Steamboat Springs Training

Spending time in Steamboat Springs this week visting my parents with Mira and of course training.

Day 1

Easy out and back along river road, still recovering from the Tahoe Solstice weekend.





Day 2

Riding with the family on the Yampa River Core trail. Mira and I sporting the tandem cruiser.





Day 2 evening

Racing the Steamboat Springs town challenge MTB hill climb. 2000' feet in 4.5 miles staring at 7000' and ending at 9000'. About 1/2 up I faded off the back of my group, 40+ local MTB experts, finishing a good 6 minutes off the wining pace to finish 12 out of 16th. My time was 49.26. Tough effort !, but rewarded with 2000' of single track downhill.





Day 3

Around emerald mtn loop, 2 hours of steady state.

Solstice Weekend in Tahoe

My good friend and very fast MTB racer Sharon Hill organized a Tahoe camping/riding trip over Solstice weekend.

Day 1

After a slow morning with a few unexpected hassles we got underway and met up with Tahoe local Mario, who had two rides and a shuttle service set up for us. Ride #1 was a shuttle ride up to a point above Diamond Peak Ski Area, and a wicked fast and smooth 30 minute downhill. Ride #2 was a shuttle ride up to Rose Meadows and a ride out along the Tahoe Rim trail and down tunnel trail to lakeside.

Day 2 (Solstice)

For day 2 our group split up with the Storm Trooper downhillers, Sharon and Jim heading to North Star for a day for lifts and rips, while the Jedi cross country riders guided by Monica set out on 5 hour epic ride. Starting at Squaw Valley the Jedi's crossed 89 and rode up Western States trail to the top of Watson peak, for a 40 minute winding and smooth single-track downhill back to 89.

Maker Faire

Yesterday Mira and I attending the Maker Faire.

Mt Hamilton Road Race (long post for a long race)

Yesterday I raced the Mt Hamilton road race. It is the probably the toughest race on the norcal road racing calender at 60 miles and over 7000' of climbing. The race starts with about 1 hour of climbing which crests at the top of Mt. Hamilton. Following that the race starts to get hard !; with 40 miles of technical descents, short punchy climbs, rollers, canyon induced headwinds, finishing with a fast long descent and a short uphill sprint.

My goal was to stay with the lead group up the climb to the top and hang in for the rest. For several days leading up to the race I was suffering back and neck tightness so coming into the morning I was a little concerned about finishing.

Fortunately the pace started out relatively easy and I was able to warm up the back before the pace picked up. One rider went off the front early but there was no immediate reaction, big difference here between the 35+ field and last years 4s where all the early attacks brought immediate reactions. The field was large at 100 registered riders so during the first climb I focused on working my way up in the pack and was 4th wheel as we descended to the base of big climb.

Knowing the climb better was a big help this year and although I wasn't able to with the lead group all the way up I made it much farther and counted 15 riders in the group when I eased off and let them go. I found a good rhythm and worked on reeling in some riders. It wasn't long before I caught a Wells Fargo rider, I urged him to join and keep up, we passed a rider in our field with a flat, then caught a WebCor rider. Now our group was 3 near the top we caught a Davis rider, to make 4. A good size to work togther for the next 40 odd miles.

I led down the descent and soon had a gap. A few turns later a rider calmly called for room and the two lead e4s (they started 10 mins after us). Not long after a not so calm rider called for room passed me and on the very next corner slid out right in front of me. I was able to avoid him and slowed down to let several more e4s including the Davis rider from my field pass me. He promptly slids out in front of me, again I avoid crashing, but am a little rattled so I'm constantly checking behind me to see what other numnut is going to over cook it trying to get by me ! Big sigh of relief and I'm at the bottom and in a group of 4; Davis recovered from the crash, Webcor, and PenVelo.

We get in a pace line and start working together. Davis seemed a little out of it from his crash and before long has a mechanical and we are down to three. We are working well together I'm feeling good and pushing it a bit on the climbs. At about 20 miles to go we come across another PenVelo rider and he joins up. I'm a little nervous about getting caught and not really thinking about the lead group so I push the pace up the last series of climbs get a gap but ease off near the top so we can work together on the descent.

