by Ian Sutton
Having just come off four days of hard racing and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, I wasn’t too sure how my legs would feel during this ride. John Naegle who had raced Fitchburg with me was in the same boat, especially after putting in a few attacks during last Friday’s road stage. With a solid crew on board to race (Ken Han, Eric Martin and, John Naegle) and everyone’s favorite late afternoon start time we decided we needed to race aggressively. This was only compounded by the fact that our own Chris Eager had taken the victory in Cat. 3 race with a PRO style leadout train and a big enough margin that he was able to look back a couple times to make sure before throwing his hands up in a well-earned victory salute. But I’ll leave the details of that for their race report.
The course itself was very short, a little under a kilometer in length with a slight and I do mean slight, sweeping rise up to the right followed by a right turn into a bit of a headwind. Then a hard right into a false-flat (I wouldn’t really call it a descent) into another hard right into a quick sweeper to the start finish.
From the gun I rolled up to cover the first move which was almost instantly neutralized. Erik from Cambridge Bicycle came across with me to cover the move and before we knew it we had a 50 meter gap on the field. Nothing serious nor anything we thought would stick that early in the race – however, we agreed to ride the same tempo and see what happens. Just a couple moments later, two riders from Bikeworks/Hallamore bridged across which prompted John Naegle to cover which brought a couple more rider’s whose team escapes me. With good representation in the break and only BRC really wanting to bring the move back our odds looked with about 10 people back in the field working to slow the pace while we increased our gap. However, things are never that simple…
The two Hallamore guys in our move either didn’t want to work, or were simply unaware of how to work in a breakaway. Not to take anything away from them, but it seemed like it was a case of the latter it is bike racing after all and our goal was to make this break stick. John and I took turns being the heavy in the break which meant a lot of yelling at people who wouldn’t pull through, who would sit on the back for too long etc. After about 10 or 15 minutes we managed about a half lap on the field and I knew if we just kept working together we should be able to stick it for the remainder of the race. Then things started to deteriorate quickly.
While taking his turn at the front, Erik lost sight of the pace car and accidently took a wrong turn off the course. While it was pretty funny, I knew we just lost a solid worker in the break and now all of Cambridge would be at the front trying to bring us back. Then, after a few laps sans-Erik the first prime was called. Immediately, I called off the sprint amongst my breakaway companions and the smart people were in concurrence. Then at about 300 meters to the line, some kid sprints for it! To make matters worse, the Hallamore kids panicked and chased after him. Perhaps it was daft of me to think more of upgrade points than a voucher for a pair of arm-warmers…in July. I believe John even offered to give them a pair of arm-warmers if they wanted ‘em that badly. Then about a lap before our break was caught, a guy in a yellow jersey who had flatted was pushed out into the breakaway and not the field. Then, he had the nerve to attack our breakaway! You have to be kidding me; that’s poor, poor form!
Our break had finally dissolved with about 16 laps to go with this guy out there on a solo mission to hold it to the line. My mission was to make sure that didn’t happen. I never dropped more than 5 spots back from the front of the field just to keep an eye on attacks etc. This paid dividends as I covered moves from Spaits (BRC) and Jordan (Cambridge Bicycle) late in the race which somehow ended up with me about 50 meters in front of the field solo which got the team some more air time, though I had no intention of being out there by myself having burned through a few matches trying to stick the break and covering attacks. Cambridge tried to organize a train with about 5 to go and Eric Martin tried to catch them when they were still trying to solidify their position and made a hard effort up the rise but was unable to break free. Finally it came down to the last lap and John and I were still right near the front. NEBC was able to capitalize by getting through the last corner first and then powered the short 300 meter sprint to the line. I stuck John’s wheel waiting to see if he would go and he had a problem with his gears. From there, I jumped wheels and made a hard effort for the line just getting nipped by a Van Dessel rider. I was happy to take third putting QuadCycles on the podium twice in the same race.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Attleboro Criterium Race Report — Cat. 4
Monday, April 21, 2008
Rick Newhouse Memorial Criterium — Cat. 4
QuadCycles’ First Win of 2008
Under sunny skies on the coast of Rhode Island, the Category 4 men made another impressive showing at the Rick Newhouse Memorial Ninigret Criterium. Nessim Mazrahi took the win and John Naegle placed fourth. John Buchheit finished with the pack. Here’s the way it unfolded:
The race was a timed race. It was advertised as 55 minutes, but ended up being closer to 45 minutes. It began at noon. The course was a dead-flat 7 corner course built on an old airstrip with a right-to-left cross wind on the finishing stretch. The wind direction meant a headwind coming into the last corner of the race. We arrived at 10:30 am and had a quick team meeting. Everyone was relaxed. We decided that because the course was windy and open (the pack can almost always see any breakaway), the race would be decided by a field sprint. As John N felt good, Nessim felt tired from training and John B had yet to race this season, we decided to lead John N out for the field sprint. We decided Nessim would take the first leg of the lead-out and John B the second. John B wanted to see what he had for a sprint and told his ‘mates he’d compete for an early prime. Nessim offered a lead out.
After a good thirty-five minute warm-up and some stretching, we met on the course and discussed the details of the lead-outs (where each lead-out should begin and end, which side of the track would be best for sprinting and which way the lead-out riders would pull off). We felt confident at the line.
After a few laps, a rider from the Blue Hill Cycling Club attacked and with the help of a teammate stayed out for three or four laps. His one teammate in the race moved to the front of the pack to block and chase down anyone trying to bridge to his teammate. The attacker never got far enough out to make the pack uncomfortable. In fact, the pack seemed to understand that this tactic was making two riders put forth a lot of effort with little chance of success. The single attacker, on a windy course and in full view of the pack, was not going to stay away for 30 minutes and his teammate was working hard reeling people in (when his teammate would probably have been better off if he had been joined by some other riders). The breakaway failed as the rider seemed to just wear out.
