Montrose Cx State Championship Chicrosscup #10

Wow, what can I say about this race. I had a decent start, flatted in the second lap and putzed around for the rest of the race. Kind of a shitty way to end the season, oh well.

Bike Handling=B

Fitness=B-

Race Tactics=C

Luck=D-

Woodstock Chicrosscup # 9

Pic by Jamie Sanchez Formula Foto

Wow, another course that should have suited me. I absolutely loved loved all the climbing at woodstock. This course was one of my top 3 favorites from last year. The course remained pretty much the same from last season with no surprises or technical bits. However fate conspired against me once more.

Getting to the second farthest chicross race late sure does wonders for your pre-race prep. I drove with my sister out to the penultimate Chicago cyclocross cup race with a misread on the time and distance to arrive. I quickly kitted up and noticed that the course seemed pretty much like last years. A longish start led into a super-fun descent into the woods. The climb out of this section is probably my favorite part of the course, at the top you wind around a pretty flat grassy section. I really dont like the "circle of death" feature that every other race seemed to feature this year. I think they're lame and they really kill my rhythm. Some more undulations, hit the barriers and some more twisty riding to the second "big" climb. The run-up once again really killed me but it was fun going through the switchback descent right before the finish.

I've been pretty lucky, actually really lucky that my racing "career" has only ever had one race ending mechanical. I've been pretty suspicous of this luck and was paranoid all season long that something would happen to me. It doesn't help that I've seen plenty of teammates, mainly Chris and Kevin break their bikes in various ways. I came close at woodstock. After my lame-ass warmup I went to the Cycle Smithy tent to put some air into my tires. They were running way too low. I pumped up the rear to just under 30, as I went to open the valve on the front tire the tip broke right off. Holy shit it was about 10 minutes to the start and 75% of the 3s field was already lined up. I tried two tubes from the shop guys but neither worked. One had a valve that was too short, the second tube had a long enough valve but was a skinny road tube that was not seating properly with my cx tire. AARRGGHH! First I got there late, second I was unable to set the trainer and warmup, now this! No front tire! I ran around for a couple of minutes trying to get a front wheel, I grabbed one of Al's pit wheels and off I was to the start line.

Of course I lined up in the back row. I saw some new faces,upgrades from the 4s surely. It was a big field and here I was all frazzled at the back. I noticed Kevin and Dave in the second row of riders and thought "yeah I'll never see those guys again". My start was horrible, my mind was off and I was not able to really move up any spots, instead I was racing with the guys I started with.

The first couple of laps hurt, the only good parts were the climbing but I didnt hit those as hard as I could have. It took me a while but about halfway through my legs showed up to the race. I started working with Matteo of Krystal cycling team. We started taking pulls and working together pretty well. We worked hard but the guys in front of us were unreachable. Towards the later part of the race a Cycle Smithy guy linked up with us but we were to have none of it. We drilled it hard until we dropped him.

Even though it was just me and Matteo, we worked hard so that nobody would bridge up from behind. And also to make sure that we didnt get lapped. Coming around the last part of our last lap I noticed Kevin up front. This gave me some extra motivation to push hard, he seemed to be within reach. Matteo gave me one hard final pull up the last hill after the runup. After that I drilled it hard into the red. I made up some time but Kevin was not going slow enough.

The result was bad, the start was bad, the luck was bad, but the legs were there. They showed up to the race late but I still have some matches left to burn. I am really psyching myself up for Montrose. This is it, one last chance. I am being realistic about what to expect and how I'm going to finish. I know who I can beat, and who is a little out of reach now. But I am going down in a blaze of glory. I will leave absolutely everything out there at Montrose, I am crossing that finish line a mere shell of a human being. For all those finishes, the results, the placings, trainer workouts in the basement, winter rides in below freezing temps, early nights, money and time spent, it all culminates on December 6th...

Fitness=C+

Bike handling=B

Race Tactics=D+

Hilton Lakes Chicrosscup # 8

Pic by Amy

On paper Hilton lakes looked like it would be a good race for me. Not very technical, and with a lot of flat fast power sections. Unfortunately it was not to be.

My warmup was a little short to begin with. After doing a 1/4 lap recon I showed up to the start with a not so great feeling. My start was actually not very bad. It was probably the only good thing about this race. The first lap was fast and chaotic, there were several crashes all over the place. I managed to avoid crashing but definitely traded some elbows with other racers.

