on Saturday nights. There have been a couple of times this year were I've probably had one too many. Especially last weekend with the Braves in town. Of course, the game I made it to the fockers lost. I went to the Falling Rock and had a Rochefort 10. Heaven in a bottle. Is it a coincidence that it's brewed by monks?
So as I said, I've been struggling a bit this week. I've had a vague training schedule, so I've been pushing the envelope a bit too much maybe. I felt better today, but the legs were a little fatigued. I tried to make the Chatfield hammerfest, but I got down there and realized I left my water bottles at home. Not sure if anyone would have been there with races going on this weekend. I drove home and rode from home. I ended up at the same place climbing Deer Creek Canyon. I went it to the climb kind of mellow, but but the number looked good, so I decided to get a Functional Threshold average. I ended up climbing longer than the 20 minutes required for that, and my pace was a little bit lower in the beginning. My average ended up being pretty good. My weight is down from last year so my power/weight ratio is looking pretty good. The only thing I'm concerned about was that I was pretty worked after that effort.
I'm almost through with the first week of a big 2 week training block. My first mountain bike races are next weekend. I'm sure those will hurt considering the volume and intensity I will have in me going into them. It should be fun. It's all part of the master plan.
Time to finish my Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. Cheers!
Oh yeah, I have some pictures from the Moab trip. I'll get those up later.
Not much to say about this one. It was fun. Close to 90 guys started. We were on narrow road, and we only had half the road the whole time because the centerline rule was in effect. I really didn't make much of an effort to be at the front of the pack at the start because I thought I would have plenty of time to work my way up. Well, that didn't happen. Each time I made some progress, a group of guys would come up the opposite side. I guess I still have a thing or two to learn about moving up in the group, but I'm making progress. I'm sure it will all be lost once the dirt season starts.
Anyway, I sat in the whole time because of this lack of ability to get up. Found my self in the main group in the last few miles of steep rollers. Legs still felt good, and I hoped to wind up in a sprint. Three guys got off the front with about a mile to go. I guess that prevented the group I was in from picking up the pace, and it never really strung out at all. As we were coming into the last few hundred meters to the finish, there were guys all across the half road we had, so even though the legs felt good, there wasn't much I could do with them. So I finished in the main group. The back of the main group. I guess it doesn't matter if I was 29th or 8th in that group. Oh well. Good times nonetheless.
Here is the motionbased file:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2590220
I've been struggling a bit of late. Questionable scheduling for my training, and a little over-enjoyment on the beer scene have worn me out a bit. I'm not quite as disciplined with that this year. Last year I would have a beer or two on Saturday nights. There have been a couple of times this year were I've probably had one too many. Especially last weekend with the Braves in town. Of course, the game I made it to the fockers lost. I went to the Falling Rock and had a Rochefort 10. Heaven in a bottle. Is it a coincidence that it's brewed by monks?
So as I said, I've been struggling a bit this week. I've had a vague training schedule, so I've been pushing the envelope a bit too much maybe. I felt better today, but the legs were a little fatigued. I tried to make the Chatfield hammerfest, but I got down there and realized I left my water bottles at home. Not sure if anyone would have been there with races going on this weekend. I drove home and rode from home. I ended up at the same place climbing Deer Creek Canyon. I went it to the climb kind of mellow, but but the number looked good, so I decided to get a Functional Threshold average. I ended up climbing longer than the 20 minutes required for that, and my pace was a little bit lower in the beginning. My average ended up being pretty good. My weight is down from last year so my power/weight ratio is looking pretty good. The only thing I'm concerned about was that I was pretty worked after that effort.
I'm almost through with the first week of a big 2 week training block. My first mountain bike races are next weekend. I'm sure those will hurt considering the volume and intensity I will have in me going into them. It should be fun. It's all part of the master plan.
Time to finish my Collaboration Not Litigation Ale. Cheers!
Oh yeah, I have some pictures from the Moab trip. I'll get those up later.
Monday, April 23, 2007
First Race
Will I finally sucked it up and did a race. It was the Golden Spring Crit out in an industrial area of Golden.
I don't have much to report. It was a pretty ho hum crit. The group mostly stayed together except for a few short-lived "breaks" that got off the front. I was surprised by my fitness to be honest. Usually during the first race of the year, I feel it more than I did yesterday. I was able to stay in the front 20 guys (there were about 70 total) for most of the race. The only time I really fell back out of the front 20 was when I was in the middle of the pack and the guys in front would slow down big team. Then the whole field would come around me/us in about 10 seconds.
I did make a few attempts to get off the front and get with a few of those breaks. Those were pretty short lived and I ended up helping the group get back to the break aways. My last attempt to bridge up to a break was ill advised. It was with 5 laps to go. After the failed attempt, I got back in the group to recover. Just as I was feeling a touch fresh again, I saw the lap counter read 1 to go. I some how was not in the top 1/3 of the field this time. I tried to make my way back to the front, but that put me in a bad position going into the last turn. I was tight on the inside and made the turn with a good line, but a guy came back across me and pinched me out. At that point, I didn't see any point to sprint it out, so I gave a half-assed effort to the finish.
