Monday, August 30, 2010
San Clemente Criterium
The final USCF race of the year was in San Clemente this year. This was also my first race as a CAT 4 racer. I knew that I probably could have had a great finish in CAT 5 but I wanted to race with the faster people I could hang on to.
San Clemente is between 1:40 -2 hours from our house. Upgrading to CAT 4 means that you get to start a little later, like 7:30 instead of 7am. We decided that we would get a hotel close to the course instead of waking up and leaving at 4:30 in the morning.
The course was very hilly, and there was a dangerous right hand turn coming off a steep down hill section. I knew that this was going to be a challenging course because of the amount of climbing that I saw when we got there. A few people told me that they werent doing the San Clemente race this year because there were too many crashes last year. This year was supposed to be a new and improved course.
As soon as I walked past the dangerous right hand turn there was a crash in the CAT 5 race. One rider needed medical attention. I knew that corner would be an issue for the rest of the race. I registered and warmed up then headed down near the start line.
I thought that I had a good spot to get on the course and line up at the start line but the official at my opening did not move quickly enough and I ended up lining up three riders deep in the middle of the start finish line. Unlike CAT 5 there was no speech, just a quick you will be riding for 45 minutes and we will pull riders at our discretion.
When the whistle blew I took off but the guy in front of me didnt. He couldnt get into his pedals and was barely moving. I tried to go around him but there were too many people passing me to safely move over so I had to sprint from the back when I finally got around him.
The race was fast and as expected the hills were torture. Just past the start finish line was a steep up hill with deceivingly sharp left hand turn followed by a slight right and then a sharp right to the down hill. Everyone was a little tense the first few laps but then it seemed to smooth out.
I spent most of the time towards the back of the main field, watching people drop like flies. Apparently the people setting the pace in the front love to climb because it was a fast pace. After about 5 laps we crossed the start finish line and I could see that the field was starting to string out.
As we went down the hill to the right hand turn I heard a lot of yelling and more whistles than normal. As I made the right hand turn I noticed two bikes and 4 water bottles in the road. I am not sure how many people went down but I had come almost to a stop trying to maneuver around the wreck.
When I looked up the field was mostly gone. There were some of us who were trying to get through the debris still but most of the field was already up the hill. I took off and started chasing. I worked with one person after another jumping closer and closer to the larger group in front of me.
I finally thought that I had caught up with them, I was actually just passing the trailing motorcycle when I hit the down hill and turned right. I was carrying a lot of speed and came very close, if not rubbed, the center cement divider. Half way up the hill my back tire went flat.
I quickly jumped off the bike and realized that I was done. I was on the back side of the course facing an uphill followed by a long flat road. There was no way I could have made it to the wheel pit without damaging the rim or shredding the tire.
I had no choice but to walk the bike back to where Anne and the rest of the family was sitting. She had my spare tire, tube, pump and changing tool. I doesnt make sense for me to carry them because there is not way I can change a tire fast enough to get back into the race.
I had a long walk back to them, and I guess Anne was worried and had checked to make sure I wasnt in a crash somewhere. I found her and changed the tire and retired the bike for the day. There is only one thing that helps when you lose out on a day of riding and that is going to the happiest place on earth. No, its not a bike shop, we went to Disneyland for the rest of the day.
San Clemente is between 1:40 -2 hours from our house. Upgrading to CAT 4 means that you get to start a little later, like 7:30 instead of 7am. We decided that we would get a hotel close to the course instead of waking up and leaving at 4:30 in the morning.
The course was very hilly, and there was a dangerous right hand turn coming off a steep down hill section. I knew that this was going to be a challenging course because of the amount of climbing that I saw when we got there. A few people told me that they werent doing the San Clemente race this year because there were too many crashes last year. This year was supposed to be a new and improved course.
As soon as I walked past the dangerous right hand turn there was a crash in the CAT 5 race. One rider needed medical attention. I knew that corner would be an issue for the rest of the race. I registered and warmed up then headed down near the start line.
I thought that I had a good spot to get on the course and line up at the start line but the official at my opening did not move quickly enough and I ended up lining up three riders deep in the middle of the start finish line. Unlike CAT 5 there was no speech, just a quick you will be riding for 45 minutes and we will pull riders at our discretion.
When the whistle blew I took off but the guy in front of me didnt. He couldnt get into his pedals and was barely moving. I tried to go around him but there were too many people passing me to safely move over so I had to sprint from the back when I finally got around him.