The first prime was the called and Nessim checked in with John B. They agreed to try and take it. Nessim provided a strong lead-out and soon he, John B. and another rider on John’s wheel were in front of the pack. However, John B was having trouble holding Nessim’s wheel and Nessim opened up a gap. John B., realizing he did not have much in the tank, directed Nessim to try to take the prime. John thought that even if he could come around Nessim, his efforts would only bring the rider behind him in for the win. The rider on John B’s wheel did come around him and looked like he might take it, but Nessim accelerated before the line and beat him. After this event, John B told Nessim and John N that the order of the lead out should be changed so that Nessim gave the final lead out. It was clear that today Nessim would provide the stronger lead out.
Soon thereafter a couple of riders attacked to create a three man breakaway. After a few laps, a fourth rider bridged and for a while they looked strong, building up perhaps a fifteen second lead on the field. The Quad riders remained in the shelter of the pack, riding conservatively. The break’s advantage decreased to around 6 seconds, but it was getting close to the finish and John N. and Nessim agreed that the break posed a threat, enough so that Nessim went ahead to either break up the rhythm of the group, or, in the alternative, allow the break to pull him to the finish. Nessim quickly bridged and when it became his turn to pull, he just soft pedaled. One of the riders in the break told him that if he was going to be part of the break, he had to work, at which point Nessim delivered the bad news: he was not there to help. This seemed to demoralize the break and it soon fell apart.
Before we knew there were two laps to go. John N. and Nessim were in good position, in the front third of the pack. John B. was not, but began moving up to see if he might be able to start the lead out as planned. Approximately five hundred meters before the finish, before the second to last corner, John B. pulled up alongside Nessim and John N., put did not have the energy to contribute. Nessim accelerated through this corner, slipping between two riders, and opened up a gap on the field. John N. lost Nessim’s wheel when Nessim made the move. Nessim continued to open up this gap coming around the second corner and was able to hold it all the way to the finish. John N. took the inside line sheltered from the wind by two riders to his right sprinted for fourth. John B. was in decent position, but after making his way to the front in the final lap, had nothing for the sprint, and was passed by many riders coming down the final stretch (I felt like I was going backwards).
Another great result for the team!
Results on BikeReg.com
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Tufts Criterium Race Report — Cat. 3/4
Synopsis: 2nd place
I hadn’t planned on making the Tufts Crit only my second race of the season. However, no matter how many races I wish I’d done, I couldn’t have hoped for a much better result. The weather threatened until the very start of the race (we actually had some showers pass through the area around 12:30), but the course was dry, with overcast skies and temperatures in the low 50’s when the race started. There were about 20 starters, four from QuadCycles—myself, Eric Silva, Toby Phillpotts, and newcomer Jeremy Jo, a graduating senior from Tufts.
The race started briskly, as usual; you don’t want to be near the back the first time through turn 2. You can’t be sure who will negotiate it well the first time, and who will take a dive into the wall of hay bales.
Luckily, the group was small, and relatively experienced to boot, so the race was pretty smooth. In fact, I can only recall one crash, involving our own Jeremy Jo, which happened on the long straightaway between turns 6 and 1.
All in all, our team worked well together. We launched multiple attacks, trying to wear down the people we marked as dangerous before the race. Eric attacked about a third of the way through, and one of our marked riders chased him down. Toby and Jeremy took turns riding second wheel, keeping their eye on the group while keeping themselves out of the wind.
During the third quarter of the race, I was feeling a little antsy, so I put in small attacks on several laps, usually so that I could take turns 2-4 by myself, since there were a couple of competitors who weren’t as skilled cornering, and I could maintain a gap without expending as much effort.
With about 10 laps to go, I tried to create a gap with a rider from MIT, who had won the collegiate B race earlier in the day. He clearly had the talents of a time trialist, as he took several strong pulls, but we weren’t able to make a gap stick. This move did split the group, with a lead group of 8 forming for the final 5 laps.
As the bell rang with one lap to go, I was in good position, second wheel. Because I didn’t have much of a problem riding at the front during the first 29 laps, I was confident that I’d be able to pick my position for the final lap. Coming out the final turn, however, I was a little further back then I would liked, in fourth. The eventual race winner, Steven Gauthier, was second wheel, and when the lead rider jumped with about 200m to go, he was on it. I was too far back to ever reach Steven’s wheel, but I maintained the gap through the finish. If I’d been on his wheel, I’d like to think I could have passed him, in spite of his well-known tenacity in the sprint. In retrospect, I should have known his was the wheel to be on if it came down to a sprint, as I raced against him many times at New England Velodrome last summer.
Still, I’m very pleased with second place. My thanks to Eric, Toby, and Jeremy for working for me in the race. The plan from the beginning was to set me up with a lead-out, if possible, and, in any case, to wear down the competition with multiple attacks, and covering any attacks key riders made during the race, which they did admirably.
Results on BikeReg.com
Below is a video of the finish, taken by my brother. You can’t see the final move, but you can see the result.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic — Category 3/4 Criterium
Executive Summary: 7th place
Pre-race
Pre- pre-race
It’s good to have a home race. The drive is easy. You feel like the day is good no matter what your result because you marshaled, helping other people have a fantastic time racing their bikes. You have a great cheering section. All these things were true today at the Beanpot Crit, hosted by Tufts and impossible to pull off without the hard work of many Tufts and TeamQuad club members.
After marshaling from 9-12, I grabbed a quick lunch (well, quick once I waited in line for half an hour) from the Boloco on Boston Ave., a major sponsor of the race weekend. The burrito was tasty and was a solid addition to my breakfast of Trader Joe’s Honey O’s. Mmmmm. I was done around 1— time to think about getting ready to race.
