After doing a couple of days at the velodrome in Trexlertown PA last year, the wheelsucker was keen to ride the track again this year. But it is a long drive, and somehow he had lots of other things to do on weekends; by late August had not made it to the track yet. But the MABRA Track Championship was scheduled for the 29th of August. Initially the wheelsucker thought he could make it, and could also go a day early for practice, but then another commitment moved, and he could not race the track on Sunday. But Saturday was Rookies and Masters day at the track, and the wheelsucker could still make that.
It being a year since the wheelsucker had ridden on the track, he was a little apprehensive. Consider that on the track one is riding at high speeds around a short oval, in close proximity with other riders, and without brakes.
Last year one masters rider had rolled off the front several times using a monster gear, so the wheelsucker wanted to try gearing up. He went with a 48x14 rather than a 47x14 he used last time. During the last minutes of warm-up before the first masters race, he was told there was a new rule limiting masters to 90 gear inches or less, and his 48x14 was 90.2 gear inches. While the wheelsucker was scrambling to check on this, he missed the start of his first race. Darn! But the good news was that he was allowed to race with the 48x14 (perhaps 0.2 gear inches is not much of a difference), so he was ready for the next masters race.
Events at the track happen in quick succession. A short cat 5 race, then a short cat 4 race, then a women’s race, then a juniors race, then a masters race, then the next cat 5 race, and so on. Some events are nine laps, and it is three laps to a kilometer, so only a 3 kilometer race!
Last Out Race
This last out was a race where the last placed rider is pulled on each lap until the field was down to 10 riders and they then raced 5 more laps for the win. The wheelsucker rolled out a little too hard on the neutral lap and got off the front, so had to slow up and let the field catch up. The field was up to speed when they caught him, and the wheelsucker found himself near the back in short order, not a good place to be when the last rider is being pulled. The first 3-4 riders were pulled with the wheelsucker safely a few inches in front of them, and then there was a close one and the wheelsucker thought he might have been last placed, and he slowed up. But he was not – another rider had been pulled – but now the wheelsucker was 3 bike lengths off the back of the pack with ½ a lap to go before the line where the next rider would be pulled. Going hard and high the wheelsucker looked for an opening and thought he saw it high on the banked track, but just before the finish line a rather large rider squeezed him up towards the high rail and the wheelsucker was "pinched out" and pulled.
Scratch Race
The scratch race is similar to road race; all that matters is the finishing order at the finish. There are no points for any intermediate sprints. The wheelsucker was in no danger of being dropped, and could easily close gaps if they opened a short distance in front of him, but getting to the front end of the pack required a lot of energy and there was no good way to insert oneself in line a few places back, so the wheelsucker conserved energy but was not able to put himself in good position for the sprint; another pack finish.
After all the events were run for each of the fields, points were totaled. The masters – and therefore the wheelsucker -- can ride the A race or the B race at their choice, though cat 1 and cat 2 masters can only ride the A race. Juniors, women, cat 5s and cat 4s have to qualify.
B Race
As his day had not been all that successful the wheelsucker chose the B race. A quick 10 lap race whereas the A race was 15 and included all cat 1 and cat 2 masters. He rolled out at the back of the pack, sat in and took it easy, and then moved up with about 3 laps to go. But he did not go far enough, grabbing a spot in about 7th or 8th and holding it as the pace accelerated on the last laps. He sprinted for the line, but passed no one ahead, rolling across about 7th or 8th.
More Track Practice
Track races are short, and the wheelsucker had very little track time even after the B race, so he continued practicing on the track for another 40 minutes, trying a sprint every 3-4 laps to see how long he could hold sprint pace, and how fast he could be doing as he crossed the finish line.
Eventually, tired, thirsty and hot, the wheelsucker called it a day, and was on his way home after a quick shower.
What fun! The wheelsucker is already plotting to go back to the track and ride more aggressively.
Wheelsucker Data:
Max Speed: 34.3 mph
Max Cadence: 128 rpm
Max HR: 174 (B Race Finish), this is slightly higher than the wheelsucker's normal max HR.
Total distance ridden: 26.3 miles
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Greenbelt Park A Race
The wheelsucker can be a dreamer. And one of his dreams is that despite his advanced age and limited talent and ability, he can race with the local "big dogs" in cat 1/2/3 races. Of course, being a cat 3 (the wheelsucker is a cat 3 after sweet talking the upgrade coordinator into giving him the 4-to-3 upgrade a couple of years ago as he was hoping to go to Masters Nationals which requires that one be a least a cat 3), he can register and show up at the start line. But the wheelsucker's dream is to do more than just start these races; he wants to be the there at the finish and maybe even do something.
So occasionally the wheelsucker tries an "A" race or a 1/2/3 race. A couple of years ago the wheelsucker jumped into a Tradezone Training Series A race and hung for some hard laps before deciding he had proven his point and did not need to risk crashing a week before his Spain trip; last year he raced the 50+ Dolan race, then the 35+ and then started the 1/2/3 race, but his legs had had enough part way through; this spring he jumped into the 1/2/3 race at Carl Dolan and hung for a few laps on in the pack until taken down by a crash in front of him; then this past Sunday he jumped into the Dawg Days 1/2/3 race for about 30 minutes before the very hard rain and sliding in a corner convinced him it was time to stop.
The wheelsucker's latest venture was the "A" race at Greenbelt, yesterday evening. This was the last Greenbelt race of the season, and therefore the last chance for the wheelsucker to do this race, this year.
First the caveats: This is a training race series, not quite full on racing, but the course is multiple laps of a just-over-one-mile loop that includes a climb that is very hard when done at full gas, a nice downhill into a sweeping right turn, and a flat section before the next climb starts. It is roughly one third climb, one third descent and one third flat. The start/finish line is near the top of the climb. Though smaller than a typical 1/2/3 field, the race included many of the "top dogs" of local 1/2/3 racing.
The wheelsucker has several key shortcomings as a bicycle racer and one of them is short interval power; short intervals like the 15 seconds it takes to sprint out of a corner, or the roughly one minute or so it takes to climb the hill. And with 18 laps of the Greenbelt loop, 18 sprints out of the corner and 18 climbs of the hill, these shortcomings become very evident.
Forty two riders lined up for the A race. The whistle blew, the field accelerated and the pain and suffering began. The start/finish line is close to the top of the climb, so from the start it is not far to the top and the start of the descent. The wheelsucker was already in trouble at the top of the first very short climb.
He had started mid pack and was trying to stay mid pack and well hidden, but moving up frequently requires pedaling hard "in the wind", jamming one's way into crowded situations, squeezing between another rider and the edge of the pavement, or "dive bombing" the one corner on the course, none of which the wheelsucker is good at. But a determined wheelsucker stayed on wheels, tried to limit the energy he was expending and tried to maintain position. Each lap he would lose positions on the climb and then fight his way back a few places either on the downhill or on the flat section, then lose them again on the next climb, and then do it all over again. He was usually the last or one of the last riders at the top.
Many times up the climb the wheelsucker would have to accelerate as riders in front jumped to chase down a break; he would spin it up hard and hold on, but knowing that he was seconds away from his limit and about to be gapped. And several times he hit the limit and knew he was going OTB (off the back), but somehow each time the field either slowed briefly, or the wheelsucker dug deep and managed to stay within range of a wheel at the top, and then desperately chased back on. This continued lap after lap, with the wheelsucker usually jammed in on the right hand side and looking at the lap counter each lap, trying to will it to count down faster.
With eight laps to go the wheelsucker knew in his heart he could not hang on to the finish. Then at five laps he thought he could go no further, but somehow hung on. At three laps to go the wheelsucker thought that even if he went OTB he would at least finish on the same lap, with two to go the wheelsucker thought he might make it to the sprint, and somehow the wheelsucker made it to the last lap and the start of the sprint up the hill with the main group. There had been multiple attacks, most from Battley Harley riders particularly Chuck Hutcheson, but all had been brought back, though many of those came back because Chuck did not like the composition of the break and sat up.
The wheelsucker had few chances to glance behind him, so never saw other riders going OTB, but somehow the "gruppo compacto" had shrunk in size as it was no longer 42 riders.
