Posts Tagged ‘Donaldson Center’

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Oh the frustrations of what could have been

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

I’m typing this Tuesday evening.  It might be a good idea to just go to sleep and write this post in the morning.  Unfortunately, I have to get going in the AM and now is the time to get it done.

Donaldson was a wreck.  No, there wasn’t a physical wreck.  My body was the wreck.

I got there with my camera and was all ready to go.  The weather was awesome and I just knew I would get some great video for the blog.  As we headed out for the ride the camera was lined up perfectly and things were set for some good images.

The pace was very mild.  Having just arrived with no warm up, I was hoping that we would take it kind of easy the first lap.  At 41 I can normally keep up with the younger guys, I just have to be nice and warmed up to do it.

It wasn’t to be.  The pace picked up as we made the left turn by the golf course.  By the time we crossed the bridge and began the climb for the next right turn a gap formed off the front.

As we climbed the hill I found myself getting closer to the front.  My teammate John was there and I followed his wheel.  Then he attacked to bridge over to the break.  I got on his wheel to help him out.  I ended up pulling up to the break and tried to get on the back to recover.

At this point I was red lining it and it was just the first lap!  Sitting there behind the riders we had brought back to the group, I tried to get my heart rate down.  However, they kept the pace just high enough that it wasn’t happening.

I continued in this state until the next time we came to the left turn by the golf course.  I tried to stay with the group down the incline, but when we started back up my legs did not respond.  It was as though I was caught in a nightmare.  I was pedaling – even coming out of the seat – but my legs were not producing the wattage I needed to stay with the field.

By the time they made the next right turn, I was alone.  Doggone it! Little did I know that at that time my camera had ceased recording and everything I tried to get on the camera from that point on did not make it onto the card.

For the rest of the second lap I just pedaled around trying to get the tightness out of my quads.  As I neared the parking area, I decided to swing in and see if the rumor that George Hincapie might be out could be true.  A quick ride through the area confirmed that the rumor was either false or George was hiding really well.

As I started my third lap I was sure that the field would catch me.  The B group did come by.  I was tempted to jump in with them, but I was really hoping to get some more A group action on the camera.  So, I waited.

Just as I was beginning to start my fourth lap I stopped to use the porta-john.  Still the A group was not in sight.  Some of my teammates who had planned to do some hard laps and then complete some easy ones were just starting out.  I jumped in with them and a little bit of fun returned to the evening.

Then the A group caught us.  Actually, it was a breakaway from the main field.  Matt Tebbetts and I were right there.  Matt jumped in.  I hesitated.  I didn’t want to go mixing it up in a breakaway when I was pretty fresh and they were beat.

Of course, the reason I had waited was because I wanted to get some action on video.  What better action than the final sprint?  So, I decided to jump in and just cover things from the back.  Surely they wouldn’t mind me being there if they ended up on YouTube. :-)

It was pretty cool.  With my fresh legs I had no trouble at all staying with these guys.  If only I could be in shape to be there at the end like this all the time.

Knowing I wasn’t competing I got to just sit back and watch how the guys were doing it.  It was as though I was watching on TV. I guess you could say I was the camera guy hanging off the motorbike.

As the group of about 12 riders started up the final climb, a rider attacked from behind me and along the left side.  He caught the field napping and tore past them.  There was hardly a reaction because the rest of the riders knew that either he was going to stay away or he would croak before the end.

Well, he held on.  I came in right with the lead finishers.  I was so excited to get it on video – or so I thought.

I’m sitting here at my computer looking at three files.  Each one says the file size is 12 kbs.  They are corrupted and there is no video of the final lap.

You just don’t know how disappointing that is.  It is one more thing to add to my frustrations with my cycling.  Now I’m going to bed.

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Posted in Rides | 1 Comment »

More on the Garmin 705

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

I know I gave my final word on the CinQo and Garmin a couple of posts ago.  However, I had some follow up questions come my way from someone interested in the combo.  His questions centered around the Garmin rather than the power meter.

Since I took the time to craft the e-mail, I figured I would put it out on the blog just in case someone else has similar questions.  If you have any questions about the devices or the combination of both, I will be glad to try to get the answers for you.

