Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Coming this weekend!
An update of the end of my season, next seasons plans and everything else I have been up to lately. Contrary to the last comment I received, I am back in school and WAY busier than I have been in the past 3 years. Nor have I had internet since I got back to school. But I will be posting sometime in the next few days about the last month of my life.
Monday, August 24, 2009
State Criterium Championships
3rd Place! Missed 1st by about 2 inches. Should have the race report tomorrow.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Still Alive
With work, riding, moving apartments, securing loans for the school year and making sure I am involved in research projects this fall, I have neglected my blog. Though it appears that only Doug and DMO read it. Anyways, since my last race (Superior) alot has happened. I went up to Isle Royale with my dad and brother Greg. We spent 4 days hiking, kyacking and camping. Ever kyacked in open water in northern Superior? 2 thing: 1) 4 ft waves make kyacking scary. 2) The farther north you go in Superior, the colder the water is. I could not stand in the water longer than 15-20 seconds. It was a lot of fun and my shoulders were really tired the following week from all the paddling.
Just before going up north I raced Maillot Jaune. I broke my sunglasses before the start. I raced hard and stayed with the lead pack. Set tempo for several miles trying to let Adam rest. Then Alexey attacked and I used what was left in the tank to try and pull him back. Dropped out of the peloton, finished 2 minutes back with Scott. Alexey won and Adam was second. I still had no racing glasses.
The next day was the State TT. I finished 8th I think. or 9th. Not sure. Top 10. Went over an hour which upset me but oh well. Our team did great 2nd and 3rd I think. We were taking off with the Team Classification in Michigan Challange and had 2 guys posed to take the lead from Pat Robb.
Last weekend (not this past one) was Grand Rapids. Rain and brick streets do not mix well. 14 crashes in the Cat 3s. 2 riders managed to not crash or get caught behind a crash. I was one of them. I stayed in the top 5 and kept uping the pace to get rid of poor riders and not let the field bunch and cause more crashes. Alexey attacked again and I refused to chase when I made it to the front of the rotation. I would just match his pace. He ended up winning 4 primes and I got 2. On the last lap I was set up for the win, perfect position. The guy in front of me crashed. I got around him and made up a few spots. Then got pushed out on the 2nd to last corner and nearly ended up in the curb. Made it around the final corner 5th, but 3 guys had a 10m gap already. I was closing on them but the line was too close. I got 4th. Probably would have won. Won a 1/2 hour massage and a $100 gift basket plus $60 for 4th and Oakley had a drawing where I won a set of Radars (the antifreeze sprinter pair). I now have racing glasses (I just have to pick them up). Good weekend.
This past weekend was Ada. As always the race was fast and hot. Our team went out in full force the get and keep Adam and Todd 1st and 2nd overall in the Michigan Challenge. We went out too hard. Scott had nothing, Josh had nothing. Todd worked the front too much. Adams legs were tired which left Joe and I to pull the peloton and get in breaks. Our team won our share of the primes (Joe-Socks, Adam-pump, Me-$120 Uvex Helmet (ebay)) But we didnt have it in the finale. Joe and Josh both crashed in the chicane on the course. I was doing 3-5 lap pulls on the front of the peloton. Eventually I blew myself up and got dropped. Rode the last 6 laps solo and finished 22nd. Team got 7th, 13th and 15th. Kind of disappointing for the MCG boys after all the work we put in, compared to our usual placings. But that's racing!
Well that catches us up. Sorry the reports were short and not as insightful and detailed as usual. I am at work and have to go clock in in 5 minutes so I had to rush.
Final question for all the readers: There were 3 bike shops sponsoring the Meijer Grand Rapids Race. One of those shops has my sunglasses. Could someone list the 2 shop sponsors other than Village Bike Shop, because I know its not them.
Just before going up north I raced Maillot Jaune. I broke my sunglasses before the start. I raced hard and stayed with the lead pack. Set tempo for several miles trying to let Adam rest. Then Alexey attacked and I used what was left in the tank to try and pull him back. Dropped out of the peloton, finished 2 minutes back with Scott. Alexey won and Adam was second. I still had no racing glasses.
