Cleave

Thanks for the kind words. I was hoping to do better but my fitness is definitely behind where I was last year. Another bronze (10 Km TT) and silver (20 Km road race).

Was 30 seconds slower than last year and I think I would have won again if I could have ridden that fast. Beat 4th place by 2 seconds.

My legs are always tired by the time the 20 Km road race comes around and this year was no different. A lot of people bailed for this race so all age groups started together. Tried to animate the race again a couple of times but nothing good was going to come from my efforts. I only had one competitor in this road race -- a former teammate and friend. At two-to-go, a 60+ guy took off and his attack broke the field apart. There were eight of us in total who stayed together.

Halfway through the last lap, the young guy (50+) attacked hard and I tried to follow. No dice. Everyone chased on to the back straight and when there was a slight lull, my friend took off. I wasn't going to chase.

The 50+ guy and my friend stayed away. Since I had no real reason to sprint, I just hung on the back so the other guys could race for their medals.

Oh, I'm qualified for Birmingham, AL. Primary goal accomplished. We'll see if I go. My wife has no interest in Birmingham so I'll go solo if I go at all.

Retirement and the end of my frequent business travel can't come soon enough.

revchuck 

Still, bronze and silver ain't too shabby. It was just someone else's turn...and there's always Birmingham!

Heathpack 

Nicely done, Cleave! A medal is a medal.

sarals 

Outstanding, Cleave! I missed you, this year. BJ sent me the group photo, a small group this year! I wonder if the turnout was lower due to Cynthia's passing? Anyway - great job!

+1 on retirement....

Jackmen

Wanted to giove everybody a report on my recent senior games events in Missouri on June 11 & 12. This is the first year I have done the state games and really my third set of races.

First day was 40K road race and 5K time trial. In the 40K road race we run all age groups together. Probably was about 40-50 racers. The pace was pretty fast as this is the qualifying year for 2017 nationals. I rode in the front group most of the race , back and forth, trying to avoid pulling and doing too much work. Then about 1 mile from the finish I got unjoined from the front group, and ended up finishing about 8-9 in my age group about 200 yds back from the front.

In the 5K TT I felt pretty good, and ended up with a average speed of about 27 MPH and got a bronze.

On Sunday, 20 K road race, hung with the front group entire race but didn't have a fast guys wheel in the sprint and ended up 5th in age group. Right with the fast guys. Our state sure does seem pretty fast. I averaged 23.8 for the race which seemed fast. In the 40K I averaged 22.8 and the top guys were probably around 23. I realized in the road races that sprinting is not a strong suit for me, and something I need to work on.

In the 10K I felt good but Like I was little spent from the last three races, and I ended up with a 23.1 average, and got another Bronze.

So I have qualified for 2017 nationals in Time trials, but will need to go to another state to get qualified in the road races, which I may do.

Any body here ever went to the state senior events in Illinois (seems poorly attended), Arkansas, Kansas, or Iowa.
Seems like some states have very low turnout and somewhat slow times. Missouri was very well attended and the competition was stiff, at least for me who is getting going in this senior racing thing.

Heathpack 

Nice showing, Jackman! I have no idea of the answers to your questions though.

Racer Ex 

No idea on those races. It's hard to gauge the competition level by the times though, there are a lot of factors that play into average speed.

Congrats on the medals!

Cleave

I'm going to Albuquerque!
Never been there and looking forward to it (assuming I live that long).
2018 Pasadena Senior Games are the California state qualifying events for the 2019 National Senior Games. Good to see @Heathpack and @Racer Ex there. Pre-rode the course with Heathpack and I hope that some of the things I relayed to her were useful. Also had her and soigneur / mechanic (aka Mr. Heathpack) a tour of our almost complete Green Dream Home. Said home is a primary reason for my lack of training, racing, and online presence here.
Number 1 goal for the Pasadena Senior Games was to qualify for Albuquerque. Number 2 goal was to medal in all 4 events (5 Km TT, 40 Km RR, 10 Km TT, and 20Km RR). Accomplished both goals.
Was 2nd in 5 Km TT after starting way too fast and dying near the end of lap 1 of 2 and barely hanging on during lap 2. Missed 1st by 6 seconds.
Was 3rd in the 40 Km RR after some last minute tactics went awry with my teammate (who was racing 55-59) and I got stuck on the windy side of the sprint. (Note: 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, and 65-69 raced together and scored separately.) Last in the lead group.
Was 2nd in the 10 Km TT after breaking one of the bolts holding my right arm pad on the 1st lap. Missed 1st by 3 seconds to the same guy as the 5 Km TT and I'm sure I lost those 3 seconds periodically futzing with my arm pad for 3 laps. Despite the mechanical problem, was doing negative splits until the last lap.
Won age group and overall in 20 Km RR after breaking away with another guy (who also had a teammate in the race) on the 3rd of 8 laps. I think my teammate was feeling bad about our previous day SNAFU and he stayed behind to herd the cats. Managed to sprint faster than the other guy and won by about half a wheel. Big accomplishment for me since I haven't sprinted hard in a race or won for years.