The only issues I have had with the Garmin is when I have tried to put a que sheet on it and follow it on a long ride (we’re talking ride lengths of 4+ hours).  It is as though the computer can’t handle it and it freezes.

I have had no problems at all with the CinQo and the mapping conflicting.

The reason I like the Garmin is:

1.  the point-to-point directions
2.  the ability to use the mapping function to follow rides afterwards
3.  the fact that it collects data from my HR monitor and power meter
4.  the way you can configure the screen to show different fields of data

Your friend had something happen to him that has happened to me.  When you use the Garmin with the speed sensor on the back wheel, sometimes the connection between the two gets broken.  This happened to me mostly if I had not been on the bike in a day or two.  The way to avoid it is to make sure you pair the devices before you get to the race location – or at least 30 feet away from other riders.

Anyway, if you do not pair the two together before you go into a group situation, you can end up picking up someone else’s speed sensor.  However, that is alleviated when you use the CinQo.  You don’t have a speed sensor in that case.  CinQo becomes your cadence sensor and the Garmin uses the GPS for measuring your speed.  You don’t have to have the little speed sensor on the chain stay.

Obviously, everyone has their personal habits that are different from others.  Perhaps you would want to use the combo in a way I have not and therefore could experience an issue.  However, I can say that I have reached the point where I don’t even think about it.  It is second nature.

Let me know what you end up doing!

Glad you enjoy the video.  I am hoping to get out there tomorrow night at Donaldson Center and get some there.

Of course, I am simply giving my experiences with these devices.  Other user experiences may vary.

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Posted in Review | No Comments »

Just what the doctor ordered

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

I was wrong.  Last evening’s ride turned out to be great!  I didn’t even have that “I’m about to explode” feeling on the second lap.  I guess being a cyclist isn’t all bad.

This time I made it out to Donaldson Center with time to spare.  Everything was in order on my bike – I was sporting my new Quarq CinQo Saturn power meter.  I even had time to ride out on the course a bit before heading to the start to hand over my 5 bucks and get in line.

We rolled out and I counted at least 8 POA Cycling teammates in the group.  Actually, I believe it was nine.  It was good to see the spidey suits out in force.

I dropped immediately toward the back.  I had no idea how my body was going to respond to the effort.  Thankfully, on that first lap, though there was a group that went off the front, things went easily and everyone spun along to loosen up.

Even the second lap continued to be relatively laid back.  The speed did increase overall, but there weren’t any attacks that had me trying to hang on for dear life with my tongue hanging out.  I was proud of myself for staying about mid-pack to near the rear.  I made an effort to try to work as little as possible.

Coming into the third lap I began to pay more attention to my teammates and tried to stay in contact with at least one of them at any given time.  Since John has always been my “unofficial” coach, I kept an eye on him and basically mimicked what he did.  That was the best way I knew not to have him tell me I did something stupid during the ride.

The fourth lap arrived and I was feeling amazingly good.  It was time to start moving closer to the front – but not too close.  It was not time to start being a hero.  There were still 14 miles to go.

Then it arrived… the fifth lap.  A gap formed almost immediately.  I couldn’t tell exactly who from my team was around.  I thought we had one guy up in the break, but I wasn’t sure.  Louis and I moved toward the front and we tried to figure out how we were placed.

If we did have someone up in the break, I wasn’t in a big hurry to go after them.  They would have a better chance without the group swallowing them up.  Then I saw the rider I figured was out there coming back to us and looking over his shoulder waiting for the group to join him.

As we were going up the climb before the golf course, John really turned up the wick and I followed.  Before I knew it, I was on the front of the chase group.  I sensed I was on the point and people were happy to let me be there.  That wasn’t what I wanted.  I peeled off and sat up to let someone else come to the front.

Then I came up beside Randy and told him, “I’ll be glad to try to go all out and pull you to the break and then drop off.”  I knew if I did it, I wouldn’t be able to stay in the group.  However, I also knew we had no rider up there and Randy could give them a run for their money if I could just deliver him there with fresh enough legs.

Randy responded (sounding rather doubtful), “You can give it a try.”  So, I started up the remainder of the climb with Randy in tow.  This is when I wondered what the week off the bike would do to me.  I was either going to be really fresh and able to pull or I was going to be really weak and croak.