The headwind gets fierce through the canyon and I'm really happy for the help, we are all continuing to take solid turns but I'm starting to feel tired. I don't remember the race being this long !, the long descent is full into a stiff wind so its not much of a descent. Finally we clear out of the canyon and see a group up the road, we work together and what do you know but its a group of 6 riders from our field.

They looked pretty ragged and fearing more crashing I go to the front and pick up the pace. Right at this point I start to cramp but swallow hard, yell a bit and manage to hold it together. PenVelo comes up along with a Roaring Mouse rider. PenVelo attacks but I make no move to chase, finally Roaring Mouse goes to chase and I follow his wheel. Once we catch him his teammate attacks, this time I jump on him. At this point we've gapped off a few riders and roll down to the flat in a group of 6. At 1k to go I ease off to the back, figuring either of the two PenVelo or maybe Roaring Mouse to be the strongest. Wait, wait, wait... at 250k to go I jump and yell for room as I go around. At this point I'm all out and cramping to boot. I see Roaring Mouse come up but fade, than a PennVelo comes up, my legs start to give and he nips me.

Later I find out that our we were sprinting for 9th and 10th. A 10th place finish is a great result in this race so I'm pleased particularly since I earned it with a sprint finish.

Mira's Middle School Open House

Last week was Mira's middle school open house. She gave her dad a tour of each of her classes, including her locker and introduced him to each of her favorite teachers, expect for her science teacher who apparently is not her on her "fav" list.

Click on the photos for a closer view.

Mira's Locker




Herme's Project









Literature




Mira's Future Life

Wente Road Race

This past Saturday was the Wente Road Race. Considering my recent road racing disappointments my goals were modest; make the selection !

This course is not really suited for pure climbers but there is a generous amount of power climbing on each lap. The race started out hard with a sprint up the first climb to the start/finish as there were prices for the top 3 on the first go around. It really hurt to stay up near the leaders. Going into the next climb there was 10 of us away but as it was straight into a moderate headwind, there was no attempt to stay away and the race came back together. This scenario replayed on every climb for the next two laps, where 10-15 riders would go hard and get away only to stall in the headwinds and be brought back. Boring but predictable. I made sure to stay tucked in always and got in the lead group on the climbs.

I thought on the last lap (3rd) things might get interesting on the climbs but it was more of the same. The Cat 3s caught and passed us near the top and as the group came back together on the flats I figured it was going to be a group sprint up the last hill. Than something actually happened, going up the short riser on the way back to the start/finish we caught back up and started to pass the 3s ? In the confusion a group of 4 riders got away, damn ! At least 3 of the riders I had been marking during the race were in that group, damn ! damn ! I got up near the front and riders were looking at each other so I hit the gas to bridge. Nobody got on my wheel, good !, but it took a long time and a lot of effort to make it, but make it I did, great ! Well as soon as I got there my presence seemed to cause the group to shutdown, huh !

I think looking back on it if I had gone right to the front of the lead group and started pulling, maybe they would have continued to work together. No such luck so back together we go, than another attack goes with a Z-team rider and some really big Oakland ? rider. This stays away for a bit, and at this point I'm near the front taking some turns looking for another bridging opportunity, yeah I didn't like my chances in the uphill sprint :-) Nothing comes of this I'm burning some matches.

Just before the final climb the group catches the two leaders and we all go hard. I blow up about 1/2 up and roll in somewhere in the top 20. Overall a good race and one where I felt stronger as the race progressed.

Racing on the Bay

Yesterday I traded my road racing cleats for the old sailing boots in the closet. The wind was unusually light but the course was picturesque as we started near the north tower of the Golden Gate bridge. The first mark was directly across the channel, we never made it as the breeze failed to fill in and we were forced to abandon the race. Not the most exciting afternoon on the water but good to get out nonetheless.

The weather was too good to pass up so later in the early evening I got out for a stunning training ride in the headlands.

Big Wheel Races on Easter

On Easter Sunday Mira and I went to check out the annual "Big Wheel Race" down San Francisco's Vermont Street, the official and little know windiest street in the city.

Pictures tell more than I can described. Although it was tough for us to see, Mira thought it was pretty cool.

Copperopolis

Lots of riders seem to live in fear of this race. I love it although I'm perennially disappointed in my result. This year would be no different.