Anyone else planning to go to Albuquerque (besides Heathpack)?

YogaKat

Hello all! Long time no see (except you all on FB.)

I'm doing Senior games this weekend. They are holding at the lake that is 5 miles away (aka) my rolling grounds.

A couple of questions for the road race:

Should I remove my bidon cages and keep a small bottle in my jersey pocket or leave them?

Lately I've been riding with music on my bike. With removing all unnecessary items (like my speaker,) any thoughts on if this will effect my mental state while racing?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

TIA and good to see you all again.

revchuck 

The Senior Games road races are typically 20 and 40km. Bottle cages weigh little and don't have that much impact on aerodynamics. I'd leave them on and take a bottle on both (if you're doing both).

Focus on the race, you won't miss the music. You don't need any distractions.

Best of luck!

YogaKat

Thank you @revchuck.

I ended up leaving the music in the car and took off the cages and carried a bidon in my jersey pocket. I got 2nd out of 2 in my age group but we were close in competition. It was quite a grueling but fun day. I guess I should get on my race report when I have time.

Apologies for not being on in awhile but I've only had t-shirt rides around these parts and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had a chance to race before the season was over.

Overall, it was a fantastic day with some PRs on my home course.
@Racer Ex - I love my bike with all my heart!

BTW, it was:
22k and 44k road race (all in one) stop if you only wanted to do one. (Hard finish and keep going was in interesting experience.)
5k TT - way tougher than the standard 20k I'm used to.
10k TT - we were all exhausted by this point and the heat was cranking up. There were several that opted not to do that last one, but one wonderful lady encouraged me to keep at it.

Racer Ex 

Awesome job @YogaKat!

5k's are a kilometer over the standard pursuit distance for track (4k), so you have a bit of a feel for the roundy round. The world record for this is 4:07...

Cleave

Anyone else going to Albuquerque for the 2019 National Senior Games? I'm going. So is @Racer Ex and @Heathpack. I also have a teammate who is going and he is, unfortunately, in Racer Ex's age group. Fortunately, I am not.

Please reply if you're going.

Heathpack 

Im there.

Racer Ex 

Leaving Wednesday, landing Thursday. Doing all 4 events. Let's all get together for dinner. BostonGarden will be there as well.

bbbean 

I'll be there for the RRs.

So how do the NSG Nats compare to USAC Master's races? In MO, there are only a few of us that race both, and we can count on podiums at the State Senior Games, but tend to be pack fodder at the bigger USAC Master's races (Gateway Cup, etc). How experienced is the firld in general? Lots of experienced racers, or is it a field of tri-guys and new racers?

Cleave

@Racer Ex We'll be there on Thursday early afternoon. Stopping at the TT course before we head to the hotel.

@bbbean This is my third National Senior Games and the fields are almost twice as big as any previous games that I've attended. In the past, I would have called it a Cat 3/4 race with a couple of Cat 1/2 guys thrown in to keep me humble and a couple of Cat 5 guys (some of whom are tri-guys) to keep me on my toes. Not sure about how things will stack up in a much larger field. Thankfully Racer Ex is not in my age group (60-64).

bbbean 

Thanks. I appreciate the perspective.

Voodoo76

Best of luck to you all, that looks like a pretty cool event. I'll have to check out the TX State next year.

Spiduhman

Congrats on your win inna 40K Ex!

Team mate made top ten in both road races, told him "Hi to Racer Ex"

Cleave

Did your teammate also post on-bike videos from the 55-59 race?

SimplySycles1

Hi can anyone who was at this years National Senior Games say the above was still the case ie 60-64 age group was comparable to a Open 3/4 race?

Maybe next year Ruben

bbbean 

I was in the 55yr age group, but I would absolutely compare the field to the open masters (cat1-4) races in St. Louis (Gateway Cup, etc.) From the looks of the racers in the age groups just ahead and behind us, I suspect the competition was similar for them.

Cleave

I've been a solid Cat 3 racer for 40+ years. The 60-64 race was definitely easier than any 55+/60+ race in SoCal with similar terrain. Maybe it's a SoCal thing.

BTW, the National Senior Game are every other year, so the next one is 2021 and will be in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

dennis55

I have raced Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Louisiana, senior games. Raced Ok this year 6 months after quadruple heart by-pass. Thank you for this thread.