I think the large purse and pack size made the first lap very twitch and nervous. People kept crashing and dropping chains and having all sorts of mechanicals. The run up was pretty killer and it really hurt me on every lap. I usually lost time or spots there and it was pretty dissapointing. The sand pit was a quite a hoot and I really enjoyed powering through the first section. After the initial sorting out I once again noticed how far up I was than normal. Unfortunately I was unable to hold my spot as riders started passing me.

The second lap and the middle part of the race start to suck more and more. The legs were not responding too well. I got sloppy and overshot some turns. I also managed a couple of times to awkardly remount my bike after the second sandpit. Jim of the pony shop and Paolo were able to pass me. I couldnt hold their wheels like I have been doing all season long. I also rode with Al for a while but the legs just weren't there.

Even though my legs sucked I had a blast going through the sandpit everytime. At first I could only manage to ride the first sand pit and would run the second one. Towards the end I was able to power through the second one and it felt damn good. Although not much sand was encountered last season I was very timid about being able to ride through. This year I have come to love riding the sand and look forward to any sandy bits.

The last lap really hurt. Not in a "I'm riding so hard" kind of way, but more of a "I want my race to end but I am running on fumes" kind of way. I am counting this race performance as a fluke and after some workouts during the week I think I'll know. And far as Woodstock goes, man my mouth is just watering at the thought of that hill...

Bike Handling=C-

Race Fitness=C-

Race Tactics=B+

Northbrook Chicrosscup # 7

pic by Al?

Fitness=B+

Race Tactics=B

Bike Handling=B

Wow, it took a couple of races but it is all finally coming together. I had a great race on Sunday. One of my season goals was accomplished. Top 30, to score points for the series standing for a whopping 2 points.

I did not race at Northbrook last year so this was going to be a brand new race for me. I felt a little nervous about that. I also was not able to get a lap in before my race. I was able to scope out about half of the course from the sidelines. Pre-race preparation was pretty good this time around. No late night, no excessive alcohol consumption, and one ride through the sandpit before my race had me feeling pretty good.

I also managed to get in a pretty good warmup. Temps in the 60's helped me come up to the start line with a little sweat on my brow. The start was not too crazy and had some long straighter sections that helped the pack spread out without anything too crazy. My legs responded very well at the blow of the whistle. My head was cooperating too as through the initial twisty sections I was riding with riders that I have not ridden with all season, except at the start of course.

Looking around me I saw some unfamiliar wheels. These wheels belonged to riders who normally place in the 20's and as such I dont normally ride with them. Usually during the first two laps the sorting out consists of me racing all the way from the back of the pack to make up some spots. Then settling in with a group of guys I call "the regulars". And then riding with that group and making moves here and there to move up a spot or drop a rider.

Things were a little different this time. Going through the first lap and looking ahead I could see a lot fewer riders than I was used to seeing. Riding strong and a lot more aggressively I took a couple more risks. Halfway through the first lap the effort started to catch up to me and riders stronger than me started passing me. Instead of racing hard early to make up spots, I was being passed by riders that were a little stronger than me.

I settled in after the first lap behind a rider with a south chicago wheelmen jersey and had James of the Pony shop on my wheel. I was feeling really smooth through the turns. The tricky off-camber sections that ran alongside I-294 gave me some trouble in the first two laps but I eventually got the hang of them. The legs were responding well and I had my head screwed on right this time. It felt real good to not only have legs when I needed them, but also to really be racing my bike hard into the corners.

The first laps were a little choppy as I figured out what lines to take, what gear to be in and where to push it. Me and James worked together a little bit to try to move up. It didnt work fantastically but it was sure nice to take a pull and then slot in behind a wheel. Maybe we'll be doing a little bit more of that in the following races.

The sandpit was really fun. It was not as hard to ride as it was in my head. Each time I came around the house I would really psych myself up to hit it hard and smooth. And I can proudly say that I only dismounted once to get through. Working with James and with Dave right behind us gave me plenty of motivation to ride hard and smart. With about two laps to go I froze up on a little steep off-camber descent. I rode into one of the plastic stakes and broke it and the tape.

This little snafu was not enough to throw me off rhythm. I was able to quickly remount and not lose a lot of ground. With two to go it was me and James. My carrot in front, teammate Al had ridden off beyond eyesight. Dave was behind us but I could tell that he was hurting.