The wheelsucker was completely knackered for the start of the sprint but knowing what he had to do he stood up and pedaled as hard as he could. It was nowhere near enough power as the stronger riders powered away up the hill. The wheelsucker went as hard as he could but was spent, he clicked into an easier gear, sat down and tried to spin more, but that didn't work either. He did pass a couple of riders who had given up sprinting part way up; perhaps they had done leadout for team mates. And he was passed by stronger sprinters who started the last climb behind him. But somehow the wheelsucker rolled across the finish line 16th.
This was the first time the wheelsucker had finished a cat 1/2/3 race and he had somehow – incredibly – hung on with the main field. For a strong rider 16th and nearly last out of the lead group would not be a finish to be pleased with, but for an aging wheelsucker riding at or beyond his limits it felt almost a victory.
But the wheelsucker was also aware that 50+ rider Paul Mittelstadt had sprinted for 8th, so clearly some 50+ riders like Paul or Art Brown or Randy Thrasher, can ride at this level and be fully competitive instead of just desperately hanging on.
Wheelsucker Data:
Race time about: 59 minutes
Power: 237/957 watts
Heart rate: 147/165 bpm
Cadence: 101/191 (hard to believe that max value)
Speed: 26.1/42.01 mph
So occasionally the wheelsucker tries an "A" race or a 1/2/3 race. A couple of years ago the wheelsucker jumped into a Tradezone Training Series A race and hung for some hard laps before deciding he had proven his point and did not need to risk crashing a week before his Spain trip; last year he raced the 50+ Dolan race, then the 35+ and then started the 1/2/3 race, but his legs had had enough part way through; this spring he jumped into the 1/2/3 race at Carl Dolan and hung for a few laps on in the pack until taken down by a crash in front of him; then this past Sunday he jumped into the Dawg Days 1/2/3 race for about 30 minutes before the very hard rain and sliding in a corner convinced him it was time to stop.
The wheelsucker's latest venture was the "A" race at Greenbelt, yesterday evening. This was the last Greenbelt race of the season, and therefore the last chance for the wheelsucker to do this race, this year.
First the caveats: This is a training race series, not quite full on racing, but the course is multiple laps of a just-over-one-mile loop that includes a climb that is very hard when done at full gas, a nice downhill into a sweeping right turn, and a flat section before the next climb starts. It is roughly one third climb, one third descent and one third flat. The start/finish line is near the top of the climb. Though smaller than a typical 1/2/3 field, the race included many of the "top dogs" of local 1/2/3 racing.
The wheelsucker has several key shortcomings as a bicycle racer and one of them is short interval power; short intervals like the 15 seconds it takes to sprint out of a corner, or the roughly one minute or so it takes to climb the hill. And with 18 laps of the Greenbelt loop, 18 sprints out of the corner and 18 climbs of the hill, these shortcomings become very evident.
Forty two riders lined up for the A race. The whistle blew, the field accelerated and the pain and suffering began. The start/finish line is close to the top of the climb, so from the start it is not far to the top and the start of the descent. The wheelsucker was already in trouble at the top of the first very short climb.
He had started mid pack and was trying to stay mid pack and well hidden, but moving up frequently requires pedaling hard "in the wind", jamming one's way into crowded situations, squeezing between another rider and the edge of the pavement, or "dive bombing" the one corner on the course, none of which the wheelsucker is good at. But a determined wheelsucker stayed on wheels, tried to limit the energy he was expending and tried to maintain position. Each lap he would lose positions on the climb and then fight his way back a few places either on the downhill or on the flat section, then lose them again on the next climb, and then do it all over again. He was usually the last or one of the last riders at the top.
Many times up the climb the wheelsucker would have to accelerate as riders in front jumped to chase down a break; he would spin it up hard and hold on, but knowing that he was seconds away from his limit and about to be gapped. And several times he hit the limit and knew he was going OTB (off the back), but somehow each time the field either slowed briefly, or the wheelsucker dug deep and managed to stay within range of a wheel at the top, and then desperately chased back on. This continued lap after lap, with the wheelsucker usually jammed in on the right hand side and looking at the lap counter each lap, trying to will it to count down faster.
With eight laps to go the wheelsucker knew in his heart he could not hang on to the finish. Then at five laps he thought he could go no further, but somehow hung on. At three laps to go the wheelsucker thought that even if he went OTB he would at least finish on the same lap, with two to go the wheelsucker thought he might make it to the sprint, and somehow the wheelsucker made it to the last lap and the start of the sprint up the hill with the main group. There had been multiple attacks, most from Battley Harley riders particularly Chuck Hutcheson, but all had been brought back, though many of those came back because Chuck did not like the composition of the break and sat up.
The wheelsucker had few chances to glance behind him, so never saw other riders going OTB, but somehow the "gruppo compacto" had shrunk in size as it was no longer 42 riders.
The wheelsucker was completely knackered for the start of the sprint but knowing what he had to do he stood up and pedaled as hard as he could. It was nowhere near enough power as the stronger riders powered away up the hill. The wheelsucker went as hard as he could but was spent, he clicked into an easier gear, sat down and tried to spin more, but that didn't work either. He did pass a couple of riders who had given up sprinting part way up; perhaps they had done leadout for team mates. And he was passed by stronger sprinters who started the last climb behind him. But somehow the wheelsucker rolled across the finish line 16th.
This was the first time the wheelsucker had finished a cat 1/2/3 race and he had somehow – incredibly – hung on with the main field. For a strong rider 16th and nearly last out of the lead group would not be a finish to be pleased with, but for an aging wheelsucker riding at or beyond his limits it felt almost a victory.
But the wheelsucker was also aware that 50+ rider Paul Mittelstadt had sprinted for 8th, so clearly some 50+ riders like Paul or Art Brown or Randy Thrasher, can ride at this level and be fully competitive instead of just desperately hanging on.
Wheelsucker Data:
Race time about: 59 minutes
Power: 237/957 watts
Heart rate: 147/165 bpm
Cadence: 101/191 (hard to believe that max value)
Speed: 26.1/42.01 mph
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday August 24th Training Ride
The Wheelsucker Report
Having raced Church Creek on Saturday and starting three races (and only finishing one) at Dawg Days on Sunday, the wheelsucker was a little tired. Taking Monday off the bike had helped, but he still was not feeling fully recovered for the Tuesday Training Ride. This should not have been a problem, as per his coach the wheelsucker could simply sit and avoid working too hard.
So the wheelsucker rolled out at the back of the group, riding tailgun (and yelling "CAR BACK!" and "SINGLE UP!" at appropriate moments) all the way to the route 214.
Either the wheelsucker really was tired, or he was feeling the accordion effect at the back of the group, but the wheelsucker found himself having to drill it to stay on.
Hoping to reduce this effect and concerned about attacks at the front that were too far away for him to get to, the wheelsucker moved up as the group crossed 214 to a position closer to the front.
After weeks of skipping the Queene Anne Bridge Road part of the ride, the group took the left turn up the hill. At the right turn onto Wayson road the group started to break up; not so much from attacks, as from some riders simply not paying attention and not closing gaps. A small group got a gap of a few bike lengths. Michel Wedel decided to close it, and the wheelsucker took the tow up. A hard charging Michel got them to the lead group just as they started up the first of the two bumps. For some reason the wheelsucker thought something might go on the bumps. Michel had been closing at a fast rate, so the wheelsucker had speed and momentum on his side. Coming around Michel he went to nearly full wheelsucker power, charged up the bump and grabbed a wheel to go down the other side and up the next bump. At the top of the second bump it was down to four riders and a big gap.
Big Kyle Pitman (recently of Team 4Mil in the RAAM) started taking long steady monstor pulls, with the other three: the wheelsucker, Steve Owens and a non ABRTer, taking shorter pulls. Going up Harwood Hill no chase could be seen. The four rolled on and each time the wheelsucker checked behind the road was clear. The pace was fast but steady, and not too hard for the wheelsucker, provided he pulled off the front soon enough and went back to wheelsucking.
