To start off with I've never won a bike race unless you count moral victories or neighborhood races against my brothers. My recent results have been bitter sweet moving me from a state of confident arrogance to wanting to chuck my bike in the lake.
A few weeks ago I actually came in third in a local Cat 5 race. I was both surprised and happy with my performance and knew that I could improve on that result over the summer. I outsprinted a few hard core looking guys on my way to the finish line and spent every ounce of my energy to do it. I went to bed that night finally able to understand how far you need to look down your nose to see the little people who didn't make it onto the podium. They did their best but their best was obviously not good enough.
Fast forward 7 days to the next race. It rained earlier in the day so they combined the Cat 5's with the "late race" including Pro's and Cat 1's. Based on my previous weeks performance I was excited, not concerned. Big mistake. I warmed up for 10 miles which in my current state of fitness was a decision I now look back on with regret. 10 miles into the 30 mile crit, I was gassed. I hung with the peleton for a good 30 minutes and thought I felt fine. I started slowing, gradually drifting toward the back of the pack. I didn't realize it was happening at first until I was 15 feet behind the pack with momentum moving away from me. My legs didn't respond and I was pulled from the track about 5 minutes later. My wife walked me out of the park with the look on her face of a mother when her son's just told her he didn't make Varsity. She felt bad because she knew I felt bad. Within one week I went from the podium to a DNF.
I spent the next few days on a business trip holed up in a hotel room in Seattle watching Duck Dynasty and eating nachos. After a grand total of 3 races I was considering hanging up my cleats. When I got home I went out for a ride. 30 miles of course, just to prove to myself that I could go hard for the distance I failed to complete in my last race. I then thought about something else. When I got dropped there were only two Cat 5's left in the pack. That was my silver lining. The sun will keep rising and my wheels will keep spinning. I'm in it for the fun and the fitness. Given my age and fitness level I need to stay in the shallow end of the racing pool and give up professional cycling dreams. My dreams are of the Cat 5 variety and as I recall it's still pretty far to look down my nose to see all the other Cat 5's who didn't make the podium. ;-) Race on.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Two-Wheeled NASCAR
I learned quite a bit this past weekend. From registering to crossing the finish line, there were a lot of "firsts" for me. When I signed in they checked my racing license and then gave me my number. I also got a little bag with some cycling propaganda and a Power Bar which I promptly gave to my kids. It was about 39 degrees at the start but was sunny and clear with very little wind. I dressed in cold weather gear as you can see by the picture below. I was layered just about right. I brought my rollers and warmed up right behind the car. That worked out very well and I got a good sweat going before going over to the starting line.
Resident cycling pro Bruce Lee added his two cents to each of the items below.
1.Little hills suck the energy out of your legs. 85% of my preparation for the race was indoors on my rollers. Pennsylvania has been bitterly cold for the past several months making outdoor training a hazard. My lack of outdoor fitness was obvious and my lungs were screaming on the last lap. BL Yes – hills do sap the legs. So, always try to place yourself at the head of the race at the bottom of each hill. That way even if you have to “soft pedal” a bit the pack has to pass you. Thus you give yourself a good shot at hitting the top and still being in contact and having a wheel to sit on as you recover.
2. I need more high intensity training. Even if I had done more outdoor training I still would have barely been able to hold on. I've only been getting about 2 hours of training per week which isn't going to get it done. The race was 3 laps of a 6.2 mi loop. I was still with the lead group starting the third lap but I didn't have the lungs to stick with them all the way. About two weeks ago I was very sick and took Theraflu for three days straight. It took me about a week to get over the fatigue but I'd lost several days of training. Had that not happened I may have been able to stay with the group but I still don't think I would have been much of a threat in a sprint finish. Hopefully that will improve over the summer. BL As you get over the flu and get build your base back up a bit, it’s time for interval training. Details to follow on that. Bottom line is intervals will pump up your speed and get you ready for the rhythm of racing.
3. My riding style may be better suited to being in the front of the group. Maybe this is my lack of experience with racing. I feel fine in group rides, but everyone is very courteous and enjoys the structure of pace lines. Racing is much more helter-skelter which is what I think lead to the carnage I witnessed that day. More on that later. BL Early season races can be hairy. Everyone is shaking off the winter and getting back to comfort level of racing. Add to it that in many categories where people are learning the ropes its every man to himself. In big races it can still be a scrum to be at the front, since everyone wants to be there. But it’s the safest place to be and that’s where the race is, anyhow. Rather than be right at the front of the race, instead place yourself in the first third of the pack. That way you are not wasting energy breaking the wind for everyone behind you, but you can keep an eye on the race, be ready to respond to attacks, and avoid eating the grass (and pavement) at the back of the pack.
4. Riding near the back takes more energy than riding in the middle. I'm not sure of the aerodynamics of it all, but anecdotally it felt like much more work to be at the back. After we lost several riders in a short period of time (translate: crash) I was at the back of the main group. I guess I just need to get comfortable with ridingnear the front of the group. BL Riding at the back is always a sketchy place to be, although sooner or later everyone is there at some point. So if you are at the back, ride aware. Try to not be on a wheel of a huge person you cannot see around. Have escape routes in mind. Keep the head up, ears and eyes open for crashes. And try to get back up front.
