Went into the final Masters 4/5 race for May in 5th place overall, just off the podium. Winning the series was in all likelihood out of reach but a strong ride might get me to the podium. The fact that it was Memorial Day had not discernable effect on the field size which, at 36, was its usual dry day size. Daughter came along to watch Dad ride and did her own ‘warm-up’ on her scooter brought along for the occasion.
While chatting with KB during the warm up I spotted Cristina near the tents and diverted over to say hello. To my embarrassment and the hilarity of a great many riders I actually fell off my bike when stopping before her. In my mind I ‘fell with style’ (to borrow from Toy Story) and sustained only some minor elbow damage. Actually it was a blessing because the mechanic in the tent nearby noticed that my front wheel was soft. I had repaired a puncture a couple of days before (instead of replacing the tube itself) and, as a back-up, brought a second front wheel ready to go in case my ‘patch‘ failed. Grinning like a fool at my brilliant foresight, I waddled as best as one could in bib-tastic lycra and bike shoes back to the car to retrieve the spare wheel. All who had spotted my graceless tumble made sure to tell me about it later.
We would be racing clockwise for 14 laps with three sprint primes. The usual suspects; BE, KB, EA and CS and a gaggle of other Team Oregon riders were in the field. As for the race itself, the pace was quite high and the attacks came at regular intervals. I contested only one prime but left the sprint a little too late and managed a POINTLESS 4th (geddit - it was ‘pointless’ because the points only go to third in the primes and therefore 'pointless' because it was all for nothing). I know, I know - hilarious!
OK, now to the final sprint, which without teammates, was going to be tricky. Whom to stalk? This particular decision was not mine to make because coming ‘round the final bend I was stuck on the inside and the dangerous sprinters were on the outside. Crap. I was locked in behind several ‘chicken-legged-cardigan-wearing-nancy-boys’. Now in biggest gear I continued up the inside passing several, all the while yelling ‘on yer inside ya bastad’ in my best Sean Connery (why? because it sounded commanding).
Then in an instant I was clear of the man-sweat and lube-scented masses with the line in sight. TOTALLY on top of the gear and SO out of the saddle I powered onwards. Mr Smith’s booming voice took me back for a brief second to Cherry Pie which reminded me that he was irritating and motivating at the same time. Further energized, I continued stomping enthusiastically.
To my surprise, I cleared the line in second place. Equal best finish at PIR and enough to secure second place for the series. Apparently, a prize awaits. Here’s hoping it’s the new Cadel Evans biography, ‘Angry Mosquito‘. Word is that it is a devastating blow-by-blow account of racing in Italy.
Showing posts with label PIR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PIR. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
A dry night at PIR
Monday PIR, Masters Cat 4/5
Lowdown:14 laps, counterclockwise, 2 primes.
Teammates: Quiet Achiever and Curtis.
No rain for a change and field was larger than usual. One could sense that those that had stayed away during the rainy race days were eager to make up for lost ground. This was clear at the first prime sprint when I was left well behind and beaten to the line by many racers bent on getting those 3,2,1 points.
The pace of the race seemed high and full of aggression with attack after attack coming throughout the race. Feeling good and rested I got out of the saddle and attacked one and a half laps before the second prime. Three came with or bridged the gap. Soon we were perhaps 100M off the front. Our group quickly became organized and we traded pulls and kept the pace high – one rider couldn’t or wouldn’t maintain the pace and dropped back. We were still well ahead with half a lap to the sprint as I took the lead, resigned to pulling all the way to the line. We were caught by 4 or 5 about 30M before the line. Bollocks !!- we had nearly made it. The pack had timed their chase well and it took an all out, balls out sprint to catch us. Although disappointed about not taking the prime points, I was delighted to have made them work hard to chase inflicting suffering in the process. Bwahhaahahaha.
Once the pack regrouped the attacks continued but were efficiently chased down. Then it was the final lap. I was situated on Curtis’ wheel about 5 wheels back with QA around to my right also close to the front. By the time I was in the final straight I had lost Curtis’s wheel and found myself behind KB from BBC. He is a good sprinter and usually a good leadout but I found myself fighting for his wheel. Quite embarrassingly, I yelled to the guy to my left that “I have KB’s wheel”. Startled, he backed off and opened up a gap to the left. I took the opportunity to sprint past KB. The sprint was timed a bit early and I faded towards the line but squeaked into 9th place. I was reasonably pleased with this result because it was a strong field and didn’t have the best leadout. Best part for me was initiating, organizing and holding a decent break. This was a new experience. The QA had an excellent race and grabbed second place without much fanfare. That is why he is the Quiet Achiever!
