Moving Forward

Last night I headed out the Driveway intent on finishing the 3/4 race for the first time. I actually rode out there, and in the process got in a nice warm up. That’s the nice thing about riding out there. The bad thing about riding out there is that you have to ride back. But, with the south wind one usually has during the Spring and Summer it isn’t so bad.

Back to the racing, I did actually finish the race with the group. Woohoo! This is the first 3/4 race where I have ever been able to hold on the entire time. I am sure there were some fast people who decided not to race since Ft. Davis is this weekend, but whatever. I finished the race without getting dropped. 

We had two crashes going up the corkscrew, I avoided both of them by pulling off some ‘cross action and riding through the grass outside of the track. Luckily neither of them dislodged me from the group. 

My legs felt like they plenty in them towards the end, but when I stood up in the last straight to follow a few guys up the side to possibly move up a few spots my legs quickly told me to “sit down.” Apparently I had been working harder than I thought. 

My stomach had been not feeling that great previous to the race, so I had a hard time gaging my effort by the sensations in my stomach. But, I will say, I felt like I was able to move around pretty easily (though the course makes that easier). I noticed a couple of times that I had drifted to the back and took the first opportunity to move up, which at many times in the past I just wouldn’t have had a choice about.

It looks like my next big goal will be the Tour de Louisiane back home. It’s June 10-11th in and around New Orleans. I am really looking to get in a large amount of riding during the month of June as I will be in a transition period occupationally (i.e. unemployed). I will race the Driveway between now and then, obviously, but I probably won’t make it to any other races before then.

Hopefully this weekend I’ll have an exciting announcement to make. So all five of you stay tuned. ;)

New Fit

So I went see Eric over at Austinbikes for a bike fit this week. Great experience, as usual everybody there is friendly and knowledgeable. I ended up much further forward than I had been (which I expected was going to occur). The fit finished up yesterday, and I decided what better way to try out than to go race a crit? Somewhat kidding.

Regardless, the crit went pretty well, I spent some time up near the front and that was exciting. So much better going through turns when you don’t have to slow down and worry about people going all crazypants on you. After chatting with Drew a bit after our strength workout on Wednesday (that I’m still sore from, thanks, Drew ;) ) I was looking for a few new things in an effort to try and move up and stay up. While I did get pushed back at some point, and then had to chase back on, I stayed in it and did move up a little towards the end. I had a bad side stitch, though, and that was making the stay put and rest vs. moving up battle a little bit harder. However, in the end I avoided the crash and finished up 18th. 

At least I’m being consistent. I don’t plan on racing next week right before our trip as a safety precaution and because I’m sure we’ll be busy. But I have two more crits after I get back and I intend to go all out. After I get back I believe my training is going into official “base season.” The first race is at the end of January, so now is the time to start getting down good long, steady miles in preparation for the intensity that will start to come around the new year.

Also, I might try and do cyclocross. There is that entire issue of needing a bike, however. This is still being investigated.

I am going to hit ATC tomorrow with one of my teammates. Hopefully Jacob and I can hang in longer than I did last time (2nd climb on Southwest Parkway, eesh). It is really a ride of attrition. I hope to get a good spin of the Dam Loop in after the inevitable drop, so it should be a solid 3 hours of quality riding.

I also need to start looking for jobs when I get back from the trip. I am trying not to think about it too much… job hunting is just one giant ball of stress. However, I am hoping when I get back the weather will have really turned a corner and it will really feel like Fall. 

The highs are going to be in the 40s in Norway. Yeah, that will be a shock.

Time for New Cleats

You know it is time to get new cleats when you unclip twice in a 30 minute race. Yikes.

The first time my right foot hit my front wheel. The second time there was no wheel contact. Unfortunately, both times I dropped back significantly and had to chase back on. That seemed like one of the fastest 4/5 races of the year last night. I unfortunately did not make it back into the top 20, though I feel like I worked harder for longer in that race than any one yet.

I need to get better at moving up. I’m not sure what I’m missing at this point. Last night, even though I felt the effort in my stomach, I could tell that my legs had plenty in them. So I think I could have moved up, but I just never seemed to get a “good” opportunity. Whatever that actually means… I am starting to believe there is never really a good opportunity, you just have to make one.

