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Posts Tagged ‘Spring Fling’

Always a bridesmaid – never a bride

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

You’ve heard the saying, “Always a bridesmaid – never a bride.” Of course, for me it should probably be “Always a groomsman – never a groom.” That doesn’t sound right either… maybe “Always a podium – never the top.” I lived the saying once again at the 2010 Spartanburg Cycling Classic on Friday evening.

Spartanburg Cycling Classic 2010

Once again I was going to attempt the double. I would be racing the Category 4 race and then pull back up to the line for the Masters 35+ race. It worked last time… this time would be different!

In this race POA Cycling Team would have Billy White, Matt Tebbetts, and myself. I was a little late getting there and only got a lap in before we pulled up to the line. It also meant that the three riders didn’t have the opportunity to talk about what we would do. Turns out, it wasn’t necessary.

Right off the bat, Tyler Crotts attacked and a couple of riders went with him. Then Matt worked his way up there. If I wanted to win, I should have got in that break. However, Matt was there and it was early. Either Matt was going to manage to stay away to win, or he would get pulled back into the group and then I could start to work for the win. Either way POA Cycling Team wins.

Matt Tebbetts makes it into the winning break

At first I was watching closely to see what would happen in the first few laps. It wasn’t that I didn’t think Matt was strong, I just didn’t know who all the players were in that leading group. However, it didn’t take long to realize that the gap could grow if Billy and I could control the pace. So, we adjusted our approach and I began to focus on getting the win for Matt.

Jonathan and Billy begin to control the race

When I put winning out of my mind and started to work for Matt, it started to get fun! At first there were a number of attempts to close the gap. With each attempt I would jump up on the wheels of the attackers. It was a constant leap frog. The goal was to stay on the wheels of anyone who was a challenge, but always stay off of the front.

Matt Tebbetts begins to go solo

It was working… and Matt was doing his own working! The gap continued to grow. I could sense the riders around me deflating. It was as though they knew Matt was up the road, but they knew if they worked to bring him back they would only be allowing me to rest to come along to finish things off. It was like a one two punch.

However, Matt is the one that made it happen. It wasn’t long before he simply rode the other riders into the ground. Toward the end of the race, the other members in the break dropped off. Matt never let up. He actually increased his lead. Once we got within 10 laps to go, I knew he was going to win it.

Matt Tebbetts takes the win for POA Cycling

Everyone in the main group knew Matt was going to win. The balloon had no air in it. No longer was the field in single or double lines. We were three sometimes four across. I found it hard to stay off the front. So, I began to make my plans for the finish.

This time I had no plans to get caught in a field sprint. Already I had seen a rider go down. Once I bumped the rear of a rider as I overcame him out of turn into the slight climb on the back side. Once again I was reminded of the confidence that comes with experience. A year ago, I might have gone down. This year I simply controlled my bike and kept going.

Jonathan takes second with a gap

I waited… and waited… and then we passed the start/finish line with one to go. I moved to the front and entered turn one with one rider. I moved wide around him and passed him in turn two. Now we were entering a slight climb and were also facing the wind. If I could get a good gap here, I could ride away for second place.

I attacked at nearly a sprint pace and then tried to settle into about a 400 – 500 watt average. By the time I reached turn three, I had it. What I didn’t know is that as I was negotiating turns three and four, a big crash happened on the back stretch. I crossed the line with a sizable gap over the main field.

The POA Cycling one-two punch was complete. There could have been a very good chance for a one-two-three knockout only Billy got caught behind the accident. That would have been awesome. Even as it was, I had to celebrate a bit after crossing the line. If I wasn’t going to win, I was extremely happy to see Matt do it.

Heart rate and power data from Masters 35+ race

The above graph tells the story of the Masters 35+ race. We were scheduled to start immediately after the Category 4 race. I rushed over the line and racked up with the others. Then we waited… and waited. They were still cleaning up the wreck on the other side. As we waited, my legs got stiffer and stiffer.

Finally we started off and it was a different ball game from the Category 4 race — or even the first Masters race I participated in. These guys were fast right off the line! I got in behind a Carolina Masters rider. I figured I would just follow him and mark him.