Lowdown:14 laps, counterclockwise, 2 primes.
Teammates: Quiet Achiever and Curtis.
No rain for a change and field was larger than usual. One could sense that those that had stayed away during the rainy race days were eager to make up for lost ground. This was clear at the first prime sprint when I was left well behind and beaten to the line by many racers bent on getting those 3,2,1 points.
The pace of the race seemed high and full of aggression with attack after attack coming throughout the race. Feeling good and rested I got out of the saddle and attacked one and a half laps before the second prime. Three came with or bridged the gap. Soon we were perhaps 100M off the front. Our group quickly became organized and we traded pulls and kept the pace high – one rider couldn’t or wouldn’t maintain the pace and dropped back. We were still well ahead with half a lap to the sprint as I took the lead, resigned to pulling all the way to the line. We were caught by 4 or 5 about 30M before the line. Bollocks !!- we had nearly made it. The pack had timed their chase well and it took an all out, balls out sprint to catch us. Although disappointed about not taking the prime points, I was delighted to have made them work hard to chase inflicting suffering in the process. Bwahhaahahaha.
Once the pack regrouped the attacks continued but were efficiently chased down. Then it was the final lap. I was situated on Curtis’ wheel about 5 wheels back with QA around to my right also close to the front. By the time I was in the final straight I had lost Curtis’s wheel and found myself behind KB from BBC. He is a good sprinter and usually a good leadout but I found myself fighting for his wheel. Quite embarrassingly, I yelled to the guy to my left that “I have KB’s wheel”. Startled, he backed off and opened up a gap to the left. I took the opportunity to sprint past KB. The sprint was timed a bit early and I faded towards the line but squeaked into 9th place. I was reasonably pleased with this result because it was a strong field and didn’t have the best leadout. Best part for me was initiating, organizing and holding a decent break. This was a new experience. The QA had an excellent race and grabbed second place without much fanfare. That is why he is the Quiet Achiever!
Monday, May 17, 2010
The Mexican Wombat Quinella
Third-person Synopsis: The crafty Mexican completely misdirected the field to notch up a magnificent win in the Masters 4/5 at PIR. He lead out the Wombat twice to prime victories and when all attention was on the lumbering marsupial, he steamed down the far-left to take the flag. No-one noticed until it was too late. Brilliant.
Long-winded First-person Detail: It was wild night weather-wise. I rode from Raleigh Hills and got caught by a front of water at the Waterfront downtown. It came down in sheets and I was instantly 10 lbs heavier because of the water-drenched gloved, shoes and socks. Not cold, just very wet. The rest of the ride out was an exercise in avoiding flash flooding and unseen potholes. Note that the disused bridge is now closed to bike traffic.
Huddled under the sponsor’s tent were El Luch and the Quiet Achiever – two of the canniest riders on the team. Looked like about 22 riders had signed up but several names had been crossed out, no doubt frightened away by the tropical monsoon conditions. Four words printed on our team jersey sprang to mind.
The pace was high from the start – we averaged of 24.5 mph or so for the race. 13 clockwise laps were to be done with two primes. Have to admit to nervousness about the corners with just slicks on the back and made sure to push back a la ‘doggy-style’ on the sharper turns to increase weight on the rear wheel.
Soon the first prime lap was upon us. I was directly behind El Luch sitting four wheels back. He kept the pace high and I started to click up through the gears in anticipation of the balls out sprint that lay 30 seconds ahead. After the last turn into the straight and underneath the bridge I pulled out into the wind and accelerated past Mr Other rider #1 and Mr Other rider #2. I stayed out of the saddle the entire way to the line and secured the prime. The nearest was half a bike length back. The sprint felt very good - perhaps the three days at the track last week had changed something? A bit more sprint endurance (oxymoron, I know)?. Are we onto something here? Could we possibly do this again?
A few laps later the bell rang for the second prime. I was behind El Luch again but with just one rider ahead of us. He soon pulled off. Cripes !, what are we going to do now? – there is still an entire lap to go. Can El Luch pull me around for a lap?
HELL YES.