The four were still clear with no chase in site at the left turn from Sands onto Patuxent River/Harwood. On the climb out of the dip where it floods, the non ABRTer popped. There was a very brief discussion about sitting up and waiting, but the gap to him was significant and surely there was an aggressive chase behind being driven by Ace, Denzil, Stu and others, so the remaining three pressed on. A quick check for clear traffic at 214, and they were across. Kyle was careful to ensure Steve and the wheelsucker were on his wheel before slowly accelerating. When not hyperventilating, the wheelsucker encouraged Kyle to greater efforts by telling him it was only 2,000 miles to go.
The wheelsucker continued taking short-but-hard pulls and pulling off, while Steve Owens would take longer pulls, while Kyle looked like he could pull at a good pace forever and was doing most of the work.
Coming into the sprint the wheelsucker pulled off to maneuver Steve into the lead, and tucked in behind Kyle. Steve pulled most of the flat, down the hill and up the false flat towards the finish line. The wheelsucker waited and waited and finally launched as hard as an aging-wheelsucker-who-has-been-working-in-a-break-for-over-an-hour can launch. Kyle looked over, smiled, and slowly accelerated to pull even and then pull slightly ahead. The wheelsucker changed up to a bigger gear and pushed even harder, but Kyle easily matched the move and slowly pulled ahead to take the win. The wheelsucker crossed second, Steve did not sprint.
The leaders of the chase came up the hill to the Park & Ride a couple of minutes later. While rain had been threatening all afternoon, it held off until just after the group returned to the Park & Ride.
Wheelsucker data (from 214 back to the finish line)
Average Power: 238 watts (max 857 watts)
Average Cadence: 96 rpm
Average Speed: 24.5 mph
So much for sitting in and taking it easy.
So the wheelsucker rolled out at the back of the group, riding tailgun (and yelling "CAR BACK!" and "SINGLE UP!" at appropriate moments) all the way to the route 214.
Either the wheelsucker really was tired, or he was feeling the accordion effect at the back of the group, but the wheelsucker found himself having to drill it to stay on.
Hoping to reduce this effect and concerned about attacks at the front that were too far away for him to get to, the wheelsucker moved up as the group crossed 214 to a position closer to the front.
After weeks of skipping the Queene Anne Bridge Road part of the ride, the group took the left turn up the hill. At the right turn onto Wayson road the group started to break up; not so much from attacks, as from some riders simply not paying attention and not closing gaps. A small group got a gap of a few bike lengths. Michel Wedel decided to close it, and the wheelsucker took the tow up. A hard charging Michel got them to the lead group just as they started up the first of the two bumps. For some reason the wheelsucker thought something might go on the bumps. Michel had been closing at a fast rate, so the wheelsucker had speed and momentum on his side. Coming around Michel he went to nearly full wheelsucker power, charged up the bump and grabbed a wheel to go down the other side and up the next bump. At the top of the second bump it was down to four riders and a big gap.
Big Kyle Pitman (recently of Team 4Mil in the RAAM) started taking long steady monstor pulls, with the other three: the wheelsucker, Steve Owens and a non ABRTer, taking shorter pulls. Going up Harwood Hill no chase could be seen. The four rolled on and each time the wheelsucker checked behind the road was clear. The pace was fast but steady, and not too hard for the wheelsucker, provided he pulled off the front soon enough and went back to wheelsucking.
The four were still clear with no chase in site at the left turn from Sands onto Patuxent River/Harwood. On the climb out of the dip where it floods, the non ABRTer popped. There was a very brief discussion about sitting up and waiting, but the gap to him was significant and surely there was an aggressive chase behind being driven by Ace, Denzil, Stu and others, so the remaining three pressed on. A quick check for clear traffic at 214, and they were across. Kyle was careful to ensure Steve and the wheelsucker were on his wheel before slowly accelerating. When not hyperventilating, the wheelsucker encouraged Kyle to greater efforts by telling him it was only 2,000 miles to go.
The wheelsucker continued taking short-but-hard pulls and pulling off, while Steve Owens would take longer pulls, while Kyle looked like he could pull at a good pace forever and was doing most of the work.
Coming into the sprint the wheelsucker pulled off to maneuver Steve into the lead, and tucked in behind Kyle. Steve pulled most of the flat, down the hill and up the false flat towards the finish line. The wheelsucker waited and waited and finally launched as hard as an aging-wheelsucker-who-has-been-working-in-a-break-for-over-an-hour can launch. Kyle looked over, smiled, and slowly accelerated to pull even and then pull slightly ahead. The wheelsucker changed up to a bigger gear and pushed even harder, but Kyle easily matched the move and slowly pulled ahead to take the win. The wheelsucker crossed second, Steve did not sprint.
The leaders of the chase came up the hill to the Park & Ride a couple of minutes later. While rain had been threatening all afternoon, it held off until just after the group returned to the Park & Ride.
Wheelsucker data (from 214 back to the finish line)
Average Power: 238 watts (max 857 watts)
Average Cadence: 96 rpm
Average Speed: 24.5 mph
So much for sitting in and taking it easy.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Wheelsucker at Dawg Days
The wheelsucker had missed the Dawg Days circuit race last year, and wanted to give it a try this year. So despite having raced Church Creek on Saturday, the wheelsucker was on the start line Sunday for the Masters 45+/55+ race.
Phil Hepburn attacked from the whistle; through the first chicane the wheelsucker was pushing rather over 500 watts to stay on. The pace stayed high to past the next turn, but the leaders slowed right down when they started up the shallow climb into the wind. The wheelsucker rode past a few riders, found a spot in the pack he liked and sat in.
On the very next lap the wheelsucker happened to look down and noticed that his rear tire was almost flat.
Local circuit races have always felt like non-technical crits to the wheelsucker, but there are several key differences, and in this case the game-changing difference is that there is no free lap and no wheel pit. There is the option of fixing whatever is wrong and chasing, but given that the wheelsucker needed to change to a new tube, this was only a theoretical option.
So less than two laps into the race the wheelsucker sat up, wished his competitors a good race, and soft pedaled back to his car. The tire was not quite flat, but rather close. A quick tube change later (using a borrowed pump as his was not working properly) the wheelsucker was back in business and wondering if he should jump into another race.
After some consideration and encouragement from others, the wheelsucker rolled out for the cat 3/4 35+ race. The wheelsucker was not feeling fresh as he had worked hard the day before at Church Creek, so just sat in, covered moves when he thought he should and did very little work. The wheelsucker was able to watch some of the best 35+ 3/4 racers like Mike Birner, Andreas Gutzeit, Eric Boone and a Bike Doctor rider, and tried to only go when one or more of them went. Some of his harder efforts were just moving up on the climb into the wind; an easy place to move up if you were willing to push big watts, as everyone else would tuck in close to the rider in front, and the field would be almost single file. A single rider rode off the front and stayed away for quite a while, but the wheelsucker decided to let others panic and work to bring it back. If Eric, Mike and Andreas were not at the front driving a chase, the wheelsucker was not going to be either. He did rotate to the front once or twice and take short hard pulls, after Andreas did a few.
The lone rider was brought back shortly before the start of the last lap, on the curve at the top of the climb. The wheelsucker saw Eric Boone open a small gap on the climb, jumped to get to him and went by encouraging Eric to come with him. Seconds later they were at the top of the climb and the wheelsucker had caught the lone rider, but Eric had sat up, and the wheelsucker was not willing to try to go by himself for 1.3 laps, so he sat up and waited for the field.
The pace rose on the last lap but the wheelsucker was able to hold wheels and get through the last turn in the top ten. He was merely hoping to follow good wheels and hope for the best, and it sort of worked. The wheelsucker had to brake inside 50 meters when a rider slightly ahead and overlapped on his left swerved over to the right, but the wheelsucker held on for 8th place.
The wheelsucker cooled off, rolled back to his car, and noticed that both tires were not that hard. In fact he had 80 psi in the front and less than 60 psi in the rear. So the wheelsucker borrowed another pump and pumped up his tires, thinking the first pump had been mis-calibrated.
Emboldened by getting a result, the wheelsucker talked himself into doing the 123 race. This had a rather larger field, and was clearly going to be a faster and much harder race. But the wheelsucker started near the back and was able to move his way up to about mid pack, and generally stayed between the middle point and two-thirds of the way back. There were lots of attacks at the front but nothing got away. The wheelsucker was seeing 32 mph when he dared to check, and was just sitting in the pack and was able to hang on.