"Think about"?. "Take my sweet time" is more like it. Fast forward → 2:45. I’ve just finished pinning my number to my skinsuit. I duck into my car and quickly change, checking my pin-job for quality. Something to be aware of is Flappy Number Syndrome, a sure sign of an inexperienced racer, and something that kills my concentration when I come down with a bad case. Luckily, I pinned it right the first time, and my number needed no adjustments.
Warm-up
Hop on the trainer between Ian and Brian V., two of my team-mates in the race. The sun had gone behind a cloud, so I put on my sweatshirt (I really need to pick up a QuadCycles long-sleeve jersey or thermal in the next clothing order). I did a couple of short efforts, but I really just wanted to loosen the legs up, as I’d put in a solid effort at Charge Pond the day before. I knew it would be fast from the whistle, as Brian’s plan was to have him and Ian go all-out for the first five laps, in order to blow the field apart, and hopefully end up with Eric S. and myself in the final group, ready to execute a lead-out down Professors Row on the final lap.
Racin’
The First Third
If only all good plans could be executed successfully. Actually, Brian did his part pretty well. QuadCycles got the front-line call-up, crucial for good position through Turn 1 and Turn 2, the tightest turns on the course, and early selection-makers. Brian got the hole shot, with Ian and myself sitting 4th and 5th wheel between Turn 1 and Turn 2. However, Lady Carnage called early today, causing the over-eager (SMCC?) racer sitting third wheel (and who clearly didn’t pre-ride the course) to lose traction in Turn 2 and wipe out. I was able to squeak by his still-vertical bike after slamming on my brakes and almost skidding out myself, but I was trying to turn a 53-15 or so from a near-standstill— it was a lot like the first few stirs of a new jar of all-natural peanut butter— slow going. Brian, to his credit, kept his head down and didn’t let up on the gas. If he had, there likely would have been a larger lead group after five laps, which would have hurt my chances down the road. Also to his credit, it took the chasers ’til the end of the second lap to catch him, at which point he was near-spent, having broken wind in an all-out sprint for almost 2km. Gutsy risk for your teammates’ benefit. Hats off to BV.
The pain didn’t want to let up there. People were still itchin’ to go fast, so the pace was high for most of the first third of the 25-lap race. No one seemed to be putting in attacks outright, just driving the pace to test the legs and get a feel for the course. I felt pretty good on the course, this being my third year racing it. I found I was able to corner harder and sharper than most of the other riders, using that to my advantage on Turn 2 to maintain speed, and through the chicane of Turns 3 & 4 to get me up the short rise and into the slight-downhill of Talbot Ave. The short, punchy hill of Latin Way was also good for me, as short, rapid accelerations, rather than more-sustained efforts at a lower intensity, are a strength of mine.. The killer false-flat that is the first half of Professors Row, however, was just that. Killer. Every time.
The Middle Third
Other than general pain from a high rate of speed, not much of interest happened in the middle part of the race. The Yale rider and one of the Team NERAC riders in the lead group with me seemed indecisive about whether they wanted to go two-abreast through Turn 2 and then get dropped trying to accelerate down Whitfield, so I seemed to alternate positions with them multiple times on successive laps, as first they insisted on going inside me on the turn, causing me to drop back for speed and safety (how often are those two related?), but then they would let 3- to 4-length gaps open up after the turn, and I’d need come around them in order to not get dropped. Highly irksome.
I also put in one, three-quarter-hearted attack somewhere around the exact middle of the race. I accelerated up the right side through the intersection of Pro-Row and Packard Ave, establishing a slight gap, and I took Turn 1 and Turn 2 without touching my brakes. Heaven. I peeked over my shoulder once on Whitfield, once on Talbot, and knew that I had at least two people with me, and probably the whole group just strung out behind, I let off the gas after coming around Turn 6, making sure to let someone else take the wind for a while, while I recouped* and everyone regrouped.
The Final Third
It’s still amazing to me how it always happens: the last five laps (excluding the last one, sometimes two) are the slowest of the race. No one was interested in doing any work, and if a chase group had been closer on our tails, they might have caught us. I was able to move around pretty much at will, but I didn’t get good position (it was mostly mental I think my legs could’ve done it) going into Turn 1 on the bell lap. That wasn’t a huge deal— a Team NERAC rider had a bit of a gap— and I felt confident that the group would pull him back in. I’m not positive, but I think I was wrong (we never caught him), as the NERAC guys went 1-2. Anyway, my bigger tactical error was not going around the two collegiate guys in the group sooner. Yale-guy and Pierre from BU had both raced earlier in the day, and I should’ve known that their finish-line power would be the first thing to go. I was behind Yale coming out of Turn 6 on the final lap, and had to accelerate around both him and Pierre, and I didn’t have a wheel for most of the last straight-away. By the time I was around them, the lead five or six riders had a good gap, and I was only able to nip one other guy at the line, for a 7th place finish. However, I was quite pleased with the way my legs held out for the intense opening to the race (I sprained my ankle right around New Year’s, so that’s put me back about 4 weeks in my training from where I’d like to be), and I had some legs left at the end, to boot. The crowd support throughout the race, from ex Tufts teammates, Quad teammates, and especially the Quad tent at the pit, was indispensable motivation, and it helped me stick with the race when I could have called it a good workout after 30-minutes mentally hit the showers. I’m going out of the country for the next week, but I’m looking forward to more solid team racing upon my return.