I decided to ride conservatively until the second half of the last lap where I would make my move to shake James off my wheel. I wanted to do something before the sandpit. Even though I had ridden through the sand ok, I didnt want to leave it to the last possible moment. Screwing up at the sand-pit would guarantee that I would not have enough room for recovery. About 3/4 of the way through the final lap we entered the flat grassy section before the off-cambers on the hill. I was going to have to rely on my bread and butter. Going hard on long,flat,non-technical, grassy sections with a slight headwind. I rode behind James to shield myself from the wind through the turns, shifted up and put down a little dig.

I looked back at James and saw no reaction. Luckily this was his second race of the day and left him with no "kick" at the end. Leaving nothing to chance the remaining part of the course had some tricky off cambers and a barrier, and oh yeah the sandpit. Lucky for me I was able to hold hard fast lines through everything and muscle my way through the last bit of sand to finish 29 out of 45.

The last part of the last lap was very hard as I was trying to leave it all out on the course. I almost succeeded at Northbrook. I am getting closer to the point where I know I can keep going as hard as possible and keep track of my matches. Goals for the remainder of the season are to keep placing in the 20's and improve of course on my placings. The people at the top of my hitlist are Zach, Al, Chris and the enigmatic Dave (who is sometimes faster than me and sometimes not). With a new course on Saturday, strong legs and a level head I am ready to finish out the season on a good note...

St. Charles/Campton Chicross # 6: The race that never was

Fitness=D+

Bike Handling=C-

Race Tactics=D

Yeah the report card is first because I kind of want to get it over with. Sure enough this was my first Chicross race running on little sleep/improper warmup/hangover etc. so the results were not too impressive.

Funny enough my start did not suck as we entered the muddy section after the start I was somewhere slightly midpackish with riders that are usually in front of me behind me. Of course they would eventually pass me in that first lap as I took all the wrong lines the first time around. In the second lap I took a nasty spill when my front wheel hit some deep mud and took me down.

Race fitness was not optimal and I did not race very hard. Usually when I see riders pass me I attempt to get back on their wheels. My legs and spirit were not in a fighting mood and I took it kind of easy. As the race went on the super fun mud started to dry up in places. I finally got the right lines down but was not able to take advantage of it as I spent (for the first time this season) some time in no-mans land.

I got lapped at Jackson Park, and I got lapped here too on the very last lap. That really sucked but I still had fun with the mud, probably the only mud that we'll see this season. It was really fun to race in true Belgianesque style, and for that I'll write off this race happily and say bring on the next one.

Bartlett Chicrosscup # 5

I definitely have my pre-race routine down now. Go to bed early the night before buzzing on at least 22 oz of fancy beer, wake up at 7 am but stay in bed until at least 7:45 then hurry to the race. And of course at Bartlett I forgot to pack something that I will not be forgetting for the rest of the season, my trainer.

The first lap was rough on me. A bigger than usual field had me passing through traffic left and right for a while. Although I felt good that I was moving up in the back of the field my legs were not responding as they usually do. After the first two laps I was settled in with the usuals as the legs started coming around. Having failed at a proper pre-race warmup, the initial laps had finally gotten my legs in a good fighting mood. The course had some tricky sections. The fast slightly downhill hill triple barriers hurt me every lap. I just could not carry a whole lot of momentum. Being a shorter guy I was unable to keep a good stride through all of them and would lose speed. The little climb up the hill though was fun. I managed to throw down hard a couple of times here and make up distance.

The soft slightly muddy section before entering the woods was fun too. I managed to hit some good lines and was able to power through pretty easily. When other riders would hit this section they would usually slow down. I would take a little dig in as the legs were gettin better each lap. Halfway through the race I was leading a group of racers which included Jason. Just in front of me within eyesight were Al and Zach.

Anxious to catch up to them and maybe drop any chasers I started riding hard and taking corners tight. On the return portion through the woods I hit a the last turn in the woodchips wrong and went down. I slid out and it took me longer than I would have liked to get up and running again. Of course 4 riders passed me at that point.

After the crash it was damage control to the end. I was able to move up a little but I could see that some of the riders that had passed me were riding away. Of course once I was settled in I started to get my trademark "last two laps of the race second wind". With Kirby of xXx and Kevin hot on my tail I dug deep to catch up to Patrick of team Tati in the second to last lap. I passed him and had my aim set on his teammate Daniel.

