Racer Ex 

Congrats Nate! Clint?

jsutkeepspining

Tour de grandview cat 3: Felt great going into last lap, was sitting 4th wheel with 2 laps to go, and bam quick release opens up. Safely navigate the last two turns (mainly trying not to crash anyone out), don't sprint, and end up getting 15th. Current theory on why my quick release opened up is that during the first part of the race some one might have just brushed my QR without it opening, then after 60 more minutes of racing, it just worked its way open. Overal, im pissed! i basically gave up at least a podium (uphill sprints are my strength) because of a stupid mechanical issue.

rkwaki

Typical......





First thing you think when looking at a man is "sausage"

Good morning

DataJunkie

Mike Horgan Hill Climb 35+ 4. Off the back at the turn onto sugarloaf due to blowing up with a new max measured HR of 182.
Finished 17th. Freaking hard hill climb.

jameskpolk

Strong work. I grabbed a spot in the shade on the back stretch to cheer on my buddy (black generic kit, yellow c-dale) after towing him out to Wells with just enough time to pin on his number during the pre-race talk. Given shovelhd's report, I'm glad I chose not stick around to play with the big boys.

Diane (the New England USAC rep) accepted my Wells starts for my 5->4, so I wouldn't be worried - go ahead and request the upgrade.

Also, I seem to recall that you're looking for a team and that someone pointed you towards GLV. If you're looking to make contact, they run a group ride out of Cleveland Circle on Wed nights. They claim a 5.45 departure, but I've never seen it start before 6.00.

Nate552

+1

Yep. He did a great time.

wanders

Since topflightpro approves, I thought I'd share.
An email exchange on the Reidsville Criterium. Around 100 deg. temps at the start.



> On Jul 1, 2012, at 5:38 PM, <topflightpro> wrote:
>
>> How'd the race go?

On Jul 1, 2012, at 8:43 PM, <wanders> wrote:

> Stupid fast, hot and a combined 3/4 field made for a miserable race. I got dropped in about 8 minutes. I became so dizzy from the heat and the effort, I pulled myself after 12 minutes. It days like these that make me question why I bother with this sport I'm so unsuited for.
>
> Other that that, it went great.
>
>


On Jul 2, 2012, at 9:07 AM, <topflightpro> wrote:

> That's the best race report I've read.
>
>

grolby

Had a couple of races this weekend, Cookeville Regional Medical Center RR and state crit championship. Both in 106+ degree heat, which is every bit as bad as it sounds. Cat 4.

The road race didn't go too great. Six climbs on the course would have made it a tough one in more favorable weather, and I'm usually bad in the heat. Got dropped on climb #4, the group I was in clawed itself back on, but a few miles later I was off again for good, halfway through. I limped to the feed zone and caught a ride. I literally couldn't pedal another stroke. On the plus side, my teammate WM won the thing, so that was cool.

Crit the next day, and there were four of us in the race. I almost didn't start, I was feeling horrible all morning, but I started to feel human about 45 minutes before the start and got kitted up. The plan was to do anything possible to help WM win this one, too. I ended up toeing the line at the back of the field. The pace was basically nuts from the start, and I felt like ass for the first five minutes or so, but I gradually moved up the field on the uphill backstretch and through some of the corners until I was 15 or so back from the front. Ten minutes into the forty minute race, I dropped my water bottle, said a few choice words about that. Good thing I still had a Gatorade bottle, but it wasn't what I really wanted. The lap after that, a small move was brought back, things started to bunch up on the backstretch. That wasn't going to do us any good, so I made a snap decision - zoomed up to the front, came around the corner to the second part of the uphill and lit the afterburner. I got a pretty good gap, so I put my head down. I didn't really expect to stay away, but keeping the race fast and hard would only benefit WM. A guy bridged up to me about a lap later, but that was a bad sign for the break. We worked together, but it was over a lap later. I had enough left to cling on to the group after they caught me, so I recovered for a few minutes and, to my surprise, went again a few laps later. Same deal, I attacked on the backstretch, got a big gap (seriously, no one else who attacked was able to get any real separation, and I don't really know why. But I digress.), and was joined after about a lap by another rider, caught again a lap after that. Each time I was out there, I was terrified that I would blow myself up and leave a breakaway up the road for my teammates to worry about, but it all worked out okay. Despite having six corners, it was an open course and I was away longer than anyone else in that race. So I guess I'm riding okay.

