Wednesday, March 31, 2010
In a word...
Meh. Results went up yesterday. I burned a lot of brain cells yesterday stressing over what to think of the outcome and then just said eff it and reverted to the fact that I felt ok about it when I finished. I've only done this one other time and that was 2 years ago. I was actually 5 seconds slower this time. Course conditions slowed down nearly everyone across the board and last year's king and queen lost about 1:30 each so maybe -5 seconds is actually an "improvement". Placing was pretty awful, but then again there appear to be several individuals who should perhaps reconsider their racing category. Last time I was at about mid-pack in the field, this time more like top 1/3. Different bike, don't even remember what my training or fitness was like 2 springs ago, pre-rode last time and not this time... there I go over-analyzing again. Like I said, I'll go back to feeling ok about some stuff and knowing that I messed up some other stuff and move on. Lots more racing to do this year.
Monday, March 29, 2010
(Not the) King of Burlingame
Imagine that... race report season is back again already. After a lost cross season which left me little to talk about other than how much I sucked, you'd think I'd be just overflowing with things to say about the first race of the season. Well you may end up being right, but let's see how this goes as I start rambling...
Charlestown is one of those places that I know is far, but I can never seem to remember if it's just shy of 90 minutes or just over 90. I split the difference and figured I'd leave 3 hours before the Sport group started and leave myself 90 to get ready and warm up. I had a little panic moment when the GPS told me I'd arrive in 95 minutes and I still had to make a stop or two, but I figured I'd be fine seeing that it was early and I could potentially drive a little recklessly to get there. Sure enough I cut it down to 85 minutes with a DnD stop so we were in business. Got some prime parking next to some car full of pro-type people and thus began the banter about the conditions. Comments were made to the effect of "Oh, you race at 10, maybe it will warm up by then" and "Some sections will have too much water to be muddy". Now for the record, even at 8:30 I didn't think it was that cold and it warmed up a few degrees by 10. Knee warmers, long sleeve jersey, sleeveless base layer, regular cap was perfectly fine. This does not however mean that the standing water on the course was warm and my feet were in fact numb by the finish.
Good warmup mostly on the roads and then headed over to the start area. Riders went at 30 second intervals and I was heading out lucky 13 so not too much time to wait. Yet another reminder of the conditions was the mud puddle about 5 feet into the trail head where you started. There were plenty of jokes about who was going to eat it right there, but unfortunately I didn't see any. 3... 2... 1... Have a good ride big man! (The starter was a funny bastard). I knew from past years that there were some technical sections early and if I made those mostly clean, or at least fast, I'd be in ok shape. Well, I felt fast enough, but I was far from clean and that was capped off by a foot long 1" diameter stick lodging in my rear wheel/crank and sending me over the bike, fortunately at low speed. I was better after that, but not perfect. I have a really awful habit of getting very stiff and putting on a handlebar deathgrip when I start to go "into the pain cave" as they say and since this was a TT, that's where you belong. The fast sections I felt pretty fast, but I was marginal at best on the rooty and/or technical sections that pop up here and there throughout the course. One (barely) shining moment was at the log about 1/4 of the way in which is just big enough to make you (me) question riding or running it and I hit a perfect full speed cross dismount/remount to actually make up ground on a guy and then pass him.
The rest of the course was more of the same... good solid power where you could use it including a satisfying catch and pass going up the long drag from the pond, suspect bike handling when you needed some that wasn't. In the very last section up to the finish I spotted 2 guys up the trail and gunned for them, getting one in the final mud puddle and the other guy just saying ahead. Overall I think I passed 5 or 6 and I was passed by 2, but both were so early on that they had to have started very close behind me and been frickin flying. I didn't have a watch so I don't know my time yet. If I saw correctly when I looked over the lady's shoulder at the results I was 7th in the Sport 19-39. More or less as soon as I knew I wasn't top 5 and getting a wiffle ball bat or a tire off the prize table I blew out of there and didn't hang around to hear times. I'll withold final judgment until I see the times, but I can't say I was thrilled. I easily lost 30 seconds, probably more, to poor technical riding. I have to find me some of those bike handling skills I hear so much about.
Charlestown is one of those places that I know is far, but I can never seem to remember if it's just shy of 90 minutes or just over 90. I split the difference and figured I'd leave 3 hours before the Sport group started and leave myself 90 to get ready and warm up. I had a little panic moment when the GPS told me I'd arrive in 95 minutes and I still had to make a stop or two, but I figured I'd be fine seeing that it was early and I could potentially drive a little recklessly to get there. Sure enough I cut it down to 85 minutes with a DnD stop so we were in business. Got some prime parking next to some car full of pro-type people and thus began the banter about the conditions. Comments were made to the effect of "Oh, you race at 10, maybe it will warm up by then" and "Some sections will have too much water to be muddy". Now for the record, even at 8:30 I didn't think it was that cold and it warmed up a few degrees by 10. Knee warmers, long sleeve jersey, sleeveless base layer, regular cap was perfectly fine. This does not however mean that the standing water on the course was warm and my feet were in fact numb by the finish.
