Pedalling Squares

Cherry Pie Crit, Super Bowl Sunday, 2005

The Cast:
Rob Robertson
Kevin King
Paul Carter, yours truly

The Skinny:
About a 1 mile course with a little grinder of a hill and a hairpin at the top. The course finishes at the top of the hill. We were set for 50 minutes of racing.

The Plan:
This would be our first official race of the 2005. The plan was simple. We wanted to try to get one of us into at least one early break to see what would happen. Then if it was together in the end, Rob agreed to be the setup man and Kevin the leadout man for the grinding uphill sprint. Easy enough?

How It Went:
We started off easy enough. The first trip down the hill felt a little... well, slow. Safe, but slow. Going back up the hill wasn't too hard for me initially, so that was good. The legs felt ok, even with 80+ miles the day before. So we sits and we waits.

The prime bell rings and there's a little action at the front, but I'm not interested and neither are Rob or Kevin. After a few more laps of grab-ass, at roughly the half-way point, Kevin follows a move up the left side before the hill and I see Rob following seconds later in a another group. So a tattered breakaway of about, I dunno, 8-12 get away. So I move to the front and chill. There were lots of teams involved in the break, so I wasn't alone.

The break didn't look too organized, but no matter, I had 2 guys in it, my job was to clog and bog behind. Sit up, read the newspaper, tell lame jokes, etc. So then the prime bell rings again, so I decide I'll try to hold my position at the front for a counter attack. After the guys sprint for the prime, I wait for the lull - the collective sigh of relief - and launch it with conviction normally reserved only for bean dip raids on Super Bowl Sunday.

I quickly joined Doran (sp?) from Solano and a Spine guy who I later found out was Chris and we got a decent gap. We quickly started working together through that lap and the next, although it became clear that Doran was fading already. We cut him some slack but he eventually just dropped off the pace. So then we're down to 5 to go and Chris and I are working together nicely.

I'm feeling good - not explosive - but good. As we wind down to 3 to go, it's still hard to tell if we'll make it. I was debating trying to attack Chris on the hill, or maybe just sitting in and hitting him with my wicked, ahem, "sprint" at the end. With 2 to go, they're getting closer, and it doesn't look good.

At the top of the hill, with 1 to go, they catch us. Shit. One guy shoots pass in a bold attack that didn't look like it would work. I stayed at the front, in the wind, not chasing, but trying to hold my position. I still had a sprint in me. A little before the bottom of the hill, the group finally swarms me, and I try to hold my spot.

Then a move goes on the left as we hit the bottom of the hill. I swing wide and sprint for it, but I've lost too many positions. I charge up past a lot of people, but only manage maybe top 15.

Post race:
Not a bad showing for just 3 guys. We had a man (sometimes 2) in the break for the entire second half of the race. I think our early season training is coming along nicely.

Presidio Crit, September 19, 2004

Who:
Vaughn Van Naughty
Robbie 'O Canada' Robertson
Yours Truly, Master P

The Course:
A longish crit course that has a long uphill, a very short flat section (nearly a hairpin back down the hill), followed by a long downhill with one jog in the middle and then another short flat section to the bottom of the climb. The finish was near the top of the hill and the wind was blowing . . . you guessed it - down the hill! Nice! Oh and the course was still a little damp from the rain earlier in the morning. We were scheduled for 50 minutes and the field size was somewhere around 50.

The Skinny:

I started at the back - no biggie since it was a long tough crit and it I wasn't worried about losing it on a poor start. So I hung back for a bit. I was a little worried about the corner at the bottom. It was at the end of a long downhill, so you came into it hot. There was a little storm drain on the inside line, some botts-dots to rattle you off the middle line, and some wide, slippery crosswalk stripes to make you think twice before attempting to defy any laws of physics as you're leaning it over with 50 of your closest friends. The gnarly barriers on the outside at the turn's exit made me think of Abdu chowdering in many years ago in the Tour. Oh and did I mention it rained earlier?

I felt comfortable on the hill, but not explosive. I haven't been training too hard lately and I'm missing that extra something. So I sat in. After a few more trips around I felt like I had that bottom turn dialed in and decided to move up.

Perfect timing - they ring the prime bell. So I decide to see what I can do. Once we hit the climb the wind is in our faces and people are sitting in. Finally someone makes a good move to get a gap. I decide I'll try to follow him thinking he might tire near the top. He doesn't, but the two of us have a big gap. I put on the baggy pants, and decide it's hammer time - so we roll with it after cresting the top.

I pull all the way around, down the hill, up most of the hill and give him the elbow flick to take his turn. He sits.

I turn around - "You gonna work?"
"Not right now..."
"At all?"
"Well, I just uhhh, you know... the prime... and uhhh... "

Screw that. I may be blonde and ruggedly handsome, but I'm not that dumb. So I sit up.

Lo and behold, two more guys are bridging up to us. They pull right through and immediately start working with us. So we work together for probably the next lap and now everybody is contributing. I find myself pulling at the bottom of the hill, trying to keep the tempo high. But the guys can't hold my wheel. So I ease up - not gonna happen with this group.

There were a few more opportunities for primes that I could have contested but I really wanted to save it for the end. So I stayed near the front and out of trouble.

I think Van Naughty got pulled a little early but was able to encourage us on the uphill part of the course with the occasional golf clap. I was relieved to see Rob around this time - hanging tough in the front group. I was hoping for a little Pegasus love on that uphill, headwind finishing straight.

4 laps to go. I've got good position and just try to maintain my position each time on the descent. I knew I probably wouldn't make up any places on the descent, I just wanted to try not to lose any. So after two laps I look up at the lap counter, expecting to see 2 laps to go (4-2=2, right?), but it wasn't meant to be. They had counted it wrong, so now there was 1 to go. Bell Lap! Shit.

I wasn't quite as far near the front as I wanted to be and I knew I wasn't going to make up much ground with 1/2 a lap to go. I got through the bottom turn without incident, probably in around 12th position heading into the bottom of the hill.

But it wasn't gonna happen. I made up some places in the painful uphill sprint, but only managed top 6 or 8, I think. I was just too far back.

Post Race:
I've been kicking it old school lately - yes, sans heart rate monitor - the horror!!! So I don't know what my average HR was, but I only felt really bad warming up and sprinting to the finish.

Avg speed: 22.4 mph

Winters Road Race
Winters, CA
August 28, 2004

The Cast:
Patrick "P-Money" Monroe
Rob "Everything's Better with Maple Syrup" Robertson
Dave "Shin-to-the-Head" Schindehette
Levi Leipheimer (but he forgot his Pegasus kit and wore some "Rabobank" kit instead... whatever)
Me

The Course:
24 mile loop 3 times. It's got a good hill in it, but enough of a descent and runout to the finish to allow the pretender-descenders to catch back on. The finish is flat and fast, and if all had gone well (ahem), we would have had the full road (both lanes) for the sprint.

