July 18th and 19th Sco Co Pa Frenzy and Chase

This past weekend was a 2 day event in the Quad Cities area which consisted on a Short Track race on Saturday and a Cross Country race on Sunday. Sundays race counted towards the IMBCS series overall, and that would be the day I would hope to do well at.

Saturday showed up and got registered with plenty of time to spare so we walked the course to see for good spots for pictures and get a feel for it. I was able to get a couple warm-up laps in to get familiar with the corners. For the Cat 2 race it was 12 miles of basically a flat fast course with many corners, and only one small climb. Got to the line looked around and saw about 10 or so riders, so a small turnout, but still some good competition. Got the holeshot going into the woods and already had a small gap. First couple laps went fairly routine with a couple guys pretty close, and one guy on a single speed sitting right on my wheel by now. I would bobble one of the corners and put my inside pedal down and spin out, so now I was starting to feel some pressure to keep the speed up. I would stay in front for now, but another poor corner after a few laps and I was in second. By this point we are at least 20 or so seconds ahead of the rest of the group, and I am down around 10 seconds, and could not bring the gap back. Being this was a short track we started to lap people by now and getting behind some lapped traffic at the wrong point put me down a little farther. By the final lap I was about 15 seconds off the lead and would settle in for a second place finish. Pretty fun event, something I would do again, wish it was a little shorter being the day before a longer race, but was still fun.

Sunday brought us to the XC race. 19.5 miles of mainly all singletrack, with very tight turns, lots of trees on the sides of the trails, and a little bit of short climbs, but nothing major. Got on the front line of the race, there were 62 starters today, and the start would be very important as it was close to 300 yards to the singletrack with a 180 degree right hander into it from the field. Got the holeshot again, and didn't look back, the first section was the same course they used for the short track so I was just moving at that point. The course had a bunch of switchbacks and places where you can see the riders behind you. I was holding on to about a 10 second lead the entire way through the first lap, and feeling pretty good. Starting the second lap a guy was able to get up to me, but that was a good feeling because I had someone there to help push me along so we kept up a solid pace. Still with a good lead we hit one section where they cut out a tree and I hear the guy behind me go down, and find out after the race he flatted the front tire and went over the bars, so I was alone again. Starting the final lap I had about a 30 second lead, but the guys were coming fast, and I was starting to feel it in my legs. I drank when I could but my legs were cramping up pretty bad, and by the first 2 miles into the lap I was caught. Was able to keep in front for a short time, but once it opened up I let the pass as they were alot faster then I was at this point. I get into the final 2 mile loop in 4th place with still a decent gap over the rest of the field, but fading fast. I get about 1/2 mile from the finish and I have a rear flat, damn, so I try and push the bike up the hills and ride it on the flats and downhills, but about 1/4 mile my tire came off the rim and the tube wrapped around the rear hub so I had to stop and take the wheel off to get it rolling again. Knowing if I try and replace it now I would loose more time and just decide to run it the final section. While running I had a couple more people pass me and I lost a good 2 minutes or so messing with the tube. Ended up coming across the line with lots of people cheering and finished in 18th place out of 55 finishers. Looking back if I would have just ran it from when I first saw the flat I might have had a few more places, but I made a different decision and that is what it was.

Racing picks up again in 2 weeks with 3 IMBCS Races in the month of August and lots of points available for the series which I am currently leading.

Sco Co Pa Frenzie

Sco Co Pa Chase

Night at the Oval

Night at the Oval

Iowa State Criterium Championships

This past Sunday brought bike racing back to Cedar Rapids after being gone for a number of years. It turned out to be a great day weather wise and a great turnout for the event. The course was setup downtown as part of the Freedom Festival, and included racing across the 2nd Ave and 3rd Ave bridges.

We rolled in about 8:15 because Salem was doing the Junior 10-12 race at 9:30 and that way we could get all setup and watch him race before he headed off to Boy Scout Camp for a week. His race went well with 10 juniors showing up between the ages of 10 and 14 both boys and girls. He took 4th Place in the 10-12 age group, and ended up bringing home a Silver Medal for the age 10-12 boys race, great job.

The rest of the day also went well for the rest of the HBA racing team as we have Chris Eastburn taking home the Gold Medal in the Masters 50+ as well as a Bronze in the 40+, Rob McKillip taking the Gold in the Cat 5's, Dustin Salter with Silver in the Cat 5's, and Macklin Scheldrup with the Win and Gold Medal in the Juniors 17-18.