After getting caught the second time, about when they started showing lap cards, I was left to just hold on for the rest of the race. WM lit the afterburners on the backstretch of the bell lap and won the jersey by a country mile. I would like to take some credit by helping keep the pace high, but it was such a dominant win that I doubt I made much difference. Still, I did what I could, and perhaps I can think about getting some results for myself, if not this season than next season. I ended up sprinting downhill for 18th toward what was left of the back of the field, just holding off an oncoming racer with a bike throw at the line.

This weekend seemed like a crystal clear demonstration of my strengths and weaknesses - absolutely nowhere in the road race, animated and fast in the crit. I must remember to take the long view, I will be there in the future, but I'm not a motor with great power-to-weight at threshold, I'm explosive and powerful for short efforts. Thinking more seriously about getting into power if I can afford to this winter, I'd like to quantify that a bit better.

I have a break from racing for the next 2 1/2 weeks, and thank goodness. This weekend was races 15 and 16 for me this season, not a lot by some standards, but an all-time record for me by a large margin. I'm cooked. I hope the weather cools off soon.

rkwaki

Good write-up and congrats to you for jumping in there to lend a hand. Having ridden with WM a couple of weeks ago kid is strong and I think he can cat up now, regardless when the pace is kept high by a teammate it all goes to help out in the win.
Keep up the good work.

grolby

Thanks! Yes, he could cat up, but he won't until next season unless they force him to. The reps in TN seem fairly conservative about upgrade requests (he made one in March), and don't seem too concerned about sandbaggers. I can think of a few riders who have to have more than 30 points. Anyway, now he's chasing the state BAR jersey. The way BAR competitions disincentivize upgrades is kind of a gripe of mine, but I can't really blame him. The other guys who aren't even in the running for it have no excuse, though.

rkwaki

BTW GSD Saturday is going to be a good one

grolby

Gonna be out of town, alas.

mattm

Two crits this weekend, survived them both.

Finished in the teens, meh - but guys got dropped from both races and I didn't so at least there is that.

mollusk

Having a lower Cat season jersey winner makes no sense if you force out the contenders with forced upgrades. Not affording those not in contention the same luxury doesn't make much sense either as it changes the competitive field. Perhaps the whole idea of a lower Cat champion is kind of stupid. Medium sized fish in a puddle, if you ask me.

Creakyknees

Rear QR should be pointing forward and down about 45 degrees so that when a wheel touches it, it is not able to be pried open or get snagged.

Front QR pointing rearward and up about 45 degrees so that when you ride into the spokes in front of you, it won't pry open or get snagged.

Both should be pretty darn tight.

You are correct to be pissed, take a look in the mirror.

Also your fellow racers have the right to be very mad at you for risking their lives. Don't do that.

Creakyknees

1. Fify
2.

McTufferton

How much of a lower cat? 3? 4?

I agree that forcing upgrades changes the dynamic of the competition midway through. I'm leading our state's BAR competition, and I, along with others at the top of that list, have the points to upgrade to 2. I think we should be allowed to finish what we started and see the competition through to the end. There are exceptions, however, as we had someone running away with it so early in the season that he upgraded, clearing the way for the competition that's taking place now. There are at least 5 of us in contention to win BAR and I think all of us are talking about upgrading after the season.

crapweasel

Same two races (different cat). Did Saturday with zero warmup (locked my keys in the car), so that hurt. Pack finish. Sunday was my first 60 minute crit. Survived, barely, and just missed the last surge and lost any chance of a leadout. I feel like I'm learning to race all over again.

Next up is the July 4th crit for 3 races in 5 days.

mattm

You looked good out there, nice job on surviving!

Before you know it you'll be re-learning how to race again with me & the 1/2's; I'm having flashbacks to my 5's days lately... it really is like learning all over again, just at a higher speeds and different tactics.

carpediemracing 

For me the lower Cat champion is okay if it's recognized as such. I think this way because I can win the Cat 3 states but not the "open". Because it's just Cat 3 I've never raced with the jersey I won, even though I suppose I could have worn them in Cat 3 only races in CT.

