Picnic races tonight, so a short race (30 laps), full field, and lots of primes. I thought about trying to go for a prime before the race, but terrible start position meant I spent a good portion of the race just trying to move up. The pace was fast, as expected, but not terrible. I was pretty comfortable sitting in, even near the back of the group. Ho hum. Lots of break attempts, but nothing stuck, and the chases weren’t terribly furious. With about six laps to go, I found myself near the front with a break about a half a lap or so away. Iron City and Steel City, both with riders in the break, were blocking but I managed to sneak through. My intention was to bring another rider or two with me, but alas, after I opened a gap, I noticed no one had followed. Two choices:
1. Sit up and get swallowed up
2. Put my head down and try to bridge
I went with option 2. I felt good for about lap, and probably got within about 50 meters of the break. I held this for another half lap or so. And started to lose energy. A Penn State rider attempted to bridge, too, I tried to hold his wheel as he went by, but couldn’t. I didn’t quite sit up, but I certainly wasn’t trying to maintain a gap. I swung right, watched the group sail by, and clung on the back for dear life. As we passed the finish line, the bell rang for one lap to go, and it took everything to sit on a wheel and finish with the group. Good stuff.
Lessons learned:
* I probably could have gunned it a bit longer and maybe, just maybe caught the break. Steve K. managed to stay away, too, so it was the break.
* I need to do that more often. I definitely lack confidence in the B race, feeling like I just need to sit in. Obviously, given the right situation, I can get away. Even if the break is for naught, it’s worth trying, if only for the workout. No reason to be happy sitting in. And even if the move is destined to fail, well, who cares?
* John and I didn’t communicate much during the race, and given how blown I was during the last lap, I wasn’t going to do much. I think we need to be opportunistic during the race, and since I took my chance late, I was pretty useless during the sprint.
Posted on 1 July 2009
So we planned a trip to Connecticut to visit family around a bike race. There’s a report on the team website, so this will include more personal reflections on the race.
* I really want to underscore how relatively safe the race felt, particularly the corners. This is likely the product of these guys racing a real crit each week for their training race. Yes, the Oval is a great resource, but it doesn’t teach you how to turn in a pack. The only issue was the guy who didn’t hold his line after the finish. He didn’t cause a crash, but swerving around when guys are doing 30+mph isn’t a Good Idea.
* Wow, it was windy. Nobody really wanted to work in the second straight. My bridge effort went right into the teeth of the wind, and it was hard. There was also a fair bit of bunching in that straight because the guys at the front would just stop pedaling.
* The pace wasn’t particularly fast. The prime laps would get pretty fast, but would slow down pretty quickly. That said, the race wasn’t slow, either. We were certainly accelerating out of the turns, and the start/finish straight was always fast.
* It was nice racing on wide roads. All it took was a good ten second effort in the wind on the outside and you could get to the front of the group.
* I’m gradually improving in getting position on the last lap. I got jammed a bit on the back straight, and I lost a bit of position there, but otherwise, I at least started the lap in a good place.
* It was nice riding to the race from where we’re staying. It was a mostly flat, straight ride along decent roads. A fine warm up.
Posted on 28 June 2009
Last night’s poor performance has me again questioning my choice of training races. I’ve posted two results from several months of racing in the Bs. Of course, results aren’t why I’m doing these races. I suspect if I crack the top ten this year in the Bs it is only because ten people lined up in the start grid. Let’s weigh the advantages and disadvantages of racing in the Bs:
Advantages
1. P course.
2. Longer distance
3. Far better workout
4. Actual moments of pace lining
5. Some semblance of organization in the group
6. Riders are generally more skilled*
7. Learn more about bike racing
Disadvantages
1. Am non-factor week after week
2. Get dropped sometimes
3. Lose the “killer instinct” because of 1 and 2
4. Feel at least sorta stupid for riding a cross bike
Yeah, so the good seems to outweigh the bad. Sure. Of course, the good is generally pretty fleeting, while the bad lingers ’til the next race. So, conclusions?