Either as result of the "Lance" factor or a slow economy, maybe both, but the masters fields were twice as big as last year and most of the riders look super fit and ready to rumble. The race started much faster this year and I got gapped near the top of the first climb. I was able to chase back with a small group to rejoin the lead group or what I thought was the lead group. No one seemed to know how many riders were up the road or at least weren't saying ? It was hard to see as we were catching a large
group of 3s who were on their last lap.

Again on the 2nd lap I got gapped on the climb, this time there was no catching back on. I rode alone for a while until a group of 3 came up from behind. We worked
together around the last lap, i was able to get away from this group on the descent and rolled across for a mid-pack finish. I felt good at times but didn't have the top end to stay in it when it counted.

I need to put in more work to get competitive with the top guys but I feel like I'm making progress.

Here's a picture of Levi who raced in the pro field.

Napa Valley Dirt Classic

Yesterday was my first mountain bike race in the expert class at the always fun Napa Valley Dirt Classic course. I had won this race in my sport class last year so I was looking forward to a good showing. I figured this time the pace would start out hotter, so my goal was to try to hang with the lead group and just survive.

The pace was fierce from the start and I was seventh wheel into the short single track section that comes 200 meters from the uphill start. The rider in front let a gap go and that was it for the lead group. After the short but brutal run-up we came into the long flat dirt sections into a fairly strong head wind. Luckily at this point I was in a group of 3 so I was able to keep out of the wind and get some drafting in. Staying with this group (first chase group) kept me close to my limit, at after the whoop de dos this group split. Fortunately the rider with kept a good pace up through the entire Manzanita single track section.

I kept up a good pace, remembering to eat and drink, all was good until we started the brutal back-end climbs. At this point the race came back together some as I was now in a group of 4 in my class. Unfortunately I didn't have the climbing legs at this point and I wasn't able to keep pace. I throw it all in after the climbs for a 5 minute time trial which really hurt !, to roll across 10th. I'm happy with my finish, but I feel like I'm a little behind in my training from last year.

It was a fun day as I was joined by teammates Anthony (who won his class !) and Antonio, along with fellow powder hound Todd. Thanks for an awesome days guys !

This should help with next weeks Nor Cal Classics Road race. Copperopolis !

Racing in Brisbane

My road season started off this past weekend in Brisbane, CA. One of the many reasons I enjoy this race it is a 10 minute drive from my apartment.

Saturday - Criterium

I'm never properly trained for this aggressive criterium but it is great training. I wasn't aggressive enough today and spent too much time near the back. About 1/2 through the race I got caught behind a crash, spent an entire lap chasing back onto the group, only to get caught behind another crash ! After that I was too spent to get back and dropped out.

Sunday - Circuit Race

This was the first road race i ever did, what 4 years ago, yikes! Its got a nice long steady climb in every lap that overtime puts the hurt on. I spent the first 1/2 of the race safely tucked in the group, but never falling farther back then the top half. At 5 to go I started moving up and started take some short turns at the front as the group made a half-hearted attempt to bring back a rider that had been up the road for most of the race. None of the teams with representation were making much of an effort. On the descent with 4 laps to go and again with 2 to go I made an effort to go off the front to see if anyone would join. Nobody did so I didn't follow these through with an attack up the hill. After this last attempt as I let riders pulled through I stupidly mis-shifted my chain right off the ring ! One again that was it for me, although at least I finished this one.

Although I didn't get a chance for a result in either race, i was racing well on Sunday and the legs felt good. Hoping that this bodes well for my chances in my upcoming races.

Here's a video from one of the other races on Saturday. Not my class but this gives you the general idea.

Cross Season Close Out

This past weekend I closed out my cyclocross season with a double shot of racing.

Saturday

The Sacramento series final was held on Saturday on a cold and blustery day at Sutters Landing an area of some historical significance. One half of the course was a straight section of gravel while the other half was fun single track with some sharp run-ups.

All the As started together which made for some mayhem on the first lap in the single-track section. It was a slow first lap as I waited for some open sections of course to move up. By lap 2 I was in the clear and moved up steadily along with a Davis rider. With 3 laps to go Davis and I had latched onto a group of 4, however at the start of the single-track section I bobbled and a gap formed. By the next lap the group had split at it was all I go do to hang onto the rider right in front. I rolled in to finish 8th in the combined group of 30, 3rd in my class (35+). Not a particularly inspirational race but fun nonetheless and a good result.

