Just a quick update on the 2014 season for the notebook...
Road
I'm calling the road season a success in my book. After having not done an honest crit since my accident at Elk Grove almost four years ago, I was able to hop back in comfortably and finish in the 10-15 range a handful of times (Great Dane 10th, Galena TT 10th, Lincoln Park 13th, Elgin 13th, Monsters 17th). I had a better than expected time and I think I'll stick to the same plan next year: Do the local crits, help teammates achieve their goals, try to do what you can to place well, and build form for track season. I'm closing up the road season after Galena to focus on Track and try to save what energy I'll have for Cross season.
Track
The track season started off really slowly, but has certainly taken off in the last few weeks. I seem to be consistently figuring out how to place 4th or 5th which isn't bad given the level of talent out there. My primary goal for the year was to win a State Championship and on a positive note, Nikos and I were able to take the W in the first Madison of the year hopefully setting up what could be a really nice run at the Madison State title in September. Also, I was able to trade pulls with former US Pro Crit Champion Rahsaan Bahati for a dozen laps or so in the 10 Mile Record race, which was pretty darn cool. I'm enjoying the season so far and just need to continue to figure out how to turn those 4th's and 5th's into W's, but that of course, is what everyone's trying to figure out. Some big races are coming up in the next few weeks including the 100 Lap Points race which I was able to place 5th in last year. Currently sitting in 4th in the P/1/2 ROY standings, definitely looking forward to challenge the rest of the season brings.
Cross
I love track and I really enjoy road, but its June and all I can think about is Cross. That's not good. I suppose I'll catagorize my March Barry-Roubaix AG win in this catagory. I have to figure out for if I want to go after a big result in the 62 mile next year...or...just enjoy doing a tune-up race and drinking a beer afterwards without feeling devastated...hmm...
Oh and Katie has been on fire so far. She won the Elgin 4's, is leading the ROY standings in the 4's at track, has completed a bunch of other races, and is having fun doing it and meeting everyone along the way. She had a little spill at Galena, but is recovering really well and she's hoping to get back out there soon!
Monday, June 23, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
A Nice Winter Run
Ran by the Bobby Cann site this morning, decided to stop and read the poem. It was beautiful.
...
As I woke up this morning, I could feel the sun beating down through the window and the welcoming sound of birds chirping which was a strange but nice gift in February. I could have been convinced that it was a Saturday morning in May but as I checked the weather I was reminded that it was currently 4 degrees with a -3 windchill.
Since it was a little later in the morning, I decided that since I didn't have enough time to spin, but wanted a good workout, I'd run into work, something I usually don't do. Generally, I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy for commuting by bike at all, let alone in the winter, so having people judge you and thinking you're crazy for running in these conditions just sort of rubs off anyways.
It felt great to get out there and run. I played my usual mind trick, convincing my mind into thinking it was just a chilly spring morning and eventually my body convinces itself as well as its warms up from the exercise. Usually in the winter I'm riding by too quickly and too focused to take much in, but it was nice to slowly run by all the rows of buildings that bring the city to life in summer. There were long patches of iced over snow where footprints had been frozen into place. The detail of which the sunlight sparked off them as if they were glass and the carefree nature of running through them in frozen temperatures on your way to a fairly lifeless job...it's at times these fleeting moments that make you feel like your alive.
The high comfort of routine and living a blended-in life suffocates so many people's life experience. To simply wake up, work, watch a sitcom, and go to sleep - rinse, lather, repeat - has to be a major regret in so many people's lives if they are truly aware of their existence. And there's no way I'm not guilty of this as well at times as the challenge of waking up to seize the day, but with a focus on a sustainable future, is at times a tough line to walk. But it's something to always work towards. Adventure is a life requirement.
