My legs decided to show up for this week's Music City Crits race. It was the 8th of 12 races in the series, so we are nearing the home stretch now. I was much more aggressive this week, going after all the moves to try to make the break. I did not want to miss another field split like last week. Going that hard makes for a long race. I was thinking we were about 30 minutes into the race and was a bit dismayed to looked down and see we had just hit 15 minutes.
Pro/1/2/3 group early in the race on a hazy afternoon
I was very pleased to be able to cross many gaps during the race. I tried to follow attacks across to small splits, but sometimes you just can't wait for somebody else to do the work. At least five times I went on my own and dug very deep to cross the gap. I always made it across, but the group always followed me. Only once did any sort of split occur. I saw we had about eight riders off the front, but I had nothing at that moment to go to the front and drive it on. Besides, Tim Henry missed the split and I knew he would be coming after us. And he did, dragging the what was left of the group back to us. We had 33 starters and less than 20 were left in the group after 20 min due to the pace.
Entering the hairpin
At the finish, I found myself in a good position. I rode hard to stay in the front the final two laps. I had to pull out of line on the last lap and stick myself into the wind, but it was one of those things where you have to move up or get swarmed by the riders behind. I did not want to be blocked in so I pulled out. I got on John Carr's wheel on the backstretch. He seemed like a good one to follow. Matt Schupp attacked first. I was in a position to follow him, but I did not want to open it up that early. My legs were getting tired and I knew I couldn't make it from that far out. I stuck with my plan to follow John. The first few riders chased Schupp like I wanted. I got a good run at the end of the backstretch, but one of the riders ahead sat up. It was a moment of chaos as everyone went around him. I had to give up my momentum to pass him and I never got it back. John got gapped coming out of the chicane and that was the end of us. I held his wheel into the final turn. I took a peek on his outside coming off the turn, but I didn't stick it too hard as there is not much room for two riders to exit that turn at sprint speed. I was the one looking eye to eye with a wall of concrete so the smart thing was to back off a little.
Me in the green and black rolling in line behind Jason Chatham
Schupp hung on for the win. I took 7th which is my best finish of the year. I am very happy with that result. Again, I was active in the finish of the race, just not at the very front of the sprint, but I will get there soon. I thought this was the hardest race of the series, even though we had a slower average speed at 26.0 mph. The wind kept the speed a bit lower, but the multiple accelerations kept the pain and fury high. The weather had been a threat again tonight, but it held off just enough to get the race in. There was a huge thunderstorm approaching with heavy lightning just as we finished. I was so much in the zone that I never noticed the lightning until the race was over.
The sideline pictures from this week were courtesy of my sister, Dina. She made it out to her first race of the season to cheer me on. I ran the GoPro on my handlebar again this week. Highlights of my ride are posted below. There's plenty of attacks to watch on this one.
Video: Pro/1/2/3 Handlebar Cam Highlights
The end of our week was full of classes for both Shannon and myself. We signed up for the Rehab Summit in Nashville to knock out some of continuing education credits. It was 10 lecture classes spread out over three days. With these courses and one online class that we also completed this weekend, we have knocked out all of our credits for the next two years for our PTA license!
Rehab Summit was fun. I liked the different topics and speakers. I learned a lot about the shoulder that I will use on my patients daily. Also, there was a lecture that builds on the glute program that I have been so interested in for the past few years. It was good stuff. My brain is a little fried after all the info uptake. That's a lot of info to cram into three days.
There was an expo area in the lunch hall. I was surprised to see Swiftwick had a booth there, showing off some new medical compression socks and line of scrubs. Of course, they also had a huge selection of athletic socks. I stopped by on Friday and found Grant Castle working the booth. It was nice to run into a friend and get to talk mountain bikes for a while. He gave me a few pointers on picking out a new 29" mountain bike and then kicked Shannon and I both a free pair of socks! I was pumped. I really love the Swiftwicks. I was even wearing a pair at the conference that day. Before we left that day he also gave me a Pro discount for future ordering. Does that count as getting sponsorship?! Thanks Grant! It was good to catch up with you and thanks for the socks! Check them out online at http://www.swiftwick.com/.
The Summit was held at the Omni Hotel, which is probably the nicest hotel I have ever set foot in. It is when I go in to places like this that I realize how much of a simple redneck I am. It was very fancy and I could not have felt more out of place. The decorations were ridiculous. No wonder they charged $195 per night with the Rehab Summit discount. I can't imagine how much it would be without a discount. I guess I'm just a Super 8 kind of guy. I'm all for having nice things, but when you buy something just because it costs a lot and it has no function, well that just seems kind of wasteful. My opinion though.
Walking through downtown Nashville during lunch at Rehab Summit
Lunch was probably the fanciest thing, at least the first day. They had lots of froo-froo sandwiches and salads. I felt like I should eat with my pinkies in the air. I got some random meat sandwich that I really had no idea what it was. It had a strange texture, but I was hungry and did not really care. I was almost done with it when I finally examined the meat. It was salmon fillet...raw. I'm not much of a fish person, especially when it's not cooked. Sounds like a good way to get a new friend...an amoeba. At least it had bacon on it. The second day was much better. It was a build-your-own sandwich buffet. They had piles of ham and turkey so I made a nice sandwich my way, with lots of mustard. For dessert, the hotel provided GooGoo Clusters and Moon Pies, two Tennessee staples. I always laugh at tourists when they come here and flip out over Moon Pies. I guess I didn't realize how local they really are.
GooGoos and Moon Pies, there's nothing quite like them. All that was missing was a can of RC Cola.
I got mixed feedback on the barrel ride video. Most people have expressed their opinion on how stupid it was. Several times I heard, "How many times do you have to fall on your head before you stop trying to make it." Well, it only took three falls before I made it. The idea was one I wasn't even sure would work, so I thought it was great to not only make the ride work, but actually complete the ride as well. There were a few that thought it was cool and gave me props on my skills. Thanks guys! I have more plans for fun rides this fall. It's going to be a "Freeride Fall" this year.
Found a new gravel road in our area.
Saw this on a ride this week. Those are three goats standing in the loft of this barn. Goats can find a way to get anywhere.
