Sunrise Cycling Classic Race Report

Friday
11:45 pm - go to bed

Saturday
4:30 am - Wake Up
5:30 am - Cab to Dulles Airport
7:00 am - Flight Departure to Ft Lauderdale
9:30 am - Arrive Ft Lauderdale
12:00 pm - Lunch (PowerBars, Cliff Shots, 2 liters of water)
1:00 pm - Assemble bike
4:00 pm - RACE BIKE!
4:45 pm - Collapse at the finish line

I will never repeat this schedule again.

So the plan was to come to pancake flat Florida for a race in my former home state. I was excited to see old friends and get some good racing in the legs. A nice flat and fast course is what I was hoping for to build some confidence and maybe get a result.

Well... The course was a vicious 3 mile circuit on a land fill. I got their early enough to see the pro race and those guys were hurting bad. Their field was completely blown all over the place. There were several groups of 6-9 riders all over the course. It was hard to tell who was in the lead group.

The weather was hot as usual for South Florida in the late afternoon. When I got to the start line, there were a few guys who recognized me and chatted for a minute. The start actually wasn't that bad. I could tell the group was saving the legs to blast it up the first climb.

I am actually getting better at reading the race and knowing when the groups are going to surge. Just as I thought, the group went hard up the first climb. I settled into a second small group up the climb, actually pulling on the front. I felt good in the big ring, hitting a pace of about 18mph. I knew I was gonna pay for it later, but I wanted to push it a bit early in the race.

By the time we got the the second big climb to the finish area, I was already pushing close to 180 bpm's on the heart rate. I eased off the pace and settled into my own race. From this point on, I focused on my cornering and my pacing on the climbs. I felt good about the lines I took on the corners. Coming in high and targeting the apex. I was able to carry my momentum through most of the turns.

I put in one last big effort to the line at the finish and it was over. I had every opportunity to quit the race, but I didn't. I am sure these early season hilly races are going to pay big dividends later in the season. My big targets are the RFK Criterium and the Tour of Washington County stage race.

I love bike racing.

New York Time Trial Series Race Report

Took a trip up to New York to hang out with my Discovery Channel Pro Cycling buddy Joe Praino and Antonello Guzzo. The New York Racing Series had a nice 9 mile time trial race we all decided to do together.

This would be the first opportunity I had to race my new Discovery Trek Equinox TT bike. It was the first official time I got to use all of that fancy aero stuff I had been collecting over the past few months. I was thinking I could use a nice flat and fast TT to get the confidence up this season.

1000 ft of climbing over 9 miles.

Ok, so here are a few lessons learned from that race:

1. Don't race without a warm-up. I brought the trainer, but didn't get a chance to warm-up. Won't make that mistake again.
2. Preview the course. Had no idea what the course looked like, which made it always a surprise. As much as I wanted to go flat out, knowing where the climbs and turns are on the course help. Not to mention road surfaces.
3. Don't hold anything back. Had a little too much in the tank at the end.

So, just before the race started, I realized my back wheel was rubbing the inside of the chainstay. The wheel was true, just not set properly. So I had a moment of truth, where either I didn't race, or I raced with the wheel rubbing.

I raced with the wheel rubbing.

I never really felt like I settled into a proper cadence during the race. Perhaps that is something to focus on next time. I ended up with a decent time, with lot's of room for improvement.

My fit on the time trial bike needs some serious adjustment. Time to get out the tape measure and dial it in.

Cat 5 Blues

"Raise your hand if this is your first race"

Well this weekend's race at Tyson's Corner wasn't my first race, but kind of wanted to raise my hand when the start official asked this question. Suddenly I was shot back in time to grade school when the teachers would make us raise our hands for just about anything that would totally isolate or embarrass a kid. I digress...

So the odd thing about CAT 5 races is they really are not races for beginners. Competitive cycling has to be one of the few sports without a true beginners class. It's sink or swim in the CAT 5 ranks. There are two rules for a beginner. You will suffer, and you will get dropped. Cycling has been a humbling experience for me. Sports have generally come easy to me growing up.

My first race was a year ago at Greenbelt Park in Maryland. They do a great weekly race, that is good to get out and see if racing is something you might enjoy. I suffered and I got dropped. But I actually enjoyed it.

Now for this weekends race at Tyson's Corner. It was a circuit race on a 1.1 mile loop. The race had 3 turns, nothing technical, and 1 "big ring" hill. The race started midway on the hill. The started read the course description, and a few of the rules. Then he asked "raise your hand if this is your first race". I wanted to be "that guy".

Once the starter blew the whistle or rang the bell (I can't remember) the race started. A couple of guys didn't get clipped in right away and another guy dropped his chain. Sloppy start. I should have attacked.

I got in a good warm up so I felt good on the start. My goal was to have a good warm up, and a solid 2 laps. I was surprised how slow the race started. I was totally expecting a fast start. Guys were chatting it up, and it felt like a casual group ride. Then we hit the hill and it was full gas. I put my head down for a second and when I looked up the group had about 2 bike lengths on me. For the next 2 laps I desperately tried to get back on with the group. Eventually I had to settle for my position with the other riders that got left behind.

I spent the rest of the race pulling for a couple of guys who jumped me on the last drag to the finish.

I accomplished my 2 objectives, I had a good warmup and I rode a good couple of laps. I also fell victim to the rules of the CAT 5 beginner. I suffered and I got dropped. Normally I would be pretty pissed about getting dropped, but I now feel like I am paying my dues and getting a serious initiation test. One that I am determined to pass. At some point in time, I will be one of those guys sitting around sipping expresso in my Euro pro racing kit, talking about the times when I used to get dropped at the local crit.

I love bike racing.