The Plan:
Survive. The start was a little chilly, but it was clearly going to get warm. I was bringing all the liquid I could carry and hoping for a neutral feed as well.

Last year I did this race and tried like hell to force the pace on the hill in hopes of dropping people. It didn't work - almost everybody caught back on eventually. So this year, I planned to just go easy up the climbs and save the energy. The race could be hard enough where even just the sprint at the end might be difficult after 72 miles of heat!

P-Money and MapleBoy were busy rubbing oil on one another or something so Dave and I didn't catch their plan. But I know that P-Money has been training hard probably had the same plan me. Dave and Maple Boy were a little uncertain of their fitness and were just out for the tan, the chicks, and the cosmopolitan culture of Winters, California.

How It Went Down:
The first lap was pretty uneventful. P-Money decided to show off his climbing legs on the big climb. Dayum - he was killing it! But I was content to be in the middle riding my own tempo.

The second lap was more of the same. Near the end of the second lap P-Mo rode up and said his rear hub was seizing up. At first it sounded fine, then it started making this awful grinding noise like when I first starting driving a stick shift. So he bailed at the end of the second lap.

At the beginning of the third lap, I assumed my position at the front. This is when the shit goes down. A Maguire guy just rolled off the front and got quite a gap. A Spine guy went after him. I stayed at the front but didn't really work too much. I was not feeling super and was still wondering if I had the legs to get over the climb one last time. Not sure where Dave and MapleBoy were at this point, but they weren't at the front. The Spine guy is a good climber and would easily get through the hilly section without any trouble. I resigned myself to catching him after the hill and descent. The Maguire guy came back as soon as the climbing started.

I stayed near the front on the climb and set tempo a few times, but didn't kill myself. It was now very hot - probably mid-90's. If knew if I could just make it over the climb with the lead group, I could be there for the sprint. We came down and were probably a group of 30-40 - I stayed at the front and didn't really look back.

I took a few turns at the front as we made an effort to catch the Spine guy. It was looking like a race for second. There were 4 Maguires and 4 Alto Velo but they weren't putting any effort in the chase - only 2 of them total were riding at the front. I yelled some sweet nothings at both teams, but since I used polysyllabic words - they couldn't comprehend. Oh well. I decided to sit in and ride for second place. It looked like none of the Pegasus homies made the lead group so I was on my own for the sprint.

At 1K to go an AV guy ramps it up as fast as he can for the sprint and I'm right on his wheel. But, of course that lasted about as long as a JLo relationship and at 500 meters he pulls off, leaving me in front. Now what do I do?!?!?

So I keep the tempo high, wait for the guys to swarm me, hoping I can just hold onto a decent placing. At 200 meters we're supposed to get the full road. But, when we hit 200 meters there's more traffic than a Paris Hilton website: a truck in our lane, and a big utility truck with a trailer in the other lane coming towards us. Nice. I stay seated, keeping it safe as we steer left then right around the first truck and come across the line a safe distance from the truck in the other lane. Four guys came past me, so with the Spine guy winning solo, I ended up 6th.

Woohoo - another Velo Promo T shirt!!!

Post race:
I drank nearly 5 bottles of water and still ran of out of water with 10K to go. HOT!!!
Avg speed: 23 mph

And yes, Levi Leiphiemer really was there, just back from the Olympics, but I didn't see how he finished.

Cascade Classic, Bend, Oregon - Stage 4: Old Mill District Criterium

Description:
A 1.2 K course in the Old Mill District of Bend. It's kind of like a industrial crit setting, but they're rebuilding in that area as well. It was a good course, with one little narrow cyclocross/goat path/driveway part that goes up a little hill from the parking lot (!) back to the road. The finish is downhill and fast. We were scheduled for 60 minutes of racing.

How It Went Down:
I was a little scared of this course and not motivated. With the downhill finish and the trip through the parking lot with haybales (which some idiot decided would be better with large pieces of steel protruding from each) and the goatpath, it just seemed like it would be a little sketchy.

I started at the back of the group, just hoping to maintain my position on GC. Those first few laps killed me. I looked down as we finished our 3rd lap and we were right around 5 minutes gone. Ouch! This could make for a long race.

This continued as I was going balls to the wall, tongue on the stem, heart in my throat for the first 20 minutes. I was having to close gaps all over the place and knew they were pulling riders even this early. But that's what I get for starting at the back I suppose.

The pace seemed more even at about the halfway point as things started to settle down. Then I started to realize the course was actually safe and fun. Everything was wide open, and as long as you set up a little to the outside for the goatpath, it would be fine. Plus, the pack was considerably thinner now.

A break got away that would probably stick. Guess who? That's right, two of the LaborPower guys!!! What a shocker. So I enjoyed it. I considered going for a prime, but decided a little too late.

The LaborPower guys won it by about 30 seconds and I finished easily with the group.

avg hr: 158
avg speed: 25.8
Result: I moved up again a few spots to finish 13th overall on GC (out of 70+ starters). Not bad considering I had one bad day that cost me the bulk of that time.

Cascade Classic, Bend, Oregon - Stage 3: Awbrey Butte Circuit Race

Description:
It's a ~13 mile course and we were scheduled for 4 laps. It's got two roughly 1K climbs (the second of which is the feed zone) separated by 5-6 miles and then the finishing climb which is a short, steep two-parter. There are a few other rollers as well.

How It Went Down:
I was hoping to redeem myself after yesterday's disaster. But I didn't know the loop, so I stayed in the middle for the first lap. The Labor Power trio had the first 3 places on GC and got away with one other guy after the second climb. I don't know how that happens and I guess it's partly my fault for not putting myself in the right position to join them, but oh well. So by the end of the first lap I think they had 40 seconds.

Not much happened on the second lap although I reacquainted myself with the front of the group. I led the group over the S/F for the second lap and I think the gap was still steady at 40 seconds - but no one was really making a concerted effort to chase.

Then things started to heat up. There were a few attacks and I was at the front and just went with the flow, trying not to do too much work. Then I saw a good opportunity on the first climb - an Excel Sports guy (who was high on GC) accelerated at the base and I went with it. I took over halfway up the climb and noticed we had one other guy (Jet City?) and a good gap when we reached the top.

We quickly started working together although it wasn't the smoothest paceline I've ever done. I was feeling super. On the second climb I was worried they would leave me, but if anything it was the opposite - I ended up setting the tempo and one of the guys skipped a few pulls after we went through the feed zone.

The Moto gave us a gap of about 30 seconds as we were about 5K from the S/F. We drove it hard on the flats and had them in sight. As we got to the first steep pitch near the S/F line, I knew we could catch them. I could see the beads of sweat on their faces. They had maybe 15 seconds on us by my count.

I considered just burying myself to get up to them, but I knew what would happen. They would wait for me to catch on, and then accelerate away from me. They're all great, experienced riders (Chris Walker just won the Elite National Championships at age 42) and they're all on the same team.

After we came up the second steep pitch and through the S/F the announcer gave us a gap of 24 seconds. We were so close...

