What is Cyclocross?

Here's some info for those of you who are curious what kind of racing I'll be doing until mid-December. The WHY? question has no answer!


"Some of the phrases that are commonly bandied about to describe the sport of Cyclocross are: "the toughest hour in cycling""the NASCAR of bike racing""the steeplechase of biking competition""mud, sweat, gears and blood""[requires] the finesse of a ballet dancer, the speed of a motorcycler, and the grit of a hockey player" Cyclocross is a fall/winter, on-road/off-road cycling discipline held on a looped circuit of approximately 1-2 miles. Cyclocross racers navigate mud, sand, pavement, grass, gravel, pasture, and mulch. When the terrain is too steep to ride or they are confronted by a standard set of wooden barriers, riders dismount, shoulder their bikes and run. Regulations suggest a lap be comprised of 90% riding and 10% running. Each race is a timed event lasting anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour depending on the racer's category. The race leader at the completion of the last lap is declared the winner. The sport originated in Europe after the second World War where road cyclists began riding in pastures and muddy fields to maintain their fitness. The first World Championship was held in Paris in 1950. A cyclocross bike splits the difference between a road bike and a mountain bike, equipped with knobby skinny tires, drop handlebars and a lightweight frame. Fast, short, and technical--cyclocross enjoys a colossal following in continental Europe and is currently the fastest growing cycling discipline in the United States. Cyclocross is a great sport for viewing by spectators as the racers complete laps every 6-7 minutes, so there is always plenty of action happening right before your eyes. Clanging cow bells are a staple accessory used in cheering on the competitors at most every cyclocross."

Borrowed from http://www.usgpcyclocross.com/


"Pain. This is obvious to anyone who's ever lasted longer than 5 minutes in a 'cross race. It has all the anaerobic agony of a breakaway effort, but instead of being just a few short laps at the tail end of a criterium, it lasts a whole wicked hour. And unlike the mystic-like calm you can derive from the steady, repetitive nature of a high-speed paceline, the complete lack of rhythm to a cross race (pedal, dismount, run, jump, coast, curse, repeat) makes it impossible to regulate the depth of your suffering."

Borrowed from www.competitivecyclist.com

NASCAR Race @ Loudon, NH

If cyclocross is the NASCAR of racing, then I’ve kicked off the season in fine form! While many of my future competitors were lining up at the first ‘cross race in the region, I was in line at the Dupont tent getting a beer!
My co-worker P-Diddy and I headed south on 95 at 5am, destination: Loudon,NH. A former hockey player of mine runs a tire/car repair business on the Cape and his dad always has 2 tickets and tent passes for me at the 2 Loudon races. I skipped the summer race due to an mtb race conflict, but I couldn’t miss 2 in a year! Besides, this is the first race of the Chase and the competition is intense.
Pat and I arrived at 7:30am, strolled through the merchandise trailers, bought gifts for Babs and the kids, and headed for the tent. Breakfast was being served so we found a spot and hung out with the Klucevseks and waited for Jeff Gordon to show up. Because of the size of the crowd, there aren’t any autograph signings or 1 on 1’s with Jeff. They do allow you to write down a question though and select 5 people to come up, shake hands with Jeff, and ask him your question in front of the entire crowd. As luck would have it, I got picked for the 2nd year in a row. It’s all about coming up with an entertaining question. I said “Everyone knows you can drive a stock car fast on a race track, but can you resurface the ice in less than 10 minutes driving a Zamboni 9mph?” He and the crowd got a kick out of it and we had a couple of back and forths when he said he was concerned the ice would be slippery and I said you have to stay off the boards! I told him he had a job when he was done racing and he said that pays what, $8,000,000?
Then the turkey dinner was served and Pat had his 6th beer while I eased into my 3rd. It’s unique starting drinking at 10am!
The race was entertaining for sure. It was hot as Hades as you would sweat just sitting there. There were a few crashes and some good side by side racing. But there were also some long green flag runs and that’s when the turkey and heat and no more beers took effect. The finish was exciting with a crash near the end, resulting in a 5-lap sprint finish which my boy Kevin Harvick ran away with.
So, while some guys were actually on their bikes racing, I was sweating my ass off, sucking down beers and inhaling fumes. That is excellent ‘cross preparation as far as I’m concerned! Bring on the green flag!

Dog Chase Hillclimb

Me - 1st
Dog - Last

Was out for a tempo/interval ride yesterday. I was in the final 3 minutes of a 15 minute hard effort going uphill when man's best friend decides I'm dinner and wants to hunt me down.
I hear the barking up ahead and then see what appears to be a black lab bombing down the driveway to meet me head on. Normally I wouldn't expect this from a lab, so it must have had part wolf in him because it had more anger and teeth than any household pet I know of!
I'm working hard, but seeing Cujo coming at me forced me to dig into that satchel of stength you only break out at sprint finishes. The dog underestimated my acceleratio, and leaves toe nail skid marks on the road, then peels out after me for the chase.
The rulebook says I have options:
1. Yell at the dog sternly to go home.
2. Praise the dog in a soft, calm voice and tell it to sit.
3. Spray it with a water bottle.
4. Stop, put my bike between me and the dog and keep it at bay until the owner shows up.
5. Work on your sprinting.
I chose #5. Those other choices may work in other situations I'm sure. I just saw my leg as a juicy steak, and a hungry dog. I got the ham sandwich out of there!
The dog kept up for about 25 yards, but never closed to more than 10' away.
I reached the top of the climb, completed my effort, and gave a 1 finger victory salute!
It's been a slow month obviously!
Next up is the MMBA/NECS mtb final at Reid State Park (unless Fido wants to go again!).

GMSR – Wrapup

It’s back to reality here in Maine now. I had a bit of difficulty sleeping no doubt due to fatigue, although my legs aren’t sore. I would classify my entire body as “worn.” It was surprising to realize how much upper body I used all weekend when sprinting and muscling up climbs.
My general opinion of the stage race is I’m content with my finish within my class. I can’t imagine I could have improved on my Prologue time as I was redlining it from the start. The Circuit Race came down to the sprint which isn’t my specialty, so I’m content with that finish. The Road Race will be remembered as an opportunity lost. All I had to do was match the surge up the last 30 yards of the Middlebury Gap and I would have been in the front field and could have certainly earned a better finish. However, the group of 6 of us made the most of the situation and to finish only 6 minutes behind the winner was a real accomplishment. The Criterium was a blur, literally. I gave it all I had and am pleased with the result.
Overall, I think my top-20 GC is accurate. Could I have cracked the top-15? Absolutely. But the lessons learned and the experience gained puts me in a good position to shoot for a top-10 in the Masters 40+. Crap, I’ll be 40 next year! I definitely underestimated the category I was in. The field I am actually licensed for was the Cat. 4 35+. I can pretty much bet everyone ahead of me was both younger and/or a Cat. 1-3. All of my finishing times would have won the events in the other category. At least I can’t be accused of sandbagging! Instead of bringing home prize money, I brought home experience and the satisfaction of knowing I was competitive in an elite field. It was by far the hardest, cleanest, funnest road racing I’ve ever experienced!
I’m taking some deserved time off and beginning the transition to cyclocross, the final bike season!

GMSR – Criterium

30 laps, 18.6 miles

Masters 30+
16th/42
19th Final GC

The final event was the criterium held on downtown Burlington. There was a threat of showers, but thankfully it just stayed overcast. The course was dangerous enough with out adding the element of losing grip in the turns. It was a 6-turn circuit with a decent climb to the finish, a brick s-turn section, and a mad descent into the final turn.
The race started out with a bang. We went all out right from the whistle. I hoped perhaps the pace would be a little mellow coming off of the previous day’s road race. But no, not this group! I hung on for dear life!
After missing the boat yesterday, I was committed to staying in the pack today at whatever cost, but it about cost me my soul! I was VERY close to sitting up and coasting home about mid-race. Thankfully, the pace slowed just at the right time and enough for me to recover and keep up. On the day, we averaged 26mph and my heart rate averaged 179bpm, with a high of 195! That’s giving it all I’ve got!
I set myself up in good, but most important; safe, position heading down the descent into the final turn. Then it was a mad dash to the finish where I lost 1 spot. I was happy with the finish and the news I re-entered the top-20 in GC.
Whew, now for some rest!

