2018 racing stories
03-19-18, 05:51 PM
#126
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Chico Stage race, pro/1: failure.
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
A few weeks work and you'll be fine. Its a P/1 race, and a lot of big hitters fly in, plus a lot of dudes show up on form.
edit: I shoudn't have made it about me, but I feel the same way and didn't want to post a report.
Last edited by furiousferret; 03-19-18 at 05:59 PM.
03-19-18, 07:03 PM
#127
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Chico Stage race, pro/1: failure.
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
tough race + maybe just not your weekend + a mechanical than can cause legit problems = lots of reasons to keep at it.
sorry you didn't get to race that crit.
03-19-18, 08:17 PM
#129
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Bummer outcome.
Chico 35+ 123. Also failure.
Background and excuses ... crashed a few weeks back and had limited training due to injury and the March winter that rolled in. Had a decent week on the bike and legs felt like they were coming back, so why not.
Circuit race was fast, but legs felt good. Unfortunately, I quickly realized I didn't want to ride near people. Odd feeling so I sat a little off the last wheel and just cruised around for 75 minutes. Good work out at least? Team got 3rd.
Road race was better and worse. Legs felt good, so why not burn all the matches in the first 20 miles of a 90 miles race? At the very least, it allowed teammates to just sit in. Somewhere around mile 30 I eased up and stopped wasting energy. Took some terrible lines through the road leading into the gravel and came into the gravel too far back. Gap covered, gap covered, gap covered, until gap not covered and lost the group. Rolled a second lap with a chase group. Not fun. Team got 7th on a dead di2.
TT was frustrating. 30 more watts than the last time I did that course, but only 1s faster. Boo.
Crit was very much like the circuit race ... sat on the back and counted laps. Frankie Andreu had some fun with that. Just didn't want to be there and figured it was safer for everyone if I just stayed out of the mix. Team got 6th.
Fun event, but not a great one if you're not into it. Need to get the mind right.
Chico 35+ 123. Also failure.
Background and excuses ... crashed a few weeks back and had limited training due to injury and the March winter that rolled in. Had a decent week on the bike and legs felt like they were coming back, so why not.
Circuit race was fast, but legs felt good. Unfortunately, I quickly realized I didn't want to ride near people. Odd feeling so I sat a little off the last wheel and just cruised around for 75 minutes. Good work out at least? Team got 3rd.
Road race was better and worse. Legs felt good, so why not burn all the matches in the first 20 miles of a 90 miles race? At the very least, it allowed teammates to just sit in. Somewhere around mile 30 I eased up and stopped wasting energy. Took some terrible lines through the road leading into the gravel and came into the gravel too far back. Gap covered, gap covered, gap covered, until gap not covered and lost the group. Rolled a second lap with a chase group. Not fun. Team got 7th on a dead di2.
TT was frustrating. 30 more watts than the last time I did that course, but only 1s faster. Boo.
Crit was very much like the circuit race ... sat on the back and counted laps. Frankie Andreu had some fun with that. Just didn't want to be there and figured it was safer for everyone if I just stayed out of the mix. Team got 6th.
Fun event, but not a great one if you're not into it. Need to get the mind right.
03-19-18, 09:28 PM
#130
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how were your 17 & 18 times relative to the top masters (this year vs last)? by looking at the dudes that are really good at this and at the point that they are not gaining (or losing) substantial fitness, you can get a better estimate of how you did on the day.
sometimes a faster time comes off of a worse effort.
looking at top cat 2, 3 or 4 times (year over year) can be misleading as sometimes a rider is blowing through a category, or you have a 20-year old who got so much better in one year in a way a masters rider typically won't.
and those top masters are very, very good.
Originally Posted by hack
Fun event, but not a great one if you're not into it. Need to get the mind right.
sounds like you did a good job even to finish the whole stage race.
hope you can get back to feeling normal. crashes and injuries suck because the damage to one's mind can linger long after the physical side is healed.
