Marymoor Grand Prix

The last set of races was an Omnium up in Seattle at the Marymoor Grand Prix. Many talented riders showed up, but not quite at the caliber of TTown or Colorado Springs. I was excited about this one. The track mirrors Northbrook pretty well, I was feeling well rested and trained after those long stints, and most of all – we were at sea level, I could breathe. If anyone’s not familiar with the format of a UCI omnium, it’s a series of six events over two days (Scratch, Individual Pursuit, Elimination, Kilo, Flying Lap, Points Race) where you’re awarded points based on how you finish (1^st – 40, 2^nd – 38, etc). The last race of the sequence is a 40k Points Race where you simply add (or subtract) to your point total based on the points race itself. The Scratch Race went off and I missed the move late but ended up fine for points placing 6^th and same with the Elimination as I placed 5^th not losing hardly any ground to the leaders. What shocked me most were the individual events as I broke out a bit and finished really well in each - Individual Pursuit (3^rd), Kilo (4^th), and the Flying Lap (2^nd). I positioned myself in 4^th heading into the Points Race not too far off a podium spot. Even though the caliber of racers ahead of me was really impressive, I figured I’d try to go for it and see if I couldn’t get on the podium rather than consolidate and hold onto a Top 5 position. As the race went on, me and the other podium riders (who couldn’t catch the guy in first) all were marking each other hard to stay on the podium. The only catch was we couldn’t mark everyone and the guys sitting in 5^th and 6^th ended up having phenomenal races and leapfrogged all of us in the standings. Had I not let the guys in 5^th or 6^th go, I would have certainly finished Top 5 rather than sixth, but I’d have probably kicked myself for not going for the podium. Also, simply being ‘racey’ against guys of that caliber is a learning experience in and of itself. Mixed emotions on the finish but a race that I had an outstanding time at and will definitely look to do again. Lessons learned 1) strategy is huge in omniums and since so many points are out there in the points race, it’s never over for anyone 2) success at this level is sort of possible, and 3) maybe I should just be a sprinter, riding 2 to 6 laps at a time seems a whole lot easier.

Katie and I also got to enjoy a few days in and around Seattle. We hiked around a nice park near where we stayed at the track. We went out one night to an awesome cocktail bar called Canon and also checked out the Pikes Place Market for a few hours. The Pacific Northwest is nice. I think we’re going to put this one on the calendar again next year.

What's Up Next? 7/19 Edition

The meat of the season is upon us! Only a few more weeks of racing this year and its all over.

7/19 - Illinois State Road Race Championships (Chicago, IL)

7/24-25 - Marymoor Grand Prix (Redmond, WA)

I'm approaching the road race today as simply a good workout to get ready for the rest of the season as I've taken a nice mental week & weekend that hasn't set me up well for it. Looking forward to the Omnium at Marymoor and seeing if I can't improve upon how I did at CO Springs.

The specific schedule for next weekend's omnium is: 

Friday Morning: Scratch Race, Individual Pursuit

Friday Evening: Elimination Race

Saturday Morning: Kilo, Flying Lap

Saturday Evening: Points Race

UCI Racing in Colorado Springs

Well that was one heck of a trip and probably the toughest full week of racing I've ever done. We drove out on Wednesday morning and made it straight through to our hotel which was ended up being a decent spot for a week as it had a little kitchen in it where Katie cooked some really nice meals for us. The velodrome was roughly a 15 minute drive from where we were with a nice view of the mountains the entire way. The weather would prove to be dicey all week causing delays and reschedules which made it tough to prep for warm-up, cool-down, etc but they did a nice job of getting revised schedules out quickly to everyone. Besides the racing, Katie and I were able to go on a few nice gravel rides on the Sante Fe trail which was a lot of fun. We also rode up and around the Garden of the Gods and also spent one afternoon hiking around it which was a nice reprieve from the racing. We also ate at a pretty good barbeque spot for lunch one day and then went out to a place called Phantom Brewing to celebrate the week on Friday night. On Saturday night we stayed at Jason and Carol Porter's place and enjoyed a fantastic meal on their gorgeous patio which was a great cap to the week before driving home on Sunday. Anyways, the racing proved to be brutally hard. It seemed to be a who's who of track cycling in the Americas as there were Olympians, World Champions, National Champions, guys that finished the Giro this year all in a fairly international field (I think 7 countries were represented). The week would prove to have a lot of up and downs but I've come home faster and better for it.

Independence Day GP
The Independence Day GP was simply a Madison and a 90 lap Points race for us. The Madison was rained out on Friday and rescheduled for Saturday morning. Nikos and I weren't super ready for this and got beat up pretty bad in the event. We started off slow and weren't super comfortable thorughout the first part of the race. By the end of the event we both got significantly better and probably would have done better in the event had we been that consistent throughout. Oh well, we finished 8th of 10 and got the most technical of the races out of the way. I felt absolutely disasterous throughout the effort as the altitude was clearly getting to me.

