Posted by Dan on 26. May 2010 05:50
Teammate Wick's dad got some great pictures in Sanford, NC a few weekends ago.
(R to L) Dan, Frank, Justin & Wick
Justin and Frank. Justin's the strong one.
See the many others in his Picasa gallery.
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Posted by Dan on 24. May 2010 23:00
On March 28, 2010 on a quiet little road in the rolling hills outside of Charlottesville, VA, I lost my Trek Madone when I crashed in the Cat 4 sprint at Jeff Cup. Several days later, I ordered a replacement from the good folks in Waterloo, WI and was told that due to higher than expected demand, I'd see my new frameset in around 24 days. A later update said May 31. In the mean time, I'd train and compete on Wick's old Trek 2100.
Last week, a jolly fat man driving a UPS truck delivered to East Coast Bicycles one 58 cm Trek Madone 5.9 in matte black - two weeks early. The crew at my LBS, being a clever lot, opted not to tell me until it was built. Apparently they thought I'd hang around the shop and pester them until it was finished, lending my unwanted and unnecessary "expert advice" as they attempted to build my bike. They finished it Thursday and swapped out pedals, saddle, etc. on Friday. Shakedown ride was the Saturday morning shop ride and it was glorious. Riding the aluminum 2100 for 6 weeks made me appreciate the Madone's stiffness and responsiveness all over again. I may have wept; I'm not sure.
Sunday was Virginia Beach Wheelmen's second race of the season at Sleepy Hole Park and would be the perfect testing ground for the new bike & wheelset (the HED Stinger 6s came in shortly after the first Madone exploded). Steve Monk, Wick, Frank and I would all be in the Cat 4 race and I'd pre-registered for the Masters 30+/40+ race without checking the forecast first. I'd later learn there was a pretty good chance of rain throughout the day, increasing in the afternoon.
The conditions for the first race were perfect. The sun had been out long enough to dry up most of the course. The back stretch was shady and still moist but more than tolerable. Temps were near 80. 30 or so Cat 4s lined up and prepared to have at it. Despite the technical course, our average speed was still 26.1 mph. Celerity Cycling p/b Fitness Together made several failed attempts to form a break. My first one was shut down in the time it took to turn my head. Frank and Wick both gave it a go and were quickly reeled in. This race, like so many others, would culminate in a bunch sprint. Mickey Turner, the lone Carytown rider, personally saw to it. He had an uncanny way of getting other teams to chase down breaks by initiating a short move.
Unfortunately, both Frank and I were under the erroneous impression we had three or so laps to go despite hearing the ringing bell as we passed the start/finish line. I guess all of my attention was spent navigating through the technical last turns and trying to move up. At any rate, the lap board reading "1" went by unnoticed. I continued to move up, getting into position for the sprint that would go down a lot sooner than I thought.
On the bell lap (or with 3 to go, depending on who you ask), Jerry Hadley and Chris Dinsmore both left the course and came to an abrupt halt. Remarkably, both remained upright and unscathed, though Jerry's rear wheel activated its Wonder Twins power and took the form of a taco. The pack moved on at an unusually high speed. I remember thinking it was cool that they'd keep the pace up so high with a few laps to go. That'd make moving up in the next lap or so relatively easy. When we came around the fourth corner, I caught a glimpse of the lap board which said, "0". Now it all made sense. Once more, I started my sprint from the back. It's entirely possible the winner (Mickey Turner) had already crossed the line before I stood up. Anyway, Wick, who was paying attention, finished 8th. I came in in 18th and Frank was behind me and Steve Monk finished just behind him. Frank and I were pretty disappointed but took solace in the fact that we were both confused by the ringing of the bell.
The Masters 30+/40+ race started around 4 and would be the last one of the day. The temperature had dropped to 70, the winds picked up and it was pretty clear rain would be coming soon. Against my better judgment, I donned my kit and reluctantly put the carbon wheels back on the brand new Madone - the same one with less than 60 miles on it. Oddly enough, this race was quite a bit smaller than the first with maybe 20 riders. The first lap or so was pretty slow, then shot up as the first attacks came. After about 15 minutes, I tried my hand at joining a break of two. Tim Pope of Fat Frogs had the exact same idea (again?) and launched right in front of me so I grabbed his wheel and off we went. Once we bridged, the break seemed to disintegrate immediately and I found myself alone off the front with a gap of maybe 5 seconds. So I'm hanging out there, waiting for someone to bridge up. No one did but it did start raining. I did about five laps alone when the bell rang. As I went by with a 10 second lead, the lap board read 16 laps to go so it had to be a prime. I'd get $10. Cool. Turns out they hadn't time to adjust the lap board to indicate 1 to go and that we were in fact on the bell lap now due to lightning in the area. I maintained my tempo pace. Maybe 10 feet from the finish line, I heard the whoosh of carbon wheels and was passed by Nathan Hakkan of GS GamJams.