As I climbed toward the turn where the “club house” is two Barley riders came flying past me.  My first thought was that they were wanting to chase as well.  So, I got on one of the riders’ wheel.  He certainly didn’t keep up the pace he had when he passed me.  That should have been a sign.

Both riders kept a reasonable pace, but I wouldn’t call it a chase pace.  From behind I heard Randy say, “Move around these guys.”  I realized too late (rookie mistake) that those guys weren’t chasing.  Most likely they had a guy in the break and they were covering Randy and me.

So, I went around and started to hammer it.  Of course, by this time the entire peloton became the chase group.  Here I was once again asking myself, “What are you doing?”  This was not the plan for the evening!

Just as we reached the bottom of a downhill before starting up another roller, I knew I had to get out of the way or I was going to get run over.  I was out of juice.  As I moved to the left, I saw Randy continue forward.  I felt really awful that I was dumping him right at the bottom of a climb with him pulling the entire field!

As I hugged the yellow line, I kept waiting to see POA riders go by me.  Ah, there went a couple.  Hopefully, they would be able to get up there and help Randy out a bit.  Me?  I had shot my wad.  I did recover enough to jump on the back of the field for a bit, but I started to yo-yo and finally decided to just let them go.

The best part of the night was when I was unloading my bike from the car.  My legs felt sooooo good.  It was that comfortable soreness that comes from a good workout – tiredness that tells you you are going to sleep like a rock!

All those negative feelings from earlier in the day?

What negative thoughts?

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Posted in Racing | 3 Comments »

Cyclists Anonymous

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

If you are going to read this blog, you are going to have to get used to my emotional nature. It isn’t that I am taking depression medicine or anything like that. It is simply that sometimes I can get down and I’m not seeing reality.

This typically happens when I look at the scale and see I am two pounds heavier than I was a week ago. The feeling comes when I read Twitter posts of other riders who have braved conditions to get on their bikes while I cowered at home. I start feeling that paranoia that EVERYBODY else has got to be feeling more fit and fast than I’m feeling right now.

Well, today is one of those days. I have not ridden my bike since a week ago yesterday. With my crank on its way back from blizzard plagued South Dakota, I have been without a bike (I’ve sold my other two road bikes). I know, I could have put another crank on there temporarily. However, with the busy week I had last week it seemed like a waste of effort.

Of course, there is also the weather. It has been pretty nasty here in Upstate South Carolina. At least the docks are starting to float again in Lake Hartwell, but with the wind, cooler temperatures, and rain; I don’t know if I would have gone out there if I did have a bike!

Donaldson Center is tonight. The weather is supposed to have a pretty good chance of being dry this evening. My crank should arrive at the shop today and I should have a bike for the ride. No excuse today to avoid it.

It is going to be painful. I’m not that worried about the legs. They will come around. What I dread is the point in the second lap when the pace picks up and my fitness gets tested. I’ll be breathing like a steam locomotive and my heart rate will be telling me I’m about to die. I’ll have a choice to drop off and ride a lonely route or hang onto the group and suffer.

Depending on the level of suffering, I should be able to come out on the other side and at least stay with the group. I have no illusions of riding on the front today! If I can finish with the pack, it will be a success.

Does anyone else ever feel this way? Am I alone? Do you ever look at your face in the mirror and ask why you do this to yourself?

Hello. My name is Jonathan. I am a cyclist.

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Posted in Life | 4 Comments »

Okay, that just looked weird

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

I headed out to Donaldson Center a little late.  The bike came out of the car in a rush.  The helmet got slapped on my head and the shoes on my feet.  The tires were just going to have to make the ride on the air I had put in the night before.  I DID NOT want to get left behind by the A group.

The group was just finishing up listening to the announcements as I pulled my bike up to the front.  After having a few seconds to say hello to some of the riders around me, we heard that wonderful sound of “click. click. click.” as riders mounted their bikes for a fun 35 mile ride around Perimeter Road.  The weather was beautiful and the group was large.

There was a good contingent of POA Cycling riders in the group and as we began the ride we took some time to catch up a bit.  This was great, but I was a little uncomfortable.  It wasn’t because of the guys.  It was because of the bike.

