Stationary Bikes and California

So I didn’t get to ride up Mount Diablo like I had hoped. Instead, it was a trip to Napa Valley and San Francisco that trumped the sketchy ‘buy the bike and sell it to me when you get back’ tactics of the California shops (and at a price of about $120/day for an entry level off-brand road bike). California was a great time, but I certainly lost some cycling fitness although I did manage to spin for about an hour each day there.

Oh the dread of a stationary bike at 5:30 in the morning. Wake up in the city (office park) of Pleasanton, roll out of bed, put on the same workout clothes you wore the day before, stroll outside into a crisp morning twilight, walk into the 14x14 jam-packed exercise room, say hey to the same guy that’s there every morning, pop on ESPN, spin, spin, zone out, spin, wait until SportsCenter repeats itself, and leave. Not a lot of thought goes into it, but I suppose that’s the key.

I’ve realized that I’ve become a stationary bike snob. When I started riding, I didn’t suspect riding on a trainer or a stationary bike would be any different. My biggest peeve with the stationary bike is that the resistance is so inconsistent. If you put it on setting 3 (a low setting), it takes a surprisingly large amount of effort to turn over your first few strokes but becomes incredibly easy soon thereafter. With minimal effort you quickly begin over-pedaling as if you should start shifting into a higher gear. If you put it on setting 8 (a higher setting), it takes a ton to turn over those first few pedal strokes, but its resistance becomes manageable to sustain once you start going. 1) It doesn’t react like a normal bike, but more importantly 2) it makes it near impossible to do intervals unless you’re fine with tearing up your knees turning over the pedals to start every burst. I can’t do intervals on a 3 setting as I’ll fly off the bike, but I don’t want to do intervals on an 8 setting because I want to be able to walk when I’m 30.

Going to California also gave me the opportunity to get some reading done. I finished up the book ‘The Rider’ by Tim Krabbe. It’s a quick read about the intricacies of one fictional bike race. Very poetic and very well done. I have a date this weekend on my new balcony with ‘A Dog in a Hat’ by Joe Parkin.

So, anyways, I need to get my fitness levels up. I’m going to take the weekend off from racing and will go on a beast of a training ride on Saturday morning. The rest of this week will be riding with some quick efforts. So, that means my next race is this Wednesday, the Soldier Field Criterium #2. I hear it’s fairly technical and important to be near the front. There’s also apparently a pothole in one of the more dangerous turns. Have to do it. So, we’ll see what happens.

Until next time, here are some pics from the trip:

Mount Diablo in the distance

Groth Winery in Napa Valley

Golden Gate Bridge at sunset

A really awesome picture I took (And yes, I emailed it to the couple, I was proud)

Laketrail TT

There's nothing like riding in the rain. My most memorable days training for the Little 500 were doing hill repeats alone in a warm 80 degree shower. Maybe it was the feeling that I was Lance Armstrong ascending the French Alps into the town of Sestriere. Maybe it was knowing that I was getting better while everyone else was inside on the couch watching tv. Maybe it was knowing that I'm the only one simply crazy enough to be out in this weather. Whatever the case was, I loved it.

It's raining out today.

Which means its a gorgeous day for a post work ride. The path will be empty which will make for a great workout (though I'd rather be climbing in Bloomington). The only downside to the rain is I can't ride to work as I get absolutely drenched - great when in cycilng clothes, terrible when in work clothes. Speaking of, today was the last day I'd be leaving for work from our current place. Crazy to think about since we don't move in for another 9 days. From now on it will be either a one minute bike ride or a brisk 15 minute walk from our new place. I was really getting used to that extra 30 minutes a day marked on my training log!

Anyways, yesterday I did another Laketrail South Time Trial. Recently, I marked out a down-and-back course that takes me around 45 minutes to complete and ride pretty much to exhaustion. I've always been a terrible time trialer and really want to get better at it. If you can't TT you can't win a solo breakaway, something a really powerful road rider can accomplish. So what better way than to race down a path filled with bike riders, pedestrians, and the occansional vehicle. I live in Chicago, do you have a better idea?

The course has a slight incline to start and one 'hill' in the middle that makes you shift down a gear or two to efficiently get over. Beyond that its flat terrain with a lot of bumps. The goal for me is to do this on my road bike so that it simulates what I would be able to do in a race. Of course I could be far faster on a Time Trial specific bike, but I'm not sure that'd be quite legal to bust out in a road race (plus everyone would know exactly what your plan is).