GMSR - Road Race

64.7 miles

Master 30+
21st/60
22nd GC


Just back from the toughest road racing event I’ve ever competed in! This one had everything: rain, hills, wind, sun, hills, descents, did I mention hills?!
The race start time was 8:50am so it was an early rise to get breakfast in. I knew it was going to be a long day in the saddle, so I figured eggs, waffles and coffee were a good base. It’s difficult to force food down that early in the morning despite the fact you know you’re going to need the fuel later. I could only predict what I would need later and hoped 3 bottles and 3 gels would keep the fire burning. Once I was getting dressed I debated heavily whether to take the 3rd bottle as it was chilly and rainy and I figured I wouldn’t be too thirsty. I stuck it in the jersey pocket anyway, but never ended up using it. I decided no warm up was better than getting soaked before the race even started and hoped the neutral start and the LONG race would be ample, it was a good call as I felt fine off the line.
The course was 64.7 miles long with 2 major climbs: Middlebury Gap about halfway through with an 18% grade section, then the backside of the Appalachian Gap with a couple of 20% grades to the finish. My pre-race thoughts flip-flopped between just surviving and finishing top-10. turns out the former won out. We departed Mt. Ellen in the rain and had a neutral descent to Rt. 100. Once on 100, it was a rolling route that had us accelerating off and on. Some guys apparently tried to go off the front, but to no avail. Strength in numbers was the theme for today. I was feeling quite good. The legs were tired yesterday, but they gave no early indication they would fail me today.
We hit the base of Middlebury as a pack and began the climb. Everything was going fine. I was in a group and felt OK. Then as we approached the summit, there was an acceleration that I didn’t respond to. I thought guys were going for King of the Mountain and then would let up on the descent. I thought wrong and the race for me went from one of possibilities, to one of survival. I was effectively dropped and could not catch up. As I had never seen the course, I had to be cautious on the descent as it was fast, wet, and had many turns. The group ahead had the advantage to work together and motored away on the flats. All I could do was go solo and hope to either latch on to other stragglers ahead or form a group with others behind me. The latter won here. 6 of us set to the task of hoping to catch back on, or at least maintain position and not get caught from behind. This was the most cooperative racing experience I’ve ever been a part of. We were basic a team time-trial train. One would pull for about 10 seconds, the pull off to the left and let the next one through. We were an efficient machine and everyone worked. Unfortunately the gap was too great to catch the leaders. 6 guys chasing 20 or so is no-contest. There was a time in there where I felt like I couldn’t keep the pace we were setting. I had to skip a couple of pulls, had a little to eat, took a leak for the 2nd time (at this point, I can’t feel bashful about pissing while riding. I’ll be doing the laundry anyway!). We stuck together all the way to the base of the App. Gap where it was every man for himself. I luckily had enough left in the tank to pull ahead of 3 of the other guys. The wind and weather was at its worst on the final 4K. It was Mt. Washington all over again! But the crowd on the side of the road was supportive and helped get us over the top even when all I wanted to do was get off and walk! Fred Thomas was in the field ahead and finished top-5. Guess I should have been on his tail today!
Next up is the Criterium in downtown Burlington, if I have anything left!

GMSR - Circuit Race

53 miles (2 ¾ laps on a 19.5mile loop)

Master 30+
19th/60
19th GC

I don’t know what to make of these circuit races. They’re generally long loops with little change in terrain to split up the group. We all end up riding around for a long time and then have a sprint finish. There was one good climb, but the descent and flat generally discouraged anyone from getting away. Having said that, apparently 1 guy did so kudos to him. I wonder if he’ll have anything left for tomorrow’s RR. To make matters worse, there were crashes on the descent on our 1st and 2nd laps (we only went by 3 times) so we had to go through neutral leaving zero incentive to make a break on the climb.
Today I wanted to use this race as a learning experience and I told myself to stay with Fred Thomas and mirror his tactics. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to analyze as we pretty much stayed together. There were no legit breaks so there wasn’t much chasing, just accelerations.
As I said, it all came down to the finish. We were at the 1K to go when I pulled up along Fred and asked what he thought. He said it was a long way to go so we stayed towards the front of the pack. Shortly thereafter, guys around me started going and I latched on to a wheel and went, TOO EARLY! For some reason, my leadout let up halfway to the finish for whatever reason so I was on my own. I thought I could keep going, but the distance was greater than I thought and my sprint was turning into a long interval. Then woosh, a ton of guys went by and I was screwed! No I really don’t like these races!
I thought I was buried in the 30’s, but was pleasantly surprised I maintained my top-20 standing.
Next up is the grueling Road Race. I hope I can climb well.

Green Mt. Stage Race - Prologue

8.2 mile Hillclimb

Master 30+
20th/61
20th GC

I arrived in Warren, VT yesterday after a 4.5 hour drive due east. Man, is it ever difficult to go east-west in northern NE! I’m glad I got the drive over with and was able to set up camp. I’m staying at the Powderhound which I picked because it has suites. Hopefully I’m saving money by being able to prepare all my meals rather than eat out. The place has everything I need to cook, except for a stove. I don’t know what I was thinking but I brought a frozen pizza and had no way to cook it. I ended up heating it up on a frying pan, it tasted just as good! I was a little concerned there wasn’t a bathtub as I was planning to take ice baths after each stage. A dip in the pool put to bed those worries, it’s super chilly!
I’m flying solo this weekend as it was too much of a trip to drag the whole family to. I expect to host former KHS ski coach Jack Bailey Saturday night as he’s competing in the Citzen’s race on Sunday. I also met PVC president “Fast” Fred Thomas. He won the 4/5 35+ race last year so I’ll be watching him. He screamed up the hillclimb today so he’s off to a good start.
I was learning new things about the stage race right up until yesterday! The big news was the fact that the prologue today was not a traditional timetrial. It was a hillclimb, thus negating the need for a true TT bike. Also, it was a mass start so all you had to do was take notice of where you are at in the field to determine your position. I thought this was a good thing as you can compete against others rather than the clock. What I learned just yesterday was the entire stage is based on points, not time, so it made sense the prologue was a mass start rather than timed. This means, your daily finish position has a set amount of points awarded to it. Your final GC position is based upon # of points accumulated, finish times mean nothing. Heading into the prologue I thought these revelations were good, we’ll see how it plays out in the end.
Today was perfect riding weather, 70’s and sunny, negligible wind. I had a good warmup and was ready to go. We lined up and rode through Waitsfield in a controlled start. This is supposed to mean the pace car keeps us at a moderate pace so no one can go off out front. The TargetTraining team must have pressured the driver to speed up because we were definitely at race pace from the get-go! Once we turned onto Rt.17 it was on. I hung around the front, even taking a couple of turns pacing at the outset because the steep stuff was yet to come. Once the road went vertical, the true racers emerged.
The route was a total of 8.2 miles, 7.3 after the neutral start, with the last 2.7 of it gaining 1276ft. of elevation at an average of 10% grade. There’s not much to say other than everyone is pretty much going as hard as they can. Drafting no longer is an aid. People are basically redlining it and just accepting their position as the best they can achieve. At least, that was my approach! This climb seemed a lot harder to me than Mt. Washington. It was really only about 2 miles of steeps compared to Mt. Washington’s 7. But I guess you don’t pace yourself to make the distance, you just go harder than you would really prefer to pick up positions to the finish.
My finish was unfortunately not as high as I expected it would be. I came into the weekend with a lot of confidence in my climbing. I was definitely going at my max, 190HR for a portion, and 185avg. My legs felt OK, I just don’t think I could go any harder. Perhaps if I used a harder gear I could have made up some time, but as the finish line loomed, I wasn’t close enough to improve my standing so I just rode it out. My hope is I will pick up positions as the weekend goes on like at Fitchburg. However, as I said, this is a points race and Fitchburg was a time race. So, it may be more difficult to score top stage finishes. My approach from here is to earn top-10 finishes and see how I end up.
Next up is the 53 mile circuit race.

NECS #8 Pinnacle, Newport, NH

1st/5 Expert Vet I

I added this race to hopefully improve upon my current standing in the New England Mountain Bike Championship Series. I lost some ground after the Bradbury and Exeter, NH races. This was a tall order as Newport, NH is 3+ hours away from home. Race time was 10am so it was another early rise and departure (5am) to make it. Babs and the boys stayed back to enjoy being in their own beds!
The course description sounded favorable: some climbing, sweet singletrack, etc. I was hoping to avoid words like “technical!” Upon arrival it was overcast and a little chilly, but I didn’t think rain was in the forecast until later that day. I was wrong! The event had an additional category for Elites and Experts who wanted to ride longer called an Enduro. Since I was there for points in my class, I passed. A couple of guys in my class ended up doing it so the prospect for gaining valuable points was even greater.
The Vet II’s and my group headed out for the first of 2 9-mile loops. I sat in behind Anders Larson and another guy to get a feel for how I was going perform. Lately, it’s been a nice change knowing I can have a great start and feel good, not at LT from the gun. The guy in my group was ahead of Anders and was pulling away slightly so I passed Anders and sat in behind him. He was a good bike handler so I quickly set my goals as try to maintain contact with him in the woods, and try to drop him on the climbs. The first singletrack was fun and rolling, which made me start enjoying mountain biking again. At the first hill I knew I had more to give and pulled away from him. Then we hit the woods again which was more technical and he bridged the gap. I fumbled on a section where it seemed like we were riding on the top of a stone wall and he passed me. I hung with him for a while, but a couple more dabs by me and he was out of sight. As we came through the start/finish area, rain had become falling steadily meaning the next lap wasn’t going to be as fun as the first.
I should mention after failing to sell my Hutchinson Python tires on ebay because I think they’re in the northeast, I ran them at Sugarloaf because of their low-rolling resistance and dry conditions. I kept them on for today because the weather forecast was favorable. That’ll teach me to base my tire selection on weather! No surprise, they were very slippery on the 2nd lap. It’s so degrading to have your tires spinning out on climbs. It’s hard enough to ride up them, having zero traction is insult to injury.
At the beginning of the 2nd lap we hit the section called the wall and I saw the leader at the top and he had ridden up it so I went for it as well and made it. The nose of my saddle should be arrested for ASSault!
I bridged the gap to the leader as we went up the climb and passed him again. I worked hard knowing it was my best chance to put as much time as possible on him so I could ride the singletrack at my own pace dealing with the course conditions. I was cautious because it felt like I was riding on the ice rink. Amazingly, I went down once, but that was it and I stayed away coming home first.
This was a rewarding trip for many reasons: 1. I had fun off-road riding again. 2. I gained needed points putting me solidly in 3rd currently. 3. The prize money paid for gas and lunch.
Next up is the Green Mt. Stage Race in VT.