This was only the second ride on the road for me and the Giant TCR Advanced.  My muscle memory was still treating this new bike like the Specialized Tarmac Pro.  With the Tarmac, my movements could be rather abrupt and the reaction of the bike would soften my actions.

With the TCR each movement would cause a quick reaction.  Now, that isn’t a bad thing — it is a good thing.  The only problem is I needed to learn this new bike and riding in tight formation is not a comfortable thing when you are unfamiliar with the sted you are astride!  I didn’t want to take out my teammates!

I drifted to the back to avoid being a danger to anyone and stayed there for about a lap and a half until I started to not think about how the bike felt and movements became more of a second nature.  By the end of the second lap, I wasn’t thinking about the bike anymore.

Well, except for one thing.  I had ridden the first lap in the small ring.  When I moved up to the big ring I started having all kinds of trouble with the chain slipping.  My cables must have stretched and shifting was a mess!

On the second and third lap I was fighting the gearing.  I would shift for climbing and could not get power because the chain kept slipping.  The group would gap me and then I would have to work to catch back on.  Finally, I found that if I rode the big ring and stayed in about three of my smaller rear gears, I could avoid the slippage.

Going into the fourth lap, I was feeling pretty good.  As we came by the golf course and started up the next climb, I noticed an attack.  I moved to cover it because it was a rather large group and I did not want them to get away.  For a bit I dangled near the rear just to look back and see I had the main field right behind me.

At this point I realized that the next lap was going to see a pick up in speed.  If I was in the same state I was in at this point, I was going to get killed.  So, I eased up and moved over to let the field come by.  I figured I could recover a bit and then work my way back to the front.

A little over half the field came by when John James passed me and said, “Stay up here.”  I was feeling better by this point, so I moved back into the group and decided to work my way back up to John.  By the time we reached the fire station, I was able to tap John’s back to let him know I was there.

The bad news at that point was that while my lungs and quads were feeling good, my right calve muscle was twitching on that final climb.  I was able to spin through it and as we passed the start finish line, I was thinking things were looking good.  Maybe my first Donaldson Center ride of the year would be a good one!

As we made the first turn after the start finish line, I heard John say, “Let’s go!”  He took off and I just hung onto his wheel.  By the time we reached the golf course we had reached the front of the field.  Hey!  If I could just be smart here, I would have a really good finish!

Just about that time the cramp returned.  This time with a vegence!  As we made the sweeping left hander by the golf course, my calve just pretty much locked up.  I couldn’t spin out of it.  My ankle wouldn’t bend!  I motioned that I was moving to the right and unclipped so I could try to shake it out.

The entire field moved past me.  I tried to catch back on up the climb and into the next right turn.  It was no use.  I was right on the edge of another one of those cramps.  Then the same thing started on the left leg.  It was weird!  I could look down at my leg and actually see the cramp “rolling” up my calve muscles.

I just had to get out of this big ring!  I dropped the chain once, but was able to pull it back on without stopping.  I did my best to keep from locking up the muscles again and by the time I reached the railroad track, I was putting out about 280 watts again.  Still, all the way to the car, I could feel that “just about to seize” feeling.

Overall, it was a good ride.  I checked my numbers and the ride at Donaldson Center took more work than my 4th place finish at River Falls earlier this month!  If I can hang out around the front of the pack going around Donaldson this year, I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble being there at the end of a Category 4 race.

My take aways? 1) I have simply got to hydrate more leading up to the ride.  Sure, drinking during the ride is good, but I need to have it in my system as well. 2) Patience.  It was obvious that I pretty much could have conserved a lot of energy and still been there at the end.  The fact that John pulled me all the way to the front from near the back proves that.  That move to bridge the gap was actually a stupid one.

On the positive side, I ended up feeling very comfortable and happy with the handling of the bike.  I just need to have a tune-up — which is to be expected.  I also worked through those times when it feels like you are going to explode and then you come out on the other side feeling ready to take on the world.  Without the cramp I was in a very good position for a front of the pack finish.

Maybe next time.

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Posted in Racing, Rides | 1 Comment »

When it’s done right, it’s really really really fun!

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Yep, it’s Tuesday.  Time once again for the Tuesday Night World Championships at Donaldson Center.  I didn’t get to go last week, but plan to be out there this evening.  I’ll be doing the A ride, but if it is your first time out you might consider one of the C ride excursions into the country.