Sunday

Sunday brought my first race of the season in the Santa Cruz area at the always exciting Santa Cruz fairgrounds. The conditions and race course did not disappoint as the recent rains made for a challenging and fun course. I got off to an excellent and fast start in a good size and very deep 45+ A field. Unfortunately a series of bobbles on lap 1 set me back into the field.



However I was going very well and I steadily work my way back up. With 3 laps to go I had caught up to a group of 2 that had been setting pace together for most the race, unfortunately a 35+ rider missed the steep ride up just ahead of me and cost me the chance to bridge on that lap. With 2 to go I again caught up to the 2 riders just before the steep ride up but again just as we caught a 35+ rider. It was Deja Vu as again that rider bobbled ahead of me costing me the chance to catch them for good ! Surely I should have seen that coming and backed off a bit.



I stormed across the line to finish 9th out of 24 for one of my better efforts of the season. Great to finish it on a high note.

Portland Grand Prix

This past weekend I headed up to Portland for my annual mud pilgrimage. I made sure to get lots of sleep the week leading up to the race as the week before I had been too ill to race. The travel up on Friday went smooth and Alaskan Airlines gave me no hassles about the bike case being too heavy.

Day 1

Day 1 started off in the low 50s and sunshine ! The course today was a real mix; smooth grass, tacky dirt, tacky mud, along with a deep muddy stretch through the BMX course. Based on Anthony's advice I went with 32 psi in both tires and 35 in my pit bike which was running slightly thinner tires at 30 cm.

I was determined not to let this freakishly good weather throw me off as I went about my pre-race preparations :-). There was momentary panic when my tubulars seemed to inexplicably loose their ability to hold air pressure ! I was about ready to pull out the latex syringe before I realized that it was the temperature difference from the basement they had spent the night in and the outside air, phew ! Back to it with a decent warm-up and off to the staging area.

I had been given #21 and I was hoping that in past years your number gave your starting position. Sure enough I was called up in the 3rd row !, with 82 racers that was a big boost.




Photo Courtesy of Tim Gaperak
Copyright Tim Gasperak



I got off to an excellent start and red-lined it to stay in the top 15 for most of the first lap. Eventually this pace got to me and I started to fade. I was riding smooth and fast through most of the course except for a particular boggy section that I found faster to run. However I just couldn't quite hold the wheels of the racers around me as I lost about 1 rider per lap. The race seemed to go forever !. On the last lap my legs found some power and I started catching the rider just ahead. I came onto the finishing straight on his wheel and out sprinted him to finish 23rd ! For my best USGP result.

Day 1 ended with a red sky and whispers of rain the next day, yeah !

Day 2

Day 2 started warmer, high 50s, under overcast skies. An hour before my race the skies opened up and it started to pour. I was really looking forward to this race as I knew it would be an absolute mud-fest ! The course had been changed slightly to add a nasty sharp run-up and more of the muddy BMX course. I stuck with the same psi as the day before 32 front and rear, not confident enough to ride with much lower.



Yesterdays good result kept me in a 3rd row starting position. For some reason the race started 15 minutes late which kept us all shivering in the pouring rain and somewhat cold going into the race. This is the suffering that I look forward to every year :-). I initially got off to a clean if not super-fast start. As soon as we got off the starting straight a few riders just totally lost their front wheels and I was lucky to get by.



The course was super-slick and there was lots of standing water. I barreled into a large section of standing water just before the run-up when my wheel caught a rut and launched my completely over the tape. Damn ! By the time I had untangled myself I was dead last over the run up ! Oh well, these are my conditions and I set about climbing back from the bottom. Today was I feeling really good and by the end of the 2nd lap I had climbed back into around 40th. I was riding the course well, dodging the fallen riders, making sure to de-weight my front wheel through the rutty mud-bogs, cleaning the slick corners. I continued to steadily pass riders through out the race, running certain sections helped. I had a great cheering section of some local friends which definitely helped me go full out.




