2015 Race Results
#251
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,449
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Valley of the Sun third and final stage, in which I discover the difference between a local cat 4 crit, and a large cat 3 crit with most guys traveling from out of state.
It was obvious most guys were in shape and ready for this. 7 corner figure 8, 27.4 mph (but it felt faster). Wide enough roads but still very hard to move up.
Started 2nd row, took a few laps to get to the front and attack. One guy followed and the gap lasted for maybe a corner or two before we were swallowed by the rushing river of cyclists.
Spent the rest of the race trying to stay near the front and just couldn't manage it. 26th in the crit, 26th in GC, 4:16 back, and around 1:45 out of the points, which would have taken an extra mph in the TT and no flats in the road race.
Still an awesome fun experience!
It was obvious most guys were in shape and ready for this. 7 corner figure 8, 27.4 mph (but it felt faster). Wide enough roads but still very hard to move up.
Started 2nd row, took a few laps to get to the front and attack. One guy followed and the gap lasted for maybe a corner or two before we were swallowed by the rushing river of cyclists.
Spent the rest of the race trying to stay near the front and just couldn't manage it. 26th in the crit, 26th in GC, 4:16 back, and around 1:45 out of the points, which would have taken an extra mph in the TT and no flats in the road race.
Still an awesome fun experience!
you live in a region with many amazing racers, but testing oneself in a big regional race is an awesome way to see where one stands in the larger picture. no one shows up to these stage races by accident
VOS is still early season for most racers (it's a bigger deal for juniors), so you'll get an even better picture if you go the spring/summer stage races with regional pull.
i'll bet a good number of riders in your field are ready to be/soon will be cat 2s.
racing outside of one's home region is also very interesting in terms of reading a race: a higher percentage of faces are unfamiliar, so it's not as easy to rely on things like "oh, that's a break with a real shot because so-and-so is in it" or knowing that a break will fail because it's got the guy in it who always sits up after 5 minutes.
it's just my opinion, but i often encourage people to do a regional stage race (or just another "big" single day race that draws from a number of states) as confirmation of being ready for an upgrade.
good on ya for doing the drive out there. the travel and logistics are never easy, but it is super cool to be completely immersed in bike racing for a weekend.
#252
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
when you get back, red kites and the like will be easy. I'm sure I'll see you in the 2/3s!
#253
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
Best part of the race was the guy who got 3rd giving me tips as we were attacking/countering, telling me (while sweating in 55f) that if I wanted to make a break stick I had to work it harder than we were. I told him "thanks for the tips, you should lead by example. No but really these are just body blows; the fight starts when people are tired." Nice guy and while waiting for results we chatted and he admitted that as I got away and then Stefano got away from him he regretted talking ****. Good times.
The points are rolling in, see you at Nationals in June!
#254
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
Coppertown Circuit race p/1/2/3's - 8th I think.
Better race for me than yesterday; plan was to not wait around, but to be aggressive the whole time. Lots of early moves but nothing stuck, until 4 of us got away with 40 mins to go in the 90 minute race, and got a nice gap.
We worked well together, until about 30 minutes later when the two guys from the strongest team start attacking our break - way too early!! It would've made so much more sense for them to do that in the last few k's, they easily could've sealed the deal. Instead they forced me to chase, and the other guy in the break was too tired to really contribute.. oh well.
We got swallowed up with 20 mins or so to go, and it ended in a field sprint. Didn't play the sprint right/was tired but overall it was a fun race.
Better race for me than yesterday; plan was to not wait around, but to be aggressive the whole time. Lots of early moves but nothing stuck, until 4 of us got away with 40 mins to go in the 90 minute race, and got a nice gap.
We worked well together, until about 30 minutes later when the two guys from the strongest team start attacking our break - way too early!! It would've made so much more sense for them to do that in the last few k's, they easily could've sealed the deal. Instead they forced me to chase, and the other guy in the break was too tired to really contribute.. oh well.
We got swallowed up with 20 mins or so to go, and it ended in a field sprint. Didn't play the sprint right/was tired but overall it was a fun race.