I'm back in the pool now, doing some swimming. I'm up to swimming about 600 meters right now quite easily. I'm not training for anything specifically. I just felt it was time to work on something that would complement my bike training. Swimming really builds up the core and we could all use some help in that area. Plus, the compression from the water is great for recovery, not to mention it cools the body down nicely on the 98-degree days we had this week.
I dug up dozens of carrots from the garden this week. What's up doc?
The Tour de France is over, but my "Tour" begins tomorrow. Crossroads is the closest I get to a stage race. It's six days of crit. races in North Carolina. We begin tomorrow evening in Mocksville. I am excited to do the full week. I am riding much better than last year. Mocksville will be hard for me, as it is fast, narrow and provides little opportunities for rest. Day 2 will be in Kannapolis this year rather than in Concord. The course looks narrow, but better than the short Concord course. Thursday night should be a good one for me in Salisbury. Friday is another hard one in Statesville, then we visit a new venue in Asheboro and finish up on Sunday with the difficult City Park Circuit in Salisbury. I am not very excited to climb that massive hill over and over on tired legs. It is going to hurt!
When I get back, it will be time for some local racing in August, with the Music City Crits Series, Bells Bend Time Trial Series and a new running event in Clarksville at Rotary Park. It will be a night trail run, which should be a lot of fun. I have not been running and will suffer like a dog for the 4.5 miles, but I could not pass on the chance to do a night race. I'll try to post updates next week from Crossroads if time permits. I'll be working on some more coaching education programs next week so I am not sure how much blog writing I will be doing each day. Thanks again for reading!
Finally, I'm getting caught back up on my blogs. It has been a whirlwind year so far. To date, I have raced 30 times this year. It feels like much less than that, but the scary thing is that now that Indy is over, I have just two big races left and the season will be over. It makes me sad just thinking about it.
Last weekend was one of my target races of the year at Indy Crit. in Indianapolis. I really liked that race last season and had my best finish of the year there. It is one of the few chances I get to race in front of family as well. With Shannon's family living in northern Indiana, they can get down to Indy quite easily. This race also draws a stacked field each year so it really is a good one for them to see.
We like to visit Todd & Lyndsy up in Muncie whenever we can. They always open their house up to us whenever we need it. I enjoy hanging out with them and their four kids. Plus, they live only a few miles from the really nice Cardinal Greenway so it is perfect for an early morning spin.
Shannon on the Cardinal Greenway
Field alongside the greenway
The weather forecast looked grim for Saturday afternoon's race in downtown Indy. The radar was a big spot of green that was moving more south than east, looking as if it would not clear the city until after our race began. But to everyone's amazement, after an initial downpour, the rain moved away. The clouds looked ominous all afternoon, but the rain never fell again.
I felt great in my warm-up and was good in the race. I got a decent start spot in the middle of the 96-rider group. On the start, the rider ahead of me had trouble getting clipped in and we sank to the back of the group. That has happened to me at almost every crit. this year. If there is one guy out of the pack that can't get his foot in the pedal, you bet I will be lined up behind him.
The pace was brutal the first few laps. The course is flat and fast. It has 8 turns in 1 mile, but the turns are wide so even a big group does not have to slow down much. I enjoy the brick portion from turn 6 through turn 8 around the monument. It's something different that we don't get to ride very often. We had a 28.5 mph average speed at the 12-minute mark. I was 3/4 of the way back in the peloton, but I did not try to move up. The pace was just too fast. I saw my highest heart rates of the race during the first 15 minutes, topping out at 187 bpm.
Indy Crit. Course Map from my Garmin
Once things calmed down a bit, I began to move up through the group. With so many corners coming in 1 mile, the straightaways are short. Add in that you are traveling at 28-30 mph and that leaves you with little time to pull out and pass on a straightaway. With the speed so high, I had to pick my way through the group instead of passing a big bunch all at once. It took me many laps to get into a good position. I made most of my passes on the outside of the last turn, which was where the family had set up their cheer camp so they got to see me being a little aggressive at times. Once on my way up through the group, I got run over to the left on the final straight stretch. There was a barricade on that side blocking us from running over a very deep pothole that was full of water. When I got forced over, I had nowhere to go. I squeezed me way between the two barricades, which were not as wide as my body. I had to do a wiggle maneuver to fit through and then jump the pothole. It slowed me down, but I still gained some places for my troubles and Shannon got it on video.
Video: Me splitting the barriers at Indy
The race was a longer one at 75 minutes for our Pro/1/2/3 group. I finally got to the front after about 35 minutes, then got shuffled back behind a few pedal drags from other riders and a few near-crashes right in front of me. I had been finding that the left side was the spot to move up while on the backstretch. It started to get more crowded on that side as everyone saw the move-up potential, so I changed to the right side just in time for a big crash to happen on the left. We were already rolling at a good speed, then a rider tried to attack. He hit a pothole as soon as he pulled out of line and it took his front wheel right out from under him. Down he went collecting at least 10 others. I took advantage of the slowing and moved up into the top 10.
Attacks were going left and right. I did not want to follow any so I dropped a few places farther back. Then I got stuck behind a few slower riders and found myself 3/4 of the way back again. I tried to move up the rest of the race, but I was fighting an uphill battle. I would pass 10 riders, get stuck behind someone and drop 10 places. Then go up 15 places and slide back 15 places. Looking back on it, I think I was trying to move up without using any energy while I should have been more aggressive and used the good legs I had. I actually got so frustrated once that I coasted until I was at the very back of the 75 riders that were left and then moved to the opposite side of the road and started working my way up again. It seemed like the side I picked was always the slow side.
The pace dropped a bit near the end despite Texas Roadhouse starting their leadout train at 10 laps to go. It seemed like the perfect scenario for me with a bunch sprint looking imminent, but I never found my way through the pack. We were often 7 and 8 wide through the corners the last few laps and there was simply nowhere to go. It was getting sketchy at 2 laps to go and I decided that it was best that I not push it too much. I was 60 riders back and the chance of winning was gone now. It wasn't worth getting in a bad wreck over 30th place.
