Sunday, April 6th Bethel Crit Race Report
04-06-08, 11:41 AM
#1
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
Sunday, April 6th Bethel Crit Race Report
Me and a team mate drove down to Bethel to race the CAT 5 crit today.
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
Last edited by ridethecliche; 04-06-08 at 11:48 AM.
04-06-08, 12:41 PM
#2
.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 40,375
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 27 Times
in
12 Posts
Me and a team mate drove down to Bethel to race the CAT 5 crit today.
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
one more lesson: brevity is the soul of wit.
04-06-08, 12:48 PM
#3
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
That was a bit long winded wasn't it.
Agreed.
Summary:
I raced.
I attacked a few times, came to the front and fell back again because no one joined me.
I had a few close calls and almost got knocked down thrice.
One: Locked bars with team mate.
Two: Got cut off and person in front smacked rear wheel into my front.
Three: Guy to my left slammed into me. He went down, I stayed up.
Attacked right before last lap. Wasn't successful. Then mishaps 2 and 3 happened and I got a little edgy. Ended up boxed in for the sprint, was in the back part of the pack anyway.
Finished in the 2nd half of the pack.
Fin.
Agreed.
Summary:
I raced.
I attacked a few times, came to the front and fell back again because no one joined me.
I had a few close calls and almost got knocked down thrice.
One: Locked bars with team mate.
Two: Got cut off and person in front smacked rear wheel into my front.
Three: Guy to my left slammed into me. He went down, I stayed up.
Attacked right before last lap. Wasn't successful. Then mishaps 2 and 3 happened and I got a little edgy. Ended up boxed in for the sprint, was in the back part of the pack anyway.
Finished in the 2nd half of the pack.
Fin.
04-06-08, 01:04 PM
#5
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
But given the circumstances and the timing of the near mishaps, I'm extremely glad that I was able to keep the rubber on the road. Though, I kinda wanted to bunny hop the finish line haha.
04-06-08, 01:25 PM
#6
Making a kilometer blurry
Nice work. Got through the first crit!
04-06-08, 02:14 PM
#8
Slow'n'Aero
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Driving the pace in the crosswind
Posts: 2,599
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Me and a team mate drove down to Bethel to race the CAT 5 crit today.
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
We rolled up to the course at 7 AM and the organizers weren't even there yet! There were also no lines to the port-a-pottys so we got lucky hahaha. Got our numbers and all that jazz, turned out we were going in the second running even though we pre-registered. No biggie, we got to warm up more (and by that I mean freeze because we watched for a bit.)
I swapped my wheelset and the second I got on, I couldn't move. After trying to figure out what was going on, I realized my quick release wasn't tight enough and my drive side would move forward when I put torque on the wheel. Whoops. Fixed that up pretty fast and walked up to watch the race before lining up. A lot of the riders were really helpful after I told them it was my first race on the course. They pointed out where people normally attack and where it would be beneficial to move around and attack. It was a good group of people. A lot of people were incredulous that I was riding a steel trek. "How old is that thing" was asked a lot, people were surprised when they found out it was an '84. Rode around a bit to get warmed up before the start, talked to CDR for a minute or two, and then it was time to go.
Lined up around 8:40 and we were off...
A junior shot off the front right when the race started. I yelled at two juniors next to me, "y'all better go catch him". Their reply was hilarious. "Naw," they said, "he'll be right behind us in a few mins". Indeed he was.
It took me a little bit to get used to riding around in the 'pack'. I was expecting some kind of formation to go atleast for the first bit of the race, but the only thing going was a single file. I ducked down low in the drops to fall behind a rider ahead of me. Felt the energy expelled while riding decrease. Good.
Gap opened up ahead between a few riders. Gunned it, got low behind a bigger rider, then shot around to fill in the cap he didn't cover. Moved into the front half of the group. 10 laps to go.
The pace was awfully slow at the base/around the hill. Attacked on the hill, no one followed. Broke away for about half a lap, got bored and fell back in. No point wasting my energy when I'm bound to get tired and fall back later. Fall back in and recover.
8 Laps to go, taking a turn with a rider next to me. I lean over to the side to turn, when my bars snag on something. *****, my drops are under his tops. I look up to see who it is, and it's none other than my team mate. "Sorry," he mutters, as I pedal faster to separate us out. No harm done. "Stay out of the wind," I yell. He's working around the side to much. He nods.