At night was the UCI 30k Points Race (90 Laps). This race ended up being the hardest thing I've ever done given my state of non-acclimation. At 75 laps I looked up and thought there was no way I was finishing this thing. I just kept hanging in lap after lap and somehow managed to get across the line which was better than much of the field could say as I finished 19th of 33. The best part of the day though was relaxing and watching the Colorado Springs fireworks show with the Hesserts after the race which was literally in the park adjacent to the velodrome. The mountain top backdrop was spectacular and we just enjoyed a few bites and a few drinks. I was rather satisfied with having simply finished and this was an incredible and unique way to end the day. It reminded me of doing the Soldier Field Crits on Wednesdays in the city years ago as you'd finish, feel crushed, and then ride home as the firework show went off. That kind of surreal feeling of having done something crazy hard and then watching fireworks with the rest of the world was nice to recapture.

U.S. Grand Prix of Colorado Springs
The midweek races consisteted of a UCI omnium which included (in order) a scratch race, individual pursuit, elimination race, kilo, flying lap, and then a points race where riders accumlate points by finishing order up until the points race where they can earn or lose points in the same manner as any points race. I had an awful scratch race, an even worse pursuit (5:11), and a rather poor elimination race which really kicked this event off on the wrong foot. The next day I feel like something turned. I didn't feel quite as awful and lined up for the Kilo. I felt rather decent throughout the event and turned in the 12th fastest time. The flying lap was next and I got 13th. The Points Race due to weather got pushed back until the next day. I was petrified of it given that it was 120 laps and the 90 lap event was so hard on me. I raced it super conservatively and felt outstanding. With about 30 laps to go, feeling pretty good, I just soaked up the situation. The guy in front of me was our Olympic representative the last 2 times, the guy to my right was in the Giro d'Italia this year, the guy to my left was a National Champion last year, the guy behind me is leading the National Track Calendar...and I felt great. With about 10 to go I uncorked it a bit and just started driving pace when I had the opportunity. I ended up finishing the omnium in 15th place which was a decent salvage. It certainly made me hungrier for Marymoor's omnium coming up in a week and a half. After Thursday's race we had dinner over at the Hessert's which was excellent as they cooked up a nice meal for us.

U.S. Vic Williams Memorial Grand Prix
The final races of the week were an Individual Pursuit and 90 Lap Points race on Friday and a 45 Lap Scratch Race on Saturday night. I started warming up trying to figure out pacing for the IP as my pacing was just horrendous for my earlier one in the week. Katie timed me and I was throwing down 24's-26's trying to dial in an effort that wasn't too hard too quick (my first pursuit went something like 22, 22, 24, 25, 25, 26, 26, 26, etc. which was a substantial blow up. I put it in a bigger gear and went off just trying to turn it over consistently. First full lap goes by and I hear '2.2' meaning I just went through in 22.2 seconds, another super hot start. The next lap went by and I heard about the same thing. I decided to just keep the pedal down since it felt consistent instead of going off the pace and then trying to turn something over that didn't feel as natural. Luckily the next few laps were in the 23's and I really didn't start creeping up into the 24's and 25's until the end. I crossed the line in 4:55 which was a PR for me, super thrilled about it as it confirmed that my 5:11 was a fluke. The Points Race was just super hard again. I ended up 14th this time, but just didn't quite have it. The Scratch Race on Saturday night was fun. I made the select group but got gapped off with 3 to go when the rider in front of me couldn't hold pace. I ended up 7th in the race and felt great at the end - a good sign for the rest of the year - especially nationals when most of these guys can't come as they're from other countries.

It was a good trip for experience. Glad to have TTown and CO Springs behind us as I'm really looking forward to Marymoor and Nationals. Yay for rest weeks - the amount I've already accomplished since being home is so nice.

Until next time.

Downer Ave & Tomasz Pac 100 Lap Race

The Tomasz Pac 100 Lap race was last Thursday which is a race I won last year and helped Randy win two years ago, so needless to say our team's done very well here. Nikos and Johnny got off the front real early and were able to hover at the back of the field for the majority of the race. As they got off the front, I went to the front of the peloton and set false tempo and just watched the gap grow from a quarter lap to three quarters of a lap incredibly quickly. I tried to get off the front probably a dozen times during the race after that but no one was going to let me go. Johnny ended up winning which is a great first big win for him and the third year in a row our team has won that event. It's nice to have won it once because I don't feel like I 'need' to win it anymore.

