Drizzle Drizzle Crash

     The Gateway Cup moved on to "The Hill" on Sunday for the Giro della Montagna. This race has been around since 1986 and is very supported by the surrounding neighborhood. "The Hill" is the Italian part of St. Louis and they do love their bike racing. They also love bocce ball and Italian food, both of which can be found all around the race course.

     It was another day of scattered showers. Shannon and I went to church this morning in Caseyville, IL, then returned to the hotel. We were planning to make quesadilla pizzas on the camping stove for lunch, but a sudden rainstorm kept us pent up in the hotel. I did find out that I finished 42nd at the Tour de Francis. Still no word on my final placing at the Tour de Lafayette. They have been a bit slower with getting full results out this year. It's funny to me that I always seem to miss out on being in any of the pictures on CyclingNews or those taken by pro photographers. I'm always just out of the shot. Sometimes I even manage to stay out of all the pictures Shannon takes. I finally got in one yesterday. It was just my face getting in the edge of the picture, but that beats nothing!

I just edged my head into the right side of this picture from the CyclingNews website.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/gateway-cup-2012/tour-de-francis-park/photos/237384

     It was sunny when we arrived at "The Hill." We got there much earlier than the previous day so I could get in a warm-up without any rushing. I decided to change wheels for this race. I went with my Reynolds Attack carbon wheels. Theyalighter which would help with all the accelerations that were sure to come on this narrow course, and they have a shallow dish which handles crosswinds better. The wind was rolling 10-15 mph and blowing up the hill on the backstretch during my warm-up. It shifted before the race began, moving to more of a cross wind on the longer straightaways.

    The course for the Giro is simple. It's a rectangle with all 90-degree, left turns. The start/finish comes at the bottom of a downhill. Basically, all you need to know is that turns 1 and 2 are at the bottom of the hill, the backstretch is all climbing, turns 3 and 4 are at the top of the hill, and that it's downhill from turn 4 to the finish line. There's no major holes or grates to avoid, just high curbs on both sides of the road. The long straightaways are wide, while the short stretches are narrow. Last year I did well here, finishing in 32nd place. That's still my best ever result in a big Pro crit.

Giro della Montagna course on "The Hill"

The fans were out in full force. I love how the neighborhood has painted the race logo on the streets that make up the race course.

Pro/1/2 Men staging. I'm in the middle there looking up in my white skinsuit. Picture is courtesy of "The Hill's" Twitter page.

     We began fast with sprinkles falling on a dry course. We had over 100 riders on a loop that is 0.9 miles in distance. We were scheduled for 70 minutes plus 4 laps. I got a start in the middle of the group. My legs were a bit tired during warm-up, but they were fine in the race. They started counting down our laps early on. We did about 40 laps total. It was quite menacing to see 35 laps to go on the board and then thinking, "I have to climb that hill 35 more times today!" The hill is tough, but we hit it so fast that it wasn't always terrible. The momentum really helped us get up it quick.

Pro/1/2 Men on the hill

Even the fire hydrants are Italian

     I stayed mid-pack early on. The clouds were getting dark so I chanced it with a last-second air pressure change prior to the start. I like to run 110 psi in my tires. I dropped to 90 psi that past two days to accommodate the wet conditions. I originally put in 110 psi for this race before dropping to 100 just in case we got another annoying rain shower. I was comfortable in the group despite constant surges coming off the front from many different teams. Jelly Belly was probably the most active team. I had to work hard once after a Garmin rider went down in turn 1, but other than that, I was just playing the waiting game.

A Jelly Belly rider off the front

Riders got very close to this telephone pole

The pack snakes its way off turn 2

Me in the group

A break of 7 trying to slip away

Me sprinting off turn 2

    Then the rain decided to show itself again. It began with a light, but steady rain after about 35 minutes of racing. I had moved up some due to gaps forming a few laps prior to this, but couldn't get up as far as I had wanted to be. It was hard to pass on this course. We bunched up from gutter to gutter before the turns, which made us go ridiculously slow through the corners due to the narrowness of the turns. The it was an all-out sprint to the next turn just to do it all over again. Every time I got a run where I could pull out, there was nowhere to go. Just people spread from curb to curb.

