Race report, KY State Championship Road and Crit:
Saturday was an 80 mile road race. The field was small but it had some strong riders. It started out slow, very slow. A couple of us tried to get it moving and no one would pull through, so I got in the front with another rider and we each did a couple rotations before I sat up and the other rider started to roll off the front. No one responded and that rider stared to pull away. This was mile number two and that guy was off the front! There was an attack that broke up the field and as it came back together we ended up catching the solo rider. Then another rider attacked but the field felt threatened and stayed on his wheel. The guy who rode off the front at the start took off again and this time he was out of sight and mind for the field. I stayed in the back chatting with people. I noticed another rider keeping a close eye on the guys at the front, making sure they didn’t get away. I waited to make my move on the course’s biggest hill. Once we reached the hill I attacked and was able to bridge up to solo rider just after the crest of the hill. A couple guys were chasing, but I, along with the solo rider, kept pulling away. The two chasers were caught by the field and the two of us continued our break with 60+ miles to go on a windy course. We were riding fast to try and stay away from the field. When I looked down at our speed we were doing between 25 and 33, depending on the course. Mainly 27-28. Since the other guy had been out since mile two he was already in the hurt locker when I caught him and I think it only got worse. I am not sure if he remembers much other than me asking him if he needed anything. He hung in and kept going. We came in first and Second with the field about 5+ minutes back.
Sunday was the crit.
On lap two a guy went and looked to be threat. The field started to chase him down. That’s when a couple guys tried to mess up the pace line but one rider pushed one of them out of the way and he tried to get in my way and I said “If you are not working in the chase then I would advise you to get towards the back!” He moved to the back. The field brought the guy back and another guy attacked. I followed his wheel and just as the field was going to catch us I counted. This was lap 4 and I was able to stay away. Once I had 25 seconds, a couple guys broke away from the field in hopes of catching me. They maintained the gap on the windy straight-aways but I put a second on them in each of the downhill corners. Once I had a minute on them I started to put 10-15 seconds on them a lap. I ended up lapping everyone twice, except for two guys whom I ended up lapped once.
Rolf
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Bringing Home a Jersey
Green Mountain Stage Race 2008
The trip started Thursday morning when Elizabeth dropped me off at the airport. While checking in the lady behind the counter asked if I was flying with a bike, to which I replied, “Exercise equipment.” Since it was under the 50lb weight limit, she decided to measure the linear inches to see if it was considered oversized, and it was. So $100 later, I was on my way.
I flew into Hartford, CT since it was significantly cheaper, even with the rental car and gas. Once I arrived I waited for my friend, who was flying in from CO. As I waited I put my bike together in the parking garage. Since his flight was later than expected, I went to find a grocery store to pick up a few items and a bottle of wine as a host gift. I then went for an easy ride since I wasn’t sure if we were going to get up north to preview the course before it got dark. We left Hartford around 5pm and made it to the prolog around dark. We saw a few riders just finishing their ride as we started. It was black out as we started up a long and steep climb and from there it leveled out to the finish. Luckily Tim had a light, but nonetheless it was an adventure. We reached our host house around 11pm, made some eggs and went to sleep.
The next day we raced the prolog and all went pretty well. I ended up 17th, only 33 seconds behind the winning time. I passed my 30 second and minute man before I reached the top of the climb.
After the race we ate our ham sandwiches and headed back home for a nap and lunch. After lunch we previewed the circuit race course. It took us a while to figure out how to navigate the roads in VT. After checking out the course we headed home for some dinner of pasta and homemade bread and sauce.
Day 2
The race started out pretty well with people fighting for position during the neutral roll out. Pretty standard East Coast style. Then we hit the first climb and the attack started. As we hit the 5k to go for the KOM, I saw a couple guys start to line up the lead out train. I hopped on their wheel and thought that I may as well try for the KOM. I ended up riding past the leadout trains and passing the guy who was sprinting for the KOM. I really couldn’t believe I won. As we started out second lap of two on the course, a couple guys attacked. I was 3rd wheel and decided to drift to the left and when no one followed I started to put a little more power into the pedals and found myself in the break. A couple more guys bridged up and we had a great group. We continued all the way to the KOM, where I was able to pick up full points again. The group came back together and we were about 5k from the finish when 3 guys got off the front. The lead out trains brought it back to 3 seconds before the group up the road crossed the line. Everyone was all over the road and I later found out I was one of 13 guys who was relegated for crossing the yellow line. It was a 30 second penalty. After the race, my friend and I went to pre drive the next day’s course. We ended up getting lost and by the time we drove the course and made it back it was 10pm before we had dinner. Not the best recovery.