The next day was the State TT. I finished 8th I think. or 9th. Not sure. Top 10. Went over an hour which upset me but oh well. Our team did great 2nd and 3rd I think. We were taking off with the Team Classification in Michigan Challange and had 2 guys posed to take the lead from Pat Robb.
Last weekend (not this past one) was Grand Rapids. Rain and brick streets do not mix well. 14 crashes in the Cat 3s. 2 riders managed to not crash or get caught behind a crash. I was one of them. I stayed in the top 5 and kept uping the pace to get rid of poor riders and not let the field bunch and cause more crashes. Alexey attacked again and I refused to chase when I made it to the front of the rotation. I would just match his pace. He ended up winning 4 primes and I got 2. On the last lap I was set up for the win, perfect position. The guy in front of me crashed. I got around him and made up a few spots. Then got pushed out on the 2nd to last corner and nearly ended up in the curb. Made it around the final corner 5th, but 3 guys had a 10m gap already. I was closing on them but the line was too close. I got 4th. Probably would have won. Won a 1/2 hour massage and a $100 gift basket plus $60 for 4th and Oakley had a drawing where I won a set of Radars (the antifreeze sprinter pair). I now have racing glasses (I just have to pick them up). Good weekend.
This past weekend was Ada. As always the race was fast and hot. Our team went out in full force the get and keep Adam and Todd 1st and 2nd overall in the Michigan Challenge. We went out too hard. Scott had nothing, Josh had nothing. Todd worked the front too much. Adams legs were tired which left Joe and I to pull the peloton and get in breaks. Our team won our share of the primes (Joe-Socks, Adam-pump, Me-$120 Uvex Helmet (ebay)) But we didnt have it in the finale. Joe and Josh both crashed in the chicane on the course. I was doing 3-5 lap pulls on the front of the peloton. Eventually I blew myself up and got dropped. Rode the last 6 laps solo and finished 22nd. Team got 7th, 13th and 15th. Kind of disappointing for the MCG boys after all the work we put in, compared to our usual placings. But that's racing!
Well that catches us up. Sorry the reports were short and not as insightful and detailed as usual. I am at work and have to go clock in in 5 minutes so I had to rush.
Final question for all the readers: There were 3 bike shops sponsoring the Meijer Grand Rapids Race. One of those shops has my sunglasses. Could someone list the 2 shop sponsors other than Village Bike Shop, because I know its not them.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Soon.
I know I haven't updated. I have had nothing to write about. Marquette was the last race I did. I am racing this weekend so there will be updates from Fenton and the state TT. I also purchased a new wheelset and will have a review of them on here. So just be patient and soon something will appear. Also, Monday-Sunday I am going to Isle Royal in the northwest part of Lake Superior for a week of kyacking, camping and hiking. T'will be fun.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Superior Bike Fest - Circuit Race
What is harder than a 35 minute crit? A 19 minute circuit race.
Sunday was the 3rd and final day of racing. The clouds had left and the sun returned, but the sun brought its friend, the wind. The race was held on a 2 mile closed circuit around Presque Isle. The road was about 8 feet wide all the way around but smooth. On the back side of the loop there was an 1/8th mile steep uphill section, from there it leveled out and gradually dropped to the finish line. There were really only 2 turns on the course and both were right handers that came at the end of the lap. The first one was really rough on the inside and still downhill. Not bad if you can handle a bike, but as there were wooden posts every 3 feet around this section on the side of the road, if you overshot it you were done. The other one was smooth and fast, but you needed every edge of the tiny road. From there it was a short sprint to the line. Where ever you were on the first right hander, was probably where you would finish.
Our race was 4 laps, 8 miles. We knew it was going to be fast. From the gun (whistle) I went to the front to dictate a pace, but 3 seconds later York flew by me going for his inevitable breakaway. Everyone chased and the peloton got back together as we hit the bottom of the hill when another rider attacked. I rode around everyone on the climb to get to the front and set pace for Adam, but he sat up and the next thing I knew, I was bridging a gap for a breakaway. Florian, Rodd and a 5th guy from either Fusion or Leadout all bridged over and we had a 5 man break with major teams represented.
We tried working together, but people were so tired from bridging and the weekend of racing that most of us had nothing left. Florian, Rodd and I continued to take pulls despite being tired. Crossing the line with 2 laps to go the peloton was not far behind us so we sat up. A teammate of the original breakaway rider then flew past us and Florian gunned it and caught up with him. I tried but had nothing and went to recover in the group.