I tried to keep the pressure on and power up one of the rollers - but we ended up dropping the Jet City guy. I didn't think this would be too bad, but was now starting to worry more about the group behind catching us. At the base of the first 1K climb, the moto said we were 30 seconds down on the break and 30 seconds up on the field. Stuck in the middle!

The Excel guy and I kept up the pace. He could stand to move into 4th place depending on the final gap. Then, out of nowhere, a Soulcraft guy bridges back up to us with the Jet City guy in tow. It was kind of like Janet Jackson's jack-in-the-box-boob appearance at the Super Bowl: totally unexpected, but a welcome sight, nonetheless.

So we nailed the descent and began the second climb. The Soulcraft guy was big and I wasn't too worried about him on the second little climb. He opened up a little gap and I moved up to try to keep him close - although I still wasn't too worried. We still had probably 10K to go, and I didn't think he could do it on his own.

When we rolled through the feed zone he had probably 15 seconds and it looked like he was still pulling away. My remaining breakaway companions are tired and aren't into another little mini-chase. I'm driving as hard as I can, but they're slow to pull through and slowing the pace when they do. Damn!

After another mile or so, he was still riding away from us! Damn again! So now I'm just hoping that we can finish ahead of the group.

But more bad news, the field is closing in on us. I look back and see they're about 15 seconds behind now. So at 5K to go, I sit up and wait for the counter-attacks to start. I jump on the first one, but it doesn't stick. Then things settle down for the final climbs - looks like we're now racing for 5th place.

The first pitch comes and I hammer it - first one to the top. Then I start to get that special feeling, and as we climb the next one, I start going backwards. Too too tired from the chase. I hang for dear life and finish at the back of the group and don't lose any time on the day except to the break and the Soulcraft guy who finished 4th.

We were so close to catching the break. I was disappointed - I felt super in the chase and definitely gave it my all. Oh well . . .

avg hr: 160
avg speed: 24.5
Result: Moved up to 18th overall on GC

Cascade Classic, Bend, Oregon - Stage 2: Mount Bachelor Road Race

Description:
About 60 miles total. It's 30 miles of mostly downhill, then up a short hill for the feed zone, then down, some flat and 10+ miles of climbing back up to Mount Bachelor Ski Resort. This would be the second stage of the day - we started at around 2pm.

The race starts kinda goofy though - first you go down from Mount Bachelor about 4 miles, do a U-turn, climb back up, and then drop down over the other side. WTF?

How it went down:
You'd think a nice wide open descent would be a good way to start the race - wrong. There were 4 high speed shimmies on this little downhill section. We were doing over 50 mph and these guys looked like they were riding jackhammers down the hill. Scary shit.

We turned around and came back up the hill and then down the other side. No more shimmies this time. We covered over 28 miles in the first hour - mostly all downhill. Labor Power had already sent one of their guys up the road to make the leader's team (from Lowe's) chase.

At this point I really started to notice how badly I had to whiz. My stomach didn't feel so hot either.

We got to the feed zone and I moved up to the front. I still didn't feel that great mainly because of my swelling bladder. There were a few attacks, but, like the articles in Playboy, they just didn't matter.

At the base of the climb I was feeling really bad. The break had 4 minutes on us and I knew what would soon happen. The LaborPower boys would go to the front and ride everyone right off their wheel. So they did.

I was still aching from my full bladder, but was experiencing some stomach cramps too. I guess my nutrition plan for the two stages in one day wasn't quite right. I started falling backwards through the group. It was so demoralizing. I got to the back and the gap started to open up. So I made one final effort to close it.

Hmm, I didn't feel so bad. More gaps were opening up, so I kept closing them. I wasn't feeling as bad as I thought. I kept this up all the way to the top and gradually felt better, although I still wasn't climbing full steam. I finally bridged up the one last group of about 10 as we made the turn up to Mount Bachelor with about 5K to go.

The final few miles was a not so steep climb but into a stiff headwind. I just made sure I stayed with the group.

Avg HR: 150 bpm
Max Speed: 52 mph
Result: Finished about 4:30 down - not nearly as bad as I thought, given the stomach and bladder conditions. This dropped me to 22nd on GC.

Cascade Classic, Bend, Oregon - Stage 1: Tumalo Time Trial (Master's race)

Description:
6.6 miles total, first 1.5-2 go uphill, then some steep down, then some rollers. I brought the full TT setup: cowhorns, aero bars, and Zipp deep dish wheels.

How it went:
My plan was to launch it as hard as I could on the hill. Since my climbing skillz are better than my flat TT skillz - I thought that would be the best strategy. At the top it looked like I had gained some time on my 30-second-man. But I was feeling it too. Finally got to the top and recovered a little before the downhill.

I got to the top, tried to roll it as fast as possible on the downhill section and the rollers, but I was definitely losing some time here. Blech. I soldiered on and finished in 15:55.

Avg HR: 170 bpm
Avg Speed: 24.8 mph
Result: 11th place, about 50 seconds back.

Topless Girls In The Feed Zone

or Pescadero Coastal Classic, June 26, 2004

The Skinny:
Same hard course, different cast. 1800' of climbing per lap over two short climbs (less than a mile each) and one longer, roughly 2 mile climb. The top of this last climb is the finish. The Cat 3's do a total of 72 miles (which ends up being 2.7 laps).

The Fat:
Last year I got 3rd, which would be tough to beat this year since I noticed that there were plenty of good climbers at the start line. The plan this year was the same: chill on the first lap then look for something good on the second lap. If it stays still together after two laps, I'll take my chances duking it out on the final climb.

So nothing much happened on the first lap. On the second lap we went a little harder up the two little climbs. I started to get some bad stomach cramps - must've been that Forty I chugged in the parking lot before the race. Damn...

The climbs up Stage Road were a little slippery since it was still a little misty and foggy on that side of the course. So it was no surprise when some guy ate chowder on the second descent. He seemed to be fine - just lots of road rash. Although he didn't take anyone down, a little gap opened up and 2 guys got away a little. I was sitting in 4th or 5th wheel stuck between those 2 and the group. It all came back together on Highway 84 though.

The second time up the big climb I started it near the front and rode tempo all the way up. The cramps went away, but I wasn't feeling super. One guy attacked hard (he did the same thing the first time up) but, like a bra to Pamela Anderson: it just didn't matter. He wouldn't stay away by himself. We eventually caught him riding tempo and we crested the top with about a dozen guys and started the scary descent. I white-knuckled it down without much trouble. The 12 of us worked together a little bit, but slowly the group was catching us. So at this point it looked like plan B - keep things together and duke it out on the final climb.

We cruised the flat section pretty easy and then the race started to get a little spicy. There was a $10 (maybe it was $20) cash prime at the beginning of each lap. It was just before the start of the first climb on Stage Road. So some guys were launching it for that. There was a little group that got away here, including Max, one of the Tieni Duro guys who can climb really well - probably the best pure climber in the group. He took off but I just didn't want to chase it down - especially into a headwind. So I let 'em go.

