Caught In a Mosh

     Sunday was the third day at Gateway Cup. The race was in The Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, which is predominately Italian. They love their bikes on The Hill. It is probably the most welcoming neighborhood I have ever raced in. This year was no different. Several people stopped by to chat while I was getting ready and I even heard them cheering for me during the race.

     We had 93 riders out on the course today. This course is a big rectangle with four left turns. It is very narrow compared to the previous two days and has some notable elevation change. There is a long climb on the backside of the course up Edwards St. Most of the front stretch on Marconi Ave. is downhill with a very fast finish.

     We again had awesome weather! It was about 85 degrees with little humidity and a lot of sunshine. Before the race, I heard some Masters riders discussing the Cat. 2/3 race and I think they described it well. They said the 2/3 race is the hardest race because there are so many strong Cat. 2s that are overly-excited to show out in a race without Pros and Cat. 1s. They are ready to attack and destroy the field. And there's 45 other guys sitting on the start line thinking the exact same thing. I thought that was a great description as there always seems to be 20-30 guys that can win on any given day. It is such an even field that it makes for a brutal race. I'll add to that by mentioning the younger riders who are in this group and being pressured to do well and quickly move to a Cat. 1. All that together makes for a fast and sometimes sketchy race. It had been tame up to this point as compared to last year, but we made up for that today.

     I started near the back, but was up to the front after about five laps. I actually found myself on the front at one point, which was cool to lead up the hill for a lap as I have never done that before. I tried to slip back and get some draft, but after a few laps I was in the back. There is no holding your position in these races. You are either moving forward or moving backward. It's like some giant is stirring a big pot of riders. When I was at the back I was still around the same guys I was with at the front just a few laps before. I didn't see any crashes early on, but I know they were happening behind me as the stream of riders exiting the pit was constant. Every lap there were three or four guys being reinserted into the race. The left side of the front stretch was a great place to move up, but the riders exiting the pit on that side took that line away on many laps. I almost ran over the flagman that was indicating riders were coming out of the pit. He was way out in the road and not at all scared to stand there while the group came just inches from him. I literally ducked under his arm on one lap.

One rider off the front of the Cat. 2/3 race

Group just after Turn 2

Two more riders on the attack

I'm in the middle of this group in the black Maxxis kit

Getting close to the flagman at 35 mph

     I could tell I was not as strong today, so I waited a bit later to move up for the finish. At seven laps to go I started moving forward. It took me several laps and tested my patience. The pace was high as we were chasing a breakaway, so I had to be patient to wait for slower periods where I could pick off more riders with less effort. I got stuck behind a crash in Turn 2, but was able to rejoin the group fairly easily. I was up front at three to go after a slowdown near the Start/Finish line. It was insane racing at the front. Guys do not care one bit about safety. I don't mind pushing it in the corners and riding at your limit, but they were cutting over on people in the middle of the pack. They don't care that you are one inch off the guy's wheel in front of you, if they want over they are coming over. That pisses me off as it causes a wreck behind them. They take out some guy's front wheel and wreck 30 peoplewhile they ride on ahead. I got hit twice at the top of the hill on one lap. I was getting a bit irritated and made sure they knew I was not happy with their moves.

Working hard to move up on the left side

     I got my front wheel hit by a swerving idiot again at two to go and I lost a lot of spots. On the climb that lap a rider ahead got hit by another rider and I had to brake. The guy cut over so hard that his shoe went into the other rider's front wheel and ripped out all of his spokes. That's what I mean by cutting over. not even close to being clear of someone when they cut over. I think Cat. 2/3 means the group is 2/3rds idiots.

     After having to brake for that last incident I was way out of position and it was too fast to move up. We were strung out the final lap. I did my best to pick off the stragglers and stay on the back. There were tons of guys that sat up on the backstretch which made for some wild needling through tight gaps. At the top of the hill I almost got taken out by a rider that was barely moving. He was talking to someone on the side of the course and suddenly turned left as we were racing into Turn 3. I barely cleared the guy. That's what kills me about racing with this group. Not only do they take needless chances throughout the race and care nothing about the safety of other riders, but they also are completely unaware coming into the finish. Just because you don't want to sprint does not mean you can sit up and swerve around the course when the race is still going on. USA Cycling does nothing to curb this type of over-aggressive racing so I don't see things getting better anytime soon. They just sit around and scratch their heads wondering why there are so many crashes and why the cost of event insurance continues to climb.