Saco Criterium, ME State Championship

10th/43
Crowned Maine State Criterium Silver Medalist

I did this race last year for fun, representing my only road event of the year. I finished 11th in the Cat. 5 field and got lapped in the Masters 35+. This year, I’ve been taking road racing seriously and I wanted to focus on the higher profile Masters event as it carried USA Cycling’s State Crit Championship status. I also added an NECS mountain bike race for the next day so I just wanted to do 1 race today.
The family and I rose early (how great are they to allow their schedules to be totally dictated by my “hobby?”) as we were on Cape Cod all week and drove the distance to Saco. The weather was perfect and the race was held near a park and like 3 playgrounds so hopefully the kids were entertained. I’m sure Babs had visions of shopping!
The race started fast and stayed fast until the end. I spent the majority of the race about mid-pack, keeping in the draft. Even without wind-resistance, my heart rate showed I was going hard. There were a couple of crashes which generally shouldn’t happen in a field filled with experience and talent such as this. However, this course is pretty technical so the possibility exists for anything to happen to anyone.
Per usual, it came down to a sprint to the line. I’ve become decent at setting myself up in good position to have a good finish. I would never call myself a sprinter, so I know I can’t compete with the guys once the sprint starts. However, I want to make sure I’m as close to them as possible so I don’t get dropped too easily. My strategy is to set myself up into position on the final lap and be sure I’m at least in the top-10 going into the second to last corner, as opposed to the last corner. This worked well again today, as I maintained my position on the straightaway to the finish which was a LONG way down!
Then, the wait was on to see how many ME racers finished ahead of me as the state championship applies to residents. Turns out a Mainer finished 4th overall and won the gold, earning me the silver. I’ll take it, especially after last year’s result!
It was a good day, and it was great to come home later that day.
Next up is the NECS #7 in Newport, NH.

MMBA #5 Sugarloaf

1st/3 Expert Vet I

I headed to this race solo with my mind full of trepidation. The hillclimb the day before carried no official significance in the world of USA Cycling, it was just one of those “Climb it, because it’s there” situations. Today, it was back to defending my first place position in the Maine Mountain Bike Series. As luck would have it, Sugarloaf is the course with the most climbing of the summer. So, either I was going to be fatigued from the day before, or I was going to be OK as it was a good prep for Sunday. My coach Beau assured me doing the hillclimb was only going to help, so I believed him. Turns out he was right.
Babs and the boys put in a stellar effort at Mt. Washington. Today’s weather was poor, not very warm and scattered showers so there was no real incentive for them to go. That meant it was Camelback time again as I wanted to be sure I was properly hydrated for the 3 laps of climbing and I don’t like carrying 2 water bottles on the bike.
The start line was a ridiculous 4 wide section directly in front of a climb. I think a couple of guys actually opted to run up it! I got through unscathed in the top-5 and headed out on the open trail leading to the climb. My objective today was to race strategically. I wanted to be smart points-wise and keep Alan Starret (2nd in points) in sight. As I said, I had no idea what my legs would do today, so I decided to work them only as hard as I needed to avoid blowing up. Several riders passed me quickly. When I saw Big Al go by, I grabbed his wheel and let him set the pace up the hill. I felt good and as we neared the top, I decided to go around as we were heading to the singletrack sections where I didn’t want to risk losing contact with him. The way my trail riding was going, I was very worried about losing time in the woods. A singlespeeder joined us and we rode together back to the finish. I couldn’t believe it came around so quickly! I was glad to see they took out the steepest climb of the course by the condos. Instead, we rode some new singletrack and open trails. I hate it when new sections of trail are cut just prior to a race. We turn into guinea pigs and have to beat in the soft dirt and establish proper lines. Hopefully, the next time we race there it will be sweet thanks to our efforts.
I maintained the same pace on the next 2 laps and pulled away from Big Al, but could never lose the singlespeeder. I created a gap at the top of the last climb, but he would always catch up to me in the singletrack. He had a 29’r which I believe helps roll through a lot of the terrain. In the final section, I went hard and smooth and made a couple of timely passes of lapped riders and coasted into the finish. I have always liked Sugarloaf, and I liked it even more today. It actually felt easy. I guess Beau knows!
Next up is the Saco Crit.

Mount Washington Auto Road Hillclimb

5th/83 35-39
34th Overall

The hype surrounding this event was plentiful; from the race’s storied history and website forum, to an article in Bicycling Magazine, to just talking to people. All the buildup made me question why I ever signed up for it in the first place. But in the end, I had enough confidence in my ability and fitness that I knew I would conquer “The Rock,” not the other way around. My biggest concern was having a bike with the proper gearing to make it to the top. I was to race in a MMBA Series race at Sugarloaf (the toughest climbing race on the circuit!) the next day and I didn’t want to be toast! The goal was to have the Aegis Shaman (‘cross bike) built up with special gearing, but it proved too problematic to get the right ratio with the stock components and I didn’t want to invest any money into it. So, despite KB&S and Steve’s good efforts, I decided to just ride my Aegis ProAxe mountain bike instead. It had the proper gearing, plus the granny gear as a bailout, I am comfortable on it, and it’s fairly light. Besides, I really had no idea what to expect anyway, so at least I’d be OK for the mtb race. Andrew Freye hooked me up with super skinny tires, I pumped up and locked out the front shock and I was good to go.
The fam and I headed out mid-day Friday to spend the night in Gorham, NH. Babs secured perfect lodging after realizing we were too far away from North Conway shopping! She and the kids hit the pool right away while I went to register. We then had a great meal in town, played at a playground and checked out some trains, then it was night, night. There’s nothing like having the kids around to distract you from the next day’s looming pain!
We rose and departed early (6am) for the base. Because bikers aren’t allowed to ride down the road, rides back down have to be arranged and these vehicles must leave and be parked at the summit before the race begins. So Babs and the kids dropped me off and I warmed up while they drove up to wait for me at the top. Neither Babs nor I had ever been to the top of Mt. Washington before. Unfortunately, the weather was not favorable so there were no good views. To make matters worse, it made for difficult driving conditions and seeing Babs’ pictures of the ride up and the kids huddled in the back of the truck at the top really made me appreciate their efforts that day.

Going into the climb, I was considering it a training event. I had no real sense of what previous racers’ times meant and where I might stack up. The race is not a USA Cycling sanctioned event (hence Tyler Hamilton’s presence) so there’s no breakdown of ability categories (except for the Top Notch group which was any licensed Pro or a rider who previously finished the climb in under 1hour 20 minutes), just age groups. At one point Jack Bailey offhandedly said I could probably do it in 1 hour 15. So that was my mark!
My group was the 2nd wave after the Top Notch group. As we sat in the staging area they announced the big names up front like Hamilton (former US Postal rider with Lance at the Tour de France, current doper) and Ned Overend (class-act former mountain bike pro and still going strong at 50+). It rained for a few minutes but then stopped before we began. The cannon went off and we headed up and up and up!
I was in the top-10 at the beginning, then top-5 mid-way, then I latched onto a guy in my group who was maintaining a steady pace similar to mine so I decided to sit in behind him, not knowing whether there would be windy conditions ahead where drafting would help. I knew 1 guy from our group was way out front and then we were 2nd and 3rd. To be honest, I really didn’t think it was too difficult, until the end. I stayed in the middle ring until the last mile when I had to drop it into the granny, but then mid-cog in the rear. My heart rate was in the mid 170’s, which was good because I didn’t have to redline it and I was near the front. It did get a little breezy above the treeline so I was glad I was shielded by it thanks to the guy ahead of me. The last mile was the most difficult. I was in the granny and I don’t remember looking at my HR, so I was probably going harder. The guy I was trailing was strong and he was pushing the pace on every rise, I ended up not being able to match him on one of his bursts, so I concentrated on maintaining my own pace and negotiating the terrain. At one point I went by a Top Notcher and he remarked on the fact that I was not only riding a mountain bike, but shock too! Hey, “Run what you brung” I said.
The finish was epic, and probably what everybody remembers most either because they’re so happy they’ve made it or because it’s so steep. All I’ll remember is the fog because I couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of me! I had no idea what lay ahead and this was the steepest set of switchbacks I’d ever encountered! People were cheering all over the place, but I just couldn’t see them. I must have looked ghostly too, riding in the white KB&S jersey. I took a former hillclimber’s advice and at a particularly ridiculous switchback, I took the longer high line so as to maintain momentum. They way people were cheering, I kept thinking the finish was right there, but I just kept pedaling into oblivion! I didn’t know whether I should be sprinting or what. Then finally, a clock emerges and a line and the next thing I know I see Babs and the boys and someone is putting a sweet blanket on me. A sub-1hour 10minute time was my reward, and I finished 3rd in my wave.
I was a little delirious and couldn’t think of anything but somewhere to ride to spin out my legs and get the kids more clothes. Babs had to park pretty far down the road so after I regained my senses, I thought to capture the moment and get a picture at the tippity top with the boys. We then made our way down to the truck and hung out while waiting from others to finish and I did my spin. The ride down was sweet, especially since there were breaks in the clouds/fog and we had some pretty cool views. Turns out the weather really improved and while we were at the base, the summit was totally clear, figures!

There was a huge turkey lunch set up with all the stuffings, literally! The boys were champs and had good times with a turkey leg. While I was eating and digesting the event, I started thinking, there was no group or ability designation, just time to determine the top-3. So, even though I was 3rd in my group, which was comprised of my and a couple of other age groups, that didn’t account for any 35-39 year-olds in the Top Notch group. Sure enough, when the results came out, I was listed 4th. 35 year old Tyler Hamilton bumped me off the podium! I guess I need to hit the juice, he broke the age group’s time record! A week later, I checked the standings again and now I was listed 5th! Apparently they must have found some other doper in the Top Notch group!
Anyway, I am very pleased with my time and placing. It was a fine weekend and I may make another stab at it next year, as a 40-44 year old in the Top Notch group. I’ll lay out a spike strip for Tyler while I’m there! Babs was the ultimate team manager/driver/photographer/supporter/and mom. The boys made the most of their environment and were great. The bike was a good call, hey it’s a mountain right? Ride a mountain bike! Actually I’ll probably set something different up for next year. It’s all about the time now!
Next up is MMBA #5 at Sugarloaf.

