Weather

My wife tells me that if I ever fail at my current job as an engineer that I could easily be a weather man. I guess I thought that all cyclists sit and stare at radar, satellite imagery, and forecasts as much as I do.

Now, I know what you're thinking, this weekend is going to be sunny so there is not need to watch the forecast. But, that is where you would be wrong.


Sunday's 96 mile road race can be two completely different races depending on the wind.

If its not windy then there is a better than 90% chance that it will come down to a field sprint so sitting in will be prudent. If it is windy, then several things can happen including: field sprint, breakaway, or just plain old fashioned selections as the effort goes beyond maximum.




I'm not sure what I prefer. I can handle myself in a field sprint, but that leaves a lot of luck and is the most dangerous option. Plain old selections are great, but it seems unlikely unless its really windy. Now, the other option of a breakaway succeeding scares the crap out of me. What if we have no teammates in it? What if it can't be brought back? Our race could be over without us having our say in it. Of course, if we are represented in the break...then all is golden.

I'm still betting on a field sprint. Wish me luck

Let Levi Ride

If you haven't heard about this site yet, please go here and sign your name if you care about pro cycling at all. We can't let political crap ruin our sport...

Tuesdays

I owe Tuesdays, and more specifically, racing Tuesdays at LLNL a bit of gratitude. I mean, without them I would have never become the cyclist I am today and probably, well maybe, never have raced a bicycle.

Here in Livermore we have a 17 mile loop (with another ~6 each way for warmup and cooldown) that we like to hammer. It is literally a race with much prestige for coming away with a victory. For years it was dominated by Billy and Steve, but they have since moved on and no longer torture us with there relentless attacks and fierce sprinting abilities. There is still a group of us that were trained by these two so Tuesdays are still really, really fast.

Today was no exception. And, with a 10-20mph NE wind...carnage was sure to happen.
The big players. There are plenty more out there that will go unmentioned here for space sake.

• Kevin - Wells Fargo, CAT2
• Dan - Kovarus, CAT3. Ex-teammate of mine and good buddy
• Reed - Well Fargo, CAT3, but often wears his old gear to get a better workout
  
• Stan - Morgan Stanley, CAT2. 20+ year vet
• Jeff - Wells Fargo, CAT3. Fasssst
  
• Brian - non-racer, can pull for hours on end
• Big Sean - the slightly faster version of Brian
• Mike V. - Wells Fargo. Can drive a break like no other
• Metz - Now Direct CAT4. So close to being a difference maker.
• Ed - InfoVista - uber fit, new to racing with huge potential
• Pat - VSRT. Off and on, but when ON...very fast
  

Like I said, there are many others, and I will add names later, but these are the main guys. Not everyone shows up everyday, but most people do most days. Today was without Big Sean and Pat.

Dan, Jeff and I got out early to get some warmup in, which is nice because sometimes its good to attack from the gun....which is what I did today. Well, not exactly attack, but put in a huge pull to thin the herd a bit in the tail/cross wind section. After that, I went up the road with Metz for about 3 miles trying to maintain our gap, but everyone was too fresh so they brought us back.

Fortunately, my wily teammate Kevin countered, but it got strung out with hardly anyone losing contact. Kevin and I traded attacks for a while including a mean one by him up Prime hill, but Dan was attentive and brought them all back...until Windmill. A frustrated Dan allowed me to attack with Ed in tow up Windmill where we were never to be heard from again. I knew we were gone when I looked back after the bumps and there were only 4 guys attached to the second group and one of them was Kevin.

From there is was elemental as Ed and I did a nice 50/50 mix until I attacked him with 1K to go. He couldn't quite respond so I took out my first Tuesday win in a Wells Fargo kit.

It was fun, kJ produced was high, and fitness will surely improve.

Can't wait for Merco...

Merco Weekend

As some of you know this weekend races are the ever popular and relevant Merco Credit Union Races. There is the Downtown Grand Prix on Saturday (my race is at 1:30 and lasts for about 60 mins). This course is somewhat sketchy and the cat2 only fields always represent a different hazard than P1/2 races. There will be no organization and probably a couple crashes with the end result likely to be a field sprint. Now, having raced it last year learning from previous errors, I should be prepared for the field sprint and nerves permitting, should be able to do well. We'll see on Saturday.