Mentally this is what goes through my head during each stage of the TT...
-0:30 - "*sigh* this is going to hurt"
0:00 - "Hit the stopwatch!"
0:02 - "Missed the button, turn around"
0:00 - "Hit the stopwatch!"
0:02 - "Ok, we're rolling"
0:05 - "Get over this bump and find a nice hard rhythm.
0:20 - "Found my rhythm, now move, cut corners, and dodge pedestrians"
0:50 - "Look right, left, clear, cross, go."
2:30 - "Ok, there's a clear tailwind here, I'm going to need at least 3 minutes at this point on the way back to get a personal best.
3:00 - "Wow, this hurts, no way I can hold this for another 40 minutes..."
5:00 - "Zone Out"
10:00 - "Really my legs are the only part that hurt"
10:35 - "Just got over the climb, keep pushing after the climb just as hard, you'll lose significant time otherwise"
12:30 - "Ahh, smoothest terrain yet, put your head down and punch, you are Dave Zabriske"
20:00 - "Approaching the turn-around point, about 40 seconds off your pb split, must not have been a big enough tailwind...right?...right!?!?"
20:15 - "Turn, turn, turn, turn, accelerate!!!"
20:30 - "H.E.A.D.W.I.N.D...ugggghh"
20:31 - "Keep cadence and move"
26:00 - "Everythings starting to give out, numbing in places you don't want numb"
26:30 - "Pedestrian, no way they're just going to stand...
26:35 - "...in the middle of the bike path..."
26:38 - "...MOVE!!!!!..."
26:39 - "BREAKKKKKKKKKkkkkk"
26:40 - "(Expletive) and accelerate"
26:45 - "Wow I just lost about 10 seconds there easily, and now I'm shot from accelerating..."
32:00 - "I can see McCormick's Place, 10 minutes and you're there, push"
38:00 - "I feel like I'm flying just keep moving and you may be on pace"
40:30 - "Just crossed my last checkpoint, I'm definately behind pace by 15 seconds"
42:30 - "So Close!"
43:20 - "(Expletive), 7 seconds off"
43:30 - "Good workout nonetheless, begin high cadence spin, I'm sleepy"

Last few weeks times:

5/20 - 44:36
5/27 - 43:13
6/04 - 43:22
6/10 - 43:20

I can't wait to see what I could do on a real TT bike. The standard for a 1 hour time trial is doing 40k in an hour. Right now I'm doing about 36k/hr with a poor course, wind, and absolutely nothing aero, which is positive. Pretty steady times thus far; I missed my mark by under 10 seconds for the last two weeks which means I'm pretty much keeping fitness / may need to take a rest and recovery week soon. Perfect time for a California trip I suppose. Originally I thought this trip would be quite the hinderance on my season as I will miss several local races, but it may really be a blessing in disguise as it will allow me to mentally and physically regroup after a rough training and racing week as July is going to take everything out of me. As long as there are excersise bikes in Cali, I will be golden.

And hey, I may be able to climb Mount Diablo on the weekend! First 'real' climb ever. Pretty excited if I can make it happen.

But until then, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the Chicago rain.

Goal 1 And The Rest of the Season

So I just saw the point totals awarded for Spring Prairie and let me tell you, had I known they were going to be that inflated...

1st place was awared 60 upgrade points and then equally distributed down through 30th place.

To put that in perspective: for placing 4th in Vernon Hills, I received 2 points. I could have placed 29th in Spring Prairie to equate that! 29th!

Makes the loss sting all the more.

Typically to upgrade a Cat 3 rider needs to accumulate 25 points over the course of the season. Technically, I only have 3 points, because USACycling only counts USCF races (most of the races I will be doing). ABR, USCF's competitor if you will, sponsored the Monsters of the Midway Criterium, so I won't technically be awarded those points for placing 4th. (And for reference, I keep saying 'technically' because anyone can apply to upgrade at any point regardless of how many points they achieve. When upgrading, a rider can list all the races they've done that didn't show up in rankings, other past results, or other considerations that they deem valuable in considering an upgrade.) I have never met points when upgrading, but am a Cat 3. Why? Because I placed well in pretty much every Cat 4 and Cat 5 race I had done, so I applied and they recognized that I was ready to move on.