Turkey Leg prizes for ALL!

Readfield Heritage Days

This was the most fun I've had on a bike in a long time. The whole family went down to spend a sparkling morning celebrating Readfield Heritage Days! All of us boys rolled singlespeeds over a fun little course right down the road from us. Drake took off and did great all by himself while I guided Fenix over the terrain. He had 1 spill, but this kid's tough!
Andrew Freye and I had a fun frolic through the woods, sitting in behind some of the locals. Pat Pritchard showed up on a BMX bike, classic! The race came down to the final lap and Andrew and I separated ourselves from the others. At the base of the final descent after a turn there was a huge log that I always went around for fear of breaking the Surly into pieces. Andrew, of course, leapfrogged it. Heading to the finish line I decided to take a little shortcut so Andrew wouldn't have as much of an advantage! He laughed when he saw me cut the corner and I came up just behind him as we began the sprint to the finish line. He was ahead, but appeared to let up before the line and I roared in to earn a tie. No photo finishes here, no gimmies either!
Steve at Kennebec Bike and Ski put on a nice bike-check demo and the shop provided shop dollars. I ended up giving mine to the 4th place finisher.
GOOD TIMES!

EFTA/NECS #6 Fort Rock Revenge

6th/9 Vet I

This was another after-thought race that I originally didn’t have on my schedule. However, after my poor showing at Bradbury last weekend, I looked around for a race in the area in hopes of regaining some bike confidence. I had 2 races to choose from, but the stars had to align for either of them to work. I contemplated competing in the New England Criterium Championship in Concord, NH. However, Babs made a subtle, but effective push to have a “family day” due to the fact that I would be pretty involved with an upcoming hockey camp for the next few weeks. It was a great call as we had a fantastic day at Popham Beach jumping waves, hunting for crabs, playing catch and having a picnic. That was way better than any race, any day.
This left the mountain bike race in Exeter, NH as a possibility. I noticed I was 3rd in the series ranking, so I figured it would be worthwhile to earn some points and try to maintain or move up. For that to work, I arranged to do a Portland airport pick up of hockey campers at 1pm. I figured a 9:30am start would certainly have me finishing before noon and an hour drive to the airport would make it perfect. The course was described as an 8-mile loop consisting of technical singletrack, rock gardens, bridges, etc. 3 laps sounded like a 2 hour race to me. Doh!
I picked up U-23 US National Team Member and KHS graduate Andrew Freye in York and we drove in a KHS mini-bus together from there. Just like old times!
We arrived in terrific weather conditions, got registered, got warmed up, got lined up, and hit the trail. Thankfully, the younger Experts/Pros went out 1min ahead of my Expert/Pro Vet group. I lined up on the front row and had a great start. I could have had the hole shot, but chose to settle into second heading into the singletrack to ride behind someone whom I hoped knew the trail as I had no clue having not pre-ridden it. Most of the time, the objective to getting a good start is to get ahead of riders who may hold you up in technical sections where there’s no place to pass. Well I now realize, I’m one of those guys whom people are going to want to get by!
In a nutshell, here’s my analysis of me as a cyclist after this race:
Biker: Good
Mountain Biker: Not so good
Trail Finder: Lost
As soon as the trail turned technical, I turned into a buffoon. I was so intent, I think, on riding fast, I chose bad lines, never focusing on where I wanted to go. I quickly got passed by Pro Mike Patrick, then another guy who seemed to know the course. I tried to stay with him, but I was too sketchy and I would lose time at every technical spot. Then another and another passed Obstacles seemed to jump out at me. Any place where you may have needed to put a foot down, I did. The ¾ of a lap section was the worst for me as I constantly had people come up behind me because I was so slow. I played cat and mouse with a guy for the middle part of the race as I would drop him on the few climbing or open sections, but he would reel me in and pass me in the rough stuff. I lost too much time at the end of the 2nd lap however, and I could never catch back up to him. The 3rd lap was my demise. Any place where it was questionable which way the trail would go, I took the wrong path. A critical trail miscue halfway through the final lap allowed 3 riders to pass and I lost my cool. Although I was glad to see former teammate Anders Larson go by as he was having a good ride, I couldn’t contain my emotions. I expressed my frustration and discontent for the course markings vocally (potty mouth!) then tried to regroup and soldier on. Unfortunately, my mind had checked out. I was pissed about everything like my broken pedal stabbing me in the calf, my poor handling skills, the poor course layout, everything. I knew my mind had checked out when I started to think about what I was going to write about in this Blog and recanting ala Carl's line in 'Caddyshack' "I don't think the 'technical stuff' is going to come for quite a while now." And the hits kept on coming; I took another wrong turn later, and I endoed twice: once getting my leg caught between the handlebars and the top tube(?!) and once on my head. You know you’re on a technical course when your forearm cramps and your legs feel fresh as a summer’s breeze. This was neither my type of course, nor my day. My lap times reflected my sentiment as my final lap was 4 minutes longer than the previous 2. The icing on the cake was the race took me 2hrs 48 minutes (longer than Bradbury's "enduro!") so now I was going to be late for the airport pickup! Who’s brilliant idea was it to do this race?!
Freye did well, finishing second, but he admitted the course took its toll on him as well. My 6th place finish was not good enough to maintain my 3rd place standing in the series as I finished behind the 4th place guy, so now I'm 4th. We loaded up right away and cruised north, reflecting on the misery and fielding phone calls from the airport, “Where are you?!”
I’ll probably do the local Readfield Heritage Days MTB Race on Sunday for fun with the family, and then it’s the Mt. Washington Hillclimb and Sugarloaf MTB race weekend.

MMBA #4 Bradbury State Park

5th/12 Expert Vet I
15th overall

I’ve been procrastinating a little in re-capping this race. Partly due to the fact I went to the Cape right after the race and just returned last night. And partly because I haven’t wanted to. This was my poorest outing of the year and I think it was due to a variety of reasons. But I’m not going to go there because they all sound like excuses for a lack-luster finish. So, I’ll do my best to just summarize the day.
The weather was terrific, sunny and warm. I knew we’d be in the woods most of the day anyway, so heat wasn’t going to be an issue. However, the race was billed as a 1 lap 30-miler and without the rest of Team Wheels to support me, I was on my own in terms of fluids. Hydration was going to be integral, so as much as I hate to use it, I wore the Camelback again. I also had a full water bottle in the cage and had PowerGels in the pocket. I figured I was set.
I foolishly missed the riders meeting prior to the start as I was still warming up. My previous post addresses the stupidity in that and how I recommend anyone attend these if they’re called for. The race format was unique already in that it was an “enduro,” meaning “longish.” To augment the uniqueness, it included a “LeMans” start where we rested our bikes 100 yards away and at the word “Go!” we ran and mounted them and were off. The first section was a FAST open trail with some drops and roots and stuff to chatter your teeth and knock water bottles out of the cages. Yea, I lost my bottle in the first 1000 yards. How close is the first feed zone? I was comfortable in the top-15 bat worst. Then we hit the new singletrack. The organizers had to create new trails in order to get the 30 miles. Now this stuff was fun to ride, the problem was there were a bunch of guys with huge adrenalin rushes not getting enough oxygen to their bodies going as fast as they could though this stuff and it made for some uncomfortable times. I just could not get any kind of a rhythm going and several riders passed me over the course of the first few miles. The terrain was rolling, so I was not maxing out my heart rate, just maxing out my riding ability. I finally settled into no-man’s-land and just rode my pace. I guess I zoned out too, as I took a wrong turn exiting singletrack and headed up the wrong trail. I went by a sign with a “W” on it (riders’ meeting?), but just kept going thinking it was a code for “Water” or “You’re Wicked fast!” I noticed the ground didn’t have many tracks on it, and it dawned on me I was going the “Wrong Way!” so I turned around, losing at least 45 seconds.
I came up on Jamie Tyler and Adam LaRochelle and after spouting an expletive-laced explanation of why I was now behind them instead of ahead of them, I settled in and rode with them. Adam let me get in the middle and we just cruised. Eventually I moved on hoping to recapture the place I was in before I took my detour. It was a long, lonely quest. I kept seeing white signs with numbers on them (riders’ meeting?), but they did not correspond with my Garmin. To make matters worse, if they were mileage markers, they were WAY less than what I was reading. More bad news to fill my mind.
I crossed the road to the section that had the climbing and felt fine, hoping to make some time. My only issue at that point was I was over-hydrated and had to take a leak, so… I did. But enough about that. I climbed strong and plotted out how to conserve energy and make it to the finish fast. At mile 19.5 my Garmin lost satellite communication, so I no longer knew just how much further I had to go. I finally reeled in the last guy I passed before I went off course which made me happy and I just kept plugging away. The trail descended back towards the start-finish area and then headed back up some very unrideable terrain. At one point I thought I heard someone say only a couple miles to go, but that didn’t go with my approximation of where I was and how long I had been riding. Now I was distracted and confused, and tired. I endoed twice and was passed by some guy who gave a “Whoop!” as he went by on a descent, what a jackass! Now I was pissed and I wasn’t about to let him get away so I stayed with him when we cruised through the campground. He then proceeded to take a shortcut instead of going through the ribbons. Nice, must be how he caught up to me in the first place. Then, incredulously, we’re crossing the finish line! I couldn’t believe it! I was expecting more. Soon after, I learned the race was shortened due to land-agreements. It was only like 26 miles (rider meeting once again!). I was really bummed because I had stuff left in the tank to go the distance.
To add to my disappointment, my finish was the worst of the season. Granted, there were pros in the field, but I expected to place higher in my age group. However, things happened, and it wasn’t meant to be. I hope to use the experience as a learning one and will be ready to race hard next time out. You can bet I’ll be at any riders’ meeting, front row!
Next up is the Mt. Washington Hillclimb.