#255
Senior Member
solid work, aaronmcd. sorry about your flat.
you live in a region with many amazing racers, but testing oneself in a big regional race is an awesome way to see where one stands in the larger picture. no one shows up to these stage races by accident
VOS is still early season for most racers (it's a bigger deal for juniors), so you'll get an even better picture if you go the spring/summer stage races with regional pull.
i'll bet a good number of riders in your field are ready to be/soon will be cat 2s.
racing outside of one's home region is also very interesting in terms of reading a race: a higher percentage of faces are unfamiliar, so it's not as easy to rely on things like "oh, that's a break with a real shot because so-and-so is in it" or knowing that a break will fail because it's got the guy in it who always sits up after 5 minutes.
it's just my opinion, but i often encourage people to do a regional stage race (or just another "big" single day race that draws from a number of states) as confirmation of being ready for an upgrade.
good on ya for doing the drive out there. the travel and logistics are never easy, but it is super cool to be completely immersed in bike racing for a weekend.
you live in a region with many amazing racers, but testing oneself in a big regional race is an awesome way to see where one stands in the larger picture. no one shows up to these stage races by accident
VOS is still early season for most racers (it's a bigger deal for juniors), so you'll get an even better picture if you go the spring/summer stage races with regional pull.
i'll bet a good number of riders in your field are ready to be/soon will be cat 2s.
racing outside of one's home region is also very interesting in terms of reading a race: a higher percentage of faces are unfamiliar, so it's not as easy to rely on things like "oh, that's a break with a real shot because so-and-so is in it" or knowing that a break will fail because it's got the guy in it who always sits up after 5 minutes.
it's just my opinion, but i often encourage people to do a regional stage race (or just another "big" single day race that draws from a number of states) as confirmation of being ready for an upgrade.
good on ya for doing the drive out there. the travel and logistics are never easy, but it is super cool to be completely immersed in bike racing for a weekend.
#256
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Southern California, USA
Posts: 10,475
Bikes: 1979 Raleigh Team 753
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3375 Post(s)
Liked 371 Times
in
253 Posts
No. Skewer came undone. I was sure he just didn't tighten it. So I tightened it for the crit and it popped out in the sprint and he walked over the line. The skewers have been used 4 seasons and never had an issue, but new bike and he's stronger. Some post race research indicates others have had issues with these on the Venge (Daniel's bike is new and we are still breaking it in - lets go with that). This is a Ti shaft and I think maybe stretches a bit under high watts. I could do them tighter, but I think just going to steel is a better option. Daniel did a very nice job of controlling the crit to keep our 6 sec GC lead. LUX (Brandon) got GC! Hot Tubes - the former hottest junior team didn't show for the podium/s. Then they started the podiums 30 min before they announce they would. I'll get some video up later today or tomorrow.
#257
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
VOS 17-18
The good news is I got to support in the Optum SUV and talk on the radio a lot - I was very busy. The other good is we think we still have GC and a forum poster introduced himself. We laughed a bit about how I annoy people. Daniel had mid pack wheel issue (hit or something - not sure) shouting "Don't hit me!", stops fixes and the turds attacked when he stopped - so bad for him. I think he finished OK, but certainly lost his 2nd place by a lot. Maybe 10 riders left the road due to wind and to many riders in a lane. Actually an east coast big name rider just road off the road and got banged up. I really want to post the videos of all those in the dirt - but better everyone keep their secrets on this. It was a really messed up day. No injuries on our side and only 2-3 minor for the field.
For some reason they started the Cat 3s 10 min ahead of the 17-18 - that caused some issues and a lot of referee scolding of the Cat 3s for mixing in.
Fun day if it didn't suck so much.
The good news is I got to support in the Optum SUV and talk on the radio a lot - I was very busy. The other good is we think we still have GC and a forum poster introduced himself. We laughed a bit about how I annoy people. Daniel had mid pack wheel issue (hit or something - not sure) shouting "Don't hit me!", stops fixes and the turds attacked when he stopped - so bad for him. I think he finished OK, but certainly lost his 2nd place by a lot. Maybe 10 riders left the road due to wind and to many riders in a lane. Actually an east coast big name rider just road off the road and got banged up. I really want to post the videos of all those in the dirt - but better everyone keep their secrets on this. It was a really messed up day. No injuries on our side and only 2-3 minor for the field.
For some reason they started the Cat 3s 10 min ahead of the 17-18 - that caused some issues and a lot of referee scolding of the Cat 3s for mixing in.
Fun day if it didn't suck so much.
#258
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
VOS (Cat 4)
TT -- 26/52 right in the middle
I suck at TTs. I hate them. They hurt, they're boring, and they expose my mediocre-at-best power. I have an "aero road bike" and threw some clip-on aerobars on it but my position wasn't great. If I want to see better results in the GC I need to get serious about these, but for right now I'm just doing them in order to get to days 2 and 3.