The group was strung out the last time up the climb

     I finished 58th, so not much better than in previous days. I was aggressive again, but did not have near the fun as the second half of this race was just about staying alive. Even with me dodging the idiots on the final lap it was still the fastest lap of the race. We averaged 26.7 mph for the day which is fast on a tough, narrow course like this. After the race I noticed my tube was hanging out of the sidewall of my front tire, so I dodged one just making it to the finish today without a flat. That may have come from one of the times I got hit during the final laps.

     We hung around for the Pro races again, grabbing pizza at Mama Campisi's and then some gelato at Gelato Di Riso. It's hard to beat the grapefruit gelato! Within a couple of minutes of us sitting on the sidewalk to eat we were overrun with ants trying to steal our pizza. They were packing away pieces of cheese and crust faster than I could eat. ISCorp swept the podium again in the Pro Women, with Sam Schneider winning over her sister Skylar and Yussely Soto. The Men's race was very exciting with a break appearing to have stolen the show with five laps to go. They still had over 20 seconds with two laps to go, but UHC was on the front and flying. As the group took the bell, the break was still off the front, but it had been joined by a few other riders that had bridged across on the hill. One rider, who was not part of the original break, was out front solo. I still didn't think there would be a bunch sprint for the win, but UHC brought it all back by the top of the hill and it was a drag race to the line between Ty Magner and Aldo Ilesic. Despite the perfect UHC leadout, Magner had nothing for Ilesic in the sprint. Ilesic took his second win of the weekend, with Magner second and Daniel Holloway third. The crowd was crazy at the finish. It was hard to even stand at the barriers with so many people. It was the third day of the biggest crowds I have ever seen at Gateway Cup. There was a little girl handing out free popsicles after the race which made a bunch of us happy, including many Pro riders who took one to help cool down after a hard effort.

Ants trying to steal our pizza

Pro Men near the Start/Finish Line

The break that almost made it to the end

     There is a video below of the Cat. 2/3 and Pro Men. You can see the super fast finish of the Pro Men at the end of the video. I will again post highlights from my handlebar cam once I get them edited. Check out the rear-facing camera from Aldo Ilesic's last lap during the Pro Men's race as he blows by everyone to get the win. It is posted here. Aldo posts many cool things, including live streams from his onboard camera at some traces.

Video: Giro della Montagna

     Monday is the final day of the Gateway Cup. The Cat. 2/3 race is the last race of the day at 4:55, which means we have the whole day to wait around and then get home late at night. We went for a morning spin on the greenway again, this time riding the opposite direction over to Horseshoe Lake. There were dozens of white pelicans floating around the lake. I have never seen a pelican before. I think of them as living near the ocean, but they also migrate north during the Spring to nest inland in regions of Canada. They must be migrating back to the coast for the winter since they were in the middle of Illinois. They are big birds with really big beaks.

Horseshoe Lake

Two white pelicans

Some type of heron

Looking across the lake toward downtown and the Arch. All those white specs are pelicans.

     We stopped at our favorite ice cream shop in Illinois on the way to the race, the Dairy Haven in Caseyville, IL. We still got to Benton Park very early. It was nice to be able to watch the Pro races without having to worry about getting ready, but I was ready to get it on. I have dreaded this course in the past, but it has now become one of my favorites because it strings out the Cat. 2/3 bunch. You usually get a decent result just by staying with the front group as many riders get popped on this demanding circuit. The course is really long, narrow and technical. It features two climbs, one just after the Start/Finish line on Arsenal St. and another in front of Anheuser-Busch on 13th St.