Live, Learn and Ride Another Day

As I reflect upon today’s race, I realize I learned a very important lesson: Go to the rider’s meeting if they have one!
There you may learn important information like:
If you see a sign with a "W" on it, you’re going the wrong way. Stop and turn around.
What the white signs with numbers on them indicated.
The published distance of 30 miles has been shortened to 26.

MMBA #3 Maine Sport Runoff

1st/4 Expert Vet I
2nd Overall

Race day was greeted with the threat of high heat and humidity and all indicators pointed to a grueling race. The course at the Snow Bowl was modified this year, resulting in a climb that wound its way to the top of the mountain. I missed this race last year, thus I haven’t ridden the course in at least 5 years so the change was not drastic for me. As with any re-routes, the trail brought the added challenge of soft terrain, and few established good lines. This particular re-route added much more climbing as one would expect, so it made it double difficult to ride all of the new sections. I thought the course was National caliber. It had a tough climb, fast wooded sections, technical singletrack, and some get-on-the-brakes-and-hold-on-for-dear-life spots! I much prefer to ascend on a course like this that challenges your handling skills as well as your fitness. Going straight up a dirt road or ski slope is just plain obnoxious. At this point in the season, this course ranks as my favorite.
Back to the weather, it was a hot one for sure. The event organizers decided to cut each category’s race 1 lap short, so we Experts did 3 instead of 4 laps. I can’t say that the heat really affected me and at the line I was kind of hoping we would do the 4 laps. However, with a finish time of just under 2 hours, and the toll that the climbing took, I was certainly happy to head into the finish chute rather than head out for another lap!

Finishing is good!

Briefly, I had a fair start, and began the climb in about 6th spot. The 3 laps changed my strategy somewhat. I was going to have to push each lap hard rather than conserve energy for the long haul and I didn’t want to have to play catch-up from the beginning. We quickly got in single-file and I settled in 1 rider behind local James Tyler who helped set up the course. My hope was to ride behind him on the descent as he knows the terrain and as a young ‘un, has way less fear than I so I know he’d be fast. Unfortunately, the climb took its toll on him and others early. Rather than wait it out, I took advantage of their miscues and moved on. I knew there were at least 3 others including teammate Adam LaRochelle out in front so I hoped to bridge up to them instead. I got to the top in 4th, but the front 2 were gone. I began my fluid-less descent and I could hear the guys behind me drawing near so I focused my attention on trying to stay on the bike as much as possible, nice strategy, huh?! I passed a Junior X kid mid-way through the first lap and headed through the start/finish in 3rd.
I attacked the climbs again the next 2 laps, determined not to lose time and hopefully increase the distance between me and those like Ryan Rumsey, Big Al, and Rick Nelson (who had an unlucky day with a taco for a wheel) behind me. The difference was I had no one ahead of me to judge the better lines so I had to read and react on my own. For me, I have no problem getting off my bike and running. Often times this is the fastest method to get through a tough spot and last I checked, there are no judges out there awarding style points. Any hang up I have, I’m off and running. So the name of the race suited me as well, I ran quite a bit of the final 2 climbs, especially the top section. I don’t know whether others did, so I can’t say whether this approach was quicker or not, but at least I wasn’t battling frustration to compound the difficulty. I caught Adam on the descent, and headed up the final climb in search of the overall leader but he had checked out.

Like father like son. Can't ride it, run it!

The final descent was a relief, but I did have to dig deep to push up the intermediate climb towards the end. My lack of off-road riding skills was again displayed on each descent. I would come to a complete stop at least once every lap and look at my race number plate because I launched off the bike at some point! This is the price I pay for riding outside of my comfort level because I worry about being caught from behind. I know the smart thing to do is ride in control, but my adrenalin has other ideas in a race.

"You go this way, I'll go that way!"

It ended up being a great day overall. Babs and the boys are back in town and they came over to cheer me on and have some fun.

Drake and Jamie with their race faces on.

The Seymours were there so Drake and Jamie rode around. Fenix was a madman on the bike riding everywhere! They all raced together and got their standard prizes which they love! Aegis owner Pete Orne and his son Will were there. Will raced and did well; he seems to have caught the bike-bug. The boys and I took an afternoon dip in the lake before heading home which was nice. I don’t think we could have asked for a better time.
Next up is MMBA #4, an Enduro event at Bradbury State Park.

 

A Tale of 2 Bikes

Pre-Mt. Snow

Post-MMBA #2

A clean bike is a happy bike, but a muddy bike is a ridden bike.

 

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage 4

Criterium
12th/72 Masters 35+
Final GC Standing: 13th/83 starters

http://www.longsjo.com/

I spoke too soon! The rain finally reared its ugly head. I left Boston for Fitchburg under sunny skies. It was overcast when I arrived, then it rained while I was warming up, then it stopped when we were staging, then it rained at the start, then it stopped. What a pain! Today was not the day for rain since the criterium is a fast-paced race around a couple of city blocks which is dangerous enough in dry conditions. But when you add wet pavement to manhole covers and painted crosswalks as we make the turns in a pack around 20mph, you’re asking for trouble and there was plenty of it. There were at least 3 incidents involving 7 riders in the early stages of the race. 2 of the crashes were far enough ahead of me where I could get slowed up and avoid them. I basically concentrated on keeping my bike upright, watching what was going on ahead of me, and staying within the draft. The course was unique in that it had your typical 2 square turns like you find in a city, but then it had a sweeping, rotary type turn to bring us back around and an s-turn in the middle. This would have been a lot more fun had it been dry. We completed 19 laps on this .9 mile circuit. I rode the race in the front 1/3 to mid-pack plotting out how to approach the final turn to set up for the sprint. The key I felt was to be able to carry momentum into the last 2 turns and be towards the front. I am finally finding myself strategizing and playing it smart to be successful in road racing, rather than just riding it out. I knew I had to get towards the front and on the outside of turn 2 on the final lap. I tried the inside line during the race and found you practically came to a stop because it was so crowded and such a tight turn. I used my NASCAR knowledge and decided momentum was more important than the shortest line through the turn. So I was semi-aggressive and rode hard on the final lap, positioned myself on the outside, and exited turn 3 in good position to sprint. The guys out front were fast so I didn’t gain many positions and missed 11th by a tire.

Getting into position on the final lap, I'm in white #725 behind the green guy.


I was very pleased with the result given the conditions and the competition and it was a satisfactory finish to an awesome 4 days of racing. It really makes me wonder what I could have done differently in the TT which forced me to play catch-up all week. Nonetheless, I think a top-15 is where I belong. Given the field consisted of predominantly Cat. 1-3's and even a former Russian Olympian, this mountain biker will take it! I have to thank Babs and the boys for letting me live the dream of a cyclist: sleep, eat, race, recover, and repeat. Thanks to my mom for letting me stay in comfort in the Boston apartment. of course my coach Beau who got me to this point. Big thanks to Pete Orne at Aegis for hooking me up with the Trident. Apparently my legs weren’t good enough for it! And thanks to the crew at Kennebec Bike and Ski because all I’ve had to do is add lube to the chain and air to the tires of the Victory. It just keeps on ticking. Next up is payback to Babs as the whole family heads to MN for the rest of the week. Then it’s MMBA #3 in Camden.

 

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage 3

Road Race
10th/81 Masters 35+

Current GC Position: 15th

Today’s race was the one I was most nervous about, but thought I had the best chance to perform well at. It was probably the pressure I put on myself that made me nervous. The race consisted of 5 - 11.5 mile loops plus a 1.75mile finish line climb up Mt. Wachusett. The loop was comprised of a hair raising descent (what goes up, must come down!) where we reached speeds of up to 58mph, a rolling 7 miles or so, and a long, steady climb with a couple of steeper sections and a false flat that had deceptive climbing in it.
We rolled off in great conditions; sunny and warm, but dry air. This is the biggest pack I have ever ridden with and I was very nervous in such tight conditions. There was no room to move up to the front and I spent most of the day mid-pack. I kept myself on the yellow line with the thinking I could veer left if something happened up front. Problem was, cars would occasionally come by which would turn me into a nice hood ornament. Luckily these thoughts only occupied my mind on the first lap as my confidence in the group grew over time. The guys I am racing with are all class. I haven’t heard any yelling and the bike handling has been superb. This is clear evidence there are some seasoned Pro 1-2 racers in this class.
There isn’t too much to report about the race itself. The pack stayed together until the very last loop climb. There was a breakaway of 4 or so riders at one point but I guess we brought them back in. I had no idea because I could hardly see the front line most of the time. I have no idea whether a certain team was controlling the race or what, I was just along for the ride!
On the third lap, I had a little scare as I ascended the steep hill section with the group but noticed a sizeable gap had formed between my group and the front section. Luckily, the riders ahead slowed on the first flat section and we caught back up. That made me realize I needed to be towards the front on the next 2 climbs to make sure I was with the leaders and not get dropped because the guys around me couldn’t keep up.
With my lesson learned, I set myself up front with the top-10 riders on the final loop climb and sat in with them as we headed for the base of the finish climb. I hoped we had created a split from the rest of the group, but I knew the task at hand was to stay with these guys and let fate play out for the rest. The GC leader was in this pack along with several others in the top-10. I knew this was my opportunity to see where I stacked up. We made the turn to the top of the mountain as a group and began grinding the gears. I had not scoped out this section so I was reliant upon their pace and my ability to maintain it to get me to the top, I just had the mileage to go on to guesstimate where we were in relation to the finish. The incline was gradual at first, but of course that changed quickly! The top-5 slowly pulled away while I exchanged positions with a fellow mountain biker until he fell off my pace. The steepest section was right before the finish and I was just about spent. I looked behind to see if anyone was coming and didn’t see anyone until a wheel just passed me right at the line, I had no idea he was there. Turns out he’s a mountain biker too, proving I guess we’re strong in the mountains! Luckily, he nipped me for 9th so I managed a top-10. I’m stoked by the finish, far exceeding my hopes. My time was good enough to move me up 22 positions in the overall GC.
It has been great being back on the Aegis Victory. It’s a solid performer when climbing that’s for sure. In contrast though, she was a little wobbly on the descents, but they’re not where the races are won!