With about 25 laps to go, it started raining very hard. A few laps later the wheelsucker had a scare when his rear wheel slipped out on a corner. It was not a sharp corner and the wheelsucker recovered easily but decided it was too slippery to continue. So he dropped out with the placard showing 21 laps to go. When he rolled back to his car he noticed that the rear wheel was low on pressure AGAIN! So the second tube had a slow leak, too!
The wheelsucker's cat 123 race lasted about 30 minutes, and he averaged 28.2 mph. Average power was 234 watts, rather below the wheelsucker's threshold, but the wheelsucker went over 600 watts 25 times in those 30 minutes.
So the wheelsucker started 3 races, and only finished 1, but had fun.
The 123 race was shortened as a storm cell with lightning was in the area; it went from 14 laps remaining to last 2 laps.
The wheelsucker is thinking he may have to try this 123 racing again if he can find another easy course where he can sit in.
It is not clear what would have happened if the wheelsucker had tried to move up and actually DO something.....
Phil Hepburn attacked from the whistle; through the first chicane the wheelsucker was pushing rather over 500 watts to stay on. The pace stayed high to past the next turn, but the leaders slowed right down when they started up the shallow climb into the wind. The wheelsucker rode past a few riders, found a spot in the pack he liked and sat in.
On the very next lap the wheelsucker happened to look down and noticed that his rear tire was almost flat.
Local circuit races have always felt like non-technical crits to the wheelsucker, but there are several key differences, and in this case the game-changing difference is that there is no free lap and no wheel pit. There is the option of fixing whatever is wrong and chasing, but given that the wheelsucker needed to change to a new tube, this was only a theoretical option.
So less than two laps into the race the wheelsucker sat up, wished his competitors a good race, and soft pedaled back to his car. The tire was not quite flat, but rather close. A quick tube change later (using a borrowed pump as his was not working properly) the wheelsucker was back in business and wondering if he should jump into another race.
After some consideration and encouragement from others, the wheelsucker rolled out for the cat 3/4 35+ race. The wheelsucker was not feeling fresh as he had worked hard the day before at Church Creek, so just sat in, covered moves when he thought he should and did very little work. The wheelsucker was able to watch some of the best 35+ 3/4 racers like Mike Birner, Andreas Gutzeit, Eric Boone and a Bike Doctor rider, and tried to only go when one or more of them went. Some of his harder efforts were just moving up on the climb into the wind; an easy place to move up if you were willing to push big watts, as everyone else would tuck in close to the rider in front, and the field would be almost single file. A single rider rode off the front and stayed away for quite a while, but the wheelsucker decided to let others panic and work to bring it back. If Eric, Mike and Andreas were not at the front driving a chase, the wheelsucker was not going to be either. He did rotate to the front once or twice and take short hard pulls, after Andreas did a few.
The lone rider was brought back shortly before the start of the last lap, on the curve at the top of the climb. The wheelsucker saw Eric Boone open a small gap on the climb, jumped to get to him and went by encouraging Eric to come with him. Seconds later they were at the top of the climb and the wheelsucker had caught the lone rider, but Eric had sat up, and the wheelsucker was not willing to try to go by himself for 1.3 laps, so he sat up and waited for the field.
The pace rose on the last lap but the wheelsucker was able to hold wheels and get through the last turn in the top ten. He was merely hoping to follow good wheels and hope for the best, and it sort of worked. The wheelsucker had to brake inside 50 meters when a rider slightly ahead and overlapped on his left swerved over to the right, but the wheelsucker held on for 8th place.
The wheelsucker cooled off, rolled back to his car, and noticed that both tires were not that hard. In fact he had 80 psi in the front and less than 60 psi in the rear. So the wheelsucker borrowed another pump and pumped up his tires, thinking the first pump had been mis-calibrated.
Emboldened by getting a result, the wheelsucker talked himself into doing the 123 race. This had a rather larger field, and was clearly going to be a faster and much harder race. But the wheelsucker started near the back and was able to move his way up to about mid pack, and generally stayed between the middle point and two-thirds of the way back. There were lots of attacks at the front but nothing got away. The wheelsucker was seeing 32 mph when he dared to check, and was just sitting in the pack and was able to hang on.
With about 25 laps to go, it started raining very hard. A few laps later the wheelsucker had a scare when his rear wheel slipped out on a corner. It was not a sharp corner and the wheelsucker recovered easily but decided it was too slippery to continue. So he dropped out with the placard showing 21 laps to go. When he rolled back to his car he noticed that the rear wheel was low on pressure AGAIN! So the second tube had a slow leak, too!
The wheelsucker's cat 123 race lasted about 30 minutes, and he averaged 28.2 mph. Average power was 234 watts, rather below the wheelsucker's threshold, but the wheelsucker went over 600 watts 25 times in those 30 minutes.
So the wheelsucker started 3 races, and only finished 1, but had fun.
The 123 race was shortened as a storm cell with lightning was in the area; it went from 14 laps remaining to last 2 laps.
The wheelsucker is thinking he may have to try this 123 racing again if he can find another easy course where he can sit in.
It is not clear what would have happened if the wheelsucker had tried to move up and actually DO something.....
Church Creek Time Trial
MABRA TT Championship
Early in the wheelsucker's group riding and racing career it became apparent that he had no sprint. We're not talking a less-than-impressive sprint, we're talking your grandmother could outsprint the wheelsucker. So the wheelsucker shifted focus to trying to get into breakaways, and doing Time Trials. And there was some promise in the wheelsucker's early TT results once he had a TT bike.
And indeed the only races the wheelsucker has ever won were TTs. Several years ago he did the Deep Blue 50+ and 30+ and no one good showed up for either field and the wheelsucker won both.
So it was with some expectations (and hope, and worry) that the wheelsucker arrived at the start house for this year's Church Creek MABRA TT Championship. His primary goal was to go above his previous best average power -- 273 watts -- and do it with better pacing and a negative split. The wheelsucker tends to feel good when he starts, and goes out too hard, and his average power drops for the rest of the ride. This year he still went out too hard, but managed to curb his enthusiasm, and ease up soon enough to save something. The wheelsucker's best times (two of them), were fractionally below 57:00. so he checked his average power at 29 minutes and saw 273 watts. "Perfect!" thought the wheelsucker. Now all he had to do was beat it in the second half. And the wheelsucker did in fact manage to do this, averaging 276 for the ride, his best average power ever. So presumably average power for the second half of the ride was about 278-279 watts. The wheelsucker is quite happy with these numbers since his threshold power has been 280 watts for several years, and the wheelsucker is confident he can hold higher power on his road bike than "in the position" on his TT bike.
But the strange thing about the wheelsucker's ride is that he went 1:03 slower than his previous two best times. Go figure! Also, the wheelsucker frequently has rides and workouts that when displayed in the PowerAgent software, show less than zero (negative numbers) for power in a few places. This is usually a zeroing issue, but the wheelsucker is almost always zeroing his Powertap before a ride. So maybe he actually did slightly better than 276 watts, or maybe not.
And indeed the only races the wheelsucker has ever won were TTs. Several years ago he did the Deep Blue 50+ and 30+ and no one good showed up for either field and the wheelsucker won both.
So it was with some expectations (and hope, and worry) that the wheelsucker arrived at the start house for this year's Church Creek MABRA TT Championship. His primary goal was to go above his previous best average power -- 273 watts -- and do it with better pacing and a negative split. The wheelsucker tends to feel good when he starts, and goes out too hard, and his average power drops for the rest of the ride. This year he still went out too hard, but managed to curb his enthusiasm, and ease up soon enough to save something. The wheelsucker's best times (two of them), were fractionally below 57:00. so he checked his average power at 29 minutes and saw 273 watts. "Perfect!" thought the wheelsucker. Now all he had to do was beat it in the second half. And the wheelsucker did in fact manage to do this, averaging 276 for the ride, his best average power ever. So presumably average power for the second half of the ride was about 278-279 watts. The wheelsucker is quite happy with these numbers since his threshold power has been 280 watts for several years, and the wheelsucker is confident he can hold higher power on his road bike than "in the position" on his TT bike.
