Like this video, for instance. Yes, it was every bit as cold as it looked. Kudos to the race promoters and all my fellow racers for such a great event.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
And that's a wrap
The 2010 cyclocross season has came to an end for me and much of my KC brethren, and what a great season it was. I've learned more than I can possibly describe/list out, and I'm trying to process all of that, plus identify what my weaknesses were that I can work on starting in August. It's best to think about what worked and what didn't following your last race, as opposed to remember back through the haze of summer into the last time you remounted a bike in a race.
Yesterday's race, the Grote Prijs, which I constantly misspell, was terrific in some ways, and humbling in others. I had a great fan club cheering me on, despite the COLD weather. I really can't say enough how much I enjoy having my family out there. I hope that this helps the boys see how important it is to stay active throughout their lives, and that once high school/college is over, they don't have to go into work/eat/sleep mode.
Ok focus, Chris, back to the race report. Ahem.
This was the first race I DFL'ed (at least I think I did, I haven't checked the results yet). But I also finished the race, and stayed upright which a lot of people did not. I rode pretty good, although I still have lots of core work to do, as my back got tight about lap 5 of 12. Once my back gets tight, my hamstrings get tight, then the only way I can put power down is with my quads, and they get tired pushing me around quickly.
I felt my race performance was actually ok. My power wasn't quite there, and I need to work on some technique on my remounts at speed. The field slowly pulled away from me, but then again, I felt ok because it wasn't like I was way over my head either. I think that next season, if I work hard over the next 7 months, will be a fun and successful campaign for sure.
Once I hit the last lap, and all hope had faded of bridging up to my teammate Jon Sink, I took a few beer handups and tried a pitiful bunny hop over some beer cans on the course. Not my typical style, but it was time for some fun! You can only be serious so long, and although I am competitive at heart, I need to relax a bit on the course and not be too hard on myself. My team captain, Britton, is trying to beat it into my head that to be a good cyclist takes a long time. Years.
I know what I need to do, now I just need to do the work to reap the rewards.
Here are a few pics of my bike yesterday, and I'll have a video as soon as I get it uploaded. Everything on my bike was frozen mud. It was everything a cross race should be, and I hope I can get a few more races in next season in conditions like this. It was great!
Yesterday's race, the Grote Prijs, which I constantly misspell, was terrific in some ways, and humbling in others. I had a great fan club cheering me on, despite the COLD weather. I really can't say enough how much I enjoy having my family out there. I hope that this helps the boys see how important it is to stay active throughout their lives, and that once high school/college is over, they don't have to go into work/eat/sleep mode.
Ok focus, Chris, back to the race report. Ahem.
This was the first race I DFL'ed (at least I think I did, I haven't checked the results yet). But I also finished the race, and stayed upright which a lot of people did not. I rode pretty good, although I still have lots of core work to do, as my back got tight about lap 5 of 12. Once my back gets tight, my hamstrings get tight, then the only way I can put power down is with my quads, and they get tired pushing me around quickly.
I felt my race performance was actually ok. My power wasn't quite there, and I need to work on some technique on my remounts at speed. The field slowly pulled away from me, but then again, I felt ok because it wasn't like I was way over my head either. I think that next season, if I work hard over the next 7 months, will be a fun and successful campaign for sure.
Once I hit the last lap, and all hope had faded of bridging up to my teammate Jon Sink, I took a few beer handups and tried a pitiful bunny hop over some beer cans on the course. Not my typical style, but it was time for some fun! You can only be serious so long, and although I am competitive at heart, I need to relax a bit on the course and not be too hard on myself. My team captain, Britton, is trying to beat it into my head that to be a good cyclist takes a long time. Years.
I know what I need to do, now I just need to do the work to reap the rewards.
Here are a few pics of my bike yesterday, and I'll have a video as soon as I get it uploaded. Everything on my bike was frozen mud. It was everything a cross race should be, and I hope I can get a few more races in next season in conditions like this. It was great!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Grote Prijs on Sunday.
Do or die; now is the time to have a great performance. Last cyclocross race for 9 months, and it's supposed to be around 30 degrees and a little snow. Sounds awesome to me. I'm going to turn myself inside out for this one, and not worry about pacing. Smash the pedals (while ankling too)!