Next up is the Criterium, 17 laps on a .9 mile course.

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage 2

Circuit Race
17th/83 Masters 35+

Current GC Position: 37th

This race is totally new to me. It consisted of 9 laps around a 3.1 mile course which was predominantly flat with a long steady descent and a steep climb to the finish line. I guess this is somewhere between a criterium and a road race. My approach to the race was to finish ahead of my current 38th spot in the general classification (GC) by riding with the pack and positioning myself for a good uphill sprint finish.
The weather was awesome, sunny, dry, breezy. It was a great day to be out on the bike. This was a lesson in fast, big pack riding as the course was not conducive for anyone to break away. There is really nothing to report about the racing until the end. I tried a couple of different approaches to the finish climb over the course of the laps. The hill began right after a right hander. If I stayed left, I would have momentum, but everyone preferred that line and it was too crowded. If I stayed right and cut the corner, I would have to scrub off speed and lose momentum. Since the inside line seemed the safest on the approach, I choose it for better of for worse. I got around the turn OK, but then the whole field swooped over to my side, pinching me to the point I had to brake or hit the curb. I kept the legs pumping and maintained my position while passing others right to the line.
It was a good experience, tense at the beginning, but I loosened up as the race wore on and enjoyed it. I’m pleased with the finish.
Next up is the Road Race, 58 miles of up and downs, plus a 2 mile uphill finish!

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Prologue

Time Trial
38th/83 Masters 35+

Today was day 1 of this famous stage race. I decided to participate in it after getting my upgrade to Cat. 4 and talking it over with my coach. It sounded like fun, but intimidating for sure. Worst case scenario, this would be an excellent 4 days worth of training.
Owner of Aegis Pete Orne hooked me up with a dialed in Trident for the race. This bike looked fast standing still! As this was my first real timetrial (TT), I felt confident going into it knowing I had top-notch equipment.
The weather forecast was iffy, with a chance of thunderstorms. While warming up, it felt like all the right criteria was there for the skies to open up, but thankfully they didn’t. It stayed humid, overcast and breezy.
I had been of the mindset that a TT is similar in difficulty to a mountain bike race in that you go as hard as you can for the duration of the event. Today, however, in the midst of my event I discovered some glaring differences:
In mountain bike racing, you’re mind is distracted by bike handling and a variety of terrain.
In a TT, your mind repeats 2 questions over and over: how much further do I have to go and can I really keep up this pace for that long?
The course was 6.2 miles long with a couple of climbs, a 45 degree right hand turn, and an uphill finish. I scoped out the course by car the day before, but was still clueless as to how the race would actually play out in terms of gearing, etc.
I motored away at the signal to go, but missed clipping in to my pedal the first time around, hey every second counts! I kept it in the big ring the whole route regardless of hills, got aero on the flats, and stood on the climbs.
I feel like I gave it all I had, and the placing is about what I expected. My time would place me in the top-20 of the all ages Cat. 4.
Next up is the Circuit Race.

MMBA #2 Report

Clifford Park Assault

2nd/9 Expert Vet
7th Overall

I hate to have to say this, but this race was un-fun. My experience began the day before when I pre-rode the course on Saturday in the rain. It had rained steadily earlier (not to mention the weeks worth of wet Maine has experienced anyway) and the ground was saturated. The course is the most technical on the circuit complete with granite slabs, roots, and your standard short/steep climbs. It is difficult to ride in the best conditions. The wet brought it to a new low. The pre-ride went OK, but there were so many obstacles and areas to be aware of, it was impossible to remember to have an advantage on race-day. So I concentrated on getting in some practice and scoping out the best start-line position.
I accept the fact that I don’t ride off-road often enough to improve my bike handling. Thus, my approach to race day was to suck it up and ride. I hoped to have a good start, make time in the open sections, not have a mechanical failure and stay upright. 2 out of 4 ain’t bad! I lined up in the 2nd row but behind a pro and on the side I wanted. I was comfortably in the top-10 heading into the woods and settled in line as we began to traverse the tenuous territory. People were having troubles right away. Big Al went to pedal and came up with nothing, guys were unable to ride smoothly and would have to dab causing minor pile-ups everywhere. The biggest problem is there are sections of the course that are rideable only under slow and concentrated conditions. These are not race conditions!
A notable aspect to this race was the fact that many of us stayed together so there was constant pressure behind you to stay on the gas. Because people’s technical ability varied so much, you would lose people in one section, but gain them back again later. In sum, I settled in and decided to race the course and not worry too much about whom was where. Knowing Al was having issues, I didn’t have to worry about the points. However, the race was never smooth for me. If there was a bad line, it took it. The worst was on the first lap when I decided to go through a huge puddle, hoping it was just standing water on firm ground. You would think I learned my lesson when I buried my bike in the ROOT 66 race. NO! the puddle was total slop and I came to a dead stop and fell in! Classic! I may have been outside of the top-10 after the first lap. I would do well on the first half of the course, but would fade in the second where I thought I would make up ground on the flats. No dice. Skip Brown and Ryan Rumsey passed me in the second half of the course on the 3rd lap as I was napping. I tried to match their pace but they faded into the distance. I caught Ryan in the first half again, but he checked out again in the second half to come in ahead of me.
I hoped to bring good confidence and fitness coming off Mt. Snow. But I think this course could care less who you are and where you’ve been. It just gives you a beating. I crashed at least a few times, but survived the onslaught overall. I’m grateful for the finish! The winner in my class is a pro from CT who also finished first overall (not bad for a guy who had a brain tumor removed in 2001, truly inspirational).
Finally, the biggest reason it was un-fun was because Babs and the boys stayed home due to the conditions. So my crew was Pam again instead. She does do a good job in the mud!
Next up is the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race.

NORBA NMBS #3 Mt. Snow

Short Track XC 30+: 8th/27

XC: 4th/28

Hard to believe my biggest mountain bike race of the season has come and gone already! Riding the trainer in the playroom and lifting weights all winter, although arduous at best, certainly prepped me well for the weekend. The hard work was definitely worth it I headed to the mountain early Friday to do a pre-ride of the course, get settled in the hotel, and prep for the short track race later that evening. Upon my arrival, the weather was perfect and I dressed immediately and hoped on to the course. It was essentially the same as 5 years ago when I last raced there and finished 11th: climb to the top, and hang on for dear life to the bottom! The climbing didn’t intimidate me, although I was concerned we would have to do 4 laps. The descents were a different story, however! My lack of off-road riding was rearing its ugly head as my legs were literally shaking with fear at some of the sections. There had been some rain during the week and it made the technical stuff even more treacherous. To compound the situation, I was running Hutchinson Pythons, these tires are useless in the mud and they provided zero traction on wet rocks and roots. There were 2 occasions when I was in a controlled crash situation and I crashed once. My confidence was ruined. I finished the lap and enjoyed an awesome sandwich Babs made then checked in to the room to relax and try to stop thinking about how intimidated I was by the course. I brought my World Cup fork with me in hopes of getting it repaired on site. I dropped it off at the SRAM trailer and they said they’d have it ready Saturday. I really had no idea what I was getting into when I signed up for the STXC. I assumed it was a crit-style race on the dirt but didn’t know what the course would be. I did a quick warm-up plus 1 lap on the course (which was comprised of the open flat at the start-finish line, the first dirt road climb, a traverse of the main ski trail, and a quick descent leading back to the start-finish) and lined up on the front line right where I told myself not to: far inside left next to the barriers. I told myself not to line up here because the first turn was a left-hander with a fence post sticking out. I guess I don’t listen to my wife or myself! Anyway, the start went as predicted: I was a little slow off the line and then the entire field began pinching in to the left forcing me to break to avoid the fence and other riders. So I’m basically in the last 1/3 of the field heading up the first climb and forced to play catch-up the whole rest of the race. The race consisted of 20 minutes of “go hard or go home” plus 3 laps. I forced myself through the field eventually settling into 8th place. I could consistently see the pack ahead of me so I knew I was maintaining their same speed, but I could never bridge the gap. I had effectively missed the bus! I finished on the lead lap in 8th. The Bailey family showed up to watch my suffering, it helped me push on though. Saturday provided fair weather with a few showers here and there that never amounted to much. I took my bruised ego and set out on a “hot” lap of the course amongst the sport racers who were doing 3 laps (ouch!). The climbing was as expected. But this time the singletrack was a little drier and I found some good lines and regained confidence as I descended smoothly. Now I was looking forward to the race. I picked up my fork from the SRAM guys and decided to put it on. I was having trouble getting the pop-loc cable on so I just swung by the trailer again to have them help me get the right tension. Plus, I needed a different stem cap to hold the fork on. A mechanic and I did it, but he sensed the shock was still not right and asked me to leave it again. Turns out, there was more wrong with the damper and so it was rebuilt, this time with some factory-riders-only innards so I guess that’s good! I was stoked to run this fork on race day, further boosting my confidence. My pit crew arrived soon thereafter and it was pool time! Jack Bailey mentioned something about how his skiers hop in hot/cold water to aid recovery. So I jumped from the hot tub into the pool a few times and my legs really felt fresher than they had been all week. I’m going to look into this further as it may speed this old man’s recovery time, especially during the upcoming Fitchburg Longsjo stage race. Race day started early with a 7:45am staging. After a fair warm up, I got to my group early and lined up on the front row, right of center this time! It was the proper call for when the gun sounded, I took off, got the hole shot and brought the field around in first place for the first half lap.

