2009 Patriots Criterium (NC State Championship)

Posted by Dan on 27. May 2009 07:04

Memorial Day's racing action proved to be more action packed than the previous day's time trial. The Patriots Criterium (NC State Championship) was held in historic downtown Fayetteville. Cross Creek Cycling Club laid out a nice 0.7 mile course and the forecast called for sunny and warm with a 20%+ chance of rain in the afternoon. I planned to be packed up and halfway home before any rain hit so we were good.

The day began at 6:00 AM when we woke up at the hotel and got Benny ready for his first Juniors 10-12 race. He was completely stoked to be doing a real race even though he brought only open-toe sandals and a mountain bike. We threw the essentials (including children) into the van and headed off to the race which began at 7:00 AM. We got him registered, pinned and ready to rock. He took a few practice laps while they focused the camera and got ready for a long day. They ran two Juniors races simulataneously, so the starting lineup was full of kids ages 9 to 15, Benny being in the 9 y/o group. At the start, the main field broke into a dozen fragments, Benny being one. He rode the whole 20 minutes and finished two laps down with a flat rear tire. I think the thrill of being in his first Juniors race outweighed the frustration of his finish or the flat. Let his training begin.

After the Junior's race, we sprinted for the hotel to pack up, check out and get breakfast before getting back for the Masters 35+ Cat 4/5 race. We got back in time for me to begin warming up an hour or so befor the 10:10 start. The previous race was still going at 10:10 with only a lap or two to go. On the bell lap while the field was in turn 3, 4 fire trucks broke through the caution tap at the far end of the front stretch and headed up the road, right toward the sprinting riders. They stopped outside a (former?) department store to investigate a fire alarm. The race finished, avoiding the fire trucks, and we took to the course to warm up and find our lines. For an hour. The firetrucks finally pulled off the course and we could start.

There were 27 of us on the line. At go, it started to drizzle. By the end of the third lap, it was raining. The crashes started shortly after. The first one happened in turn 3. Two guys went down right in front of me, leaving a nice little chicane for me to navigate before sprinting like mad to close the gap that just opened before me. A few laps later, two or three went down in turn 4, leaving me and another rider to head off the course, onto the sidewalk and into the spectators. A daring sprint for the course and duck under the caution tape brought me back in contact with the group, ready to do it again. This was getting fun. The rain continued. We lost a few more riders with each lap. Most took advantage of the free lap so there were always new riders showing up when you thought you had a handle on the remaining group. Finally, the bell lap came and we all lined up for the sprint. We ran the last turn as a bunch and... wait for it... the main field went down. A handful of us took the corner a little tighter and were able to get our sprint on. I finished 3rd. There were only 14 finishers, many of those having gone down at least once.


Note the position of the PowerTap.

Next up for Team Fitness Together was Kyle's Cat 1/2/3 race. 75 minutes, 40 starters and no rain. The roads were drying nicely and it looked like it'd be a great race. The pace shot up from the word go and stayed high throughout. The time was eventually shortened to 65 minutes, which probably didn't help the pace slow down any. Kyle worked like a champ, staying off the front and out of trouble. We watched him slowly begin his move to the front with each lap. There was a break of 5 that lapped the field, so the bunch sprint would be for 1st and 6th. Kyle was definitely going for that 6th place spot. With less than 5 to go, the call for an EMT to corner 3 goes out and Kyle's missing from the field as they go by. Kyle was crashed out by another rider making a dumb move for position in the worst possible place. So Kyle's day ended with an incident report and a ride to the hospital. He was cleaned up and sent home with fresh bandages.



Wick and I were last to go with the Cat 4 race. By this time, it was warm and dry. There were rain clouds looming to the west, but we were only racing for 45 minutes and weren't too concerned. The race was a bit slower than my first one and I made the decision to work for absolutely no one no how. I sat at the back and watched for wrecks. Wick and I sat in in a big way and did nothing. There may have been a few attempts at a break but they were quickly reeled in. With 11 to go, I somehow found myself on the front because when I say I refuse to work, that means I refuse to brake too. The field slowed and bam! there I was on the front. So I hit it. I got myself a little gap and reached down to straighten my PowerTap which had rolled forward on the handlebar. The mounting harness broke off as I righted it, so the computer went in my pocket (So there may be a very good reason why PowerTaps are mounted on the stem... who knew?). I was left with nothing more than old fashioned perceived effort to gauge my performance. Eventually, one of the guys that made an earlier attempt at a break rolled up to help. The two of us had managed to get a 6 second gap or so, but I mistakingly heard it reported by a corner work as TWENTY-six seconds. I don't think either of us slowed down, but I do know that our cornering was sufficiently fast enough that we didn't need to speed up - not with 26 seconds. Wick moved to the front and chilled, providing a nice false tempo, but the field wasn't buying it. They left us out there for about 5 laps before closing the 6 second lead within one lap. I stayed between 5th and 8th wheel, waiting for the sprint with Wick right behind me. The final turn was a bit hairy with a large group squeezing through a small space at high speed. Somehow I found myself about 12th wheel coming through the turn. My sprint got me two more positions, but not enough. I finished 10th and Wick was got 13th. All things considered, it was a great race.