I would occasionally move up some, and then next thing I know I had slipped back. There is just something that I’m not thinking of or looking for or something. I don’t know. If I get anything out of the remaining few Driveway crits this year, I hope that I figure out how to move up to the front and defend that position.

But it was a good night, all-in-all. It was nice to actually ride out there and ride back, getting a little extra mileage is always good. 

Hopefully I can get a short spin with the aero-bars on this afternoon to keep the legs loose and make sure the bar position isn’t terrible. Packet pickup closes at 6 (weak) so I don’t have too much time to work with.

Happy Friday, everybody!

Progression

Last night at the Driveway I could tell my legs were tired. The previous two days of workouts were still there in my legs. I warmed up and things felt loose, but I could still feel some tiredness.

The race started and I was in great position. The first time around the top corners (both > 90 degrees) I slipped back some (because I was being a scaredy cat), but was still okay. Then I got trapped in the middle down on the bottom of the course and slipped back a lot. I had a bad feeling.

I spent the rest of the race gaining ground on the bottom part of the course, and then slipping back around the top turns and down the corkscrew. Then moving back up again… repeat repeat. I could feel my legs were a little shaky going around some of the turns, but I kept asking them to push me forward, catch me back up, and they kept delivering. 

The lap cards came out and I knew that I was going to be finishing this race no problem. Now I actually started to think how can I crack the top 20. (Cracking the top 20 has been my goal at the Driveway since before my little heart-induced “vacation.”) I knew that moving up a ton on the last lap would probably be tricky, so I should try to move up after I see 2 to go and try to hold more position going around the top turns on the last lap. 

Well, I did do the first part, but I slipped back again. However, it being a 4/5 race, there is a lot of looking around going on. So when we came down the hill on the last lap the people in front literally sat up. And of course, this meant they slowed down. Excellent. I moved up front-middle, and waited for the inevitable acceleration. There was a little move going around the big sweeper at the bottom, but no biggy.

We get to the final straight, and some people go on the left, then on the right. Unfortunately, I look up to see that I’m behind 4 people in the middle of the road who have decided their night is done. Argh!

I see enough space, get around the roadblock and start trying to jump from wheel to wheel moving up. There aren’t that many people in front of me, so I figure top 20 may be possible. So I give it everything I have, passing people who are sitting up, and even a few who aren’t. I even get out of the saddle for the uphill finish… hehe, it always looks silly to see somebody sprinting for, you know, 20th.

The race was over, I stayed upright, and I had the best finish of the year (and of my bike racing life). When the results were posted this morning, I discovered that I was 19th! Woohoo! While 19th in a cat 4/5 race may seem completely insignificant to a lot of people, this is a big deal to me. It’s the first time my name has been on a results sheet for any race that I have done. I know I am not a super star, but I have gotten consistently better, and it gives me faith that if I keep training maybe I will be able to upgrade to a 3. Maybe I will be able to actually win a race at some point. I don’t mind slow improvement as long as it’s improvement.

Now, of course, I have to end this by saying, regardless of the race results, doing all the bike training has made me feel so much better about myself. I’ve lost weight, I feel good, I’m more relaxed… these are all good things. But stuff like this is just icing on the cake!

Happy Friday!

Not the Ending I was Looking For

So yeah. Tonight wasn’t going that well. I had moved up at on point, and I felt the effort from that for the next lap. It looked like I was getting dropped but then the pack slowed down. I figured, one good burst of effort and I’ll be back in contact. Okay, let’s do this. So I did. Unfortunately right as I was really getting back to everybody I went around a turn, stood up to sprint out of it and…

CLACK

Down I go, sliding across the pavement. I stopped decently fast, could feel that nothing was broken and hopped up. Luckily, I had been at the back of the pack so I didn’t take anybody else down with me.

I clipped a pedal. Ugh. My only consolation was that I did it because I wasn’t letting myself give up and just get dropped. Unfortunately I was also somewhat cooked, so I wasn’t being as careful as I should have been.