While most of KC will be watching the Chefs get pummeled by the Ravens, here is what'll be going through my mind at 2:01pm: "Churn those legs. Oh man, this hurts. I think my heart is going to explode. Make those corners tighter. Don't be sloppy. Push it. Push it! Your remounts suck, need to work on that. C'mon, bridge that gap. I don't think I can. Bulls#it. Push it. Last race. Make it count. Arg this hurts. Am I going to have 50 minutes of this? Is someone on my tail? Jesus the open guys are fast."
Hopefully the open guys won't be lapping me at 2:01, but you get the jist of it. I'm a mental chatterbox while racing. As I get better, that should come down a lot. Kinda like when you get better at golf. The internal dialogue slowly fades. The less there is, the more "in the zone" you are. I could use some of that.
I can't wait. Even if my cx bike is still sandy from last weekend, I'm ready to go right NOW.
Grote Prijs Flier 2011 Final
While most of KC will be watching the Chefs get pummeled by the Ravens, here is what'll be going through my mind at 2:01pm: "Churn those legs. Oh man, this hurts. I think my heart is going to explode. Make those corners tighter. Don't be sloppy. Push it. Push it! Your remounts suck, need to work on that. C'mon, bridge that gap. I don't think I can. Bulls#it. Push it. Last race. Make it count. Arg this hurts. Am I going to have 50 minutes of this? Is someone on my tail? Jesus the open guys are fast."
Hopefully the open guys won't be lapping me at 2:01, but you get the jist of it. I'm a mental chatterbox while racing. As I get better, that should come down a lot. Kinda like when you get better at golf. The internal dialogue slowly fades. The less there is, the more "in the zone" you are. I could use some of that.
I can't wait. Even if my cx bike is still sandy from last weekend, I'm ready to go right NOW.
Grote Prijs Flier 2011 Final
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Getting introspective
I didn't make any resolutions for New Year's, because I think that if you want to resolve something, don't wait for an arbitrary date to do it. That being said, getting introspective was not a resolution, just something that jarred loose out of my frontal lobe while watching "The Cyclocross Meeting". The basic premise of this highly entertaining "documentary" was that despite the vast cultural differences, US racers and Japanese racers throw down all the same, and enjoy the same "sub-culture of a sub-culture".
Whilst watching the movie, I got to thinking, "So self, why do you race?"
I'd be very interested in hearing answers from any endurance athlete. For me personally, it came to light as I was talking to one of my teammates the other day during a ride, and I told him "I race bicycles because I'm terrible at it". Not meaning that I'm just awful at it, but it would seem that there isn't anything in the universe lined up that would lend any sort of successful bike racing career to me. I'm built more like a boxer than a wispy cyclist, for one thing. Even as I've lost a lot of weight, I still look more likely that I could throw down in an MMA cage than sprint for a victory in a crit. Both would be sweet, but I think the crit victory is more likely, and it's a ways away still.
I got to thinking even more about it, and asked myself why I started now. I'm 34. No spring chicken. Only Lance and Chris Horner and Steve Tilford are older than me. Ok, that's obviously not true, but those guys had been racing since they were teenagers or younger. I dabbled in MTB racing when I was 23 or so, but then rode my bike maybe 4-5 times a year until something inside stirred last fall and I decided to start racing again.
First cyclocross, then triathlons, and now road racing. These sports take incredible sums of knowledge to perform well in. Fortunately, I'm quite capable of being a voracious learner/reader when the subject suits me. But I have to be just that, a student driven to excel. I don't have the benefit of just riding around and picking up things as I go. I have limited training time with two kids, an athletic wife, and too big of a house to take care of.
Somedays I wish I was one of those guys on the team that are in their mid-20's, DINKs (dual-income, no kids), and ride 5+ days a week. You can afford to make mistakes and crash and blunder your way to becoming a great racer by the time you're 30. Not so much for me. So I'm always asking questions. Always reading. Always trying to figure out a way to maximize the training/recovery cycle so I can be stronger next week than I am this week. Maybe that's a challenge I like. I like it because I'm not SUPPOSED to be doing something like this. Most guys don't typically have single-digit body fat, love the pain cave, and dance the cyclocross shuffle in snow and mud and hell on the weekends. We beat the hell out of ourselves because to sit in a cube 40 hours a week then veg in front of the TV is to die a slow terrible death. Reality TV is where you turn it off and go outside and do something you've never done before.