Here is John Davidson’s account of last week’s country route ride.  You can read it at his blog as well.

Can it be done wrong, these Tuesdays at Donaldson?  Well, first, you should know what Tuesdays at Donaldson is all about.  It’s about a lot of sweat, some groaning, a lot of grunting.  It’s rippling muscles with the sheen of sweat glistening in the setting sun, bodies working in unison extracting pleasure along with some pain.  It’s intimacy and closeness.  All of this in the beautiful setting of the Piedmont.  Tonight was an excellent example of how a group of ‘strangers’ can extract every ounce of pleasure from 29 miles of rolling country roads.

I’m talking about group bicycle rides leaving from Southern Greenville County’s Donaldson Industrial Park.  Tonight (3/10/09) was the first ride of the year.  Many thanks to the Greenville Spinners for putting together such a great event (and it’s free too!!).  Extra special thanks to Dan McNamara who led the country II ride (18-19mph pace) for the 29 mile loop.  For Dan’s benefit, I’m the guy in the Michelin jersey who gave you a break from the pull for that section leading up to W. Georgia Road early in the ride.

Dan started us out at a great warm-up pace.  I had us clocked at an average of 17.3mph for about the first four miles or so (just about the time I gave Dan a break on the pull).  I won’t claim to be the guy who picked up the pace, as we were in two lines and the guy next to me was wearing a Lance Armstrong look-alike helmet….but, nonetheless, from early in the ride, the average pace gradually crept up.

As we rolled through the perfect evening and beautiful countryside, spirits were very high.  I felt the group was very interested in staying together.  We watched out for each other, slowing and stopping where appropriate.  This really helped keep that spirit.

One of the best parts of a group ride is, yes, the group.  When you get a bunch of people riding at the same speed, in twin pace lines, it is really awesome.  Many different people pulled our group tonight.  There was a few standouts who seemed to want to pull a little more than others.  There was Ron in his bright orange jersey pulling like a madman for big sections.  There was John (Lance A helmet) who seemed to have a reputation early on as a hammer (he was kind to us however), and there was Bryant who sprinted out in front of us on the flats and / or downhills as we approached the hills.  If you don’t know him, he’s easy to recognize – he kept pace with our group pedaling with only one leg. Incredibly strong individual.

As we crossed 418 for the first time, our average pace had climbed into the advertised zone (now over 18mph).  The group was sticking together and working together.  After that first crossing of 418, we enter the best section of the ride (my opinion) – a rolling, twisting fast section with a short but steep climb as we re-approach Reedy Fork Road.  I always have a blast in this section and there is usually a small breakaway.  Tonight there was something that may have started as a small breakaway, but we never really broke away – the group was right on our heels throughout.  This is what makes group riding fun – moving fast, riding close, pumping hard – the adrenaline was really flowing!

As we re-entered Reedy Fork road for the long stretch back towards Donaldson, new riders came to the front to pull the group.  We maintained a strong pace and our average continued to climb towards 19 mph.  It’s a great feeling to sit back in the second or third position and just watch the riders in front as I maintain my position in the pace line.  The beauty of the pace line is absolutely not appreciated by someone who does not ride a road bike – those NASCAR guys talk about the draft, but I’ll never drive a race car at 200 mph, so I’ll settle for finding that pocket behind the rider in front of me.

As we pulled back on to perimeter road, you could feel the excitement building for the final sprint to the finish.  We had several guys pulling for us, but on that last hill, knowing I don’t really have a sprint, I decided to give a little grunt to get up the hill.  That put me out front mid-way up the hill and that seemed to push others over the edge. As we approached the top, the sprint was on.  I laughed (at myself) as most of the group motored past me for a strong finish.  Thanks to everyone who helped pull me through the ride tonight, I think it ranks as my most enjoyable ride at Donaldson.  I clocked the ride with an average pace of 18.9mph – perfect (if you ask me anyway).

So, I never answered the question about how you can do Tuesdays at Donaldson wrong did I?  Well, if you haven’t joined the Greenville Spinners on Tuesday nights at Donaldson, you’re doing it wrong.