03-19-18, 10:11 PM
#131
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you know that time year-to-year doesn't matter. conditions can vary too much.
how were your 17 & 18 times relative to the top masters (this year vs last)? by looking at the dudes that are really good at this and at the point that they are not gaining (or losing) substantial fitness, you can get a better estimate of how you did on the day.
sometimes a faster time comes off of a worse effort.
looking at top cat 2, 3 or 4 times (year over year) can be misleading as sometimes a rider is blowing through a category, or you have a 20-year old who got so much better in one year in a way a masters rider typically won't.
and those top masters are very, very good.
bike racing is TERRIBLE if you're not into it, not to mention dangerous.
sounds like you did a good job even to finish the whole stage race.
hope you can get back to feeling normal. crashes and injuries suck because the damage to one's mind can linger long after the physical side is healed.
how were your 17 & 18 times relative to the top masters (this year vs last)? by looking at the dudes that are really good at this and at the point that they are not gaining (or losing) substantial fitness, you can get a better estimate of how you did on the day.
sometimes a faster time comes off of a worse effort.
looking at top cat 2, 3 or 4 times (year over year) can be misleading as sometimes a rider is blowing through a category, or you have a 20-year old who got so much better in one year in a way a masters rider typically won't.
and those top masters are very, very good.
bike racing is TERRIBLE if you're not into it, not to mention dangerous.
sounds like you did a good job even to finish the whole stage race.
hope you can get back to feeling normal. crashes and injuries suck because the damage to one's mind can linger long after the physical side is healed.
Shrug .. next time.
03-19-18, 11:11 PM
#132
Senior Member
Chico Stage race, pro/1: failure.
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
03-20-18, 04:29 AM
#134
Senior Member
03-20-18, 06:21 AM
#135
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I was going to the say the same thing. I had that issue with a CrossMax wheel many years ago. A little lube and it will be running perfectly fine again.
03-20-18, 11:12 AM
#136
commu*ist spy
Chico Stage race, pro/1: failure.
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
It was one of those weekends that made me doubt whether or not my training is good enough, whether or not I should continue with this sport, and if I should just sell my bike! Luckily my gf & team mates talked me off the ledge lol. Still, it was tough on the ego.
Stage 1, circuit race. 90 minutes on a race car track, no real climbing but exposed to the wind. Surfed wheels and tried to stay out of the wind. With 4 ~1-mile laps to go, I ended up on the back, got gapped in a headwind and couldn't close it. Got pulled but placed (not DFL, others had popped before me). I don't get dropped in races often, unless they're p/1 races.. But VoS was p/1 and I did fine, who knows.
Watched Justin Williams win the race from a late break. He's on another level, even from the pros there.
Stage 2, 90 mile RR. Was doing fine, then about 40 miles in my bike started making a high-pitched kind of squealing sound.. WTF. I filtered to the back to figure out what was going on, wondering if I should get a new wheel or what. I was racing on some really old Ksyriums bc the Zipps were in the shop.. turns out the rear hub is basically shot, and 60% of the time I coasted it would make that sound!
Hit the 4-mile gravel section on the back of the pack, got gapped, and never caught back up. Finished the rest of the race, but it sucked.
Anyway I blame it on inconsistent training, a hard race, and that blown hub wasn't helping me go any faster!!
DNS'd the TT & crit the next day, which was tough to do bc I love crits, I like the course too. I could have gotten another wheel and soldiered on, but didn't want to race a big crit like that on a borrowed wheel I didn't trust.
On top of all those excuses, my injured finger hasn't really healed up properly, so doing another crit with it didn't sound as appealing.
So, I'm not quitting the sport, but I will take a week or two off to finally let my finger heal, and get back in the game soon!
03-20-18, 12:05 PM
#137
**** that
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That said I'll use them for training/spares for sure. Thanks for the tip.
03-20-18, 12:06 PM
#138
**** that
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Indeed.
And on the plus side, there's no better motivation than losing! Motivated af now, even more than before, which was a lot.