The pace was fast those last two laps and I found myself closing many gaps at one to go. I was actually drifting off the back when another crash happened with just half a lap left. It again happened on the backstretch. I rode by to see a guy laying face down and not moving. Spectators were coming to his aid, so I rode on to find an official. I didn't see the guy's bike anywhere when I went by. Then I saw it. It was 150 meters further up the road hooked on a another rider's back! He was dragging it down the road as he tried to stop. Now I have seen it all! I found an official and told him there was a crash and one rider looked to be rather injured. He showed not one sign of caring. He actually looked at me like I was bothering him. Other than the disgusted look, there was no response. I yelled to the head officials as I crossed the finish line and they gave me a good response, calling for immediate help to be sent to the backstretch. At least somebody acted like they cared.
I finished a very disappointing 60th. My goal was a solid top-10 and I was never close to that today. The field was very strong and there were many riders who could've won the race. I had good legs, but not as good as last year. My heart rate was never very high after those first 15 minutes. It was like I couldn't push hard after that. I was sad to not do better in front of the family. I know they want me to do well and I was hoping to put on a show for them tonight. They weren't crushed that I finished so far back, but I was. It was like I was never in the right place at the right time. Then again, maybe I was. I did manage to miss both of the nasty crashes so I guess it wasn't all bad. We ended up with a fast 28.0 mph average speed for the 78-minute race. Sarah and Shannon shot a few video clips on Sarah's new phone that are posted below.
Video: Indy Crit.
We stayed with Sarah on Saturday night. She lives in a nice little neighborhood on the south side of Indy. It was nice to be able to sleep in beds and have kitchens this weekend. Hotels get old after a while. We were hauling an extra load with us today. Shannon's Mom brought down 10 boxes of canning jars for us to take home. We were running low here at home so we were happy to take on some new boxes when someone offered them up. I was expecting like 2-3 boxes, not 10. The car was packed on the way home!
Sunday brought another race in the Indianapolis area, this time in Speedway for the Speedway Cycling Grand Prix. I was hoping it would not be a flop as many Sunday races tend to be when they follow a big race. Last year's race in Ft. Wayne the day after Indy Crit. was very disappointing. Add in the other Sunday disappointments like the Sandy Springs Crit. in Atlanta and NoDa Grand Prix in Charlotte and you could see why I was a bit worried. One thing that gave me hope was that this race was the Indiana State Criterium Championship. It also had good payout. They gained some additional sponsorship just over a week before the event and were able to add another $500 to the Pro/1/2 purse. Money always helps people stay in town an extra day.
The course looked boring on paper, but turned out to be lots of fun to ride. It was flat and wide with all right turns. You could pedal through every corner. The challenge was provided by the wind today. Storms were blowing in from the west, giving some brief showers, but nothing that even got the pavement fully wet. The wind was straight in your face on the backside of the course, especially on the straightaway leading to the final turn, which came just 200m from the finish line.
Speedway course map
We had time to go to church with Sarah before driving over to Speedway. I got changed and began my warm-up to find tired and stiff legs. Shannon and I rode over to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and tried to get a glimpse of the track through the fence. The speedway was less than a half mile from the crit. site. There were some cars out on the track, but we could not see them at all. It was still awesome to hear the sound as they came roaring by. The crit. course actually went alongside the Dallara IndyCar Factory. I am a race fan through and through so I found it all very exciting and fascinating. Now I just need to get into the track and see a race!
My legs felt terrible the whole warm-up. Crappy legs combined with intense wind made me worried for this race. We had a good amount of very fast Cat. 1s and even a few Pros on the start list. Just finishing this race was going to be a feat. The Pro/1/2/3 Women didn't give me much hope either as they blew apart into the wind. A break of five stayed away to the finish. I expected a break would win our race as well.
Three off the front in the Pro/1/2/3 Women's race
Two bridging across to the break
And then there were five up front
The start was really fast. I started on the front row and stayed in the front half of the 40-rider peloton early on. I chased nothing. Attacks were going everywhere, but I wanted no part of it. In the first 5 minutes a break of four established a gap. The break was made up of two Bissell riders, a Texas Roadhouse and an Upland Brewing rider. It seemed like the perfect combination to go all the way. The break did make it all the way, but only with three riders as the Upland rider fell back after a few laps. For a while there were constant attempts to bridge, then things calmed down.
Bissell rider off the front on the first lap
Me early in the race
The group was strung out on the backside with the raging wind
Halfway through the race came another round of attacks and another break got off the front. I was feeling good and just sat back in the peloton. Bissell was not letting anything go. It took a few laps of fast riding, but they were able to pull all the attackers back except the original three that were now way up the road. Those three would lap us at the 45-minute mark, leaving us 15 minutes to sort out the finish. I was surprised to now have great legs. I think they may have been even better than the day before at Indy!
The first four to get away
The group goes into the wind on a very wide course
The three that lapped the field
More riders attempt to get a gap in the middle of the race
In the closing laps, Texas Roadhouse started their leadout. They were lined up at the front with 8 to go. It was difficult to stay up to the front as far as I wanted to be. You had a line of 6-7 Roadhouse guys, followed by a line of 6-7 Bissell riders. A few times I got mixed into the Bissell train and they did not like it. There were some elbows thrown and a lot of yelling, but I never backed down. They don't like anyone getting in their way, let alone some guy who isn't even on a team. I got onto Adam Leibovitz's wheel. That seemed like a good one to be on as he was the only non-Bissell or Roadhouse rider that was a favorite. Things got crazy with three to go and I lost his wheel. I got shuffled back, but fought my way back to within a few riders of the back of the Bissell line with one to go. Roadhouse was still controlling the front. They did a better job in Speedway than they did in Indy.
The final lap was ridiculous fast. I gave it everything I had just to hold my position as we raced single-file across the back stretch. The rider in front of me slowed at one point and then swerved toward me, forcing me up onto the sidewalk for a few feet. I quickly hopped back into the road and did so rather smoothly, not losing any speed. But it happened as the surge forward was happening ahead and I lost a few bike lengths to the main group of sprinters. I spent all I had left to catch the group going into the final turn. The legs were spent and I had little left to sprint with. I came across the line on the back of the riders that were sprinting. I didn't beat any of them, but at least I was there, involved in the finish. When it was all sorted out for the results and the break riders were put in their position, I wound up 16th, just one spot out of the money! So close! Texas Roadhouse were repaid for their efforts as their sprinter, Kyle Perry, was in the break that lapped the field and then took the bunch sprint.
