A glass half full

March 7th, 2010

Ahhh, River Falls. It is one of my favorite places to race. I’ve only had the opportunity to contest the course three times. Once, as a category 5 racer I got third. My first race of 2009 as a category 4 racer I got fourth. This year I was back — better trained, better motivated, and confident. I was wanting to better any previous finish.

The one thing that was different this year was the fact that I was going into the race as the series points leader. Lining up right behind me was Jon Leifer. He was only two points behind me. There were also three other riders who had a mathematical chance to tie me or take the lead. As I looked around, the only other one of the challengers was Wade Greene. Looked like it was going to be a three-way battle.

Waiting to begin (Click image to enlarge)

Billy and Matt were there to help me out. The plan was for them to manage any breaks and to keep the field moving. My job was to take care of the challengers for the points lead. So, we rolled off with a job to do.

The first lap was typical. It was a chance for us to all get warmed up. A lone rider did go off the front, but everyone knew he wouldn’t survive. Everyone was riding for the first climb.

That first one was no fun at all! I heard chains dropping right and left as riders searched to find their climbing gears. Riders were coming back and some were moving back and forth as they tried to find a line. It was impossible to find a rhythm!

Determined to avoid that if possible, I moved to the front on the third climb up. This time I was able to get in a rhythm and my legs were sending me good signals! As long as I didn’t wear myself down, I would be okay.

Controlling the front (Click to enlarge)

Something that made me smile was overhearing some of the conversations around me before the race started. Leifer was behind me and I heard him comment to some of his friends that “417″ was the rider to mark. The result was that it gave me confidence.

Here on the front after that third climb, Brian (a Greenville Spinner’s rider) came up beside me. He kept looking over at me as though he was trying to see if I was tired or something. I made a point to breathe through my nose so he would think I wasn’t working and finally I looked over at him and grinned.

The only problem now was that I was on the front. There was a break up the road with a minute lead. I was torn between the primary objective – protect the points lead – and the secondary objective – win the race. I knew the guys up ahead were pretty strong. What if they were able to hold it?

Matt was calling to me from behind me. “Get off the front, Jonathan!” I started to slow, but no one came around. Finally, a rider moved pass me on the left with Matt in tow. I decided to slip back into the clutches of the group. The vision of Leifer coming around me at the end because I was too tired to counter reined me in.

Speaking of Leifer – where was he? Wade was in front of me for most of the race, but my closest challenger was not coming near me. I chalked it up to him patiently waiting back at the rear of the field with some friends waiting for a final lap attack.

Back in the field (Click to enlarge)

From that point on I attempted to stay in the first 20 or so riders, but away from the front. As we neared the fourth and fifth climbs, I would work my way toward the front so I could avoid the circus of the climb. After we crested the top, I would ease back into the field.

Finally, the last lap arrived. Still no Leifer and I could tell that Wade was going to give it a go. My focus was simply on trying to stay near him and conserve as much as I could for the inevitable push from the Charleston racer. I was in between the two.

The pace picked up as we made the right hand turn onto the final climb. I quickly increased my cadence to match the acceleration. It was at that point I made a fatal error.

I was moving easily within the first 15 or so riders. The riders who had tried to create a gap up the initial part of the climb were starting to get caught. Wade was up there driving it! Still, no Leifer.

Just past the 1K to go line I was well within the top 10. Suddenly, I started to think less about Jon Leifer and Wade Greene. “Hey, you just might be able to win this thing!” It was about that point where the road kicked up. My legs were not responding the way they had earlier on the climb. I looked down. I was in my big ring.

Now, I realize that most cat 3’s and up will respond, “So? That hill is a big ring hill.” Sure it is, for you guys. However, that wasn’t what I was expecting. I had determined a sweet spot for putting out a steady tempo that I knew would run most of these guys in the ground. The big ring realization threw me for a loop.

I shifted to the small ring and searched around for the right gear on my rear cassette. Thankfully, I hadn’t lost any positions and there was only a small gap. I reeled them in and nearing the 200 meter notice I was moving into the lead. “Come on!” I thought to myself, “You might get both objectives today!”

A rider was now coming up to my right. It was going to be a sprint once we got over the rise. However, now my gearing was working against me. I shifted back to my big ring, but that moment of hesitation gave the rider an advantage. I was then searching for a smaller rear ring and attempting to shift into a sprinter stance. Again, more hesitation and I was starting to spin out!

By the time I got into a decent gear, I was nearly a bike length behind and had another rider coming up fast on the left side of me. It was going to be close even for second! The lead rider threw his arms in the air at the line and I crossed with mixed emotions as the third place rider threw his bike forward for a photo finish.

Another second place finish (Click to enlarge)

Oddly enough, a rider not in our race and without a teammate anywhere near me in the finish, protested my second place finish. I’ll grant it was close, but the camera showed that I beat Johnny to the line. In case you’re wondering, normally the people to protest are riders involved or a team manager.

As I was standing talking to my wife, someone walked up to me. It was Jon Leifer in his street clothes! I’m sure I looked confused. He congratulated me on wrapping up the omnium and then explained that he had dropped his chain on the first climb and after trying to catch back on decided to call it a day.