The next two laps saw attack after attack and the hill got harder every time we hit it. Both Colin and I were dangling on the back just trying to finish the race. On the final lap there was a split in what was left of the peloton. I went to the front to get York so I could pull him across to the 8-9 riders going off the front. He didn't seem interested so I used what I had left to get to the group and try for the best position possible. I picked up two spots in the corners and sprinted for the line. King of 12th place. York crossed the line a second later and yelled "Was that it? Oh, dangit!" He didn't realize that was the last lap.
All in all it was a good weekend. 3 races, 3 destroyed pelotons. 10th, 12th and 12th place finishes with an 11th overall. Adam was 2nd overall and Colin was 9th. Not a bad weekend for MCG.
Sunday was the 3rd and final day of racing. The clouds had left and the sun returned, but the sun brought its friend, the wind. The race was held on a 2 mile closed circuit around Presque Isle. The road was about 8 feet wide all the way around but smooth. On the back side of the loop there was an 1/8th mile steep uphill section, from there it leveled out and gradually dropped to the finish line. There were really only 2 turns on the course and both were right handers that came at the end of the lap. The first one was really rough on the inside and still downhill. Not bad if you can handle a bike, but as there were wooden posts every 3 feet around this section on the side of the road, if you overshot it you were done. The other one was smooth and fast, but you needed every edge of the tiny road. From there it was a short sprint to the line. Where ever you were on the first right hander, was probably where you would finish.
Our race was 4 laps, 8 miles. We knew it was going to be fast. From the gun (whistle) I went to the front to dictate a pace, but 3 seconds later York flew by me going for his inevitable breakaway. Everyone chased and the peloton got back together as we hit the bottom of the hill when another rider attacked. I rode around everyone on the climb to get to the front and set pace for Adam, but he sat up and the next thing I knew, I was bridging a gap for a breakaway. Florian, Rodd and a 5th guy from either Fusion or Leadout all bridged over and we had a 5 man break with major teams represented.
We tried working together, but people were so tired from bridging and the weekend of racing that most of us had nothing left. Florian, Rodd and I continued to take pulls despite being tired. Crossing the line with 2 laps to go the peloton was not far behind us so we sat up. A teammate of the original breakaway rider then flew past us and Florian gunned it and caught up with him. I tried but had nothing and went to recover in the group.
The next two laps saw attack after attack and the hill got harder every time we hit it. Both Colin and I were dangling on the back just trying to finish the race. On the final lap there was a split in what was left of the peloton. I went to the front to get York so I could pull him across to the 8-9 riders going off the front. He didn't seem interested so I used what I had left to get to the group and try for the best position possible. I picked up two spots in the corners and sprinted for the line. King of 12th place. York crossed the line a second later and yelled "Was that it? Oh, dangit!" He didn't realize that was the last lap.
All in all it was a good weekend. 3 races, 3 destroyed pelotons. 10th, 12th and 12th place finishes with an 11th overall. Adam was 2nd overall and Colin was 9th. Not a bad weekend for MCG.
Superior Bike Fest - Road Race
So after getting 7 hours of sleep I woke up and got ready for our 55 mile road race that was not flat. Unlike the previous day, the weather was overcast, cooler and threatening to rain. With Mark in the hospital, he said I could use his bike if I wanted to. So I did. Tipping the scales at just under 14 lbs and outfitted with American Classic carbon wheels and SRAM Red, it was a great bike for the undulating day.
The cool thing is that Mark and I have the same pedals and inseam, so I can just jump on his bike and go without adjusting it. I got kitted up and rode up to a bagel shop to have breakfast with my mom, dad, brother and his wife. After I finished my super nutritious breakfast of a sausage egg and cheese bagel accompanied by hot chocolate, I made my way down to the staging area about a mile away.