I managed to stay with him for about two laps. Then I got cut off his wheel in a turn. Before long even though I thought I was holding my own in the field, I looked around to find I was on the back! Then the yo-yo effect set in. I was hitting 600 to 800 watts accelerating out of the turns.

It was wearing my legs down. My heart rate was doing okay, but my legs started to get tired. I would work to get on the rear of the field on the straight. I would get there and then have to adjust as we went into the turns. Then it was right back to playing catchup coming out of the next turn onto the straight.

Each time the gap I had to close began to get longer. Finally, I realized that I could stay here, get dropped, and then get in the way the field; or I could get out of the race and cheer on my teammates. That is how my race ended.

I don’t feel disappointed about it. I needed the experience to see what it was like to ride in a field with speeds that rival some of the pro 1/2 races. I’ll take that experience into my next Masters race. I do know that I won’t do the double before the next one.

Thanks to Jimmy Helms for the race photographs.

Tags: Matt Tebbetts, Spartanburg Regional Classic, Spring Fling
Posted in Racing | 4 Comments »

Seeking Redemption

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Has it only been a year since my dad was rushed to the hospital after collapsing in his warehouse? Wow, it just seems like it might have been a couple months ago. It wasn’t, it happened just before last year’s Spring Fling Spartanburg Regional Classic Criterium. That was a bad day all around! Now, I’m seeking redemption!

I was planning to expand on my review of Boyd Bikes wheels. I’ve had some more time on them and thought I would give an update. However, I went back in time to check my race report for last year’s race. I knew it was my one DNF from last year, but I couldn’t remember all the circumstances. How much a difference a year makes!

One thing I am learning is the huge role your mental state plays in racing. Sure, I made some tactical mistakes in that race, but even those problems can be traced back to my emotions and mindset going into it. I’ve also learned that there is nothing better for your mental health than experience.

Pulling out for first DNF of 2009 - not a good day.

Last year I had psyched myself out because it was my first 3/4 race. Pretty much I had set myself up for failure with thoughts of “I just hope I can hang on.” Add to that the message just before the race of the issue with my father and my focus was completely shot. At the moment, I thought I was compartmentalizing it and I would be able to focus solely on the race. Now, with more racing under my belt, I realize that it is very hard to do.

This go around, I have a whole different mindset. The question isn’t will I be able to hang on. The question is whether I will win or not. True, this year the first race I’ll be in is the 4/5 instead of 3/4, but I’m starting to believe that I can run with the 3s — and not only finish, but be competitive.

That first race is really the warm-up for my second race of the day — the Masters 35+. I found last week that doing the 4s race just before the Masters race had me feeling loose and strong in the second go around. Plus, I’ll feel much more confident on the course having been on it during race conditions. Mentally, I don’t have any illusions (or delusions) that I am going to win that race, but I can see myself pulling out a top 15 finish.

A lot has changed since that race a year ago. I’m a completely different racer. I’m excited to go out and redeem that DNF.

More importantly, a lot has changed in other ways — like my dad. A year later he is doing better than ever. After his valve replacement, he spent several months recuperating. Now he is back running “the shop” and slinging 60 pound bags of concrete around. I’ve got a lot to be thankful for and it won’t be hard to be “up” for this year’s crit.

This one is for you, Dad!

Tags: Mental, Spartanburg Regional Classic, Spring Fling
Posted in Life, Racing | 2 Comments »

Ouch!

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Here is a picture from the Spartanburg Regional Classic Category 3/4 race. I stayed in the race for a bit, but “thankfully” was not there when this pile up took place. Actually, this was the first of two wrecks in the criterium.

Photo by Richard Dillard

The action was taking place from left to right. There were some bikes and bodies a little worse for wear after this one! Just another reason why I enter these circular circuses with fear and trembling. People say I’ll learn to love them… Hmmmm, hope it isn’t this kind of education.

Tags: Spartanburg Regional Classic, Spring Fling
Posted in Racing | 2 Comments »

Time to put this racing stuff in perspective

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

It is 9:45 on Friday night and I’m sitting alone typing this race report. To be honest, it isn’t something I want to do right now. The whole bike business doesn’t seem that important right now.

This morning I learned that my dad had to have a stress test. On Thursday he was doing some work at the hardware store that at 70 years old he still runs. He was moving rolls of carpet when he passed out.