5 Laps to go, I'm sticking with most of the guys in front, working my way around while getting down behind some of the bigger riders so I can draft and get out of the wind in the windy back stretch. Works wonderfully. I coast while they spin.
2 Laps to go. I find myself near the front for the first time in a few laps. 2 riders shoot out in the windy stretch. Legs willing, I follow. We get to the hill and they split. I attack, move around them and come out in front. 1 lap to go, and I'm out in the front.
"Come on teach," I yell at the rider who we parked next to, "lets work together so we can get you in front." He latches onto my wheel and we move through 2 or 3 of our 10 second pulls when I see him drift out. The pack won't let him back in. We're caught. Dammit...
We're at the windy stretch again and I'm feeling my legs getting tired. I haven't had enough time to recover from the attack on the hill. I pull forward to try to catch the wheel of the rider ahead of me, when suddenly someone cuts right in front of me. Crap. His rear wheel/ possibly his RD smacks my front wheel. I bounce off of it, and manage to keep the rubber side up. "Hold your line," someone yells from behind. 'Shut it,' I think to myself. I'd rather just stay off the ground.
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
It's too late now, the sprint is over. I sit up and pedal through the finish. Even though I didn't get lucky with my spot coming up at the end, I know luck was on my side today. Three narrow misses is more than enough for me to be content with. I finished the race and didn't go down. Sounds like a good day to me.
Lessons learned:
1) Attacking is fun, but if you want to do it for a very short time, don't go too hard right before the last lap. The pre-last lap recovery is very conducive to being able to work your way in for the sprint.
2) Keep elbows out a little bit when riding close to other riders. It might be less aero, but it'll stop you from getting your bars caught.
3) When you put a gel in your bibs and feel like you need it, don't forget it's over there (whoops). That could have been the key to bouncing back and having that little boost (even if it was just mental) for the last lap or two. The race was only 12ish miles long, but having that mental feeling that you've got some more strength in you makes the difference.
4) The bike did not hold me back AT ALL today. I think I would have felt better on my CAAD9 and maybe had a mental edge, but I don't think my placing would have been any different. We'll see what happens when I finally get it in.
5) The compact was great. It was nice to not have to shift on the front end at all for the entire race. I only went into the 34 a few times in the beginning of the race so I could spin fast and keep up with the guys who were climbing the hill really really slowly. Worked out pretty well and helped me get warmed up. Maybe a 50-36 would have been a better option but that wasn't around at the price I found this crank for. Whatever...
Not bad for my first CAT 5 race.
Lets see what the team wants to do next weekend, as boston beanpot's going on and everyone really wants to go to that. I feel like I want to have another date with bethel. I feel like I have something to prove.
I hope the guy who crashed at the sprint is alright. If anyone has any idea how he's doing, please let me know!
Also, I was apparently dead for the entire race, seeing that I had a heart rate of 0 for the entire race. Maybe I should wet the chest strap I put it on next time. Stupid HR monitor...
Now for a shower and date with organic chemistry. Heck yes! (not...)
If you feel like you needed a gel 10 miles in to a 12 mile race, I might suggest eating within 36 hours of the race or perhaps not doing a 2 hour high intensity warm up.
Seriously, You would have been lucky to have sugar in your bloodstream by the end of the race if you took it at the beginning.all in all, congrats on your first race, way to go. You enjoyed it, you learned from it, and it has caused you to want to come back for more.
But don't ever say you dropped back into the pack because you had attacked for half of a crit lap and got bored again.
04-06-08, 02:23 PM
#9
Eternal Cat3 Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1,167
Bikes: 2004 Giant TCR2 Composite & 2006 Fuji Touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
hehehe, thanks for the summary, I started reading the original and my eyes went blurry 
Good job! Keep learning and eventually you'll school those guys!
Good job! Keep learning and eventually you'll school those guys!
04-06-08, 03:14 PM
#10
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
Bored and then fell back in? After what? 1 minute? ADHD really IS a problem. And then you forget that you were bored and decide that attacking is fun?
If you feel like you needed a gel 10 miles in to a 12 mile race, I might suggest eating within 36 hours of the race or perhaps not doing a 2 hour high intensity warm up. Seriously, You would have been lucky to have sugar in your bloodstream by the end of the race if you took it at the beginning.
all in all, congrats on your first race, way to go. You enjoyed it, you learned from it, and it has caused you to want to come back for more.