Tricky Benton Park course

     ISCorp and UHC battled again in the Pro Women. UHC sent Coryn Rivera up the road with Sam Schneider of ISCorp in the second half of the race. A prime lap flipped the break. Rivera and Schneider were replaced by UHC's Iris Slappendel and ISCorp's Skylar Schneider. They would stay away to the end and settle the win in a two-up sprint. Slappendel was a bit faster today and took the victory. Sam Schneider led in the group for third. ISCorp took 2nd-5th place today, ending a weekend of great performances. There are two pictures and a short video of the Women's event posted below. On the Men's side, a break was allowed to slip off the front about halfway through the race. It started with five riders, but was down to three by the final lap. UHC's Carlos Alzate was away with a pair of local riders from Gateway Harley Davidson, Dennis Ramirez and George Simpson. Ramirez did the work to set up Simpson for the sprint and it paid off. Simpson took the upset win over Alzate to the delight of the crowd. Grant Erhard had been in the break until the final lap and he was able to hold off the pack for fourth. Bryan Gomez won the bunch sprint for fifth.

Iris Slappendel with Skylar Schneider right behind her

Pro Women's peloton near the end of the race

Video: Pro Women at Benton Park

     I got out on the course for a few laps during the kids races. As I was rolling around, I was joined by a young Junior rider who was riding in a boot. She was super friendly and struck up a conversation with me. I asked about her boot and found out she had broken her tibia and fibula playing softball back in the Spring. She was now able to take get out of the boot, so she raced earlier in the day. She was a tough little girl, but also smart and very excited about cycling. That was awesome to see in someone of that age. When she found out I was from the Nashville area she told me she had been there once before. She remembered two things about Nashville: there's lots of homeless people and the streets smell like dirty feet. I love talking to kids. They will keep you laughing all day.

     It was hot today so I stayed off the trainer. I felt like I had no legs, but once I got into the race I was feeling fairly good. I started on the back row, which is not good on a course like this, but I was able to move up over the first three laps, even while dodging a crash in Turn 8 by the pits on the second lap. A guy ahead of me went into the corner very hot on the outside and his front tire didn't hold. He lost a lot of skin on his right side.

Video: Crash in Turn 8 on lap 2

     The pace was high the whole race. It was definitely the hardest race I have done at Benton park. there were very few times the group slowed down any at all so moving up was difficult. You had to do it through the corners. On those few times it did slow down, it only stayed slow for a few seconds. I found myself hurting more at those times. I would shoot up the side when it slowed, but that put me deep into the hurt zone just as someone was attacking. I had a hard time holding my spot as I was gassed every time I moved up.

     There was a big crash in Turn 3 at the base of the climb on 13th St. about 26 minutes into the 55-minute race. I was hurting bad at that moment and really feeling the heat of the 93-degree day. The crash happened ahead of me and I was able to slip through the numerous flipping riders. About 20 riders went down, some of them hard. I saw at least three go off in the medical cart afterwards. The crash split the group and I found myself behind the front group. I was chasing about seven seconds back and hurting bad. I don't think I would have made it back on, but then I flatted in the chicane. I hit a pothole just before the crash and I think that is what caused the flat. It could not have come at a better time. I was right next to the pit and got a wheel from neutral support before all the crash victims came rushing in. They put us back in with the front group, so I was back in contention.

     I felt better after the free lap and was much more comfortable in the group. The Mavic rear wheel I had been given had way too much air in it and it was a bit sketchy in the corners. I adjusted to it after a few laps, but once the pace got fast at the end I couldn't get off the corners well enough to hold a spot at the front. The tire was skipping coming out of the corners. I did my best to hang onto the group and dodge one younger rider that rode two laps on a flat tire because he thought free laps were over. I can't believe his tire stayed on the rim, but it did. I stayed on the back until the last time through Turn 8 when I got gapped out of the turn. I ended up 27th on the day, my best result of the weekend. I had a 24.5 mph average speed, which was pretty fast considering I sat in the pit for a full lap on a big course. We were averaging well over 26 mph again today on a tougher course. We were consistently running 34-35 mph on the Start/Finish straight today. It is so fun to do these races and hit those kinds of speeds. It was a fun end to the weekend. My GoPro malfunctioned at 17 minutes so I did not catch the big crash on video.

     I was pretty tired on the drive home, but luckily it was the easiest drive home we have ever had. Overall, traffic was minimal the entire weekend. It was the end of another good St. Louis trip. Now it's time for some rest as I was worn out after Benton Park. I had to dig deep all weekend and I could really feel it afterwards. We have our yearly trip out west coming up soon. I want to rest up for that so I have the legs to fully enjoy riding some big days in the mountains.