When he went to the hospital they asked him who his physician was. He replied that he didn’t have one. They asked him what medication he was on. He replied, “None.” They had no medical history to work from.

My dad has always been a healthy, strong guy. It came as a shock when I learned that the stress test revealed a problem. Because of the test, he had to go in for further examinations. That was the only knowledge I had of his condition before getting on my bike to race in the category 3/4 race.

The race was part of the Speed Weeks criterium series. This particular one was part of Spartanburg’s Spring Fling. It would be my first race with the category 3 guys. I had no idea what to expect.

I felt okay. I made sure I got there in time to warm up effectively. So when we moved onto the course to come to the line, I was happy with my physical condition — even if mentally I was kind of bummed.

I came around the course to find that many of the riders were already lining up on the front. Well, I just learned something else. If you take a lap around the course ten minutes before the start of one of these things, you are going to end up starting at the back of the field.

This was another blow to my psychie. I had hoped to get up front. This was going to be tough starting back here in the back!

Off we went. I actually felt pretty comfortable in the group making the turns. However, I could see the field stretching out as we completed turns two and four. I felt the desperate need to get up to the front to make up for my bad starting position.

At the same time my brain was telling me to try to be patient. I started to look for ways to move up in the field. I started by trying to make some passes in the corners. My thought was that if I could take a sharper line, I could make up some ground in the turns.

There was a major issue with this that it took me several laps to realize. In turns one and two, if you got out line you got hit with a blast of wind. I mean, stand you up and stop you type of wind. At first I tried to fight through the wind. However, all this did was make me work all the harder for very few positions.

It turns three and four you didn’t notice the wind as much, but these were much tighter turns. If you tried to go it shallow, it would cause you to scrub off speed and you would lose the positions you gained in the turn as soon as you started coming out of it. I actually found I was having to work all the harder just to maintain my position.

Next I tried to use the front stretch after turn four with the tailwind. This was actually the smarter way to make up the ground. Unfortunately, this was after my earlier unsuccessful attempts in the corners. I was starting to suffer a bit by this point.

I started feeling myself sliding back. Where I had been averaging over 350 watts I was now dropping below 300. Still, I found that I could hang onto the rear of the field by making up the time in the corners. For a lap or two more I stayed with the main field.

Then I dropped back. I was getting ready to pull out when Matt came past me. He said, “Come on, Jonathan.” I jumped on his wheel and followed him for a lap. Then I moved in front of him and pulled him for a lap. However, that was it.

I did not want to be a danger to the main field that I knew would be coming up behind me soon. I hated to have that first DNF for the year, but it just wasn’t to be. I rolled off with my head down. To add insult to injury, the announcer called my number as I withdrew. Another lesson learned: Don’t leave the race on the front stretch.

I was angry with myself at first. Then I got down. Then I calmed down and looked at it for what it was.

I had averaged 330 watts for 15 minutes. That is more than it needed to be. It isn’t necessarily the guy putting out the most energy who wins the race. It is the guy who uses his energy most wisely.

I did not use my energy wisely. Most likely I would have made it much farther and perhaps finished the race had I placed myself in the line going wider through the turns. It would have protected me from the wind and allowed me to keep my speed up instead of scrubbing it off with a tighter turn.

Then I would have been able to move up as attrition started in the field and other movements on the front stretch would have opened lanes for me. Those would have been smarter moves. However, wisdom comes with experience. Now, I’ve had a little and I trust I will be wiser for it.

I didn’t hang around after the race for very long. My dad was on my mind. I got a message from my sister that came while I was racing. Turns out he needs to have a valve replaced. The doctors found his arteries to be clean as a whistle. However, it appears that a structural issue he has had all his life has been exaggerated because of age. It is causing the valve to be too tight.

Driving home I thought about just how insignificant my finishs in a category 3/4 race really is. Hey, it is okay to get angry about losing. Winning wouldn’t be much fun if you didn’t hate losing. However, you can’t define your happiness by how you do on the bike. Be glad you are able to be on your bike! Let the anger go after a moment and then look forward to the next opportunity to gain some wisdom.

Tags: Spartanburg, Speed Week, Spring Fling
Posted in Life, Racing | 2 Comments »