That was the end of our race weekend in Fayetteville, NC. We loaded up the vehicles and headed back to Norfolk where we could go back to work and get some peace and quiet. Next up is the Haley Pontiac - Chipotle Bryan Park Circuit Race in Richmond.

More pictures can be found here.

2009 Dragon's Challenge Individual Time Trial

Posted by Dan on 27. May 2009 06:22

It's Memorial Day weekend and there's not a race to be found in Virginia. Not one that I wanted to go to, anyway. Wick's close ties to Fayetteville, NC (aka "home") provided a few events to keep us occupied until we could go back to work on Tuesday. For this we thank the folks at Cross Creek Cycling Club.

First up was the Dragon's Challenge Individual Time Trial in Wade, NC. We had a full range of categories and a 24.6 mile course that was really closer to 22.2 miles through the flatlands north of Fayetteville. Nice weather, a little one the warm side but no rain. Plenty of fire ants for those of us that were spectating and/or taking pictures... just to keep things interesting.

Wick, Kyle and I came ready to light the road on fire with the latest and greatest in aero gear, the best nutrition and unbeatable fitness. Wick and I rode in the Elite Cat 4 group while Kyle was rode with the Cat 3s. Start times were assigned by order of registration, not category. Kyle started at 11:04, I left at 11:11 and Wick started at 11:26.

All three rides were uneventful. I nearly took a wrong turn while three (3!) corner workers were reading magazines, but they managed to point me in the right direction after I was well past the halfway point of the turn. The rest of the ride was swell.



Kyle finished in 6th place in his category. I got 1st place with a time of 0:50:18 and Wick finished 9th. In the contest for best impromptu engineering of aerodynamic cycling equipment, the first place award definitely goes to Wick for his fashioning of a primo aero helmet.



More pictures can be found here. Thanks Lydia!

Spy photo - Wick's New Climbing Bike

Posted by Dan on 12. May 2009 04:38

Here's a shot of Wick testing out his new Schwinn Tigress SL, his Tour of Tucker County ride. This thing weighs in at a paltry 25 lbs. and will leave the competition with nothing but a shrinking view of Wick's back as he charges up the mountains of West Virginia on his 12" steel rims with the stickiest tires in the Schwinn arsenal - the Scrambler 12x2.125".

Seriously - he had just finished installing the new Dura-Ace coaster brake and Zipp training wheels and was testing his handy work. Thanks, Wick!

White Lake Half 2009 Triathlon

Posted by Dan on 6. May 2009 19:28

Congratulations to Team Fitness Together's Susan Swanson for getting 3rd in her category in the White Lake Half 2009 Triathlon! The event was held in White Lake, NC this past Saturday. More information can be found on setupevents.com.

UPDATE:

Susan suffered from a three-week chest cold prior to this race. All of her hard work at Fitness Together in Norfolk obvioulsy paid off. She had this to say about her race:

It rained right before my swim start. Cloudy, water a bit choppy but not bad. The rain stopped within 5 minutes. Most of the bike was cloudy and windy, and there had been rain activity in spots but it was over by the time I got there, so I didn't have to deal with rain on the course, just some wet surfaces, but it was only for small stretches. The wind was pretty bad - first a tail wind for about 10 miles, then head winds and side gusts. I biked conservatively, averaging about 17.7 or so, and last year I think it was 18 or something."

Her results:

           2009    Rank
Swim       35.38    16
Bike     3:08:44    68
Run      2:08:10    56

Overall  5:56:18    43/158

Well done, Susan!

Sprint Into Spring Crit

Posted by Dan on 5. May 2009 02:00

How does one close a spring weekend that starts with a wicked time trial up a mountain? With the Sprint Into Spring Crit at Fort Lee, of course. This is the same race as last year, but earlier and less hot. A little more rainy, but definitely less hot.