My race was at 2 in the afternoon, so about 1 o'clock I got ready, hopped on the trainer for a bit and warmed up. Showing up to the line I could see a great turnout for the Cat 4 race, 40 riders in all. I really had no plan as my training has been lacking this year, just hang on as long as I could really and go from there. We started of with a preem on the first lap, so that picked up the pace right away with one guy going off the front for his prize, and noone really chasing him for that, but the pace was fast from the gun. Mack try's to launch early on and I was sitting about 5th or 6th wheel and could see him go, and noone responded, probably due to it being so early in the race, so I jump out of the saddle and ride up to him bringing another HBA rider with me and we stayed out for a little bit but was caught after about a lap or so. Sat back in with the group about mid pack and figured I would just sit in and hold on now. Well about 1/2 way through the race a few attcks happened and I just was unable to keep the pace and slowly fell off the back with a few other riders. I would end up riding about 3 laps solo before finally being able to bridge up to another guy and work togther which worked out well for us. We ended getting lapped with around 7 laps to go, so we jumped on the back of the pack and tried to settle in for a bit and recover. One thing I was noticing was how poorly some of the guys were going through the corners, and not able to hold a line, pretty scary when you have a group of 30+ riders. So I stayed to the inside of the corners, tried staying out of the wind and hung on till one lap to go. I was off the back again, as were others, and good thing because the second to last corner there was a pretty good crash and unfortunatly it took out Mack, he was ok, just a little shooken up from the crash. I was able to come across the line in 30th place out of 34 finishers.

If I learned anything from this race it is to sit in as long as you can, and that is what I have a hard time doing. Oh well that is all part of racing, so now other then a few more Night at the Oval races I am hanging up my road bike and looking forward to finishing up the IMBCS mountain bike series and then into cross season.

Gold Pointe Fitness Club Criterium 2009

Night at the Oval

I guess I can do a short write up on this one. We showed up and I could see guys I have not seen at the Oval before, but I knew who most of them were, and that means tonights A race would be that much harder.

First race was a 12 lap scratch race, and after 5 laps I was off the back and ended up getting lapped. Then we did a 13 lap points race, and sprints for points every lap, after about 7 laps I had a go for some points, and that didn't work out for me, so I just tried to not get lapped, but that didn't happen either. Next we had an 8 lap scratch race, and the pace wasn't quite as high, and I don't think I got shot off the back for this one and finished at the back of the pack. Then we did some team time trail races, we ended up winning, but my legs were shot and I couldn't do much at the pace of the other guys. Finished the night off with a Big Gear race which I was in about 4th place coming into the last corner, and I cross wheels with a teammate at about 20 mph, and almost went down, so that was it for me, and then a granny gear race which I did well in, maybe top 5 on that one, with a max cadance of 170 rpm's.

Night at the Oval

IMBCS #3 Summerset Shootout

Yesterday brought the next mountain bike race in the series, and after my performance last weekend I wasn't sure how it would go. I know I still haven't nailed down any structure in my training this year, so heres how it goes.

Headed down there early because they had a kids race, so the boys were very excited about that, and I wanted to get a lap in before their race, but I would have to wait till after, but I had 2 hours before I raced. The first 2 miles of trails were very technical, with some steep drops that shot you right back up the other side, some loose climbs, and a lot of tight off camber sections, so the start would be important. After that you hit about a half mile road section before the next singletrack, which was nice to get some water into you and keep a high pace. The next section of trails were basically flat, some sand sections, and lots of tight turns, but nothing too hard.

Lined up after they started the experts, and I was on the front line, good place to be, look back to see roughly 40-50 others, and knowing it was a local race for more than half of them I would be in trouble if I let some of them get ahead of me. From the start line there is about 1/4 mile road section before getting into the woods. Locked out the fork, was in the big ring, they give is the go, and just hammered it. I was able to get the holeshot, and enter the woods first, good because right after entering the woods there was a log crossing, and then a really tight tree section which if you had wide bars you wouldn't fit. Also knowing the first 2 miles wouldn't allow any passing I was sitting good. I did have a guy pretty close, and I just kept going as hard as I could. I made it through most of the first lap without too many issues, other than the one I had to run up since you come down, take a more than 90 degree turn, and then straight up a short 50 foot or so climb that was pretty loose. By the time we hit the road section I got caught by another guy, and we kinda took turns drafting each other and made some good time making to the next section, he got a better line in a few corners, and was ahead of me by about 20 seconds at the end of that lap.

Second lap I entered the woods following a Singlespeeder that had a mechanical, and he was gone, but I just kept at it. I was caught by the one junior in the sport race about halfway through the first section, and I bobbled a climb, and had to get off, and he got by me. We did ride together for a little bit, but he was able to pull away after a couple more stupid moves on my part. Just before getting out of the woods we ended up passing the guy that was in the lead due to a mechanical. Onto the road section and I knew I couldn't bridge up to him, so I just tried to maintain the gap. Came out of the wood section, and didn't see him on the next road, so I knew he pulled away some. Got through my feed zone and grabbed a bottle for the final lap.