*— I honestly don’t know whether I recouped, or whether I even needed to. I’ve been racing this season so far without any sort of computer or HRM. I misplaced the head unit of my Polar S-720 sometime during the ’cross season, and haven’t yet found it. Darn. All my workouts are wattage-based, and my trainer is calibrated for accurate watt reading with an associated computer, but it’s so clunky and ugly (and wired!) that I can’t stand to put it on my frame for use out-of-doors. I know, not recommended, especially not in long-breakaway situations, and, believe me, I loves me my data, but it’s do-able to do-without for 40-minute crits that I know I’m going to take to a field sprint if at all possible.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Chris Newhouse Memorial Criterium (Ninigret) Cat 4
I woke up before my 7:30 alarm feeling good. Ate a solid breakfast, packed the car and was on the road by 8:30 for a noon race.
I drank green tea all the way down. I felt a little cold coming on. I wondered if I should take it easy in the race and cancel my plans to do Wells the next day.
I got to the race, registered and changed. I had over an hour to warm up. I did my warm up on the street and was feeling really strong. It was one of those days when everything seemed right. My bike felt good, my legs loose and strong. I did a few sprints, the hard efforts felt...effortless. I rethought my plan to just sit in. I was optimistic about my chances to have a successful race, even though I had no teammates in the race. I was also thinking about how I wanted to redeem myself after getting my lungs torn out at Tufts last weekend.
I warmed up for an hour. I showed up to the starting line 10 minutes early, sweating and ready to sprint off of the line. I was in the second row in the line up because I had a little trouble with my left pedal when we were called to the line.
Upon rolling out and trying to sprint, my left cleat popped out of the pedal (1st time ever). I took my time and tried to get it back in. I failed. It kept popping out. It wasn't like I was hitting it on the wrong side, it just failed to fully engage. It didn't click in, even though my foot seemed to be in the correct position.
I decided to just sit in and play with the pedal when there were rests in the pace.
My cleat kept popping out. I kept putting it back in. I held on for 3 laps like this. Physically, I felt good. It was no problem for me to sit in even though my foot was popping out every 1/4 mile. I was concious of the fact that when it popped out, I would jerk around, I felt that I was a potential hazard in the peleton. I decided that I should take a free lap adn try to fix it. I thought that my pedal was messed up, so I put my head down and pushed to the front of the pack on the 3rd lap. I was near the front ofthe peleton on crossing the finish line. I pulled over to try to fix the pedal during my free lap. I intended to fix the pedal and jump in near the front of the peleton. I started yelling to the bystanders for a multi tool and a masters rider ran for one. I inspected the pedal and could find nothing wrong. I was winded, high on caffiene, sugar and adreneline. In short, I was unable to think straight. Finally a guy asked, "is the cleat alright?" It wasn't. It had broken. Someone suggested strapping my foot to the pedal. I just stormed off, threw the bike on the car and drove away. They rang the halfway bell as I drove out of the parking lot. What a waste. You should check your cleats.
Sunday, April 9, 2006
Tufts Criterium - Cat. 4/5
This was my fourth race in two days, so I was a bit beat but felt OK. The course is a very technical 6 corner criterium with one steep rise.
I got the hole shot into the first two corners thanks to the call up and Speedplays. The field stretched out in tow. The first few laps went off quite fast and the field fractured into many small groups. After about 30 minutes I was settled into the lead group of 12-15 people. There were a couple of UNH guys, guys from ECV and BRC, and an assortment of other teams.
With about 10 of 30 laps left and going into corner #1, I was near the back of the group when the rider in front of me appeared to lock up his rear wheel permanently (Chain problem? Who knows.) He went straight instead of turning left and I was on his outside. He wedged me into the corner and I stopped abruptly. I didn't contact him, the curb, or the pavement, but I came to a dead stop. I now had to chase. (There's no free lap if you're simply stuck behind a crash.)
I went into time trial mode for 2 to 3 laps in an attempt to make up ground, but it wasn't enough to catch the lead group. My race was over.
Saturday, April 8, 2006
4th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium - Ninigret
Rain and Pain. This would describe this race. A small field so no protection. Small attacks came early, but it wasn't until the middle of the race a small break stuck. I did try to bridge the pack back, but no one was will to help. So Rhys and I remained patient. In the final lap two bozos thought the race changed into a cross race and took to the grass. They took Rhys off my wheel and on to the grass. I ended up placing 10th in my very first Cat 3 race. We would have placed better if Rhys was able to remain on my wheel. Next time Rhys….
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Charge Pond Training Series
It was the first race back in nearly a year for me. The legs felt good the entire race. A small break got away. I came close to bridge the gap, but engine shut down. Early in the season I guess. At the finish I sprinted about 300m away, I coasted over the line with no one within 100 feet or so. Ah…good to be back.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Wells Ave
Yash, Emily and I raced at Wells Ave. this Sunday. Yash and I had made a plan to start a break on the lap after the a prime that happened after the 20th lap. I was hoping that since, Yash was wearing a Hup kit that maybe no one would suspect a team effort. On the other hand, I hoped that maybe a couple of guys may come and work the break.
Upon lining up at the start line, I couldn't help but notice that 3 teams were at least 12 deep. NEBC, BRC and Landry's brought crews. My strategy was going to be to try the break and if that failed, mark a wheel to follow and hope for the best.
The race started fast. Yash didn't feel so good. I felt really strong and as always, Emily was a powerhouse. I went off with a couple of early breaks, just to get the heart up. At one point before the halfway point I chased and caught a break by two Landry's riders. As I was overtaking them at the start line, they rang the prime bell. The Landry's guys ratcheted up the pace, but I was able to recover slightly. The first guy peeled off and the second tried to shake me. He wanted me to pull. I refused. He slowed a little and I told him that he had better pull or niether of us was getting the prime. He stepped it up. I held his wheel until I was in sprinting position and swung out. I was able to leave Landry's but another couple of guys overtook us going too fast to catch. I may have been able to take the prime had I started sprinting sooner. Next time.