I felt fine and wasn’t worried I was going out too hard too early. I knew the series leader from Texas was in the field and wasn’t surprised when he came up and passed me. I planned to ride my own race and battle the course rather than worry about other riders. I knew another guy in my group passed me, so I thought I was in 3rd. I was a little sketchy in the first singletrack as I was pretty anaerobic. The descents were dry and in great shape, so my Friday fears were for not. I headed out on the 3rd lap intent to at worst, hold my position but came across another guy in my group whom I thought was lapped, but he said he had been ahead of me. I passed him and again, just rode my race. I felt like I was riding at my limit to the top, but wished I put more into it as I didn’t drop this guy. I was held up some in the final descent and I was taking lines I didn’t prefer and then hit a tree. The guy slipped by and checked out. So, I rode out the final stretch as hard as I could, content with my position, but not satisfied. I guess that’s what makes you train: gotta get the next guy!

It was a great weekend, and it was topped off by a fantastic Fathers’ Day spent with the boys and Babs. Drake and Fenix raced the kids race with a bunch of pros, then it was pool time and off to the Bailey’s. Special thanks go to the crew for their support, encouragement, photos, and willingness to let me play. Also, to the boys at Kennebec Bike & Ski for putting in extra time and effort to get the ProAxe right, and it was. Shifting was smooth and it held up under the direst of conditions. Finally, to my coach who got me to this point. My preseason goal was to earn a top-10 here. A top-5 exceeded my expectations for sure.
Next up is MMBA Series #2 at Biddeford. 

North Shore Classic NE Championship Series

Expert 30-39:
1st/13
Overall Expert:
3rd/48

This race was another add-on thanks to my coach’s advice. I thought it would be appropriate to lay low heading into NORBA Nationals next week, but he recommended I do it to make sure everything was in working order. He was probably referring to my body, but it turned out to be a much needed opportunity to get accustomed to my new Aegis ProAxe.
After some brake boss issues, I picked the bike up Wednesday hoping to get a trail ride in and start dialing it in. Unfortunately, it was raining of course and the front shock was having lock-out issues. I took it home anyway and did a road ride to try to get the cobwebs off it. The shock was definitely not operating properly. It wouldn’t even give me full travel when unlocked. So the bike was dropped back off at the shop Thursday with my SID Race from last year and a riser bar to be installed.
Picked the bike up Friday, headed to Cape Cod on Saturday for the night, then hit the race on my way back north.
Sunday saw sun for the first time in years! However, the enthusiasm was tempered by the fact it had rained for a zillion days straight and even though we wouldn’t be racing in the rain, we’d suffer through the aftermath: MUDVILLE! The 10-mile loop was cut to 7+ as a result.
I warmed up on my trainer to keep the bike clean as long as possible. Sprayed the drivetrain with Pam and headed to the start only to find out we’d be delayed ½ hour. For once I placed myself at the front of the line which was a good thing because it was a mass start and the field was 50+ strong. Typically, however, I wasn’t even in the top-10 heading into the singletrack as my lack of aggressiveness slowed me down. Having not ridden the course, I had no idea what lay ahead so I trusted the guys in front of me and made split-second reactions to the trail. Many struggled on the first technical climb and I made some passes. We then hit a sweet singletrack section that was textbook New England. It was a little early for me to test my bike handling versus the course so I was a little slow at first. Plus, not knowing what lay ahead made for some cautious riding.
The loop was fast from then on, mostly double track and fields, plenty of opportunities to pass. The mud was prevalent everywhere. The preferred line in the fields would get higher into the deep grass every lap to avoid the slop. In some places, it was actually better to go through the real soupy stuff because it was more water than mud and would the tires would just push it aside. There was one place where this wasn’t the case. I choose a wet line to make a pass and buried my bike to the hubs in a mud rut! Amazingly, the bike flushed the junk out and I kept going. I stayed in the middle ring the entire race for fear of developing chain suck. Luckily, shifting was flawless throughout. I attribute this to my new favorite crew member: Pam!
The field spread fairly quickly and I rode alone for most of the 2nd lap until I came upon a group of 5 other experts riding together. When we came to an open road stretch, they seemed to slow to recover so I took advantage and passed them all right before going back into the woods. This proved to be a pivotal move as after the first technical ascent, I didn’t see them again. The funny thing is, I was going to work with them and allow someone who was perhaps stronger than I in the singletrack to lead, but they were already too far behind.
I crashed twice on speedy/muddy descents and I blame my tires. Hutchinson Pythons are NOT mud tires. Although they cleared the mud easily, they more or less rode on top of the slippery stuff providing little steering or braking control. They were great on the open road sections though. The bike was predictable beneath me as I think the cockpit is set up well. It’s definitely stiff. Going from my Surly steel hardtail to the ProAxe is a significant change. I think I’ll play more with tire pressure next to gain some comfort.
I’m obviously very satisfied with the win, and I hope it’s a good indicator of where my fitness level is and how good the bike is.
Mt. Snow is next, my biggest MTB race of the season.

Great Falls Criterium

Masters 35+
10th/28

Today’s race was a dramatic shift from yesterday’s long road race. The course was a 4-corner ¾ mile circuit in downtown Auburn. Unique about it was an uphill just after the start-finish line and a steeper climb after turn 1. Here is where I predicted breaks would be made.
The morning weather was dismal, rain and 50’s. Babs and the kids wisely decided to stay home. Luckily, my race didn’t start until 1:10 and there was a significant dry spell that cleared the roads. Unfortunately, this didn’t last through the race and some light showers made the roads wet again. I ran a pair of Kenda all-conditions tires and I’m glad I did as there was a painted crosswalk right in the middle of turn 4 that scared me every time we rode over it, but there were no crashes this day thankfully.
My warm-up was short and probably insufficient. My legs were burning from the day before still. As I pedaled, it felt like I was putting Icy-Hot on them. I should have spun longer, but ran out of time. The start was uneventful except for the fact I was behind a rider who was having trouble shifting up the climb so many riders passed us. The first 1/3 of the race was difficult for me as I was still flushing out the affects of the road race. I was pretty much mid-pack just trying to get a rhythm going when a break of 6 riders left the front. This left me in the main field to try to figure out what to do. I hoped we would be able to get organized and bridge the gap but it didn’t appear that was going to be the case. The pace was slow from my perspective and I was starting to fell good. The lead group was still within sight on the straightaways so after a rider sprinted for a prime I took off hoping someone would follow and chase with me. Unfortunately no one joined in and I rode a couple of hard laps to see if I could make up any ground. I have to say the course really didn’t lend itself to a successful solo effort. There was a significant headwind after a descent and the strength was in having numbers. So I gave up the fight and settled in with the main field again.
We rode around fairly casually and I now realize why. I was witness to another road strategy learning experience. 2 teammates set the pace up front. Having now read the results, I see another of their riders were in the lead group so these 2 guys were keeping us from generating any effort to bring the field back together so their guy could contend for the win. Without any teammates, I was left to either do another solo or sit in and wait for a field sprint. With 3 laps to go, my mind was made for me. The pace truck was coming up on us because we were slower than the leaders so I decided to try to keep ahead of it. I left the group and redlined it for 2 laps. This proved smart as the others stayed together and I gained a good bit of distance. When I went by with 2 laps to go, I thought I heard the announcer say that I and the group behind me were going to be under the camera next lap, so essentially finishing next time by. During that lap the pace truck went by me and I looked back to see what I thought was a decent gap to the group behind me. So I stayed on the gas and never looked back again just pushing hard to the finish.
Well, I should have looked back because I would have seen 4 team riders working together to outsprint me to the line! I had no idea what was going on and felt like I was just robbed. But over the next hour on my cool down ride I kept telling myself I did the right thing, but just got schooled by more road racing tactics. I was frustrated, but happy with my performance and to hold on to a top-10 finish in this elite group. My frustration has boiled over to intrigue once again and I look forward to developing my own tactics someday!
Next up is a ROOT 66 mtb race in MA as a tune-up for Mt. Snow.

Lake Auburn Road Race

Masters 35+
14th/28

This was a 2 24-mile loop road race right down the road in Auburn. Typical of the spring, the weather brought chilly, rainy conditions. Also typical of heading into a road race, I was cautiously optimistic about performing well. I had a high HR all week, but hopefully due more to allergies and saddle sores than true fatigue. My legs felt a little tight, but as the week wore on, they loosened up.
I had a fairly brief warm-up and wisely took time to go back and grab arm warmers as I noticed everyone else had them. I should have worn a vest and leg warmers as once I was wet, the fast descents chilled me to the bone and when I would stop pedaling my legs would shake uncontrollably. Kind of comical actually. Luckily there was enough climbing and a steady pace to limit this sensation!
This was my first official race as a Cat. 4 in the competitive Elite Masters 35+ category. The pace was surprisingly high right from the go which made me change my goal from a high finish to merely staying with the pack. Based on my fairly brief experience road racing, I knew the only form of survival was to stay with the pack, no matter how hard I would have to pedal to keep up.
The first lap was fairly uneventful except for when we hit the hills. I consider myself a strong climber, but these guys really pushed the pace and it was all I could do to keep up. I was concerned I would lose the draft and had to work hard to stay in contact with the group after the climbs. My concern was without merit as the group eventually slowed after each climb or hard effort. I guess this is where sprintervals come into play!
The descents (what goes up, must go down) were fast! I showed a max speed of 43.5mph on my cyclocomputer.
The second lap was definitely a challenge. 48 miles was about the furthest I’d ridden all year, and definitely not at race-pace. So it was a matter of survival again. Several riders dropped off the back and there were a few occasions where I was the last rider in the pack and drifting off the wheel ahead of me. But I never felt like I would truly lose the group. One rider did manage to go off alone out front and won the race uncontested. The rest of us stayed together for a sprint finish. The pace was pretty high leading to the finish. I stood to gain as much ground as I could but my legs would not deliver, they were lead. So I sat down pedaled as hard as I could and earned a respectable finish. I definitely couldn’t have done better.
Next is the Great Falls Crit tomorrow in Auburn.