The race was fast and as expected the hills were torture. Just past the start finish line was a steep up hill with deceivingly sharp left hand turn followed by a slight right and then a sharp right to the down hill. Everyone was a little tense the first few laps but then it seemed to smooth out.
I spent most of the time towards the back of the main field, watching people drop like flies. Apparently the people setting the pace in the front love to climb because it was a fast pace. After about 5 laps we crossed the start finish line and I could see that the field was starting to string out.
As we went down the hill to the right hand turn I heard a lot of yelling and more whistles than normal. As I made the right hand turn I noticed two bikes and 4 water bottles in the road. I am not sure how many people went down but I had come almost to a stop trying to maneuver around the wreck.
When I looked up the field was mostly gone. There were some of us who were trying to get through the debris still but most of the field was already up the hill. I took off and started chasing. I worked with one person after another jumping closer and closer to the larger group in front of me.
I finally thought that I had caught up with them, I was actually just passing the trailing motorcycle when I hit the down hill and turned right. I was carrying a lot of speed and came very close, if not rubbed, the center cement divider. Half way up the hill my back tire went flat.
I quickly jumped off the bike and realized that I was done. I was on the back side of the course facing an uphill followed by a long flat road. There was no way I could have made it to the wheel pit without damaging the rim or shredding the tire.
I had no choice but to walk the bike back to where Anne and the rest of the family was sitting. She had my spare tire, tube, pump and changing tool. I doesnt make sense for me to carry them because there is not way I can change a tire fast enough to get back into the race.
I had a long walk back to them, and I guess Anne was worried and had checked to make sure I wasnt in a crash somewhere. I found her and changed the tire and retired the bike for the day. There is only one thing that helps when you lose out on a day of riding and that is going to the happiest place on earth. No, its not a bike shop, we went to Disneyland for the rest of the day.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Mid month update
This is pretty much the end of the race season. I always try to make sure that we have a good balance of family activities and my racing. So I didnt race last weekend, and we are going camping this weekend. I will still probably sneak in a ride on Saturday morning and in the afternoon with my follow campers. Then I will most likely go out Sunday night as well.
I had to make my first repair on the new bike. Apparently when I crashed I bent a hanger that mounts the rear shifter to the bike. While I was trying to figure what what the issue was, and then repairing the bike I didnt really ride.
So the month of August started out slow and I was a little worried about getting enough time and miles on the bike for training and my personal goals. I did ride with the racing group on Saturday and then on my own Sunday night and my numbers look pretty good.
Total miles in August: 135.8, Total miles in 2010: 942.3 or 78% of my goal for the year.
My next race isnt for another 2 weeks and then we are off to Europe after that for 10 days.
I got the notification that I had been moved up to the CAT 4 race in San Clemente. The only down side is that is cost an extra $5 to race CAT 4 at this race. The upside is that its one of very few races that dont charge an extra fee for unattached riders. I am unattached until next season when I renew my license and add a club name on it.
I had to make my first repair on the new bike. Apparently when I crashed I bent a hanger that mounts the rear shifter to the bike. While I was trying to figure what what the issue was, and then repairing the bike I didnt really ride.
So the month of August started out slow and I was a little worried about getting enough time and miles on the bike for training and my personal goals. I did ride with the racing group on Saturday and then on my own Sunday night and my numbers look pretty good.
Total miles in August: 135.8, Total miles in 2010: 942.3 or 78% of my goal for the year.
My next race isnt for another 2 weeks and then we are off to Europe after that for 10 days.
I got the notification that I had been moved up to the CAT 4 race in San Clemente. The only down side is that is cost an extra $5 to race CAT 4 at this race. The upside is that its one of very few races that dont charge an extra fee for unattached riders. I am unattached until next season when I renew my license and add a club name on it.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Decision
The first thing I thought when I crossed the finish line was that it was time to upgrade. I have been lucky to only have been caught in one crash this year, but I would have rather not been in any. Watching other races I realized that the higher the category the smoother the race goes.
It would be nieve to think that there are accidents in other categories or that anyone can race for a long time and not end up on the ground at some point. I have been lucky and have yet to fall in training. Not to mention that I really wasnt hurt and my bike only suffered a few minor scratches.
Once I had relaxed a bit and started to think about it, maybe upgrading wasnt the best idea right then. My last couple races had been primarily CAT 4 fields opened to CAT 5 racers. I was able to ride for the longer times and stay with the faster racers. However, I havent broke into the top 10 yet and that would be nice to do.