It always feels good to have a lot in the tank and use it up. My legs were not responding as well anymore. I was riding his wheel pretty close in the the last lap but I did not feel strong enough to pass or attack him. We were still pretty close on "heckle hill" but as I ran it he rode it faster than me. This had me hurrying to chase him so that I could be on his wheel for the final sprint. I managed to catch up to him right before the finishing straight. I gave it all I had in the final sprint but my legs felt like bricks. Daniel beat be by about a foots length at the finish line.

I had ridden really hard to make up for my mistakes and was pretty much out of matches for the sprint. At first I felt kind of crappy about my race. But in retrospect, if I had had a proper warmup I know that I could've been right on Zach's wheel at the end. Still looking forward to a top 30 this year. Half way through the season some of my goals have been met. Beating Chris fair and square, and gettin Al and Zach are the race goals for St. Charles. Can't wait to hurt some legs this sunday...

Bike Handling=C

Fitness=C+

Race Tactics=C

Carpentersville Chicross # 4

Well I'll tell you what my problem is, I am not aggressive enough in the starts. Lining up on the third row on sunday I clipped in pretty quickly but once the pack started going at it I got too timid and gave many places up.

The start was fast and pretty furious. I was able to move okay through the initial cluster fuck corners that are typical of the first laps. Not having felt too awesome that morning I could feel it a little in that first lap as my teammates in front of me started to gap me. I settled in with my group as Dave, Chris and Al rode off into the distance.

My group consisted of Paolo of xXx, whom Ive finished behind many times before. David of Flatlandia, who I seem to catch later in the race as he fades from doing more than 1 race in a day. And Martin and James of Pony shop, both who have finished very close to me in the last races. Feeling a little better as the laps counted down I really enjoyed the course.

The fast paved section allowed me to put some hurt down on every lap, or suck some wheel whatever was most convenient. The course was fast enough that I didnt feel like I was over shooting any turns and I handled my bike fairly well that day. Running the sandpit hurt but for some reason when I made the 180 turn I would get a second wind and sprint. The pump section was good and bad. It seemed like if I wasnt making up distance on a rider I was losing it, but I really liked the fairly straight grass section after the pump section that turned its way into the paved section. It was on this part that I was able to put down some serious digs and pass guys or make up time. I was able to crank it hard and take the turns super-clean.

One thing that I am really good at is capitalizing on the mistakes of others. Twice in this race rider's bike handling mishaps allowed me to pass them. If I see somebody crash or take a turn too hot I am right there ready to pass them. Eventually my legs and clicked and with some good luck I was able to make up 3 spots in the last two laps. These werent easy passes though. I layed down some hard efforts and kept looking back to make sure that I was keeping my spots. My results and places might not be the best but I am fighting hard for each place. I am not riding easy or lazy. I feel a little better each race and cant wait to bring my climbing legs to Bartlett. My report card for Carpentersville Chicross # 4

Fitness=B+

Bike Handling=B

Race Tactics=C

Dan Ryan Woods Chicross # 3

The third race of the Chicrosscup was in the Dan Ryan woods on the south side. A brand new course for this year served up some serious pain. The course was primarily flat with a moderate climb and a pretty painful runup. From the aerial picture of the course I felt confident coming into the race. Good signs of high fitness from dekalb and a relatively non-technical looking race had my hopes pretty high.

The start was a relatively long straightaway that turned left then twisted its way to the runup. My start this time was a little bit more aggressive even though my positioning was a bit off. At the runup I regretted having missed all those running workouts, this was definitely not an easy part of the race for me. I moved hard and fast trying to move up as the field stretched out. Coming down from the hill I ran through the tricky slippery off-camber switchback. I would not ride it the whole race, but I'm pretty sure that I was taking it just as fast as the guys riding it.

The flat twisty portion was fun. The turns were not too tight and you were able to hit them pretty fast. My kind of cross course. On the hill climb I was able to make up time on riders on almost every lap. After the initial pain of the first two laps I was settled into my group. Riding strong and smooth I would sprint out of every turn. One weakness for me was the set of two barriers near the woods. I was not able to hit them as fast as I could and would lose ground here.
The last two laps I started to feel the fatigue coming on. I had passed teammate Kevin about halfway through the race and was now riding with him behind me. I was also trading places with Jason. I started to get a second wind and tried to gap them but I couldn't shake them. I had barely beat Jason last week at Dekalb so I wanted to make sure that I was coming in front of him at or near the final climb. Having raced Kevin countless times, I knew he wasnt feeling so hot today so I was going to make it a point to beat him too.

