The Mellow Classic Experience

If Lance tweets it, they will come...

Lance Armstrong invited 700 of his closest friends to a mountain bike party in his backyard. How could I NOT go?

Welcome to Austin, Texas. 2 months of training and one practice race under my belt. I made the pilgrimage from Virginia to Texas with my mountain biking partner Kelly. The bikes made it without any problems and we were geared up and ready for a fun weekend of riding and racing.

Austin is my kind of town. Good food, great music, fun people, and good biking. They should have pearly gates outside the airport as you enter the city. Ok, let me stop with the Austin love fest...But really, the city is dope.

The trip started with a visit to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop. I've been waiting for this moment for over a year now. A bike shop owned by Lance Armstrong that sells all of my favorite stuff? Wow! It is the ultimate adult toy store. After I dropped enough money to qualify for a down payment on the place, I went for coffee. Of course the shop has it's own cafe' aptly named Juan Pelota's. As I was sipping my coffee, I noticed Taylor Phinney looking at magazines right behind me. What kind of place has Olympians/World Champions walking around so casually? Wow. A little later, Ironman Kona runner up Chris Lieto strolls in. If Lance tweets it, they will come.

On to the biking. We made the 45 minute trip out to the ranch affectionately known as Juan Pelota's Ranch. Texas slang for "one ball". The sun did not manage to come out and the rain was steady leading up to the pre-ride on Saturday. I didn't think it was gonna be that bad. I spent a couple of good days with Kelly destroying our bikes in the mud here in VA. No problem. Then we got out on the race course. I've only had a few moments where I've been scared on the bike. I wanted a diaper after the pre-ride. I was expecting a lot of climbing, so that didn't surprise me. The sharp rocks, steep drop-off's, wicked limestone climbs, and wet conditions were spectacular. Did I mention there was a section of Pave'? Not Roubaix, but cool nonetheless. Post pre-ride and I felt like I went to battle with every rock and tree stump on the course. I stopped frequently to try to take in as much of the experience as possible. I left thinking, how on earth are we gonna race this course?


Race day. I went through most of my pre-race routines. Soft music mixed with some Rage Against the Machine right before the start. This was nothing like the road races and criteriums I did this year. I had become very comfortable and confident in those races often attacking and feeling like I could win. In this race I felt like a total rookie. More like a freshman waiting to get thrown in a locker or have his books knocked out of his hands.

My strategy was going to be to go as hard as I could at the start and get to the singletrack in the first group. It worked in my last race, so I figured I would go for it. There were 42 racers in my category. Normally racers just come to the line in whatever order they want. Fast guys go to the front, beginners stay at the back. I was planning on getting close to the front. In this race, the starter had a roll call. Names were randomly called and racers lined up. This wasn't like grade school where I was always first. I think there might have only been 4 or 5 guys that were called after me. Back row and it sucked. Oh well, I get to pick riders off. Sometimes I ride better with people to chase.

The whistle went off and it was a slow messy start. Lot's of mud and a slight uphill. Eventually the race settled into a long snake of riders leading into the first singletrack section. Traffic jam. The slick uphill singletrack left riders jumping off their bikes and running. I'm not so good with the hike and bike technique. In retrospect, I should have spent more time on the treadmill and less time on my bike training.

After some frustrating moments, I settled into a good groove. I took some of the hairy limestone drop off's without blinking and felt great on the climbs. I was in a group of about 5 riders. At about mile 3, I started to notice my foot sliding in the pedal. Not good.

I got to a tough limestone step up, slipped, tried to clip out, and my foot was stuck in the pedal. Luckily I got the other foot out before I fell over. I've had trouble with shoe cleats before. I knew what was happening. The cleat was coming loose and was sticking to the pedal. I made it another mile without problem, and then as I began to catch a few slower riders there was a back up at a tough climb and I couldn't clip out. That was when I fell. And of course I fell on the worse side possible. The side that my foot was stuck in the pedal. I couldn't get up! I lost at least 5 minutes trying to get myself up. My race was over.

Charles Darwin once said "it's not the strongest of the species that survives, but the one that's most responsive to change". It was at this point in the race, that I gave up on racing, and turned to finishing/surviving. After managing to pull myself up with a tree branch, I was determined to finish. I could no longer get my foot clipped back in the pedal. The rest of the course was gonna be hard without clipping in. I managed to make my way through.

The last climb to the finish was tough. Not physically, but mentally. It was a climb I knew I could be strong on, but the race had passed me by, and I was left to struggle with one foot clipped in. I crossed the finish line totally dejected. I guess I should have been proud of finishing considering how many people didn't finish the race. (One Lance Armstrong dropping out after a flat) I literally finished with one leg. It's hard to believe I finished 34 out of 42 riders.