And on the plus side, there's no better motivation than losing! Motivated af now, even more than before, which was a lot.
03-20-18, 08:59 PM
#139
Cat 2
I'll finish up the [cat 3] race report from Chico.
Stage 2. 90 Mi road race, 2x4mile gravel section. Fun race, I just don't have the fitness for races that long. Made it through the gravel the first lap after leading sections of it. But we hit the climbing bit after the gravel and I really wanted to pin it drop some stragglers, but we couldn't get working together. So it came back together in the corsswind / flat section. One team kept sending flier up the road and i thought one might go so I jumped on it. nope. Came back. Sat in for 30 more miles working on nutrition. Rolling bit before gravel another small move goes and I jump on it. nope. Came right back. Sat in through the bombed out section of road leading into the gravel and moved up at the last second to a good position into the final time through. About 8 minutes into the gravel, I'm in the box when a rider going backwards gets in the lane in front of me and I don't have the energy to go around him quick enough and get gapped off the group. Ended up finishing about a minute down on GC.
Stage 3. 10 mile TT. Went off at ~8.15 in the morning and it was still cold. Ended up wearing base layer and gloves for a TT which isn't ideal aerodynamically. Felt slow coming into the last few miles and finished with a 22.50 mark which was good enough for 10th, but I know I'm capable of more.
Stage 4. 45 minute downtown crit. ****ed up the start and slid back a ways. Was pretty fast for the first 20 minutes or so and had to pick my way forward 1 spot at a time until I was in the top third. One lap to go i saw the opportunity and jumped on it. Hit the front full gas into corner one, but wasn't going fast enough to get any sort of seperation. Ended up leading the whole last lap (also the fastest lap of day in the cat 3's) and getting under cut into the last corner. I sprinted the best I could after a full 1 minute effort and slid back to 7th or so for the finish. Thought i got the guy in 6th with a throw, but results didn't reflect it and I'm not gonna argue over one place like that.
Overall a good weekend with no good results. If I decide to get in shape for March again next year, I'll be back. Really want to have another go at the RR course. I really liked how it played out and getting to watch some of the best crit racers in the country duke it out on Friday and Sunday was really cool.
Stage 2. 90 Mi road race, 2x4mile gravel section. Fun race, I just don't have the fitness for races that long. Made it through the gravel the first lap after leading sections of it. But we hit the climbing bit after the gravel and I really wanted to pin it drop some stragglers, but we couldn't get working together. So it came back together in the corsswind / flat section. One team kept sending flier up the road and i thought one might go so I jumped on it. nope. Came back. Sat in for 30 more miles working on nutrition. Rolling bit before gravel another small move goes and I jump on it. nope. Came right back. Sat in through the bombed out section of road leading into the gravel and moved up at the last second to a good position into the final time through. About 8 minutes into the gravel, I'm in the box when a rider going backwards gets in the lane in front of me and I don't have the energy to go around him quick enough and get gapped off the group. Ended up finishing about a minute down on GC.
Stage 3. 10 mile TT. Went off at ~8.15 in the morning and it was still cold. Ended up wearing base layer and gloves for a TT which isn't ideal aerodynamically. Felt slow coming into the last few miles and finished with a 22.50 mark which was good enough for 10th, but I know I'm capable of more.
Stage 4. 45 minute downtown crit. ****ed up the start and slid back a ways. Was pretty fast for the first 20 minutes or so and had to pick my way forward 1 spot at a time until I was in the top third. One lap to go i saw the opportunity and jumped on it. Hit the front full gas into corner one, but wasn't going fast enough to get any sort of seperation. Ended up leading the whole last lap (also the fastest lap of day in the cat 3's) and getting under cut into the last corner. I sprinted the best I could after a full 1 minute effort and slid back to 7th or so for the finish. Thought i got the guy in 6th with a throw, but results didn't reflect it and I'm not gonna argue over one place like that.