1. Continue racing the Bs in hopes that it does indeed begin to resemble last year and that little light bulb goes off above my head and figure out how to race with this group.
2. Race the Cs
3. Stop racing road bikes entirely and take up mountain biking again, where it’s all about “fun” or something.
#3 is very tempting, actually. #2 is also tempting, but carries with it a whole other set of problems (including just continuing my current results in a lesser classification, which isn’t exactly motivating). So, #1 it is.
* Duly noted that, yes, I was involved in a wreck in the Bs.
Posted on 25 June 2009
P course tonight. Hot. Lots of people. I really wanted to stick with the main group. This plan latest approximately five laps. What happened? Well, some gaps started to form in front of me (move up in the start grid, dummy!), and I spend a lot of energy chasing those down. I was hoping the pace would chill a bit but as soon as I caught on, they were off again. Bleh. Off the back I went. I worked on my own for a few laps, then looked back and saw a group forming. I sat up and waited for them. For about 15 laps, we worked pretty well together. It was rather pleasant. I felt really good sitting in (mostly) and really bad when I was pulling. I was pulling for maybe half a lap, and it would take several laps to recover. This is a Bad Thng.
With about 13 or so laps to go, the break was going to overtake us. I was at the back at this point, and sat up and moved over so they could pass. No one else did this. The break passed them and they kinda latched on to it. Ugh. I was on my own again for a lap or two. Then the field caught me. Instead of remembering what I learned last year (latch on to the back), I just kinda watched them go by. Duh. I noodled for another lap, then pulled out. No reason to noodle for ten more laps. Bleh. Not exactly an awe-inspiring performance heading into the crit in Hartford this weekend. In a sense, it feels like last year all over again….
Posted on 24 June 2009
Let’s get this out of the way first–the race was far, far better than last year’s debacle (of course, that bar was fairly low to clear, eh?).
HUGE field. 50+ pre-registered, plus more day of. Combine this with narrow farm roads, and there was literally no room to move in the group. John Heffner and I started near the front (I learned lesson one from last year), and since we were neutral to the top of the first climb, we were both quickly passed by the group on the descent. We assumed our position near the middle-to-rear of the group, and here we stayed for most of the race. The pace was inconsistent at best, and maddening at worst. There were several sections that the group would accelerate, but the smallest roller would grind the pace to a near halt. With the yellow line rule in effect, it was nearly impossible to move forward in the group, so there was little movement toward the front to shake things up.
There were several solo breakaway attempts, but, predictably, nothing stuck, thanks in large part to gusty winds. At one point I was actually near the front, and it seemed like things were organizing for a concerted effort to push the pace/get away, but about 15 seconds into the pace line, people were all over the place and so went that effort. Another solo move went with a lap to go, and with team mates at the front blocking, it looked like it might actually stick. Some riders flaunted the yellow line rule, however, and pulled that effort back, too. The pace slowed a bit before the final climb to the finish, and I got myself positioned behind Ben Stephens. This seemed like a good plan until several riders sat up in front of us on the climb, effectively ending our race. Several of us doodled up the remainder of the climb to finish at the rear of the main group. John got slightly better position but only managed a top 20 finish, perhaps. I don’t even know who won.
A few random observations:
* For some reason, people don’t want to ride on other’s wheels in the pack. Instead, they ride in the gaps, as if this provides some sort of advantage. It only succeeds in making me nervous because someone’s front wheel is bobbing in and out of a bad position between two other wheels.
* I really, really don’t understand why the pace was so slow (21mph average, or so says John’s computer). Well, I suppose I do–people weren’t pedaling up the rollers–but why? Guys like Eric Lundgren and Paul Carlson were missed because no one wanted to drive the pace (yours truly included). Of course, many of us couldn’t ever make contact with the front to have a chance.
* A semi-organized break could have stayed away today. A group of us admitted afterward that no one felt like being That Guy to actually make it happen, though. The ideal spot would have been the final turn on the course–there’s a long gentle roller with only a short descent toward the route’s one climb. Yeah, the descent after the climb is long, but with a few guys who could actually get it together, it just might stick.