Don’t worry though, the bike is fine. Well, I think. I think the back wheel got knocked out of true. The handle bar tape is toast, but I needed to replace that anyway. Honestly, the bike needed a trip to Austinbikes for a once over/tune up, so now it’s definitely going.

Oh, and I’m okay. I have some raspberries on my right thigh, and my right elbow has two nice brushburns. The sting is starting to go down, and I have some tegaderm on the two ones on my elbow, as they are the worst. Sleeping tonight may be a little tricky, and I showering was a tad unpleasant. 

So my streak of getting caught up in wrecks and not going down has come to an end. Better tonight by myself then in a few weeks at the Tour of Austin in the middle of the pack. Unfortunately crashing in bike racing is a “when” not an “if” issue, so I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Well, this sort of changes my weekend riding plans. I need to take the bike in and get it fixed up. I’m hoping that I (and the bike) will be ready to go on a nice long ride on Sunday, but obviously until I get the bike working I’m sort of sidelined.

Oh well, road rash heals quickly, so no biggy. 

Tahoe Pictures and Assorted Thoughts

So first and foremost, I have posted the pictures from our Lake Tahoe trip. That place is absolutely beautiful:

We really had a great time at Ruth’s wedding, and it was great getting to hang out with people who don’t get to see very often at all.

Two days ago I woke up at 6 AM and went ride my bike. This had several advantages: 1) it was much cooler and 2) I was done with my ride by 8 AM. However, Tuesday night was pretty tired. We did trivia at the Flying Saucer on Tuesday night, so between some beverages during trivia and my early rise/exercise, I was pretty exhausted when we got home.

Tonight is the Driveway. I believe it’s the elevation loop. It’s not the easiest course to move up on if you slide to the back, so I am really going to have to focus on not sliding to the back to begin with. It really takes consistent effort. Somebody told me once if you aren’t passing somebody then somebody is passing you. Maybe that’s true. Regardless, I really need to be aware of that. Last week resting for a few seconds turned into moving 10 people backward. Can’t let that happen.

Last night I made an Okra and Shrimp masala. It turned out really delicious, though a bit spicy for Carrie’s palate. I thought it was fantastic. I took the fresh okra and cooked it super hot in some olive oil to de slime it, then threw in the onions, bell pepper, and seeded and deveined serranos. Gave that a bit to sauté, then put in the garam masala, anchum powder, and cumin that we have acquired for our neighborhood Indian grocery. Added a canned of fire-roasted stewed tomatoes and the shrimp, and boom, done. It was fantastic.

Today I am having a cup of coffee. Not very much. It’s mostly almond milk. But I was really craving for some coffee. I have really been enjoying my tea, but I still like the taste of coffee, and decided I’d give it a go today. I don’t think coffee was the cause of any of my heart/stress issues, but I don’t necessarily think it was helping. I have felt much more relaxed the last week and a half, so I figured a little coffee wasn’t going to hurt anything.

Labor day weekend is the Tour of Austin. Four days of racing (1 time trial, 3 crits) around Austin and my first real racing goal since I started this whole thing in February. The next few weeks I’m putting my training as a top priority, and I plan on putting more strictness back in my diet. Since I have achieved my weight goal, for the most part, I have been a little less strict with the diet the past two months. However, I really want to put good fuel in the next few weeks before the race.

I guess that’s it, hopefully I’ll have some good news from the Driveway tonight. Take it easy, everybody!

Back to the Driveway

What a great night out at the Driveway. Yes, I finished with the pack after 4 weeks of not racing (modest comeback goal achieved, woot!). Yes, I felt great cornering and with my handling. But that wasn’t what really made the evening.

A year ago, a man named Kevin Underhill got in a bad wreck at the Driveway, and unfortunately died a few days later. His heart, however, was used in a transplant for somebody in Austin. 

Well, tonight, the guy who received the heart was there and led us around a neutral lap before our race started as our “pace car” so to speak. It was pretty amazing to be part of something so … movie like. It’s nice to see such a horrible tragedy have a good side, and it was interesting to be a part of that in just a little way.

Good night!

Lucky

Last night at the driveway it was a small group for the cat 4/5 race. With all the rain we had received that afternoon, I wasn’t surprised by this. It wasn’t raining at the track, however, so I was expecting a good race. 

