I've been busy. Hate to be neglecting the blog since I think this is the longest I have ever kept it. We'll go thru a quick recap of some recent races.
Poolesville- DNF
Break goes off the gun. I wait a few miles and am bridging in a small group. Course marshalls led us the wrong direction and realized it 2min later when we came to a dead end. Would happen that no one in the break had ridden the course before.
Leonardtown-
Feeling decidedly better after a great night out in D.C with the team and the gf's family. That and the fact that we survived the drive to Leonardtown in Hurricane like weather.
Onto the race. This was a pretty big race for the team with the MABRA crit championship on the line. Pretty hard course with a decreasing radius uphill turn and a surprising heat wave. Out goal was to make the race hard and hopefully try to force a breakaway, with myself being the final leadout for Tim Brown if it came down to a pack sprint. Brown and I rolled the last few turns before the race a couple of times to decide exactly how we would play the finish.
It ended up being a very hard race. Harley was on/off the front all day. I almost stacked it once when a rider crashed right in front of me in a turn and I locked it up only to miss his head by inches. I couldn't believe that the race was going to come down to a field sprint.
With a few laps to go, Mason got into a 3 man break, and we were able to play off other teams for the finish rather that having to take control. Coming into the last lap, Russ hit the front and a few Kelly riders came over the top of me before turn 1. It's times like these that you have to stay calm, and I was hoping that Brown would trust me to put him where he needed to be when he needed to be and not panic. Sure enough, with 500meters to go, the course drifted right and I hit it hard on the inside with Tim on my wheel, coming over the top of the Kelly riders about 5mph faster. We managed to catch the remanants of Mason's break with about 300m to go. We had a big gap coming into the second to last turn and Tim hit it right before the last turn as planned taking the big win. Mason managed to jump onto the back and held on for 3rd and Chuck came home in 4th.
This week was the first Bryan Park race. This is an awesome mid-week series put on by Matt from Altius Cycling. This is a great time to strecth the legs and put in some good efforts. I managed to sneak the out a win after getting into a break with Tim Mullins, Dan King and Andrew Troy.
This weekend is Wilmington. Should be fun
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sad day for cycling
I was going to write a race report, but given the circumstances I feel it's better off to take this day to remember the life of Wouter Weylandt. May your rest in peace
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tour de Moore and Brick City
Good morning everybody! All sorts of exciting news on the interwebs this morning. I passed out last night after coming home from the races, so I'm sitting here with a giant pot of coffee just trying to catch up on everything. Well, let's get to the race reports.
A while back I decided not to go to Athens as my team had plenty of guys much better suited to that race and I didn't feel like crashing and getting beer poured all over me. I mean look at this guy.
Yep, the Tim Rugg. He was rocking it in the race, making the big 18 man split late in the race before being taken out by a UHC rider. What can you do. Hopefully he heals up soon cause he was flying!
Tour de Moore
Keck and I decided to make the 4 hour drive down to Southern Springs, N.C for the Tour de Moore. We'll definitely be coming back to this race in the future. We were lucky enough to be hosted by the Finnin's who were absolutely amazing hosts.
Although the race was advertised as 103mi, it ended up being 110, something that would definitely come into play later in the race. We were to roll 12mi out to the loop, complete 8 laps, then race another 12mi back into town for a 500m uphill finish.
Keck and I were definitely outnumbered. Hincapie had 14 riders in the race, not to mention the 6+ riders each from Globlabike, Happy Tooth, RGF, Chemstar etc. We knew we had to play it conservative. Still, we were a little worried when 10 or so riders got up the road early in the race and carved out a 4min lead. The centerline rule stifled a consistent chase as it was hard to even make your way to the front of the pack. I finally decided to lay down some firepower in the uphill crosswind sections to stimulate the chase and it worked with the break being caught with 40mi to go.
About 30mi to go, I latched onto a good break and 5 of us quickly got a gap. I was on one of those days where I was feeling amazing and started taking big pulls. Unfortunately, a Hincapie rider who was in the break with us was reluctant to work despite having won the race twice in the past. I was trying to keep the group consistent and trying to give the other riders in the group a rest by taking long pulls.
We pulled out a 1:30 lead pretty quickly before our break started to shatter. One rider who was sitting on got dropped on the hills and my breakmates pulls were getting shorter and shorter (props to them though for rolling through even though I could tell they were hurting). A quick look back and I realized we were down to 3 riders. We held off the bike as long as we could, but were finally caught with 4mi to go. C'est la vie. Luckily Keck manned up and pulled out a stellar 3rd place in the sprint finish, nabbing us some moolah.