As I ran by the Bobby Cann site that I often ride by, I finally got the chance to stop and take it in. He was struck on a route that I and thousands of other cyclists have taken home hundreds of times and I think as a Chicago commuter, there's something that we all share, some sort of bond that connects us all. We all see the ghost bikes around town and understand the risks probably moreso than a driver understands the risk they face each time they jump in a car or a pedestrian as they walk through the city. I didn't know Bobby, but I certainly remember the news breaking hitting home. I remember having a track race a day or two after it happened and dedicating the win I had that night to him to myself once I crossed the finish line. There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross that site on a bike and think about it.
I read the poem about him posted at the site, clearly from someone that loved him dearly. It was beautiful.
Anyone who's gone through a Chicago winter can understand how long it is, how down you can get, and how easy it is to let optimism give way to pessimism and lock yourself into a depressing routine. This was the perfect reminder. Cliche or not, life is short. To not take advantage of everything it has to offer is a crime on the greatest gift of all. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Greek poet Pindar, "Life is but a shadow's dream". Not just 'To be' but to experience...to have adventure, to truly take advantage of the infinitely impossible stroke of luck that brought us into existence, is what it means to live.
This was my reminder.
I can't wait for the upcoming season, I can't wait for the spring, I can't wait to live in the best place on Earth in the summer.
But until then, I'm going to have an adventure.
I'm glad I ran in this morning, thanks Bobby.
...
As I woke up this morning, I could feel the sun beating down through the window and the welcoming sound of birds chirping which was a strange but nice gift in February. I could have been convinced that it was a Saturday morning in May but as I checked the weather I was reminded that it was currently 4 degrees with a -3 windchill.
Since it was a little later in the morning, I decided that since I didn't have enough time to spin, but wanted a good workout, I'd run into work, something I usually don't do. Generally, I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy for commuting by bike at all, let alone in the winter, so having people judge you and thinking you're crazy for running in these conditions just sort of rubs off anyways.
It felt great to get out there and run. I played my usual mind trick, convincing my mind into thinking it was just a chilly spring morning and eventually my body convinces itself as well as its warms up from the exercise. Usually in the winter I'm riding by too quickly and too focused to take much in, but it was nice to slowly run by all the rows of buildings that bring the city to life in summer. There were long patches of iced over snow where footprints had been frozen into place. The detail of which the sunlight sparked off them as if they were glass and the carefree nature of running through them in frozen temperatures on your way to a fairly lifeless job...it's at times these fleeting moments that make you feel like your alive.
The high comfort of routine and living a blended-in life suffocates so many people's life experience. To simply wake up, work, watch a sitcom, and go to sleep - rinse, lather, repeat - has to be a major regret in so many people's lives if they are truly aware of their existence. And there's no way I'm not guilty of this as well at times as the challenge of waking up to seize the day, but with a focus on a sustainable future, is at times a tough line to walk. But it's something to always work towards. Adventure is a life requirement.
As I ran by the Bobby Cann site that I often ride by, I finally got the chance to stop and take it in. He was struck on a route that I and thousands of other cyclists have taken home hundreds of times and I think as a Chicago commuter, there's something that we all share, some sort of bond that connects us all. We all see the ghost bikes around town and understand the risks probably moreso than a driver understands the risk they face each time they jump in a car or a pedestrian as they walk through the city. I didn't know Bobby, but I certainly remember the news breaking hitting home. I remember having a track race a day or two after it happened and dedicating the win I had that night to him to myself once I crossed the finish line. There's not a time that goes by that I don't cross that site on a bike and think about it.
I read the poem about him posted at the site, clearly from someone that loved him dearly. It was beautiful.
Anyone who's gone through a Chicago winter can understand how long it is, how down you can get, and how easy it is to let optimism give way to pessimism and lock yourself into a depressing routine. This was the perfect reminder. Cliche or not, life is short. To not take advantage of everything it has to offer is a crime on the greatest gift of all. I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes from the Greek poet Pindar, "Life is but a shadow's dream". Not just 'To be' but to experience...to have adventure, to truly take advantage of the infinitely impossible stroke of luck that brought us into existence, is what it means to live.