    The rain soaked the course in just a minute. Many riders sat up immediately and called it a day. Others decided to crash their way out. It first got wet in turn 3 and we made it a whole two turns before crashing, beginning with a pile-up in turn 1 the very next lap. I'm guessing some guys didn't make the air pressure adjustments like I did. I got through unscathed as the crash happened near the front. I was left with some big holes ahead though and spent the next lap closing gaps. I dodged another crash in turn 3 the same lap. I got back onto the lead group after a full lap of hammering only to see yet another crash in turn 1. This one blocked the road and made me come almost to a complete stop in order to get through. That was three crashes in one lap!

    In hindsight, I should've stopped with the crash and taken a free lap in the pits. But I was feeling good and my only thought was to get through this mess and get to the front pack. I rode as hard as I could for 2 laps, but found myself off the back of the lead group and out ahead of a second group just one lap before the halfway point. The crashes had split the field in two much like they did at the Lynskey Chattanooga crit. last week.

Optum on the front with Jelly Belly

Me caught out alone between the two groups following the lap of crashes

Video still of the lead group coming through turn 1

     I finally blew up after torturing myself up the hill a few times alone. I was eventually caught by the chase group behind and joined up with them to try and close this gap. We gave it all we had and blew off all but 5 riders from our large group. We lasted 45 minutes before being pulled with 17 laps to go. I led our group across the line as the officials blew the whistle to let us know our day was done. My race stats were 26.2 mph average speed for 19.9 miles. Max heart rate was 184 and average heart rate was 173. My average speed was 27.3 mph when I came off the back of the group. I was disappointed with the end result, but it was out of my control. I was pleased with how good I felt and how comfortable I was in the group. I also liked how long I was able to chase by myself after closing gaps for the 2 laps prior. I am getting stronger overall. I just wish the results would show it. I absolutely love the race. It's a fun, challenging course lined with bike-happy families enjoying their Sunday afternoon together watching us race.

Me in the chase group with a Mercy rider

The lead pack still spread out with 18 laps to go

     Jelly Belly dominated again, taking first and second in the field sprint. Brad Huff, the local hero, grabbed his second win of this year's Gateway Cup. Laura Van Gilder won the women's race for the third day in a  row. She put in a crazy-hard effort on the last lap to win this one. CyclingNews race report is posted here. The racing wraps up tomorrow at Benton Park with the Benton Park Classic. I should be ready to battle hard after some delicious post-race food made by Shannon and an ice bath for the legs. Race video is posted below. Thankyou Shannon for filming. She has taken just about every video and photo posted on the blog this weekend.

Video still of Brad Huff nabbing the victory

Footage from the Pro/1/2 Men's race at the Giro della Montagna

Delicious post-race sandwich on a makeshift cardboard plate

Mixin' It Up

     After Friday night's disaster, I was not at all excited for the rest of the weekend. I lounged most of the day and even took a nap that made us late for the next race. My confidence was gone and I really didn't expect much from the rest of the Gateway Cup weekend.

    I try to keep my head up and always tell myself that I have a good chance, no matter how disappointed I am from recent rides or races. We were listening to the radio on the way over and the song "Alive" came on from P.O.D. The first line reminded me that all was not lost yet: "Every day is a new day." We were a bit pushed for time to get ready due to my late afternoon nap. I was pleased to see dry conditions when we arrived. But Mother Nature could not stay kind to us for very long with parts of Hurricane Isaac still swirling around Missouri and Illinois. It was also very humid which was spawning even more pop-up showers. Just as the Pro Women lined up, the bottom fell out. Shannon and I got soaked getting back to the car. We brought a 10' x 10' pop-up tent for the weekend and actually had the space to set it up this time. I was able to sit under the tent and warm up on the trainer while it poured buckets. I felt bad for the women as they raced in the middle of the downpour.

Kids Race

     The rain stopped just prior to our scheduled start time. I stayed on the trainer as long as possible to get in as much warm-up as I could. My legs were good, but I couldn't hit the heart rates I saw on Friday night. I got to the line just before the start, which got me a spot on the back row of probably close to 100 riders.