After hitting up the Chinese buffet, we headed back to the Finnin's for a much needed nap and a great outdoor dinner with some grilling and wine.
Brick City
Most of the people who were at the race the day before showed up the Brick City criterium. Keck and I stayed at the front and covered moves, but it was pretty obvious that the race was coming down to a pack sprint.
With 10 to go, I got Keck on my wheel and he pulled some serious bike ninja moves to stay there. At one point I took a corner with riders leaning on both my right and left shoulders. A few teams were trying to take control of the race and start a leadout, but for the most part is was mass chaos. Coming into one to go, the RGF team of Rich Harper and Jim Baldesare put 4 guys on the front. The lead rider slowed down a little too much, and fearing that we were going to get swarmed, I jumped hard and took Keck over the top of the leadout and we actually had a gap going through turns 1 and 2. The backstrecth unfortunately was a headwind, otherwise I would have easily been able to take Keck through the last 2 corners on the front. However, we were passed about 100m before the 3rd corner and Keck slotted into 4th wheel and that's the position he stayed in all the way to the line. It was a good move by the 2 of us, and jumping the leadout train was pretty fun, we just needed one more teammate to help us seal the deal.
A while back I decided not to go to Athens as my team had plenty of guys much better suited to that race and I didn't feel like crashing and getting beer poured all over me. I mean look at this guy.
Tour de Moore
Keck and I decided to make the 4 hour drive down to Southern Springs, N.C for the Tour de Moore. We'll definitely be coming back to this race in the future. We were lucky enough to be hosted by the Finnin's who were absolutely amazing hosts.
Although the race was advertised as 103mi, it ended up being 110, something that would definitely come into play later in the race. We were to roll 12mi out to the loop, complete 8 laps, then race another 12mi back into town for a 500m uphill finish.
Keck and I were definitely outnumbered. Hincapie had 14 riders in the race, not to mention the 6+ riders each from Globlabike, Happy Tooth, RGF, Chemstar etc. We knew we had to play it conservative. Still, we were a little worried when 10 or so riders got up the road early in the race and carved out a 4min lead. The centerline rule stifled a consistent chase as it was hard to even make your way to the front of the pack. I finally decided to lay down some firepower in the uphill crosswind sections to stimulate the chase and it worked with the break being caught with 40mi to go.
About 30mi to go, I latched onto a good break and 5 of us quickly got a gap. I was on one of those days where I was feeling amazing and started taking big pulls. Unfortunately, a Hincapie rider who was in the break with us was reluctant to work despite having won the race twice in the past. I was trying to keep the group consistent and trying to give the other riders in the group a rest by taking long pulls.
We pulled out a 1:30 lead pretty quickly before our break started to shatter. One rider who was sitting on got dropped on the hills and my breakmates pulls were getting shorter and shorter (props to them though for rolling through even though I could tell they were hurting). A quick look back and I realized we were down to 3 riders. We held off the bike as long as we could, but were finally caught with 4mi to go. C'est la vie. Luckily Keck manned up and pulled out a stellar 3rd place in the sprint finish, nabbing us some moolah.
After hitting up the Chinese buffet, we headed back to the Finnin's for a much needed nap and a great outdoor dinner with some grilling and wine.
Brick City
Most of the people who were at the race the day before showed up the Brick City criterium. Keck and I stayed at the front and covered moves, but it was pretty obvious that the race was coming down to a pack sprint.
With 10 to go, I got Keck on my wheel and he pulled some serious bike ninja moves to stay there. At one point I took a corner with riders leaning on both my right and left shoulders. A few teams were trying to take control of the race and start a leadout, but for the most part is was mass chaos. Coming into one to go, the RGF team of Rich Harper and Jim Baldesare put 4 guys on the front. The lead rider slowed down a little too much, and fearing that we were going to get swarmed, I jumped hard and took Keck over the top of the leadout and we actually had a gap going through turns 1 and 2. The backstrecth unfortunately was a headwind, otherwise I would have easily been able to take Keck through the last 2 corners on the front. However, we were passed about 100m before the 3rd corner and Keck slotted into 4th wheel and that's the position he stayed in all the way to the line. It was a good move by the 2 of us, and jumping the leadout train was pretty fun, we just needed one more teammate to help us seal the deal.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Schedule and Gila
Good luck to everyone racing Gila this week. Tough race for sure.