We averaged 27.0 mph for the full race, which I thought was very fast considering how tough the wind was. I was very, very pleased with how I felt. I was never once in danger of getting dropped. Actually, there were even very few times where I had to work hard to stay on the wheel ahead of me coming out of the corners. Either I'm getting stronger or these wide courses are just that much easier. I was disappointed with my heart rate again today, only hitting a max of 182 all day. That came in the finish sprint. Strava backed up my feeling of pain those last few laps. We were definitely flying. The last three laps were the fastest three of the race and the final lap was 11 seconds faster than any other lap! That is insane! I averaged 33.1 mph for the final lap and hit 35.1 mph going into the last turn. No wonder I couldn't sprint! Overall, I really enjoyed this race. It was far from a "Sunday let down." I will gladly come back here in the future. It was very fun and a well-run event. A video from the race is posted below. Thanks Shannon for filming and taking pictures!
Speedway Cycling Grand Prix Video
I found out that I have some blog readers in the Indy area. It's always good to hear that somebody reads this blog more than once. I think most people find my blog while doing a Google search for Twilight. The reason I say that is that my Twilight blog (about Athens Twilight, not the vampire books/movies) has more than triple the views of any other post. It's probably all teen girls finding it and then being all disappointed. Here's a shout out for Frank. Congrats on rocking it at RAIN! That was a fast average my friend. Thanks for reading!
Early last week we finally got the news on our exams. We passed! Shannon and I are both Certified Personal Trainers and I am also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I was so nervous about the scores. I wanted both certifications so bad! I really studied hard and I guess it paid off. We were actually very far from failing them. I couldn't believe how well I did on both tests. I guess they weren't as hard as I thought.
Last Wednesday was Race #7 of the Music City Crits Series. I rested for two days after the Indy weekend, so I expected to have great legs. Usually I am a little off right after a rest week, then after a race or two I find great form. Not today. I had bad legs in warm-up, but they got better after 10 minutes of racing. I sat on the back of the group the first 15 minutes, then moved up. It was a fast pace and there were many attacks. It seemed as though the elastic was bound to snap at some point and a break would go away. I was fine with 3-4 riders going up the road since I was not feeling 100%.
Start
The break formed much like in Race #5. Two riders went up the road, then a few bridged. Then a few more bridged and before I knew it there were 8 riders up there. I knew I had to go, so I followed the next move. It just so happened to be two of the strongest Cat. 1s I know. Ryan Sullivan went first, followed by Tim Henry, then me. I never got to Tim's wheel, but I was pushing hard. I knew this was it. As I started to hurt, two riders came by me. I jumped on their wheel and then they sat up. I slowed for a second and then it was game over. I have no idea why they passed me and then sat up. It makes no sense. The break eventually became 10 riders as Ryan and Tim crossed the gap. We never saw the break again. I made one attempt to bridge, but they were going too fast and the riders in the main group were watching me like a hawk.
Me chasing Tim Henry trying to make it to the break
Craig Evans attempting to bridge to the break
Photo by Josh Cook
After a few laps of recovery, I tried to bust up our group. I attacked several times, but never could get a real gap. They would collectively chase me down and then sit on me. I did manage to blow some riders off the back, but that left me with four Treehouse and four I Am Racing riders. There were many attacks the last 20 minutes of the race, but everybody wanted to go solo. The only rider that would work with me any at all was Craig Evans. I got frustrated near the end and fired off many attacks in the closing laps. I think I attacked either into, or out of, the chicane three laps in a row. I knew they would catch me, but oh well. I'm not getting any stronger sitting in the slow pack sucking wheels.
Peloton. I'm over on the left in the black.
Photo by Josh Cook
Me on the attack in the left hairpin turn with Riccardo Cannone chasing after me
The venue looks good under the evening sky
Photo by Michael Edens
Needless to say, I was tired at the finish. I started the final lap a little too far back and then got myself blocked in with half a lap to go. I wound up taking 20th in the end. And again, I could not reach those upper 180 heart rates I was hitting a few weeks ago. I managed only 182 today. Congrats to Jason Chatham who won the race from the break! I ran my GoPro on my handlebar using my new K-Edge GO BIG Pro Mount. It's aluminum which keeps the camera more stable than GoPro's plastic mounts. It also mounts the camera below the handlebar so it is a little more discreet. It's perfect for those few finicky officials who are still convinced it is made of glass and will shatter or will fall off my bike. It hides well. Check out the highlight video below.
Off the front with 3 laps to go
Two riders leaning on each other with 2 laps to go
Bike Cam Highlights from Music City Crits Race #7
My Mom also shot quite a bit of video this week. It is posted below.
This weekend was another Tennessee weather rarity. It was 54 degrees Saturday morning. It's July. It's supposed to be 84 in the morning and 100 in the afternoon. It was drizzly on Saturday and never got above 70 degrees so I did not go for a real ride until late in the afternoon when it was at its warmest. I had time to kill in the morning. I watched the Tour de France (go Nibali!) then got an idea for fun. I took a few 55-gallon plastic drums, stacked my ladder bridge on top and made a fun ride. Oh yeah! Give a mountain biker some wood and a few drums and he will have fun all day! It felt good to get back to freeride mountain biking. I don't get to do it near enough these days.
Setting up
The stunt wound up being harder to ride than I expected. I have good balance, but things change when you are standing still on a platform that is moving and tilting. I ate a lot of grass, but had a lot of fun. I made it several times so it was a successful idea. Not bad for a dreary day! Some still shots and a video are posted below. I actually think it is possible to space out the drums and ride it all the way to the other side of the creek. I have a lot of work to do on my balance before that will happen!
The Ohio weekend kicked my butt and my legs were still hurting on Wednesday. I felt like I had two bricks instead of legs. The fifth round of the Music City Crits series was another day of dodging the summer thunderstorms. It thundered and rained all around, but the speedway never saw a drop.