      Race distance for the Tour de Francis Park was 75 minutes plus 4 laps on a 1.3-mile square course around Francis Park in the Francis Hills neighborhood of St. Louis. The course begins with a slight uphill to the first of four 90-degree left turns. The straightaways are all about the same length. It's flat between turns 1 and 2. A downhill follows turn 2 that leads to a fast and somewhat off-camber turn 3. This turn is followed immediately by a sharp climb that tops out a good 150 meters before turn 4. The start/finish straight is slightly downhill coming out of turn 4, then begins to rise slightly just before the finish line. Overall, it's a very fast and wide course. The biggest dangers are a grouping of deep manhole covers at the bottom of the downhill and some bumps and manholes in the middle of turn 3.

Tour de Francis Park course

     We did not start as quick as we did on Friday. I took full advantage of this and moved up in the field on the first lap. Most of the race, the inside of the course was the place to be if you wanted to move up. It was often more open than the outside. The rain may have stopped, but water was still coating the entire course. There were several ripples and dips in the pavement before, and in the middle of, turn 2 that were holding water. There was one puddle on the outside of the course just before turn 2 that was deep. I had feared the slickness of turns 1 and 3 prior to the race. Turn 1 got slick last year with just a light drizzle falling. It only took 2 laps to find out that turns 2 and 3 were going to be the challenges. I could feel my bike sliding through turn 2. We then had 6 or 7 riders go down the second time through turn 3 after somebody slipped on one of the manhole covers.

The peloton heads toward turn 4 on wet roads

Peloton going through turn 4

     I was hurting a little coming out of the corners, but I held my spot unlike Friday. I found a good line through turn 3 just a few laps into the race. One lane up from the far inside was smooth and fast, letting you hold more momentum onto the climb which made my life much easier. There was a crash in turn 2 early in the race as well and I was well away from that. I actually got comfortable in the group after 30 minutes and went to the front to wait for a prime and keep myself out of danger.

Cole House attacking up the left side of the road

     I mixed it up at the front for a while, not always on purpose. I kept following wheels toward the front and just kept finding myself on the front. I stayed in the top 10 for a few laps, following the accelerations as breaks tried to materialize. As tempted as I might have been, I resisted the urge to follow any of the attacks. I like to go hard when I feel good, but I'm not stupid. I can't make it stick and I know that. My best option is to stay put and wait for the sprint. I did go for one $200 prime, but couldn't make it happen. Two guys slipped off the front on the downhill. I tried to bridge through turn 3 and up the hill, but I just drug the whole group with me and got smoked by five guys through turn 4. The good thing was that by being at the front, I missed out on a huge crash that happened in the middle of the group going up the hill. There was a rider laying in the road for 3 or 4 laps that we had to go around. He ended up being carted off on a backboard. There must have been 50 riders involved because it was a HUGE pack coming out of the pits the lap following the accident.

A break trying to form off the front of the peloton

The pack rolling through turn 4

Two riders off the front

     There were a lot of active teams, but no break ever got the right combination to stay away. The course was drying out some near the end. The sun actually came out for a few minutes, which blinded us all going into turn 1. Turn 2 remained really wet and slick despite the sun. There was just too much water puddled there for it to dry all the way out. We had another big crash there with 8 laps to go. Again, I slid by easily on the inside. I was feeling tired now and slipped back in the group. I dropped back, but I never got farther back than halfway in the group. I managed to work my way back up into the top 20 with 4 to go. It was hard to stay up front. The speed was high. Jelly Belly was again controlling the front.

One rider out front in turn 3

Turn 3

More riders trying to slip off the front on the downhill

Slippery turn 2

Riders passing one of many churches along the course

A Jelly Belly and Mercy duo trying to escape

     I was top 30 with a lap to go. One guy sprinted for the line and raised his hands in triumph only to hear the bell ringing for one lap to go. That must've been a terrible feeling, especially since he was celebrating so hard in front of a big crowd. I got a good run up the inside after turn 1. I had a rider ahead of me, but he slowed down before getting all the way up front. I wasn't content to stay in 30th, so I shot around him with my momentum. I was out in the wind, but I was sure I could get a draft as I moved up. It was so fast that everyone ahead was single-file. I was kind of screwed. I tried to weasel my way into the line, but was met with some elbows. I tried again with the same result. My options were to slow down and try to squeeze in or stay out in the wind and hold my position. I was not about to back off so I held the hammer down and stayed in the wind.