The next day I was in the King of the Mountains jersey and got a call up. The race started as soon as the gun went off. I managed to make it in the break. The break made it past the sprint line and even to the top of the KOM line where I picked up the rest of the KOM points. We rode to the bottom of the last climb where the field finally caught us. I was in about 25th place when we hit the climb and worked my way to 12th before I crossed the line. The last climb was very steep and I was glad the SRAM guys lent me an 11-26 cassette.
The final day, Monday was the crit. It started at 4:10pm and it was a warm windy day. I was called up again for the KOM, which helped out a lot for placement. The race was just over an hour long and since the GC was so close, the contenders were not making it easy. For most of the race it was full gas and the field was strung out covering about ½ the 1 K course. I managed to avoid crashes and finished in the top 1/3. My friend and I hung out in Burlington for dinner and made it back to our host house around 9pm. We packed up our bikes and put everything in the car since we had to leave around 4am to get down to Hartford in time for my 10am flight. Again, the person behind the counter asked if it was a bike and I told her it was exercise equipment, but then she asked what kind of exercise equipment it was. I was kind of stuck but said told her it was the kind that can be used to test Vo2 max and lactate threshold. She didn’t ask anymore questions but did charge me another $100. I wasn’t as lucky this trip ,compared to CA where I didn’t have to pay for my bike.
- Rolf
The trip started Thursday morning when Elizabeth dropped me off at the airport. While checking in the lady behind the counter asked if I was flying with a bike, to which I replied, “Exercise equipment.” Since it was under the 50lb weight limit, she decided to measure the linear inches to see if it was considered oversized, and it was. So $100 later, I was on my way.
I flew into Hartford, CT since it was significantly cheaper, even with the rental car and gas. Once I arrived I waited for my friend, who was flying in from CO. As I waited I put my bike together in the parking garage. Since his flight was later than expected, I went to find a grocery store to pick up a few items and a bottle of wine as a host gift. I then went for an easy ride since I wasn’t sure if we were going to get up north to preview the course before it got dark. We left Hartford around 5pm and made it to the prolog around dark. We saw a few riders just finishing their ride as we started. It was black out as we started up a long and steep climb and from there it leveled out to the finish. Luckily Tim had a light, but nonetheless it was an adventure. We reached our host house around 11pm, made some eggs and went to sleep.
The next day we raced the prolog and all went pretty well. I ended up 17th, only 33 seconds behind the winning time. I passed my 30 second and minute man before I reached the top of the climb.
After the race we ate our ham sandwiches and headed back home for a nap and lunch. After lunch we previewed the circuit race course. It took us a while to figure out how to navigate the roads in VT. After checking out the course we headed home for some dinner of pasta and homemade bread and sauce.
Day 2
The race started out pretty well with people fighting for position during the neutral roll out. Pretty standard East Coast style. Then we hit the first climb and the attack started. As we hit the 5k to go for the KOM, I saw a couple guys start to line up the lead out train. I hopped on their wheel and thought that I may as well try for the KOM. I ended up riding past the leadout trains and passing the guy who was sprinting for the KOM. I really couldn’t believe I won. As we started out second lap of two on the course, a couple guys attacked. I was 3rd wheel and decided to drift to the left and when no one followed I started to put a little more power into the pedals and found myself in the break. A couple more guys bridged up and we had a great group. We continued all the way to the KOM, where I was able to pick up full points again. The group came back together and we were about 5k from the finish when 3 guys got off the front. The lead out trains brought it back to 3 seconds before the group up the road crossed the line. Everyone was all over the road and I later found out I was one of 13 guys who was relegated for crossing the yellow line. It was a 30 second penalty. After the race, my friend and I went to pre drive the next day’s course. We ended up getting lost and by the time we drove the course and made it back it was 10pm before we had dinner. Not the best recovery.