Yash and I initiated a break after the afore mentioned prime. He led me out like a champ. There was one NEBC up the road and Yash tried to get me up to him. He got me about halfway and I took over. I got stuck in the middle. I had a small jump on the field, but I was hurting. A Colavita rider bridged and towed me the rest of the way. We got swallowed up right as we caught the one off of the front. In total, I had stayed of of the front for two laps. I was completely spent. I thought that I was going to vomit. I wasn't seeing straigtht.
During this dark period in my race, they called a women's prime. I am ashamed to say that I was unable to be of any help to Emily. She took the prime by stealthily following a woman out and swinging around and outsprinting her.
Someone initiated a break after the women's prime and Emily was in it. I was unable to block for her, I didn't have the juice to get up there even. She worked it until it faded.
Luckily, the peloton was mellow for the next two laps. In three laps I had recovered totally and I started looking for me wheel with 5 or 6 laps to go. I marked a muscly BRC rider and stuck to him like glue. So I am thinking that I'll hold his wheel until the last lap and try to sprint and he goes on a break. I followed because he looked strong and had been sitting in. I figured that this was it. There was only four laps to go. He was just playing. The break never even got far off of the front.
I sat in for the rest and sprinted from the back up until maybe 20th. I have not perfected my sprint and don't yet know how much road I need to spin out a gear.
All in all it was a good race. I was able to chase down some breaks, hurt some other riders and represent. This race really got me thinking that since we are a small club, we need to be very organized and really ride as a team in order to maximize the talent that we have.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Wells Ave - Cat. 3/4
I decided to race Wells Ave at the last minute. I was very late. The official was announcing "B racers to the line" before I even had my shoes on. I got to the line for the B race with absolutely no warm up (Wells Ave usually starts pretty mellow that wasn't such a big deal) and a hastily pinned number. Another Quad Cycles rider, Jacob, was already at the start.
The race was typical of Wells Ave. A few people off the front early possibly looking for primes. One break got a gap of half a lap. It fell apart and the riders were reeled in one at a time. During that break, I noticed one Providence Velo rider was doing a particularly good job blocking for his teammate.
With 7-10 laps to go, a Gus Kelley from BRC and the same Providence Velo rider produced a gap of about 20 meters on the pack. Because of the Providence Velo rider's previously demonstrated speed and his blocking teammate, the 4-6 BRC racers in the pack, and another Quad Cycles rider in the pack, this looked like it could be a winning breakaway.
I sprinted away from the pack, taking no one with me, and spent one-third of a lap bridging the gap.
We produced a 20 second gap and held it until the end of the race. The result of the final sprint was: Providence Velo, Boston Road Club, Quad Cycles.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Casters Crit — Cat 3
With a week to go, before the big race at Fitchburg, I wanted to get out and stretch my legs a little one last time. The weather was perfect at the Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI with the usual wind blowing and we lined up with a healthy field of about 45 riders. The race had spunk from the get go and several attacks went off right away. Then, after only a few laps one break of two or three guys got away and it look juicy enough for me to join, so I jumped off the front of the field and went to work trying to bridge across alone. Somewhere along the line the break fell apart and I decided to keep going it alone, until I made it all the way to the lead guy. He and I joined forces, after a prime that he stayed away from me for, and then the two of us worked very hard to stay off the front for nearly half the race.
A nine-man chase group was working to catch up to us, but we continued to work to stay away with a lot of racing left and hoped that one or two riders would come across to reinforce our efforts. Unfortunately my partner cracked and headed back to the 9 with about 12 to go, and so I stayed out alone for about 3 laps hoping someone might finally come across. But, after looking back several times, it was clear no one would, so I also went back to the now 10-man group to finish the race. Once I was recaptured, the attacks began and lasted until about a lap an half to go, but no one got away. So, in the last laps we setup for the sprint and I worked to position myself against the riders that had teammates with then (3-4 teams actually), but left myself a little too far back in the last sections, before the final turn and was only able to grab 5th. But, I felt good all race and was able to work very hard, so I was happy with the result.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Rock & Road Race Weekend — Cat 3
Saturday (CRIT): The course is a very short loop in "downtown Raymond, NH the curves and winds all over the place. We had 35 laps to accomplish and once again it was very hot. I had hoped to get involved in a break and had received some tips on who to watch, but there were 3-4 teams each with 3-4 riders that were all working pretty well and kept everything together (at least there was an actual field of nearly 30 to start.) Several of the laps included obstacles (some lady stopped her car a a stop sign, two fat women couldn't decide whether to cross or not, and some guy nearly lost his three pizzas as the field came bearing down on him. And, the pavement was actually melting at the bottom of the little hill, so it felt like you were riding on flats as you tried to make the turn. In the end the Sunapee team drove the field into a single file column, and I hadn't thought enough about my placement into the last laps, so I ended up with 9th place despite having the legs for more.
Sunday (RR): The course is a fun 10.(something)-mile loop with two solid, but not serious, climbs that then twists and rolls its way through Raymond, NH. There were some stretches where the pavement was just awful, but for the most part things were in pretty good shape. Again, hot (high 80s), humid (??%), and very hazy. But, only 12 riders showed up at the start line (I think several from the prior day went to race with the Master field). So, we rolled out and the college kids (I think the average age in the field was like 20) battled it out and did a nice job of tiring each other in the heat. On the 2nd lap (of 4) a small break formed with 4 riders, and I hesitated hoping the more of the remaining 8 would be able to work, but we lost some of the senior guys and the remaining "kids" all decided that it was too hot to work and they wanted their mommies. So, at the beginning of the third lap I attacked and got away with ease, and went to work chasing on my own for the last 20 miles of the race however, I had waited too long and figure I had nearly 1:00 to 1:30 to make up on the break. Despite my best efforts I never caught them, but I also don't think they were able to take any more time on me (marshals were all cooked or something, because no one would give me a decent split). I rode hard all the way to the finish and easily took 5th taking nearly 3 minutes from what was left of the field.