RR -- 14/45
Fun course except for the highway rumble strips on the backside of the course. Rolled over them for a moment too long and one of my bottles rattled out and danced around my frame/wheel, freaking me out thinking I had flatted. The climb was short but did cause the group to split a bit. On the second lap I went to the front and tried to organize a paceline to stay away from the chasers, but that didn't work and everything came back together. On the final climb about 10 riders went up the road and I put in a couple minutes of maximum effort to try to bridge a teammate up to them. He was sitting at 7th in the GC and we were hoping to move him up a spot or two. He ended up moving up to 6th so I was pretty stoked.
Crit -- 4/42
Awesome course, very fast. We averaged over 27 mph so it was the fastest crit I've ever done. Absolutely loved it. Talked with a friend from another team who was 18 seconds from 2nd in the GC and agreed to break away with him to try to get him that 2nd place spot. After the second prime we went for it and got a decent gap which held for a couple laps before a third rider bridged up to us. My HR got 4 beats higher than it's ever been. We stayed away for 9 minutes before getting caught. Once back in the group, since he was going to remain in 3rd place for the GC my friend said he would lead me out for the sprint. So on the last lap I was ~10 back, got on his wheel and shouted that I was there and he went for it. It was an amazing feeling to be sitting second wheel at 30+ mph through that final corner and then having him pull off. I threw everything I had at the sprint but my legs were so fatigued from the break that all I could muster was 59% of what I normally could do for 15 seconds at the end of a 30-minute crit. Two guys got around me with several bike lengths to spare and one guy beat me at the line by half a wheel. I've yet to get on the podium so I wanted it bad, but it was an awesome race and really cool working with another team.
Ended up 16th on the GC and my teammate held on to 6th. Learned some things and had a lot of fun.
Screenshot from my Gopro at the finish. Ugh, so close...
TT -- 26/52 right in the middle
I suck at TTs. I hate them. They hurt, they're boring, and they expose my mediocre-at-best power. I have an "aero road bike" and threw some clip-on aerobars on it but my position wasn't great. If I want to see better results in the GC I need to get serious about these, but for right now I'm just doing them in order to get to days 2 and 3.
RR -- 14/45
Fun course except for the highway rumble strips on the backside of the course. Rolled over them for a moment too long and one of my bottles rattled out and danced around my frame/wheel, freaking me out thinking I had flatted. The climb was short but did cause the group to split a bit. On the second lap I went to the front and tried to organize a paceline to stay away from the chasers, but that didn't work and everything came back together. On the final climb about 10 riders went up the road and I put in a couple minutes of maximum effort to try to bridge a teammate up to them. He was sitting at 7th in the GC and we were hoping to move him up a spot or two. He ended up moving up to 6th so I was pretty stoked.
Crit -- 4/42
Awesome course, very fast. We averaged over 27 mph so it was the fastest crit I've ever done. Absolutely loved it. Talked with a friend from another team who was 18 seconds from 2nd in the GC and agreed to break away with him to try to get him that 2nd place spot. After the second prime we went for it and got a decent gap which held for a couple laps before a third rider bridged up to us. My HR got 4 beats higher than it's ever been. We stayed away for 9 minutes before getting caught. Once back in the group, since he was going to remain in 3rd place for the GC my friend said he would lead me out for the sprint. So on the last lap I was ~10 back, got on his wheel and shouted that I was there and he went for it. It was an amazing feeling to be sitting second wheel at 30+ mph through that final corner and then having him pull off. I threw everything I had at the sprint but my legs were so fatigued from the break that all I could muster was 59% of what I normally could do for 15 seconds at the end of a 30-minute crit. Two guys got around me with several bike lengths to spare and one guy beat me at the line by half a wheel. I've yet to get on the podium so I wanted it bad, but it was an awesome race and really cool working with another team.
Ended up 16th on the GC and my teammate held on to 6th. Learned some things and had a lot of fun.
Screenshot from my Gopro at the finish. Ugh, so close...
Last edited by buzz_1919; 02-16-15 at 05:25 PM. Reason: added screenshot
#259
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Southern California, USA
Posts: 10,475
Bikes: 1979 Raleigh Team 753
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3375 Post(s)
Liked 371 Times
in
253 Posts
I'm chilling out a bit. It is a new frame/bike and new brands. This stuff happens. We were originally expecting it in Oct and got it after returning from Europe in Jan.