This was my reminder.
I can't wait for the upcoming season, I can't wait for the spring, I can't wait to live in the best place on Earth in the summer.
But until then, I'm going to have an adventure.
I'm glad I ran in this morning, thanks Bobby.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Midpoint of the 2013 CX Season
I had no expectations this year for cross. Last year I was pulled from half the races I did and finished very near the back in the rare times the officials didn't spare mercy on me. But it was a fun style of racing and a great way to make the winter feel a whole lot shorter.
...And like the track, I quickly blew my low expectations out of the water...
At Jackson Park, the first Chi Cross Cup race of the season I passed half of the field in route to a 30th place finish. And from there my staging position skyrocketed making it easier to be in a position to actually compete for placings. The next few races of the series I could tell I had a lot more power than most and my technical skills were adequate enough for anything that wasn't really difficult, however I kept putting myself in poor places - whether that be dropping chains, crashing, etc that would shed me from the front group quickly. A bigger takeaway that I've come across is that you want to be up front, you can't make a mistake. You can make excuses all you want, but that's not going to get you a win. Risk mitigate and improve in the areas you can control.
After finishing just outside of the top 10 in a few of the bigger CCC races and knowing that I still hadn't come close to putting together a full race - I knew that if I could manage to hold the front group I could probably compete not just for a good finish, but maybe for the win.
The 7th race of my fall season was in Evanston at the Rhythm and Blues Cyclocross Revue. It was a short course with a lot of laps and few obstacles which suited me really well since I'm still figuring out this sport. I was staged in the second row behind a teammate in a good sized field. The race started and my teammate was having some issues with his ride, I figured it was going to be another bad start and another race of chasing, but pretty quickly I was able to jump around every gap that opened up and by the end of the first lap I had connected with the front group for the first time this season. It appeared there were four or five of us in that lead group with another two to five not terribly far behind. Early on I tried to attack out of the group (track days coming out of me) just to see how strong everyone was and everyone instantly hung onto my wheel. It was a clear indicator that this race was going to stick together until the end. The only hitch was that there were two riders from Rhythm racing in the group, which usually means you're going to have to fend off some attacks. With about four or five to go, there were one or two soft attacks from them, but I was able to cover them quickly and any attempt to go for the win would clearly be on the last lap.
The course was pretty windy that day and I think one of the Rhythm guys was going to try to lead his man out for the win. I had a few outs as I felt like as long as I had good positioning I was going to be able to out-sprint my peers, but also if I attacked, even if I didn't get a gap, I'd still exit the last technical section first and have a good head-start on a sprint. So I was ready and feeling decently good. I noticed in a few of the earlier laps that once we hit the backstretch the pacing seemed to slow up considerably (as it should - the leader was doing a lot of work). As the last lap came, I was fourth wheel entering that backstretch and as soon as I felt the speed begin to slow, I jumped as hard as I could. I figured the leader wasn't going to be able to cover as he was gassed, and the speed at which I moved around the other guys was going to require a pretty good effort as I think they were a bit caught off-guard by the move. By the third turn of this oval shaped course, I looked back and knew I had it as the gap appeared to be about 10 bike lengths. The only thing I had to focus on was keeping the pressure on in the straights and keeping the bike upright through the turns. And it happened.
I won a cross race.
Sort of a surreal moment moving through the finish line posting up. The wins I have on the track never really call for a post-up and I rarely won anything on the road in years past, so this was more or less a bit of a new experience. Thinking back ten months ago I couldn't finish a race, now I've won one against many of the same guys. My goals have changed: as long as I'm in a Category 3 race, I want to approach it to win it...and of course have fun, as I'm confident that's whats gotten me here. I will need a lot of work in the offseason to improve my technical skills, but I know what I need to improve on and will.