I would describe my legs more as "tight" prior to the race than tired. They got better with my warm-up and continued to improve the first few minutes of the race. I wanted to be aggressive tonight, but that never happened. The pace was not super fast, but it was fast enough to shatter my legs after 30 minutes. My legs didn't burn, but they sure didn't want to work tonight either. I had difficulty even hitting 180 with my heart rate tonight. These may be mid-week training races, but the pace is for-real and you need to be on your game if you want to be up front.
In the last third of the race, the group began to splinter slowly. A break went clear, then guys steadily bridged the gap until there were two groups on the course. Then the second group split again. And again. After a while there were 13 guys up front, two chasing out in no-man's land, and about 10 riders in a third group. I was in the third group. I had nothing to follow even the slightest acceleration. I just tried to limit my losses and finish the best I could, taking fifth in our group sprint, giving me 20th place tonight. It was one of those nights where the man with the hammer chose to swing the hammer at me. And he didn't miss. The track was a little slick tonight. I think it was from the car race they had there on Saturday night. It hadn't rained since then so there was some extra rubber and oil on the track. We had two crashes, both in the left-hand 180.
I found it interesting how aggressive everyone was this week. I was wearing a plain green jersey and got cut off and shoved more times than I can count. Several people came up to me after the race and said they hadn't recognized me in that jersey during the race. It makes me wonder if tonight was just an aggressive night all around, or if everyone races the guy they don't know in a plain jersey harder than they would someone on a team. I hope I don't disrespect a rider just because he doesn't have a name on his jersey. It was a strange observation that I hadn't noticed much before.
Two days after the crit. was the 4th of July. The fourth was a Friday this year, so most people got a long weekend. A local church in Sango hosted a tour ride early that morning. They started at 6am. That meant I had to leave my house at 5am to have enough time to ride there. My goal was 100 miles on this day and the following day. I have never done back-to-back centuries before. A freak cold front blew through overnight and it was actually cold when I left the house. It was 56 degrees, which is unheard of for July 4th in Tennessee. My teeth were chattering the first few miles of the ride.
I didn't register for the ride. They wanted $55 to sign up for a 61-mile ride. That's a bit ridiculous in my opinion. I rolled up as they started and just hopped on the back of the group. I found Paul Carter and we rode together the whole day. He does the local Tuesday night rides and is pretty fast, especially going uphill. It took us about 2 miles to get to the front and then off the front. We were cruising along having a nice conversation and riding away from the group.
Start of the Sango Firecracker Bike Tour
photo courtesy of Sango United Methodist Church
The route was a challenging one, catching a few steep hills early and late in the loop. The course also featured one of my favorite roads in the area, which offers some rough patches that jar your teeth out of your head. I was surprised to see this road in the route as most people avoid this area. That road came at mile 45 at that is where I hoped to light it up.
Paul stopped at the first rest stop and chit-chatted with the volunteers. I was eating Gel Blasts I had brought from home and one younger girl was fascinated by them. She said she had been given one at a soccer game and thought they were the greatest snacks ever. She wanted to throw away my trash for me so I left her a Blast in the bag. She was so excited to eat it. I couldn't help but laugh as we rode off, still well ahead of the next group on the road.
We kept talking and still saw nobody behind us until the second stop. Paul was packing in PB&J sandwiches like he had never eaten before. The chase group of four finally caught us and left the stop a minute ahead of us. We didn't chase them, just got back to our steady pace and conversation about blueberries, buying houses and job talk. We caught the group and stayed with them until the climb just before the rough road. They were slow up the hill, so Paul and I rode ahead.
We had a police escort leading us the entire way. He was blasting some old country music on his loudspeaker for part of the ride. I kept trying to get him to let me draft his car, but he was not understanding why I would want to get so close. The turn for the rough road was not marked and the officer missed it. Paul and I knew the route so we made the turn. The group behind also saw us turn and followed. Now on the rough stuff, I upped the pace and found my legs to be quite crappy again, much like Wednesday. The next three turns on the route were not marked either. I got away from Paul as he was having some cramping issues, but then I waited for him to be sure we stayed on route. The event turnout was small and I'm guessing charging $55 and only marking half of your course will not convince others to come next year.
The group rejoined us at mile 53. They had gotten lost and were coming towards us. We got them turned around and hit the last set of hills together. Again, they were slow up the climbs. I found myself 10 seconds ahead without trying. Then I just decided to go for it. I put my head down and set my pace at 25 mph. Two riders chased until the next climb. I pounded the climb as hard as I could, pushing through the bad legs. I got the evil eye from a lady I passed on the way up. She was finishing up the 30-mile loop and was not liking the final climb. I never saw the chasers again until we got back to the church for the finish. They were three minutes behind me. I rode back to find Paul, who was still fighting cramps. I clocked 3:08 for the ride, counting the stops, with a 19.5 mph average speed. It wasn't fast, but it hurt my legs nonetheless.
The wind shifted on me going home. I ended up finishing the tour route with headwind and then riding home with a headwind. My legs were destroyed by the time I got home. I only had 92 miles in, so I had to go back out. Shannon went with me for a quick 9 mile loop. My left hamstring pain decided to return during the last few miles. It didn't get as bad as last time I aggravated it, but it was there. It seems to come about on the days when I don't feel particularly well, but push hard anyway. I think it is fatigue related.
Shannon and I watched the neighbors do fireworks that night. I really have no desire to buy fireworks. They are way overpriced. I feel like I am just burning money. There are so many people around here that spend hundreds of dollars on lighting up the sky for 15 minutes. We watch their show for free and never lose a finger either.
The hamstring pain was gone the next day, but it was sore, so I decided not to try another century. It just didn't seem like a smart thing to do with Indy Crit. being just a week away. Shannon and I spent the day with my family for a cookout at their campsite on Lake Barkley. We cooked ribs, grilled hotdogs and ate lots of good food.
The following week was a scheduled rest week. I was actually supposed to start my rest on Saturday, so the hamstring pain may have been my body's way of keeping me on track, rather than adding in one more long day. I had a few days completely off the bike to rest. We took our CPR/AED courses and are now awaiting our exam results to be mailed to us. Snail mail is extra snail-paced when you are waiting for something important.