El Luch is a strong rider – he pulled the group for ages on the 'Reach The Beach' century ride Saturday on the long windy stretch before Amity. So he pulled me around the track for 2 miles and I again sprinted for the line out of the saddle from under the bridge. The same riders challenged but I was able somehow to hold on and we took the second prime.
With two laps to go El Luch decided to have some fun. He got a jump on the field and I bridged the gap to join him. The field must have been crapping their spandex because here was a well known strong finisher AND the race leader (at least on paper) out ahead of the pack. We traded pulls and kind-of gave the impression that we were working together to put the race out of reach. The reality was that we were not that serious about getting away and expected to get caught but just wanted to mess with them. We did get caught but with no lasting damage to either of us - good times.
The primes are a bit of a lark but the finish is serious. You have to understand that not everyone is interested in contesting the primes, but EVERYONE is interested in contesting the finish. At the start of the final lap a rider attacked and got about 30m ahead. The Quiet Achiever jumped and gave chase and I dropped in behind him. The pace was very high and we were slowly reeling him in. In the back straight QA indicated that he was knackered. But in an epic display of sacrifice kept the pace steady and kept protecting me. It was a magnificent pull and came from deep within.
Cornering that final bend I could sense the marauders approaching and jumped from QA’s wheel into the tiring rider who had attacked earlier in the lap. By this stage he couldn’t blow the froth off a glass of beer. I took my balls out for a third time and made a bid for the line but a little earlier than in the previous sprints. It was head down, arse up time again. I was ahead and within about 100m of the line when I heard a sound to my extreme left. It was Speedy Gonzales shooting past everyone, solo. I was stunned. First, at the effortless acceleration, and second, by the fact that no one had bothered to mark him. They were chasing me instead. I was caught by two others on the line to finish 4th past the post. It was a brilliant move by El Luch. They all forgot about him – the most dangerous OBRA cyclist Norte de la Columbia.
It was a Hammer Velo quinella - first and second. El Luch got the overall win and I managed 2nd with the prime points. I would not have gotten such a good final standing if not for the protection by El Luch and the Quiet Achiever in the lead-in for the three sprints - it was a great team effort and one that was executed perfectly.
Long-winded First-person Detail: It was wild night weather-wise. I rode from Raleigh Hills and got caught by a front of water at the Waterfront downtown. It came down in sheets and I was instantly 10 lbs heavier because of the water-drenched gloved, shoes and socks. Not cold, just very wet. The rest of the ride out was an exercise in avoiding flash flooding and unseen potholes. Note that the disused bridge is now closed to bike traffic.
Huddled under the sponsor’s tent were El Luch and the Quiet Achiever – two of the canniest riders on the team. Looked like about 22 riders had signed up but several names had been crossed out, no doubt frightened away by the tropical monsoon conditions. Four words printed on our team jersey sprang to mind.
The pace was high from the start – we averaged of 24.5 mph or so for the race. 13 clockwise laps were to be done with two primes. Have to admit to nervousness about the corners with just slicks on the back and made sure to push back a la ‘doggy-style’ on the sharper turns to increase weight on the rear wheel.
Soon the first prime lap was upon us. I was directly behind El Luch sitting four wheels back. He kept the pace high and I started to click up through the gears in anticipation of the balls out sprint that lay 30 seconds ahead. After the last turn into the straight and underneath the bridge I pulled out into the wind and accelerated past Mr Other rider #1 and Mr Other rider #2. I stayed out of the saddle the entire way to the line and secured the prime. The nearest was half a bike length back. The sprint felt very good - perhaps the three days at the track last week had changed something? A bit more sprint endurance (oxymoron, I know)?. Are we onto something here? Could we possibly do this again?
A few laps later the bell rang for the second prime. I was behind El Luch again but with just one rider ahead of us. He soon pulled off. Cripes !, what are we going to do now? – there is still an entire lap to go. Can El Luch pull me around for a lap?
HELL YES.
El Luch is a strong rider – he pulled the group for ages on the 'Reach The Beach' century ride Saturday on the long windy stretch before Amity. So he pulled me around the track for 2 miles and I again sprinted for the line out of the saddle from under the bridge. The same riders challenged but I was able somehow to hold on and we took the second prime.