But, after seeing the amount of points awarded at Spring Prairie (note Road Races count far more than Criteriums for points, and apparently State Championships double your point totals for the race)...I just want to meet points.

So, I'm 22 points away with 18 races left on my schedule.

Here are the remaining races.

6/28 - Tour of the Dairyland: Downer Avenue (Crit)
7/1 - Soldier Field Criterium 2 (Crit)
7/4 - UWW Road Race (RR)
7/11 - Superweek: Blue Island (Crit)
7/12 - Superweek: Elgin Cycling Classic (RR)
7/15 - Soldier Field Criterium 3 (Crit)
7/18 - Superweek: Schlitz Park Cycling Challenge (Crit)
7/19 - Superweek: Evanston GP (Crit)
7/20 - Superweek: Whitnall Park Road Race (RR)
7/22 - Superweek: Lakefront Road Race (RR)
7/26 - Chicago Criterium (Crit)
7/29 - Soldier Field Criterium 4 (Crit)
8/1 - Tour of Elk Grove (Crit)
8/2 - Tour of Elk Grove (Crit)
8/12 - Soldier Field Criterium 5 (Crit)
8/15 - National Criterium Championships: Downers Grove (Crit)
8/16 - National Criterium Championships: Downers Grove (Crit)
8/23 - Illinois State Championships, Tour of Oak Brook (RR)

Other Possible Races:
7/21 - Cedarburg Cycling Classic (Crit)
8/8 - Grayslake Cycling Classic (Crit)
8/9 - Glencoe Grand Prix (Crit)

Yeah, pretty much a month and a half of all out cycling and it will be a challenge (almost more mentally than anything: see Spring Prairie post). Logically, upgrading will pretty much boil down to placing well (top 3) in a road race or consistently placing well in criteriums: 2 things I feel like I should be able to do. If everything else fails - the last race of the season will be a massive point opportunity as it is a state championship race.

But the bottom line is: just ride hard, win, and the rest will be history.

Anyways, I'll be going to California for 10 days starting this weekend for work. Luckily it sounds like they have excersie bikes at the hotel, so I will be riding everyday to keep fitness (but god do indoor stationary's suck). Also we're located very close to Mount Diablo, a decent sized mountain in California. I may try and rent a bike one morning from a local shop and see what a true hill feels like.

As for this week, I will be doing hard intervals from Tuesday-Thursday. One day will be shorter pyramids and sprints, another day will be mid-range intervals in the range of 3-5 minutes each, and one day will be a 45 minute time trial (my personal best on the course - 43:13).

So we'll see how that goes. I'm hoping to break myself down as much as possible this week and have next week be a rest and recover week. When I come back, that first road race will be more of a fitness gauge/increaser than an actual race. I will approach it similarly to Vernon Hills when I didn't know exactly where my fitness levels were. Hopefully I'll surprise myself again, but who knows what 10 days on a stationary will bring.

Other cycling things on my mind:
- Looking into a Powertap by Saris for training in the fall and next year.
- Tour de France is in one month, getting rather excited
- Sounds like some future DSP L5ers are hitting it hard right now, nice to hear
- I think I'll be doing the Urbanathlon with Andy in October
- I've been looking into some good cycling books, should be placing an order once we move, that 36th floor balcony will have my name written all over it.

Spring Prairie Road Race

Race: Spring Prairie Road Race
Where: Spring Prairie, WI
Catagory: 3
Length: 65 Miles
Description: Hills everywhere with a very steep hill finish with about 100m of flat following. Good course, easy turns.

So Spring Prairie arrived and it would be my first road race since the Summer Solstice last year. It was a very rough weekend preceding the race. A bachelor party Friday night, one hour of sleep, then a 9 hour CFA exam on Saturday, then dinner with said bachelor on Saturday at a very expensive restaurant (settled for the steak burger - by far the cheapest option, but I certainly felt the effects of it today). I had been dreading the amount of tiredness I would feel entering today's race, and every bit of how bad I thought I would feel I felt.

I drove up with two teammates Jauque Cartier and Dave Moyer to the race. It was nice 1.5 road trip to the course and we had a decent warmup. We tested out our legs on the climb and it was pretty steep, though I felt pretty good with it. It was longer than I had imagined but I thought I may have a shot of getting over it 11 times.