Cape Able Memorial Day Classic Race Report

Top-20 pack

This was an after-thought race. I didn’t have it on the schedule until my coach called my attention to it. This is an un-sanctioned road race with A and B categories. It consisted of 6 4-mile loops with a 2 mile start/finish section.
Thankfully it was a sunny, albeit slightly hot day. Babs and the boys decided to make the trek down as none of us had ever visited Kennebunkport before.
After a decent warm-up, we got to the line to hear there was a motorcycle accident on the course and we would be delayed. This clearly was a textbook local event, but a good one! I choose to spin around with the boys while waiting.

Drake and dad talk strategy

Fenix breaks away

45 minutes later we rolled off the 2 mile stretch towards the loops. The pace was quick from the outset. “Team ADG” teammates Andrew Freye and Brad Perley were there. Freye was intent to get a good workout in and had his share of pulls. Brad is a local so he knew the course well.
In sum, the day was pretty tense for an informal race. The pack was uneasy to say the least. The PVC Elite group was mostly in control, setting up teammates for the sprint wins. I found myself in contention for the final sprint, finishing third without any intention of going for it. I think I just thought someone was going off the front!
So the pack stuck together until the 2 mile return stretch which was when all hell broke loose! There was heavy acceleration followed by slow downs, a vehicle coming in the opposite direction despite the road being “closed,” and plenty of elbow/shoulder/hip rubbing. I managed to stay amongst the top-20 as we mass-sprinted to the line. Brad timed his sprint well and was top-10 while Andrew stayed safe in the pack.
The 3 of us had a nice cool down ride around town and I joined the pit crew at an awesome local restaurant for a well-deserved burger.
It was a good time overall in hindsight, but slightly more stressful than I would have preferred.
Next up is the Maine Cycling Weekend.

2006 Summer Schedule

3/18 Charge Pond Training, Plymouth, MA RD
3/25 Charge Pond Training, Plymouth, MA RD
4/23 Adelphia Gran Prix, Plymouth, MA RD
5/13 Sterling Classic Road Race, Sterling, MA RR
5/21 MMBA #1, Camden MTB
5/29 Memorial Day Classic, Kennebunkport RR
6/3 Lake Auburn Road Race, Auburn RR
6/4 Great Falls Criterium, Auburn CRT
6/11 ROOT 66/EFTA, Topsfield, MA MTB
6/18 NORBA Nats, Mt. Snow, VT MTB
6/25 MMBA #2/EFTA, Biddeford MTB
6/29-7/2 Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic Stage Race
7/9 Mt.Washington Practice RD
7/16 MMBA #4, Camden MTB
7/30 MMBA #5/EFTA, Pownal MTB
8/19 Mt. Washington Hillclimb, Gorham, NH RD
8/20 MMBA #6, Sugarloaf MTB
8/26 Saco Crit, Saco CRT
8/27 SMCC Road Race, TBA RR
9/1-4 Green Mt. Stage Race, VT STAGE

MMBA #1 Race Report

MMBA #1 Maine Sport Mayhem, Camden

1st Expert Vet I
5th Overall

My first official mountain bike ride of 2006 began on race day! The monotonous rain here in Maine has limited all of my riding to the road thus far. To top it off, my Aegis ProAxe had not been built up yet so I had no real mountain bike anyway. Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication, the bike wasn’t ready for the race either.
So, it was back to good ol’ Surly 1x1, this time fully rigid, no frills!
My pre-race attitude was less than positive. I was going with Plan-B bike and I was not confident in my bike handling ability. I had plans to pre-ride the course on Saturday, but it became too problematic to get out there. I was definitely going into the race green.
The course was a 2+mile technical loop, 90% singletrack. Despite the recent rains, the course was I would say 90% rideable. The 10% was heinous, hike-a-bike mud sections that stuck to everything like Play-dough. I forced myself to do a 1-lap pre-ride just to see what I was in for. That pretty much sucked any hope I had for a fun day right out of me. My hands were instantly tired and I struggled with bike handling. I finished the lap with 5 minutes to spare for my start and was 3-deep on the line. Although all week I said it was imperative to get a good starting spot (which Babs hasn’t made me forget!), I wasn’t too concerned about it having merely “survived” my pre-ride. I rationalized I just wanted to finish and earn any points possible.
The start was super-sketchy as it was a mad dash though a grass field with trees to a 2-bike width gulley, to a parking lot, to singletrack, to a run-through-the-mud-pit. Everything you could ever want in a Maine mountain bike race! I rubbed elbows and shoulders, but kept it upright and just tried to hold my spot once in the woods and settle in. The first lap was easily the most fatiguing. We were all riding above our ability in an effort to keep from getting passed. Meanwhile, the tension keeps you from focusing on riding smoothly and you end up slipping up and getting passed anyway. Luckily, I simply held my spot and waited for opportunities to pass others and make my way through the field. Things strung out about mid-way through the lap and I set out to find my rhythm, content to ride behind people who were smooth on the course so I could mirror their lines. As the laps progressed, it was obvious others were fading while I felt fairly consistent, not pushing too hard. Converse to probably most people’s strategy; I pushed the easy sections as it was recovery enough for me to not have to battle the bike versus the mud, roots, and rocks and made significant time. I kept telling myself I have the middle fitness that is speedy and the glue that keeps the high end accessible when needed. I think it’s what the tempo workouts really have helped build. I passed people right through the final lap and was just starting to fatigue at the end.
I was pleasantly surprised with the finish. Things happen for a reason, and I’m convinced the Surly was the right bike for the event. I didn’t have drivetrain issues like many others, and after a couple of laps, was comfortable in the cockpit. Sure, a suspension fork would have been nice, but if you don’t think about it, you don’t know what you’re missing!
I had great fan support from Drake and Fenix and Babs was crucial in the feed zone.

Drake kicked off his race season as well, finishing third after waiting for his fellow competitors after they tipped off their bikes. You gotta love 5 year-old sportsmanship; we should all follow their example.
Fenix completed his first race in the 2+ category! Dad was a little tired after his race so he couldn’t push him as fast as the others! He took 1 tumble, but got back on and pedaled across the finish line. I think he’s hooked too!

It's all about the prizes!
It was a fun family outing thanks mostly to Babs, the ultimate team manager!.

Next up is the Cape Able Memorial Day Classic.

Sterling Classic Road Race Report

Cat 5 35+: 5th/34

I got in a little racing in conjunction with my 20th class reunion celebration at Lawrence Academy this past weekend. The fam and I headed to Groton, MA on Friday for a class dinner and stayed the weekend at a hotel in Devens (the former Fort Devens).
It was great to get back to see old classmates and teachers. But, as the saying goes: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It rained the day of our graduation back in 1986 and the ceremony had to be held in the gym. 20 years later, same result: RAIN!
Luckily Saturday morning (race day) held fairly intermittent showers, but it was below 50 degrees and the roads were very wet already, making it a fairly unmemorable experience overall. Ironically, I was talking with Andrew Freye the other day about his race experience at the NORBA National out West. His demise was the opposite kind of weather. Hot, sunny conditions were the theme for his day, not the type of riding environment he’d been accustomed to having trained in Maine all spring. For me, the weather was typical on Saturday, cold and wet!
I had a very limited warm-up due to my preference to stay dry as close to race time as possible. The course was an 8 mile roller and my group did 3 laps. We had a rolling neutral start up the finish-line hill then hit some rolling backroads that became very narrow at times and with the yellow line enforced, we could only feasibly go 3-wide.
I decided to not use eyewear sacrificing comfort for visibility. I’m not sure that was a good call as I quickly got sand in me eye and it was very difficult to stay on someone’s wheel as the spray came right up into my face.
After failing to ride strategically at my last road race, I was eager to go hard from the gun, but I also wanted to be smart this time. I rode at the front the entire race to make sure I went with anyone that went off the front. I tested the group on the second lap and put in a hard pull at the front, to assure myself I would at least get a workout in. the pack was pretty tight and it was evident I would not be able to go solo as there were no challenging climbs to accelerate on. On the final lap, a few of us took off and tried to organize a paceline to get away, but the pack kept us in check and we were too scattered. The final mile plus was on a 2 lane major road and we were able to use the right-hand lane plus the breakdown lane. I was mid-pack on the left side with some room to move up front quickly if I saw anything develop. However, I sensed this wasn’t the ideal position so I drifted until an opening emerged and made my way to the breakdown lane. Normally this wouldn’t make sense, but it turns out it was timely as a rider went down hard near where I was. Evidently he slid out into the opposite lane, good thing a car wasn’t coming!
So I rode the curb and sat behind a guy I’ve seen before and knew was good. The road bended slightly to the right then hard right uphill to the finish. A guy went off about 200 yards from the finish and it was chase time. I was about 7th at the foot of the hill but put the head down and went as hard as I could and picked off a couple for 5th. The hill certainly didn’t seem that long the other 2 laps!
I’m pleased with the result as I feel like I was patient, I learned more about strategy, and I got a decent workout in and placed well in a sprint. My first mountain bike race is next weekend. I haven’t even ridden my ProAxe yet so it should be interesting to say the least!
The Victory continues to become more and more an extension of me.