But the strange thing about the wheelsucker's ride is that he went 1:03 slower than his previous two best times. Go figure! Also, the wheelsucker frequently has rides and workouts that when displayed in the PowerAgent software, show less than zero (negative numbers) for power in a few places. This is usually a zeroing issue, but the wheelsucker is almost always zeroing his Powertap before a ride. So maybe he actually did slightly better than 276 watts, or maybe not.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
It is the FINAL Climb of the Day, Dummy!
Appalachia Visited Road Race - APRRS #6
It is a long way from Annapolis to Rowlesburg, WV; about 240 miles. Fortunately the wheelsucker was able to car pool with Mike Spinnler and Brian Fouche, so only had to drive as far as Hagerstown.
The course profile featured two major climbs; the peak of the second was seven miles from the finish, and the bottom of the descent was only two to three miles from the finish. The first long climb started at about mile 20, the rest of the course profile seemed flat or just small bumps.
The wheelsucker considers himself to be a decent tactician based on his repeated viewing of the same TdF and Giro d'Italia DVDs, so after reviewing the course profile on the web, decided that whoever was in good shape at the top of the last climb would be in good shape at the finish. Of course the next question was how to best be in good shape at the top of the last climb.
The first field off was the Men 123. They were followed by a Men 4/5 field and then by a combined field of Men 50+, Men 40+, Women 123 and juniors. Being 50+, the wheelsucker was in this combined wave, which had somewhat over 50 riders. The combined fields meant that the wheelsucker was riding with two 40+ team mates, Steve Owens and Brian MacLean. The wheelsucker was well aware of the strength of Ad Bax and Paul Mittelstadt in 50+, but did not know most of the 40+ and 50+ riders. Steve told him there were three 40+ riders who had dominated the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association (ABRA) series so far and should be expected to dominate this race. But the wheelsucker never quite figured out who the three were, except that one of them had gear shifters on the ends of his handlebars.
The wheelsucker's initial goal was to not be dropped before the first railroad crossing, which was visible about 300 meters from the start line. After making it that far with the wave intact the wheelsucker settled in near the back for a long slog.
But the notion of a flat race with two long climbs was not entirely accurate; there were other shorter climbs and rollers along the way. The pace was generally easy except on climbs where the pace went way up and the field would shred, leaving a lead group of 9-13 together at the top and a trail of riders behind who would be chasing back on desperately. For reasons unknown to the wheelsucker, the lead group never tried to go hard enough to stay away from the dropped riders who were chasing, they would ease up at some point. There were also a few attacks early, which the wheelsucker avoided chasing, letting others do the work and following wheels when these moves were being brought back.
Brian MacLean and the wheelsucker got away together for a short while, but the wheelsucker tired and slowed on a climb and was not only caught by the peloton, he was gapped and dropped before the top and had to chase back on.
A little later in the race the wheelsucker remembers letting a gap open between him and Brian MacLean, so that Brian could try to bridge to a move of two riders up the road. Brian got half way across to the move, but then there was a reaction from the field and the wheelsucker followed wheels as it was all brought back together.
So after some activity and some working very hard (for the wheelsucker) on short and medium climbs, the group started the first long climb. This was not too bad at first, but it was enough for riders to start tailing off. Gradually the effort became harder for the wheelsucker; the wheelsucker likes to think of himself as a decent climber, but it was becoming apparent that a number of others in the wave were at least as good. The lead group shrank in size as one by one riders could not hold on and were gapped. Shortly before the top, with the lead group down to 10-12 or so the wheelsucker became one of the casualties, despite going as hard as he could. He was gapped off the top as the leaders accelerated and dove down the fast descent. But the wheelsucker was not alone; several others, including at least one of the leading women 123 riders, were gapped about the same time and a small and desperate chase group was formed. The wheelsucker seems to go downhill in an aero tuck quite fast and also recovered quickly so he could push some decent watts when the descent was less steep. He was fortunate to be with Dave Kirkpatrick who was also riding strong. With Dave and the wheelsucker doing the work, the small chase eventually caught back on shortly after the descent had flattened out. But the annoying part was that riders who had been gapped as the wheelsucker and Dave chased, and even some riders who had been dropped earlier in the climb, were also able to chase back on, as the leaders had slowed on the flat. So the wheelsucker had expended energy to get back on, only to find riders behind him expending less energy, also getting back on, swelling the lead group back up over twenty. Unfortunately Steve Owens did not make it back on, and Ad Bax was nowhere to be seen.
There were a few more attacks before the feed zone at mile 36, but these were quickly chased down, with the wheelsucker just following. At one point the wheelsucker accidentally got into the part of the group rotating at the front – he was probably trying to stay near enough to certain riders that he could go when they went – and then felt obliged to pull through. Without going hard the wheelsucker pulled over, but no one pulled through. Still not going hard the wheelsucker checked over his shoulder and saw that the group had sat up. Without working hard the wheelsucker opened a gap of a few bike lengths. And then the wheelsucker started rethinking his strategy. While TT'ing away from the lead group and staying away for 28 miles including a long hard climb was unlikely, what if one or more riders jumped across and a good break got away? This might give the wheelsucker a head start on the climb. So instead of just sitting up and waiting, the wheelsucker continued on, holding power below threshold except on the short climbs. And the gap continued to open. Minutes later the wheelsucker rode through the feed zone (dropping an empty bottle and picking up neutral water) alone, with a big gap. Concerned that he would over-exert himself the wheelsucker was even more careful not to hold power above tempo. The gap shrank slowly, and then in a rush a single rider went by, encouraging the wheelsucker to get on. The wheelsucker quickly ramped it up and grabbed the other rider’s wheel. While wheelsucking behind this rider, the wheelsucker noticed shifters on the ends of the handlebars. "Ah, HA!" Thought the wheelsucker; "this is one of the three strong 40+ riders Steve told me have been dominating the ABRA series; PERFECT!" The wheelsucker told the other rider he would work as soon as he recovered a bit, and followed. The two worked together with the wheelsucker taking shorter hard (300-340 watt) pulls and the other rider pulling longer. After a couple of minutes of this the wheelsucker sneaked a peak over his shoulder and saw the chase only ten bike lengths behind. That was enough for the wheelsucker to sit up and sit in, as did the other rider. The group rolled by and the wheelsucker tagged on near the back and was promptly gapped on the next roller with a few other riders and had to chase back on hard. Mike Spinnler was in that chase with the wheelsucker and told him afterwards that he could barely hold the wheelsucker's wheel on a 2% downgrade, and that other riders in the chase were dropped because they could not. But Spinnler and the wheelsucker made it back on.
With about eight miles to go to the start of the last hard climb, the wheelsucker sat in and tried to recover and conserve until then. The lead group was down to about 17 riders. The climb came soon enough and the wheelsucker tried to go up it with even steady sustainable power. That was not enough and he was almost immediately gapped as were several other riders. The wheelsucker struggled on, but his lower back was quite sore and 240 watts average was all he could hold. Two riders behind the wheelsucker came by. The wheelsucker recognized one as a strong rider (but not strong climber) and tried to hold his wheel, but that required rather more power than the wheelsucker could manage, so he was quickly gapped off it.
The group ahead slowly disintegrated, with single riders or pairs strewn all over the climb. Soon the wheelsucker could see no one behind him, and the lead woman and the two riders who had passed him, disappearing up the road. Soon even they were out of site, and the wheelsucker was alone in his misery and his pain. He frequently stood and pushed a slightly bigger gear to use different muscles, then sat back down and spun in a 39x25 gear. Closer to the top a single rider ahead came into view. It was a 4/5 rider coming back from the earlier wave. The wheelsucker caught and dropped him near the top, and accelerated as the road flattened out.
Riders had been warned prior to rollout about the descent; there were several sharp S-curves that one had to slow right down for. The wheelsucker accelerated off the top, got into his best aero tuck and tried to go as fast as he could down the mountain while still staying on the road. It was not fast enough; the 4/5 rider caught him near the bottom. Both riders were fairly knackered but they hammered the last section to the finish as best they could. The wheelsucker could see riders ahead and was gaining on them, but not enough to catch them before the finish. And one of them was the leading woman, and not a 50+ rider.