They had probably 30 seconds when we got to the first climb. I was at the front and decided to keep the tempo up and keep them in sight. There were probably 4 guys - I doubted they could stay the 8 miles or so up highway 84, but didn't want to chance it. A Spine guy moved up and took a turn as well. They stayed away over the first little climb and I drove it again hard up the start of the second one. We caught them near the top of the second climb.

So on highway 84, with roughly 10 miles to go, the group was all together. This was a good thing, but I wasn't feeling all that great and was absolutely dreading the final climb. It was at this point that I decided to call ahead and make a reservation for 1 in the pain cave. Non-smoking please. I'll be arriving shortly...

With about maybe 6-7 miles to go, a little break went up the road, including Max, the Tieni Duro climber. I'm not chasin' anything, so I sits and I waits. But, we definitely don't want to spot him even just 10 seconds on the climb - we'll never see him again.

I don't remember how it happened (but I know I didn't do any of the work) but suddenly I'm off the front now with a certain Real Bicycles guy, Max, a Maguire, and a few others. We have a small gap but aren't really working so well together. I work a little, but not killing myself - I still wasn't convinced it would amount to anything.

Before long a few more guys bridge up - enough to make it stick. But some of those guys aren't working. We're disorganized, not everyone is working, and somehow we're staying clear with just a few miles to go. I'd love a little 20 second head start on the climb. We pull through the feed zone and I'm really feeling it - I didn't work that hard in the break, but just didn't feel like I had it.

I recover a little on the flat part and then we start the climb with probably a 20-30 second gap. Max jumps and I let him go - the pain cave is my domain now. I notice there's just 5 of us - Max up ahead, and CVC, Maguire, Real Bikes, and me leftover from the break. Real Bikes is on my wheel and riding the climb in the big ring as he had been doing the whole race. Nice.

Maguire and CVC start to go a little, I'm deep in the pain cave and watch 'em go. I don't give up though. Real Bikes is still on my wheel, big ring and all. Slowly I catch back up to CVC and Maguire, and then Maguire starts going backwards. I'm still in the top 4, but I'm starting to taste the bile now.

CVC starts riding away - I whimper and let him. 500 meters to go and Real Bicycles is pulling now. I'm thinking about the sprint. He's in the big ring, I should just go early and surprise him. Then, some Solano guy (who wasn't even in the break) catches and passes us. Bastard.

100 meters to go and Real Bicycles realizes I'm still on his wheel and starts to wind it up. I should have done something earlier, but brainfarted. It's a drag race to the line and today is not my day. He punks me at the line for 4th place in a photo finish. Shit!

So I ended up 5th - not a bad day, but not a great day, either.

avg HR: 160 bpm
avg speed: 20 mph

Fremont Freewheelers Criterium, June 12, 2004

Description:
Flat four corner, 0.8 mile, roughly square course. Some botts dots all around and it was windy - the finish was into the wind.

How it went down:
Kevin wanted to hang for the sprint, I wanted to try my legs in a few attacks or maybe a prime, and Rob, well he's from Canada, so pretty much anything goes. We get the speech about this being a 60 minute crit, and then off we go.

I'm hangin' in, just trying to stay near the front looking for an opportunity. The bell rings for a prime lap, I'm too far back, and not interested just yet.

A few laps later, we're coming through the finishing straight, the group mushrooms a little, I decide to launch it - hoping someone will join me for some lactic acid burning joy. As I do, they ring the prime bell - what timing!!!

It seemed like it took forever in the headwind, but I made it to the first turn with a little gap and kept it going as hard as I could. Halfway through the next straightaway, I look back, and I've opened up a nice gap. If I don't completely blow, I should be able to take the prime solo. I keep it going as hard as I can, knowing the next turn will get me to a nice tailwind. In the tailwind section I look back and I still have a decent gap. It looks like there is some movement in the group, but I've still got nearly 10 seconds.

Now I'm on the last crosswind section and I know I've got it wrapped up. I take the prime solo and just try to maintain it, hoping maybe somebody can bridge up to me. Not happening yet, but I'm not just going to stop pedalling so I keep it going. Well I start to tire and nobody wants to bridge up, so right at the beginning of the next lap, the group catches me. Oh well, 2 laps of solo effort for the sponsors!

Nothing much else happens for awhile. Nothing sticks, but then hardly anybody tries either. It was a little windy, so it's tough to get motivated for that kind of pain. Soon they ring another prime bell, and I'm at the front, so I decide to stay attentive and see what happens. There's a little surge and things get strung out at first, but nothing major. I'm in the front four or so in the tailwind section and when the leader pulls off, I decide to make it interesting. So I put my head down and go for all I'm worth. Maybe I'll soften 'em up for Kevin a bit.

I pull through the crosswind section and make the turn to the final straight. I just keep it going into the headwind as hard as I can. I'm expecting to be swarmed any minute. But nothing's happening. They're just sitting on my wheel. At 200 meters, still nothing, I push it as hard as I can... 100 meters, still nothing. So, I decide to go for it and launch my "sprint". Right at the finish someone challenges me and I can't tell if I got it or not. Photo finish for the prime, I guess you'd say.

It was a little bit before this that we noticed the lap cards were now counting down from 9 laps to go. But it was way too early - at this rate we would finish after 40 minutes. People in the race are whining a little but there's not a lot that can be done.

With a few laps to go, we start winding things up for the finish. I see Kevin out in the wind and move up to help him get to the front. I do the best I can, but I'm not feeling so strong with the wind and my previous efforts. So I peter out and leave Kevin on his own. Rob is near, but looking pretty gassed.

I see Kevin trying to fight it out, but looks like he had to scrub some speed for some reason and he's too far back to make anything happen. Damn. I finish right by Rob - roughly 30th?

The good news is I did win the second prime. So two primes for Pegasus / Allegiant: $20 and some gloves and booties from Bergamo. Not a bad showing for the day. The bad news is the crit turned out to be only 38 minutes. The chief ref goofed up the timing and shorted us 20 minutes.

Avg HR: 170 bpm.
Avg speed: ??? mph

District TT Championships, June 6, 2004

Description:
This is a mostly flat fast course, not so much as Moriarty, but still a great course for fast times. But not so on this day, as there was a little wind. In a TT, a little wind feels like a tornado. We previewed the course the day before and it was really windy, so at least we knew how bad it could be. Riders started at 30 second intervals.

How it Went:
Had a good warm up with the Pegasus girls. I rode the TT Land Shark with Zipp front 440 and a rear 404. I was 2 minutes behind Vaughn, but started 30 seconds in front of Hutchinson. Ouch!

I had a good start and quickly hit a good rhythm - my HR was good and I was feeling pretty comfy. My average speed was probably in the high 27's (mph). After 10K no one has caught me, and although I've caught one person, I can't see my 30 second man anymore. Hmmm. At about 12K Hutchinson passes me. Darn. But, it's a good thing, as I increase my effort and match his speed. On the last hill going out, in fact, I very nearly catch him back.