Katie's been having a great season too - placed 5th out of more than 20 girls at the Evanston race and consistently has been placing in the top half of her field. It's been a blast to watch and we're having fun with it.
Anyways - the state and regional championships will be here very soon; here's to a good & fun finish to the rest of the season!
...And like the track, I quickly blew my low expectations out of the water...
At Jackson Park, the first Chi Cross Cup race of the season I passed half of the field in route to a 30th place finish. And from there my staging position skyrocketed making it easier to be in a position to actually compete for placings. The next few races of the series I could tell I had a lot more power than most and my technical skills were adequate enough for anything that wasn't really difficult, however I kept putting myself in poor places - whether that be dropping chains, crashing, etc that would shed me from the front group quickly. A bigger takeaway that I've come across is that you want to be up front, you can't make a mistake. You can make excuses all you want, but that's not going to get you a win. Risk mitigate and improve in the areas you can control.
After finishing just outside of the top 10 in a few of the bigger CCC races and knowing that I still hadn't come close to putting together a full race - I knew that if I could manage to hold the front group I could probably compete not just for a good finish, but maybe for the win.
The 7th race of my fall season was in Evanston at the Rhythm and Blues Cyclocross Revue. It was a short course with a lot of laps and few obstacles which suited me really well since I'm still figuring out this sport. I was staged in the second row behind a teammate in a good sized field. The race started and my teammate was having some issues with his ride, I figured it was going to be another bad start and another race of chasing, but pretty quickly I was able to jump around every gap that opened up and by the end of the first lap I had connected with the front group for the first time this season. It appeared there were four or five of us in that lead group with another two to five not terribly far behind. Early on I tried to attack out of the group (track days coming out of me) just to see how strong everyone was and everyone instantly hung onto my wheel. It was a clear indicator that this race was going to stick together until the end. The only hitch was that there were two riders from Rhythm racing in the group, which usually means you're going to have to fend off some attacks. With about four or five to go, there were one or two soft attacks from them, but I was able to cover them quickly and any attempt to go for the win would clearly be on the last lap.
The course was pretty windy that day and I think one of the Rhythm guys was going to try to lead his man out for the win. I had a few outs as I felt like as long as I had good positioning I was going to be able to out-sprint my peers, but also if I attacked, even if I didn't get a gap, I'd still exit the last technical section first and have a good head-start on a sprint. So I was ready and feeling decently good. I noticed in a few of the earlier laps that once we hit the backstretch the pacing seemed to slow up considerably (as it should - the leader was doing a lot of work). As the last lap came, I was fourth wheel entering that backstretch and as soon as I felt the speed begin to slow, I jumped as hard as I could. I figured the leader wasn't going to be able to cover as he was gassed, and the speed at which I moved around the other guys was going to require a pretty good effort as I think they were a bit caught off-guard by the move. By the third turn of this oval shaped course, I looked back and knew I had it as the gap appeared to be about 10 bike lengths. The only thing I had to focus on was keeping the pressure on in the straights and keeping the bike upright through the turns. And it happened.
I won a cross race.
Sort of a surreal moment moving through the finish line posting up. The wins I have on the track never really call for a post-up and I rarely won anything on the road in years past, so this was more or less a bit of a new experience. Thinking back ten months ago I couldn't finish a race, now I've won one against many of the same guys. My goals have changed: as long as I'm in a Category 3 race, I want to approach it to win it...and of course have fun, as I'm confident that's whats gotten me here. I will need a lot of work in the offseason to improve my technical skills, but I know what I need to improve on and will.
Katie's been having a great season too - placed 5th out of more than 20 girls at the Evanston race and consistently has been placing in the top half of her field. It's been a blast to watch and we're having fun with it.
Anyways - the state and regional championships will be here very soon; here's to a good & fun finish to the rest of the season!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Track and other notes to the Summer 2013 season
So I decided to give track another shot after sort of giving up on bike racing a bit a few years back and it ended up being one of the best decisions I've made recently. Not just for the racing itself, but for the great community of people you naturally become involved with.