With only one major race left this season I had to choices, stay CAT 5 and go for a high placement or move up to CAT 4 and fight to finish in the field. There are no prizes in CAT 5 and the field is open to anyone to race. I mean literally anyone can race Mens CAT 5 or Womens CAT 4. At the Brentwood race there were two girls in street clothes riding beach cruisers in the race. I think that they made it 2 laps before they were lapped and pulled from the course.
CAT 4 offers the advantage of being able to get prizes for leading laps, and money up to 6th place (which is normally your entry fee value). People in CAT 4 have already done the 10 races in CAT 5 and they normally smoother and smarter. They work together and attempt organized breakaways. The down side is that they are faster and attack a lot more. That causes the field to stretch out and people to be dropped.
In the last two races I have really enjoyed riding with the CAT 4's. It feels good to be sitting at the front of the peloton with such fast racers. It felt even better to race longer and be pushed harder from start to finish. But I could place well in my race in San Clemente if I stay CAT 5. Not saying that I wouldnt do well in CAT 4 but realistically I know that I have a better shot at a top 10 in CAT 5. So it was time to make a decision, upgrade now and race with the faster boys or stay put and try to race for the win.
I decided to apply for the upgrade. I want to try to place well in CAT 4 and would feel better finishing in the field in CAT 4 than finishing towards the front in CAT 5. I want to race with the fastest people I can and push myself to beat them. I know that I will never race the Tour de France or the Tour of California but I would love to make it to CAT 2 so that I can race against those guys.
My not been approved yet but it should be in the next couple of days. Then I have to contact the San Clemente race organizers and have them move me up to the CAT 4 race. It will be a challenging race, lots of up and down and a short 8 turn course. I cant wait for it.
It would be nieve to think that there are accidents in other categories or that anyone can race for a long time and not end up on the ground at some point. I have been lucky and have yet to fall in training. Not to mention that I really wasnt hurt and my bike only suffered a few minor scratches.
Once I had relaxed a bit and started to think about it, maybe upgrading wasnt the best idea right then. My last couple races had been primarily CAT 4 fields opened to CAT 5 racers. I was able to ride for the longer times and stay with the faster racers. However, I havent broke into the top 10 yet and that would be nice to do.
With only one major race left this season I had to choices, stay CAT 5 and go for a high placement or move up to CAT 4 and fight to finish in the field. There are no prizes in CAT 5 and the field is open to anyone to race. I mean literally anyone can race Mens CAT 5 or Womens CAT 4. At the Brentwood race there were two girls in street clothes riding beach cruisers in the race. I think that they made it 2 laps before they were lapped and pulled from the course.
CAT 4 offers the advantage of being able to get prizes for leading laps, and money up to 6th place (which is normally your entry fee value). People in CAT 4 have already done the 10 races in CAT 5 and they normally smoother and smarter. They work together and attempt organized breakaways. The down side is that they are faster and attack a lot more. That causes the field to stretch out and people to be dropped.
In the last two races I have really enjoyed riding with the CAT 4's. It feels good to be sitting at the front of the peloton with such fast racers. It felt even better to race longer and be pushed harder from start to finish. But I could place well in my race in San Clemente if I stay CAT 5. Not saying that I wouldnt do well in CAT 4 but realistically I know that I have a better shot at a top 10 in CAT 5. So it was time to make a decision, upgrade now and race with the faster boys or stay put and try to race for the win.
I decided to apply for the upgrade. I want to try to place well in CAT 4 and would feel better finishing in the field in CAT 4 than finishing towards the front in CAT 5. I want to race with the fastest people I can and push myself to beat them. I know that I will never race the Tour de France or the Tour of California but I would love to make it to CAT 2 so that I can race against those guys.
My not been approved yet but it should be in the next couple of days. Then I have to contact the San Clemente race organizers and have them move me up to the CAT 4 race. It will be a challenging race, lots of up and down and a short 8 turn course. I cant wait for it.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Brentwood Grand Prix
I was looking forward to the Brentwood GP for several reasons; Ethan had his kids race, I was getting a lot faster, and I was excited about racing in Downtown LA. Brentwood is close to UCLA in the nicer area of Los Angeles, near Beverly Hills and the course looked fast.
Since the race was a cat 4-5 they can give away prems, and they gave them away often. They started on the first lap and they gave them away almost every other lap. For a spectator that is a good thing because people race for the prizes, as a racer the pace picks up so much its hard to hang on. I was able to stay near the front despite the intense speed that we were carrying. I would notice every lap with a prem that the field would be strung out across the course from people falling back and a thinner and thinner group in the front.