I think we are starting to get dialed in. It is an adjustment going from individual performance to team, but it has its own nuances that are very interesting.
#261
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,449
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#262
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Redlands, CA
Posts: 6,313
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 842 Post(s)
Liked 469 Times
in
250 Posts
Great job @buzz_1919! Not to be a buzzkill (see what i did there?) but the drag on that go pro may have cost you 3rd. I use one as well, but realize its probably costing me a few inches in a sprint.
#263
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 7
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Great job @buzz_1919! Not to be a buzzkill (see what i did there?) but the drag on that go pro may have cost you 3rd. I use one as well, but realize its probably costing me a few inches in a sprint.
#265
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,449
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 693 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#266
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Avondale, AZ
Posts: 22
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Going to try to keep it as short as possible. This is my first post, have been following these forums for the last year and finally created an account to join in the conversation a couple weeks ago. I started cycling to lose weight, and really loved the sport. I have dropped 45 pounds over the last year and a half since I started cycling, and have loved everything about the sport (At 34, I am still a fat cyclist at 200lbs and only 5'9", but losing more all the time), I rode 6,000 miles in my first full year on a bike last year and made it a goal to do the VOS Stage Race here in AZ last year when I saw how cool it was. I have done a good amount of training and work to try to be ready for it, I did 2 crit races before VOS, but that is the full amount of bike racing that I have done. So, that is the background on me as I lead into my first race recap.
Valley of the Sun: Cat 5
TT - This was my first Time Trial ever, I have done a few practice runs but that is it. I didn't have a TT bike, so I threw on some Clip On Aero bars that I had practiced on for a few weeks and a aero helmet and gave it a shot. I finished 19th/27. I had a few issues during it that I now have learned from, was using HR to gauge my efforts and using what I read on the TT thread here to do the best I could. The main issue was that I didn't tighten the aero bars on tight enough and they were moving forward the whole time and was having to constantly readjust. Definitely cost me time. Great learning experience and such a cool race with all the teams there and everything.
RR - We were only doing 3 laps and at 46 miles was not as long of a race as I thought it would be, but the hill on each lap was a killer. Being a heavier guy, and not having a super light bike made that climb hurt. The first time up, our field of 27 got busted apart at the top of the hill, I couldnt hold onto the front, so I settled in on the descent and got a group of 6 together and started a chase. We were able to pick off 3-4 people before the climb hit again, took it up again and settled in for the third lap, where myself and another guy were alone for the full lap trading off and finished in that same spot 15th/27 and moved up to 18 in the GC.
Crit - I have really enjoyed riding the crits (other then the inevitable crash 5 that happens), this time we only had one scare throughout the crit and everyone stayed up. I have been going to a weekly crit ride here in Phx which has really given me a lot of experience in cornering, close group riding, and intense efforts. I had a few guys marked that I knew were really strong throughout the RR and one that I knew from another team who had won a previous crit and 2nd in another, so I knew what wheel I wanted to be on come 3 to go. At 2 laps to go, I got onto his wheel and just held it, we slowly moved up and on the back straight we took an outside line which pulled us from the group and around the last turn we were pushed to probably 9 or 10 back, obviously not ideal. I pushed hard to spin up the speed, I really couldn't stand to sprint at that point as my groin muscle was strained really bad from Saturday, but I was able to shift down twice and push up and finished the crit in 8th place. I was really happy with this, it was in the bunch and we dropped a good 8 or 9 people completely lapping them. Our overall Avg speed for the race was 26mph and was able to get up to 36mph in the final sprint.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, I was able to finish 17th in the GC and at least not make a fool out of myself. I have more goals now, hoping to get to Cat 4 by the end of this year and be able to just keep competing. It is tough to get to all the races I want to do with my wife doing Triathlons and kids in high school, but I am pumped to be in this sport and for all of the new friends I was able to make and experiences I was able to take away from it.
Newbie signing out. Thanks for reading!
Valley of the Sun: Cat 5
TT - This was my first Time Trial ever, I have done a few practice runs but that is it. I didn't have a TT bike, so I threw on some Clip On Aero bars that I had practiced on for a few weeks and a aero helmet and gave it a shot. I finished 19th/27. I had a few issues during it that I now have learned from, was using HR to gauge my efforts and using what I read on the TT thread here to do the best I could. The main issue was that I didn't tighten the aero bars on tight enough and they were moving forward the whole time and was having to constantly readjust. Definitely cost me time. Great learning experience and such a cool race with all the teams there and everything.