But don't ever say you dropped back into the pack because you had attacked for half of a crit lap and got bored again.
If you feel like you needed a gel 10 miles in to a 12 mile race, I might suggest eating within 36 hours of the race or perhaps not doing a 2 hour high intensity warm up.
Seriously, You would have been lucky to have sugar in your bloodstream by the end of the race if you took it at the beginning.all in all, congrats on your first race, way to go. You enjoyed it, you learned from it, and it has caused you to want to come back for more.
But don't ever say you dropped back into the pack because you had attacked for half of a crit lap and got bored again.
"So, how aero is that setup?"
Bah!
Attack is fun, but realizing that you're in the front with no one to split the work with isn't. Hence the fall back once no one decided to bite. I guess people would have come after me if I had kept going, but I didn't think that was going to happen because it wouldn't change the points even if I had won.
PS- Twas my 3rd race, first two were collegiate.
PPS- I will never say that I got bored in the front. I will admit to being weak and saying that I didn't think it was worth it to stay in the front by myself when I would have gotten swallowed up originally, but would have expended more energy for the end. I will remedy this mistake next weekend. Thank you for the advice, Dr.WJ. I honestly appreciate it! I gotta HTFU
Last edited by ridethecliche; 04-06-08 at 03:23 PM.
04-06-08, 03:20 PM
#11
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
What books do you recommend for reading about just general tactics, nutrition, etc.
Does 'The cyclist's training bible' have nutrition stuffs and other info in it?
Does 'The cyclist's training bible' have nutrition stuffs and other info in it?
04-06-08, 03:42 PM
#13
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
plenty can be gleaned from this one.
The best way to learn is to be taught by those more experienced than you. I know some of you guys have a lot of experience with what to do and not to do (hence the crit thread). So please, if you want to say anything go for it. I'm all ears. I'd love to learn more to improve faster and to be a better/safer racer.
Thanks!
04-06-08, 06:48 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Putnam, NY
Posts: 71
Bikes: Look 585
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
We're coming off the windy stretch. The gas turns on. Riders surge past me. I'm still a little shaken up from my near mishap a few seconds earlier, but I still attack. It's a cluster at this point. I look for an opening. There it is, on the right. I try to go for it when another rider gets a similar idea. We knock hard, I veer right and bounce back. I hear him go down behind me.
Sigh. Now I can't brag that we're the only ones who didn't have a crash.
04-06-08, 07:03 PM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Putnam, NY
Posts: 71
Bikes: Look 585
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
04-06-08, 07:20 PM
#17
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
I was involved as much as everyone around him was. We all did our best to stay up. Are you honestly going to try throwing fault at that?
I just had a guy bump off me hard during the finish. He looked unsteady as I passed, and I later heard that there was a crash right next to me. I thought I heard something, so I put 2 and 2 together.
I'm hoping that my two collegiate starts count towards my upgrade, that way I'll have 5 starts under my belt by the end of next weekend, and I'll be halfway to the upgrade if all goes well.
Edit: Tyrade, were you in the first or second group?
I just had a guy bump off me hard during the finish. He looked unsteady as I passed, and I later heard that there was a crash right next to me. I thought I heard something, so I put 2 and 2 together.
I'm hoping that my two collegiate starts count towards my upgrade, that way I'll have 5 starts under my belt by the end of next weekend, and I'll be halfway to the upgrade if all goes well.
Edit: Tyrade, were you in the first or second group?
04-06-08, 07:38 PM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Putnam, NY
Posts: 71
Bikes: Look 585
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I was involved as much as everyone around him was. We all did our best to stay up. Are you honestly going to try throwing fault at that?
I just had a guy bump off me hard during the finish. He looked unsteady as I passed, and I later heard that there was a crash right next to me. I thought I heard something, so I put 2 and 2 together.
I'm hoping that my two collegiate starts count towards my upgrade, that way I'll have 5 starts under my belt by the end of next weekend, and I'll be halfway to the upgrade if all goes well.
Edit: Tyrade, were you in the first or second group?
I just had a guy bump off me hard during the finish. He looked unsteady as I passed, and I later heard that there was a crash right next to me. I thought I heard something, so I put 2 and 2 together.
