globecanvas

Are you referring to something posted earlier here, or what? Sorry, confused. From context I'd guess the annoying race report says something like "we strategied the hell out of that strong loser" compared to your interpretation of "what the hell else could I have done?!"


Sounds to me like you tried the small number of options that were available to you. But, why didn't they want to make contact? They had teammates in the field and you didn't so your only advantage to lapping the field is hoping for chaos to cause something weird to happen, whereas they pick up actual teammates.

Ygduf

yeah, his race report. essentially making me out to be dim-witted and weak. When the other two guys in the break were saying "there's not benefit to lapping" (winner has a sprint and likely guaranteed to win from the break, other guy incredibly TT and best chance was catching us unaware with a long solo attack) I joked that "at least I could rest."

Anyway - yeah, dude thought I was tired, wanted to rest, unaware that I was being worked, and so on. Meanwhile I created the break and am plotting my best chance to finish better-than-third the entire time.

Just annoys me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ygduf

I tried to post and it got held for moderation? @globecanvas

mattm

Maybe don't bridge, let them mark each other and take advantage of that? It's a roll of the dice, but less so than hoping someone gets boxed in a field sprint. Still a stretch to beat them both, they were probably the strongest guys out there..

I'm surprised Dave didn't want to bridge (since I was in the pack, waiting to help), but it sounds like he was confident enough that he didn't think he even needed the help.

I think your chances of winning that race, given the way it played out (up to before you guys lapped), were probably 20% at best. Not because you're weak, but because they are so strong, and there's two of them.

globecanvas

Don't know anything about that... I don't even think there is a facility for holding posts for moderation. Network/DB absence seizure maybe?

TheKillerPenguin

That's happened to me a few times lately. I figured I offended the syntax Gods with my weird-ass sentences.

aaronmcd

Happened to me once. I delete most of my drafts before posting anyway so whatever!

cb400bill

Not sure what happened there but you're all set now.

wktmeow

@aaronmcd just saw you won Red Kite! Congrats!

aaronmcd

Red kite crit, cat 2/3. Win!!
Only 28 guys on the line, probably because it was almost 100 degrees. I was a bit dehydrated this morning but consumed vast quantities of water, food and salt, and felt fine during the race.

One fast guy was up the road most of the first half of the race, but never got much help. About 35 minutes in I attack, a few came up with the pack close. I kind of half work steady and half surge, to keep it strung out for a while and try and force a break, but it ended up being half the pack so I quit working with about 15 minutes to go and the rest of the pack caught back on.

Rested up for the final laps and I still had matches. One guy attacked 5 to go, and when he was caught with 3 to go the pack sat up and I took the opportunity to build a gap and hold it to the finish!

Opted to skip the 1/2 race due to the heat. Good thing, everyone that doubled up back to back DNFed.

mattm

That was great watching you drop everyone in those last few laps! You held the gap the whole time, impressive.

Was wondering if you'd post up, but with that crosswind it's a little dangerous - luckily it counts either way. Congrats!

revchuck 

Way to go, Aaron!

globecanvas

Awesome @aaronmcd!

hack

congrats @aaronmcd ... impressive way to win

TheKillerPenguin

Schwing!

Yep

+1

miyata man

Nice Aaron, the guy who took 2nd won out when I teased the locals into trying to take a broken pavement S curve hill KOM last Spring. Down, not up.

Wylde06

After a completely awful race Friday, in which you wonder why you continue to race bikes (first hot race..95 degrees), I got 10th in our local crit today.

Nailed my clipin and drilled it at the front for 2 laps, then drifted back and just sat in the front 1/3 of the pack. Halfway in there was a crash on turn 3, in front of me, that split the group up, but the small group I was in was able to chase back on to the main pack. Closed a bunch of gaps as guys were dieing and ended up floating around the back of what was left of the field. 2 to go, guy in front me clips his pedal and almost loses it on turn 2..I anticipated having to hit the grass and start to unclip but luckily he saved it, and after a brief meeting between my front tire and the curb I jumped back to the group. Tried moving up for a better position going into the finish but was only able to come in on the back of the pack for 10th.