The race took off with around 50 or so competitors. I accidently only had one bottle of liquid (far less than you need) and I made it a gatorade half-half mix as it helps for cramping of my lower calf. The race began and we got through the first lap fine. One of our guys jumped off the front and had a pretty decent gap keeping the pace of the race high. But as time went on, this was no Summer Solstice course. Each lap went by and each bump began to feel like a hill and each hill began to feel like a mountain. It was incredibly tough. By lap 5 I was gassed but was still moving up the tough climb faster than others. It was the moments after the climb that I struggled as gaps began to form between riders and we had to chase down groups until the race was finally back together by the middle of the lap. By the time the group was back together we'd approach a backstretch climb and then finally came the time to relax on the decent (reaching 45 mph at times). So for pretty much 4 of the 6 miles of each lap felt like I was going all out. I don't know if this was a product of me not bringing my 'A' game or just being completely beaten today. I'd like to think the former, but I'm not one to make excuses. Bottom line: I need to get better at road racing and if I expect to perform I better be set up for the race. By lap 8 of 10 we approached the hill climb and we ascended it. I was moving pretty well up it, passing literally dozens of people, but 75% up the climb my thighs felt like somebody all of the sudden just squeezed them tight. I was still able to ride but knew I had reached my limit physically for the day. I gave it everything I had to keep up and managed to stay with the pack until the first turn a ways down the road. But after leaving a small 5 meter gap in front of me I looked up and just couldn't make the effort to catch back on. I continued riding and finished the next lap and a half out alone. I caught up with a Cat 1 guy who had been dropped and he told me some stories of times he raced in stage races in Argentina and Mexico and how he's going to start in the Nature Valley Stage Race in Minnesota this year, one of the top 5 biggest stage races in the country. Very cool to ride with a guy like that...and pass him by as he was completely spent. Its amazing, when you bonk, you bonk. I didn't bonk as much as I was just completely physically spent from everything: the weekend, the no sleep, the little preperation riding, the way the gatorade sat in my stomach like a thick wad of ground beef, the actual thick wad of ground beef I had in my stomach from the night before, the no water, etc. But most of all though - I was just beat and beat hard. It was one of those races where the thoughts of "You should just quit", "Why are you doing this, you could be playing volleyball at the beach right now", "You'll never make it to the top", "You're done, just pull over" creep into your head over and over and for miles on end.

One of my teammates won the race and another got 3rd (Luke 1st, Dave 3rd). It was a great day for them and was very happy to hear that.

However, it just sucks when you embarress yourself like that. One of the most valuable things living a life of athletics has given me and that many cyclists have yet to understand - No one really cares about all the excuses you have, they only care about the result. And I didn't bring the result.

However, I finished.

Which is something many people can't say about that race. Yes it may have been 36th and yes I may have been the last finisher, but I finished and fought through the last 10 miles feeling like their were knives in my thighs and rods in my back. One of my goals this season was to have very few, if any, DNF's. Of the 34 bike races I've done in my career, I have never yet quit and that didn't start today.

I got better.

But, I need to get even better. There are no two ways about it.

Superweek, The Chicago Criterium, and the National Championships start to kick off in just over a month. I will be ready. Time to mentally and physically regroup after the month of racing - 3 week hiatus for a California trip.

Then the season really begins.

Next race: June 28th - Tour of the Dairyland Downer Avenue Bike Race

Wonder Lake Criterium

Race: Wonder Lake Criterium
Length: 45 Minutes
Catagory: 3
Description: Fast and narrow into turn one, the rest of the course was very nice and safe.

So I arrived in Wonder Lake, just south of the Wisconsin border. The race was in a neighborhood and as soon as I parked I noticed an old man walking in the race course as riders frantically avoided him, just another obstacle of bike racing, especially in neighborhoods. This was apparently the first time that this race had been held and after talking with some of the residents they were really excited about it. At every turn people were out picnicing and taking in the races, watching riders whiz by at high speeds while having beer on a blanket in the sun. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

We lined up and to everyone's surpise only 11 guys were at the start/finish line. Maybe it was a because there was another criterium being held at that time within an hour of this one, maybe it was because this was a new race, but for whatever reason the turnout wasn't great for the 3's and immediately I was at an incredible disadvantage. Of the 11 riders - 5 where South Chicago Wheelman, 3 were Burnham Racing and 2 were other independent riders.