At the start some people were giving me crap about riding Mark's bike saying that it is crash prone. I didn't care, if Mark couldn't be racing, then his bike was. There were about 35 guys on the start line and we went 8 minutes after the Cat 1/2s. The first 2 miles of the race were a neutral roll out. The lead car (corvette) drove about 18 mph and we just talked in the group. At the official race start the car took off, but the peloton didn't want to play. We all sat there and just kept our nice light tempo. As we approached Marquette Mountain about 2 miles later the attacks and racing started. York took off up the 1.5 mile long climb and the group followed. It was obvious no one was getting away on the climb, so we rode it steadily as a group dropping 3-4 guys by the top.
Once over the top, it was about 10 miles of flat, smooth, HEADWIND roads. I capitalize headwind because it had to be an 18-20mph wind in our face. I stayed tucked in the group with York as Colin went on a breakaway that eventually got pulled in. Teams were keeping the pace pretty steady and we hit the turn as one group. This section of road was about 3 miles long before we were headed back in the direction of Marquette. There were several attacks in this area that had the peloton strung out, but on an uphill section after the next turn, Jones dropped his chain, only for 3-4 seconds, but that's all that was needed. York, Birmann and Kuyper all went flying off the front because York attacked knowing Jones couldn't go with him.
Over the next 30 miles the peloton averaged like 25mph. We were just flying because the other teams wanted to pull the break back. I have to give a lot of credit to the Leadout guys, Mike Jones, Andrew Florian, Joe Lekovish and Colin Snyder. With all of us blocking we allowed the break to stay out front. At one point the break was about 5 seconds in front. By the finish, they were about a minute out. For some unknown reason, as the peloton entered the two house village of Palmer, we sat up and rode slowly. I wasn't complaining, but no one knew why.
As we came back down Marquette Mountain, it started to rain a little. We knew at this point the break was sure to win so it was time to think about positioning for the sprint. Jones and I were near the front without being on the front as we came into the urban area. Interesting little bit: There was a pickup truck driving in the middle of the road in the same direction we were headed. But they were driving at 15 mph. The guys at the front of the group didn't know what to do, and next thing you know, Florian, Jones and I had flown around the truck and were on the front of the group. A police officer stopped the car but we were already mostly around it.
Anyways....the final 2 miles were fun as guys had their teammates drilling the front. I was trying to pick out my spot for the last corner and decided 4th wheel was best. So I rode around a few guys and literally elbowed my way into the spot I wanted. As we rounded the last corner I thought to myself "Yes this was the perfect spot" but then I also thought to myself "Crap, I'm not a sprinter". Went around the corner 7th (remember breakaway of 3 already finished) and ended up 12th. Kuyper won again with York in 2nd. Birmann 3rd, Jones 6th and Colin 11th. The overall now had me tied for 9th, Colin in 8th and the podium of Kuper, York and Jones.
With a super fast circuit race in the morning it was time to get some rest and catch up on lost sleep.
The cool thing is that Mark and I have the same pedals and inseam, so I can just jump on his bike and go without adjusting it. I got kitted up and rode up to a bagel shop to have breakfast with my mom, dad, brother and his wife. After I finished my super nutritious breakfast of a sausage egg and cheese bagel accompanied by hot chocolate, I made my way down to the staging area about a mile away.
At the start some people were giving me crap about riding Mark's bike saying that it is crash prone. I didn't care, if Mark couldn't be racing, then his bike was. There were about 35 guys on the start line and we went 8 minutes after the Cat 1/2s. The first 2 miles of the race were a neutral roll out. The lead car (corvette) drove about 18 mph and we just talked in the group. At the official race start the car took off, but the peloton didn't want to play. We all sat there and just kept our nice light tempo. As we approached Marquette Mountain about 2 miles later the attacks and racing started. York took off up the 1.5 mile long climb and the group followed. It was obvious no one was getting away on the climb, so we rode it steadily as a group dropping 3-4 guys by the top.
Once over the top, it was about 10 miles of flat, smooth, HEADWIND roads. I capitalize headwind because it had to be an 18-20mph wind in our face. I stayed tucked in the group with York as Colin went on a breakaway that eventually got pulled in. Teams were keeping the pace pretty steady and we hit the turn as one group. This section of road was about 3 miles long before we were headed back in the direction of Marquette. There were several attacks in this area that had the peloton strung out, but on an uphill section after the next turn, Jones dropped his chain, only for 3-4 seconds, but that's all that was needed. York, Birmann and Kuyper all went flying off the front because York attacked knowing Jones couldn't go with him.