I don't intend to have life happen to me. I want to grab hold of it. Have great stories to share my grandkids. Make a stranger smile. Leave this Earth a little better place than it would have been without me.
Man, it's a good thing I wasn't drinking some beer before I started this post.
Whilst watching the movie, I got to thinking, "So self, why do you race?"
I'd be very interested in hearing answers from any endurance athlete. For me personally, it came to light as I was talking to one of my teammates the other day during a ride, and I told him "I race bicycles because I'm terrible at it". Not meaning that I'm just awful at it, but it would seem that there isn't anything in the universe lined up that would lend any sort of successful bike racing career to me. I'm built more like a boxer than a wispy cyclist, for one thing. Even as I've lost a lot of weight, I still look more likely that I could throw down in an MMA cage than sprint for a victory in a crit. Both would be sweet, but I think the crit victory is more likely, and it's a ways away still.
I got to thinking even more about it, and asked myself why I started now. I'm 34. No spring chicken. Only Lance and Chris Horner and Steve Tilford are older than me. Ok, that's obviously not true, but those guys had been racing since they were teenagers or younger. I dabbled in MTB racing when I was 23 or so, but then rode my bike maybe 4-5 times a year until something inside stirred last fall and I decided to start racing again.
First cyclocross, then triathlons, and now road racing. These sports take incredible sums of knowledge to perform well in. Fortunately, I'm quite capable of being a voracious learner/reader when the subject suits me. But I have to be just that, a student driven to excel. I don't have the benefit of just riding around and picking up things as I go. I have limited training time with two kids, an athletic wife, and too big of a house to take care of.
Somedays I wish I was one of those guys on the team that are in their mid-20's, DINKs (dual-income, no kids), and ride 5+ days a week. You can afford to make mistakes and crash and blunder your way to becoming a great racer by the time you're 30. Not so much for me. So I'm always asking questions. Always reading. Always trying to figure out a way to maximize the training/recovery cycle so I can be stronger next week than I am this week. Maybe that's a challenge I like. I like it because I'm not SUPPOSED to be doing something like this. Most guys don't typically have single-digit body fat, love the pain cave, and dance the cyclocross shuffle in snow and mud and hell on the weekends. We beat the hell out of ourselves because to sit in a cube 40 hours a week then veg in front of the TV is to die a slow terrible death. Reality TV is where you turn it off and go outside and do something you've never done before.
I don't intend to have life happen to me. I want to grab hold of it. Have great stories to share my grandkids. Make a stranger smile. Leave this Earth a little better place than it would have been without me.
Man, it's a good thing I wasn't drinking some beer before I started this post.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Well that wasn't so easy...
http://connect.garmin.com/
First race of the year, and it was pretty hard. Actually, the race was easy, I was just a mess. My legs were really flat, and I don't think I've ever been dead last coming down the initial straight. I'll just tell myself I was taking it easy (right).
The course, like I said, was pretty easy. Very flat, lots of tight twisty stuff, a couple of ride-able sandy sections, and the occasional ice patch with dudes and chicks hitting the ground like it was the secret to 80 degree weather again. I think if I had been feeling a little whippier, I would have really liked the course as it should suit my typical "power" game. "Power" is in quotes, because it's not a strength per se, it's just the least weak of my weaknesses.
Anyway, the race was 50 minutes, so that's 20 minutes longer than the 4 race. Surprisingly, my back didn't tighten up, but I was a bit more careful to stretch out my hamstrings before the start. I tried to warm up well, but I'm not sure if I accomplished that or not. I also decided to embrocate, which I think I will keep in my backpack until the next cold and WET race. If it's just cold, I'll stick to leg warmers. Maybe next season I'll get a fleece-lined CX skinsuit. Anyway, I have to admit that I did start a bit slower on purpose, mainly because I didn't know what kind of engine I was going to have for 50 minutes, and the fact that there was only 10 fellas in the Cat3s. I think getting the hole shot is only useful for glory and if there are more than 25+ racers or so. FYI to the non-cx'ers, hole shot is where you win the sprint on the opening lap straightaway. It can be a wonderful thing to have, especially in Cat4s, where invariably dudes will come in way too hot and overcook the first grass corner and crash, causing massive losses of skin and bike parts.