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Posted in Events, Rides | 1 Comment »

Spring Training Series Day One

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

I wish my fingers were in better shape so I could give a better report of the races yesterday at the 2009 Greenville Spring Training Series presented by Hincapie Sports. Unfortunately, this brace they have on my left hand really slows me down. I’m feeling much too tired to battle through the process of getting my thoughts about the day down with one hand!

So, enjoy this video. I had hoped to have it up last night, but the data transfer was slow. You will see right away that the fields were quite large. Perhaps I’ll have some time later today to share my thoughts in a vlog. I will not be going out there for Sunday’s races. My birthday was yesterday, but I will be celebrating it tomorrow at lunch following morning church service.

We’ll see what happens next weekend… but for now, I hope everyone enjoys this “raw” video from the day. There is no voice over and it can get pretty confusing trying to figure out which group is coming through. Unfortunately, I only have a couple of short clips from the Masters races. I had to run home and pick up my boys during those events.

Thanks to all you out there who mentioned you hoped I would heal soon. Special thanks to my POA teammates who made me feel welcome. Also, I wish the best to all the guys who were injured in the crashes – especially my bro Matt and my long time Hour of Power partner, Owen.

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Spring Training Series starts tomorrow

Friday, February 20th, 2009

If you have the opportunity, head out to Donaldson Center tomorrow for the 2009 Greenville Spring Training Series.  Already into cycling? Then you already know this is the kick off event for bicycle racing for the Upstate — and beyond.  New to cycling? This is the time to come out and see what it is all about.

Here is a map of the location. Check out the entire schedule at HincapieSports.com.  Here is the scedule for Saturday, February 21, 2009.

Category Start Laps/Distance Prizes Place
Cat 5 34- 9:00 AM 3 laps/21 mi. Medals 3
Cat 5 35+ 9:04 AM 3 laps/21 mi. Medals 3
Women 9:06 AM 5 laps/35 mi. $200 4
Masters 35+ 11:00 AM 6 laps/42 mi. $250 6
Masters 45+ 11:02 AM 6 laps/42 mi. $250 6
Juniors 11:05 AM 3 laps/21 mi. $150 3
Pro, 1, 2 1:00 PM 8 laps/56 mi. $499 10
Cat 3 1:02 PM 7 laps/49 mi. $300 8
Cat 4 1:05 PM 5 laps/35 mi. $200 6

An explanation to the uninitiated readers (Hi, Mom!). In cycling all rders are divided into categories.  This is determined by experience, ability, and politics.  Category 5 is pretty simple.  You are just starting to race.  After finishing 10 races or by placing high and winning races, you can move up to Category 4.  In that category you begin earning points. 

To move up to Category 3 you must earn 20 points in any 12-month period. You also have the option of starting 25 races with a minimum of 10 top ten finishes with fields of 30 riders or more, or 20 pack finishes with fields over 50. Get 30 points in 12 months and the officials will automatically upgrade you.

Most riders are aiming for at least Category 2 status. At that point they may end up at times racing against pros. Making the jump from 3 to 2 is much harder than from 4 to 3. The explanation is simple: 25 points in any 12-month period, but the execution is much harder. That is where the politics come in!

Moving from 2 to 1 is very similar. You need to amass 30 points in any 12-month period. If you can do that in a 2 field, you are pretty good. Of course, there is more than one way to skin a cat. You can get fewer high placed finishes, or you can find every race possible and get lower places in more races. The emphasis is on experience and points, not only only finishing high.

What about those juniors? Here is where it gets interesting. Juniors are riders under a particular age. However, some juniors may be racing as Category 2 and 1 racers. Don’t let the baby faces fool you! You will often see a junior double in the Junior race and another category race.

The Masters are the same on the other end of the spectrum. They are racers who are past a particular age. However, don’t think that makes things any easier! The Masters fields in the Greenville area are often the toughest to ride in. Like the Juniors races, you will have multiple categories involved and it is painful to watch former national champions thumping the less experienced guys. That is why, even though I could race Masters, I will take my chances with the younger guys in Category 4!

You will notice there are prizes given out. The category 5 guys get medals. The rest get money. I guess it is kind of like your initiation. Until you prove yourself, you don’t get the cash. I think the organizers also want to discourage sandbagging – the act of staying in a lower category just so you can keep winning.