On my way home, I went over things in my mind. What would I have done differently had I know Leifer was out of the race? I do know I would have attacked sooner on the climb. Would that have gotten me a win? I don’t know. As John James told me afterward, “Stop second guessing. Be happy with your place!”

I am happy — very. I can race at Donaldson tomorrow without pressure of defending the points lead. Leifer wants to make it a sprint fest. I’ll give it a shot. As you know, I’ve never considered myself a sprinter… but now I’m starting to believe.

Today’s Twitter Trail (2010-03-07)

March 7th, 2010
  • Starting to get that feeling. #
  • 2nd place three races in a row! Arrrrggghhhh! However, sewed up 1st in the omnium. Tomorrow I just race for fun… and a win? :-) #

Race Logic

March 6th, 2010

Objective number one for today:

Protect the omnium position.

Objective number two for today:

Win the race.

Complete objective number two and objective number one is assured. However, objective number one can be accomplished without completing objective number two. Trying too hard for objective number two could jeopardize both objectives.

Today’s approach? Assure number one and be in a position to accomplish number two. Let the race come to me and adjust as needed on the road. I must trust in my training when the time to move comes.

I can

Protect the omnium position.

I can

Win the race.

Today’s Twitter Trail (2010-03-06)

March 6th, 2010
  • Going to do short lunch ride with some POA peeps then it is over to see @dhmruz to make sure I'm all comfy for tomorrow's race. Let's roll!! #
  • Why am I still amazed by how much better I feel after a visit with @dhmruz? Now I'm ready for tomorrow! #
  • http://tweetphoto.com/13362148 @hincapiesports Hey, is that the Silver Surfer with his head cut off? What is he doing wearing Cadel's clo… #
  • IHOP with the family, then a movie (Cloudy with a chance of meatballs), followed by some sleep, and then time to race! #

River Falls

March 5th, 2010

The fifth race of the Greenville Spring Training Series is the one farthest from the city of Greenville. It is located in a beautiful area near scenic highway 11. Though I’m sure that by the end of each race the riders won’t be paying much attention to the scenery! They’ll have their heads down as they attempt to be the first to climb Gap Creek Road to the finish.

The course almost forms a rectangle. You start at the top of the hill on Gap Creek Road. Right out of the gate you are descending with a near right angle turn onto Devils Fork Road. The section doesn’t have much climbing. After some initial rollers, things level out a bit as the road follows a creek that connects two lakes near the course. There is a sharp turn again at the end of this section as the riders turn onto River Falls Road. This road also follows a creek and there isn’t much elevation to contend with.

View map of course.

However, soon after turning back onto Gap Creek Road, that begins to change. Things start out seeming about the same until you turn a corner and cross a small bridge. At that point, you will see the climb begin. It starts off pretty shallow with some false flats and even some straightaways. You’re climbing though and about halfway to the top you’re going to be feeling it!

Then you will enter a winding section and the pitch kicks up a bit at that point. Suddenly you come around a right hand curve and “crest” the hill. In front of you is a straight shot of 100 meters or so to the finish line. The unfortunate thing for you is that you have to do multiple laps of this 5 mile course.

That climb is the deal maker — or breaker. The rest of the course is pretty manageable. The field is able to stay pretty much intact through the majority of the route. If you are going to make separation, it almost has to be on the climb. It is there the race is decided — both by attrition during the race as riders must climb it multiple times and then by selection as the strongest remaining riders race to the top for the final time.

I have seen pros and masters racers use this climb to build a gap early and then increase it as the race goes on. For the most part the categories 3, 4, and 5 do more of a group race. Racers from those categories attempting to build that kind of break might blow themselves up on the multiple climbs.

Today’s Twitter Trail (2010-03-05)

March 5th, 2010

The hunter becomes the hunted

March 4th, 2010

River Falls is two days away. Maybe someday this will change, but each event so far this year has led me to think back to earlier adventures racing these roads. Saturday there will be one element I have never experienced – I will be the hunted rather than the hunter.

With two second place finishes in the third and fourth races of the Greenville Spring Training Series to go along with a fifth place finish in the second race, I now have 24 points toward the omnium. Jonathan Leifer, whom I knocked off that top spot, is only two points back in second place overall. Fellow Upstate racer, Wade Greene, is in third with eighteen points.

Two more races remain. I certainly don’t have this wrapped up, by any means. However, I have already pretty much assured that I’ll have reached my goals (or at least a variation of them) for this race series.

Goal number one is to finish top 5 in the omnium. By the way, in case you are one of my non-cycling relatives reading this blog, the omnium is basically standings based on points earned for finishes in all races of a series. Since I am currently first in those standings, I think I am well on my way to meeting this goal.

Goal number two is to podium at River Falls. However, even if I don’t manage this specific goal, I am pleased because I have already “stood on the podium” (we don’t actually have one) twice in the series. Frankly, I have already exceeded what I thought I could do. Everything from here on out is icing on one delicious cake!

Now I have the new experience of being the marked man. Last Sunday I knew Leifer was the only rider between me and the top spot. Knowing that had a huge bearing on how I approached the race. Without doing anything, he already dictated my actions.