Over the next 30 miles the peloton averaged like 25mph. We were just flying because the other teams wanted to pull the break back. I have to give a lot of credit to the Leadout guys, Mike Jones, Andrew Florian, Joe Lekovish and Colin Snyder. With all of us blocking we allowed the break to stay out front. At one point the break was about 5 seconds in front. By the finish, they were about a minute out. For some unknown reason, as the peloton entered the two house village of Palmer, we sat up and rode slowly. I wasn't complaining, but no one knew why.
As we came back down Marquette Mountain, it started to rain a little. We knew at this point the break was sure to win so it was time to think about positioning for the sprint. Jones and I were near the front without being on the front as we came into the urban area. Interesting little bit: There was a pickup truck driving in the middle of the road in the same direction we were headed. But they were driving at 15 mph. The guys at the front of the group didn't know what to do, and next thing you know, Florian, Jones and I had flown around the truck and were on the front of the group. A police officer stopped the car but we were already mostly around it.
Anyways....the final 2 miles were fun as guys had their teammates drilling the front. I was trying to pick out my spot for the last corner and decided 4th wheel was best. So I rode around a few guys and literally elbowed my way into the spot I wanted. As we rounded the last corner I thought to myself "Yes this was the perfect spot" but then I also thought to myself "Crap, I'm not a sprinter". Went around the corner 7th (remember breakaway of 3 already finished) and ended up 12th. Kuyper won again with York in 2nd. Birmann 3rd, Jones 6th and Colin 11th. The overall now had me tied for 9th, Colin in 8th and the podium of Kuper, York and Jones.
With a super fast circuit race in the morning it was time to get some rest and catch up on lost sleep.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Superior Bike Fest - Crit
Alright, so this isn't the update you were waiting for, but this one is by far more interesting.
This past weekend was the fricken awesome Superior Bike Fest up in Marquette. 3 days of race with a tough crit on Friday, an undulating road race on Saturday and a fast circuit race on Sunday.
The crit was an 8 turn course that is pretty much downhill from turn 1 to turn 5, then it shoots back uphill after turn 6 to the start line. It was fast, the whole time. About 35ish riders were on the start line. When the official blew his whistle there was a battle between Brett Beddow and me for control of the front of the peloton. I eventually got to the front and pulled the peloton through the second turn and nearly overshot it, keeping the bike upright in the gutter with everyone behind me doing the same. No one had taken the corner at speed to realize it was so narrow. That corner 2 laps later would be the cause of 5-6 guys crashing at the front of the peloton, including Taylor Birmann who slammed into a light post. Taylor got back up and in the race, but some of the others weren't so lucky. That same corner would later be the cause of 2 more crashes.
Because the pace was so high, we were shelling riders off the back quickly. Then when I was on the front of the peloton I heard a crash behind me and when I got to the finishing straight, I discovered Mark Bush was missing from our team. He had crashed and broken his collar bone into 3 pieces and it was almost coming through the skin. I now focused my energy to help York win the crit, because we were the only 2 MCG guys left in the small group. So I would go to the front and pull hard for a lap, drop back to recover then go right back to the front and push the pace to get rid of as many riders as possible. I have to thank teammate Colin Snyder for working back to the peloton after being dropped and helping me when I was dangling after doing my pulls.
With 2 laps to go Andrew Florian attacked on the uphill while I was at the front of the group. My options were to chase him down or go with him. I chose the later. He told me afterward that he was trying to drop me on the hill and he came close, but I just dropped my head and soldiered on. I eventually caught him and we immediately started working together. We had a huge gap, but someone in the peloton asked their teamate to expend himself to catch us, and they did. So Florian sat up and I just kept going hoping maybe I could out ride the group in the last .7 miles. I was riding as hard as I could, the croud of 2000ish people all cheering on my last effort. I looked down under my seat as I was approaching the 3rd corner, I was caught. So I took the corner wide and eased up a little. It wasn't the peloton. Kuyper had bridged up to me and I had mistaken him for the peloton. By the time I realized this, it was too late, I had screwed up and lost my podium spot. Kuyper would go on to win the crit a half mile later with Jones in 2nd and York 3rd. I finished just off the back of what remained of the peloton, behind Colin, in 10th place.