We have several small watermelon in the garden this year
The garden has been keeping us busy. Between weeding, picking and canning/freezing, it takes up a lot of time. We have been picking this much 3-4 times a week!
Shannon has been busy canning pickles
Our freezer is almost entirely garden veggies and berries we have picked in the past month
We have a new local time trial series this year, taking place near Nashville on the road to Bells Bend Park. They have a race each month during the summer. I didn't find out about the series until after the first race. I was unable to race the second one due to saving my legs for a Music City Crits race the following day. I have always been a horrible time trialist. I feed off the adrenaline of the race and the way it develops when you have a group. Sitting by yourself going flat out for 20-60 minutes is not exactly the most interesting thing to me. It's self-inflicted punishment really. But for some reason I got excited about it recently and decided to wake up my legs with the third race of the series. The 12-mile course looked to be the perfect distance to snap my legs out of the rest days and into race mode for Indy.
It was a hot day, but a rain storm came through about an hour before the race, dropping the temp and humidity significantly. This was my first TT event in two years. Actually, I can't remember the last actual road TT I did. It was probably in 2010 down in Memphis. Since then, the only TT things I have done are triathlons. And the last one of those I did was in July of 2012. I usually get embarrassed, coming in close to last most of the time. I have only won two TTs in my lief and both were when I was a Junior. I wanted to do some TT training before I did one of these races, but what better way to work on TT efforts than to do a TT!
I had a good ride on the out-and-back course. It was tougher than I expected. The initial 1.3 miles are uphill. The first climb was easier than I had expected, but the following rollers were steeper than the profile showed. My 30-second man was a good rider so I chased him hard. He was my carrot the whole race. The guy behind me was also fast, so I was running from him as well. I enjoyed running aero bars. There's something about being in them that makes you push hard. Maybe you feel like Fabian Cancellara flying down the road at Worlds. Whatever it is, it works and I go harder with aero bars than without.
I never caught my 30-second man, but I got to within 8 seconds of him at the finish. The rider behind me caught me with 1.5 miles to go, but I passed him back in the last half-mile and put a little gap on him. He still beat me on time though. Nevertheless, I think that is the first time since I was a Junior that I was not caught and passed by the rider beginning behind me. My goal was to finish in under 30 minutes and I just missed that time with a 30:50. I was 6th out of 9. I averaged 23.3 mph for 12.0 miles. It was nothing spectacular, but it was a good solid performance for me. I wasn't last. In fact, 28 second faster would put me all the way up to 3rd. It is a pretty solid field in the Open class.
My Dad came out and raced as well. It was his first time racing in several years and one of the few times I have been able to get him on a bike this year. He was last in his category, but one rider was only 8 seconds faster. Now he's training again so he can beat that guy next month. I finally found something to get him motivated!
I also ran into an old high school friend at the TT. His name is David Jones. He was always into racing quads in school, but now he has picked up bike racing to help keep him in shape for hare scrambles. It was cool to see someone else that discovered the sport and has become hooked. David has even been racing some of the local crits in town. It's always cool to have an unexpected reunion with someone you haven't seen for a while.
Next up is Indy Crit, one of my target races of the season. Hopefully the TT has primed my legs for a good performance. The in-laws will be there, so I hope to put on a good show for them.
Not doing XTERRA races this year gave me a few free weekends at the end of June. I have always wanted to go to Cincinnati and race the HP Blast crit. This year seemed as good of a year as any. It is a three-race weekend, starting with the Tour de Grandview on Friday night in Columbus, OH. The HP Blast is on Saturday night and then the weekend culminates with the Madeira Centennial Criterium on Sunday.
I knew nothing about the races, only that I wanted to go. I knew little about the area. I have been to Cincinnati just once, back in 2009 when I raced the Cincy3 Cyclocross festival. My only other time entering Ohio was when I passed through on my way home from an old NORBA National mountain bike series race in Mount Snow, Vermont many years ago. So Ohio was new territory to explore. While looking up a hotel to stay in, I noticed King's Island was near Cincinnati. Again, I knew nothing about the place other than it has a great reputation in the theme-park world. I thought I would just check in to see how much tickets were and it just so happened that they were running a special that day. Adult tickets were the price of kids tickets. So I splurged a little and bought three tickets, as my Mom was going with us again this weekend.
We drove up to Columbus on Friday. It was beautiful weather, especially in the evening when the races took place. We got there early and had time to check into our hotel. We got to watching the Bourne movies and almost were late for the race. You got to love anything Jason Bourne. He is one bad dude!
The Tour de Grandview is in the Grandview Heights suburb of Columbus. It's a nice area, but does not feature many places to park. We got lucky and found a nice spot straight away, but I saw many others driving laps looking for anywhere on the street to park. The course goes through a neighborhood. It's a big rectangle with all left turns. The start/finish straight was slightly downhill to a narrow first turn which was slightly tighter than a 90-degree turn. In pre-ride that looked like the most exciting (AKA best place to crash) part of the course. The course then went slightly uphill through turn 2 and down the backstretch. The backstretch was not wide by any means, but it got even narrower halfway down and was poorly lit once darkness set in. Getting to turn 3 was great. It was wide and flat all the way through the last turn and back onto the start/finish straight. It looked like my kind of course. It was fast and fairly easy.
Registration was great. They were quick and giving out free Sport Beans, Jelly Beans and the new Protein Sport Beans. I wanted to tell the check-in lady that my name was Jason Bourne, but I didn't think she would get it so I just laughed about it with Shannon and talked about how Jason Bourne would annihilate this race if he were here. The race would start, but only Jason would come around the first lap because he would beat down the rest of the peloton on the back stretch.
Our Pro/1/2 race featured 67 riders scheduled for 70 minutes of racing. I got a good start spot on the third row. Even with being up that far in the group I still almost came to a stop so we could all squeeze through turn 1 the first lap. The pace was fast early, but nothing crazy. It was dusty coming off turn 1. I thought the dust was from all the riders, but then I realized they were pouring concrete on the sidewalk along the course. I also saw landscapers unloading mulch in turn 2. I guess progress never stops. The pace started getting ugly after 4-5 laps. Attacks were going off every lap up the backstretch. I kept getting gapped out of turn 2, which was the worst thing I could do. After a few laps of chasing the entire backstretch, I started rolling through turn 2 faster and coming off the turn with tons of momentum so I could match the acceleration of the riders in front of me. I still am having a hard time matching the accelerations when we sprint out of corners. I'm still missing that pure power.