I was definitely on the bottom end of the results. Even if I hadn't been shut down, I doubt my result would have been anything to write home about. I got what I needed which was a good workout with a lot of accelerations. Oh yeah, and I was racing the 3s. I was happy with how things went. I felt good and was able to stay in the front with some guys that probably have a few races under their belts.
After the ride, I headed over to Lookout Mountain for some climbing with some fellow mountain bike racers. I still felt good and was climbing pretty well. It was a good day for riding.
Here are the motionbased files for the race and the ride afterwards. The numbers on the race are skewed a bit since I didn't stop the GPS for the recovery lap. I also had to stop it about 4 laps in due to a firetruck sneaking on the course. It missed the first race lap after the re-start.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2539744
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2539749
I don't have much to report. It was a pretty ho hum crit. The group mostly stayed together except for a few short-lived "breaks" that got off the front. I was surprised by my fitness to be honest. Usually during the first race of the year, I feel it more than I did yesterday. I was able to stay in the front 20 guys (there were about 70 total) for most of the race. The only time I really fell back out of the front 20 was when I was in the middle of the pack and the guys in front would slow down big team. Then the whole field would come around me/us in about 10 seconds.
I did make a few attempts to get off the front and get with a few of those breaks. Those were pretty short lived and I ended up helping the group get back to the break aways. My last attempt to bridge up to a break was ill advised. It was with 5 laps to go. After the failed attempt, I got back in the group to recover. Just as I was feeling a touch fresh again, I saw the lap counter read 1 to go. I some how was not in the top 1/3 of the field this time. I tried to make my way back to the front, but that put me in a bad position going into the last turn. I was tight on the inside and made the turn with a good line, but a guy came back across me and pinched me out. At that point, I didn't see any point to sprint it out, so I gave a half-assed effort to the finish.
I was definitely on the bottom end of the results. Even if I hadn't been shut down, I doubt my result would have been anything to write home about. I got what I needed which was a good workout with a lot of accelerations. Oh yeah, and I was racing the 3s. I was happy with how things went. I felt good and was able to stay in the front with some guys that probably have a few races under their belts.
After the ride, I headed over to Lookout Mountain for some climbing with some fellow mountain bike racers. I still felt good and was climbing pretty well. It was a good day for riding.
Here are the motionbased files for the race and the ride afterwards. The numbers on the race are skewed a bit since I didn't stop the GPS for the recovery lap. I also had to stop it about 4 laps in due to a firetruck sneaking on the course. It missed the first race lap after the re-start.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2539744
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2539749
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Finally
It's been over a month, but I finally made it outside for a ride on Sunday. I attended a little get-together on Saturday night which caused me to get to bed late. That, in turn, caused me to get up late, which eliminated skate skiing for the day.
I couldn't handle the prospect of 3 hours on the trainer, so I busted out the cyclocross bike for a ride. I thought maybe the roads and paths would be clear enough for the road bike. They weren't, and I was glad I opted for the CX bike. The route I rode took me an hour longer than it normally would have due to all the hard pack ice. At times, it was sort of like mountain biking. Good times, but no pictures. I need to look into getting a new camera.
I picked up this jacket at EMS' online store for a total of $45. Pretty nice jacket for skiing, and if I were still running, it would be nice for that too. It's got an MP3 player pocket on the sleeve and a chest pocket where I put my Garmin and/or food. There are two downfalls to the jacket. It's made for skinny folk in the sleeves and shoulders but feels like it is made for less fit folk in the stomach area. It's also not windproof, but I didn't really notice that when I was skiing on Saturday. There were some decent gusts that day.
Here are the two motionbased.com files for the weekend.
Skate Ski
Ride
I couldn't handle the prospect of 3 hours on the trainer, so I busted out the cyclocross bike for a ride. I thought maybe the roads and paths would be clear enough for the road bike. They weren't, and I was glad I opted for the CX bike. The route I rode took me an hour longer than it normally would have due to all the hard pack ice. At times, it was sort of like mountain biking. Good times, but no pictures. I need to look into getting a new camera.
I picked up this jacket at EMS' online store for a total of $45. Pretty nice jacket for skiing, and if I were still running, it would be nice for that too. It's got an MP3 player pocket on the sleeve and a chest pocket where I put my Garmin and/or food. There are two downfalls to the jacket. It's made for skinny folk in the sleeves and shoulders but feels like it is made for less fit folk in the stomach area. It's also not windproof, but I didn't really notice that when I was skiing on Saturday. There were some decent gusts that day.
Here are the two motionbased.com files for the weekend.
Skate Ski
Ride
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