Arch Enemy

     I spent most of the week leading up to the Gateway Cup resting, taking some time off the bike. The rides I did do were short and easy. My family decided to hit Lock 4 on Thursday so I tagged along with them and rode a while with Dina. It's been over a year since I have ridden Lock 4 and wow have things changed. It is much, much rougher than I remember, especially on the west side of the trails.  There's a new loop with a nice wooden tabletop at the end. The section that was raced in the muddy state championships two weeks ago was actually the best part of the trail. Riding the wet trail smoothed out some of the bumps. Other than a few ruts and the occasional deeper wet puddle spot, the trail was perfect. It's a bit wider where everyone was searching for grip in the mud, but nature will narrow that back up in a just a few weeks. I don't know if the other parts of the trail would have ridden in like that, but if so, we should have raced the full course in the mud. That Lock 4 dirt can handle it.

Tabletop on the new loop

     The park is absolutely full of deer. While you are riding you can't tell if you are seeing the same deer over and over as you wind through the park, or if the woods are crawling with whitetail. As we were leaving 21 deer came out of the woods into the field next to the parking lot. It was crazy!

Two deer at Lock 4

     I managed to crash on a slow uphill. I was trying to wheelie around a switchback and sat my front wheel down right on a log. I lost my balance and couldn't unclip my feet. Just a simple little fall over that everyone thinks Pros don't have. They still happen no matter how good you are at riding. Those slow speed falls always seem to hurt me more than the fast crashes. I cut my arm and busted open a bit of the scar on my knee that I acquired in that Raccoon Mountain crash last year. Dina had a good laugh as she saw the whole thing. Even with eating some dirt, it was a great day of riding and relaxing ahead of a big weekend.

    Friday was the first race at Gateway. It is an afternoon/evening race so we can drive there on Friday in the middle of the day and not have to rush. We had a surprisingly smooth drive up and enjoyed the best weather we have ever had for this race. The temp topped out at just over 80 degrees and was even cooler by the time I started the Cat. 2/3 race at dusk.

     The first race is around Lafayette Square on a square course with all left turns. It is flat and fast with nothing out there to really slow down the group. They paved the course last year so we had a super smooth race course again this year. There were still two pinch points where the barriers narrow up in the middle of a straightaway, but they were more gentle pinches than last year and we managed to make it through our race without wrecking at one of those points.

     I could tell as soon as I got on the bike that I had good legs. My goal for the weekend was to have fun and be aggressive. Friday night is always a tough course for me as everyone can ride it fast and it makes it so hard to move up. I had planned to save a little for the following three days, but I could not waste good legs. I was aggressive the whole race, going with several moves. I never really got clear of the group as they were always attentive to follow my moves. I got shuffled back with about 12 laps to go just as the group got a little more feisty. After that point, I never could get back to the front of the race. I could get up to about 20th out of our group of 88, but I kept getting hung up behind slower riders and dropping to 30th-40th, which is the danger zone where things are too tight and guys are losing focus as they fatigue.

Cat. 2/3 race underway just before darkness descends on Lafayette Square

     At five to go, I dropped to the back as I could tell I didn't have the legs left to get to the front and get out of danger. As I moved back, there was a crash in Turn 3 right where I had been. I sat on the back of the group and picked off the stragglers to finish 64th. Not the best result, but I put out a lot tonight, probably too much in the first 30 minutes. I was aggressive and I had fun so mission accomplished for day one! We averaged 28 mph, turning our fastest lap on the last lap with a 30.7 mph average for that lap. I hit 37 mph on one of my attacks which is rolling on a flat course with no tailwind. There is a video from the Cat. 2/3 race posted below. I will have highlights from my GoPro coming soon so check back for that.

Video: Cat. 2/3 clips from Tour de Lafayette

     After the race, I couldn't find Shannon. I spent over an hour looking for her and got chilled in the cool night air. There were a lot more spectators this year, making it hard to find anyone in the crowd and to find parking. I guess the nice weather brought everyone out. The Pro races were exciting. The Pro Women provided a head-to-head battle between United Healthcare and ISCorp. Sam Schneider and Yussely Soto went 1-2 for ISCorp in the bunch sprint. ISCorp put four riders in the top six! The Pro Men were flying in one of the faster races I have ever watched. A lot of the smaller teams did the work early, leaving fresh United Healthcare and Astellas teams to light it up at the end. Aldo Ilesic took the win for Astellas, going covert in a different kit than the other team members. Dan Holloway was second for Intelligentsia Coffee and Bryan Gomez took third. It was weird to watch the Pro races wearing a hoodie on Labor Day Weekend. I've done this race several times when it was still 98-99 degrees at the start of the Pro Men's race.

