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Giro d' San Francisco
9/6/04
9th Place
Junior 15-18 (why,why,why not 15-16...)
Field: 20- (maybe?)
Teammates: Julian, Max, Charles, Rajiv, Lars, John Mark,anyone else?
This one of the races were we were just out gunned by another team. GS Lombardi had four strong riders to our weak group (this excludes Max). We tried thought. I started the race by not getting clipped in well, so I had to sprint like heck to get to the front. Then on about the second lap I noticed that my front brake was rubbing so I loosened the brake caliber, and rode with only a rear brake for the remaining part of the race. (Jason, or other race knowledgeable people, is this even legal?).
Anyway, after another two laps Max was off the front with one of the Lombardi guys, and Adam Switters (from GS Lombardi) and I were covering for or teammates up the road. Then a Team Swift rider came up the inside and attacked. I got on his wheel, and he jumped again. I sprinted to catch him, which I thought was a little to easy. Then I noticed that I was going into a sharp down hill turn, and I didn't have brakes. Let me help you picture the situation when this happened. I was riding my dad's Eddy Merckx, because my bike had been destroyed in a car accident that I had been involved in the previous Thursday. I was scared that I couldn't make the turn, because the bike was to big and I didn't have the best bike handling skills with it. So, I took the turn a little wide and end up almost hitting a cone. It turned out that I was running over the rail road tracks that had been blocked off form the course. From there I was trying everything I could to get back to the course, but at my speed I was scared to go over the tracks, so I went strait for a little ways and got back on.
That little detour had dropped me off the pack, so I got into time trail mode and hammered. I didn't think I was going to catch back up when Charles pulled up and said, "Get on". I thought, "Maybe this a good omen after all.
I am going to get back up to the pack." And so I did (thanks a lot for that Charles, I owe you one). So, when I got back up two Lombardi GS guys were off the front and had a uncloseable gap. So, I sat in and did what I could. Until I (for some reason) went on a break with a guy from some team. He pulled most of the time, because I didn't think I was going to finish the race if I did, but I did get the prime sprint for a tactics book that we had. So after that I sat in and watched the race. At the finish I was way out of position and I just watched everyone have their little sprints. This race was just the opposite of the Livermore Hills Race. It was fun but, it doesn't look good on paper...
San Ardo RR
9/4/04
?? Place
Cat 4
Field 30
Teammates: Julian
This race was kind of fun, if you exclude the missing the start by two minutes and being hit by a car a couple of days prior. But yeah, other then that this race was great!
Well, it all started out with getting to the race late, that¹s always a great way to arrive to a race. We got there with like 30 minutes to get ready and register. I got dressed and then relying on "Velo Promo Standard Time" I went to use the bathroom. I got to the start of the race and asked the race official "How long till the fours race?", (I was hoping to have five minutes to get my legs warmed up, and stretch out my back, which was very sore from being hit by a car, before the race got under way.) He said, "Sorry buddy, they left two minutes ago..."
At this point I had a moment of thought. (The doctor had said that I shouldn't race, because my back was pretty inflamed and it might do some damage to race on it. But me, being me, I thought that the doctor was an idiot, and that I was tuff enough to race the race even with the injury, because my legs felt good, and I want to feel strong for the Giro which was that Monday.) So I thought at that moment that maybe this was a bad omen, but me, being me, went ahead and raced. I time trailed like a mad man, something that I had previously thought that I couldn't do, and I got up to the pack. From there, I didn't know how long I would last so I decided to race for Julian.
I made sure that I covered any breaks that looked like they were a threat and I tried to scope out who be a threat in the sprint. It was fun watching how people rode and what there strengths and weakness were. As this was all going on, my back was slowly giving out on me. It was really funny riding thought, I would get in these comfortable positions and then I would hit a bump and my back would hurt again. It was like a game trying to find a comfortable position on the bike.
Anyway, we got to the feed zone hill at the end of the race and there was a guy from the Oakland bike shop place off the front, and no one was chasing him. So, I got on the front and pulled him in. After that, I felt pretty good I thought, "You know what, maybe I'll be able to win the sprint!" I got out of the saddle, and... OOCH!!! My back gave out on me. I hurt really bad, like someone had hit you in the back with a hammer. I slowed down and let the group pass me. I looked up and saw Julian up by the front and saw that he was in a good place to sprint. It seemed like he'd get top five for sure.
I cruised to the finish, stopped, and tried to stretch it out. Man I hate when the doctors right about stuff like that... I'm still sore and its Thursday.
Livermore Hills RR Championships
7/17/04
4th Place
Jr. 15-16
Field : 15
Teammates : Charles, Julian, Peter, Gaelan
The race was interesting, that¹s about all I can say about it. We started of slow and never really picked up a pace. They were some little attacks, that didn't do anything but destroy the field, the rest was just sitting around on your bike.