This means that these teams could pretty much do whatever they want the whole race. They can attack and make one of the independent riders chase them back and then reattack and reattack until you have burnt up all your matches.

Immediately off the gun SCW and Burnham got guys off the front and the rest of the race was pretty well determined by that move. The independent guys and myself began taking pulls trying to keep them within range. However, when working with independent guys theres an added level of strategy that comes into play. You don't really want to be the independent guy who reels in the break as the SCW and Burnham guys will attack as soon as you reel them in and you just won't have the stamina to keep up with their well rested attack. So optimally you want to be getting pulled when the catch is made so that you can stand a chance of being able to respond to the next wave of their attacks. Because even if you feel pretty good - the team guys behind you who have done absolutely zero work will be feeling better and will put together an impressive jump soon after the catch.

There really wasn't much hope for winning today. With two laps to go we could see that the Burnham guy had dropped the SCW guy (that we quickly caught and passed) and we began yelling at SCW to get to the front to pull back Burnham now that they had zero interest in having a breakaway sustain itself. They moved to the front but it was apparent that for whatever reason SCW just didn't have it. As a group we could tell that it would be a race for 2nd. We lined up for the sprint and I actually started my sprint at the right time believe it or not. I passed nearly everyone for a 3rd place finish. It was amazing that after all that the top 3 finishers in the field sprint didn't have teammates and pretty much worked all race (1st - Burnham (breakway), 2nd - Independent, 3rd - xXx, 4th - Independent). A result that I wasn't thrilled about as I felt like I was very strong that day, but a result that I could live with, because racing against well executed team strategy is just nearly impossible.

Three races, three top 4 finishes - great start to the season I'd say.

Next Race - June 7th, Spring Prairie Road Race

Monsters of the Midway

Race: Monsters of the Midway
Length: 1.1 Miles (40 Minutes +2 Laps)
Catagory: 3
Description: Massive backstretch headwind, 4 90 degree corners, long straightaways, short short chutes, good pavement, one dip in the pavement along the backstretch.

Monsters of the Midway is a well established race around the University of Chicago campus but this one had just a little bit more meaning than other races I will participate in this season. Why? It's my fiancee's school - so I better either do well - or not even show up.


Mailman did the race with me, which is always fun. He raced just before me in the Cat 4 race and placed a very respectable 11th in a massive field. The guy has a ton of talent and will be an unbelievable Little 5 rider next year - could even break all the fraternity records I own.

We lined up to take off for my race and noticed an ambulance jumping on the course. Apparently there was a massive crash on the backstretch during the Cat 4's last lap and someone seriously needed tended to. I decided to just keep my legs warm and ride around near the start/finish line as I figured it would take a few minutes to sort it all out. And time kept passing...it seemed like 20 minutes before we actually took off. I started from the back as I was keeping warm and hung around there all day. One of the things spectators may not notice is that the riders really never know how far back in the field they are rather just how forward they are. I felt like I was in the middle-front of the race all day as I could easily eye the front of the pack and make a move to jump around if needed. Afterwards though, I was told I was in the back of the field all day. I suppose its tough to turn around and see the amount of people behind you when racing in a pack. From a spectators point of view, I think there's a common awe about how close riders race towards each other in extremely large packs at extremely high speeds. But it reality its pretty similar to driving - you look at the guy in front of you and the guys to your sides and stay in your imaginary lane and thats all you care about, not knowing in the slightest who or how many guys are behind you.

But anyways - the race went on as a usual large criterium would. Breakaway attempts were quickly sucked up and everyone would wait for a field sprint. The course was pretty solid. Pretty good pavement, only one dip that would throw you off your seat at times, and very large riding lanes.

The last lap of the race came so I zipped around the field to get position into turn one. I got my position and as soon we entered turn 1, 2 guys in front of me hit the deck going around the turn. It appeared that there bikes slid out from under them. I stayed up having cleared them by more a margin than some of my previously avoided wrecks and found myself and two others exiting turn 2 with about a 5-10 meter gap. I was 3rd wheel and wanted with all my heart to attack then and there with .75 miles to go. But today I held back. The headwind was far too much to handle on this day, 20mph directly into your face on the backstretch - no way I'd make it. So I stayed put and the rest of the field caught up. I stayed well positioned exiting turns 3 and 4 and started to wind up. As soon as I exited turn 4 I started my sprint. There were several guys in front of me and a whole pack behind me. One guy had gotten away at the tail end of the backstretch as was assured a win. Another guy zipped by me on the right side near the line and I held on after passing a few in front for 4th place again. Another solid finish that paid out twenty bucks. Another race, another solid result. The last two races were technically the best results I'd had ever gotten as they were top 5 Cat 3 results - something I hadn't done in the past.