* Ted made two good observations after the race:
- Road racing is a lot of bureaucracy with just a little bit of hard work. Crits do away with the former and pour on a heaping helping of the latter.
- If the pace was so stinkin’ slow, why didn’t any us win?
* The course is really nice, but the roads feel too narrow. Of course, if the pace actually approached racing speeds, the pack may have been whittled down a bit.
* Race organization was top notch. I pre-registered, hit the registration and simply had to sign my USAC waiver. Done.
This week brings the P course on Wednesday night, followed by a crit in Connecticut next weekend while we visit family.
Posted on 21 June 2009
(or, Why Exactly Do I Race Bs Again?)
Not much to report here. I mean, how interesting is it to read about pack fodder week after week? The race followed the usual script, mostly–break, break caught, break, break caught, break, break caught. At one point, the break swelled to roughly half the pack, at which point it became a split. I was caught on the wrong side of this. We moved to pull ourselves up, only to get mixed up in a few people who were shelled from the first group. Several laps passed before it was gruppo compacto again. With five laps to go, the UPMC blue train moved to the front and the pain commenced. I was poorly positioned, as usual, and spent a lap or two desperately hanging on the back. With one lap to go, I raised the white flag and sat up. This ended up being a poor decision, as the group slowed a bit on the back straight, and I probably would have at least been able to get position again. Such is life. John, however, had a good race, and managed a top five finish, our first result in the B race.
Posted on 10 June 2009
Yesterday was the Oakmont criterium (Riverview Grand Prix). John and I lined up for the team in the category 4/5 race (22 laps, 16 miles), along with 43 other racers. Scary. Fine weather, albeit a bit hot. There was a bit of breeze, but it only seemed problematic at one point in the course. My goals were modest–make the selection, help John, don’t crash. Seemed reasonable.
John and I started at the front, and stayed close through the first handful of laps. Not at the front, but very close, enough to minimize the amount of work needed to stay with the group. Eventually, the group flip-flopped and I ended up further back. I took a look around and realized that, oh, the selection had been made and I was now at the rear of the lead group, which was maybe twenty riders strong. I spent the next block of laps hanging out near the middle or back of the group. A few stray riders, mostly Iron City folks, went off the front, but nothing stuck. The pace climbed now and again to absorb the riders and the counter-attacks, but there were plenty of mellow laps, too. With a few laps to go, Ted from Iron City took off again. He never got a huge gap, but apparently the group was content to let him hang out there, and the gap remained through the final lap. I managed to find John and get in position to pull, but I missed the battle for position, as we only managed to get about halfway up the group before the final chicane, which meant we weren’t going to make up more ground for the sprint. Ted managed to stay away for the win, and we finished in the top 15 or so.
With a bit of better planning, we could have done better. There was ample opportunity to bridge to Ted in the closing lap, and I should have moved John up sooner in the lap so we could be better positioned for the sprint. Oh well. The race (obviously) went better for me this year, so that’s good. The first ten laps or so hurt a bit, and there was another painful lap or two in the middle, but otherwise I definitely had a bit left in the tank. Coming into the final straight, I was only sprinting halfheartedly until the final 100 meters or so, and by then I wasn’t going to make up much ground. I feel like my condition might be coming around a bit, but I need to get my head screwed on a bit tighter–better strategy would net better results at this point.
The course was rougher than I remembered, too. Of course, the cobbles on Allegheny River Boulevard are rough, but the long straight on Washington was very rough, and so was the second corner. One guy lost his left crankarm after hitting a pothole, and another rider hit the same hole in the corner in three consecutive laps. I’m not sure how his lightweight wheels survived. My hands were pretty sore after the race, and I hit at least one bit hole at one point, too.