My schedule has gotten changed around a bit in the last month with my trip to Joe Martin being canceled, but here's my schedule for May:
April 30th- Tour de Moore (N.C)
Come say hi if you are around at these races.
My schedule has gotten changed around a bit in the last month with my trip to Joe Martin being canceled, but here's my schedule for May:
April 30th- Tour de Moore (N.C)
May 8th Jefferson Cup
May 14th Poolesville RR
May 15th Leonardtown Crit Champs
May 20th Wilmington Grand Prix
May 28th Kelly Cup
May 30th Tour of SommervilleCome say hi if you are around at these races.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Lessons from Battenkill
Lessons From Battenkill – Preparing For A Race You’ve Never Done Before
I recently raced the Tour of Battenkill in upstate New York. I have heard legends about this race and was excited to give it a try. I had never done the race before, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about how to prepare for a race that you have never done before.
Race Course Research
If you are lucky enough to be within an hour or two’s drive to the course, pre-riding the racecourse can be a great opportunity for learning. Make sure you print off a course map or turn cues before pre-riding so as not to get lost. When you ride the course, make sure to pay attention and stay alert, rather than necessarily looking at getting in a good training day. Make special notes in your head about:
- Terrain
- Weather Conditions
- Road Conditions
- Last 5km
Note areas that are harder than others, whether there is a big climb or a crosswind might appear. Know when and where you can move up to place yourself at the head of the field for that section of the course. This would also be an excellent time to come up with your race strategy. Is the race likely to stay together, or break apart? Should you take an offensive strategy and attack, or look to conserve till the end of the race? Decide on good places to attack or to use team tactics.
Scope out the finish. If you want to be in it for the win, this is the most important part of your pre-ride. Ride the last few km’s of the course a few times. Take notes of the turns and places to move up to position yourself well. Ride the last few hundred meters to determine where you will start your sprint what side of the road you want to be on.
If you aren’t able to pre-ride the course, the internet can be your best friend. Many races now post course profiles where you can look at the terrain and turns.
Local Knowledge
If you have friends who have raced the course before, ask them about the race. Good questions to ask are:
- How did the race play out last year?
- Where are the crucial parts of the race?
- Did any external factors (i.e wind or hills) play a part in the race?
Often times you can find race reports from previous years races. Either use a rsourse like GamJams to check out blogs, or Google the race with the words “race report”. These will often times give you insight that you might now have been able to see from a pre-ride.
Check out race results from the previous years. Was it a climber who won the race, or someone who excels in a pack sprint? Did the race finish in a large group, or were there big time gaps at the finish? This is a good gauge as to how the race will play out.
Training
Optimize your training at least a month out. If the race is hilly, it’s probably best to start doing those hill repeats. If it’s flat, you might want to hit the group rides for speed work. If it’s windy, think about doing threshold work as you might be pace-lining in a small group. Structure your training around the racecourse and the results will come.
Adam Switters is a former professional cyclist and currently races for the XO Communications/Battley Harley Cycling Team. He is a USA Cycling Certified Coach and is always interested in helping out cyclists. You can check him out at his website www.SwittersCoaching.com Feel free to comment if you have any other ideas to add to this list.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Integrating into your Cycling Community
Integrating Into Your Cycling Community
I recently relocated to the Richmond area from Northern California. As if moving from one coast to the other wasn’t a big enough change, I knew very few cyclists in the area that I was moving to. I was very well known in the cycling communities throughout California, but am a relative unknown here. I thought I would take this chance to journal my experiences in trying to integrate myself into the Northern Virginia cycling region and hopefully act as a guide for those hoping to do the same. This is my journey toward finding riding partners, a team, and new friends.
Find a local group ride
Before you join a team, check out the local group ride. When I first came to Richmond, I joined one of the Spin Mafia rides. Not only will they be able to show you the local cycling routes, this is a great opportunity to meet some of the cyclists in the area. Don’t be afraid to pick their brain about teams, rides, and just make friendly conversation. You can also check out the local weekday cycling races like the Bryan Park criterium series or track racing at the Speedway in Midlothian. Be social and make an effort to get to these events and interact with your fellow cyclists.
Find a team and get involved
USA Cycling has a list of all registered cycling clubs. In addition, resources like Vacycling.org usually have lists of all the teams in the area. Conduct some research on the teams you are interested in (Are they a masters team? Do they promote races? Are they local to your area?), and contact them about joining their squad. If they have monthly meetings, try to start attending, or volunteer to help out with a race that they are putting on. Usually teams will have social nights like Pizza and clothing distribution night, or a pre-race carbo load. This is a great chance for teammates to interact and meet friends off the bike.