Even though I was evenly matched with two riders right on my tail, I knew that I could take them if I made my move early enough. Coming around the final climb on the last lap Jason was leading me, with Kevin right behind me. I had tried several times to pickup the pace but was unable to change the order. On the last climb I noticed that Jason wasnt looking too fast up the climb. That was all I needed to turn on the afterburner. A little kick and I was past Jason with Kevin not too far but not too close either. I still had a very fast off-camber turn to get down the hill. Knowing that they were not going to be too far behind me I took one last dig. I was going to take some risks and hit all the turns as fast and as hard as possible.

And of course on the tricky off-camber which I had ridden ok the whole race I almost bit it. Too much brake had me unclip. I pretty much locked up the rear brake at the bottom of the turn and started to slide out. I was able to catch myself with my unclipped foot but I slid almost 180 degrees. Just enough to see Jason and Kevin pass me. Having lost all my momentum I crawled up to the top. For a split second I thought maybe I could catch them on the final straightaway. But it was not to be, I finished 36 out of 43. Its funny because every position lost or gained is a small battle within the race, and no doubt in my mind that I would've led them out on the finish if I had ridden my bike properly.

So as I step back and realize how much has happened in first three chicross races I have come to several conclusions.

1. Top 3 riders to beat this season, Zach Thomas, Kevin Clark, Jason Alvarado.


2. My technical skills are getting better and better with each race.


3. I have a lot matches to burn, I must not hold back.


4. The training is working, mental state has yet to be dialed in though.


5. My season goal is to get a top 30 and score at least 1 point for the overall series standings.


6. Cheering the 4bs and 4as is actually a little bit more fun than racing.


7. I need to drink more (beer,whiskey?) to help with conclusion number 6.

Dekalb

pic by sandy henry

This picture explains pretty much how my race went at the Dekalb/Hopkins park race. Follow the wheel, carve the turns, SPRINT, follow the wheel, pass, SPRINT, carve the turn...

The race started off with the customary "shit start". Around the first couple of turns where things were starting to settle in I looked back to see exactly how far back I was. Of course I was at the absolute ass end of the field as there was literally no one behind me. This really pissed me off and I rode the next two laps passing and passing hard. Riders who I knew had no business being in front of me were passed and repassed at every opportunity.

The legs felt awesome. On the flat long straight aways I would shift into the big chainring and sprint hard. I would pass riders, then get a little sloppy in a turn and they would pass me again. This went on for the first two laps until those guys started to fade. Starting all the way back in a pack of about fifty halfway through Erica(I think) shouted "40th place!". This gave me the extra incentive to ride even harder. As traffic spaced out I really started hitting a good rythm. My turns started to get cleaner and cleaner. Fully aware that I had matches to burn I started firing them.

The middle of the race was the second wave of attacks/hard digs. I passed my teammate Tim, then some random dudes. Up next was Soupy, a skilled rider who I knew could defeat me in the technical bits. Luckily there were not too many of those so I was able to pass him. Up next was Dave, I could tell that Dave was not riding as well as he could, so I rode his wheel for a little bit to catch my breath and moved on to the next wheel. Checking riders off like a grocery list I started moving into the thirties in field position.

Fully warmed up to this point I had an idea of where I could pass and make up time. My turns were getting cleaner and cleaner each lap. Noting where other riders where hitting their brakes to turn, I would do the opposite and try to hit it hard then mini-sprint out of the corners. Having a bike that is not so light and being under 6 feet in height the barriers felt taller and my bike heavier each lap. I was however getting some really clean remounts. A nice improvement that I noticed was that after clearing the barrier I was only taking one step before jumping back on the bike.

Coming around with two laps to go I had settled in with two other riders. A guy in a kit that said embrocation on it and an Iron Cycles rider. I followed their wheels closely. Other guys had simply faded but these two were always just out of my reach. A slight sense of desperation, anticipation, and some competitive courage fueled the last two laps. The embro' guy and iron cycles rider were not riding too aggressively, at top of the climb up to the baseball field I passed the iron cycles rider who did not seem to eager to fight me for the spot. I could not see anybody in front of the embro rider so he was going to be my man to beat.

My legs felt strong but I was a little apprehensive. I really did not know how much I had in me, even though my body was doing everything that I asked it to do. Staying close to the embro rider I had noticed that he was not taking some of the turns too well. On the tight off camber turn in between two trees(before the barriers on the singletrack) he hit the brakes too hard and slid out. I was able to go around him. I looked back, he was not too quick on his feet so I hit the gas hard. Through the woods and over the barriers I felt a second wind. Ahead of me I saw paolo from XXX. Unfortunately I ran out of course to pass him. I have no doubt in my mind that if I had another lap that I would have passed him and caught up to teammate Chris.