RR - We were only doing 3 laps and at 46 miles was not as long of a race as I thought it would be, but the hill on each lap was a killer. Being a heavier guy, and not having a super light bike made that climb hurt. The first time up, our field of 27 got busted apart at the top of the hill, I couldnt hold onto the front, so I settled in on the descent and got a group of 6 together and started a chase. We were able to pick off 3-4 people before the climb hit again, took it up again and settled in for the third lap, where myself and another guy were alone for the full lap trading off and finished in that same spot 15th/27 and moved up to 18 in the GC.
Crit - I have really enjoyed riding the crits (other then the inevitable crash 5 that happens), this time we only had one scare throughout the crit and everyone stayed up. I have been going to a weekly crit ride here in Phx which has really given me a lot of experience in cornering, close group riding, and intense efforts. I had a few guys marked that I knew were really strong throughout the RR and one that I knew from another team who had won a previous crit and 2nd in another, so I knew what wheel I wanted to be on come 3 to go. At 2 laps to go, I got onto his wheel and just held it, we slowly moved up and on the back straight we took an outside line which pulled us from the group and around the last turn we were pushed to probably 9 or 10 back, obviously not ideal. I pushed hard to spin up the speed, I really couldn't stand to sprint at that point as my groin muscle was strained really bad from Saturday, but I was able to shift down twice and push up and finished the crit in 8th place. I was really happy with this, it was in the bunch and we dropped a good 8 or 9 people completely lapping them. Our overall Avg speed for the race was 26mph and was able to get up to 36mph in the final sprint.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, I was able to finish 17th in the GC and at least not make a fool out of myself. I have more goals now, hoping to get to Cat 4 by the end of this year and be able to just keep competing. It is tough to get to all the races I want to do with my wife doing Triathlons and kids in high school, but I am pumped to be in this sport and for all of the new friends I was able to make and experiences I was able to take away from it.
Newbie signing out. Thanks for reading!
Last edited by cyclingtolose; 02-17-15 at 12:48 PM.
#267
no cat contains
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Edinburgh Scotland
Posts: 884
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Liked 142 Times
in
75 Posts
Going to try to keep it as short as possible. This is my first post, have been following these forums for the last year and finally created an account to join in the conversation a couple weeks ago. I started cycling to lose weight, and really loved the sport. I have dropped 45 pounds over the last year and a half since I started cycling, and have loved everything about the sport (At 34, I am still a fat cyclist at 200lbs and only 5'9", but losing more all the time), I rode 6,000 miles in my first full year on a bike last year and made it a goal to do the VOS Stage Race here in AZ last year when I saw how cool it was. I have done a good amount of training and work to try to be ready for it, I did 2 crit races before VOS, but that is the full amount of bike racing that I have done. So, that is the background on me as I lead into my first race recap.
Valley of the Sun: Cat 5
TT - This was my first Time Trial ever, I have done a few practice runs but that is it. I didn't have a TT bike, so I threw on some Clip On Aero bars that I had practiced on for a few weeks and a aero helmet and gave it a shot. I finished 19th/27. I had a few issues during it that I now have learned from, was using HR to gauge my efforts and using what I read on the TT thread here to do the best I could. The main issue was that I didn't tighten the aero bars on tight enough and they were moving forward the whole time and was having to constantly readjust. Definitely cost me time. Great learning experience and such a cool race with all the teams there and everything.
RR - We were only doing 3 laps and at 46 miles was not as long of a race as I thought it would be, but the hill on each lap was a killer. Being a heavier guy, and not having a super light bike made that climb hurt. The first time up, our field of 27 got busted apart at the top of the hill, I couldnt hold onto the front, so I settled in on the descent and got a group of 6 together and started a chase. We were able to pick off 3-4 people before the climb hit again, took it up again and settled in for the third lap, where myself and another guy were alone for the full lap trading off and finished in that same spot 15th/27 and moved up to 18 in the GC.