Happy with this one. I've done this race every year since I started racing and have never finished without getting dropped. So coming in 10th was awesome. Was having a little bit of a hard time picking the right gear to come out of the corners in, but I never really thought I was ever going to lose contact with the group. Good race.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1042974130#kudos

Then I lined up for the 3/4 (lol), got dropped 3 laps in, and was hoping they would pull me but they never did!

mattm

???

miyata man

Red kite 2nd place, was up here visiting friends and casually dispatched one of the rare challenging descents we have.

revchuck 

Congrats!

ShutUpLegs

Not much racing locally recently, but this past weekend was filled with 2 local crits. Let me start by saying my focus for this year has changed from road to cyclocross, so I am not racing on the road as much and a little unsure of my current fitness. The early season races left me wondering how I last year I was able to be up front and this year I was struggling to hang on. But I knew my fitness was starting to come around thanks to some solid training blocks.

Saturday Grandview Grand Prix P123 - 19th
I went into this race with not much of a plan. I knew it would be very aggressive and I had one teammate with me. The course is a fairly technical 6-turn crit that is littered with pot holes in all the good lines and finished off with an off camber final corner with a downhill finish. Once settled in a made some break attempts, bridged across and pulled some back. Something I was unable to do early in the year. Once the halfway point hit I sat back and planned to wait for the last 5 laps or so to make an attempt at getting away. With 7 to go a very strong rider went at the perfect moment. Problem was, at that moment i was trying to move up to prepare for the same move and was just to far back when it happened. 2 riders stayed away and I finished in the pack. Although not a great result it gave me a lot of confidence for Sunday, as I felt I was starting to get back to my old self.

Sunday Race Avenue Crit - 11th
Went into this race with a plan of doing little work until last 10 laps. Typically this is a very aggressive race, but the nature of the course usually leads to a late break or sprint finish. Classic 4 corners with the finishing straight being a long false flat, into a headwind, and the backstretch a fast 30mph+ downhill. There were 4 teams that had 4+ guys and I knew early that if each team was represented in a break it would likely stick. About 10 laps in a promising break got up the road, each team was represented. I knew I had to be in it so I made the solo bridge. Took me about a lap, but as soon as I got up there I could see there was little cohesion, I think the group was just one or two riders to big. We stayed away for a couple laps, with riders not willing to pull through and just coasting on the backside. I attacked trying to whittle the group down while still trying to get the stronger riders from each team to come with. 3 of us stayed away for a lap or two them everything came back together. I was feeling strong and knew I could stay with any of the guys and when a break went up the road I was on the wheel of the last rider to bridge and for some reason I didn't go. I don't know why, I just hesitated. I guess I thought it would come back and I didn't take note to all the riders up the road, turned out every team was represented and before I knew it they had 20 seconds. The gap went out to a minute and I was bascially by myself in the group trying to close the gap, we got it to within 30 seconds, but that was as close as it got. Finally after endless efforts I was able to sneak away in the last 6 or 7 laps. I had buried myself all day trying to get in the break and close the gap so when we sprinted it out I had nothing left and my 2 other breakmates finished ahead.

All in all it was a win for me. I was frustrated to have missed the winning move, but happy to have found my legs!

miyata man

Dammit, I meant to quote mattm. Who was questioning some undetermined element of my reply to aaronmcd. My head is fried from the heat last week.

Rider who won the field sprint for 2nd behind aaronmcd won his first race in 3-4 years last weekend. He proved to be ballsier at descending and cornering than most on the locally rare technical descent with a not going to end well drop off a cliff if you mess up.

mike868y

cool story

caloso

I did Nevada City. It was awful. Really hot. At 11 am it was already 100F. Got dropped on the 3d lap. Slogged on. Eventually got lapped and was descending with the leaders and the guy on the front crashed right in front of me in turn 2. Kept going. Eventually it ended. No DNF, no crash, no trip to the ER. And I wasn't last. Yay. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

It's a bit disappointing though. I grew up not too far from Nevada City l and kept telling myself that I should be used to the heat. I am the lightest I've been since before the kids were born, and I just PRed my 1', 2', and 5' power in the last few months. But I just didn't have it on race day.