Next weekend was the Indy 500. I had to miss out on some unbelievable racing in Iowa, but no way I'm missing the 500.

Next Race: May 31, Wonder Lake Criterium

Vernon Hills Grand Prix

So, after the Zionsville Grand Prix last year I told myself I was done. The work-world awaited and I'd have no time, energy, or passion to train to get to the next level as increasing your abilities only takes more and more time the better and better you get. That all changed while watching Tom Boonen stomp over the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. That all changed while watching Levi rip up the mountains of California. And that all changed while watching a 37 year old man show the young guys a thing or two in prologue time trial in front of a crowd of millions.

I had to get back. I had to get better. I had to make my comeback to the sport.

So 7 months after laying down my bike for good - I started lightly training. One thing lead to another and I kept finding more and more time to ride and sure enough I decided to not only put another cycling season together, but a bigger season than I've ever attempted.

I joined team xXx Athletico after going on a training ride with them in the city. They were strong and they pushed me beyond my abilities, but I got better. They always have a good contingent of riders presented at races which is always good when you're just trying to get introduced into a new cycling scene.

So I mapped out my season - 20 guarenteed races with 13 more in sight.

I set my goals:
1. Upgrade to Cat 2 by season end.
2. Place well in the Chicago Criterium
3. Finish Most/All Races
4. Gain Comfort Riding and Racing in Technical Criteriums Again
5. Increase Cycling Fitness Beyond Last Year
6. Become a USA Cycling Certified Level 3 Coach

And I began racing in the town of Vernon Hills on May 3rd.

Race: Vernon Hills Criterium
Catagory: 3
Length: 1 Mile (45 Minutes +2 Laps)
Description: Gentle corners, wind plays a factor, backstretch is a little thin, slight uphill through the 4th turn, excellent pavement, gutters and sidewalk curbs on straightaways.

We arrived in Vernon Hills and I had little knowledge of where my form was, but presumably had very fresh legs relative to the rest of the field. The race took off as usual and it all pretty much came back to me. At first I found that I was leaving gaps going into corners and I made it a goal during the race to minimize those gaps (when entering a turn - I tended to let the rider in front grab some space on me as I wasn't as comfortable negotiting corners at high speeds as others). But, after about half the race was over I felt completely comfortable nose diving into the corners and finishing them off with some hard pedal strokes to minimize the acceleration/deceleration effect that the common criterium is best known for (and I'm naturally best suited for).

The goal of the race was to just get a feel for racing again and see where I was relative to everyone else. The flow of the race simply was decelerate-enter corner-accelerate-relax-repeat all the while trying to move up in the field when opportunity arose and unfortunately let the natural current of the race bring you to the back of the field. The race went very quick in my mind as there were only a few moments of taking very hard digs to catch up. Every breakaway was sucked in within a lap and everyone seemed content to wait for a field sprint. The last lap of the race came and I made one of my classic whip around the entire field in one straightaway moves on the front stretch. I found myself and several others literally leading the race 4 wide - I realized at this point I was one of the strongest left in the field and thought - why not just try and win this thing. Dave Moyer - a xXx teammate of mine took up the pace on the backstretch and I followed 2nd wheel. Out of turn 3 I jumped and attacked with everything I had gaining a gap on the field. This isn't quite a standard cycling move, but I just felt so good and saw the opportunity. It was less of a decision than an instinct. I just kept it full gas to the end. That "My god, I think I could win this race" thought crept into my mind as I approached the finish line but with a few meters left the pack caught me and I held on for a 4th place finish.

It was an exellent race, very well put together, a great course and relatively safe as there was only one major crash involving about 10 people that I narrowly missed on the backstretch as a guy got run into the gutter by the crosswind effect. I couldn't be happier with the result. It was a great way to start off the season.

Goal 4: Check.

Next Race: May 16th, Monsters of the Midway Criterium