By the 15 minute mark, we were in full assault mode. The pace was wicked fast up the back stretch. We were dodging potholes and blown riders in the dark, yet still doing 35 mph every lap. I got gapped twice by riders in front of me who just sat up and I somehow managed to get back on. I kept thinking that each time sprinting up the backstretch would be the last time I could do it, but I surprised myself. I felt blown up, but I still dug deep for another 5 laps before I really started to struggle.
My focus the past few weeks has been on my heart rate, more specifically on achieving higher heart rates. I have seen a lot of improvement as I was able to hold 178-180 steady this past week at the Music City Crits race and even hit a new max of 188. Back in late-April I was unable to maintain 174 and maxing out at just 181. While I did not hit a new max in this race, I definitely saw the highest sustained numbers I have seen in a long, long time. For 18 minutes straight, I stayed between 182 and 186, mostly at around 185. I was going into turn 2 at 185 and still able to sprint to stay with the group down the back. I was so pumped, but knew that I could not hold that forever. I was gapped off the main group at 21 minutes. A quarter lap later they sat up. I gave my all to get back on, but could not get closer than 4-5 seconds from the back. I sat there for two full laps before they picked up the pace again and dropped me completely. It was a little irritating to see the moto official pacing local riders back on. I saw him do it not once, but twice. It looked like the group hammered about 5 more laps after they finished me off. Then they backed off, allowing a break to get away. I almost had it! That is for sure the closest I have ever been to making it through a big-time Pro crit. with good quality riders in the field.
I continued to ride hard for a few more laps before I was pulled. I finished in 44th place with a 27.0 mph average speed for just under 29 minutes. I was actually glad to be pulled. I felt awful. My stomach was knotted from the effort. I dug so deep! I am very pleased to have been able to push myself that hard. Also, it was safer to be pulled. The crossings were so dangerous. The volunteers were letting cars cross the course right in front of me, even when I was just a few seconds behind the main group! They could not see me because of the darkness. Most of the backstretch was completely dark. I really don't know how we didn't crash back there. It was a bit ridiculous.
Here's our race video from the night.
Video: Tour de Grandview
I felt bad the rest of the night and barely ate anything. My head hurt and my stomach was still mad at me for going so hard. The next morning I felt great. All the aches and pains were gone. Now it was time for some roller coasters! The HP Blast was not until the late evening so we had all day to take in King's Island. I expected the park to be crowded, but it really wasn't. We had to wait in line 30-45 minutes to ride most rides, but the rides were longer than any place I have ever been to so it made the waiting more than worth it. Besides, most of the time I needed 30-45 minutes between rides to get my head straight so I could do another one.
Entering King's Island. That's Shannon and me on the left reading the park map
I had not been to a theme-park of any kind since 2010 when I went to Lake Winnepesauka in Chattanooga. One of the spinning rides messed with my head and I have been a little afraid of theme-parks ever since. I never used to get car-sick, but since that day I have a hard time being a passenger in a car. It's been four years, so I figured it was time to test my head and see just how messed up I am. We knew nothing about the rides at King's Island. We just hopped on the first one we came to. It was called Diamondback. It looked a little crazy from the ground, but everyone seemed to be loving it. It was more than crazy. The first drop is about 150 feet high and taps you out at 80 mph at the bottom. The picture of Shannon and I that they took on this drop was priceless. I should have bought it. I looked like I was morphing into The Hulk and she looked like she was standing in front of an explosion. It was hilarious! The ride is super long, covering 5,282 feet of tack. That's just over a mile long. I was thinking that maybe King's Island was not for me after doing Diamondback. My stomach felt like it was now between my brain and skull. Lucky for us, this turned out to be the most gut-wrenching ride in the park.
The tall opening drop on Diamondback
Diamondback catches a little water at the end of the ride
I personally like The Beast the best. It is a classic wooden coaster that goes fast. You get two descents while on this ride so it's like getting a 2-for-1 deal. The Vortex was too rough for us. I think I sustained two concussions on that ride. It does a lot of slower twisting and inversions, but it is too jerky to be fun. I saw people crying when they got off that ride. The smoothest rides were The Bat and the new Banshee ride. The Bat is slower and shorter, but is was a lot of fun. Banshee had a 150 foot drop and multiple inversions and corkscrews, but it is so smooth that you hardly realize when you are changing directions. It gives you the cool G-forces and speed without tearing your head off. The only open ride we didn't get to do was Firehawk where you do the ride lying down. The line for it was a 90-minute wait and we ran out of time to get on it.
The Vortex track looks like a plate of noodles
Me (left) on Banshee. Shannon is next to me. It's about to get real.
Shannon and I on Banshee
One of many times we got inverted on Banshee
We wound up leaving a little early, but it was good thing we did. When we arrived at our hotel to check in, they were having electrical problems and moved us to another hotel a few exits further down the interstate. I was kind of glad because this hotel did not look very appealing. It was dirty and there were some shady folk hanging out in the parking lot. The replacement hotel was better. It was clean, but old. They were renovating one end and of course that's the end where all of the relocated guests were put.
Rain came just as we got ready to head down to the race. We drove through a downpour and then got wet again as I unloaded the car. The Hyde Park Blast takes place in the Hyde Park community. It begins with a 5K in the morning and then continues with bike races and a festival all day and into the night, followed by fireworks. Hyde Park is a difficult place to warm up. I should have just gotten out the trainer, but I like doing a road warm-up better right now. I have gotten my pre-race routine dialed these past few races. The roads here were short and congested. I had to dodge cars the whole ride and almost got run over a few times by people running stop signs.