So there you go. 2nd place in a rainy masters race and a decent ride (albeit poor finish due to inattentiveness) in the Cat 4 race. The new bike worked perfectly. I'll blame the lack of alertness on the cold I woke up with. As my wife put it, "You looked kinda dopey."
Big thanks to Joshua Goyet, VB Wheelmen, their families, the volunteers and the city of Suffolk for the race. Bigger thanks to Trek and East Coast Bicycles. Whatever thanks left lying around goes to Frank for the pictures he snapped of the masters race. If the new pictures aren't up yet, they will be soon. In the mean time, enjoy the pictures from teammates Justin, Adam and Dan as they embark on an epic adventure.
Posted by Dan on 18. May 2010 06:50
This was my third trip to Fort Lee for the End of Summer/Sprint into Spring Crit. This year we were treated to a new course replacing the aging one on the opposite side of the post whose corners were getting a bit long in the tooth (and downright scary). This new one had a little something for everyone including a single 90 degree turn and a right-hand bend on an otherwise left-hand course. Frank and I arrived just shortly after a few riders in the Cat 5 field crashed on the back stretch and the women were just starting to tear it up. The sun was set to "hot" and the forecast 74 degrees turned into 87+.
We'd both registered for the 3/4 and 4 races, the thought being to use the former as a warm-up for the latter. We began our warm-up by riding around post for awhile as the women's Cat 3 field finished up. We lined up with 60 or so 3/4 riders somewhere in the middle - MUCH better than our usual "dead last" position. The pace ramped up leading into the first corner and never slacked off. While the field was a bit elastic, the frequent attacks from Carytown did a good job keeping us lean. For anything going off the front to stick, a decent sized group was critical and there wasn't enough organization (or ambition?) to get such a group so each attempt was promptly shut down. I think I may have tried to bridge up to a group of two at one point. As I accelerated from 10 wheels back, someone jumped right in front of me so I grabbed his wheel and held on. He made it, but our newly formed group of four was already doomed. After a few laps, it was becoming increasingly clear that I wanted to be on the inside come turn 3 of the bell lap, as far up as possible. The move up began with two to go and by the time we hit turn 3, I was about 20 back. The left side of the course opened up as everyone migrated right to catch the faster wheels. I had a clean shot to the line. Had I started out further up, I'd have finished better than 9th but it's one of my better crit finishes so I'm as pleased as punch. Frank did a great job protecting his position near the front the entire race. He appeared to be favoring the right side of the course so I think he was boxed in when we came barreling around that final turn. He finished up 26th. PowerTap says the average speed was 27.1 mph. Very quick.
After an hour and a half wait, we did a quick ride around post to warm-up for the Cat 4 race. It was pretty clear we rode too hard in the first race and/or didn't wear enough compression socks while we sat around in the AC between races. Being more familiar with the Cat 4 riders, we knew who to watch out for and that Carytown would again be the team wrecking havoc. For this start, I got my spot on the line and amazed myself by clipping in on the first try (a worn left cleat makes that an impressive feat these days). My joy manifested itself by sprinting off for the first corner and starting Race #2 alone. I was caught between turns 2 and 3. A few laps later, I passed by Frank and got on the front, then slowed the pace a few hundred mph. Frank took off like a rabbit while everyone watched him go. A couple riders went after Frank but were brought slowly brought back. Once they'd been assimilated, Frank was left to dangle off the front as the pace settled again. I sat around 5th wheel and wondered if I should go help him or wait for a chance to counter. We eventually brought him back and the attacks started to dwindle. Carytown made a few spirited attacks, but they were marked men and no one let them go as was Tim Pope of Fat Frogs who made a run for it. They grabbed him before he could get back in the saddle. After Frank's 2+ laps off the front, he was sure to be cooked and would be hanging on, securing a good position for the bunch sprint. I tried employing the same technique from the previous race - move to the inside and hammer up the left side. Once again, it worked very well but I started way too far back and could only come past a few. I would finish 21st while Frank took home a single BAR point as an award for 15th. This race a little slower (26.2) but didn't possess the same gravitas as the 3/4 race. Still counts as a pack finish of 30 or more.
Thanks to Sharon Leary, Fort Lee, Fort Lee MWR, Team Rostello p/b Fiorucci and all of the sponsors that made this event possible. It was clear a lot of effort went into making it a great race and we appreciate it.