I'm hoping that my two collegiate starts count towards my upgrade, that way I'll have 5 starts under my belt by the end of next weekend, and I'll be halfway to the upgrade if all goes well.
Edit: Tyrade, were you in the first or second group?
First.
04-07-08, 09:57 AM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: in the shade
Posts: 492
Bikes: too few
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
That seems like a ton of contact for a race that doesn't have any corners but I know that I know nothing.
04-07-08, 11:06 AM
#21
Senior Member
Problem with a course like Bethel are:
1. Because no corners, no one takes holding a line seriously. Well, that's an overstatement, but people tend to wander a bit. I find that the "safe" courses are the most dangerous.
2. Crosswind gusts (when going past buildings etc) cause movement. Any movement up front is amplified elsewhere. Bethel is in a wind tunnel geographically speaking.
3. Hill curves right then left and with the full road available, people squeeze the sides. It was worst in the P123s as the ones up front seem to intentionally move left in order to close a door (or in this case, more like a huge gate). You can herd all the racers into a 4x5 rider box and no one can get out.
I didn't see the 5s on the hill (where crash occurred) nor did I see anything of value for the little time I managed to see them go by (basically Turn One, which is a 15-20 mph "bend"). So I can't offer any constructive criticism.
As for my race, I tried to bridge to a little break early on, blew sky high, tried to soft pedal while the field came back, and then suffered for a while. My teammates worked hard for me, one in particular was responsible for bringing back the last two man break (they had 30+ seconds), and it set it up for a field sprint. That one teammate kept things strung out on the last lap until he blew, others (i.e. not my teammates) took over with maybe 250 to go, and I jumped a bit late, maybe 125 meters.
I couldn't see anyone around me but I thought for sure they were going to swamp me because I was going so slow, so I threw the bike half heartedly and early, coasting across the line as I looked back to both sides.
That one teammate told me he basically closed the gap (32 mph for over a minute!) but he hadn't finished off the break, so when things eased up with about 4 or 5 to go (we were going 12 mph at a couple points), I thought the two had gotten away again. I thought I was sprinting for third. Nice surprise when I learned it was for the race.
cdr
1. Because no corners, no one takes holding a line seriously. Well, that's an overstatement, but people tend to wander a bit. I find that the "safe" courses are the most dangerous.
2. Crosswind gusts (when going past buildings etc) cause movement. Any movement up front is amplified elsewhere. Bethel is in a wind tunnel geographically speaking.
3. Hill curves right then left and with the full road available, people squeeze the sides. It was worst in the P123s as the ones up front seem to intentionally move left in order to close a door (or in this case, more like a huge gate). You can herd all the racers into a 4x5 rider box and no one can get out.
I didn't see the 5s on the hill (where crash occurred) nor did I see anything of value for the little time I managed to see them go by (basically Turn One, which is a 15-20 mph "bend"). So I can't offer any constructive criticism.
As for my race, I tried to bridge to a little break early on, blew sky high, tried to soft pedal while the field came back, and then suffered for a while. My teammates worked hard for me, one in particular was responsible for bringing back the last two man break (they had 30+ seconds), and it set it up for a field sprint. That one teammate kept things strung out on the last lap until he blew, others (i.e. not my teammates) took over with maybe 250 to go, and I jumped a bit late, maybe 125 meters.
I couldn't see anyone around me but I thought for sure they were going to swamp me because I was going so slow, so I threw the bike half heartedly and early, coasting across the line as I looked back to both sides.
That one teammate told me he basically closed the gap (32 mph for over a minute!) but he hadn't finished off the break, so when things eased up with about 4 or 5 to go (we were going 12 mph at a couple points), I thought the two had gotten away again. I thought I was sprinting for third. Nice surprise when I learned it was for the race.
cdr
04-07-08, 09:32 PM
#22
Batüwü Creakcreak
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: The illadelph
Posts: 20,791
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 229 Post(s)
Liked 288 Times
in
160 Posts
I had trouble getting back into the pack if I went out in front for a few seconds. Is there any way to jump back into the pack without causing a stir, or do you just have to go back around the side and try to steal a wheel?
04-08-08, 09:06 AM
#23
Senior Member
Or, if you are on the inside (generally the right side), just say right until the field moves over on you. Then move back in.
Finally, if you're at the front, just slow down (gently). People will go around you and you'll naturally end up on a wheel.
cdr