This prize money goes to the top finishers. You can see the top finishing places in the right column. As you can see, there isn’t a lot of money. You hope to get enough to pay the entry fee and your expenses for getting there. However, for guys at Spring Series, it isn’t about the money.

Plan on joining us.  The morning will start out kind of cool.  By the time the Pro, 1, 2, and Cat 3 and Cat 4 riders get out there the temperatures could reach the 60s.  So, throw on a jacket and come join the fun!

Stay tuned to LowCadence.com as we plan to bring stories and finishes from the first day of the rest of the season. On a personal note, I’m going back to the hand specialist today to have my big bandage removed and a smaller splint put on.  May be getting on the trainer tonight!

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Posted in News, Racing | 4 Comments »

My first road race complete

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Well, I would like to tell you how I placed. Unfortunately, I can’t. Welcome to category 5 racing. No one really cares about recording finishes because it doesn’t mean anything… except to the people racing.

Best I can tell I placed in the top 10 to top 15. It was disappointing because I wanted to do better and also because I KNOW I could have done more physically, but made some mistakes mentally.

I got there with plenty of time. Jimmy Helms took me out on the course to give me some pointers on warming up. We spent some time spinning and then some big ring work. Jimmy then headed toward the line and I decided to do a slow ride around the course to check out the tracks, etc.

I finished and then went over to take a nature break. When I came out, I saw some riders gathering at the start line. I figured it was the group before us. However, when I got up there I realized it was mine!

I hoped in to the middle of the pack in order to avoid getting stuck in the back. No sooner had I got my glasses on and they started the race. Here we go.

The front went off pretty fast. My thought was, “Whoa now!” There was Jimmy way up ahead of me. My first goal was just to work my way up to Jimmy. Then I was going to attempt to stay in the top 15 or so and ride it out.

I was working for that goal and made my way to the top 10 and thought I was maintaining it. However, after we finished the first lap, I realized that I was about 20 back. How did that happen?

As I started into the second lap, I realized the reason why was because as you hook into a group, other groups will ease around you and while you pass a few of them others stay ahead of you. I then began to adjust my approach to see if I could change that.

What I did was to attempt to go from one group to another. If I felt I was getting too close to the front, I would fade back and then do the same again. I finished the second lap in the front 10 of the group I was with.

The only odd thing was that there was a really big guy who went off the front on the first lap. He was so big (my guess was he was 6′ 4″ and about 280) that everyone in the group figured he would crack. We were fighting for position amongst ourselves and ignoring him.

Going into the final lap I wanted to make sure that I was near the front so that as accelerations began around the first turn I would be there and no gap would form. Check.

Then I chose a rider that I thought would be a solid chance for getting win. I marked him and stayed with him as we worked in the group. Then he pulled a fast one on me and went hard to the front. I ended up halfway through the final lap on the front row.

I went to the white line and planted myself in hopes that the group would come around. We did settle into a group as we rounded the turn that would lead us to the train track. At this point I was still in the top ten of the group, but the breakaway rider was still out there!

Over the track things picked up just a little. Just before we went into “the dip” someone went down just behind me. My first thought was, “Whew, I’m glad that I was up here!” My second thought was, “I hope that wasn’t Jimmy!”

I stayed with the top five as we went into the dip and then the guy I was marking hooked up with a rider he knew and I got shut out of the line. I lost a position or two as I tried to work back in.

As we moved up the incline that would bring us to the fire station, other riders started to form lines and move toward the front. I began trying to maintain or advance my position. This is when things got tricky.

We reached the fire station and I knew people were going to go for it. The majority of the riders in the group sprint were to my right. I had one rider to my left who was overlapping my front wheel. He kept moving to the right and then back to the left.

Several times I thought of moving up between the two riders in front of me, but then the gap would close just enough to make it dicey. I then thought about slowing and going around the left side of the rider to my left. I knew that would be a dangerous move for the riders behind me.

Finally, the rider to the right started to advance and I was able to give it some gas. Unfortunately, by that time I was able to unwind it, we were at the line. Not able to really take in everyone in the group around me, I had no idea what my place would be.