With two laps to go El Luch decided to have some fun. He got a jump on the field and I bridged the gap to join him. The field must have been crapping their spandex because here was a well known strong finisher AND the race leader (at least on paper) out ahead of the pack. We traded pulls and kind-of gave the impression that we were working together to put the race out of reach. The reality was that we were not that serious about getting away and expected to get caught but just wanted to mess with them. We did get caught but with no lasting damage to either of us - good times.
The primes are a bit of a lark but the finish is serious. You have to understand that not everyone is interested in contesting the primes, but EVERYONE is interested in contesting the finish. At the start of the final lap a rider attacked and got about 30m ahead. The Quiet Achiever jumped and gave chase and I dropped in behind him. The pace was very high and we were slowly reeling him in. In the back straight QA indicated that he was knackered. But in an epic display of sacrifice kept the pace steady and kept protecting me. It was a magnificent pull and came from deep within.
Cornering that final bend I could sense the marauders approaching and jumped from QA’s wheel into the tiring rider who had attacked earlier in the lap. By this stage he couldn’t blow the froth off a glass of beer. I took my balls out for a third time and made a bid for the line but a little earlier than in the previous sprints. It was head down, arse up time again. I was ahead and within about 100m of the line when I heard a sound to my extreme left. It was Speedy Gonzales shooting past everyone, solo. I was stunned. First, at the effortless acceleration, and second, by the fact that no one had bothered to mark him. They were chasing me instead. I was caught by two others on the line to finish 4th past the post. It was a brilliant move by El Luch. They all forgot about him – the most dangerous OBRA cyclist Norte de la Columbia.
It was a Hammer Velo quinella - first and second. El Luch got the overall win and I managed 2nd with the prime points. I would not have gotten such a good final standing if not for the protection by El Luch and the Quiet Achiever in the lead-in for the three sprints - it was a great team effort and one that was executed perfectly.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The ‘El Luchador delivery device’
For the first time, the team tactics and their execution played a major role in the outcome of the race. We were 5 strong including the Neighbor, El Luchador, Ryan, and Andrew. At over 50 riders, the field was large. The only other team with a presence was BBC with large contingent of juniors and a few adult riders.
The course ran clockwise with a brisk headwind waiting for us in the final straight. The race was pretty quiet really with some attacks that were quickly reeled in. All the Hammer Velo boys had a go off the front at some point but nothing stuck. Soon we were into our final lap. I followed Ryan out of the finish straight taking the inside lane and close to the front. The Neighbor was nearby and El Luch. hovering thereabouts. With half a lap to go with some strong riding, Ryan found himself at the front of the pack directly ahead of the Neighbor, myself and El Luch in a paceline – HV was leading the charge like a big ugly hair sticking out of a mole. Ryan kept on going and passed the lone rider off the front. Then Neighbor took over and with a few words of encouragement really stepped on the gas. The pack, off El Luch’s left shoulder, was under a lot of pressure and no other riders could join us. As we rounded the final bend, the Neighbor pulled out of the way, gassed. I then took off, legs a pasty blur, and I think was in the lead for a short while. Exact details are lost in an oxygen-deprived fog. Then El Luch rounded me and took off with about 200ft to go only to be beaten on the line by another rider.
We had timed the ‘El Luchador delivery device’ to perfection and had got him in good shape to contest the finish. In my opinion, the Neighbor’s long, strong pull was the decisive one and took us a long way towards securing second place. I was beaten into 5th place by a BBC rider. Although delighted by such a high finish, my giddiness was tempered by the realization that the BBC rider was 12 years old! I had been ‘tweened’.
It was a good day on the track for us – everyone did their part. It was the best example of teamwork I have experienced so far with this team.
The course ran clockwise with a brisk headwind waiting for us in the final straight. The race was pretty quiet really with some attacks that were quickly reeled in. All the Hammer Velo boys had a go off the front at some point but nothing stuck. Soon we were into our final lap. I followed Ryan out of the finish straight taking the inside lane and close to the front. The Neighbor was nearby and El Luch. hovering thereabouts. With half a lap to go with some strong riding, Ryan found himself at the front of the pack directly ahead of the Neighbor, myself and El Luch in a paceline – HV was leading the charge like a big ugly hair sticking out of a mole. Ryan kept on going and passed the lone rider off the front. Then Neighbor took over and with a few words of encouragement really stepped on the gas. The pack, off El Luch’s left shoulder, was under a lot of pressure and no other riders could join us. As we rounded the final bend, the Neighbor pulled out of the way, gassed. I then took off, legs a pasty blur, and I think was in the lead for a short while. Exact details are lost in an oxygen-deprived fog. Then El Luch rounded me and took off with about 200ft to go only to be beaten on the line by another rider.