The wheelsucker crossed the line to get 5th in 50+, with his cat 4/5 friend a few bike lengths behind. Brian MacLean was waiting at the finish line and reported staying with the two leaders almost all the way to the top, crossing the top fourth and then passing one rider on the section before the finish to take 3rd in 40+, a very impressive result. Brian is a big man; it must have taken enormous strength and determination to hold the leaders wheels all the way to the top of the mountain.
Ad Bax rolled in shortly after the wheelsucker. The wheelsucker later learned that he had flatted before the first long climb, and had chased from then on, passing Steve Owens on the descent off the first climb. Though not a great result for Ad, it was an impressive race, as he must have ridden on his own nearly the entire course.
Brian Fouche ended up 6th in the 123 race. As mentioned above Brian MacLean was 3rd in 40+; Dave Kirkpatrick was 6th (finishing a couple of minutes ahead of the wheelsucker), Steve Owens was 9th in 40+. The wheelsucker was 5th in 50+. The wheelsucker wonders if he could have gone up the last climb a little better if he had not ridden off the front halfway through the race.
Wheelsucker Data:
58.8 miles
Average power 203 watts, max 713 watts
Average heart Rate 147 bpm, max 168
Average cadence 87 rpm
Average speed 20.4 mph, max 51.7 mph
Results: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2010/08/14-Appalachia-Visited-Road-Race-APRRS-6.asp
The course profile featured two major climbs; the peak of the second was seven miles from the finish, and the bottom of the descent was only two to three miles from the finish. The first long climb started at about mile 20, the rest of the course profile seemed flat or just small bumps.
The wheelsucker considers himself to be a decent tactician based on his repeated viewing of the same TdF and Giro d'Italia DVDs, so after reviewing the course profile on the web, decided that whoever was in good shape at the top of the last climb would be in good shape at the finish. Of course the next question was how to best be in good shape at the top of the last climb.
The first field off was the Men 123. They were followed by a Men 4/5 field and then by a combined field of Men 50+, Men 40+, Women 123 and juniors. Being 50+, the wheelsucker was in this combined wave, which had somewhat over 50 riders. The combined fields meant that the wheelsucker was riding with two 40+ team mates, Steve Owens and Brian MacLean. The wheelsucker was well aware of the strength of Ad Bax and Paul Mittelstadt in 50+, but did not know most of the 40+ and 50+ riders. Steve told him there were three 40+ riders who had dominated the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association (ABRA) series so far and should be expected to dominate this race. But the wheelsucker never quite figured out who the three were, except that one of them had gear shifters on the ends of his handlebars.
The wheelsucker's initial goal was to not be dropped before the first railroad crossing, which was visible about 300 meters from the start line. After making it that far with the wave intact the wheelsucker settled in near the back for a long slog.
But the notion of a flat race with two long climbs was not entirely accurate; there were other shorter climbs and rollers along the way. The pace was generally easy except on climbs where the pace went way up and the field would shred, leaving a lead group of 9-13 together at the top and a trail of riders behind who would be chasing back on desperately. For reasons unknown to the wheelsucker, the lead group never tried to go hard enough to stay away from the dropped riders who were chasing, they would ease up at some point. There were also a few attacks early, which the wheelsucker avoided chasing, letting others do the work and following wheels when these moves were being brought back.
Brian MacLean and the wheelsucker got away together for a short while, but the wheelsucker tired and slowed on a climb and was not only caught by the peloton, he was gapped and dropped before the top and had to chase back on.
A little later in the race the wheelsucker remembers letting a gap open between him and Brian MacLean, so that Brian could try to bridge to a move of two riders up the road. Brian got half way across to the move, but then there was a reaction from the field and the wheelsucker followed wheels as it was all brought back together.
So after some activity and some working very hard (for the wheelsucker) on short and medium climbs, the group started the first long climb. This was not too bad at first, but it was enough for riders to start tailing off. Gradually the effort became harder for the wheelsucker; the wheelsucker likes to think of himself as a decent climber, but it was becoming apparent that a number of others in the wave were at least as good. The lead group shrank in size as one by one riders could not hold on and were gapped. Shortly before the top, with the lead group down to 10-12 or so the wheelsucker became one of the casualties, despite going as hard as he could. He was gapped off the top as the leaders accelerated and dove down the fast descent. But the wheelsucker was not alone; several others, including at least one of the leading women 123 riders, were gapped about the same time and a small and desperate chase group was formed. The wheelsucker seems to go downhill in an aero tuck quite fast and also recovered quickly so he could push some decent watts when the descent was less steep. He was fortunate to be with Dave Kirkpatrick who was also riding strong. With Dave and the wheelsucker doing the work, the small chase eventually caught back on shortly after the descent had flattened out. But the annoying part was that riders who had been gapped as the wheelsucker and Dave chased, and even some riders who had been dropped earlier in the climb, were also able to chase back on, as the leaders had slowed on the flat. So the wheelsucker had expended energy to get back on, only to find riders behind him expending less energy, also getting back on, swelling the lead group back up over twenty. Unfortunately Steve Owens did not make it back on, and Ad Bax was nowhere to be seen.
There were a few more attacks before the feed zone at mile 36, but these were quickly chased down, with the wheelsucker just following. At one point the wheelsucker accidentally got into the part of the group rotating at the front – he was probably trying to stay near enough to certain riders that he could go when they went – and then felt obliged to pull through. Without going hard the wheelsucker pulled over, but no one pulled through. Still not going hard the wheelsucker checked over his shoulder and saw that the group had sat up. Without working hard the wheelsucker opened a gap of a few bike lengths. And then the wheelsucker started rethinking his strategy. While TT'ing away from the lead group and staying away for 28 miles including a long hard climb was unlikely, what if one or more riders jumped across and a good break got away? This might give the wheelsucker a head start on the climb. So instead of just sitting up and waiting, the wheelsucker continued on, holding power below threshold except on the short climbs. And the gap continued to open. Minutes later the wheelsucker rode through the feed zone (dropping an empty bottle and picking up neutral water) alone, with a big gap. Concerned that he would over-exert himself the wheelsucker was even more careful not to hold power above tempo. The gap shrank slowly, and then in a rush a single rider went by, encouraging the wheelsucker to get on. The wheelsucker quickly ramped it up and grabbed the other rider’s wheel. While wheelsucking behind this rider, the wheelsucker noticed shifters on the ends of the handlebars. "Ah, HA!" Thought the wheelsucker; "this is one of the three strong 40+ riders Steve told me have been dominating the ABRA series; PERFECT!" The wheelsucker told the other rider he would work as soon as he recovered a bit, and followed. The two worked together with the wheelsucker taking shorter hard (300-340 watt) pulls and the other rider pulling longer. After a couple of minutes of this the wheelsucker sneaked a peak over his shoulder and saw the chase only ten bike lengths behind. That was enough for the wheelsucker to sit up and sit in, as did the other rider. The group rolled by and the wheelsucker tagged on near the back and was promptly gapped on the next roller with a few other riders and had to chase back on hard. Mike Spinnler was in that chase with the wheelsucker and told him afterwards that he could barely hold the wheelsucker's wheel on a 2% downgrade, and that other riders in the chase were dropped because they could not. But Spinnler and the wheelsucker made it back on.
With about eight miles to go to the start of the last hard climb, the wheelsucker sat in and tried to recover and conserve until then. The lead group was down to about 17 riders. The climb came soon enough and the wheelsucker tried to go up it with even steady sustainable power. That was not enough and he was almost immediately gapped as were several other riders. The wheelsucker struggled on, but his lower back was quite sore and 240 watts average was all he could hold. Two riders behind the wheelsucker came by. The wheelsucker recognized one as a strong rider (but not strong climber) and tried to hold his wheel, but that required rather more power than the wheelsucker could manage, so he was quickly gapped off it.
The group ahead slowly disintegrated, with single riders or pairs strewn all over the climb. Soon the wheelsucker could see no one behind him, and the lead woman and the two riders who had passed him, disappearing up the road. Soon even they were out of site, and the wheelsucker was alone in his misery and his pain. He frequently stood and pushed a slightly bigger gear to use different muscles, then sat back down and spun in a 39x25 gear. Closer to the top a single rider ahead came into view. It was a 4/5 rider coming back from the earlier wave. The wheelsucker caught and dropped him near the top, and accelerated as the road flattened out.