So, earlier in the year Kuikman had been really persistent about us hitting up the track and eventually convinced me that we should give it a go. It made it a lot easier given that I'd always just gone up to the track alone in prior years; it would be fun to have someone to drive up with, cheer on during their races, and help through the high's and low's of the season. So I said sure, why not, pulled the old Felt track bike out from under the bed, dusted it off (literally), and just hoped that all the pieces still fit together nicely. I went over to YoJimbo's garage and got a bigger chainring, ordered a new sprocket online, put it all together and hoped that I still had some legs from training a bit this past offseason. By the time I stopped track cycling 2 years ago, I wasn't having much success at the Cat 3 level - the racing seemed way faster than at the Cat 4 level and I just didn't adapt well in the few races I did. So going into this the expectations I had for myself weren't high and my only goals for this and the entire season was to have fun and be aggressive on the track.
The first night I'm there it all came back to me and more. Not only was I fast, I was winning and took home the Omnium for the night. The second night ended up being the highlight race of my season - a 100 lap Points race, one of the biggest races of the season and I ended up placing 5th in the 1/2/3 race, but far more importantly, with the help of fellow xXx'er Tom Briney we helped our team's coach Randy Warren take home 1st in the event in a really solid field. The racing over the course of the season was outstanding. Several of my Cat 3 xXx teammates were incredible throughout the year, absolutely deserving credit for several of my results including one of the most well executed last lap blocks by Eric Didrickson that literally gave me an Omnium win in the last race of the night. In total my final tally ended up being 7 individual and 3 Omnium wins for the year including near the end of the season an upgrade to Catagory 2.
It was a great season and as it came to a close last week, it was nice to be able to reflect upon a full season for the first time in awhile, this one feeling far more fulfilling than one's past. Great results obviously were nice, but just being able to approach the season with the goal of having fun instead of just pressuring yourself to win every race. It was nice as I still feel relatively fresh physically and definitely fresh mentally as I'm already looking forward to 2014. It was great getting to know a lot of the people in the community - from other teams and officials, to members of my own team and the organizers at the track...it's just a great place to be.
As for next year, I'd love to win one big race or help a teammate win a really big race, whether that's a State Championship or otherwise, that would be the ultimate race goal - but I think again, the real goal is just to continue to approach it to have fun and everything else will follow.
I also ended up carrying that form into a short Time Trial stint a few weeks ago, placing in the open category 2nd in the State Time Trial Championships and in the P/1/2's 1st in the TTT ABR Championships (which was an incredible event).
Racing for 2013 is far from over though as I'm going to go after Cyclocross which is huge in Chicago. I did a few races really early this year and they were a blast - looking forward to having fun doing those as I'm definitely not going have a quarter of the success that I did at Track, if because of nothing else that I'm staged a mile behind the leaders. Really looking forward to the challenge though.
Until next time...
So, earlier in the year Kuikman had been really persistent about us hitting up the track and eventually convinced me that we should give it a go. It made it a lot easier given that I'd always just gone up to the track alone in prior years; it would be fun to have someone to drive up with, cheer on during their races, and help through the high's and low's of the season. So I said sure, why not, pulled the old Felt track bike out from under the bed, dusted it off (literally), and just hoped that all the pieces still fit together nicely. I went over to YoJimbo's garage and got a bigger chainring, ordered a new sprocket online, put it all together and hoped that I still had some legs from training a bit this past offseason. By the time I stopped track cycling 2 years ago, I wasn't having much success at the Cat 3 level - the racing seemed way faster than at the Cat 4 level and I just didn't adapt well in the few races I did. So going into this the expectations I had for myself weren't high and my only goals for this and the entire season was to have fun and be aggressive on the track.