I went up to Milwaukee on Saturday for the Downer Ave Criterium which is part of the Tour of the America's Dairyland Series, one of the major racing series held throughout the summer in United States. The field was incredible. Daniel Holloway, probably the best criterium racer in the county was there with his team, Rashaan Bahati was there, a former national criterium champion, Jack Bobridge was there - a stage winner of the Tour Down Under earlier this year, as well as a lot of local pro teams and high caliber guys. The crowd seemed lined 2 deep the entire course, it was the most electric atmosphere I've raced in in awhile, such a cool experience. I felt great the whole race, never under pressure at all. With 2 to go I was in a great spot, with several of the who's who in the race right in front of me but entering the first turn of the last lap someone directly in front of me had to get on there brakes which caused me to have to as well and I lost a dozen spots. From there it was just a matter of hanging on which was good enough for 30th. Really cool race and I'll definitely do it again next year.

Tomorrow we're driving out to Colorado Springs for the week of UCI/NTC racing. Looks to be about a race a day so hopefully it'll be a fairly relaxing trip otherwise.

Festival of Speed & the Red Robin Finals

The two UCI & NTC races over the weekend were at Trexlertown (Festival of Speed on Friday, Red Robin Finals on Saturday) and drew an incredibly talented field to the velodrome. It seemed like looking around half the field had olympic, world championship, world cup, national championship palmares to their resumes. The major race on Friday was a 72 lap points race with sprints every 6 laps. I was able to steal a few points early when I was positioned well. Unfortunately, after I grabbed some points a serious move attacked which I was in no position to follow after having given a good effort and that move ended up lapping the field. Its a tough game to try to figure out what to do - if you don't take points anywhere you won't place well, but if you go after points and a big move goes, you will miss out on a great result. The race ended up being what I'd consider the hardest race I've ever done. With about 30 laps to go I was just trying to hang on and find points where I could relax. I ended up 12th in the event of about 30 guys and I believe the 6th American. Good experience.

With a big rainstorm quickly approaching the race organizers decided to move the important races to earlier in the day, starting them at 4:00pm instead of 7:30pm. This was incredibly good news for Katie and I as we cancelled our hotel in TTown and figured we'd just drive as far as we could after the races ended - we just had to hope we actually got them in otherwise they'd be rescheduled for tomorrow. Anyways I felt really tired for these races and just didn't have a whole lot of gusto for them. I finished 13th in the UCI scratch race which wasn't terrible, I just probably could have done better if I was 'on it'. Great experience racing in that caliber of field and glad to have gotten the races in. We were able to make it to Cleveland on Saturday night and were home midday Sunday. Looking forward to being home a little while!

Midweek Racing out East

Two track cycling events were held midweek - a Pro-Am at Trexlertown and the Summer Solstice track event held at the Wall Velodrome in New Jersey not terribly far from where I was staying. The Pro-Am had just about the same level of competition as the weekend races as many riders who flew in internationally for the week (who had probably nothing else to do during the week in TTown) showed up for a little track racing on Tuesday night. The night went relatively well as I placed 4th, 5th, and 7th in the three races I did. But the most fun I had was on the last race of the night which was a 50 lap Madison. I was able to find a partner and had a blast using the banking to get up to speed quickly and sling him in and out. We didn't do super well, but it was good experience.

On Wednesday I traveled down to the Wall Velodrome to check out another track. It's short-track auto racing track that certainly has its drawbacks for cyclists, but is otherwise a fine venue for a spot race here or there. I won all the races during the evening and had a good time sitting in the stands watching the other races with Katie and Rick (her Uncle). It was nice to also remember that you're not terrible at this sport after the challenges that racing with some of the best guys internationally pose. Fun time and they even gave me some martini glasses for winning! Worth it.

Fastest Man on Wheels

Tonight was another big Class 2 UCI event in Trexlertown called the "Fastest Man on Wheels". Katie and I made the drive out from Chicago on Thursday, stayed in Penn State in a surprisingly nice hotel from hotwire, and finished the drive out Friday morning.

It was blazing hot during the day and just before the race the heavens opened and a nice lightning storm hit. The track in TTown, unlike the track in Northbrook, dries up in about 30 minutes which was incredible. Racing started only a few minutes behind schedule.

The main event for the night was the 24km (72 lap) UCI Points Race with sprints every 6 laps. I put on a 49x13 and it was butter for the event (thanks to Marcus at YoJimbos for letting me borrow). I tried to conserve energy and I think it was for the best as I was fairly cross-eyed by the end of the race. However, I made the breakaway move of about 9 riders that stayed away until the end. I sprinted when I was in good position and let the points go when I was out of position. I finished the race good enough for 9th which means I scored a few UCI and NTC points. I also grabbed a 6th and 7th in the Super Sprint Elimination and the 5km Scratch Race at the end of the night.

Good night of racing and looking forward to spending the day in Philadelphia today with Katie walking around and sweating it out in the 90 degree heat.