Finally after a long time things clicked at Dekalb. My form is great and my mind was right there along with it. At the Dan Ryan woods I'm going to show up with good legs, good mind, and hopefully a much better knowledge of how much I've got in the tank. My placing might not have been an A+ but my performance sure was.

A+ for effort

B- for execution

Jackson Park

photo by gavin

5th '07(cat 4b), 23rd '08(cat 3)

Racing at Jackson Park for the third time I had a lot of mixed emotions. I no longer felt like a noob. With two seasons of CX under my belt, expections to not ride like one were high on my brain.

The race started with the traditional "shitty start" at the back of the pack. With the largest 3's field that I have ever raced in (5o-something?) the first lap was a cluster-fuck. The finish/start straightaway turned left into the corner of a baseball field. On the first lap riders bottlenecked and crashed. I was off the bike and running. The sand was not really sand but a heavy packed dirt that looked exactly like sand. Unfortunately on subsequent laps I would ride this section as if it were a difficult stretch of sand and rode through it successfully only twice.

The first third of the race I spent trying to move around and through the heavy traffic. The legs and lungs felt great. The cornering skills however were horrible. For the life of me I just couldn't hit the corners cleanly. On the off camber corners my foot kept coming off the pedals to stablize. It didn't help that the air pressure on my front tire was way too low, on several occasions I almost rolled the tire and lost traction. I crashed into the tape countless times as a I kept overshooting the corners. Coming around hot in a tight turn after the baseball field I hit a rut in a turn that took many a riders down that day. I hit the ground pretty hard as my bike slid out from underneath me.

My right brake lever was turned inward because of the crash. It took me about 15 seconds to bend it back into place, but in cross 15 seconds is an eternity. I got back on my bike but had lost all rhythm. Some more 3s passed me and then the masters started coming around. I definitely slowed down after that. The second third of the race I spent being passed by masters and a few of the leading women, and trying to regain a rhythm. On the very few flat sections and on the barriers I would sprint to attempt to make up some time. But it was to no avail as any advantage I would quickly lose it on the turns that I was taking like a 4b. The drive to push it slowly waned as I packed it in mentally and shut down my brain.

More embarrassed than anything about my bike handling skills I was lapped on the last lap and managed to finish a lap down on the field. Mentally zapped and upset, my body was feeling great. I barely felt like I had burned any matches and after the race I concluded that outside of the horrible turning I felt great. Knowing exactly what I have to work on (cornering) I am feeling confident for Dekalb. In conclusion, CX '09(so far)= legs there,brain not

New cables!

The Kaffenbach is recabled with some fresh Fizik tape. Tommorow morning the barriers come out for the first time in over 9 months

Hmmm, seriously considering getting a caad 9 cross frameset (made in USA of course) and building it up for cx 2010...

Finally, a plan and a method to all this madness...

So havent updated in a while, haven't done much in the past couple of weeks. The rescheduling of the state championship road race threw the last part of my road season off. I was planning to have a mean peak by the 23 of this month for Oakbrook but that isn't going to happen.

Instead when I found out that the race had been scheduled for September I went into rest mode. The road season has been pretty hard and my legs needed the rest. Over the last couple of weeks I have lost the "punch" or that "kick" that one develops at about this time in August. I do have a pretty strong base though and I am totally confident that in a couple of weeks time now that I'm on the plan with Bob, cross is going to be fast and fun.

the calm before the storm?

With more than half the season gone the numbers are looking good. My midpack finish at fox river has given me a lot of confidence. The training for the last two weeks has been limited. A mid-week practice mtb race, a tuesday night track session and Fox river have been my hardest training rides.

Longer tempo rides and blazingly slow recovery rides have kept me fairly well rounded. Today starts a rest week that will go into a three week raceing phase. I have 6 superweek races planned. Five of those I raced last year with the Elgin course being the only new one.
Im feeling pretty confident with my mid-season fitness. I have never been this strong this early in the season. Hopefully I can stay on track, august should be pretty fast.

Spring Prairie Road Race

On sunday me, isaiah and zach made the drive out to burlington wisconsin for the Spring Prairie road race. This is the road state championships race, and as such WCA gave us chicagoans our own 4/5s non wisconsin field.