And then some how Colin ended up with a 100m lead on the group, and no one chased him. He just sat there with a "What the..." kind of stare on his face, and decided to go.
Next thing I know Blake and Charles are pulling like crazy, and my heart rate is at like 90% (How Strange...) Then all the sudden I see Charles drop off the front, and just drop off, he's gone. At this point I am dead and ticked off. I look back at Julian and he looks like he's in as bad of shape as I'm in. After looking at him I thought it was all over, and we were just going to try to finish. So we get to the final lap and I keep thinking "Blake is going to attack any time now... And when he does... I'm not going to be able to hang on his wheel... This isn't a good situation..."
Sure enough, Blake attacked with 1k or so to go.
I don't even think he was going that fast, my legs just thought so. And so Julian and I sat up and cruised to the finish. Then we had a little sprint and I crossed the center line (opps...) to get fourth instead of third.
Anyway, the important part about this race is it looks good on paper.
Fort Davis, TX
The first race I did was in Fort Davis,TX. It was a three stage race,
with TT, hill climb, and a RR.
I started the time trail, and I knew I wasn't going to great, the 16
mile course was a false flat with a head wind coming back. I started
second to last out of our field of ten. I knew I wasn't doing that well
when the guy behind me passed me. Anyway, the long and short of that
race was, I lost five minutes off the leader and sat in 7th place
(ochh!!). I got lunch, a relaxed as I waited for the next stage. The hill climb was the same day as the TT, but later in the day, this
gave me time to check out the McDolnold observatory and drive the
course. The course was an 11 mile long hill a lot like Mt. Diablo. It
was pretty step the whole time till you made it to the top and it was 2
miles of 18%+ grade. We started the race and made it about two miles
and the pack got split up. Me and this one guy went off and got so far
from the group we didn't see them anymore. Then for some reason he
decide he wanted to lose me so he sprinted off. I didn't have time to
respond so he went off. By the time I had noticed he was gone he had
gotten a good lead, but i chased. I felt really good, but I had to kill
myself to get up to him. When I got up to him he yelled "F***" really
loud, and I knew he was hurting, so I just kept going. At this point I
felt like I was in auto pilot, and I cruised to the finnish. I had
gotten back two minutes, and I was in 4th place.
The next day I woke up and I was sore in places I didn't even now
existed. But I got to the race and warmed up, got to starting line and
went. The RR went on half of the course that the hill climb had, and it
seemed to have the same effect on the group that it had had in the
previous stage. The group was split. I was with the same guy again and
we pretty much just stayed together for the whole 48 miles. He was kind
of funny, he never talked, we just sat on our bikes and petaled for
what seemed like ever until it came down to the sprint and it was over.
He won by a lot in the sprint, but I was ok with that. I had got 2nd
and he was 18 so I was happy.
The racing in Texas has nothing on NorCal. There are some pretty good
riders, but nothing on Shawn or Max. And there aren't as many JR's as
are in our area. But it was a fun race and I learned some new stuff, so
all and all, good.
Venice, FL Crit.
I raced 4's that day and I thought that I might do ok, after seeing how
I did in the Fort Davis race. I got a good warm up about 30 minutes
before the race, and got a good spot at the start line. There was a
field of 30, but the course was only one lane for a lot of the race. We
started out and it was really slow. I felt like we were going to fall
over. I tried to decide weather I should go off our not, and then I
herd that there was a preime on the lap and made an attack I got off
with just one guy on my wheel. He just hung on my wheel and wouldn't
pull, so when it came time for the preime I just sprinted off. Soon, I
released that that might not have been the best idea. I was all alone
and out in the middle of nowhere, and I am not a very good time
trialist. But I tried to keep going. I felt ok and I had stayed off for
about 10 laps, when a pack of about 5 guys catches me. I get in the
group and we slowly start to slow down, until that pack catches us. I
finished in the pack, and I didn't really have any power left to sprint
so i got something like 20th. But the race was fun, and I won 3
preimes. It was funny, because one of the preimes was a case of beer.
But the volunteer guy didn't seem to think that it was a very good idea
to give me a case of beer, so he gave me a free meal at this on place
in Venice. So I used it to get lunch, and I was very happy and full.
The raceing in Florida is very different, because half the people at
the race are just there to ride there bikes, and the other half are die
hard racers. So there are a lot of stragglers on the course. But the
event was also very well organized. And there was only one crash all
day, and it was in the pro race, not the 4s, or 5's. And once again,
there not as strong as the Nor Cal riders, but there are some who are
really good.