5. I learned what carbon fiber sounds like hitting cement at speed. Midway through the second lap the pack was cruising along at about 25 mph when everything went wrong. A rider about two spots ahead of me clipped the wheel of the rider in front of him. He went down causing a chain reaction of destruction. I hit my brakes while veering left and stayed out of the fray. About 10 riders went down. I'm not sure how many got back up. The deepness...heaviness of the crunching was something I didn't expect. I think it was a very painful and a very expensive crash. BL Crashing stinks, literally (given time and crits, you will know what I mean), but expect it. Ride enough miles and sooner or later it will happen. When it does, try to not panic. Keep in mind the following happens quickly: Get up if you can and out of the road. Check yourself; Are you OK? Check yes, then the bike: Wheels spin, shifts, brakes OK? Check yes, then get on and go. You will have road rash but the quicker you are on the bike the less it will hurt. Do not over extend, ramp your pace up and chase. Chances are you will pick up stragglers who also crashed or were caught behind. Work together and you can catch the pack.
6. A helmet won't save you from being knocked unconscious. In the middle of the last lap I came around a corner to find a few more bodies strewn across the road. One rider was limping off the road, leaving his bike and gingerly holding his wrist. Another rider was lying face-down in the middle of the road in a puddle of something. I don't know if it was sweat, blood or Gatorade. In the few seconds it took me to pass him, I didn't see him move. The race marshal was there at the corner and was running to them calling it in on the radio. The medic's got quite a workout that day.
Overall it felt very much like a NASCAR event. 33 riders started in my group, 11 crashed out and I finished in 17th. I'm not going to be on the tour this year anyway but I was happy to finish the race rubber side down which is more than a third of the field can say. For a rookie in NASCAR, a safe 17th place finish in a first race is a good starting point.
Resident cycling pro Bruce Lee added his two cents to each of the items below.
1.Little hills suck the energy out of your legs. 85% of my preparation for the race was indoors on my rollers. Pennsylvania has been bitterly cold for the past several months making outdoor training a hazard. My lack of outdoor fitness was obvious and my lungs were screaming on the last lap. BL Yes – hills do sap the legs. So, always try to place yourself at the head of the race at the bottom of each hill. That way even if you have to “soft pedal” a bit the pack has to pass you. Thus you give yourself a good shot at hitting the top and still being in contact and having a wheel to sit on as you recover.
2. I need more high intensity training. Even if I had done more outdoor training I still would have barely been able to hold on. I've only been getting about 2 hours of training per week which isn't going to get it done. The race was 3 laps of a 6.2 mi loop. I was still with the lead group starting the third lap but I didn't have the lungs to stick with them all the way. About two weeks ago I was very sick and took Theraflu for three days straight. It took me about a week to get over the fatigue but I'd lost several days of training. Had that not happened I may have been able to stay with the group but I still don't think I would have been much of a threat in a sprint finish. Hopefully that will improve over the summer. BL As you get over the flu and get build your base back up a bit, it’s time for interval training. Details to follow on that. Bottom line is intervals will pump up your speed and get you ready for the rhythm of racing.
3. My riding style may be better suited to being in the front of the group. Maybe this is my lack of experience with racing. I feel fine in group rides, but everyone is very courteous and enjoys the structure of pace lines. Racing is much more helter-skelter which is what I think lead to the carnage I witnessed that day. More on that later. BL Early season races can be hairy. Everyone is shaking off the winter and getting back to comfort level of racing. Add to it that in many categories where people are learning the ropes its every man to himself. In big races it can still be a scrum to be at the front, since everyone wants to be there. But it’s the safest place to be and that’s where the race is, anyhow. Rather than be right at the front of the race, instead place yourself in the first third of the pack. That way you are not wasting energy breaking the wind for everyone behind you, but you can keep an eye on the race, be ready to respond to attacks, and avoid eating the grass (and pavement) at the back of the pack.
4. Riding near the back takes more energy than riding in the middle. I'm not sure of the aerodynamics of it all, but anecdotally it felt like much more work to be at the back. After we lost several riders in a short period of time (translate: crash) I was at the back of the main group. I guess I just need to get comfortable with ridingnear the front of the group. BL Riding at the back is always a sketchy place to be, although sooner or later everyone is there at some point. So if you are at the back, ride aware. Try to not be on a wheel of a huge person you cannot see around. Have escape routes in mind. Keep the head up, ears and eyes open for crashes. And try to get back up front.
5. I learned what carbon fiber sounds like hitting cement at speed. Midway through the second lap the pack was cruising along at about 25 mph when everything went wrong. A rider about two spots ahead of me clipped the wheel of the rider in front of him. He went down causing a chain reaction of destruction. I hit my brakes while veering left and stayed out of the fray. About 10 riders went down. I'm not sure how many got back up. The deepness...heaviness of the crunching was something I didn't expect. I think it was a very painful and a very expensive crash. BL Crashing stinks, literally (given time and crits, you will know what I mean), but expect it. Ride enough miles and sooner or later it will happen. When it does, try to not panic. Keep in mind the following happens quickly: Get up if you can and out of the road. Check yourself; Are you OK? Check yes, then the bike: Wheels spin, shifts, brakes OK? Check yes, then get on and go. You will have road rash but the quicker you are on the bike the less it will hurt. Do not over extend, ramp your pace up and chase. Chances are you will pick up stragglers who also crashed or were caught behind. Work together and you can catch the pack.
6. A helmet won't save you from being knocked unconscious. In the middle of the last lap I came around a corner to find a few more bodies strewn across the road. One rider was limping off the road, leaving his bike and gingerly holding his wrist. Another rider was lying face-down in the middle of the road in a puddle of something. I don't know if it was sweat, blood or Gatorade. In the few seconds it took me to pass him, I didn't see him move. The race marshal was there at the corner and was running to them calling it in on the radio. The medic's got quite a workout that day.
Overall it felt very much like a NASCAR event. 33 riders started in my group, 11 crashed out and I finished in 17th. I'm not going to be on the tour this year anyway but I was happy to finish the race rubber side down which is more than a third of the field can say. For a rookie in NASCAR, a safe 17th place finish in a first race is a good starting point.
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