Good warmup mostly on the roads and then headed over to the start area. Riders went at 30 second intervals and I was heading out lucky 13 so not too much time to wait. Yet another reminder of the conditions was the mud puddle about 5 feet into the trail head where you started. There were plenty of jokes about who was going to eat it right there, but unfortunately I didn't see any. 3... 2... 1... Have a good ride big man! (The starter was a funny bastard). I knew from past years that there were some technical sections early and if I made those mostly clean, or at least fast, I'd be in ok shape. Well, I felt fast enough, but I was far from clean and that was capped off by a foot long 1" diameter stick lodging in my rear wheel/crank and sending me over the bike, fortunately at low speed. I was better after that, but not perfect. I have a really awful habit of getting very stiff and putting on a handlebar deathgrip when I start to go "into the pain cave" as they say and since this was a TT, that's where you belong. The fast sections I felt pretty fast, but I was marginal at best on the rooty and/or technical sections that pop up here and there throughout the course. One (barely) shining moment was at the log about 1/4 of the way in which is just big enough to make you (me) question riding or running it and I hit a perfect full speed cross dismount/remount to actually make up ground on a guy and then pass him.
The rest of the course was more of the same... good solid power where you could use it including a satisfying catch and pass going up the long drag from the pond, suspect bike handling when you needed some that wasn't. In the very last section up to the finish I spotted 2 guys up the trail and gunned for them, getting one in the final mud puddle and the other guy just saying ahead. Overall I think I passed 5 or 6 and I was passed by 2, but both were so early on that they had to have started very close behind me and been frickin flying. I didn't have a watch so I don't know my time yet. If I saw correctly when I looked over the lady's shoulder at the results I was 7th in the Sport 19-39. More or less as soon as I knew I wasn't top 5 and getting a wiffle ball bat or a tire off the prize table I blew out of there and didn't hang around to hear times. I'll withold final judgment until I see the times, but I can't say I was thrilled. I easily lost 30 seconds, probably more, to poor technical riding. I have to find me some of those bike handling skills I hear so much about.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
I win
If I'm counting right I took 13 town lines during today's ride. Oh wait, I was riding solo. Still, I did ride far enough to hit 13 towns. Yay.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
More Than Yesterday...
Less Than Tomorrow
I had never actually heard this saying before my lovely wife and I went shopping for our wedding rings (I lead a sheltered life apparently). She suggested we have it engraved in our rings. At the time it was simply a wish for our marriage. I recently used it to close out the toast I gave at my buddy's wedding too. While trying to think of ideas for more artwork I thought of this and if you think about it, it works as an all-purpose wish for all the good stuff in your life. To add an extra touch I had my 4 year old write the letters for me so I could capture a tiny bit of his childhood forever. The scroll is the artist's own work. I'm pretty pleased with the result. If I'm lucky many bike racers in New England will get plenty of time to admire it while they try in vain to get past me :)
I had never actually heard this saying before my lovely wife and I went shopping for our wedding rings (I lead a sheltered life apparently). She suggested we have it engraved in our rings. At the time it was simply a wish for our marriage. I recently used it to close out the toast I gave at my buddy's wedding too. While trying to think of ideas for more artwork I thought of this and if you think about it, it works as an all-purpose wish for all the good stuff in your life. To add an extra touch I had my 4 year old write the letters for me so I could capture a tiny bit of his childhood forever. The scroll is the artist's own work. I'm pretty pleased with the result. If I'm lucky many bike racers in New England will get plenty of time to admire it while they try in vain to get past me :)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Metrowest Ink
Spent some more quality time at the tattoo parlor last night. I'm up to 6 now. In all honesty fresh tattoos can look kind of ugly since they're all swollen and there's a little blood involved. I'll get a picture up here (and probably facebook) soon. I really have no legitimate explanation for the tattoo fascination. Maybe it's my way of rebelling against all the things I was told not to do as a kid. It's not like my parents were major hardasses or anything so maybe not. I've always avoided getting any that simply look cool for the sake of looking cool. All mine have a story.
Oh and training is going pretty awesome despite Sunday's beating. A beating at the hands of pros and front-of-the-masters-field type of guys is the type of beating where every minute you hang on is a victory. Looking back over the data it was actually a really positive effort despite the implosion. 2 weeks until KOB.
Oh and training is going pretty awesome despite Sunday's beating. A beating at the hands of pros and front-of-the-masters-field type of guys is the type of beating where every minute you hang on is a victory. Looking back over the data it was actually a really positive effort despite the implosion. 2 weeks until KOB.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Humbled
I went to a group ride today. Gavin Mannion showed up in full Livestrong team kit and all. I'm not sure he was even the fastest guy there. I got to TT the last hour back by myself. Someone's got some more training to do.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Laying low
Although I should have posted a follow up to the last post explaining how my SRAM double-tap lever snapped off while readjusting everything, that bit of comedy is now fully resolved and I missed the window of high quality sarcastic commentary. Honestly not really a lot going on. Training, working, taxes, laundry, karate classes, lacrosse clinics, a little pickup basketball... just kinda relaxing and enjoying right now. The household chaos meter is historically low right now, but fear not, it will be set to 11 before you know it. We'll have 3 playing baseball this year and all three at different levels which means totally different schedules, fields, etc. We'll also have one doubling up in lacrosse. Good thing I've gotten into the habit of jumping on the bike around 4:45 before work and gettin er done. First race registration is in (KOB TT). Maybe I should actually renew my license. Need sleep.
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