At 15K we come up on Vaughn. I pass Vaughn going 29 mph, probably a little adrenaline burst since I'm still pretty close to Mr H. But shortly thereafter the wheels come off - figuratively, of course. I start to wither. I can barely see Mr H as he makes his turn. I make my turn - not a pretty site, but at least I didn't crash it, and start the second half. My split was around 27:40 which is a little slower than I had hoped for.

The wind is kicking up some, and I'm not up to the task. For the next 10K I was awful - for parts of it I was down to 22 mph. Not pretty. H is completely out of my sight now.

I come up to the 10K to go sign, which has a smallish hill (which feels like Mount Hamilton now) but there's a downhill after to pick up some momentum for the final push. I wind it up and get maybe close to 28 mph for a short time, but then am able to just waver between 24 and maybe 27. I'm not comfortable, my crotch hurts, my left shoulder aches, my right hand is falling asleep. I'm just trying to save some dignity and finish strong.

56:49 was the official time (I think). Not too impressive, but it was windy. I ended up third in the Master 35+ Open category. Not too bad, I guess, but I'm motivated to do better next year.

Avg hr: 167 bpm
Avg speed: 26.2 mph

Mount Hamilton SufferFest, errr, Road Race, May 30, 2004

Description:
One mutha of a course - it starts with a 20 mile climb up Mt Hamilton. Then a gnarly descent with lots of hairpins, slippery pavement and a cattle guard thrown in for good measure. Then more up and down, 2 more short climbs, then a gentle descent down Mines road. About 5K from the finish the descent gets a little tricky and the finish is slightly uphill. 63 miles total under nice conditions - warm, but not hot, and sunny.

My plan
There's lots of up in this one and I think I've been climbing pretty well. Sit in for the first part of Mt Hamilton, then be near the front for the last 2 parts as that's where it could explode. Also, it's important to be in the front group as you crest the last hill since the rest of the race is a long descent to the finish. Vaughn left the big-boy underwear at home, claiming he was just here for the chicks.

How It Went Down, errr Up:
I sat in a little too much and lost a few places near the back. I saw Vaughn moving up well though. As we hit the first rest spot (a little downhill before more climbing), I decided it was time to try and move up. When we hit the flat open valley near the lake (reservoir?) some big guy ramped it up so I jumped on for the ride. He went right past the front of the group and kept on going. When I looked down we were doing 26 mph. Nice. We took one Tieni guy with us and just kept on going - I don't think anyone else stayed with us.

We're cruisin' along, the three of us, now into the second part of the long climb and going pretty good. I thought we were the lead group on the road - but then I saw a group of about 5-6 guys up ahead. There was another Tieni, a Maguire, an RHVilla and that's all I remember. Guess I had missed the break earlier. They had a pretty decent gap, too. So this big guy just kept on drivin' it and I just kept on lettin' him. He pulls us all the way up to the break and sits up a little - which was good, because I was pretty maxed at that point. I didn't look back, but I knew it was just the 8 or 9 of us now. We kept a good gap until right through the second little rest spot on the climb, which is maybe a 1 mile flat/descent part.

Then we started climbing again for the last 6-7 miles to the top. I felt ok, but not like I could attack the group or anything. So I just sat in near the back for most of the time. I was hoping we could just maintain this pace to the top and then work together for the rest of the race. So then an RHVilla guy goes to the front and accelerates. Shit. Some gaps open up, I close one of 'em, but another one opens up and the group starts to pull away. I could burn all the matches and go for it, but I look down at my computer - we've still got 5 miles of climbing. So I decide to go at my own pace - maybe they'll come back to me, or I'll come up to them, but it's going to have to be at my speed. I catch the Vanini jr and he sits on my wheel all the way to the top. As we get near the top we can see the group approaching on some of the switchbacks. Shit. As we crest, I hear the leaders have 3 minutes on us. Shit.

Tieni leads the descent and does a pretty good job - even a little slow for my tastes. Fortunately, I only had one scary lock-up-the-rear-wheel-oh-my-gawd-not-my-new-Land-Shark-that-I-just-washed moment but remained calm and kept it upright.

I knew the pack would be on our heels in no time and soon enough some guy in a no-name jersey comes screaming by us - all alone. He was a good descender, but then he went right past us - what was the point of that? There's still 40 miles of hard racing to go, some of that into a headwind - surely he didn't think he'd survive it alone? Oh well.

Before you know it, I'm by myself - I dropped my Tieni buddy on the climb out of Isabel Creek and the demon descender is about 30 seconds ahead of me. So I ease up. The group quickly catches me and 5 (yes, 5) Village Pedaller guys are driving the chase. I make very sure to let them know that there are at least 5 guys up the road - hoping they'll keep chasing.

For the most part, they do. We quickly catch the demon descender guy and one other guy that got dropped from the break. He tells us there are 4 more up the road. The VP guys are more or less driving it and I'm staying near the front of our now 20+ strong group.

I knew we had 2 hard successive climbs coming up and a ~20 mile descent after - gotta be near the front coming over the top of those or life would suck. So we start the first climb - over a mile I would guess and near the top a VP guy attacks and gets a few guys to join him. I keep it steady. We finish that one and start the second one - probably something less than a mile, but still pretty tough. The little group ahead maintains their gap and it looks like it's maybe 7 or 8 total. So we start the descent having to chase.

There were about 10 of us, including two Spine guys, and some VP guys. So I started to try to rally the troops for the chase - not happenin'. Only 2 or 3 of us are doing any work. Oh well, I decide to press on and take my chances. I trade pulls with a few others and it looks like we're slowly catching the group - and, better yet, they're not really working together. So I make one last hard effort and pull the groups together again. Yay!!!

Now the group is 10-15 - I stayed in the front and never really bothered taking count. There were a few attacks, including one solo that stuck for probably 10 minutes. But we eventually reeled him back in. Time to change modes: start following wheels, conserving energy, and plan for the finish.

The descender guy launches it as we get to the tricky downhill just before the finish. Hmmm - he could rail the descent and we may never catch him. Luckily someone pics up the chase - the Spine guy I think it was and a CVC guy joins us. We're catching descender guy as he comes into a tricky curve with way too much speed (and also needs to pass someone from the Pro1/2 race). His line is bad then his foot comes out of the pedal - I don't know how he saved it, but he did. Then he sits up and the three of us just ride past him.

I keep looking back as we hit the 1K to go mark - looks like we'll be ok. We've opened up quite a gap on what's left of the field and it appears to be sticking. I'm last in line, the CVC guy is leading, and the TeamSpine guy is next. I'm in perfect position. We roll on to the 200 meter sign. The CVC guy knows he's hosed, and tries to lead out the sprint. Spiney's got the goods and comes around him but I'm watching all this closer than a Paris Hilton video and I easily jump on his wheel.