Posted on 8 June 2009
I shall never again criticize legacy code that I did not write. Often, as a developer, you may find yourself slapping your forehead, saying what the… when reviewing an existing code base. This reaction, while perfectly valid, is short-sighted. It does not account for the rapid changes in scope that occur rather late in the software development life cycle–changes which often contradict the specification (assuming, of course, that there is a spec) and introduce spaghetti to even the most well-designed libraries. While good software design should be flexible, it cannot be all things to all cases, especially when non-standard hardware is involved.
In other news: I will attending YAPC|10 here in Pittsburgh in a few weeks. No, I don’t write much Perl at my current job, but there’s some interesting stuff to heard, and hey, I’d like to write more Perl at my current job….
In other, other news: I did not race on Wednesday evening. A combination of a lack of sleep, dreary rain, and Jen’s desire to get out of the house keep me away. Yeah, yeah, it was first week of points at the Oval, but I highly doubt I would have been a factor. The Oakmont crit is this weekend. I hope to better last year’s disaster (which, it should be noted, was a turning point in my season). I will likely ride to support John and get him a good result. I also bought replacement tires for the Cannondale. The Contis I had been running had holes in them (and very little tread) and the five year Bontrager commuting tires aren’t the most ideal racing treads. Being cheap frugal, I went with a set of Panaracer Stradius.
Posted on 5 June 2009
The alarm went off at 5:45 AM, but I didn’t feel like getting out of bed and riding. So I dozed for awhile, figured I would just ride later, then got up and drank coffee and ate toast. The rest of the family woke up a little while later, and I went for a short ride. Geyer Road is a terrible, terrible climb. I’d rather do Berry-Holt-Eleanor a thousand times. It’s not too steep, it’s not too long, but it’s just straight and at an angle that right between really steep and not really steep.
I got home, drank more coffee, showered, and we went to Touch a Truck, which was fun for awhile. Then we realized we were in a parking lot with about 50 different trucks, all of which had kids in them honking horns and turning on sirens. Even the kids were running around with their fingers in their ears. We left and ate lunch at Mo Glo and drank more coffee. $12 for a bagel with cream cheese, a bagel with cheddar cheese, spinach and apple (amazing), a tuna panini, coffee, a cup of ‘ccino, and a San Pellegrin Aranciata. I still think Matt didn’t charge us for something.
After that, the afternoon was split between yard work and preparing dinner for Stuart and Gudrun. The menu included:
* A Rush Acres chicken
* Homemade pasta (no, really)*
* Greens
* Salad
Tasty.
* Growing up, I recall many days making pasta with my grandmother. She had an old fashioned pasta maker, with massive metal drums. She would roll out pasta dough, I’d run through the machine. Her dining room would be full of noodles drying over broom sticks. The kitchen would be covered with flour.
Posted on 30 May 2009
Humid. A bit rainy. 32 racers. John is back in town, and thus racing the Bs. He said he was going to try to get in a break, and if that didn’t work, wanted me to drag him to the front for the field sprint. Okee dokee.
Lots of break attempts. I don’t think John tried to get in any of them. I tried to stay in the mix, but would sometimes find myself at the back. Occasionally it was hard back there, generally when the group was trying to reel in a break. A few laps were really hard. With about five laps to go, I started to consider where I needed to be to get John to the front. With two to go, he yelled at me (exactly what I was looking for) and at the same time, the whole group moved left, giving us a nice lane on the inside. I stepped on it, and got him near the front before I was pinched off. He managed to get Kevan Rutledge’s wheel for the remainder of the race. I had to grab my brakes, and spent the last lap trying to chase back on. John got blocked in the final corner and sat up, and we watched the field sprint from behind. Oh well.
In other news, locked to the bike rack this morning was a titanium Independent Fabrications ‘cross bike. Kit included:
* Carbon fork
* DT-Swiss hoops laced to Chris King (!!!!) hubs *
* Carbon FSA cranks
* SRAM Red rear mech and shifter (single ring up front)
* Empella Frog Legs cantis
I sincerely hope the owner races this bike.
* Rear hub is worth more than my commuter
Posted on 29 May 2009