On Sunday there is the Merco Foothills Road Race. I like this race. Its a big 24 mile loop that we do 4 circuits on. Last year there was no wind so we rolled around at 27mph with little to no selections ending in a mass field sprint in which I took 5th place. This year they decided to change it up on us and reverse the direction of the course. This eliminates a short but steep little kicker inside the 1K sign that did a good job of spacing it out. With the kicker gone the sprint is going to be even harrier than before. Of course, if there is more wind this year, all bets are off and it could end up being a fitness race. We shall see.

Snelling

Race: Snelling Road Race
Date: 2/23/08
CAT: Pro 1/2
Teammates: Aaron
Field Size: 98

Course:
There is a 3.5 mile promenade from the parking area to the start of the course. It was “neutral,” which meant only 25 mph. Then, the race goes on 12.0 mile mostly flat with a few decent rollers loop. We got to do 6 laps.

Conditions:
Well, to say there was wind would be a severe understatement. There was a 20-30mph wind out of the SE, which is mostly tail on the first section of road and severe cross winds on the next two turns with a good section of head wind on the back side of the course.

Race:
The “neutral” section was brutal. I knew with the wind that it was absolutely imperative to get a good starting spot and to stay as near the front as possible. Aaron and I got to the start line early and got a good spot, probably 20-25 riders from the front. The first mile was ok, then the jockeying for position intensified. With a half mile before the race actually began, about 30 guys moved up illegally over the center line so now I was 50-60 riders back. F*&K.

Lap1: (30:06)
The second we started the official race it was on FULL GAS. For the first 12.5 mins I followed wheels as best I could even grabbing Dan Martin’s wheels for several miles and tried to get some remnants of draft in the tail and cross wind. I averaged 31.1mph for this time and 372 watts, hopefully both of which I can maintain in the coming months, just not today. I got shelled from the front group and nearly lost my lunch all at once. After nearly blowing up and calling it a day, I recovered a bit and grabbed onto the second group that was already a couple mins behind the leaders.

Lap2: (30:24)
Luckily, we had Hernando in our group to get us organized and to keep us entertained. It took a couple of miles, but he finally taught everyone how to draft and how to work a pace line. We started the lap about 20 strong, but after working pretty hard and after a huge pull from a BMC rider we were cut to less than half that. We all worked pretty well together towards the end of the lap.

Lap3: (31:12)
Towards the middle of this lap we almost caught the front group, but we couldn’t quite close it down. We also started growing in numbers from guys that couldn’t hold onto the front group. Towards the end of the lap we gained two Cal/Giant guys that almost meant to doom of cooperation of the group, but again Hernando would have none of it and convinced everyone it was better to “stay smooth.” I was feeling ok and now I figured that I wasn’t in danger of getting dropped from this group.

Lap4: (31:34)
Hernando flatted and of course the cooperation suffered. We were also getting pretty big from the riders we kept absorbing. I started to pay more attention to the riders that were riding strong so I could practice the end game and work on my finishing when the time came. It never hurts to get good practice. There were at least 10 of us that were working consistently with another 10 that were working sometimes or just hanging on.

Lap5: (30:47)
Not much to report here. The group mainly worked together to get the race over with. We were still 20-25 strong.

Lap6: (32:13)
It started sprinkling on us, but the roads never got too wet. We lost most of our cooperation, but I did manage to single out the guy I thought was the strongest so I marked him closely – again for practice. The Cal/Giant guys were also riding like jackasses and let gaps open up for no reason as we obviously had no chance of catching the front group. With about 3K to go, I started paying good attention and I got some much needed rest. I was out of water and hadn’t eaten enough, but somehow much stomach still managed to be upset but I did not suffer from cramps or anything else other than being tired. At the 1.5K mark a guy attacked and was followed by my marked man who I was on like white on rice on a paper plate with a glass of milk in a snowstorm. Then, my marked countered and I couldn’t quite hold his wheel as he guttered me and had even more juice left than I thought. 4 more riders came by and I barely grabbed onto them. After the final turn we all started sprinting and I came in around 5^th of the 20-25 that were in my group. The rider directly ahead of me managed to plow right into a woman who had just finished her race and send her face first into the ground. Friggin’ idiot. Next time he should sprint with his head up, not up his ass.