I know that the big guy crossed the line first. Then a second rider made a move away from the pack for second. The third and fourth place riders were at the front of the group I was in.

Then it was over. It was a challenge and was fun, but somewhat anti-climatic. I felt like I was in a big blob with no personality. When fighting for sprints on the Hour of Power, there is that fun of hashing it out and friendly trash talking with your friends. Here you just crossed the line and that was it.

That probably changes as you begin to participate more. If you moved in the race circuit long enough, you probably would end up with the same response with the riders around you. I’m sure the Cat. 5 race had something to with it as well.

I’m leaning toward doing next Saturday’s race. It would be interesting to test some of the things I learned today. I’ll let you know what I decide…

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Taking wing at Donaldson Center

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

After work, I loaded my bike on the car with apprehension in my stomach. The plan for the evening was to ride for the first time at Donaldson Center. I had heard all kinds of stories about how tough it was to ride there. Just before leaving work, I got this message from a friend.

The first lap is a “warm up” lap. Yeah. Right. Quarters are VERY tight — 3-4 wide on one side of the street. A bit of bumping. And lots of accelerating and decelerating. Don’t leave any gaps or someone will jump in — a space for a wheel is a space for a bike.

And that’s on the B ride. =)

Have fun!

On that note, I put the car in gear and headed over.

It took me about 15 minutes to get there from my home near downtown Greenville. The six o’clock start time kind of made for a hectic get away. I only had a banana as I drove over.

Once I got there, I was glad to see Kevin Dunn. He was cornered by some folks who where letting him know what he needed to do differently about the P3 ride. For the record, Kevin, I had a great time on Sunday and thanks for showing me where the B ride started from tonight.

There is a C, B, and A group. The C group does a longer loop around the area at a more leisurely pace. The B group I was told averages around 20 to 22 miles an hour around the seven mile loop. The A group contains the riders with racing licenses. I assume they go very fast.

I paid my five bucks for the police escort and then watched the A group pull off. We had to wait a bit before taking the course. I meet a couple of guys I ride with on Saturday mornings with the Sunshine Cycle Shop group – Jeff and Barry. It was Jeff’s first time out as well.

The first lap started out okay. I found a spot and stayed there trying to be conservative. However, all the jockeying made me nervous and when I group broke away, I decided to bridge up and join them.

By the second lap, I found myself riding with a big dude with a scar on this left leg. I remembered that scar from the P3 ride on Sunday morning. The other person in this group was one of the DeFeet girls. That was probably some of the most fun of the night as the three of us broke away from the group and held our own for more than a lap.

In the third lap we got overtaken by the group. More jockeying and I found myself trying to stay near the front while at the same time trying to recover a bit. Once again, by the end of the lap, I found myself near the front.

Fourth lap – but I was confused. I wasn’t sure what lap I was on and as we finished it, I made a dash to be one of the first to cross the finish. Only, it wasn’t the finish! I asked a guy beside what lap we were about to start. He said, “Five of six.”

Ouch. So, I dropped to the rear of the group thinking that I was done for. However, riding back there is a great way to recover and watching the near crashes in front of me was a motivation to move back toward the front. So, by the end of the fifth lap, I was once again only about 12 back – out of between 25 and 30 people.

At that point, something happened and the group split. I don’t know if most of the group just stopped or what, but I was left with three other riders to finish the sixth lap. We rode it alone. It was another DeFeet girl, a guy in a t-shirt, and a younger, tall guy with Campbell soup can logos on his butt.

Again, that was fun. We paced each other with the guy in the t-shirt doing great work on the pulls. As we neared the finish, the DeFeet girl was in the lead. I moved up so my front wheel was parallel to her rear wheel and I was content to just end the night like that. Then the soup guy came blasting past us and I just couldn’t help it. So, I went after him. It was too late.

Over all, I was very pleased with my effort. 43 miles in an hour and fifty-three minutes. I averaged nearly 23 mph for the ride. I also accomplished my three goals: 1) don’t wreck, 2) earn respect by being willing to pull, and 3) stay with the group.

It was kind of nice to be the mystery rider who shows up for the first time and can’t be dropped. I had people ride by me as we were pacing and look back at me. I could tell they were checking to see if they knew who I was. That felt good.

Maybe I’ve found my place in the B group.

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