Crit - I have really enjoyed riding the crits (other then the inevitable crash 5 that happens), this time we only had one scare throughout the crit and everyone stayed up. I have been going to a weekly crit ride here in Phx which has really given me a lot of experience in cornering, close group riding, and intense efforts. I had a few guys marked that I knew were really strong throughout the RR and one that I knew from another team who had won a previous crit and 2nd in another, so I knew what wheel I wanted to be on come 3 to go. At 2 laps to go, I got onto his wheel and just held it, we slowly moved up and on the back straight we took an outside line which pulled us from the group and around the last turn we were pushed to probably 9 or 10 back, obviously not ideal. I pushed hard to spin up the speed, I really couldn't stand to sprint at that point as my groin muscle was strained really bad from Saturday, but I was able to shift down twice and push up and finished the crit in 8th place. I was really happy with this, it was in the bunch and we dropped a good 8 or 9 people completely lapping them. Our overall Avg speed for the race was 26mph and was able to get up to 36mph in the final sprint.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, I was able to finish 17th in the GC and at least not make a fool out of myself. I have more goals now, hoping to get to Cat 4 by the end of this year and be able to just keep competing. It is tough to get to all the races I want to do with my wife doing Triathlons and kids in high school, but I am pumped to be in this sport and for all of the new friends I was able to make and experiences I was able to take away from it.
Newbie signing out. Thanks for reading!
Valley of the Sun: Cat 5
TT - This was my first Time Trial ever, I have done a few practice runs but that is it. I didn't have a TT bike, so I threw on some Clip On Aero bars that I had practiced on for a few weeks and a aero helmet and gave it a shot. I finished 19th/27. I had a few issues during it that I now have learned from, was using HR to gauge my efforts and using what I read on the TT thread here to do the best I could. The main issue was that I didn't tighten the aero bars on tight enough and they were moving forward the whole time and was having to constantly readjust. Definitely cost me time. Great learning experience and such a cool race with all the teams there and everything.
RR - We were only doing 3 laps and at 46 miles was not as long of a race as I thought it would be, but the hill on each lap was a killer. Being a heavier guy, and not having a super light bike made that climb hurt. The first time up, our field of 27 got busted apart at the top of the hill, I couldnt hold onto the front, so I settled in on the descent and got a group of 6 together and started a chase. We were able to pick off 3-4 people before the climb hit again, took it up again and settled in for the third lap, where myself and another guy were alone for the full lap trading off and finished in that same spot 15th/27 and moved up to 18 in the GC.
Crit - I have really enjoyed riding the crits (other then the inevitable crash 5 that happens), this time we only had one scare throughout the crit and everyone stayed up. I have been going to a weekly crit ride here in Phx which has really given me a lot of experience in cornering, close group riding, and intense efforts. I had a few guys marked that I knew were really strong throughout the RR and one that I knew from another team who had won a previous crit and 2nd in another, so I knew what wheel I wanted to be on come 3 to go. At 2 laps to go, I got onto his wheel and just held it, we slowly moved up and on the back straight we took an outside line which pulled us from the group and around the last turn we were pushed to probably 9 or 10 back, obviously not ideal. I pushed hard to spin up the speed, I really couldn't stand to sprint at that point as my groin muscle was strained really bad from Saturday, but I was able to shift down twice and push up and finished the crit in 8th place. I was really happy with this, it was in the bunch and we dropped a good 8 or 9 people completely lapping them. Our overall Avg speed for the race was 26mph and was able to get up to 36mph in the final sprint.
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, I was able to finish 17th in the GC and at least not make a fool out of myself. I have more goals now, hoping to get to Cat 4 by the end of this year and be able to just keep competing. It is tough to get to all the races I want to do with my wife doing Triathlons and kids in high school, but I am pumped to be in this sport and for all of the new friends I was able to make and experiences I was able to take away from it.
Newbie signing out. Thanks for reading!
#268
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 10,978
Bikes: aggressive agreement is what I ride.
Mentioned: 109 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 967 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
I feel bad. Nobody comments on https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...l#post17556967
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
#270
**** that
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: CALI
Posts: 15,402
Mentioned: 151 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1099 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times
in
30 Posts
I feel bad. Nobody comments on https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...l#post17556967
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
Can't you lose or something??
#271
Version 7.0
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,127
Bikes: Too Many
Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1340 Post(s)
Liked 2,482 Times
in
1,457 Posts
^^Mattm commented and I liked your podium pic on FB. That seems like enough.
#273
Ninny
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: The Gunks
Posts: 5,295
Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 686 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I feel bad. Nobody comments on https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...l#post17556967
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
It pains me to see you struggling... for attention
#275
no cat contains
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Edinburgh Scotland
Posts: 884
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Liked 142 Times
in
75 Posts
I feel bad. Nobody comments on https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...l#post17556967
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!
did I mark it private or something? Ask me what it's like to count 1-2-3-4 in your head alone for 90 minutes or something!