What do I do? Will we end up like Sunday when we rode around slow as molasses in January because Leifer was sitting in patiently waiting for the field sprint? Will I be the one slowing us down? Are there other more team-oriented, tactical things that could happen in the race to make it more interesting?

If past experience is the guide, this race could end up simply being about who can climb the last kilometer fastest. I’m prepared for that, but hope it will be something better. Seems I know better how to hunt, than to be the hunted.

Today’s Twitter Trail (2010-03-04)

March 4th, 2010
  • Greenville has been Pez'd. Home, sweet, home – http://wurl.ws/k2cE #
  • 9:30 and on the trainer. Busy day. Thinking about the weekend while I spin! #

It pays to stay up front – maybe

March 3rd, 2010

Crashing is not fun. I’ve been there and done that. Once you’ve experienced it, you never look at a crash the same way again. It is impossible not to empathize with those involved.

As I was leaving the race Sunday afternoon, I talked with a fellow racer. He was limping up to his vehicle pushing his bike. I had heard that there was a crash, but didn’t know all the details because I was having to leave immediately following the race. So, as I was changing my shoes he explained that he had run into the fallen riders and went over the handlebars.

I asked him if he was okay and the condition of the other riders. He said he was okay and that he thought the others were as well except someones bike got really messed up and the first rider who went down got run over. However, I didn’t realize just how the crash went down until I saw the following photo sent to me by Jake Strasser of Team Metro.

Category 4 finish Donaldson Center - February 28, 2010

A wide view of the final sprint - and crash (click to enlarge)

As I began to piece the story together this is what I discovered. Soon after Wade Greene and I launched the sprint a rider went down. “For no apparent reason,” I was told by one racer. That caused a chain reaction as riders scattered across the width of the road to avoid getting caught up in the mess.

Closer view of the lead and the crash

Closer view of the lead and the crash

Unfortunately, not everyone was able to avoid it. Ryan Newman, of Velosports Racing out of Hendersonville, got the worse of it. He hit the riders at speed and flipped over coming down to separate his shoulder and break two fingers. The rider who initially went down broke the frame of his bike.

Ryan Newman goes for a ride

Ryan Newman flips after running into fallen riders

In the photo above, you can see Ryan still attached to his pedals getting ready to basically body slam into the ground. His rear wheel is up higher than the riders’ heads around him. Others narrowly escaped sharing his fate. Michael Trivette, from Concord, commented, “The guy flipping hit my back while he was in the air. I was so close to hitting the deck!”

Of course, the best place to be in all of this was up front. Though I do believe it is misleading to say that it is always safer up front. Crashes happen there as well.

Field sprint 02-28-2010

Photo by Eddie Helton - http://picasaweb.google.com/Eddie.Helton

How do you avoid crashes? Well, I can hear some of my friends snickering as they think of me trying to answer that question. However, I think these suggestions are reasonable.

  • Realize that the field is like an organism. Everyone is interconnected and the slightest move you make can be magnified several riders away from you. Racing while aware of the people around you for the purpose of keeping them out of a crash is one of the best ways to avoid one yourself.
  • Learn who you are riding with! As soon as the race starts, begin cataloging the behaviors of the riders around you. Some you won’t even notice because they will be smooth as silk. Others will stick out like a sore thumb because of their brake checks, switching lines without clearing, and crossing wheels. STAY AWAY – WAY AWAY!
  • Practice your skills. One of the things that has helped me has been learning how to take contact in a race. You cannot be afraid of being touched. Invariably someone is going to bump into you. Do not over react. “Receive” the contact – don’t react away from it.
    Also, don’t get verbal. I know it is hard to keep our mouths shut, but when someone makes a mistake, it does not help at all to berate them verbally. All you do is raise the intensity and level of frustration — ultimately raising the probability of an accident!
  • Know the terrain and conditions. Donaldson Center is a great example of this danger. First, there are several potholes and the famous train tracks. Second, there is the wind that is always a crosswind – then a headwind – then a tailwind. Third, there are the hills.Immediately after gathering speed down a hill, it is time to start climbing the next one. That guy that just went flying past you suddenly begins to fade on the climb. Another rider tries to go around him on the edge of the road and ends up riding in the grass just as a crosswind pushes him back toward the field. You get the idea!

If everyone rode with these ideas in mind, that would take care of many of the crashes that happen in amateur racing. Of course, even professionals crash and 60+ people on bicycles riding inches away from each other at 25 – 40 mph are bound to have some problems.

I’m empathizing with Ryan and the other guys that went down. Hopefully, they will all be back on the bike soon. Me? I’m staying close to the front!

Today’s Twitter Trail (2010-03-03)

March 3rd, 2010
  • Have a Kindle? Like to read LowCadence.com? You can subscribe and take it with you on your nifty little reader. http://wurl.ws/hqUu #
  • RT @ericmcash: The Daily Gamecock – Cyclococks fully revived: http://bit.ly/a8IQTc #
  • Snowy night on the trainer getting ready to watch the Heels vs. Miami. They have a 1 game winning streak! #