Overall a good weekend with no good results. If I decide to get in shape for March again next year, I'll be back. Really want to have another go at the RR course. I really liked how it played out and getting to watch some of the best crit racers in the country duke it out on Friday and Sunday was really cool.
03-20-18, 09:18 PM
#140
Senior Member
C and B crits tonight.
These 2 very short videos sum up my night.
Into the final sprint. Moral of the story, don't get behind the guy who is going to softpedal in the sprint. Jeesh. I ended up in the gravel.
Hard to recover when you give up so many places on the final lap in the B race. I lost my nerve, didn't want to collide. Ironically with my own teammate. I have nothing to show for my racing this year so far.
These 2 very short videos sum up my night.
Into the final sprint. Moral of the story, don't get behind the guy who is going to softpedal in the sprint. Jeesh. I ended up in the gravel.
Hard to recover when you give up so many places on the final lap in the B race. I lost my nerve, didn't want to collide. Ironically with my own teammate. I have nothing to show for my racing this year so far.
03-20-18, 09:52 PM
#141
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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I don't get how they get people to drive all the ******' way to Chico then give you a 45-minute crit.
03-20-18, 10:03 PM
#142
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Chico 35+1/2/3
Took about 7 hours to get there on Thursday with snow over Mt Shasta. Ended up closing northbound I-5 - luckily we were heading south! Was raining in Chico when we got there so it was trainer openers instead of getting out on the TT course. Still hadn't been outside on my TT bike yet. My prep included a nordic ski race the weekend before.
8th in the circuit - love this race, I just don't have a good field sprint
4th RR
Sucked in the TT
10th in the crit - again, no field sprint
Was sitting pretty on GC until I sucked up in the TT. Ended in 9th on GC.
Fun weekend.
Took about 7 hours to get there on Thursday with snow over Mt Shasta. Ended up closing northbound I-5 - luckily we were heading south! Was raining in Chico when we got there so it was trainer openers instead of getting out on the TT course. Still hadn't been outside on my TT bike yet. My prep included a nordic ski race the weekend before.
8th in the circuit - love this race, I just don't have a good field sprint
4th RR
Sucked in the TT
10th in the crit - again, no field sprint
Was sitting pretty on GC until I sucked up in the TT. Ended in 9th on GC.
Fun weekend.
03-20-18, 11:15 PM
#144
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it's a ksyrium? definitely slowing you down, squeal or not! ;-)
03-20-18, 11:19 PM
#145
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i've done a whole bunch of stage races all around the country. sure, sometimes there's a dude who drove to silver city JUST for the crit, but the majority of the time:
a) the crit is perceived as a bit of rest (physical and mental);
b) the outcome of the crit would be the same whether it is 45' or 75';
c) no one* is asking for a longer one, esp not by stage 4.
* see above. there probably is someone out there, but it is very rare and pretty much the opposite of why *most* folks are motivated to show up to these things, as amateurs.
serious question: how many stage races have you done? has no bearing on the above answer -- i was just thinking wondering as i think in the past you said you just didn't have time/inclination/schedule to go to many, but i remembered you were @ SDSR at least one year.
i think you'd probably be an excellent GC contender at many stage races.
03-20-18, 11:21 PM
#146
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Chico 35+1/2/3
Took about 7 hours to get there on Thursday with snow over Mt Shasta. Ended up closing northbound I-5 - luckily we were heading south! Was raining in Chico when we got there so it was trainer openers instead of getting out on the TT course. Still hadn't been outside on my TT bike yet. My prep included a nordic ski race the weekend before.
8th in the circuit - love this race, I just don't have a good field sprint
4th RR
Sucked in the TT
10th in the crit - again, no field sprint
Was sitting pretty on GC until I sucked up in the TT. Ended in 9th on GC.
Fun weekend.
Took about 7 hours to get there on Thursday with snow over Mt Shasta. Ended up closing northbound I-5 - luckily we were heading south! Was raining in Chico when we got there so it was trainer openers instead of getting out on the TT course. Still hadn't been outside on my TT bike yet. My prep included a nordic ski race the weekend before.