The road was still wet when it was our turn to take to the course. I was expecting to get a few laps in before the race, but they closed the course and staged us early. Apparently, there was two different flyers and I got the wrong one off their website. We actually started 15 minutes earlier than I thought and raced 15 minutes longer. This race was a Pro/1/2/3 event so it was huge. We had 112 riders and they staged us in order of registration. I signed up late because I was supposed to being doing XTERRA Lock 4 Blast this weekend and not here. I was about 106th to be called up. The course was a very technical one and one you definitely should see before the start of the race. Just 150 meters after the start line comes a tight, 180-degree right turn with a concrete wall on the inside. You then have a slightly uphill stretch to a 90-degree left turn onto a narrow alley. The alley is uphill and on a steep grade, then curves right before turning onto another road and descending back down through a fast right turn onto the start/finish straight.
HP Blast Course Map
The first lap was my first time to see the course. We CREEPED through the 180 the first lap. It was just a big gaggle of riders. We almost stopped again turning onto the alley. It looked like the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege picture as the group climbed the alley. I couldn't even see the road, just the backs of riders bobbing up and down out of the saddle. It looked as if we were about to ride right into a guy's garage at the top. I was starting to think that this was a driveway, not a road, but then the course turned and the road continued. I just held my spot the first lap, not doing anything stupid to try to move up. We were crammed in so tightly that there was nowhere to go anyway.
I was not even to the finish line to end lap 1 when the front of the group came out of the hairpin. I could see them and could see the pile-up that happened on the wet pavement. Now I had 10 seconds before I piled into the madness. I dodged a few fallers and stayed on the group, moving up a few spots on the climb. There was still little room to pass the first few laps. There was a crash in the 180 every lap the first five or so laps. I had no trouble there. My tires were gripping well in the wet and I was not scared of the turn. The hardest part for me was doing 10-11 mph through the turn and then hitting 33-34 mph on the following straightaway. I was not even racing the same race the leaders were. It's a whole different world at the back. You just fight to stay on the group as everyone around you explodes. After just three laps it was 49 seconds from the leader to the end of the line.
The 180 around Hyde Park Square
Two riders pass by an old church in Hyde Park
After 9 minutes the main group was in three pieces and I was just off the back of the third piece with riders scattered out behind me. I began to time trial and pick off people in the corners. Seeing the hill before the race scared me, but it turned out to be my strong point. The alley was quite enjoyable to race on when you were by yourself. I kept catching small groups, but they were off the back. I never could regain the main group. At 18 minutes I was pulled out, getting 90th place on the results. It was a tough race from a position standpoint. I had good legs and rode well, I was just too far back to have any chance of getting up there. I have to give props to Andy Reardon as he started back there with me and wound up finishing the race. Out of the 112 starters, just 38 made it to the end. The quality of this field was even better than at Grandview. We even had Juan Jose Haedo in attendance. He was a Pro in Europe for several years with CSC and Saxo Bank, winning stages of the Vuelta a Espana, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of California and Dauphine Libere during his Euro stint. It was a no-brainer who would take the sprint tonight after Haedo got into the winning break of four. German rider Helmut Trettwer have Haedo a run for his money, but came up a wheel short in the end.
Here's some video from the HP Blast we filmed.
Video: HP Blast
After the race we grabbed some ice cream at Graeter's and then cruised back to the hotel, just in time to catch "The Matrix" on TV. Like the Bourne movies, I just can't turn off "The Matrix."
Sunday's race was in the afternoon so there was plenty of time to sleep in and then go to a late-morning church service in town. We still had lots of time to kill before my race, so we pulled up a chair and watched the early races. I got to cheer on my friend, Keith Lucas, as he rode to a 3rd place finish in the Masters race. I grabbed some food from the Pit To Plate BBQ food truck in the festival area. It was good barbecue and their mac-n-cheese was Shannon-approved. She likes her mac to be extra cheesy.
I had tired legs in my warm-up, so I took it slow. The legs need time to wake up on days like this. I'm not sure if they were tired from racing the past two days or from standing all day in line at King's Island. Probably a combination of both. I did get to pre-ride the course today and it was another technical one. The first and last turns were right-hand 180-degree turns. You started on a small uphill on Miami Ave., then took a right 180 to go back down the same road. Next came a blind left turn that was sharper than 90 degrees. The backside of the course was flat and fast, but it was narrow and had several small corners in it. A 90-degree left took us back onto the main road for a tough climb up Miami Ave. Then we took the second 180 and bombed back down Miami Ave. to the start/finish line. The Pro Women had a lot of difficulty with the first 180. They had several slow-speed crashes there. It made me worried for what would happen in our race with such a big group present again today.
Madeira Centennial Criterium course map
Crash at the end of the Junior race coming out of the last 180
Women in the first 180
It was again a stacked field. We had 76 starters today, including Haedo. Again, we were called up in order of registration so I was at the back once more. As we took off, the rider ahead of me clipped a wheel and lost control of his bars. He stayed upright only because we were so tightly packed up. He bounced off of riders and eventually got hold of his handlebar again and regained control. I had nowhere to go while he did his bike dance. I found myself last going into the first 180. I cruised around the outside of the turn and picked off a few riders to at least not be the very last one in line. It took a few laps of jamming up in the 180s before we finally got single-file. It was so hard to pass here. The 180s were tight and the backside was so fast that you could not make a pass. People were doing dumb things like dropping bottles and overlapping wheels. There were several crashes in the first 180 just like in the women's race.
There were not as many gaps as I anticipated, but I still got dropped early. I could not handle the accelerations out of the 180s today. There was no spot to rest on this course and I was dying every lap. My stomach was knotted up again from the intensity and off the back I came after just 12 minutes. I kept pushing hard until they pulled me at 18 minutes. It was an earlier exit than I had hoped for, but I just did not have it today. I finished 70th. I was surprised to have a 24.2 mph average speed. That is pretty fast for such a technical course, especially when I rode half the race alone.
Off the back in madeira
Pro/1/2 Men on the backside of the course
Me chasing
We stayed for the finish and again it was Haedo winning from a break. These races paid big money so he walked away from this weekend with a fat wallet. Andy did great again, finishing the race after starting in the back again just like last night. More pictures and our race video are posted below.
The winning break of three
The blur of speed down Miami Ave.
Video: Madeira Centennial Criteriium
I took two easy days and then it was back to racing on Wednesday night at the Music City Crits race. More about that in the next blog...
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