Riders had been warned prior to rollout about the descent; there were several sharp S-curves that one had to slow right down for. The wheelsucker accelerated off the top, got into his best aero tuck and tried to go as fast as he could down the mountain while still staying on the road. It was not fast enough; the 4/5 rider caught him near the bottom. Both riders were fairly knackered but they hammered the last section to the finish as best they could. The wheelsucker could see riders ahead and was gaining on them, but not enough to catch them before the finish. And one of them was the leading woman, and not a 50+ rider.
The wheelsucker crossed the line to get 5th in 50+, with his cat 4/5 friend a few bike lengths behind. Brian MacLean was waiting at the finish line and reported staying with the two leaders almost all the way to the top, crossing the top fourth and then passing one rider on the section before the finish to take 3rd in 40+, a very impressive result. Brian is a big man; it must have taken enormous strength and determination to hold the leaders wheels all the way to the top of the mountain.
Ad Bax rolled in shortly after the wheelsucker. The wheelsucker later learned that he had flatted before the first long climb, and had chased from then on, passing Steve Owens on the descent off the first climb. Though not a great result for Ad, it was an impressive race, as he must have ridden on his own nearly the entire course.
Brian Fouche ended up 6th in the 123 race. As mentioned above Brian MacLean was 3rd in 40+; Dave Kirkpatrick was 6th (finishing a couple of minutes ahead of the wheelsucker), Steve Owens was 9th in 40+. The wheelsucker was 5th in 50+. The wheelsucker wonders if he could have gone up the last climb a little better if he had not ridden off the front halfway through the race.
Wheelsucker Data:
58.8 miles
Average power 203 watts, max 713 watts
Average heart Rate 147 bpm, max 168
Average cadence 87 rpm
Average speed 20.4 mph, max 51.7 mph
Results: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2010/08/14-Appalachia-Visited-Road-Race-APRRS-6.asp
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Wheelsucker Tries Cat 3 Racing at the Page Valley Road Race
Not having done the Page Valley Road Race before and still trying to find a race course that suited him, the wheelsucker decided to do the race this year. But Page Valley had no age group racing; fields were by cat only.
In what would best be left as a separate blog posting rather than explained at length in this one, the wheelsucker was upgraded to cat 3 several years ago without having distinguished himself in cat 4 racing, so signed up for the cat 3 race. Having done a fair bit of 40+, 50+, 35+ and 45+ racing over the past four years (as MABRA age categories changed and the wheelsucker aged), the wheelsucker was hoping that the cat 3 field would be easier than his recent 35+/45+ races.
The plan was simple: Sit in, do no work, do not chase breaks. It was expected to be a race of attrition and the idea was to be there at the end.
The reality: The wheelsucker rolled out with a large cat 3 field, while fiddling with his Powertap which was not reading data from the hub. The wheelsucker got that working during the neutral rollout without hitting anyone and then shortly after the start of the race the wheelsucker heard a bang and then clicking sounds which stopped after a few seconds. The wheelsucker looked around for the source of the sound but it had stopped by then. He then examined his bike. The front wheel was fine, but after looking carefully at the rear wheel the wheelsucker noticed a wobble in the rim and concluded he had broken a spoke. The wheelsucker had already dropped to the back of the field while fiddling with the Powertap and checking his bike, and he considered stopping for a wheel change, but doubted he would be able to chase back on after the wheel change and did not want to be OTB so early in the race. So he decided to keep going and just opened the rear brake caliper so the wheel would not rub on the brake pads.
The Page Valley RR course has two solid climbs per lap, the first one is longer; the second is shorter but has a steeper wall at the end. The feedzone is on the wall and the finish line is at the high point as the wall ends and the next (steep and fast) descent starts.
Nearly everyone was there for the first two climbs, so it was gruppo compacto for the first lap. The attrition started on the second lap. The wheelsucker had been riding at or near the back sometimes with only Eric Boone – notorious for riding at the very back until he makes a move – behind him, but would move around riders who appeared to be gapped on the climbs. And the main field was gradually shrinking in size as riders went OTB. About lap 2 a break got off the front, but other riders assured the wheelsucker it was just one rider, and as per the plan the wheelsucker was not going to worry about single riders and small breaks. He was slowly moving up in the pack when he could to reduce the risk of being gapped by someone in front of him and to reduce the accordion effect as riders sprinted out of corners.
On the fourth lap, at a sharp left turn shortly before the start of one of the climbs, a rider in front of the wheelsucker cut the corner a little too close and lost control in the grass on the inside of the turn, and without crashing went all the way across the road to the right shoulder. The wheelsucker was close enough behind that he was forced onto the grass on the right as well, but not stopped. Unfortunately the entire field was sprinting out of the corner, while the wheelsucker was slowed to a crawl. The wheelsucker chased hard and was back on a wheel – albeit last in the main field – as the climb started.
The effort hurt the wheelsucker and he was gapped near the top of the climb along with several other riders. Off the top a desperate chase started with the wheelsucker and two others, later joined by three more, taking short hard pulls. At first the wheelsucker figured he would be chasing for the rest of the race, knowing that he could not sustain this level of effort for long. But after a long hard chase on a fast slight downhill section of the course, the main field ahead slowed a little for two turns, and the wheelsucker and his chase caught back on. The wheelsucker decided this was a near miracle as he hid himself in the pack and tried to recover. Fortunately the next climb was not for awhile, and the wheelsucker was able to recover and move up in the field. Being closer to the front, and standing to sprint out of the corners, seemed to be helping and the wheelsucker was getting on a wheel more quickly coming out of the corners, and not losing any places doing it. There were also some opportunities to move up when gaps opened on the right shoulder; a brief moment of pedaling harder and the wheelsucker would be by a rider, and would find a wheel five places further up in the field.
But on the penultimate lap, two thirds or three quarters of the way up the long climb, the wheelsucker was riding in 15th to 20th place when all of a sudden he could not hold the pace or power. A small gap opened and then one by one riders rolled by going slightly faster. Unfortunately for the wheelsucker the last rider in the main field went by the wheelsucker rather before the top of the climb, so the wheelsucker was gapped again. But he was not alone as other riders had been gapped. The wheelsucker chased and caught a small group in front of him and tried to recover, but this group was not catching the main field. On the second climb of the lap the wheelsucker was slightly gapped out of his chase group on the wall. The wheelsucker had lost count of laps and thought this was the finish and declined the water bottle Mike Wagner was urging him to take, and was shocked, surprised, disappointed and crushed to cross the line and realize everyone was still racing. The wheelsucker had one empty bottle with him and a lap to go, and he was gapped!
There is a steep fast descent after the second climb, with two bumps on the way down. The wheelsucker had had the earlier laps (several of which had seen him slightly gapped and chasing back on at the top of the second climb) to practice chasing on the downhill and knew his next move. He kept working hard for a few seconds to accelerate as the downhill started, then went into a very aero tuck and stopped pedaling and started hyperventilating. Then on the first bump the wheelsucker stood and sprinted hard and rolled right up to the two riders in front of him. And one of then was kind enough to give the wheelsucker a swig of sports drink. The wheelsucker did the same sprint on the second bump and opened a gap on the two riders.
On the rest of the fast descent he kept his speed up and tried recover. Not far in front was a group of 4-5 riders which the wheelsucker hoped to catch. But the downhill ran out and after a sweeping right turn it became a long straight flat slight downhill and it was time to pedal hard, not sit in a very aero tuck. The wheelsucker went hard for awhile, but realized he was losing ground on the group in front of him. He then noticed that one of the two riders he had just dropped was coming back. The wheelsucker eased up and waited. The rider who caught him was the rider who had given him a swig of sports drink and this time the rider just handed him a 1/3 full bottle! The wheelsucker and his new best friend worked together, but were both tiring, and the group in front was slowly pulling away. Eventually the two agreed to ride within themselves to make it to the finish and try to hold off anyone behind. They caught and dropped two riders who had blown, and then one more (it looked like Andreas Gutziet) who was off the bike on the shoulder trying to stretch out a cramped leg.