Corporate Crit
2004
The race started out pretty fast, two GS Lombardi guys were there and they looked like the wanted to win. The field got smaller (from the 12 that started), as various people started attacking. Both the Davis and Swift teams seemed to try to make a break whenever they could, but nothing happened. Then about halfway into the race, one of the GS Lombardi guys made a great break and made it of the front. About a lap after this happened, on of the Davis riders made a break to try and catch and got about half way between the leader and us. We thought the Davis guy was going to die off fast, but he held his own for a while. After about another five laps, of the Swift team trying to attack the other GS Lombardi rider made a counter attack on on of the Swift teams attacks, and was able to bridge to the Davis guy. The Davis guy dropped back to use and we tried to catch the two GS Lombardi riders (by this point the second GS Lombardi rider made it up to the first, and the were ridding together.) we failed, because we couldn't get organized, but people still kept attacking and fading.
On the last lap, a Swift rider and myself made a break out of the second corner the Swift guy gave up after we were about 50 yards off the front. I tried to time trial, but I am not very good at it, and was caught on the final stretch. I tried to sprint, but I didn't have much left. I came in third in the sprint, meaning I came in 5th over all.
I was a fun day, and I learned a lot, so all good.
Snelling RR
2/21/04
DNF - sick
Juniors 15/16
Field: 14
Teammates: Jason, Lars, JP, Nicholas, Gaelan
It was a ugly day for the part of the race that I was in. Not quit raining, but overcast and cold. I felt alright at the start of the race, I wasn't filling sick or anything. But that all changed as the race went on. We started the first 3 miles behind a BMW that was leading us through the neutral start. After the car pulled over at the start of the race Collin and Blake started to push the pace a little. The group slowly got smaller and smaller until there were just a few riders left. We dropped about half the riders in our group in about the first 30 minutes. I didn't have to do much work, because Blake and Collin seemed to want to set the pace. At about the first laps half way mark the people left in the group started attacking a little and we dropped a few more riders. After this stopped we looked back and saw that we had formed a very small group. When we all noticed this the group slowed down and went at a slower pace. After about five minutes of this I started to feel funny. My stomach started gurgling and I pulled off the group and spewed my breakfast on ground. After that point I new I was done for the day, I just down shifted and toke a nice easy ride back to the feed zone. Man that was a waist of a day. Owe well, there's always next time. I hate green tea with lemon!!!!!!!!
Cantua Creek
2/16/04
DNF - Mechanical
Juniors
Field: 5
Teammates: Charles
AAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!!!!!!! I can't belive how much that race pissed me off!! I felt really good that day. The Jr. group started off with the masters 45+ pack. They set a nice pace which was fun to ride at. As we headed into the head wind toward the end of the first lap I got a flat. I got the flat fixed thanks to Jim, and someone he was ridding with. I thought I might have a chance to catch the pack, but then my chain broke. I pulled over, and the sag wagon picked me up and brought me to the feed zone were I was able to watch the rest of the team finish. Man that was a waste of a race.
Dinuba Crit
2/15/04
6th Place
Juniors 16-18
Field: 9 (in age, 10 all ages)
Teammates: Charles, Peter, Lars, Josh, Max, Shawn
It was a really nice corse. The pace started out moderately fast, and got a little bit faster. Max created a break and got off the front of the group, this meant no work for the rest of the Tieni Duro riders (this was the point when Collin started screaming a lot). A couple of laps after Max made his break, Josh made a nice move up the gutter to catch up with Max. At this point Collin and Mike (two non-Tiene Duro riders) started to push hard. I hung on for a little while and worked with Shawn to block as much as possible, but I eventually got dropped. After that I worked with the other dropped riders to try and catch the pack, but it was unsuccessful. The race was a lot of fun, and we got a 1-2-3 finish. Nice team results.
Pine Flat RR
2/14/04
1st Place
Juniors 15/16
Field: 4
Teammates: Charles, Peter, Lars
It was pretty boring for the first 55 or so miles. The other Juniors and I just sat in the back of the women's 4's pack (we left with them at the start of the race.) Because it was just the four of us, and we were all on the same team, we just sat in and didn't do much. We were just along for the ride. For an example of how slow and boring it got, I attacked on one of the step rollers in the race just to eat my power bar all by myself. Anyway, when we made it to the big hill stuff started to shift gears. 4 of the women from the 4's tried to attack. I went with them and they slowly died off. When we got to the steepest part of the hill there was only like 4 of use left. I thought I was stronger then I was, so I attacked and tried to make a break. With about 300m's to go on the steepest part of the hill I blew up and the lead women in the 4's group passed me. I did think that i was going to finnish, but Lesley from the Galaxy Granola coxed me to keep going, and I made it out of there. I ended up betting the rest of my team which was all of the Juniors, but it didn't mean anything to me. |
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