    The next morning, we walked into the breakfast lobby at the hotel to see the races being covered by the local news. I looked up to the TV to see myself rolling along at Lafayette near the front of the group. I guess it does pay to ride up front every now and then. I think the other people eating in the lobby thought I was kidding when I pointed to myself on the TV.

     We got out for a morning spin on the Schoolhouse Trail greenway, which is our usual morning riding spot when we visit the St. Louis area. You can't beat it for the flat route and the lack of traffic. We always have a good time riding here.

Rolling down the Schoolhouse Trail

Shannon on the greenway

     Saturday's race was in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. The course is another square around a park. This square is much bigger and has some elevation change as you circle Francis Park. There is a nice downhill out of Turn 2, then a climb out of Turn 3 before a slight dip to the finish line. It's another wide course with all left turns and little to slow down a big group. They paved half of the loop where there was numerous potholes and deep manhole covers. The only obstacle to dodge now was one raised manhole cover in the middle of Turn 3. Otherwise, it was smooth and super fast! The weather was again perfect with low humidity, temps in the low 80s and a gentle breeze blowing. This weekend is making up for all the awful weather we have dealt with this season.

     My legs were not there in my morning spin and on the trainer during my warm-up, but they came around quickly in the race and I was aggressive yet again. I was determined to hold my position better today when the critical laps of the race came at the end. I didn't go off the front, but I was up front early on, moving up through the group at will. The race was fast a times as we chased several large breaks that were allowed to slip off the front. Other times, it was slow. We averaged 27. 5 mph which is not all that fast on a course this wide and fast.

One of the groups that went up the road in the Cat. 2/3 race

Me at the back of this shot in the First Endurance red

A different group off the front

Yet another attack

     I dropped back in the middle of the race as I was using too much energy to stay up front. I was actually in the last two or three riders for about 10 minutes. I moved back up in the last five laps going with an attack with three laps to go, but it didn't stick. I then got pinched in Turn 1 and lost some spots. My legs just weren't there as we blasted the last two laps and I couldn't move back up. I ended up fading back to 65th at the end. I gambled a bit with that last move and it just didn't work out. Still, I again was aggressive and again had fun. I'll have some video highlights from my handlebar cam coming soon.

Two to go

     USADA was on hand which was nice to see. I was really dehydrated and would have had a hard time producing a sample had I been picked, but my number wasn't on the board. I'm glad to see they are testing and I hope I do get picked one day so I can show my cleanness.

     After the race, we watched the Kids and Pros race. The kids were hilarious. We were sitting near the start of 10-11 year old group. Those kids were like caged animals ready to take off, especially the girls. Frankie Andreu walked down the street to start them. As he was giving the pre-race instructions one girl yelled "Ok, now move or get run over!" We were all cracking up. She might have won the race, but she didn't know how to shift. They jumped off the line and she shifted into an easier gear instead of a harder one and it was all over from that point.

     In the Pro races, the Women were a bit more tame today, saving it all for one big kick to the line. Again, ISCorp stole the show, sweeping the podium with Sam Schneider, Skylar Schneider and Yussely Soto. On the Men's side, UHC got the blue train rolling at the end, but Astellas put in a dig on the right up the final climb. It looked like Astellas might steal the show, but Ty Magner came flying by for UHC to get the win. Sam Rosenholtz and Daniel Holloway took second and third.

Pro Men

Pro Men strung out

The church at Turn 2 on a beautiful afternoon

     A video of some of today's action is posted below. It features clips from the Cat. 2/3 Men and Pro/1 Men races.

Video: Tour de Francis Park

     We were treated to a nice sunset over the city as we drove back to the hotel. Shannon snapped a quick picture as we crossed the bridge over the Mississippi River. It isn't great with all the powerlines in the shot, but you can get glimpse of how nice the view was.