After the race I picked up Mark's equipment and took it back to my hotel. Later that night Sarah (Mark's fiance) came by to drop off the other bike so she didn't have to drive around with it on the car all weekend. She was not having a good night, that was for sure. She had to go back to the campground 30 miles away to get stuff for Mark and it was dark, she didn't know where she was going and she would have to go back to the campground to sleep and return early in the morning because the hospital wouldn't let her stay there.
Well sometimes friendship comes before racing. (Rarely I know) But I decided to go to the campground with Sarah because I know the area pretty well. We then went to the hospital to see Mark and make sure he was comfortable. Then I offered to lat Sarah stay at the hotel with me and my parents because it was 9 blocks from the hospital. It was 2am when I finally went to bed. Road Race start time: 10:25am.
This past weekend was the fricken awesome Superior Bike Fest up in Marquette. 3 days of race with a tough crit on Friday, an undulating road race on Saturday and a fast circuit race on Sunday.
The crit was an 8 turn course that is pretty much downhill from turn 1 to turn 5, then it shoots back uphill after turn 6 to the start line. It was fast, the whole time. About 35ish riders were on the start line. When the official blew his whistle there was a battle between Brett Beddow and me for control of the front of the peloton. I eventually got to the front and pulled the peloton through the second turn and nearly overshot it, keeping the bike upright in the gutter with everyone behind me doing the same. No one had taken the corner at speed to realize it was so narrow. That corner 2 laps later would be the cause of 5-6 guys crashing at the front of the peloton, including Taylor Birmann who slammed into a light post. Taylor got back up and in the race, but some of the others weren't so lucky. That same corner would later be the cause of 2 more crashes.
Because the pace was so high, we were shelling riders off the back quickly. Then when I was on the front of the peloton I heard a crash behind me and when I got to the finishing straight, I discovered Mark Bush was missing from our team. He had crashed and broken his collar bone into 3 pieces and it was almost coming through the skin. I now focused my energy to help York win the crit, because we were the only 2 MCG guys left in the small group. So I would go to the front and pull hard for a lap, drop back to recover then go right back to the front and push the pace to get rid of as many riders as possible. I have to thank teammate Colin Snyder for working back to the peloton after being dropped and helping me when I was dangling after doing my pulls.
With 2 laps to go Andrew Florian attacked on the uphill while I was at the front of the group. My options were to chase him down or go with him. I chose the later. He told me afterward that he was trying to drop me on the hill and he came close, but I just dropped my head and soldiered on. I eventually caught him and we immediately started working together. We had a huge gap, but someone in the peloton asked their teamate to expend himself to catch us, and they did. So Florian sat up and I just kept going hoping maybe I could out ride the group in the last .7 miles. I was riding as hard as I could, the croud of 2000ish people all cheering on my last effort. I looked down under my seat as I was approaching the 3rd corner, I was caught. So I took the corner wide and eased up a little. It wasn't the peloton. Kuyper had bridged up to me and I had mistaken him for the peloton. By the time I realized this, it was too late, I had screwed up and lost my podium spot. Kuyper would go on to win the crit a half mile later with Jones in 2nd and York 3rd. I finished just off the back of what remained of the peloton, behind Colin, in 10th place.
After the race I picked up Mark's equipment and took it back to my hotel. Later that night Sarah (Mark's fiance) came by to drop off the other bike so she didn't have to drive around with it on the car all weekend. She was not having a good night, that was for sure. She had to go back to the campground 30 miles away to get stuff for Mark and it was dark, she didn't know where she was going and she would have to go back to the campground to sleep and return early in the morning because the hospital wouldn't let her stay there.
Well sometimes friendship comes before racing. (Rarely I know) But I decided to go to the campground with Sarah because I know the area pretty well. We then went to the hospital to see Mark and make sure he was comfortable. Then I offered to lat Sarah stay at the hotel with me and my parents because it was 9 blocks from the hospital. It was 2am when I finally went to bed. Road Race start time: 10:25am.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Check Back Tomorrow
If you check back tomorrow, I am going to post about racing in South Bend yesterday, my non-time trial and my downtown escapade today.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Luck is Changing
So this past weekend was the Tour de Mt. Pleasant put on by the Chamber of Commerce. First off I want to say that this was an AMAZING event. Really really well organized and thought out. Tons of volunteers, no traffic issues and a really fun atmosphere. I will be back again next year for sure!