We got a late start and missed the Cat 5 race. Steve M and Steve K both raced in this one while the sun was out and the temps were in the high 60s. They both had a good race with respectable finishes, though I don't know what they were.

Benny suited up for the Kids 10 and Under race. Huge field with a wide range of talent. Sharon Leary allowed her bright red Pontiac Solstice to be enlisted as a pace car. Benny had to work right off the line to get a clear shot, but once he broke through, he took off. Now here's the kicker: they shorted the kids race this year so the little ones could make it all the way around. Benny had already taken a lap around the course with the juniors so he was familiar with the whole course - not the abbreviated one. The first three riders followed the pace car down the shortcut while Benny led the rest of the pack around the long way. He crested the hill with a straight shot to the finish and made for the line, spinning at 100+ RPMs. He looked like a hummingbird. A little girl came up behind him, prompting Benny to engage in some serious dicing and weaving, causing her to back off a bit. Benny secured 4th place and can brag that he's the only one in the top 4 that did a WHOLE lap!

Kyle, Wick and I did the Cat 3/4 race. After a decent warm-up, the rain poured down like it was mad at the women who were just finishing up their race. It was still raining when we started but it blew over early on. 45 minutes of breakneck speed brought on by our own Kyle Knott who led the charge for quite a while. Wick pulled off, not feeling in good form following yesterday's stellar performance at Wintergreen. I bridged one decent gap, reuniting a chase group with the main group and then fell off the back. I paired up with TriPower rider Jerry Hadley and we worked our way around the course about 15 seconds behind the main field. We didn't lose any time to them, but we didn't gain any either. About 5 laps to go we picked up a third, but it messed up our rhythm and we lost time on the main field. Kyle got 2nd in the sprint and I managed to finish 14th of 15.

The Cat 4 race was a bit better. 45 minutes with a dry course and no rain. This time around, I wasn't bridging anything for anyone. The pace was hovering around 24-25, so I spent a lot of time around 15th wheel. When Dominik Meier of Team Nature's Path went up the road, we all knew what was going to happen. With at least 4 of his teammates left in the main field, it was Blockfest 2009 at Fort Lee. Taking a page from the Tim Faller Book of Racing, I hunkered down into TT mode and casually went by the leaders pushing 300-350 watts. Head down and breathing heavy, I was in for the long haul. My pacing strategy didn't take the small hills into consideration and I began to slow a bit, but it didn't matter as TNP riders came to my rescue, helping by slowing me back down. So with only a lap or two to go with Dominick and Chris McMillian off the front, I made my way to the front and geared up for the race for third. This time, I was determined to catch someone's wheel and let them take me to the line, but I found myself on the front coming around the last corner. I let up a tad and waited. I jumped on the first wheel that went by, but he was TNP and looking for teammates. Apparently his job was lead-out man and he wasn't interested in giving me a lift. Go figure. So I hit it and got third in the sprint. I'll take it.

Thanks to Lydia for taking and fixing a ton of pictures.

2009 Wintergreen Ascent

Posted by Dan on 4. May 2009 23:19

Saturday, Team Fitness Together hitched up the horses and headed west for the Wintergreen Ascent. If you've never been there or done that, Wintergreen Resort is a ski mountain about 40 miles southwest of Charlottesville. The hill was featured in the early 90's Tour DuPont and climbed by both Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemond in competition. Riders climb 2,626 ft. over 6.75 miles with an average grade of 7.4%. The course begins with a grade of 3.6% over the first two miles, then goes up to 8.9%, hitting 15% at its steepest in several spots.

Youtube.com has a cool animated profile of the course. Here's a map and profile of the course - far less animated but equally impressive.

I spent Friday preparing for the race by trying to locate a 12-27 cassette for the Madone which had a 12-25 on it. What difference would two teeth make? We were going to find out the answer is "Plenty". I found and installed the new cassette only to realize I haven't put a new chain on the bike in over 6,000 miles. Judging by the grinding noise emanating from the back wheel, it was time for a new one. So now the bike and I are ready to climb. Turns out the bike was far more prepared than I was. Thanks to Steve at East Coast Bicycles for his help in getting ready.

Wick and Kyle were heading out Friday evening to hang with Jeremiah Bishop and hope some of his climbing juju would rub off. I drove up on Saturday morning, tweeting along the way. I drove to the top of the mountain and setup camp. After getting registered and dressed, I started a fairly standard warm-up on the trainer. After a half hour or so, I stretched and did another 15-20 minutes, then headed over to the shuttle for a ride to the start at the base. The resort frowns on cyclists riding down the hill, especially while there are riders coming up and the road's open to traffic. Kyle, Wick and Jeremiah went out to do a good 3 mile climb as a warm-up. Their warm-up sounded much better than mine and proved to be much more effective. Let that be a lesson...