He winds it up and I decide it's time to get my swerve on, so with 100 meters to go, I unleash my . . . ahem . . . "sprint". Oh, and I forgot to mention, not only are my Mom and Dad there watching, but Kevin King is there as well. So I gotta make this look good. My left leg is cramping so bad it's just dead weight at this point, but I carry on with nary a grunt, 'cause I ain't no Mama's boy. I time it right and easily come around with room to spare at the line - 5th place! Davide Rebellin's got nothing on me.

Average HR: 165 bpm
Average Speed: 19.5 mph

Thanks to Kevin King for his expert analysis of the course - it really helped me out since I wasn't able to ride the course before hand. And, it was so hard, I may never ride it again!

Also, thanks to my Mom and Dad for enduring the heat and boredom to watch 2.5 seconds of racing and then sitting in my little cramped car with 3 sweaty cyclists for another hour stinky fun. Love you guys!

Wente Crit, April 25, 2004

Description:
Just over a 1 mile course. Not too technical except for one little right-then-left chicane that was a little tricky. The finishing straight was nice and long.

How It Went Down:
We had 5 of the Pegasus ladies show up: Rob, Patrick, Kevin, Kent ("K-Zo"), and me. Patrick just came off a grueling 6 weeks of golf cart intervals (drive the cart for a hole, ride shotgun for a hole, etc.). So he assured us he probably wouldn't be up for too much. We hadn't seen much of K-Zo, but he's familiar with the course and has had some good success here in the past. The plan was that I would shoot for something mid-late in the race, maybe go for some primes and then we would regroup in the last few laps to set up someone (probably not me) for the win.

The field size was about 80, and it was a little windy.

We started off easily enough. I settled in nicely as I got the feel for each of the corners. I saw Rob and Kevin at the front and decided to join them to see if maybe we could work out the secret Pegasus handshake. So then they announced a $10 prime. We decided to go for it.

I took point and bumped it up to around 30mph. Kevin was on my wheel and Rob was on his. Kevin asked me to ease up a bit - I guess I got a little too excited being at the front of the race. I towed the group for most of that whole lap and through the final turn. I think I was still doing 30+ when I yielded to Kevin with about 500 meters to go.

Kevin went another 300 meters and then Rob came around him and unleashed his wicked sprint that left his nearest competitors and the female spectators in the crowd breathless. He somehow managed to find the finish line despite being blinded by various women's undergarments thrown his way. I'm not sure, but I think even Jill may have even looked up from her book as he went by ..... but just for a second. As he crossed the line to easily take the prime, I heard Kevin exclaim "Fo shizzle, my bizzle". You know, Kevin's just like that.

So then another prime came up - a $50 Wente gift certificate. So Rob and I decided to go for it. Rob ramped it up for me this time, but I think we probably should have switched so that I could lead it out. Anyway, Rob drilled it as best he could, but we probably needed a third. He got me to about 500 meters when 2 guys jumped past. I caught their wheel, but just didn't have enough to get around. I think it was a pretty close race for second, but I wasn't close to getting the prime. Damn! That would have been a good one.

Then it was pretty quiet until the last few laps. Somewhere in there K-Zo clipped a pedal and hosed his wheel so he was out. With about 2 to go, I cut off Kevin in the finishing straight as I was trying to move up to Rob. Ooops! No worries - was just trying to rally the troops on my wheel. So with one to go, I thought I might have had Rob on my wheel and Kevin nearby as well. Things were getting dicey though, and I didn't really look back to see. Just before the first real turn there was a crash right off my back wheel. I wasn't sure if Rob was in it or not, but I kept going, basically riding for myself now.

I held my position ok and came to the last turn in the top 10-15. There was a nasty crash right as we started to wind up the sprint, I had to slow some and move right to avoid it. I sat up (shouldn't have) and cruised in for 20th. Rob was actually really close to me (ahead of me?) it turns out, but also had to slow and ended up 30th. Patrick was 41st I think, and Kevin for some reason isn't listed in the results.

All in all, a good ride for the team. We worked the prime to perfection. Rob was hardly challenged. Of course, it was only $10!!! But regardless, the teamwork is there. We just need to work on the finishing!

Avg speed: 27.4 mph
Avg HR: 166 bpm

Sea Otter Circuit Race, April 17, 2004

Description:
This is on the actual Laguna Seca Raceway. It's a 2.25 (I think) mile circuit with a steady and somewhat steep 300 foot climb, bomb down through the corkscrew then through a few turns, a hairpin and then the finish.

How It Went Down:
We started off with a crash about 10 feet from the S/F line. Rob and I had to maneuver around, but did so without much difficulty. My plan was to see if I could make something happen or get into a break early on and then to help Kevin or Rob if it stayed together.

I think on the 4th lap 5 guys accelerated a little at the top of the climb, so I jumped up to them for the descent. We had a great little gap open, but the guys were playing possum and sat up. Pussies! The group closed in on us and that was that. Oh well.

On the 5th or 6th lap, 2 guys got away after the descent somewhere in the flat section. I wasn't too worried, but stayed vigilant. Coming through the start finish I was near the front and feeling pretty good. One of the breakaway's teammates tried to put me in the barriers - said he was trying to protect his teammates' lead. Rookie! So I went around him and bridged up on the hill just to see what would happen. A few other people bridged up, we bombed down the descent and the same thing happened. They were all wussing out, afraid to take a pull in the wind.

So I chilled out. Kevin rolled up to tell me Rob wasn't with the main group anymore. Oh well. Rob had said he was feeling a little sick all week, so I wasn't too surprised. We strategized for the last lap. I told Kevin I would try to tow him around for the last lap to keep him ready for the sprint. We quickly moved to the front on the climb. Kevin was out in the wind killing himself to stay in the front (there was a stiff wind at the top). I told him to get on my wheel, but he was struggling. There was a little gap opening up and I yelled to Kevin to stay with it over the top. He finally told me to go on without him.

So again, we had a decent gap after the descent and I'm screaming at guys to work, but they weren't into it. Saving themselves for the sprint. Oh well. So I tried to hold my position, waiting for the countless attacks that would come in the last 1K. We came around the hairpin and I was still in the top 20. A big Solano guy by me and I thought I try to stay with him - he was a good draft. I tried to wait until the last minute and just keep following wheels. At 100m I ran out of wheels and started my lame sprint. I passed a few guys and held on for 10th.

In my opinion, that race is too short. We only did 8 laps and that's just not enough to make anything happen. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Sea Otter RR, April 15, 2004

Description:
I think Vaughn already covered it, so read his description. Basically, it's a tough course, with no flat. And the finale boasts a long steep climb before a rockstar finish on the Laguna Seca track.

How It Went Down:
When the 3 Spine guys lined up, I knew that meant trouble. Those guys are strong. Plus there were also 3 Labor Powers - another strong team, although I don't know much about them. Hopefully it would stay together with those guys marking one another.