I’d say it was a good race and the length of the course didn’t seem to be a problem I obviously just need race miles so I can get my race legs. This effort should bode well for next week at Merco where we won’t have to deal with so many Cal/Giants studs.

Results: 25-30^th? (Results posted: 17th place)

News Flash

OK, I know you're wondering about the new season so here is a quick update

• I changed teams from Squadra Ovest to Wells Fargo Racing Team. Wells Fargo is based out of Contra Costa County, which is where I live, so I don't have to travel to SF to hang out with teammates. Also, the shop is way closer to my house.
• Wells Fargo has 10 cat1's and 2's.
• Aaron: Squadra last year, strong rider, decent sprinter
  
• Jonathan: Squadra last year, super stong when on form, but is taking reduced race load because he's going to medical school
  
• Kevin: Squadra last year, someone I get to ride with almost daily and is super savvy. Great teammate
  
• Mark: Team Captain. Knows everyone well and keeps us organized. Is also responsible for all the sponsorships we have.
• Adam: Sprinter. Very strong rider who is targeting the second half of the year
• Ben: Ex pro and our only CAT1. Knows what it takes to go fast, but doesn't train as much as he used to. Still very strong and smart
• Peter: Semi-pro mountain biker. Great climber, especially short, hard climbs. Very fit, still learning tactics.
• Paul: Team president. Upgraded at the end of last season. Good all around who usually does well at the most difficult races.
  
• Mike: Recently added, I don't know much about him.
• Got a new rig after an unfortunate incindent with the old one. I am very lucky to have such good sponsors outside the team. Thanks again, you know who you are.
• No coach this year and I could not afford him. We stay in touch and hopefully I will be able to work with him again soon.
• Training has been pretty good. Not great, but close to last year. My fitness is getting better and hopefully some hard races with push me to the next level.
• The racing has started so stayed tuned for reports and updates
  

Cherry Pie Race Report

Race: Cherry Pie Crit
Date: 02/10/08
CAT: Pro 1/2
Field size: 100
Teammates: Peter

The course: Sort of a P-shaped course. The start/finish was on a mild hill and lead into a 180 degree turn. Then down the hill to a sharp right hand turn, followed by a sweeping left, then two 90-degree lefts into the 500 meter finish up the hill.

The Plan: Get some race legs and build comfort level for upcoming races. Huge contingent of pro riders including Freddy Rodriquez, who has raced in several Tour de Frances.

The Conditions: Warm and sunny and only mildly windy.

The Race: After talking to Peter and another teammate Kevin who didn’t race we figured that it was unlikely a break would get away, but if one did it would at least halfway through the race. We were dead wrong. I started out with decent field position of about 30^th. I planned on using the first couple laps to get a feel for the race and to see how my fitness was going to be. Unfortunately, on lap #2 a break of 9 guys went away and stayed away. The race was over after the 3^rd lap. I made my way to the front anyway and tried to motivate some chasers and/or to get another break going. Nothing worked, but I did get a good workout from it. With 5 to go I went off solo for a lap, but even averaging 400+ watts (30mph) I could hold off the group for more than one lap. On the last lap I got myself into decent position to sprint for 10^th, but the rider in front of me sat up so I did the same not wanting to try to sprint from 25^th back for a possible 15^th place finish.

Thoughts: My fitness is better than I expected and my comfort level in the race was really high. Overall it was a good first race, but I have to pay more attention to the front at the beginning of the race.

Results: 60th

I'M BAAAAAACK

Alright boys and girls, I'm getting my mojo back and promise to post weekly at minimum. Today, two more posts (at least) of the two races that have started my season. Plus, a full news update that is like 8 millennium late so you'll get to hear all about the new team, the fitness, the race plans, and probably stuff you don't even want to know.

Stay tuned...