I really felt bad after the race. I have crazy mixed up feelings about the race in retrospect. It was one of the coolest events I have been a part of. At the same time, one of the biggest competitive disappointments. I was happy to hear Lance is thinking of doing a spring race. I must return and exact my revenge on that course.

Well now it is officially the off-season. There are a few mountain bike races in Florida in January that I might race. But for the most part it is going to be long cold rides on my road bike with some mountain biking on the weekends. I'll get some good time in the gym as well.

Looking back, I had a good season. 27 races. 2 top ten finishes. No serious injuries. Met a lot of good people along the way.

Next year is going to be......epic.

Joy and Pain

"When the weather is bad and the fitness is low, cycling can be it's most beautiful". Pro cyclist Michael Barry of Columbia High Road made this comment during a discussion about off-season training. While most of us cyclists can think of moments when we suffered through a tough ride against the elements, not many can explain why to those outside of our masochistic world.

What makes George Hincapie (pictured right) suffer over more than 200km's of cobblestones, mud, and dirt at Paris Roubaix and then come back for more? What makes the commuter get up in the morning and slog through rain and sometimes snow on a folding bike and then tell his co-workers how awesome the ride was? Why do we Twitter obsesively about our pain and stuggles using words like "epic" and "suffering"?

We cyclists are masochists cut from a special fabric. We see the impossible and say "why not?". We ride the delicate line of joy and pain. We find joy in expending thousands more calories during a ride than we could possibly consume over one day. We dodge careless drivers on the battlefields of streets and deserted roads. We subject our bodies to more stress than they are designed to handle. We ride the fine line of riding near or at our limits and pushing ourselves over the edge until our bodies rebel against us and shut down. Road rash and bruises are battle scars we tell stories about over coffee. We line up at local criterium races or in front of millions at the Tour de France like Gladiators.

Pain may be what we feel in the moment. Joy is what we share through our common bond of experience.

Fort Ritchie Criterium Race Report

"Some of you may recognize rider number 250 from the Discovery Channel".

This is what was announced by Joe Jefferson as the race began. This was my first criterium race with a race announcer. Having a race announcer is a nice touch.

This race took place on a nice 1k closed circuit on an old abandonned army base. The course had 3 tight 90 degree turns, a nice long chicane, and a slight uphill section. The uphill was nothing severe, but just enought to slow the group a bit. I raced in the Cat 5 field. Due to a scheduling error, they actually had 2 Cat 5 races, so those who were eager to Cat up, could do back to back races. I am not in a place fitness wise to pull a double, but quite a few actually did.

I was able to get in a nice warm up on the course. I hit the turns at race pace to find the right lines to take. This proved to be crucial during the race. When I got to the start, I positioned myself in line behind a tall NVCC rider. I figured I would follow his wheel and catch a nice draft.

As the race started, I had trouble clipping in. Once I was clipped in, I found the tall NVCC guy and stuck to his wheel. I was so focused on hanging onto this guys wheel, that 3 laps in, I noticed we had been gapped by the field. Not good. I was now in a small group of four riders shelled off the back. Chase time again!

We settled into chase mode. Well at least I thought so. In this small group were 2 guys from the same team, me, and another lone rider. I pulled for a lap, then the tall guy went to the front and pulled for 2 laps. As I saw our gap to the group get bigger, I began thinking we would maybe get lapped. The front group pace had really picked up.

I decided to ramp up the pace on my next pull. I got out of the saddle and put in a hard effort up the slight incline into the tight turns. When I caught my breath and turned around, the group was gone. I actually dropped them, and I was stuck out in no mans land with the lead group closing in on me.

I held them off for a lap before being caught with 2 laps to go. I ended up finishing 31.

The data from my Garmin was as follows:
Average Heart Rate: 172
Max Heart Rate: 181
Average Speed: 23.1 mph
Max Speed: 34.1 mph

Overall, I was happy with my improvements. The fitness is coming along, and I am learning how to race.

Next race is in Baltimore this weekend. Bike Jam Kelly Cup.

I am spending most of my time now on my TT bike building fitness for my first major sesaon goal at the Philly Time Trials. I have really been going well on the TT bike and a top 5 is definately a possibility.

I love bike racing.

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.

Looking Ahead

The classics season is upon us.

George Hincapie will be seeking the elusive Paris-Roubaix win that he deserves more than anyone in the pro peleton.

Fabian Cancellera will be aiming for Flanders. Can he get over the climbs?

Martin Maskant will be looking to follow up his surprise (not to Jonathan Vaughters) 4th place finish at Paris-Roubaix. Will the Argyle youngster have what it takes to pull through?

Lance is riding Flanders.

How will Quick Step manage the inevitable stand off between Devolder and Boonan?

Bring on the cobbles.