Photo Courtesy of Tim Gaperak
Copyright Tim Gasperak



By the last lap I had two riders in my sights that i would later find out represented a top-thirty finish. I got a little too aggressive on an off-camber section and slid out, for like 15 feet and ended up loosing one rider, to finish 33rd. Although not my best finish this was for sure my strongest and most fun race of the season.



All in all a great Portland weekend. Thanks to Maureen, Bobby, Ken, Jake, Max, and Ray for coming out and cheering my on throughout the weekend. Special thanks to Ray and Jeff for setting me up with a place to stay !

Bumper cars under the lights

Two weekends ago the local cyclocross scene for the first time switched to a night race. It was somewhat disconcerting loading up the car and picking up a teammate as the sun was going down. It was hard not to get more excited than usual as we entered the venue and saw racers battling it out under the lights.



A big crowd had come up to cheer us on. After a solid warm-up (yes it is important for me), and an excellent start I had the best effort of the season on the short, fast and well lit course. Some friends (thanks Willem and Anna) yelling at me on every lap helped loads !

I had a few problems early in the race and again near the end getting tangled up with lapped riders otherwise I would have finally achieved my sought after top-ten finish. I ended up with a 12th, only 1:18 back from the winner so all in all an excellent race.

This Sunday is the annual Golden Gate Park race which is always fun and well attended by racers and spectators. Next weekend I travel up to Portland for the Grand Prix races in what is usually epic cross conditions.

The cross season is drawing to a close, time for mid-week recovery rides and putting the throttle all the way down on the weekend races.

Over the Mountains and Back

This past weekend two teammates, Matt, Gabe, and I left SF before dawn on Saturday to drive up to Reno for the first race of a cyclocross double-header weekend. The weather was cloudy and a little threatening, but the views driving over the Sierras were awesome !



The Reno course was a fun mix of sand trap, grass switch backs, fast dirt, and brutal 40' foot runup that started with a 2' high barrier !

Matt started off the day with an excellent effort in the Bs race to finish just off the podium in 4th. This was his best race to date of the season, but more excitement was to follow the next day.

Gabe and Mark started 45 seconds apart in the As and Master As respectively. Gabe had it going well where as Mark succumbed to the altitude (5200') and was gasping for air by 1/2 through the full 60 minute race. Gabe held on for a top twenty finish while Mark was happy to flat with 5 laps to go ! With one race down we packed up as the rain and wind rolled in and headed up to Truckee to stay w/ Mark's good friend Steve P.

After a hot tub and fine pasta meal we settled in/passed out ready to start it all again on Sunday.






We started off Sunday morning pouring hot water over the iced bike rakes and happy we had brought in our bike shoes to keep warm ! By the time we got to Sacramento the temp was up to a comfortable and sunny 60 degress, perfect cross weather.

Gabe started off the day in the A's and was joined another teammate Aaron who came up from the Bay Area that morning for his first cross race of the season. They were both joined on the line by none other than the legend himself Ned Overend. Both Aaron and Gabe had great races with Aaron pulling of a stunning 10th and Gabe holding on for 21st in a fast and deep field.

I was up next and eager to bounce back for a flat race the day before. The Masters A were stacked w/ all the local talent and predictably got off to a fast start. Today the legs came through and I had my best race of the season to finish 15th, sprinting away from a group on the last lap.

The story of the day was to come next in Matt's race as he followed up Saturdays break out performance w/ a 2nd place finish as he attacked his group on the last lap to finish ahead in the clear.



A fantastic weekend of racing, with a special thanks to Steve Poncelet for his excellent hospitality that set us all up for our strong performances on Sunday.

Mid-season approaches game on !

After a string top 5 finishes in last few weeks I was looking forward to the first true test of the season at the BASP #1. The race venue was at McLaren Park, a brutally hilly course which always seems to get in my head.

This time was no different as I got to the venue late, parking was a chore, warm-up time was minimal and somehow I managed to get to the start too late for anything but a last row start position, bummer.



The first lap was the usual chaos when you start in the back as riders continued to ditch it right in front of me, i think that happened to me 3 times in the first lap. To top it off I kept knocking my chain off on a particularly bumpy downhill section.