Your local bike shop
Develop a relationship with your local bike shop. For me, this was Carytown Bicycles. When you are in the area, stop by, even just to chat. Try to make most of your purchases from the same shop and get to know the mechanics. Developing a friendship with your mechanics will often times help you when you need some bike maintenance in a pinch (don’t abuse this though and make sure to bring them a six pack). Often times bike shops will have social nights where you can meet some of the locals. Carytown Bicycles recently held a wine tasting night and a Pizza Crawl night. Have a beer (or wine), relax, and talk about how strong Cancellara was at Paris Roubaix.
Social media
Yes, sites like Facebook and Twitter are fast becoming tools for the cycling community to communicate. Use these tools to find group rides and riding partners alike. Post that you are going for a ride and ask if anyone wants to join. You’ll never know who will respond.
I have been in the area for just under a month and have used all of these tips with success. Cyclists are friendly and engaging people. Sometimes all it takes is making an effort. If you are in the Richmond area, look me up on Facebook and hit me up for a ride. I’ll probably be down to go.
Adam Switters is a former professional cyclist and currently races for the XO Communications/Battley Harley Cycling Team. He is a USA Cycling Certified Coach and is always interested in helping out cyclists. You can check him out at his website www.SwittersCoaching.com
Monday, April 18, 2011
Track Racing
Big Ups to Braden from Carytown Bikes for putting on some awesome track races at the Midlothian Speedway. Thanks also to Carolyn Goble for officiating for free just because she loves the sport.
I think this is the 3rd time I've ever jumped on a track bike. We are lucky enough that the track has loaner frames, but unfortunately the biggest size they had was a 54 (I usually ride a 57). I decided to man up and jack that seatpost up and try to git'r done.
I'll be the first to admit that track racing is not exactly my cup of tea. I like to push big gears, I don't like to sprint, I'm terrible at spinning. That being said, I'm using this as a learning opportunity and a chance to increase my sprint some.
Race #1
1 Lap TT
Lol, what a joke for me. Man I can not spin at all, or turn for that matter. I must have been corner 8ft from the inside of the track through the whole last turn. Old man Dan King smoked it and showed us youngins how to really race bikes.
Race #2
20min unknown
Well, I was never going to win a sprint. Took me about 2 laps before I launched with a whole foods rider. We did pretty well rotating and holding off the field and motorin Andrew Troy came up to us a little later. Coming into the bell lap it was still the 3 of us off together. I tried to get the jump on Andrew on the backside of the course and win the race to the final turn, but he held me off on the inside and I was forced to go the long way around. Fail! 2nd place to a mush smarter and faster rider.
Race #3
Points Race
Same strategy, didn't quite work as well this time. I got 2nd in the first sprint and took off, winning the next one out of a small group. My legs decided to stop working after that and I fell back to the main group as riders went off the front. Don't think I scored anymore point after that.
All in all, I had a blast. Can't wait to do this again
I think this is the 3rd time I've ever jumped on a track bike. We are lucky enough that the track has loaner frames, but unfortunately the biggest size they had was a 54 (I usually ride a 57). I decided to man up and jack that seatpost up and try to git'r done.
I'll be the first to admit that track racing is not exactly my cup of tea. I like to push big gears, I don't like to sprint, I'm terrible at spinning. That being said, I'm using this as a learning opportunity and a chance to increase my sprint some.
Race #1
1 Lap TT
Lol, what a joke for me. Man I can not spin at all, or turn for that matter. I must have been corner 8ft from the inside of the track through the whole last turn. Old man Dan King smoked it and showed us youngins how to really race bikes.
Race #2
20min unknown
Well, I was never going to win a sprint. Took me about 2 laps before I launched with a whole foods rider. We did pretty well rotating and holding off the field and motorin Andrew Troy came up to us a little later. Coming into the bell lap it was still the 3 of us off together. I tried to get the jump on Andrew on the backside of the course and win the race to the final turn, but he held me off on the inside and I was forced to go the long way around. Fail! 2nd place to a mush smarter and faster rider.
Race #3
Points Race
Same strategy, didn't quite work as well this time. I got 2nd in the first sprint and took off, winning the next one out of a small group. My legs decided to stop working after that and I fell back to the main group as riders went off the front. Don't think I scored anymore point after that.
All in all, I had a blast. Can't wait to do this again
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