The next day I was in the King of the Mountains jersey and got a call up. The race started as soon as the gun went off. I managed to make it in the break. The break made it past the sprint line and even to the top of the KOM line where I picked up the rest of the KOM points. We rode to the bottom of the last climb where the field finally caught us. I was in about 25th place when we hit the climb and worked my way to 12th before I crossed the line. The last climb was very steep and I was glad the SRAM guys lent me an 11-26 cassette.
The final day, Monday was the crit. It started at 4:10pm and it was a warm windy day. I was called up again for the KOM, which helped out a lot for placement. The race was just over an hour long and since the GC was so close, the contenders were not making it easy. For most of the race it was full gas and the field was strung out covering about ½ the 1 K course. I managed to avoid crashes and finished in the top 1/3. My friend and I hung out in Burlington for dinner and made it back to our host house around 9pm. We packed up our bikes and put everything in the car since we had to leave around 4am to get down to Hartford in time for my 10am flight. Again, the person behind the counter asked if it was a bike and I told her it was exercise equipment, but then she asked what kind of exercise equipment it was. I was kind of stuck but said told her it was the kind that can be used to test Vo2 max and lactate threshold. She didn’t ask anymore questions but did charge me another $100. I wasn’t as lucky this trip ,compared to CA where I didn’t have to pay for my bike.
- Rolf
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Elite Men's Crit Nationals
Sorry all that we've not posted in awhile... I am new to this posting thing and didn't know how to get it on here. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts from a few weeks back (post Elite Crit Natinoals)...
Another crazy weekend of bike racing and telling stories.
It all started Friday night when Andy and Paul landed in Chicago. Once they picked up the rental car, they started to drive to my uncle and aunt's place but noticed they were on a tollway and didn't have any cash. After looking at the budget map, they were able to take the last exit off the toll road, probably crossing all 5 lanes of traffic to do so and ended up at the house a few hours later. Once Elizabeth and I arrived, Paul and I went for a short spin around some nature preserve. Dinner consisted of homemade pasta sauce, pasta, bread and New Belgium beer that Andy bought. He went to get some band aids, got lost, and showed up a little later than we expected with a case of beer. Dinner lasted about 3 hours and was a great time of drinking, eating and telling stories.
Saturday we chilled until the 7pm Pro Am race. We had a great breakfast of eggs, fruit, bagels and coffee. We had a little leftover pasta before we raced. All went pretty well as Paul and I raced well and stayed up and in the race. It finished in a bunch sprint and Paul was the first amateur to cross the line. After the race we spent about 30 minutes trying to find a Chipotle and had to resort to a local Mexican place, which was very good but no 5lb burrito. We made it back around 11 and crashed.
Sunday we woke up and ate some more eggs, bagels and fruit. It was a hot day with some wind coming from the west. Enough to made a difference. All went well as I started out coving a lot of moves and finding my self in some great breaks. The plan was to watch Roadhouse and Berries and if they were in a break we were in a break. I went off a 4-5 lap solo effort hoping someone would bridge up and no one did. Ended up in a break going for a $100 when Roadhouse and Berries kept it going after the line and I couldn't catch on. I waited for a couple of other guys and we still couldn't catch them and that looked like the race, but they were caught with about 8 laps to go. I was out of energy at this point and Paul started to mix it up in the front. He had great placement and finished in the top 10! He finished 8th, which was our goal for the race.
We stayed to watch the pro race and then headed home. It was cool to watch the race and how it worked itself out. Elizabeth and I drove past the Chipotle on our way out of town. We made it home around 1:30am and Paul and Andy stayed one more night before they left in the morning.
All and all it was a great weekend of racing, eating, and chillin out in Chicago.
Rolf
Another crazy weekend of bike racing and telling stories.
It all started Friday night when Andy and Paul landed in Chicago. Once they picked up the rental car, they started to drive to my uncle and aunt's place but noticed they were on a tollway and didn't have any cash. After looking at the budget map, they were able to take the last exit off the toll road, probably crossing all 5 lanes of traffic to do so and ended up at the house a few hours later. Once Elizabeth and I arrived, Paul and I went for a short spin around some nature preserve. Dinner consisted of homemade pasta sauce, pasta, bread and New Belgium beer that Andy bought. He went to get some band aids, got lost, and showed up a little later than we expected with a case of beer. Dinner lasted about 3 hours and was a great time of drinking, eating and telling stories.