The course is about 6.5 miles through rolling country roads with a steepish longer climb right before the finish. The short up and down course reminded me of a circuit race, our field was doing 6 laps. After our neutral rollout the race started on the "big" climb. The pack made its way up very slowly. The course was 4 corners but with enough twisty bends up/down and sideways that one could get away. And they tried for the first two laps setting a rough tempo.

It was obvious that this would be a race of attrition, the pack would lose a couple of guys every lap on the climbs and descents. Although all of the elevation gains were only rollers they were enough to send guys out the back with their breakfast in their throats.

Coming in with good form and fresh strong legs I was able to hang on to the back with isaiah and zach. In the first couple of laps zach got popped out the back. After the first big climb there was a fast descent with a turn into another roller at the bottom. It was around here that I found my way off the back with a couple of riders including isaiah and a spidermonkeyrider. I led them out to a tower racing fellow who was going back also. After a couple of shouts of encouragment from me and others it was obvious that I would have to dig deep into my suitcase of uncertainty to catch back on. With the desperate knowledge that if we didnt close the gap our race would be over I put my head down and got aero on the hoods. Not wanting to wait for anybody else I took a big pull to bring back a couple of back to the pack.

Hoping that I hadnt burned too many matches, the pack settled into a much more relaxed pace for the middle laps. Conversational at times it gave me and a isaiah opportunity to talk about our plans for tommorow, and how surprised we were that we were still here etc. Not having had a great 1st half of the season I used this race to brush up my pack riding skills trying to move up ride more conservatively.

Once we started the bell lap I was feeling confident, at the big finishing climb I was always starting from the ass end of the pack but was able to move to the front half during the climb. I could probably make a big move and move up a bunch of places at the end. I also noticed that I had stayed in the big chainring the whole race except for the finishing roller. Hmm, I thought maybe I should try riding in the small chainring to let my legs rest a little. Big mistake. I shifted down to the 39 while we were on a flat section. My timing couldnt have been worse as the pack descended. A mental lapse cost me big. I went out the back at a bad time. Just as I reached the bottom the pack was cresting the next climb. I tried for little bit to catch up, had this happened earlier in the race I might have had a chance.

So I finished by myself. Upset that a simple mistake made me miss the fireworks at the end I was also feeling kind of good. I had managed to stay with the pack almost to the very end and accomplished my race goal of finishing with the 1st half of the pack. With my legs feeling this good in already I cant wait until August.

woah

Easy ride today up to tower road with the team. Mostly easy endurance pace with a couple of hard efforts. Max-878watts. Highest number ive ever seen on the powertap since i started using it this year, not bad.
tommorow, Spring Prairie

My Review of Novara Transfer Panniers

REI

The Novara Transfer panniers are built with credit-card bike tourists and commuters in mind. They're light, so you can be fast!

Novara Transfer Panniers

Awesome panniers for commuting!

adrian always riding chicago,il 5/25/2009

 

5 5

Gift: No

Pros: Easy to Use, Lightweight, Durable, Versatile

Best Uses: Commuting

Describe Yourself: Competitive Cyclist

I LOVE my transfer panniers. I have them mounted on a topeak rack and they work great. I would not recommend for any heavy duty extended touring trips as ortlieb makes great panniers for real touring(and real money). The panniers are really easy to throw on the rack and come off quickly.
Big enough to carry work clothes,shoes,and extra layers. I have not had any problems with sinching down the top with the compression straps, although the angle on them is a bit weird they do not detract from product quality.
The rain covers have worked well for me and managed to cover the panniers even when they are packed full of stuff. They have kept my stuff dry through a 10 mile downpour. For the money the are great beginner panniers.

()

oh snap!

pic by ed white

Things I'm missing right now: high(er)end power or "snap" in my legs, crit power(go hard-rest-go hard, repeat 10x)

Things I'm not missing right now: The best tan in the pack

Things I'm enjoying right now: more work=more$

Things I'm not enjoying right now: more work=more fatigue

Right now this is the majority of stuff running through my head, as I type this I'm watching a rainy stage of the Giro. The scenic rural mountain views and wet roads are reminding me of Georgia. If I could find a job out in the middle of nowhere in the mountains of Georgia, maybe at that shop on the AT on blood mountain, I would totally live there.

vernon hills, rest week

On sunday I did the vernon hills gran prix . It was a pretty chill criterium with a big team showing. Finishing a 3week long build period I was a bit apprehensive as to how my legs would be feeling. The previous two workouts earlier in the week were prematurely finished as my legs were feeling heavy.