So as the title suggests, I finished both races this weekend. So for mass start races, I am 2 for 6 so I am shooting a 33% finishing rate. Anyways, the crit was fast. 6 corners over .8 miles. The roads were pretty wide for the most part. Turn 5 however was very tight as it went from about 4 lanes wide to a 1 lane boulevard. The boulevard also had asphalt patches, tar patches and a pothole. It was impossible to go more than two-wide into this corner, evident when Scott got pinched out, jumped the curb, rode the sidewalk and jumped back in the race without losing his position.
The first several laps were really fast with attack after attack going down the road. We had 10 guys in the race (of a 30 person peloton) so we were represented in every break. Eventually Mike Jones(Priority) and my teammate Adam York(MCG) got down the road and stayed out for about 1/3rd of the race. With 4 laps to go, we pulled them back in and Andrew Florian(Priority) attacked and I was in a position to go with him, so I did. For about a lap both of us thought we might be able to win the crit. We were exchanging pulls at 400-500 watts and I was having difficulty holding Florian's wheel but I stuck it out. With just over a lap left, the peloton pulled us in and our 3 lap break was no more. At that point we had expended way too much energy to tack back on the peloton so we rode the final lap slowly and talked about the race. Coming up to the finish line I eased up and let Andrew cross first, it was only the difference between like 25th and 26th but it was a gesture because he worked harder in the break than I did.
Mike Jones and Taylor Birman attacked as Andrew and I got pulled in and they went on to beat the peloton where Mark Bush 2nd in the feild sprint for 4th place. After the race the team talked about what we did right and wrong. We decided that we need to be more aggressive and never let a rider down the road without one of us when we have that many people. My stats for the crit: Averaged 220W for an hour with and average HR of 180.
I then watched the Cat 4 race and cheered on Alexey. With 200m to go with the pack sprint, Alexey crashed hard. He hit the ground at 30+mph and skidded 10-12m on his back. His bike was fine and he seemed alright, just mad.
The following morning was the 33 mile road race. The peloton was smaller, but we still had 10 riders. It started off fairly slow. I took the first pull through town and as I pulled off, Colin attacked letting the MCG boys rest. Eventually he was pulled back in and over the next 5 miles attack after attack went down the road. Every one had an MCG rider with it. I did some pulling at the front and eventually got myself into a break with Birman, Florian and my teammate Todd Hoover. We thought that might have stuck but the Wolverines weren't going to have any of that. Finally the winning break was formed. Scott and Todd (MCG), Mike Jones (Priority), Patt Robb (Wolverines) and the CMU guy. With the three major teams represented, there were only 4 guys in the peloton without a teamate down the road. So the Wolverines worked with us and we blocked at the front to give the break more time. It worked because they won, Jones winning the sprint, Todd 2nd and Scott 5th.
Meanwhile back in the peloton we were talking about going to get Dairy Queen. Which almost everyone was in agreement for. While we were discussing ice cream and women, Tony and the Max Edge guy decided to make a break for it, so we let them go. Shortly thereafter we were passed by the masters field. With about 5 miles to go, we decided the break had plenty of time and we ramped it up to help Mark win the field sprint. It was picture perfect with 8 MCG guys lined up at the front of the peloton. Eventually Taylor decided to attack and Mark and York went with him. They would eventually catch Tony and beat us to the line with Mark taking 6th and York 9th. On our approach to the line Brett Beddow (Wolverine) attacked and Florian(Priority) went with him so I went too. Brett sat up and Florian took off again so again I went with him. Then Florian sat up and I made an attempt to get 10th place. I dropped my head and hammered. The group caught me with about 150m to go. The bright side was that the Wolverines chased me and lead my team out so Joe took 10th place.
(Posing for Kroske)I finished behind the peloton both days, but I finished! And it wasn't a bad day for us with 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th place. We even ended up with Todd taking 3rd overall on GC behind Priority's Jones and Birman. All in all it was a great weekend.
Photos by Scott Kroske Trea Bott and Sarah Ritter. Video and more images coming soon.
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