2 laps to go

This rider though he had won...but there was still a lap to go.

     I was hurting bad as we entered turn 2. I got pinched into the curb a little and lost some spots. I was blocked in down the hill, but squeezed out a few positions entering turn 3. I had good legs, but I was maxed out already. I was just able to hold my position up the hill and to turn 4. A few riders came flying by on the outside just after turn 4. I did the whole sprint seated and picked off a few riders to maybe crack the top 45. I haven't seen official results yet, but I counted 43rd on Shannon's finish video clip. I think I could've done better if I hadn't had to be out in the wind so long, but that's the way it goes. I did the best I could with the situation I was in.

Rider streak through the finish line

    I am very happy with the effort here. It was 100,000 times better than Friday. It made the trip seem worthwhile. No matter what happens the rest of the weekend, at least I had one good day! We completed 40.5 miles in the race in 1:25:50 with a 28.3 mph average speed. My average heart rate was 173, with a max of 187, hit in turn 2 on the final lap. CyclingNews race report is posted here. We got poured on again shortly after the race, before we could get the bike and tent packed up in the car. You know it's been a rainy weekend when your hairdryer is working overtime to dry shoes and clothes are hanging up to dry in every corner of the hotel room.

Elevation and heart rate profile for my race

Attempting to dry out my riding shoes

Wet clothes hanging everywhere for the second day in a row

Race video from Tour de Francis Park

     We continue racing later today in the neighborhood known as "The Hill" for the Giro della Montagna. The neighborhood association will be posting updates from the races throughout the day on their twitter page at https://twitter.com/TheHillSTL. It continues to be gloomy and rainy with more showers expected this afternoon at race time.

Kicked in the Teeth Again

      Before I talk about the horrible race last night, I'll share a few pictures from the week. Our friend Pat has been having a lot of problems with her car lately. She drives a Mini Cooper, which fits her perfectly. It's a small go-cart on steroids and well, she's small and full of energy too. The car has given her fits the past few weeks, with everything including the brakes, clutch, tires, battery and alternator going bad on her. And that's just the things I know about.

     Shannon and I went over to her house this week to help with the dead battery. I tried to jump her with my car, but it wouldn't start. We pushed the car up her driveway and were going to get it rolling and dump the clutch to try to start it. Just as they were about to push me off the hill I tried to start it one more time and miraculously the car turned over! We followed Pat to an auto parts store where they replaced the battery for her. She was happy as could be, but then found out the alternator was bad. I felt bad for her. She has spent so much money on that car lately. She is just death to cars. Her other car, a CRV, also died recently with engine failure. And she borrowed a friend's truck while her Mini was in the shop for the clutch. The first time she drove it, the battery died. Shortly after she returned the truck, her friend broke a front axle in his driveway. Yeah, she's not driving my car. Ever!

Pat's dog, Shiner, hopped in my car while we tried to jump start the Mini. She was ready to go for a ride!

     Our plants at home are finally doing well. The stump out front has gone through various stages of growth and death. We started off with a full bushel of orange flowers, then they died and purple ones grew up. Then the purple died and the orange returned. It's so strange. The big stump in the backyard is sporting a 'fro of morning glories. The vines have now made their way all the way to the top and are growing a few more inches everyday. It's been just a green, leafy blob until this week when the flowers started to form again. I don't think we've seen any flowers in several weeks. Now there are at least 30 blooming every morning.

Front yard stump

Our tomatoes and peppers plants have been producing some tasty veggies

Back yard stump of morning glories

We have three colors blooming now: purple, pink and white. The white ones can be all white, or have blue, pink or purple stripes inside like this one.

     My rides at the end of the week went well. Shannon and I got in some late afternoon rides to keep the legs loose. I love the way I feel when I'm in good shape. The slow active recovery rides really help the legs and you feel stronger at the next hard workout. We saw some cool sunsets this week as the atmosphere was being disrupted by Hurricane Isaac down to our south. It seemed to be pulling all our clouds in towards it. Every cloud in the sky had a tail that was trailing to the south. We could also see the curved outer edge of the storm as it extended over Tennessee. Seeing the edge of it way up here in Tennessee while it thrashes the edge of Mississippi and Louisiana really puts into perspective how big the storm is.