Saturday we chilled until the 7pm Pro Am race. We had a great breakfast of eggs, fruit, bagels and coffee. We had a little leftover pasta before we raced. All went pretty well as Paul and I raced well and stayed up and in the race. It finished in a bunch sprint and Paul was the first amateur to cross the line. After the race we spent about 30 minutes trying to find a Chipotle and had to resort to a local Mexican place, which was very good but no 5lb burrito. We made it back around 11 and crashed.
Sunday we woke up and ate some more eggs, bagels and fruit. It was a hot day with some wind coming from the west. Enough to made a difference. All went well as I started out coving a lot of moves and finding my self in some great breaks. The plan was to watch Roadhouse and Berries and if they were in a break we were in a break. I went off a 4-5 lap solo effort hoping someone would bridge up and no one did. Ended up in a break going for a $100 when Roadhouse and Berries kept it going after the line and I couldn't catch on. I waited for a couple of other guys and we still couldn't catch them and that looked like the race, but they were caught with about 8 laps to go. I was out of energy at this point and Paul started to mix it up in the front. He had great placement and finished in the top 10! He finished 8th, which was our goal for the race.
We stayed to watch the pro race and then headed home. It was cool to watch the race and how it worked itself out. Elizabeth and I drove past the Chipotle on our way out of town. We made it home around 1:30am and Paul and Andy stayed one more night before they left in the morning.
All and all it was a great weekend of racing, eating, and chillin out in Chicago.
Rolf
Saturday, August 9, 2008
I love us...
...it's a saying that stands the test of time... well, at least in my book.
Most can't stand it because it begets a feeling of arrogance or maybe just general silliness. I love it because well, I love us...
...I love the guys I've gotten to ride with this season - from the beginning of the season with Lando (Matt Landen) and Spence (Chris Spence) in teammates from Team Kaos, until the today, here in Cali.
I also love us because of the brilliant one-liners - i.e. "snake-snake" said multiple times for multiple good reasons; or "attack... attack NOW!" which we will hear from Andy over and over and over again on Sunday; or try on "this is overwhelming..." said at continental breakfast with hundreds of 8-year-olds running rampant around the unorganized food area wheeling donuts and spilling sugary drinks to the tune of Mickey and Minnie on the giant flatscreens surrounding what might as well be described as a food-court in looney-land; and of course our old-time favorite "I love us..."
Yes, I love us because of irony... from LAX to e-brakes to the fact that some twenty years ago I was likely that kid at a Hampton Inn at 8:00 am, overly excited to be heading to the greatest theme park in the world... twenty years after that date, I'm not thankful for Mickey, but for condoms...
So, after what healthy food we could get from the breakfast buffet of sugar and sweets (yes, Andy took director privileges and ate like an 8-year-old) we donned our helmets and glasses, got on our bikes and headed for the beach. The morning was incredible and the pictures throughout this blog tell the story of why we were feeling good, are ready and excited for tomorrow, and that... we love us...
- Ian
Friday, August 8, 2008
Riding the brakes...
... and by brakes I do mean those mechanistic, metal gripping contraptions that allow for stopping. While we will be riding in the break on Sunday, this brake riding refers to the likes of the descent at Gila after seeing the massive crash that took out the likes of Zirbel and our very own Mr. Cole (yes, I crept down the Gila-monster)...
So yesterday we are heading back to LAX to pick up our teammate Rolf - sidenote: LAX is an hour each way from our hotel, whereas John Wayne Orange County is five minutes... I didn't book the tickets. Back to the story, on our way to the airport I see that the brake light is on and that for the entire day I had been burning fuel and brake pads by not deactivating the e-brake.
Now, one might laugh at the fact that I am travel savy and can discern which airport makes the most economical sense, yet drives for 2 + hours with the e-brake engaged... yeah, it's called irony.
So, it's day 2 of our Cali trip and we just found out that we don't have to race on Saturday - i.e. no prelims.
Our field for Sunday will be 150+ and it will be fast and furious.
Because we are not doing prelims we are motor pacing with Andy - once he arrives at LAX (the airport that from our hotel is half way to Oregon).