I was the first of the Cat 4s to go off thanks to my lightning fast registration skills. At 11:33, I zeroed out the PowerTap and prepared for what was sure to be 30 minutes of mild discomfort. Thirty seconds later I was off, big chain ring powering up the 3.6% grade, making sure I kept my watts below 300 so as not to leave it all at the base. Wick started with the Cat 4s at 11:50:00 and Kyle with the Cat 3s at 11:57:00, plus or minus a few minutes.

Maybe a minute and a half into my ride, I was passed by the guy behind me. Don't know who he was, but he was wearing a red and white jersey. Getting passed this early was a pretty tough blow. Having not done this TT before, I wondered what he knew that I didn't - why was he hammering up the hill in this relatively easy section, obviously putting out 350+ watts so soon? It was here that I began to think that just perhaps I was in for more than mild discomfort. I downshifted a gear or so and kept marching on, still keeping it below 300 watts.

About two minutes later I caught my 30 second man. Then another and another. I was on my fourth by the I reached the resort's guard shack. The grade had seriously picked up and I was in my little chain ring, maybe on the 23T cog. I'm not sure. What I am positive of is that my heart rate was near max, my breathing was quite labored and it was getting easier to keep it under 300. Keeping it above 250 was proving to be a little harder.

Within no time, I was putting the extremes of that new cassette to work. I was pushing 39x27 and having a grand old time doing it. Somewhere around that 15% grade, I had to do a swerve or two of my own. That seemed to be all it took. It was just before the halfway mark that I passed the guy that blasted by me back on the lower slopes. That would have been a tremendous morale booster had I been able to see straight and recognize him. Everyone had a red jersey on, including the bear that I was sure was stalking me up the hill.

So after awhile, the mind shut down and zeroed in on the important stuff. I couldn't allow myself to think about stopping or resting or anything other than pedaling. Just go up. I had my lowest gear and target power output that I KNEW I could sustain for at least an hour. I now focused on sitting upright (aero doesn't exist when you're climbing), keeping my hands spread out on the bars to keep the chest open, smooth efficient pedaling and seat position. I've heard an aft position helps in climbing, but at times, there was no better place than on the rivet, centered over the bottom bracket. I shifted back and forth to keep things interesting and did my best not to stand, saving it for the end. I had to hold my breath several times to "reset" my breath because it becomes rather erratic. Rhythm is awesome. When I'd adjust my position and get my breathing under control, I felt like I could motor up a couple of these climbs, albeit very slowly. The unfortunate thing is I didn't learn this until mile 5 or so.

I came up the last big climb just before the finish and helpful volunteers were there to encourage riders and point them in the right direction. When I heard the end was right up the hill and around the corner, I let loose with a weak "yee haw" and unloaded all that energy I'd been saving by keeping my output below 300. Turns out there wasn't a whole lot left in the tank. So I moseyed on up the hill at the same pace and turned the corner. I could see the white tent and the finish line. The crowds were getting thick and I was elated. Then, from out of nowhere, a wheel edges up on my left. There was no way I was going to get passed in the last 100 meters of this bloody ride and definitely not in front of spectators, so I hit it. We both sprinted with whatever we had left and put on a mildly amusing show for the crowd. I managed to hold him off to the finish. After offering him a weak thanks, I coasted to my car, dismounted (barely) and collapsed, not necessarily in that order. Moving my bike from where I sat so I could get the water bottle out took an enormous effort.

Within a few minutes, I was back up and headed back up to that last corner to try and get pictures of Wick and Kyle and shout encouraging things at them. It really does help. So I shouted at Wick and forgot to take his picture. A few minutes later, Jeremiah Bishop came roaring up the hill to set a new course record of 32:00. Very nice. Kyle arrived a few minutes after that. Final results for everyone are posted on pre-reg.com. Ours were:

Dan: 0:45:35.289; 8.88 mph avg - 14th place
Wick: 0:42:23.727; 9.55 mph avg - 8th place
Kyle: 0:44:12.677; 9.16 mph avg - 12th place

And that was it for my first Wintergreen Ascent. I was hoping to beat 0:45:00, but that was before I knew what the climb actually entailed. Overall, I'm very happy with this time and look forward to taking a few minutes off it next year, with the help of a compact crankset of course.

No pictures of this one, but you can see a few in Paul Purpura's article for Nelson County Life. Team Traveller also posted a few to their gallery.