8th in the circuit - love this race, I just don't have a good field sprint
4th RR
Sucked in the TT
10th in the crit - again, no field sprint
Was sitting pretty on GC until I sucked up in the TT. Ended in 9th on GC.
Fun weekend.
i've shown up at many feb/march/april races and looked around at the starting line, wondering how many other people were on nordic skis or skiing powder the day before.
answer is usually none!
03-21-18, 06:45 AM
#147
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i've done a whole bunch of stage races all around the country. sure, sometimes there's a dude who drove to silver city JUST for the crit, but the majority of the time:
a) the crit is perceived as a bit of rest (physical and mental);
b) the outcome of the crit would be the same whether it is 45' or 75';
c) no one* is asking for a longer one, esp not by stage 4.
* see above. there probably is someone out there, but it is very rare and pretty much the opposite of why *most* folks are motivated to show up to these things, as amateurs.
serious question: how many stage races have you done? has no bearing on the above answer -- i was just thinking wondering as i think in the past you said you just didn't have time/inclination/schedule to go to many, but i remembered you were @ SDSR at least one year.
i think you'd probably be an excellent GC contender at many stage races.
a) the crit is perceived as a bit of rest (physical and mental);
b) the outcome of the crit would be the same whether it is 45' or 75';
c) no one* is asking for a longer one, esp not by stage 4.
* see above. there probably is someone out there, but it is very rare and pretty much the opposite of why *most* folks are motivated to show up to these things, as amateurs.
serious question: how many stage races have you done? has no bearing on the above answer -- i was just thinking wondering as i think in the past you said you just didn't have time/inclination/schedule to go to many, but i remembered you were @ SDSR at least one year.
i think you'd probably be an excellent GC contender at many stage races.
03-22-18, 12:51 AM
#148
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Your profile is part of the reason why I think the stage race format would suit you.
Still, I don't think the difference between 45 minutes and 60 or 75 minutes would materially change the results assuming we have a field of competent riders. Sure, some are going to get shed, but they probably weren't contenders anyway.
03-22-18, 11:19 AM
#149
Senior Member
C & B races on Tues/Wed last week, one 4th place in small C crit where I pulled a guy for lap to podium.
Then 2 almost crashes in C & B race on Tues this week in last lap that had me off the course into the grass and gravel.
Yesterday Wed crit, C race, my team was controlling at the end, and I attacked on last lap and won. Teammates 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. My second win ever, first of this season.
Then in the B race...I had been dropped on the first lap last week (tired, didn't clip in, last one at the start). This time I stayed in, recovered during the race, and won the bunch sprint for 6th.
So it felt like an improvement. Although these things are very fluky as you know. 14 total crits last year. So far this year 8 crits in 2 weeks.
Then 2 almost crashes in C & B race on Tues this week in last lap that had me off the course into the grass and gravel.
Yesterday Wed crit, C race, my team was controlling at the end, and I attacked on last lap and won. Teammates 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. My second win ever, first of this season.
Then in the B race...I had been dropped on the first lap last week (tired, didn't clip in, last one at the start). This time I stayed in, recovered during the race, and won the bunch sprint for 6th.
So it felt like an improvement. Although these things are very fluky as you know. 14 total crits last year. So far this year 8 crits in 2 weeks.
03-22-18, 05:02 PM
#150
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I understand.
Your profile is part of the reason why I think the stage race format would suit you.
Still, I don't think the difference between 45 minutes and 60 or 75 minutes would materially change the results assuming we have a field of competent riders. Sure, some are going to get shed, but they probably weren't contenders anyway.
Your profile is part of the reason why I think the stage race format would suit you.
Still, I don't think the difference between 45 minutes and 60 or 75 minutes would materially change the results assuming we have a field of competent riders. Sure, some are going to get shed, but they probably weren't contenders anyway.