Posted by Dan on 10. May 2010 18:54
Taking a pass on the New River Valley Omnium this weekend, Wick and I headed north into the cold and windy state of Delaware to participate in the 5th Annual Deep Blue Time Trial presented by Team DRT/Deep Blue. This would also be the first of the Mid-Atlantic Time Trial Series (MATTS). I did this race last year and remember it being a short and fast romp over a relatively flat course with a pace-destroying climb near the turnaround point. I also remember it being hot out with only a mild breeze to cool us off. This year, Wick would accompany me and we'd follow up our 11 mile ITT with a two man TTT before heading home.
We left Norfolk and drove up the Eastern Shore around 8 PM en route to a hotel in Smyrna. The winds were bordering on atrocious and the temp was steadily plummeting from a nice 75 to 55 and falling. Wasn't looking good for ole Celerity Cycling p/b Fitness Together who overtly prefers warm, pleasant conditions over frigid temperatures and gale-force winds. We checked in and crashed around midnight.
Sunday morning, the local airport's AWOS reported winds to be WNW at 16 mph knots (18 mph), gusting up to 25 mph knots (29 mph) and the temperature to be 48 degrees. As my wife pointed out, winds blow on the just and unjust alike, so we'd just have to deal with it and hope the just were less adept at bike handling in high winds. Breakfast consisted of whatever the fine folks at Best Western put out for their guests and we were off. Start times were 8:54 and 8:55. We'd get the start time for the team time trial when we registered.
Arriving at the race, things were looking up. Winds seemed manageable and the temp had just reached 51. While I wouldn't say "lots" of people were warming up with tri-spokes and disks, I will say there was one. More would show up, helping us out of our wheel choice dilemma. The registration line spanned the width of the extra-wide parking lot so we packed a light snack and headed off to stand in line. It's now somewhere around 8:10.
Standing in line gave us ample time to discuss wheel selection. The course ran roughly south west while the winds were exactly perpendicular to that. Thinking of HED Cycling's Yaw Calculator, I calculated we'd have a nice tailwind on the way out, allowing us to ride conservatively on the first leg, and hammer on the way home, forcing the apparent wind into that magical 17+ degree yaw angle that HED tri-spokes are known to love. Drag? What drag? Did I even remember to put the front wheel on?!
So we dress, pin numbers, add more layers (taking great care to ensure the wrinkles are all smoothed out) and get to setting up the bikes. In a last minute decision before leaving home, I left my front training wheel to save space in the car. In that wheel was my one front skewer. Moments from the start, I have a HED H3 tri-spoke carbon clincher wheel and a HED Stinger 6 but no skewers. Wick's spare saved the day and his threats of bodily injury should anything happen to that particularly nice skewer may have saved my life. I'd have to ride much less aggressive lest I do something terrible to it.
In lieu of a warm-up, we headed straight to the line given there was only 60 seconds before my start time. No trainer, no laps. We literally rode from the car to the start line. We'd be hitting this one as cold as one can be.
Employing my pacing strategy from last year, I rode hard from the gate and paid little attention to the PowerTap other than to make sure the first few miles were kept in check. As expected the temp was no longer an issue. I wasn't aware of being too cold or too warm - only that I was engaged in an epic battle with the wind. The wind wanted to take my bicycle and roll it over on its side then push it into the ditch and maybe blow some crap on top of it, obscuring it from the sight of rescue workers. I just wanted it to go in a straight line. Riding in these winds with a tri-spoke and disk wheel may not have been the smartest move, but choosing less aero wheels wouldn't have made much of a difference. My body and the giant tubes of the TTX made for quite a sail.
I got the silver medal in Cat 4s with a time of 0:25:46. Slower than last year but still ok considering the conditions. I missed first place by 26 seconds. Maybe warm-ups ARE important? Wick came in shortly after me in 14th place. He had to break his aero position on several occasions to keep it on the road. The wind gusts were no joke.
Our start time for the TTT was 11:06. We'd have two hours before the next race. This time, we had no excuse for no pre-ride warm-up. We just figured our first race was warm-up enough and sat in the car critiquing the setup of those unwary riders that rode past the Subaru.
Our team run was about the same but windier. The best we can say for that ride is we both managed to avoid the ditch and passed our 1 minute men. Tough ride. We got 8th place out of 19 teams with a time of 0:25:32.
With that, we packed up and made tracks for the warmer and decidedly less windy Hampton Roads. Thanks again to Team DRT/Deep Blue for the race. See you this fall.
Posted by Dan on 3. May 2010 08:26
Not a lot to say here. Hot day on the mountain and Frank's first Wintergreen climb on a bicycle. I felt good - good enough to come up behind Frank and do my best god voice, telling him to pedal faster. He quickly told me to stop talking to him so I passed him in such a way that would make him feel like a little girl with cement shoes chained to a fire hydrant. Wick passed Frank and rolled up to the finish line wearing evidence of his efforts. We didn't stick around for the posting of results because we all knew Matt Keane would be taking home the big money, but they were posted to pre-reg.com before I made it back to the interstate. I got 5th, besting last year's time by 3 minutes. Wick lost a little over a minute from last year, getting 11th and Frank finished in under an hour. Good ride and already looking forward to next year.