The first 2 laps went by without much happening. At the end of the second lap before the descent to the Wall, Spine started animating things. I made one effort and brought it back together, but wasn't going to waste too much juice - we still had 4 more trips up the Wall plus the uphill finish. So with a Spine guy or two up the road, a LaborPower guy launched a vicious attack from the back. There was a collective groan in the group - there went the race. We kept them in sight on the descent and the 3rd trip up the Wall. At the top, there was a Spine guy sitting on, so I tried to set the tempo for awhile. I kept encouraging others to come through, but no one felt like it. I got a little help for a short time, but we were losing the race right then and there. Those guys were just too strong.

We got word from the moto that there were 7 guys up the road nearly 2 minutes. Ouch - so now we're racing for 8th place?!?!? At this point I decided to be watchful at the front, but not to do too much work. We probably weren't going to catch all of those guys but some would probably get spit out the back. So maybe it wouldn't be an 8th place after all.

We got more occasional updates from the moto - I think it had split into a lead group of 3, and trailing group of 4. The lead group of 3 had 4 minutes on us, the other group just over a minute. I didn't look back exactly, but we must have had around 20 in our group as we started the fourth lap. When we got to the top of the Wall, I looked back - 7 guys! It was like they all turned around and went home. Ugh. This is good and bad - good because now I had a better chance of cracking the top 5, but bad because it makes for a nervous group.

I think somewhere on the 5th lap we caught a few of the breakaways and were hearing that there was a lead group of 3 way up (4 minutes at least) and a group of 2 now. Cool! The guys we caught were clearly cooked and probably not up for 2 more hard laps. There was one big guy in our group (couldn't identify the team) that drove the tempo most of the way. He was willing so we let him. I thought that the chances were good that we would catch the break immediately in front of us on the climb, or not at all. So I was happy to save my legs let it get sorted out there.

We went hard up the Wall for the last time, but I still felt pretty good. At this point, it seemed we were happy to ride tempo until the climb. The same guy was driving the tempo - I would say he pulled for 2/3 of the last lap. Fine by me. I took a few token pulls, but we weren't really in a hurry at this point. This was just a war of attrition coming into the final battle - the long climb back to the racetrack. As we turned up the climb, we still had 1 lone breakaway a minute or two up and 3 way up (4 minutes +).

So now we were down to 6 guys in the break. I'm not sure where the other 2 or 3 fell off. There was a LaborPower, Spine, a small climber guy with a thick accent, a tall skinny guy, and the big guy that pulled a lot. The climb starts out flat and then gets steeper and steeper near the top. But, it's a long climb (remember this for later) relatively. The Labor Power guy wound it up once, but we were on that way too fast. A little later the small climber guy launched a good effort and the tall skinny guy went with him. I let them go and just rode tempo - it's a long climb. For awhile I was doing the pulling, but wasn't too worried - I think we had a slight tailwind so it's not like I was really doing any favors. Somewhere in here the LaborPower guy popped. Then the big guy that pulled alot attacked and Spiney went with him. I let them go - it's a long climb. I kept my tempo going and the three groups came together at the top. We went down the little descent together and onto the track.

At this point I was in perfect position - 3rd wheel behind the Spine guy, who clearly knew what he was doing. We came around the hairpin - 2 turns to go and then the 200meter mark. At 300 to go Spine attacked from the front, I licked my chops and went after him. I'm not sure what gear I was in, but it didn't feel right - I wasn't catching him. Even though I thought he went too early, he was going really strong. I was in second, but not on his wheel. I felt two others coming up beside me, but I dug it out and managed second behind the Spine guy for 6th (I think) overall.

Not too bad considered the field was pretty strong. Kind of a bummer to just have to sit and watch the Spine and Labor guys go to town on us. Not a lot I could have done - unless of course I was stronger.

Avg Speed: 20.9 mpg
Avg HR: 166 bpm

Copperopolis Road Race, April 10, 2004

Description:
4 laps of a challenging ~22 mile circuit. You start with a little climb through the feed zone and then some up and down and then some steady climbing that tops out after 6 miles (from the start). There are some very steep sections and the pavement sucks ass the whole way up. You top out on a smooth-as-glass road near some lake. The road is pretty nice and flat, then some rollers, then more rollers and more rough road. Then you begin a second short climb at roughly the 15 mile mark. That's probably a 1 mile effort, then 3-4 miles of downhill. It's not terribly technical - but the pavement sucks ass again and you can just feel your teeth coming loose as you descend at 45 mph. There's a little bit of a run out after the descent, then a little climb up to the finish.

This is a good race to chill out on. My plan was to sit in for at least the first two laps and maybe follow something starting on the third if it looked good. This seems to always be a race of attrition. The last time I did it I didn't finish, and I think only about half of our 30 man field did finish that year. This time there were over 60 starters. The weather was nice - shorts and shorts sleeves the whole way.

Vaughn and I didn't see Kevin K until we lined up for the start. Kevin said he wasn't feeling so hot, but was going to do the best he could. Vaughn is still searching for some form, so I knew he would be taking it easy and just trying to hang.

How badly it sucked:
As planned, I chilled for the first two laps. The first time up the climb wasn't so bad. Nothing too eventful happened on the first lap. The second lap was more of the same, but the tempo definitely increased on the first climb this time. I was still comfortable, though and stayed near the front. Some guys were getting frustrated and trying to increase the tempo some. I let them - I was conserving.

The third lap things heated up. I thought that they would, so I started the feed zone climb in the top 5-10 or so. There were quickly a few guys who were driving the pace, I just tried to stay near the front. There was a Cal guy driving it for awhile and Armstrong (Allan) was also riding strong at the front. After a few accelerations, we came to a little roller, where there's a quick descent and then a really steep uphill. A Village Pedaller (VP) guy made a good move here and got a gap quickly. A Buy-Cell guy followed him. I was still recovering a little and didn't feel like chasing it, but also wasn't too worried about it. There were quickly 3 VP guys up in the front now, looking strong. The Cal guy was there and then the Junior from Ofoto accelerated. I was cooked riding at my limit already just trying to keep the pace high and couldn't follow, but then neither could anyone else.

I ended up setting the tempo for the rest of the climb, with the 3 VP guys on my wheel. Hmmmm. They had one guy off the front and 3 guys who could clearly climb pretty well. Not good. Once we got to the flat part, 1 (maybe 2) Buy-Cell guys also come to the front. Geeez. So I pulled for a few more miles around the smooth lake section and kept looking back to see if any of the homies were concerned. Didn't look like it. So I kept riding tempo and trying to figure out what to do. It seemed like I ought to do something - the VP guys and Buy-Cell guys just had it too easy.

So on the next big hill, I decided I would launch a bridge attempt. I drifted back a few wheels, rested a bit, took a drink, and then let fly like Mussolini from the balcony at the base of the hill. Immediately there was a VP guy covering me, but the heat was too much and he quickly retreated backwards out of my kitchen. I was by myself with a good gap at the top of the hill. I motored down the other side and started off for the Ofoto junior who was maybe a minute up. I was making up good time all the way until the sharp left hand turn towards the north (I think it's north) but then he accelerated again.