Third and final lap and I am sitting in 2nd place at the moment, and I am starting to feel it in the legs on every little climb. By this lap I had figured out what gear to be in for certain sections and was able to ride the entire first section cleanly. I did hear some guys coming up from behind me, look back a section and see what I thought was 2 guys, but must have only been one because within the next couple minutes he was closing in on me. Got to one of the loose climbs and I mis-shifted and sent my chain over the top of my cassette, and I stopped to make sure it didn't get stuck and break, which allowed him to pass me. So I get right back on and try to hold his wheel, but didn't happen, so he was gone by the time we got to the road. I looked back and saw nobody, until I was about 1/4 mile out onto the road and someone popped out of the woods, so it was go time for every last little bit I had in me. Thankfully I was able to get some second wind and keep up a good pace through the last wood section. I didn't see him gaining, and once back on the pavement heading to the finish line, it was big ring time, and just hammer it home.

Came across the line in 3rd Place overall for the Sport Class, a really good finish despite how I felt beforehand, and I was very pleased with how the 29er handled the tight stuff.

IMBCS #3 Summerset

Melon City Crit 5-24-09

Next race for the weekend was in Muscatine, it is a mile long course which includes a screaming downhill, a speed hump at the bottom, and a climb back up to the top of the park.  Me and Mac somehow got our registration in about the same time as he was #1 and I was #2, which was nice because that got us on the front line.  Picked a spot on the right side so I could be on the outside of the first turn, a 90 degree left hander which many of people either hit the curb, or drop a pedal on the ground.  

We start and me and the guy next to me take off, and are one two through the corner, safely, and it was all downhill from there.  I did loose a couple spots on the descent, but still up in the front of the pack going over the speed hump, safely again, and then start climbing.  The next couple laps were about the same, but I did find I was able to pick up as many as 5-10 spots going downhill as guys were grabbing for their brakes, and I would just fill the gaps they left.  I would turn around and lose those spots climbing though as my legs were really starting to feel Snake Alley from the day before.  By the 5th lap I was at the back of the pack, and an attack on the right side caused an acceleration that I just couldn't hold onto.  So off the back I went.  

Now I was stuck in no mans land all by myself, couldn't get back to the group, and the guys behind me weren't catching up. I only had about 10 seconds on them and one was a teammate, so I waited for them so we could work together and try and stay in the race.  We did well taking turns pulling, and a few laps later we did pick up a 4th guy.  One time up the hill one guy put in a harder effort which I was able to hang onto, but my teammate didn't get on so we had lost him at that point.  2 more laps and we could see there was only 4 to go and the USCF official pulled the 4 of us.  Kinda pissed us off because there were 2 guys we were catching up to about 15 seconds up the road that didn't get pulled, at least on that lap, and we were still a good minute before we got lapped, but I understand on a course like this you don't want people getting in the way.

So next weekend brings the return of mountain bike racing down in the Des Moines area, hopefully that goes better for me....

Melon City Crit

Snake Alley Crit 5-23-09

Memorial Day weekend, and the biggest weekend of racing in Iowa. Saturdays race is a killer, having to climb Snake Alley which consists of 7 switchbacks, and it is all brick, a must race for anyone in the midwest. Forecast was for a chance of showers in the afternoon, and with my race being at 1 I figure there should be no issues. It did sprinkle a little as I was warming up, but stopped before the race started, it did get really humid after that, but it was dry.

Staging I was able to get into the 3rd row and on the left side, which is pretty much where you want to be going into the first corner before starting the climb. First time up I was sitting pretty good in about top 10 or so, and descending you don't usually lose too many positions. Next time up I did get passed by quite a few guys, but still in the pack. As the laps went on I did slip farther back, but finally settled into a pace that I could hold for a while. After the fifth or so time up I was off the back, and fighting to keep from dropping back much farther. I was with a teammate and another guy for the next few laps, and about the 8th time around I did put in a big effort on the climb to try and lose them, and that did work out, except when I got to the top I felt everything I ate that morning coming back up so I had to let off, which hurt me quite a bit because the legs were feeling ok climbing.

I did get caught by the leaders with 3 laps to go, so I got out of their way on the climb, and was caught back up to by the other guy I had dropped earlier. So we basically rode together the last couple laps. He did get away a little on the last time up the hill, but I was able to push it on the downhills and get back onto his wheel going into the final straight, and was able to out sprint him to the line. Came across in 36th place out of 59 starters, and only 39 finishers.

Snake Alley HBA

Snake Alley (other racers)