Anne thought that I had just been dropped by the field, which is better than her knowing I crashed. She is very worried about my safety and probably would have made me stop and get checked out. She told me that a lot of people were pulled from the race and that I should be happy that I finished. I actually got 38th out of 70, even though I was on the ground for a minute. So I put my bike away and got ready for Ethans race.
The week before the race I really didnt get to train like I normally would have. We had a lot of stuff going on, we went to the circus and we were run down most of the week. I rode with the CA Pools team on Saturday and got two days on the trainer during the week. I was still confident that I would be able to perform well at the race.
We stayed at my sister in laws house so avoid leaving out house at 4am in LA. We still had to get up at 530am and leave by 6 but it was better than staying at home. We got to the race and I registered like normal. I decided to walk around the end of the track near the parking lot. The corner did not look tricky, it was a wide looping right, followed by a looping left going up hill back onto the main street.
I warmed up like normal on the trainer like I do every race and then went to take a lap on the course. I went around the corner I had already scoped out but then I was stopped by the official at the start line. They wanted to start staging the race so I didnt get to see the other end of the course. I figured that I would take it easy on the first lap to feel the turn out and then go from there.
The pre race instructions were shorter since its the end of the season and it was a cat 4-5 race instead of just cat 5. The whistle blew and we took off. The first turn was actually a sharp U turn that ended going up hill. That was followed by a quick right, then left going down hill. We then headed down a long straight away to the end of the course that I had walked. The finishing line was also on a long straight so the course was fast in the middle but technical on the ends.
Since the race was a cat 4-5 they can give away prems, and they gave them away often. They started on the first lap and they gave them away almost every other lap. For a spectator that is a good thing because people race for the prizes, as a racer the pace picks up so much its hard to hang on. I was able to stay near the front despite the intense speed that we were carrying. I would notice every lap with a prem that the field would be strung out across the course from people falling back and a thinner and thinner group in the front. We were about 25 minutes into the race and getting ready to hit the lap cards when I decided to move towards the front. I had slipped back a little because we had slowed down and people were bunching up in the front. On the long back straight I moved up to about third in line from the front. We made the right then the left and I noticed the guy in front bounced off the fencing and shot across the road. I hit the brakes but it was too late.
The guy in front of me went over his handlebars and I ran into the back of his bike but I was still upright. Someone ran into the back of me and fell. The weight of their bike and the rest of the 20 people in the wreck knocked me down. I got up and tried to get back into the race and didnt go anywhere. I looked down and my chain had came off so I had to fix that and the seat was out of line.
I finally got going but I was way behind the field. As I rode away I heard the track officals calling for a medic for the guy that went over his handlebars. I just rode away mad that at good finish was taken away, that my new bike was already in a wreck, and that I was probably going to get pulled from the race. I pushed as hard as I could and heard the announcement that there were 5 laps to go. I caught another guy who was in the race and who sat up when he saw me coming.
As I rode up next to him he looked over and said lets work together to finish the race. So we did, just the two of us taking turns pulling each other around the course. I watched the official every lap to see if his whistle was in his mouth but not once did he reach for it. We made the last 5 laps without being caught by the rest of the field. I crossed the line and hung my head in frustration. I knew I should have been happy I wasnt going to the hospital right then, and that I finished the race but it was hard to be happy right then.
Anne thought that I had just been dropped by the field, which is better than her knowing I crashed. She is very worried about my safety and probably would have made me stop and get checked out. She told me that a lot of people were pulled from the race and that I should be happy that I finished. I actually got 38th out of 70, even though I was on the ground for a minute. So I put my bike away and got ready for Ethans race.
I had Ethan practice some before his race and then we got him lined up. He was wearing a UCLA cycling jersey that Lola had bought for him. I tried to line him up in the front but he was a little nervous since there were a lot of kids and he had only been riding without training wheels for 2 weeks. The race started and Ethan took off, he passed kids all over the road and crossed the finish line without falling. I was super excited for him and he got a really nice medal. He was excited but he wanted to do an entire lap and they only rode down the finishing stretch.
We stayed and watched the races for most of the day. Dave Zabriski from Team Garmin Transitions, and a couple other big name pros raced. Ethan rode his bike around with a new found confidence, even riding with one hand and with no feet on the pedals.
All in all the race was a nice course and with a nice surrounding of businesses and expo tents. I definitely want to race it again next year, and I am looking forward to the same challenges. I did learn that it doesnt matter where you are in the field you can get caught up in a crash. I also confirmed that I will be able to keep up with a cat 4 next season, or this season if I wanted to move up.
One races down, one more cat 5 to go. I could upgrade now but I am going to see how well I do at my last race in San Clemente before heading to Europe for vacation.
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