I passed a couple of guys, and then battled with Edward Smith for a great majority of the race. He was racing his 2nd race of the day, so I really had no excuse to be suffering like he was. Eventually I pulled away from him, as I could see he was tired, and seemed to be burning a lot of matches. 50 minutes is a long time, and maybe that will work to my advantage as I do like to add some strategy and have fun while I'm out there. In the Cat4's and their 30 minute race, all you can do is hammer and try not to make mistakes. There just isn't enough time to assess your situation and work it to your advantage. By the time I cleared Edward, it was halfway through the last lap and Jon Sink (6th) was out of sight. I had just been lapped (it's been awhile since that happened!), so I just held my position. I will remark that the Open guys (eg. FAST) were on the course at the same time as us. I could often feel someone behind me in the corners, and then whoosh they were by me in a hurry. Maybe someday I'll be able to run with those dogs, but I gotta get a handle on the 3's for now.
TCPC represented very well, with 6/10 guys in the Cat3 race, it looked like a group ride. We took 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. I was in the middle at 7th. 7/10 doesn't sound that great, but I was fairly happy with it. I'm starting to make a list of things I want to put some attention to before next season starts.
First race of the year, and it was pretty hard. Actually, the race was easy, I was just a mess. My legs were really flat, and I don't think I've ever been dead last coming down the initial straight. I'll just tell myself I was taking it easy (right).
The course, like I said, was pretty easy. Very flat, lots of tight twisty stuff, a couple of ride-able sandy sections, and the occasional ice patch with dudes and chicks hitting the ground like it was the secret to 80 degree weather again. I think if I had been feeling a little whippier, I would have really liked the course as it should suit my typical "power" game. "Power" is in quotes, because it's not a strength per se, it's just the least weak of my weaknesses.
Anyway, the race was 50 minutes, so that's 20 minutes longer than the 4 race. Surprisingly, my back didn't tighten up, but I was a bit more careful to stretch out my hamstrings before the start. I tried to warm up well, but I'm not sure if I accomplished that or not. I also decided to embrocate, which I think I will keep in my backpack until the next cold and WET race. If it's just cold, I'll stick to leg warmers. Maybe next season I'll get a fleece-lined CX skinsuit. Anyway, I have to admit that I did start a bit slower on purpose, mainly because I didn't know what kind of engine I was going to have for 50 minutes, and the fact that there was only 10 fellas in the Cat3s. I think getting the hole shot is only useful for glory and if there are more than 25+ racers or so. FYI to the non-cx'ers, hole shot is where you win the sprint on the opening lap straightaway. It can be a wonderful thing to have, especially in Cat4s, where invariably dudes will come in way too hot and overcook the first grass corner and crash, causing massive losses of skin and bike parts.
I passed a couple of guys, and then battled with Edward Smith for a great majority of the race. He was racing his 2nd race of the day, so I really had no excuse to be suffering like he was. Eventually I pulled away from him, as I could see he was tired, and seemed to be burning a lot of matches. 50 minutes is a long time, and maybe that will work to my advantage as I do like to add some strategy and have fun while I'm out there. In the Cat4's and their 30 minute race, all you can do is hammer and try not to make mistakes. There just isn't enough time to assess your situation and work it to your advantage. By the time I cleared Edward, it was halfway through the last lap and Jon Sink (6th) was out of sight. I had just been lapped (it's been awhile since that happened!), so I just held my position. I will remark that the Open guys (eg. FAST) were on the course at the same time as us. I could often feel someone behind me in the corners, and then whoosh they were by me in a hurry. Maybe someday I'll be able to run with those dogs, but I gotta get a handle on the 3's for now.