After the first lap my brain was convinced that the track (even though there was standing water) was as grippy as ever. With the small group things stayed pretty calm. I just hung out at the back (not necessarily intentionally) and kept up with the pace with no problem. I felt really good. Even though I had to get out of the saddle every so often to keep attached after a turn or something, my heart rate was staying down in a very manageable level. 

The lap cards came out, and I figured this was going to be a good finish. I saw the 3 to go card, and decided I would take the next 3 laps to try to move up and get towards the front. We go through the finish, go into the turn, and I see it plain as day in front of me. A guy dives into the corner, and then he loses his grip. He goes down, starts sliding. The guy next to him goes down, starts sliding. I’m headed right towards both of them. I hit my brakes… my rear wheel locks up. I release the brakes, catch my grip, and accept the fact that I am about to t-bone one of the guy’s hamstring. I get my feet out of the pedals, and I put my heels down, and slam right into the guys leg, bounce around, but I stay up.

I consider myself lucky. I have no idea how I didn’t end up on the ground. I go to click back in and realize that I have of course dropped my chain. My race is done.

All I got from the incident was a few cuts from my chain ring on my calf, so I definitely feel lucky. Lessons learned:

1. STOP RIDING IN THE BACK, DUMMY!!
2. repeat #1
3. the pavement at the driveway is super sticky even when wet
4. I am getting more confident in turning
5. I still need to get better and more confident in turning
6. I need to learn to not give up positioning to more aggressive riders so much

All in all, it was good to get out and race.

On the bathroom front, both bathrooms are now fixed and functional. We are currently letting the caulk and grout cure, but tomorrow we should be back in business. Taking a shower in my own bathroom, how novel.

Finally, on the photography front, I did complete JiBW2. While I have not posted the pictures to flickr yet, I did take them. I believe I did miss two days of the month. It definitely seemed harder this year. But it was interesting nonetheless.

Happy weekend!

Transition Day

In the grand tours they often have, “transition days.” These are the days in between mountain stages. For example, there are usually a few relatively flat days as the peloton travels from the Alps to the Pyrenees during the Tour de France. 

Tonight, after the Driveway (more on that later), we are heading home to Baton Rouge for the weekend. We have a wedding on Saturday night, and it gives us some nice time with family. But all day I just feel like I’m heading toward the trip home. There is nothing hard about it, but I know at the end of the day we’re getting in the car and driving for seven hours. It’s just a weird feeling.

JiBW2 is getting off to a slow start. This week has just felt somewhat condensed. I’ll have good opportunity for pictures this weekend with the baby ducks, the wedding, and being in a different place. 

The theory tonight is that Carrie is picking me up at the race and we’re heading out. That is, if I do the race. I really want to do it. It’s the course configuration where I first completed a race, so I do feel this configuration is good for me. I’m just nervous about having to leave the house and then get picked up to head straight out. Plus, I sort of have to travel home stinky. Though, if it keeps raining I’m not going to go out there. We’ll see.

Anyway, I’ll close with saying that I finally got our cruise pictures posted. Here’s a small sample. Enjoy!

Wasn’t quite there

I can try and blame the course’s two tight corners for my getting dropped last night, but that would be lame. Bottom line is I could tell I was a little duller than I was before the cruise. I did like almost two laps with the group just right in front of me. Sigh. But I couldn’t quite catch them. 

Now, here’s the deal. I should not have been so far back in the group. I should have moved up and stayed up. But alas, I let myself slip back. I felt like I was having to work a little harder to stay in there, so it isn’t surprising that I couldn’t quite stay attached. 

But something else that I noticed was that when I was trying to chase back on, I didn’t try to get out of the saddle and really hammer, just for a few seconds, to get back on. I think that is something that I am going to have to work on. The ability to generate a short burst for situations like this. I think my consistent efforts have gotten much stronger, but I am still lacking in the bursts of power.

Of course, none of this is unexpected after the two weeks of no cycling with an extra week tacked on of no racing. Next Thursday we will be heading to Baton Rouge after the race, so I am hoping that I can have a better result. Next week is also one of the more normal courses, so I can just put that out of my mind and race.