Adam shot 2.3 bazillion pictures which will be posted post haste.
Posted by Dan on 3. May 2010 08:09
After a relaxing afternoon of recovery rides, meat loaf ratatouille and arena football, we slipped into our hyperbaric sleeping capsules and readied various muscle tissues for the 3rd Annual Downtown Sanford Criterium on Sunday. Weather was calling for high winds and a high probability of some rain. Another crap-wheel day. The Real Frank drove down and joined Justin, Adam, Wick and me for what would be a few great races.
The Cat 4s among us all signed up for the Cat 3/4 race. What I remember of this 50 minute rocket-fest was no one got away and the big hill before the finish was quite a parachute so I had hope. The team's plan was to use this race as a warm-up for the 4/5 race that would follow. Wick, Frank and Justin all abandoned. I fought to hang on and finished 20th.
We all lined up again for the 4/5 race, this time with Adam. Our initial plan was to keep the tempo high and relieve sketchiness. A crash in the first few laps gave Frank his first taste of adrenaline (and terror) as he dragged some poor guy's frame halfway down the home stretch, then ran over his wheel. To Frank's credit, he stayed up and caught back on to the main field. He'd later not be so lucky when a rider in front endo'd and snagged Frank's handlebar, taking him to the ground. Super bad luck, but we're all fairly sure it was karmic retribution for all of his wisecracks about our crashes. Fortunately, he got out with only a few scratches and some trashed bar tape.
Shortly after that, I found myself on the front with Adam. Not liking the view, I told Adam to go. And go he did. He took off and eventually lapped the field while we did nothing to drive the pace up. Wick made his own break when Adam caught the group, taking 5 others with him. They'd shell a rider or two from that group, but made it to the finish. Final results were Adam in 1st, Wick in 3rd, me in 7th, Justin and Frank in 14th and 15th respectively. Adam and I both got a truck-load of primes to boot.
An exhausted Adam lined up for the Cat 5 race immediately following the 4/5. A very small field took off and immediately disintegrated. A new rider in a full HTC kit soloed off the front with Adam chasing. Though he did catch up and the two rode together for awhile, they parted ways again and Adam finished in 2nd place.
That would conclude our racing weekend in North Carolina. We thanked our hosts profusely and drove to the nearest eatery before heading back to Virginia for some much needed rest. Thanks to all the promoters and sponsors for giving us something to do besides cleaning the backyard and re-grouting the shower.
Posted by Dan on 3. May 2010 07:35
Our weekend of racing in North Carolina began Friday night as the majority of Celerity Cycling p/b Fitness Together team members still able to ride hitched up the wagons and made for the border. Wick's parents had graciously agreed to play host to a hoard of voracious cyclists so our home for the weekend would be Fayetteville - conveniently located near both Saturday's road race in Southern Pines and Sunday's crit in Sanford.
I was looking forward to the road race as I'd finally get to race on the new HED Stinger 6s. Feeling fresh and excited by the prospect of getting to finish a road race, I rounded up the troops headed toward Fort Bragg. To make things interesting, we arrived 20 minutes before the start with no cash in our pockets. A mad dash through town to the nearest ATM and back to the parking lot gave us 15 minutes or so to scribble some lines on the waiver, collect our numbers and suit up. There were four of us in this race - all lined up at the absolute back of the pack.
I'll let you guess how easy it was to move around with 80 riders in the pack and the center-line rule in full effect. Where I'd normally make up ground in corners and climbs, it was damn hard - nay impossible - from the back of the bus. I eventually gave up and waited for the 200m mark where we'd have use of the full road. Surely my mad sprinting skills could carry me from 80th place to the front of the pack before the 500 meter-long peloton covered 200 meters.
I was glad to hear I wasn't the only one who just wasn't aggressive enough to move up through the packed crowd. Justin and "Frank" also hung near the back for most of the race. Wick managed to get to the first third, but got boxed in early and often. "Frank" somehow managed to snake the inside of a corner when everyone went way wide and wound up on then off the front mid-way through the last lap. He was quickly absorbed. His was the most aggressive move made by the team.
True to my word, I sprinted for the line when the left lane opened up, coming from dead last to 34th. The degrees of rockitude I exhibited were immeasurable. Justin finished 27th, Wick sat up and finished where he finished and "Frank" exploded, finishing 57th. At least my wheels worked.