TCPC represented very well, with 6/10 guys in the Cat3 race, it looked like a group ride. We took 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. I was in the middle at 7th. 7/10 doesn't sound that great, but I was fairly happy with it. I'm starting to make a list of things I want to put some attention to before next season starts.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Hello stranger
Things have been pretty busy around here, with Christmas, traveling, training, child-rearing, guitar playing, and reading. I'll recap best I can, because it'll be time to go back to bike mode for the next few posts. Even my grandparents were saying that there is too much bike stuff on my blog. I had to reply that bike stuff is what is usually going through my mind. So sorry, but I'm obsessive like that. Anyway...
Christmas was a grand spectacle. I stopped by my Mom's house on Christmas Eve, then went over to the in-laws' house with my Mom for some appetizers and drinks. We all went to church, which ended up being short-lived because K wasn't in the mood to sit still. I called that one. 20 minutes later, K and I are leaving to go back home because he's being a two-year-old and I'm not getting anything out of it anyway. When everyone got back, it was time to open some presents, eat some soup, and then head back to our house. The next morning Penny made some awesome breakfast bake and coffee cake, and we opened Santa's presents and our gifts to each other. We then drove to StL to have Christmas there and have the big party that night at Ma's house.
I met a family friend that races CX too, so that was fun talking "shop" for a little while. K had been sleeping like complete crap (which killed our sleep too), so I didn't have a lot of energy to stay up late and throw back the brew. I'm hoping in the next year that K will be easier to manage, both day and night. That kid wears us out. It's good he is so cute and ornery, otherwise I would have sold him at a Turkish bazaar my now. Seriously.
AB got a guitar for Christmas, and I think I've been playing it more than he has. I've always thought it was cool, and since my rediscovery of Dave Matthews and his acoustical sets with Tim Reynolds, I've had the hankering to learn. I just wonder how my fingers would hold up. My hyperkeratosis is pretty sensitive, and I have a feeling I'd have a bloody guitar in no time. Kind of a bummer. Maybe I'll try it anyway.
I'll end this post now, as to not sully it with bike chatter. That'll be tomorrow. Hehe.
p.s. my legs are tired.
p.s.s. Speaking of DMB and guitars, here is AB rockin' out...
Christmas was a grand spectacle. I stopped by my Mom's house on Christmas Eve, then went over to the in-laws' house with my Mom for some appetizers and drinks. We all went to church, which ended up being short-lived because K wasn't in the mood to sit still. I called that one. 20 minutes later, K and I are leaving to go back home because he's being a two-year-old and I'm not getting anything out of it anyway. When everyone got back, it was time to open some presents, eat some soup, and then head back to our house. The next morning Penny made some awesome breakfast bake and coffee cake, and we opened Santa's presents and our gifts to each other. We then drove to StL to have Christmas there and have the big party that night at Ma's house.
I met a family friend that races CX too, so that was fun talking "shop" for a little while. K had been sleeping like complete crap (which killed our sleep too), so I didn't have a lot of energy to stay up late and throw back the brew. I'm hoping in the next year that K will be easier to manage, both day and night. That kid wears us out. It's good he is so cute and ornery, otherwise I would have sold him at a Turkish bazaar my now. Seriously.
AB got a guitar for Christmas, and I think I've been playing it more than he has. I've always thought it was cool, and since my rediscovery of Dave Matthews and his acoustical sets with Tim Reynolds, I've had the hankering to learn. I just wonder how my fingers would hold up. My hyperkeratosis is pretty sensitive, and I have a feeling I'd have a bloody guitar in no time. Kind of a bummer. Maybe I'll try it anyway.
I'll end this post now, as to not sully it with bike chatter. That'll be tomorrow. Hehe.
p.s. my legs are tired.
p.s.s. Speaking of DMB and guitars, here is AB rockin' out...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Well that was easy.
It's official, I'm now a Cat3 cross racer. No more fat guys and meat shields to beat up on. Not that I was thumping them that solidly anyway. I figured I had more to learn racing 3's than I will racing 4's. Cat4 is technically the beginner class, and with 10 races done, I think it's time to move on as well. I'll just go out there and hammer best I can, and see what ends up happening. I have two races left where I'll race 3's...January 2nd at Epic Holiday Cyclocross and January 9th at Grote Prijs. That's 50 minutes of blood, sweat, and lots of tears. Hopefully it'll be eyeball tears and not muscle tears. Silly synonyms.
Wish me luck...
Wish me luck...
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