Sunday, June 5, 2005
Great Falls Crit — Cat 3
So, with the NE Crit Championships going on in RI somewhere, and a race for the hill-nuts the day before, it was indeed a field made up of about 20 climber-types. The course was a 1-km rectangle with a slight uphill finish and one steep, yet short, hill, and we had something like 19 miles to accomplish in the blazing sun (just below 90 degrees I figure). For a bunch of skinny guys we kept the pace going pretty good and there were a lot of attacks going and the field was continually reeling everything back in. But, after about half the race the field was getting a little cooked and more and more folks were suffering their way up the short climb. On the last prime (5 to go) another rider and I got a little gap on the field at the top of the hill and decided to go for it. However, the next time around he cracked, and I was left alone with 4 to go. Figuring "what the hell" I put my head down and pushed my HR to the "red line." But, with 4 guys in the field (the only team with more than 2) UNH was hot on the pursuit and was not letting me go. With 2 to go I was all but caught, so I sat up to go back and try to salvage something for the sprint however, then I took another look and the field had done the same, after seeing me sit up, so as I came around the next corner I went back to work and opened the gap again. At this point I was going all out for the last 1.5 laps, and thus I didn't noticed that UNH had launched someone off the front of the field in the last lap that came screaming by me with 1/2 lap left. He took 1st, but I did manage to hold off the field and take 2nd with a little gap, after being out for 4 laps alone.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Mt. Sunapee Road Race — Cat 3/4 & Wells Crash :-(
Mt. Sunapee ‘shined’ on us today. I woke up on Saturday expecting almost anything. In years past the weather at the Mt. Sunapee road race had been pretty bad. This year was an overcast day but no rain, freezing rain, or snow (yeah it did snow on us one year).
I lined up for the Cat 3/4 46 mile road race with Shaun Landon and Chris Rehm. The race itself is two laps with one hill of significance. We deiced that for the first half of the first lap we let the field do its thing while we sat in the first 15 places. Of course best laid pans do not last. Shortly into the first lap a large group of riders went down cutting the field in half. I was brushed by a falling rider but did not go gown. Chris got caught up in the crash but was OK. Shaun was right in front of me so he was good. But in the confusion of falling bodies and bike parts about 20 guys were charging off the front. I yelled up to Shaun to catch that group and I’d catch him. Thanks Shaun. With Shaun’s help I bridged back up to the main field. The rest of the race went OK. Each time up the hill the field broke up but usually regrouped a mile or two down the road. For the final up hill finish I was lucky enough to still be in the main group. Someone yelled out that the hill was long and there would be plenty of time to ‘sprint’ for the finish. For some reason I let off the ‘gas’ (wrong move). That was the wrong thing to do because at that same moment 15 guys took off up the hill. My lack of concentration lost me some places. I felt good up the hill and reclaimed some of my places but I learned never to ‘back off’ on the finish. In all a 28th place, a fine day of racing.
As for Sunday I went to Wells Ave for some training miles and to help out. Unfortunately on the final lap of the B race there was a massive pile up that I was in. I went down very hard. It took several minutes to get off the ground. Dizzy and confused Chris Rehm came over to help out. Big thanks to Chris that day as it would have been a hard ride home with out him. I never saw the entire crash but from what I can piece together a rider was leading a group off the front in a Tour de France or Giro sprint style train. The lead rider when he was spent did not peal off enough AND he turned his head to see the main field. As soon as he checked the main field position he drifted right back into the charging field. I’d say about 15+ guys went down to of them had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance (broken elbow and brown collar bone). I was very lucky. If I was any closer to the front I’d be the guy with a broken elbow.
Keep the rubber side down! BTW I need a new race kit…
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Owasco SR — Cat 3
by Jonah Tower
After a solid week of training and feeling weel rested, I was looking forward to a good weekend of racing in Auburn, NY. We had a hotel in the middle of town and all three events were within 5 minutes of driving, so it was a very nice situation in a quiet corner of New York state. Friday evening we headed out to take a look at the 16-mile TT course, and then on the way back to the hotel registered for the weekend. Then, it was time for food and bed.
Saturday morning was a bit grey and a little on the cool side, but over all a fine day for the ITT. I drove Chris out to the staging area, so that he could warm-up and get going, and in the process discovered that they were going to have a 20-minute delay in start times. The course itself consisted of two long "false flat" sections going south along Owasco Lake, before turning to the east, going down hill for a bit and then flat until the turn-around at about 8 miles. I had a start time of about 10:30, and by the time I got to the start house the sun had broken through and with that there was a STRONG wind coming from the south. So, I had to plow through a tough head wind for the first several miles on the false flat sections, and then after making the turn, I really was working hard to keep the bike upright as the cross wind battered me from the right and then from the left, after I made the turn around. In the process I caught a few guys but was also caught by a guy from a minute back. On the stretch leading back to the finish line he and I traded back and forth while we had a tail wind (he was a bigger rider and probably was better built for TTing in the wind than I). And, for the final sections I was fully in 55-12 gearing and hauling @$$ to the finish line. The end result put me in 12th position, which I had mixed feelings about, because I was looking to be in the top 10 and the top rider had nearly 2 minutes on my time.