The first night I'm there it all came back to me and more. Not only was I fast, I was winning and took home the Omnium for the night. The second night ended up being the highlight race of my season - a 100 lap Points race, one of the biggest races of the season and I ended up placing 5th in the 1/2/3 race, but far more importantly, with the help of fellow xXx'er Tom Briney we helped our team's coach Randy Warren take home 1st in the event in a really solid field. The racing over the course of the season was outstanding. Several of my Cat 3 xXx teammates were incredible throughout the year, absolutely deserving credit for several of my results including one of the most well executed last lap blocks by Eric Didrickson that literally gave me an Omnium win in the last race of the night. In total my final tally ended up being 7 individual and 3 Omnium wins for the year including near the end of the season an upgrade to Catagory 2.
It was a great season and as it came to a close last week, it was nice to be able to reflect upon a full season for the first time in awhile, this one feeling far more fulfilling than one's past. Great results obviously were nice, but just being able to approach the season with the goal of having fun instead of just pressuring yourself to win every race. It was nice as I still feel relatively fresh physically and definitely fresh mentally as I'm already looking forward to 2014. It was great getting to know a lot of the people in the community - from other teams and officials, to members of my own team and the organizers at the track...it's just a great place to be.
As for next year, I'd love to win one big race or help a teammate win a really big race, whether that's a State Championship or otherwise, that would be the ultimate race goal - but I think again, the real goal is just to continue to approach it to have fun and everything else will follow.
I also ended up carrying that form into a short Time Trial stint a few weeks ago, placing in the open category 2nd in the State Time Trial Championships and in the P/1/2's 1st in the TTT ABR Championships (which was an incredible event).
Racing for 2013 is far from over though as I'm going to go after Cyclocross which is huge in Chicago. I did a few races really early this year and they were a blast - looking forward to having fun doing those as I'm definitely not going have a quarter of the success that I did at Track, if because of nothing else that I'm staged a mile behind the leaders. Really looking forward to the challenge though.
Until next time...
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Austin Rattler 100K
Austin Rattler
4/13/13
100K MTB Race
So, I decided to try something new and attempt a 100K MTB race seeing as it was going on when I was going to be down in Austin seeing Katie's parents. Going into the race I knew how it would go...my legs would be better than most, my technical skills would be far far worse than most - and that's how the race went. I made up a lot of ground on the first lap before the single track section, but flatted just before it watching what felt like hundreds of people pass me. Just constantly had to remind myself that this was for experience and fun. The second lap went far better, as Katie said I passed something like 100+ people during the lap. I felt far more technically sound and stayed upright for (almost) the whole lap. By the midpoint of lap four I was probably about 75% bonked as nutrition intake riding on a MTB is not surprisingly, very difficult. I finished up, it was fun and good to do, nothing more. I'm not even looking at the results as I'm sure they were embarrassingly poor, but again that's not what this was about. Looking forward to getting out on some trails around Chicago to try and figure out how to maneuver this thing in single track so I can think about racing around here.