We had timed the ‘El Luchador delivery device’ to perfection and had got him in good shape to contest the finish. In my opinion, the Neighbor’s long, strong pull was the decisive one and took us a long way towards securing second place. I was beaten into 5th place by a BBC rider. Although delighted by such a high finish, my giddiness was tempered by the realization that the BBC rider was 12 years old! I had been ‘tweened’.
It was a good day on the track for us – everyone did their part. It was the best example of teamwork I have experienced so far with this team.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
PIR, oooh LaLa
The pressure was on for me at PIR after failing to finish three out of my last four races (dropped, bonked and crashed :)). As I was riding down to PIR it was clear that last weekend’s crash had damaged my brakes and it looked like the rear brake cable had been stretched. The brake lever was sticky causing the brakes to say on. I would have to deal with this later. Met Brad along the way and chatted about what to expect since it was his first Big-Boy race (triathlons DO NOT count). We were well warmed up for the start. Joined by four other HV 4/5s for the race; RM, AL, KL, RR. Looking around at the start line – it looked like the local crèche has fielded a team…with many young BBC racers. Reckon there were probably a few 14yr olds in the mix as well. Also, the race was going to be very short at 6 laps – I was used to the 14-16 lap masters fields on Monday nights. Not sure how I would go in the final sprint against a bunch of youngsters and 20-somethings in a short race.
In the first lap Brad, RM and I were at the front of the race exchanging pulls. This lasted only a short while before other riders took over, perhaps not comfortable at our controlling the pace. The race was mostly without incident - I tried to get away at one point but was unsuccessful. The main worry was a couple of the younger riders using their brakes too much and driving erratically – they had to be avoided or watched carefully if ahead.
At the start of the last lap, four of us set up a train that took the inside line. The goal was to deliver the fourth rider to the front with about 100m to the line. But for now, it was important to stay within striking distance of the front and conserve energy for the upcoming lactic slapfest. I was sitting third behind the Mexican and Brad with Rich immediately behind me. AL was trapped a couple of riders wide and KL was lurking somewhere no doubt gathering himself for the sprint. The pace quickened as we approached the final bend. A Pacific Blue rider went very early then, as I recall, RM went all out as BF and I struggled to keep up, I passed BF and (fairly quickly) RR passed me on the inside. Hah…….we had delivered RR about 300m before the line (sorry about that, Rich!). AL and KL were ahead of us at this point as well. I had nothing in my legs for the sprint and sat up a long way out and everyone besides Brad and myself finished very high. I cannot honestly say that our HV train was entirely successful. Looking back, I was the weak link and the one not able to provide much of a lead out for Rich. The positive, however, is that we DID get organized – something to build upon for future PIR races.
And I did finish the race…….
In the first lap Brad, RM and I were at the front of the race exchanging pulls. This lasted only a short while before other riders took over, perhaps not comfortable at our controlling the pace. The race was mostly without incident - I tried to get away at one point but was unsuccessful. The main worry was a couple of the younger riders using their brakes too much and driving erratically – they had to be avoided or watched carefully if ahead.
At the start of the last lap, four of us set up a train that took the inside line. The goal was to deliver the fourth rider to the front with about 100m to the line. But for now, it was important to stay within striking distance of the front and conserve energy for the upcoming lactic slapfest. I was sitting third behind the Mexican and Brad with Rich immediately behind me. AL was trapped a couple of riders wide and KL was lurking somewhere no doubt gathering himself for the sprint. The pace quickened as we approached the final bend. A Pacific Blue rider went very early then, as I recall, RM went all out as BF and I struggled to keep up, I passed BF and (fairly quickly) RR passed me on the inside. Hah…….we had delivered RR about 300m before the line (sorry about that, Rich!). AL and KL were ahead of us at this point as well. I had nothing in my legs for the sprint and sat up a long way out and everyone besides Brad and myself finished very high. I cannot honestly say that our HV train was entirely successful. Looking back, I was the weak link and the one not able to provide much of a lead out for Rich. The positive, however, is that we DID get organized – something to build upon for future PIR races.
And I did finish the race…….
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