Once the TT was done and I had cooled down a while, we headed back to the hotel for lunch, self-massage, and a nap to get ready for the downtown crit that eveneing. The weather was really warming up and by mid afternoon it was certainly in the 70's, but as I was warming up, before the 18:15 start time that the Cat 3's had, the rain came and I was left under the gate of my Xterra thinking "this is going to be interesting." The crit itself was a "6-curve" course around the town center with two lanes of road just for us and a small finiahing hill… in general it was FAST! However, with the pouring rain that we now were suffering the officials decided not to have the intermediate sprints for time bonus (of which there were going to be 7 for 5, 3, and 1 second each) and, while I was a little disappointed about the lost oportunity to move up in GC, I think it was the right decision. In general the pace was pretty fast, but the course itself was not at all very decisive and without the sprints the field hung mostly together. However, not just once or twice, but three times a vehicle wandered on to the course, and we all had a few close calls trying to avoid on-coming traffic at 35 mph. In the end I finished with the field, when I got hemmed in on the inside of the final sprint, but two of the GC-guys ahead of me somehow lost time, and I eneded up in 10th.
Pasta, oatmeal, and a pear… then, to sleep.
After closer inspection of the GC situation I saw that the next guy was only 1 second up and less than 10 seconds in front of him was #8, so I was certainly looking to grab some time bonuses on the cheap if I could. Thinking that maybe with a 75-mile RR ahead of them and with two event already in their legs the field my let me go on a solo flyer for a little while, I warmed up really well and hit LT from the line trying to get to the first KOM (at 7 miles) alone. However, my gamble did not pay off with great visbility and the field caught me with about 500m to the top of the KOM, and I was hurtin' bad to get across it myself. From then on the plan was simply to keep a good eye on all the GC guys that were near me, while trying to recover from my initial effort. Two guys broke away, shortly after the first KOM and the field let them go a little while knowing we could easily catch them however, we missed our turn to the approach of the second KOM and ended up having to U-turn in the middle of the race to get back on course so the two riders took it uncontested. While I had nothing to really contest the 1.2-mile, 6.5% climb, I was able to make it across in relatively good shape. For the rest of the race I really couldn't do much but sit in, so I stayed near the front making sure that I didn't miss any splits that might occur, but the course had long sections of flat or down-hill, where one could see for miles literally, so the field stuck together for the most part only sheading a few riders here and there. I had worked out a deal with ECV to get a feed, but that got a little boched-up and one of their riders is now all upset with me for "being in the way." Then, in the final miles I became totally focused on the guy ahead of me and trying to position myself to take a second from him, if the oportunity should arise that I missed a small break that got away with only a few miles to go, but was able to hold 50 seconds on the field, because everyone was goofing around with GC placings in their mind. The finsh was super fast with a down hill approach to the last 200m, but again I eneded up just somewhere in the field. Because I didn't cover the break two guys snuck in ahead of me in GC and I eneded up back in 12th for the weekend.
Overall I am happy with how I felt and how I raced physically. I would have liked to have been at least in the top 10 places for GC, if not the top 5. But, the gambles I took did not pay off. Still, the weekend was great, and I even had enough energy to make the drive all the way home. Next year I hope that we can make this a big QuadCycles event, because it is really very fun and great preparation for other stage races during the year.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
The Owasco Stage Race
So it was a great weekend. We left Friday at about noon got there about 530. Rode the TT course, ate and then bed. Saturday Am was the TT, it was borderline cold but warmed up as things got going. They were about 20 min late starting. Long course, 16 miles, windy windy windy. I broke a spoke in my aero wheels 5 min before the start, bummer. Got 42 in the TT, then back off to the motel for a nap. It actually got sunny for the crit, easy 1.5 km course, in the center of town, no corners. Now thats my kind of crit, only one acceleration at the beginning and then just pedal like mad for 30 min and 12 sec. We did 28 km in that time, you figure out the speed (I’ll give you a physics quiz on this the next time I see you…) 33rd in the crit. 3-4 nice crashes, really bizzare, and a lot of surly riders, there is something about New York racing… Right after the masters crit the rain started, I’ll let Jonah tell you all about that lovely race, and then a quick meal and off to bed.
Next morning we went to the RR. Nice sunny day. Oops forgot the sun screen, oh well. Race gets started about 20 min late, we ride about 2 miles and as is the norm in masters racing one guy goes off the front and all hell breaks loose. We were strung out single and double file for about 6 miles. He gets caught, and then another break goes, this ones not a threat to GC gone up the road, until they miss a turn. The leaders slow the field down for the break to get back on, and take a nature break. Then as soon as thats done the break goes mad again, same guys, up the road, and then we are all going 30 on the flats. First KOM was trival. About 10 miles on get to the second, I do ok on that, but about a mile up the road on another roller two guys in front of me let a gap open and then another attack from GC contender goes, no way to close the gap. Me and 2 guys, different than the ones that let the gap opened chased the field all the way to the town at the bottom of the lake, about 30-45 sec behind but couldn't close it.