On the long climb the wheelsucker decided he was strong enough to take the other rider when he wanted to, and decided to keep working with him to the finish and then just go hard on the wall to the finish. AND IT WORKED! The wheelsucker stuck it to the guy who had kept him alive by giving him a bottle, and pulled away in the last 100 meters to finish… 32nd. Grateful that it was finally over the wheelsucker pulled over on the shoulder, put his head on his bars and waited for his breathing and heart rate to recover.
The wheelsucker was just about recovered and thinking about riding 200 meters down the hill to the feedzone when the lead car for the Men 1-2 race appeared. The wheelsucker did not want to be coasting down the hill while the sprint was going on, so waited at the finish line. He watched the leading Men 1-2 riders sprint up the hill at an amazing pace.
Thanks to Sue McQuiston and Janet Okney who drove out for their race early, so they could be in the feedzone on the wheelsucker’s third and subsequent times through. Also thanks to Mike Wagner who was trying to give the wheelsucker a bottle with one lap to go, but which the wheelsucker was too stupid to take!
The wheelsucker was pleased that he was able to hang out and support Janet, Sue and Christine in their race (after the cat 3), and the ABRT riders doing the cat 4 race at the same time as the women. .
In what would best be left as a separate blog posting rather than explained at length in this one, the wheelsucker was upgraded to cat 3 several years ago without having distinguished himself in cat 4 racing, so signed up for the cat 3 race. Having done a fair bit of 40+, 50+, 35+ and 45+ racing over the past four years (as MABRA age categories changed and the wheelsucker aged), the wheelsucker was hoping that the cat 3 field would be easier than his recent 35+/45+ races.
The plan was simple: Sit in, do no work, do not chase breaks. It was expected to be a race of attrition and the idea was to be there at the end.
The reality: The wheelsucker rolled out with a large cat 3 field, while fiddling with his Powertap which was not reading data from the hub. The wheelsucker got that working during the neutral rollout without hitting anyone and then shortly after the start of the race the wheelsucker heard a bang and then clicking sounds which stopped after a few seconds. The wheelsucker looked around for the source of the sound but it had stopped by then. He then examined his bike. The front wheel was fine, but after looking carefully at the rear wheel the wheelsucker noticed a wobble in the rim and concluded he had broken a spoke. The wheelsucker had already dropped to the back of the field while fiddling with the Powertap and checking his bike, and he considered stopping for a wheel change, but doubted he would be able to chase back on after the wheel change and did not want to be OTB so early in the race. So he decided to keep going and just opened the rear brake caliper so the wheel would not rub on the brake pads.
The Page Valley RR course has two solid climbs per lap, the first one is longer; the second is shorter but has a steeper wall at the end. The feedzone is on the wall and the finish line is at the high point as the wall ends and the next (steep and fast) descent starts.
Nearly everyone was there for the first two climbs, so it was gruppo compacto for the first lap. The attrition started on the second lap. The wheelsucker had been riding at or near the back sometimes with only Eric Boone – notorious for riding at the very back until he makes a move – behind him, but would move around riders who appeared to be gapped on the climbs. And the main field was gradually shrinking in size as riders went OTB. About lap 2 a break got off the front, but other riders assured the wheelsucker it was just one rider, and as per the plan the wheelsucker was not going to worry about single riders and small breaks. He was slowly moving up in the pack when he could to reduce the risk of being gapped by someone in front of him and to reduce the accordion effect as riders sprinted out of corners.
On the fourth lap, at a sharp left turn shortly before the start of one of the climbs, a rider in front of the wheelsucker cut the corner a little too close and lost control in the grass on the inside of the turn, and without crashing went all the way across the road to the right shoulder. The wheelsucker was close enough behind that he was forced onto the grass on the right as well, but not stopped. Unfortunately the entire field was sprinting out of the corner, while the wheelsucker was slowed to a crawl. The wheelsucker chased hard and was back on a wheel – albeit last in the main field – as the climb started.
The effort hurt the wheelsucker and he was gapped near the top of the climb along with several other riders. Off the top a desperate chase started with the wheelsucker and two others, later joined by three more, taking short hard pulls. At first the wheelsucker figured he would be chasing for the rest of the race, knowing that he could not sustain this level of effort for long. But after a long hard chase on a fast slight downhill section of the course, the main field ahead slowed a little for two turns, and the wheelsucker and his chase caught back on. The wheelsucker decided this was a near miracle as he hid himself in the pack and tried to recover. Fortunately the next climb was not for awhile, and the wheelsucker was able to recover and move up in the field. Being closer to the front, and standing to sprint out of the corners, seemed to be helping and the wheelsucker was getting on a wheel more quickly coming out of the corners, and not losing any places doing it. There were also some opportunities to move up when gaps opened on the right shoulder; a brief moment of pedaling harder and the wheelsucker would be by a rider, and would find a wheel five places further up in the field.
But on the penultimate lap, two thirds or three quarters of the way up the long climb, the wheelsucker was riding in 15th to 20th place when all of a sudden he could not hold the pace or power. A small gap opened and then one by one riders rolled by going slightly faster. Unfortunately for the wheelsucker the last rider in the main field went by the wheelsucker rather before the top of the climb, so the wheelsucker was gapped again. But he was not alone as other riders had been gapped. The wheelsucker chased and caught a small group in front of him and tried to recover, but this group was not catching the main field. On the second climb of the lap the wheelsucker was slightly gapped out of his chase group on the wall. The wheelsucker had lost count of laps and thought this was the finish and declined the water bottle Mike Wagner was urging him to take, and was shocked, surprised, disappointed and crushed to cross the line and realize everyone was still racing. The wheelsucker had one empty bottle with him and a lap to go, and he was gapped!
There is a steep fast descent after the second climb, with two bumps on the way down. The wheelsucker had had the earlier laps (several of which had seen him slightly gapped and chasing back on at the top of the second climb) to practice chasing on the downhill and knew his next move. He kept working hard for a few seconds to accelerate as the downhill started, then went into a very aero tuck and stopped pedaling and started hyperventilating. Then on the first bump the wheelsucker stood and sprinted hard and rolled right up to the two riders in front of him. And one of then was kind enough to give the wheelsucker a swig of sports drink. The wheelsucker did the same sprint on the second bump and opened a gap on the two riders.
On the rest of the fast descent he kept his speed up and tried recover. Not far in front was a group of 4-5 riders which the wheelsucker hoped to catch. But the downhill ran out and after a sweeping right turn it became a long straight flat slight downhill and it was time to pedal hard, not sit in a very aero tuck. The wheelsucker went hard for awhile, but realized he was losing ground on the group in front of him. He then noticed that one of the two riders he had just dropped was coming back. The wheelsucker eased up and waited. The rider who caught him was the rider who had given him a swig of sports drink and this time the rider just handed him a 1/3 full bottle! The wheelsucker and his new best friend worked together, but were both tiring, and the group in front was slowly pulling away. Eventually the two agreed to ride within themselves to make it to the finish and try to hold off anyone behind. They caught and dropped two riders who had blown, and then one more (it looked like Andreas Gutziet) who was off the bike on the shoulder trying to stretch out a cramped leg.
On the long climb the wheelsucker decided he was strong enough to take the other rider when he wanted to, and decided to keep working with him to the finish and then just go hard on the wall to the finish. AND IT WORKED! The wheelsucker stuck it to the guy who had kept him alive by giving him a bottle, and pulled away in the last 100 meters to finish… 32nd. Grateful that it was finally over the wheelsucker pulled over on the shoulder, put his head on his bars and waited for his breathing and heart rate to recover.
The wheelsucker was just about recovered and thinking about riding 200 meters down the hill to the feedzone when the lead car for the Men 1-2 race appeared. The wheelsucker did not want to be coasting down the hill while the sprint was going on, so waited at the finish line. He watched the leading Men 1-2 riders sprint up the hill at an amazing pace.
Thanks to Sue McQuiston and Janet Okney who drove out for their race early, so they could be in the feedzone on the wheelsucker’s third and subsequent times through. Also thanks to Mike Wagner who was trying to give the wheelsucker a bottle with one lap to go, but which the wheelsucker was too stupid to take!
The wheelsucker was pleased that he was able to hang out and support Janet, Sue and Christine in their race (after the cat 3), and the ABRT riders doing the cat 4 race at the same time as the women. .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