4/13/13
100K MTB Race
So, I decided to try something new and attempt a 100K MTB race seeing as it was going on when I was going to be down in Austin seeing Katie's parents. Going into the race I knew how it would go...my legs would be better than most, my technical skills would be far far worse than most - and that's how the race went. I made up a lot of ground on the first lap before the single track section, but flatted just before it watching what felt like hundreds of people pass me. Just constantly had to remind myself that this was for experience and fun. The second lap went far better, as Katie said I passed something like 100+ people during the lap. I felt far more technically sound and stayed upright for (almost) the whole lap. By the midpoint of lap four I was probably about 75% bonked as nutrition intake riding on a MTB is not surprisingly, very difficult. I finished up, it was fun and good to do, nothing more. I'm not even looking at the results as I'm sure they were embarrassingly poor, but again that's not what this was about. Looking forward to getting out on some trails around Chicago to try and figure out how to maneuver this thing in single track so I can think about racing around here.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Barry-Roubaix
Barry-Roubaix
3/23/13
36 Mile Men 11-29
So the goal at this race was just to have fun, get racing again, build some endurance, test it out to see if you still have some race legs, and just generally see where you're at. The start of the race went well, I easily moved up to the first line of a few riders and could tell I was one of the 3-5 strongest guys in the field. The course had some rolling to uphill terrain, a lot of snow, a lot of ice sections where there really was only one way to negotiate the trail (just respect it and you won't crash)...but truly the only part that really threw you a bit were the deep divots throughout the hard-packed gravel sections as it was really impossible to predict a good line and the result was quite the waterbottle graveyard. Regardless, the race pretty much went like this for me: ride at the front, dropped chain, pace myself back, dropped chain, pace myself back, dropped chain, dropped chain, snapped chain, jump in a nice person's truck and drive back to Hastings. Not a big deal, I had fun, I knew I had it, it's just time to find a real cross bike for the fall and have some fun on it. The trip was a blast though. Katie did it, which was her first bike race in nearly 5 years...and ended up getting 2nd in her age group! Definitely far more rewarding to experience than any win or podium I've had. Plus, we hit up the Founders brew tent afterwards and then went to Bells Brewery in Kalamazoo. Pretty tough 24 hours to beat in my book.
Next up - Austin Rattler - 4/13/13
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Afterglow CX
The Afterglow (CX)
12/15/12
Cat 3
It's raining, it's cold and I'm about to race my bike...this is everything I signed up for, a classic Belgian setting. There were several things I needed to work on from Montrose and before the race I was really honing in on working through these. Really quickly getting on and off the bike, working with clipping in quickly, carrying the bike properly, etc.
I started off in the back out of respect for everyone else. I knew it would instantly be a detriment in putting up any respectable placing, but again, I'm here to learn and have fun. The course was friggin awesome: slippery, muddy, wet, rainy - a lot of turns and twists, a really neat setup. I started off way behind everyone else as I was having issues clipping in from the gun, but after that, I was able to pick it up a bit. I'd eye someone up the road and pick them off on the nearest straightaway as I quickly came to recognize that my road speed from years past proved helpful. As each lap went by, the course became more and more slippery and it tested my bike handling skills to an extreme. Even though I crashed about 5x, I think by the end of the day, I learned a ton about how to handle it in sketchy situations, which was the biggest takeaway from the day. That and having a ton of fun. I spent a solid 2.5 hours Sunday morning cleaning the bike off...and its still pretty dirty. Great day, great race, I did much better than two weeks ago, and I look forward to doing it again and doing it well here next year. Definately among the most fun days I've had on a bike in recent memory.
12/15/12
Cat 3
It's raining, it's cold and I'm about to race my bike...this is everything I signed up for, a classic Belgian setting. There were several things I needed to work on from Montrose and before the race I was really honing in on working through these. Really quickly getting on and off the bike, working with clipping in quickly, carrying the bike properly, etc.
I started off in the back out of respect for everyone else. I knew it would instantly be a detriment in putting up any respectable placing, but again, I'm here to learn and have fun. The course was friggin awesome: slippery, muddy, wet, rainy - a lot of turns and twists, a really neat setup. I started off way behind everyone else as I was having issues clipping in from the gun, but after that, I was able to pick it up a bit. I'd eye someone up the road and pick them off on the nearest straightaway as I quickly came to recognize that my road speed from years past proved helpful. As each lap went by, the course became more and more slippery and it tested my bike handling skills to an extreme. Even though I crashed about 5x, I think by the end of the day, I learned a ton about how to handle it in sketchy situations, which was the biggest takeaway from the day. That and having a ton of fun. I spent a solid 2.5 hours Sunday morning cleaning the bike off...and its still pretty dirty. Great day, great race, I did much better than two weeks ago, and I look forward to doing it again and doing it well here next year. Definately among the most fun days I've had on a bike in recent memory.
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