Finally just as I threatened to pull a good lap to together I flatted. Oh well. On the plus side I felt strong, I've got some bike work to do before I'm fully ready for the next big test in two weeks time.

Cross Season Kicks Off

Actually it did 3 weeks ago with the first few DFL "cross" dress outlaw races somewhere within the San Francisco city limits.



The goal for these races is not to get trampled by marauding bike racers in dresses. It really comes down to more of a fashion show than a bike race.


Thanks to the DFL team for putting on these events !

Another Ugly T-shirt

The Patterson Pass road race started out fast from the start thanks to a tall (6' 4") rider from San Jose Bike Club, who went to the front and pulled us up 3/4 of the first climb into the wind. The entire field was strung out single file as we climbed due to a wicked head wind. Being one one side or another of the riders wheel directly in front made a noticeable difference, it was that windy.



Following the descent, "the giant" as he would become known to our pelaton, went to the front on the rollers and proceeded to split the field in 1/2. I almost missed this break, wow ! Did expect that. I made sure to be attentive to any moves he made following that. At the start of the 2nd lap the lead group was down to 20. No one seemed willing to try anything into the head wind so I was able to stay tucked, and had a relatively easy time of it on the long climb.

I figured the attacks would come at the 2nd climb. They came sooner but I was ready, two riders got off the front and I let other riders take up the pace and we held them steady at 50 meters until the start of the 2nd climb. About 3/4 the way up the 2nd climb I went to the front to try to close on the leaders. I didn't quite make it up to them but did drag 3 riders up. They came by and I gave it everything to stay on their wheels as we closed to the leaders.

We now had a lead group of six with a break on the field. At this point we started working together, executing a fairly seemless rotating paceline. We kept this up through most of the 2nd lap, I was thinking about the last little riser before the finish and starting to get a bit worried. Sure enough once we hit the riser my legs lit up and I started falling off, ugh.

I rolled across about 30 seconds off the lead group missing the sprint for the finish,probably would not have made any difference but you never know.

My take home for 6th was another ugly T-shirt.

Bike Against The Odds

I've signed up to ride in this one day event in support of the Breast Cancer Fund.


















Go to

Bike Against the Odds

to donate toward this worthy cause.

thanks

NOT the District Championships

This road race was NOT the District Championships for the masters racers. I'm not sure why that fact is important but its clearly called out.

This course consisted of a 10+ mile loop with one significant climb per lap. The first 3 laps were fairly uneventful with the exception of an inexplicable crash by a single rider which caused my teammate to swerve into a rut and subsequently flat. The crashed rider ended up catching back on, great ! You can certainly be unlucky in a road race.

On the 3rd laps climb one ultra-skinny WebCor rider attacked, I hung on him for a bit but when I realized no one else was giving chase I backed off, not feeling confident that two of us could hold off the field for an entire lap. At the top of this climb there was talk of working to chase him down. I suggested that we let him stew for a bit up front in the wind alone (he seems awfully fast on that climb). I wasn't going to work to bring him back at this point so I settled into the pack.

About 1/2 through the last (4th) lap and riding a steady pace we had not pulled in the leader. Well good for him, but I'm still not going to chase unless there were several riders willing to work. One San Jose BC rider starts jawing around that we should chase, I say I'll work if you bring a few of you teammates up to help (they had 5 riders in the race, jessh).

At the bottom of the last climb my strategy was not to lead but stay 2nd wheel. The pace picks up and about 1/2 up there are 5 of us left. I'm straining to keep up at this point but there is not much climb left, just before the top I loose touch, not good. At the top I'm about 25 meters back, doesn't seem like much but we are riding into a head wind, I go full out but I'm not making any headway! I look up the road to see the group pass the WebCor rider, than I pass him, he is toast. The lead group of 4 are working together to stay away, damn !

Nothing to do but ease up and wait for the chase group. 3 riders come by and I latch on. I stay on the back trying to recover, at the 1k to go sign there's an uphill so I try an attack. I get a small break but i soon realize that 1k is a long way ! I ease up and they are back on me. Another rider in the group goes by and again I'm on the back, good place to be for the sprint.

On the sprint I go a little late pass 2 but run out of road to pass the last rider. I'm ok with the 6th place i got but I really wanted to stay in the lead group and sprint for the win.