The cat 4 crit started out super slow. After a couple of laps it got "hot'' and I was dropped. Working together with a xxx'er we managed to go hard the remainder of the race. Our only goal for the race was to work hard to not get lapped. And we almost did it. After trading hard half lap pulls for 30 minutes the pack screamed by us going around the final corner.

Even though I got dropped and lapped I felt good about the effort that I had put out. My legs although not feeling very fresh were starting to show some strength. Finishing a hard three weeks of training im going into this rest week with a lot of optimism. Some easy urban riding yesterday surprised me with amazingly strong and loose legs. The biggest challenge this week will be staying focused during my rides to not go hard despite no matter what my legs feel like. Oh well, at least I already have my summer tan ready.

hillsboro, commuting and dog poo

Just over a week ago I finished a dissapointing 73rd at hillsboro. Up until those last two weeks my training was going fine. I was unable to peak/taper properly for those last two weeks and came in feeling a little sluggish. I was dropped from the pack about 15 miles into the race. The wind, flats, and constant accel-decellerations at the back of the pack where i was unstrategically located did me in and I was unable to hang onto the pack.

I rode my second commute of the year this past friday. Due to "long distances" and overall wussin out I did not bike commute this winter as I have for the last 4 years. With a brand new rack and panniers the kaffenbach is fully commutered out. Some very well ridden gatorskins and fenders complete the package.

To supplement the income Im walking dogs now. My parents laughed when I explained to them the concept of a dog walker but the extra money will be really nice.

california dreamin

Unfortunately this is the only picture of me on a bike from my san francisco trip last week. Definitely the easiest miles of the week were on that marin hybrid. Most of the week was spent being a tour guide for my sister, niece, and my cousin.
The couple of rides that i managed to get in were not the best. Unable to meet up with any local riders and winging it on the local roads I managed to find a lot of dead ends and "private property no tresspassing" signs. With the dead end routes and heavy legs my week on the west coast was quickly coming to an end.
On friday things changed. I awoke feeling fresh and well rested. With my tour guide responsibilities non-existant for the day I made my way to the local starbucks for their 3.99$ wifi internet session. The route I found promised me at least 30 miles of rolling terrain.
Without a single breeze blowing and 72 degrees of pure california sunshine I kitted up in my fastest white euro team kit.
The first 5 or so miles after my aunts house (where I was staying) were on busy 4 lane street through the middle of town. It didnt help that about 3 blocks into the ride the road went up for about 3 miles. Traffic cooperated for the most part and once i was at the top, a fast easy descent got me off the busy roads and out of town. From here on out I was riding on bike lane or an extremely wide shoulder for the rest of the ride. The 4-5 mile stretch of road after the busy city portion was heaven.
Mostly flat I saw more bikes than cars. The roads were buttery smooth and the scenery was breathtaking. A couple of turns and loop around farms and sleepy neighborhoods I looped around and back. Taking a couple of short digs and going a little hard on some of the longer climbs my legs responded.
Three and a half hours and 55 miles later, along with a new 5min power record(280w) I was back to where I started. The next day I was greeted in chicago by 34 degree rain but all i could think of was those sun drenched picture perfect california roads...

best week ever

Never quite made it out to brasstown bald but still rode 146 extremely non-flat miles in 4 days. The scenery and riding were the best I have ever done in my short cycling "career". Mile after mile of buttery smooth roads, cows horses and the occasional runaway dog made for some very memorable moments.

Two of my favorite pics courtesy of soupy and zach, the first one shows the team Rapha style riding the roads on our way to some black and white leg-busting lung-searing adventure. The second pic is at the top of a climb called pebble pile or rock pile or something or other. At the top of this climb we intersected with the appalachian trail. The view at top was spectacular, so was the descent. Without a doubt the funnest time I have ever had on two wheels

coming soon to a pair of legs near you

rest weeks...

go by so slow. After hammering away for the last three weeks the easy weeks pass by so slow cant wait until march. A lot of miles are going to be ridden in preparation for hillsboro.

this is a pic of a ride that me and some teammates made out to elgin. I was hanging on for dear life that day but recent training is telling me that it wont be like that for long. whoops somehow the picture got cutoff and isnt showin joe. Joe along with Zach and Kevin are some of the guys that I hope to keep up with this year.

Registered!

For cat 4 hillsboro-roubaix without any problems!