This brings us to the topic of the day... what should we do between now (well, post motor pacing) and Sunday at 2:30 pm when the whistle is blown? You see, our guess is that Andy wants us to sit down and do nothing; but we, the cyclists who get little time away from work and riding, want to have some fun while in the land of Angels.
So, if the reader will indulge, please provide some ideas that will keep our legs fresh, but allow us, at the same time, to have some fun - as well as allow us to write something about our adventures in Cali-land before the race...
- Ian
p.s. at top is a pic that Phil took while we were riding along the Santa Ana river bed. He got a new camera for his birthday, but is bitter about not having a memory stick as of yet. On the other hand he was quite proud to capture a perfect portrayal of my incredible form on the bike... oh yeah and more importantly those hot unis...
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The things we love...
... starting with free internet at the Denver airport when you've missed your flight because of incompetent gate coordinators...
Another thing we love the week of a race... getting up at 4 am to fly out of Denver airport and THEN missing your flight...
...did I mention our love affair with TSA? Wait... yes, it's truly passionate...
Okay, now that I've shown my sense of dry, sophomoric humor it's time to get real... we promised to blog often and blog we will!
It's early on Thursday morning, Phil and I are at the airport hanging at gate A39 (if you are reading this in the airport come give us a shout). Late last night we heard that Jarred had a rough go of it. Well, that's not entirely true...
Jarred was dominating the race, catching four riders before the turn (including his minute man who would eventually place in the top 20). Clicking along with 6 miles to go he hit a rock and instantly went flat... he was stuck without a wheel (as they don't allow follow cars at Nationals) and wisely called it a day... I'm sure he'll update you/us later.
I think that's enough for now... it's time to get back to my real job and the client emails that are just begging reply... Ah yes, to the things we love...
- Ian
Another thing we love the week of a race... getting up at 4 am to fly out of Denver airport and THEN missing your flight...
...did I mention our love affair with TSA? Wait... yes, it's truly passionate...
Okay, now that I've shown my sense of dry, sophomoric humor it's time to get real... we promised to blog often and blog we will!
It's early on Thursday morning, Phil and I are at the airport hanging at gate A39 (if you are reading this in the airport come give us a shout). Late last night we heard that Jarred had a rough go of it. Well, that's not entirely true...
Jarred was dominating the race, catching four riders before the turn (including his minute man who would eventually place in the top 20). Clicking along with 6 miles to go he hit a rock and instantly went flat... he was stuck without a wheel (as they don't allow follow cars at Nationals) and wisely called it a day... I'm sure he'll update you/us later.
I think that's enough for now... it's time to get back to my real job and the client emails that are just begging reply... Ah yes, to the things we love...
- Ian
Monday, August 4, 2008
It's good to race for the money
For many of us who race on the front range it is a challenge to find big money races, and we often find ourselves racing for $150, 3 places deep, or more or less pride. I would like to give props to the promoters of the Bannock St. Criterium who pooled together a large cash purse, which brings out the best racers from the region and catalyzes more quality racing. I hope more promoters learn from Bannock's success, which will only help to improve the quality of races on the front range in the future.
As for TLE, Paul and I showed up to Bannock ready to throw down. The field grew exponentially from the previous days race at the Federal Center in Lakeview, and like I previously noted the race was of a much higher caliber and quality. With only two riders, we started off being very aggressive trying to make the breakaway, because we knew that many of the Pro teams wanted a breakaway to succeed so we could settle into a hard tempo for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately we did not make the breakaway, so Paul and I remained calm and collected and prepared ourselves for a fast, dicey finish. In the final laps the race was very stressful and dangerous; just the way Paul and I like it. Moving up the side in the final lap, Paul did an amazing job working his way to the front with me following behind. In the final corner as the field swung inside Paul took the outside line and was able to pass several riders for a solid 10th place finish. I was able to fight out the remaining final meters to finish in 17th, and was very pleased to simply finish in one piece with the injured back holding up and in better health.
From now, Jarred, Ian, Rolf and myself head off to Elite Road National Championships in Anaheim, CA. All are riding with good form and we are looking forward to showing the country how strong we are in tough, long road races. Jarred is already in CA preparing for the TT. We wish him the best.
-Phil
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