Then third KOM comes up, and pack blows sky high. I got dropped and started looking for another masters rider to work with, none in sight, so I rode about 10 miles on my own (hey I obviously needed the practice after Saturday why not start right now I think) until a little group of 5 masters and 3 cat 4s shows up, we ride to the finish together, more or less, with one lunatic from the cat 4’s attacking the group every 5 minutes. Then he goes to pick a fight with one of the masters riders. They are pushing and shoving and one older guy is looking at me and saying “you wouldn't believe it, it’s been like this for 30 miles—that kid is nuts” etc etc. Well he was nuts, by appearances. The funniest part was him trying to hook a masters rider and failing miserably and then having the masters guy who he was arguing with and who was his intended hooking victim show him how to do it right…Ah the joys of racing in NY, I love it. Anyway we got to the finsh , got about 42 in the RR. All in all a really fun weekend of racing. I’ll be back next year, for sure, hopefully will be able to last until the third KOM in the field and stay out of the twilight zone groupetto…
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Loudon, NH Thursday training crit
So I have been doing a couple of these. They hold this at the NH International speedway racecourse, on the GP road course, usually. 2 good little hills in the course, nice road. Thursday was all the usual suspects for them, NHCC people some good juniors, sunapee bannagans people etc a ccb rider etc. I rode the A race, points format, 15 laps, sprints every 3 laps. After first sprint 2 of the juniors and a bannagans guy, and 1-2 others got off the front and made the break stick, so all the points were eaten up by them. We got some people together and chased but could never really get organized enough to catch them. When we started it was pretty wet, as the track dried out it got slipperier from the oil, at 3 to go one of the B racers crashed hard, broke his collar bone and they pulled the rest of the riders off the course. proboably finished about 10th in the field sprint. This is a really nice training race if its not raining even if the drive is long. They have showers there which is really nice after 90 min of hard racing.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Newport Storm Criterium Ninigret Park Charlestown, RI — Masters 40
The weather was great and not too windy, but this is Ninigret. For the first race of the year I chose the Masters 40. You know, Skip Foley, Mark Luzio, Mike Norton and Paul Curley. Yah, those guys. What was I thinking? As you can imagine the race was fast and smooth. No brakes needed. My goal was simply to finish and stay in the pack. Basically pack fodder. I was able to do that and the laps just ticked off. The last two laps were different. They were extremely fast for already burning legs. I thought I was going to blow chucks. I was able to finish in the back of the pack. Glad that’s over…
Monday, February 7, 2005
Racing in Santa Barbara, CA
Cat 4/5
About 60 of us lined up at the start of the 4/5 race. Pretty good showing considering southern CA just started their racing season only a week ago. A 40 minute Crit with a totally flat course, .6 mile loop. It was shorter and flatter then Wells Ave, if that is possible. Our fist race went off at 8:50AM. The field was your typical 4/5 crowd but there were three teams that showed up in force. Hazard Cycle Sport, FastTrack, and Amgen (more on these guys later). The best part of racing out here is that it was 55 degrees for our race and we raced under palm trees. The entire north east is just not cycling friendly this time of year. Steve has been riding hard all winter back and fourth to USBC (University Santa Barbara California) for his new job. Basically he is getting 40+ miles in every day plus what ever he can do on the weekends. With little effort Steve raced well and stayed near the front for the entire race (it pays to train had during the winter and has a great back yard called Solvang, CA to do it in). I felt good fitness wise but my technical skills are a bit rusty and will need some work, but that will come with more racing. The field was a little twitchy. I think that ½ of them were 5’s and most of them had never raced before. I took my turn up at the front of the race (making sure to get the Quad colors noticed!) for a lap. The group pretty much stayed together. We were all content to work hard then sit in for a bit but guys kept trying to get off the front for a break but it was always reeled in. The Amgen guys were really working well as a team. They must have had about 7 guys in the race. Every break away had an Amgen guy in it and the rest of the team would come up and block. This worked REALLY well. I has never been in a race where blocking was so successful. There was a small group with an Amgen guy off the front and it was getting towards the end of the race. The field finally woke up and chased the break away down. With about 6 to go we were all one big group again. The only big excitement was with three to go two guys came up on my left side. Which is pretty interesting considering the space between me and the cones just wide enough for myself, forget about sticking another two riders in there. One of the guys was from FastTrack and riding pretty good, he must have been a 4. The other guy who was coming up on the far left side did not know what he was doing. In about 1 second they were pushing elbows trying to grab road position before the next turn. The other guy started to wig out and lost control, he must of felt odd with the shoulder / elbow bumping. He lost control, hit an orange cone and took the FastTrack guy down. This would have been great to watch from a distance but I was in the middle of it. My only ‘exit’ was over. I bunny hopped as much as I could but I did wind up riding over the FastTrack’s guys bike (pretty sure I bent his wheel). I was able to keep it upright but lost my position in the front with only 3 to go. Steve was a little bit further up in the field so he missed all of the crash. I dropped back a few too many places but was able pack finish with everyone. In all a good first race! Congrats to Steve as he got 10. His second top ten in two weeks, nice job! After the race we fueled up and relaxed. Our next race Masters 30+ was in 2.5 hours…
Masters 30+
Ok this was only my 2nd master’s race ever and wow what a difference. These guys are smooth and fast. The biggest difference from the last race was how well these guys cornered at speed. The lines we took as a group into each of the corners was a lot wider. Because we took the corners much wider then the 4/5 race the speed was faster. Average speed for the master’s race was 4 mph faster. This race was longer at 60 minutes and once again we had 60 or so racers. Our main goal for this race was to have another workout and work on our racing skills; I was not in it for the ‘win’. Right from the start guys were jumping off the front. Out of our 60 minutes I think only 5 of them did not have a group off the front. For this race Steve was again up front looking great. I was in the main group riding in the pack practicing my cornering techniques as they needed the practice. I actually felt stronger during this race then the first race. I think it was 1st race of the season jitters that got me going. Once out of my system I (and Steve) was able to have a more fluid race then in the 4/5. Once again the breaks were flying off the front but were chased down, besides one. About 10 guys got off the front and just hovering at 20’ish seconds in front of us. We just could not get them. This group was off the front when the final 7 laps were being counted down. As soon as the lap cards came out and the officials started counting down the laps the main field started MOVING. We jumped an easy 4-5 mph faster so our speed was averaging about 28MPH at this point. We were catching the break away. Each lap the announcer would give up the splits 20, 16, 12 seconds! Heck we got them to 20 feet! But as soon as we got close the main field started to implode. The speed was just getting too fast for people to hold onto including me. With a couple of laps to go a break (which at this point could still have been the break of 10 guys) went off again for the win. They turned up the speed and nobody could follow. Steve held on for a pack finish but with a couple to go I got tossed off the back to finish doing an individual TT. After the race we were all happy considering that we had just done a double race. One interesting note about this race. There was a former Tour de France participant in it! Yeah this guy raced the tour. So we felt pretty good about this race considering that we were racing with a former TdF participant!
In all some good racing. Can’t wait to start up our season soon!