Clouds being pulled south as Hurricane Isaac moves toward land

     Our drive to St. Louis looked like it might be miserable, but the remnants of Isaac stayed west. We had little rain to deal with until we got to our hotel. It even looked like we may be able to get in the first race of the Gateway Cup, the Tour de Lafayette, without getting wet. But then it rained. And it rained a lot. We couldn't even see to drive. It was scary for a few minutes as we made our way from the hotel over to the race. We couldn't find a close parking spot, but we did manage to find one near a building with an overhang. It was perfect for me to change and warm-up under.

Eating on the road

The skies were looking a bit unfriendly as we approached St. Louis

     We got soaked as soon as we got out of the car. We were so well prepared that we only brought one rain jacket for two people. We watched a few laps of the Cat. 4 and Cat. 3 races before heading back to the car to get ready. I had never ridden my Maxxis Cormet tires in the rain, so I made some pressure adjustments and took them out for a few practice turns through the streets around the venue. I was comfortable on them so next it was time to hit the trainer. We rode again this morning to loosen the legs up before the drive. I think that helps me later in the day. I don't need as long of a warm-up on the trainer to be ready to go. I had GREAT legs in warm-up. I hit the highest heart rate I have ever seen on the trainer, 187.

    I was pumped for the race. I wasn't excited to get out and race in a downpour, but I can't say that I mind it either. I actually like the adverse conditions. I usually do better when the weather is bad. The course here is a good one for a rainy day. It's wide and flat. There are just 4 corners, all wide lefts and all 90-degrees. I like this place too. I raced well here last year, getting in a break at one point and finishing in the main group. It was my first ever finish in the group in a big Pro/1/2 race.

Tour de Lafayette race course

     We started later than scheduled, not getting underway until 9:30pm. I got a great starting spot, taking off from the second row of 91 riders. I was fortunate to get that because I had an emergency run to the port-o-john right before we lined up. Maybe pizza on the drive up was not such a good idea!

     The start was fast. We really weren't backing off much in the corners despite the soaked roads. I was comfortable the first two laps, staying in the top 15. Then I started to slide back some. The pace through the corners was fine, but we were accelerating hard down the straightaways. I hit some ripples in the pavement in a few corners and got into a rough stretch of potholes on the backside of the course that aided in my falling back. My backslide was slow at first, then became faster. The pace was picking up and I felt like I couldn't get a draft. Gaps were already forming and I got hung out in some of the gaps as I fell back.

Pro/1/2 Men rolling through Turn 1

   
     I went from sitting good at the front, to hanging on the back by the fifth lap. My legs felt great. My heart rate was high, but I was comfortable. I was sprinting off the corners well, despite a little sliding around on my back tire. I just couldn't seem to hit the top speed of everyone else. I gave it everything I had, but came off the back after we went down the front stretch at 33 mph and followed that up with sprints out of the next 4 corners. I got pinched into the curb in turn 3 and that was it for me. I couldn't accelerate fast enough to close the gap. I was far from the first rider off the back, but I was off after just 10 minutes of racing and that was failure today. We had a 28.3 mph average speed when I popped off. I kept the hammer down and rode hard until they pulled me after 17 minutes of racing. I was so disappointed. I felt so good and felt so ready for this weekend. I can't even explain what happened. I never even felt like I was hurting that bad, but I couldn't hold the wheel in front of me. I was totally destroyed to be watching yet another finish from the wrong side of the barriers. My stats for the race were 25.1 mph average speed , max heart rate of 189 and average heart rate of 181.

More Turn 1 action

The few riders left in the main group roll through turn 4 with 5 laps to go

My heart rate data for the short race

     Local favorite Brad Huff won in a bunch sprint finish in the pouring rain. I managed to film a little during the last 10 laps after I had changed clothes. Laura Van Gilder won the women's event after making it through a crash on the final lap. CyclingNews race report is available here with some pictures as well.

Pro/1/2 Men Video

     I'm hoping for a dry race today for the second race, the Tour de Francis Park, but right now it is storming with more pop-up showers expected throughout the afternoon. Hopefully, I'll be able to hang in there better today.