However I think a National champion should get an automatic upgrade to Cat 1 in that discipline. To be the BEST IN THE COUNTRY and a Cat 3 is ridiculous. I have lined up with 3 current (Masters) national champions in the field in a Cat 3 only race, and I've done it multiple times. They were national champs at the crit, not something totally unrelated - I understand that the best mtb racer in the country may not be a Cat 1 on the road, and I know that as a Cat 3 on the road I'm definitely not the Cat 3 in CX like my license says.

Champion Masters should be able to race an easier Masters category like women, but 20 years or 1 category for open age races. So an M55 National Champion can enter a M35 (-20 years) Cat 3 race (or a race that includes them) or even a straight Cat 3 race. An M45 Nat Champ shouldn't be able to enter a Cat 3 race, just Cat 2 (and those that include Cat 2s) or M35+ Cat 1 (and those that include them). M35 Nat Champ is Cat 2 open or just M35 Cat 1 (and inclusive races).

We've had Cat 1 women in the 3-4 race (that's okay by the rules - Cat 1 women can go down 2 categories for open men's races). And we've had M35 women in the M45 race (women can enter 10 years younger than their age in men's Masters races). It seems pretty fair.

jsutkeepspining

It was both of those. Thats the weird part.

Racer Ex 

Weekend at track champs was three buckets of steak knives and a 3rd. Nice thing about steak knives is you can throw yourself on them.

grolby

That's my view. Who cares if you're the best 4 in the state? Or, to a lesser extent, the best 3? Yawn. I know I want to upgrade the hell out of Cat 4, and it's not even going to happen for me this year. If I have the points, I'm gone.

See above - there are five guys in contention, all with the points to go to Cat 2, and you're hanging out in the 3s and clobbering guys that you've already shown yourselves to be stronger than. Maybe my perspective would be different if I were in the running for a BAR jersey, but I really don't get it.

I went to the velodrome one Saturday, a few years ago. It was a day of open races, not category racing, and most of the people who showed up were random recreational riders and beginner racers checking things out, a couple strong riders just in cruise control and training mode, a few other relatively weak riders. And I cleaned up. Won the miss-and-out, won the points race, second in the scratch race, placed in the other stuff, too. It was a fun day, but I don't want to keep going out and showing that I'm faster than recreational riders. It's not too good for either of us.

I mean no disrespect, and don't think wanting to fight for the BAR makes you a bad guy. And I don't know that it should be got rid of, but the way it encourages strong riders to sandbag and leave no scraps behind kind of sucks, IMO.

badhat

i won cat 4 BAR a couple of years ago. it felt good and i upgraded voluntarily at the end of my season.

i liked BAR and thought it was a fun contest to trak and made for some fun rivalries. it was my first year racing, too.

there were a couple of guys that catted up midseason who i'd have liked to go head to head with on points for the rest of the season but i get why they catted up too.

i think itd be different if i'd been a 4 for 5 years and BAR was just like my participation award. i was a really good all arounder... top tenned all my races and all the state cahmpionships, i think its cool to have a contest that rewards that kind of consistency, even if i didnt see any podiums that year.

i think theres all together too much orthodoxy over what constitutes real racing and what are valid goals and events... right now in CO theres this b1tchfest over whether Hill Climbs are legit racing or not. we're all amatuers and we're all racin bikes for fun. i hope no one is under any illusions that winning a TT or a HC or a crit means youre the best at anything on any meaningful scale. you just trained and showed up and had fun and were the best of those dudes on that day. end of the day its not even a little bit more "real" or meaningful that having a strava rivalry with your buddies. its all community that at best brings out the best of us and rewards a healthy lifestyle and a little discipline and dedication and teamwork.

i hate when it brings out petty recrimination and straightfaced polemics about whos preferred discipline or ability level or metrics for progress are "real" enough.

badhat

like in my head, a sub 53min 40K or a sub 2h5m mt evans is a lot g0ddamn more special than winning a crit. i dont care who agrees or disagrees, but dudes gotta get over the attitude thinkin one form or level of weekend warrior is more objectively important than another.