I kept going as steadily as I could. I could see the other 2 guys ahead in the distance . . . maybe another 2 minutes up. A few minutes later I caught the Ofoto junior guy and we immediately started working together. We didn't say much, but he pulled through when I signalled him and I usually just took over after a minute or two. He was taking some strong hard pulls - I was just trying to match his effort. We could see the two breakaways ahead, but it didn't seem like we were making up much ground.

When we came to the little climb on the back side of the course, I started to realize I was tiring. Junior was still pulling hard and I was just hoping I could hang on for the climb. The pack was maybe 1 minute back. Not enough, but I guess I was still really hoping we could catch the leaders and get some help from the respective teams back in the group. I scratched and clawed to stay with Junior to the top of little climb and rode over the summit strong - if nothing else, I could do the descent with 1 other guy and it would be much safer.

So I did the best I could and looked back after a minute or two and the junior was way the hell back there. Shit! Well I wasn't going to wait. I still couldn't see the main group and wanted to get down the gnarly descent without incident so I just motored it by myself. Once down to the long runout before the small climb I looked back but couldn't see anyone - good news. So I kept it going as hard as I could - applying the "out of sight, out of mind" theory. Once I neared the top though, I saw them bearing down on me. I was still hoping that with maybe a little gap after the feed zone, I could get out of their view and maintain on the climb . . . and hope for the best.

I motored through the finish and then past the start and headed towards the feed zone. Looking back . . . I could see they were almost on top of me now and they were moving. Damn! So as they passed I tried to stay in the front - I managed to get in 4th wheel behind two Maguire guys and a VP guy. The VP guy was still sitting on since he had 1 guy up the road. As we motored through the feed zone, my legs started to get heavy and I knew it was going to be a tough final lap. I got a bottle from Kevin (who was in the feed zone now), drank a whole bunch, squirted some on me and then threw it (which was stupid since I ended up running out of water later).

I tried hard, but I could tell it was about time for me to start paying for my efforts. I just didn't have it. At some point, I saw the Ofoto junior come past me and up to the front group. Awhile later . . . I decided it was time to hang with the grupetto. So I hooked up with 4-5 guys and we rode the last lap together. So I finished, but probably not even in the top 30.

Post race comments
Anyone wanna guess who won?!?!? One of the two guys from the break? Wrong! I guess we caught them somewhere near the feed zone. I think one of them might have even abandoned the race before we caught them - so we really just caught 1 guy and that's why I never noticed. The Ofoto junior guy won in a big sprint. Shit! I followed the right guy. I'm not sure why he sat up, but maybe because he knew we'd be caught and he was just saving his energy. Either way, even if I had sat up - I don't think I would have had the motor for another hard 22 miles.

Oh well. It was a much larger field, and it seems like the 3's are way more fit this year.

Pilarcitos Stage Race, March 27-28, 2004

Description:
Two TT's (one hilly and one "flat") and a crit. GC based on points, calculated after determining the winners of each stage.

Stage 1:
An extremely hilly 30K TT with two roughly 1 mile climbs, one at nearly 10% gradient. The rest is rolling with some flatter section thrown in.

How It Went Down:
I chose to use a regular road bike setup with some clip-ons (thanks Vaughn). Vaughn and I previewed the course a few weeks ago so I knew vaguely what to expect. It was definitely a ball-buster.

It starts off flat, but not for long. I quickly passed my 30 second man and then Demian (who was saving himself for the second TT). At the top of the first climb, I passed another guy. Then there was a long descent - I was my usual cautious self. Then it was rollers for a few miles, with some bad pavement. Then a little more cruisin' . . . some slight uphill until you come into view of the second gnarly climb. It's about a 1 mile climb but it does have a little rest spot in the middle. I powered up it and almost caught 2 more guys near the top, but they got away from me a little on the descent. The last hairpin turn - I must have lost 10 seconds. I took it very gingerly as it seemed to be a little damp and slippery in addition to being a hairpin. Then more gentle rollers to the finish. I did just over 46 minutes. Nothing spectacular. Afterwards, it didn't felt like I rode with quite enough . . . how can I say it, inspiration. Oh well, more for the next one, I guess.

Stage 2:
This was supposed to be the flat 11K TT. There might have been some essence of flat, but that's about it. There was a definite climb around the midway point, but the rest was definitely not flat.

How It Went Down:
Luckily, we had a little tailwind, so that was pretty cool. For this one I used the bitchin' new Land Shark TT setup. It's still not quite dialed in yet, but it'll do in a pinch.

After last week's TT at Madera I thought I'd try to push some bigger gears this time and see how that worked. The first part was a slight uphill, then downhill, then a climb at the 3 mile mark. The tailwind made it feel easy, but then it felt like a crosswind which sucked. So I jammed it up the hill as hard as I could and got ready for the roller coaster. There were 2 big downhills and then the last part was a winding slightly downhill section with a few rollers for good measure. I managed to get through all of it in the aero tuck, except for one section where I sat up for just a moment and then tucked again. The whole time I was pushing a bigger gear than I normally would. It felt a little unnatural, but I ended up 5th. And 3rd place was only about 2 seconds faster.

At this point I was in 4th place on GC.

Stage 3:
A .67 mile industrial part crit, with a tight hairpin and one narrower section. With a big field, this would really suck. But we only had about 35-40, so while there would be a lot of fast/slow/fast/slow, it shouldn't be too bad. Rob and Demian talked before and agreed that Demian would try to bring back the breaks and Rob would hang with me and try to move me up in the final laps.

I started off really well - eventually moving to the front and policing everything. I made a mousy attack or two, followed a few others, and basically just kept a watchful eye out. Rob was doing a good job of helping me here and there. I was in good, not great, position for the first sprint bonus, but came out of the last corner in 6th - not good enough. Demian had already come off the back by now - he got gapped early and was never able to catch back on.

Somewhere in here, I started to lose my place a little. It happened gradually, but the next thing I knew, I was in the bottom third of the pack. The second sprint bonus went by and I wasn't even close. Then we had the 10 laps to go announcement. Rob dutifully came up to help me move up. But it was tough and we weren't making much progress. We kept trying, but just weren't getting anywhere. I saw the 3rd placed guy on GC up ahead - if only I could stay with him. I saw the guy in 6th place on GC up ahead. Oh no! To make it worse, I came around the hairpin for the last (finally) time and came unglued from my pedal - oops!

I don't remember where I ended up in the crit, but I was tied for 6th overall on points. I was 5 points out of 5th place (and the podium and money). Normally, I could easily have beaten 5 of those guys in the sprint, but it just didn't work out. Those points races are tough! Rob and I talked afterwards and agreed that I probably lost the GC in the last third of the race. I really needed to move up earlier because it was a fight to hold position and especially to move up.