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Race: Pescadero Coastal Classic
Date: June 25, 2005
Finish: 3rd
Category: Jr 15/16's
Field: 8
Teammates: JP, Ye, and Andy
Sorry this is going to be a long one. There were just so many events and I
don't want to leave any out.
I raced this race last year and I didn't have the greatest outcome. I
rode about one and a half laps by myself. This time it was going to be
different. All of the really advanced/Cat 3 riders were off at nationals,
which only left a few semi advanced riders for us to deal with. We had
four riders going into the race: me, JP, Ye, and Andy. Our closest
competition was easily Los Gatos with Phil and a second rider who had been
at some of the previous races. I was especially psyched about this race
because Jason had sent out an email saying that we were going to set it up
for me to win. I knew it was possible, so I made sure that we thought up
a couple of strategies ahead of time. The first was that we would follow
Davis' routine and send me off, then JP, then Andy, and then Ye. By doing
this we would hopefully get away from the rest of the field. The second
plan was to just keep a hard pace for most of the race and just have
people drop off naturally. In either case, our main goal was to keep all
of our riders till the last lap, at least, and to drop as much of the
group as possible.
I arrived at the race over two and a half hours early so that my dad could
attend a follow vehicle meeting. This was good because I was able to sit
down in the car and rest my nerves a little bit. After a while I checked
in with registration and went back to the car. Later, JP, Ye, and Andy
showed up. We set up all of our trainers next to the car and warmed up
for about twenty minutes. After that we all rolled out and lined up.
There were eight of us total: me, JP, Ye, Andy, Phil and another Los Gatos
rider, a Giant rider, and Nathan Birnbaum from Swift. It took forever to
actually get to the official because all of the times were screwed up and
the groups were backed up. When we reached the official he told us that
there would be a prime sprint each lap. This sounded weird but it didn't
bother me. After that we waited a little longer and started.
The race started with a promenade, so we kept it pretty slow. But about
two minutes into the race the second LGBRC rider (I don't know his name so I'll call him LG) stopped because he dropped his chain. Before the race, I told the field
that if someone gets a flat we should either slow up or stop. They
agreed, so when LG's chain became messed up, we slowed up and waited. The
pace did not really change when we left the promenade, but it turned out
that the prime was only one mile into the course so we sped up for that.
Ye beat Phil in the sprint. After that, nothing big really happened
except that JP, Andy, and I kept the pace pretty hard up the first two
hills. I had also told the pack that there is no reason to go fast on the
descents because it is not like anyone was going to breakaway on the
descent. This made the descents much safer. On the long flat/rolling
stretches, all of the guys from Tieni Duro were at the front and kept the
pace at a nice tempo. The major thing was that LGBRC was not pulling. I
started becoming frustrated with them, but there was no real way to get
them to move. I asked JP to come back and I shot an idea at him. I asked
him what he thought about me pulling Phil aside and asking him to go on a
break with me on Haskins Hill. This way, we would have Tieni Duro and
LGBRC blocking against only two other riders. JP said that was good, then
added that on the descent and flat section of the course TD and LGBRC
could bridge up and hopefully drop the other two riders. We both agreed
that it could work, but I never had a chance to pull Phil aside. When we
reached the beginning of Haskins, I set a pretty hard pace, but Andy asked
to slow up a little bit. I slowed up, and traded pulls with the Giant
rider, JP, and Phil. About half way up, when I was about third or fourth,
I pulled up around JP and picked up the pace. I expected Phil to come
with me, but when I looked back the group was falling. I picked up speed
and when I had a decent lead, I started sprinting away. A little before
500 Meters to go, I looked back and saw JP and Andy working their way up
the hill. This was great; it was just as we had planned. When we reached
the top, I looked back and noticed Phil and LG had grabbed back on. Phil
moved to the front and pulled down the hill. We were moving pretty fast
until I noticed Phil slowing up a little bit. I think his teammate had
dropped back a ways and he was waiting. I tried yelling to Andy to go
around him, but he must not have heard me. Eventually I pulled around
them both and tried to pick up the pace a little bit, by which time LG had
caught back up. When we finished the descent and we hit the rollers,
LGBRC was not working at all.
When we pulled off and moved toward the
back, they would just slow up and let us go ahead of them. Eventually I
just slowed up with them. We fell off of the back and I said, "If you
want to fall off of the back of the pack, that's fine with me." When they
realized I was not going to ride ahead of them, they sped up. Because of
their lack of pulling, we were slowing up. I was becoming worried, but
there was not a lot we could do where we would lose energy and LGBRC would
benefit from not pulling. Right before we passed the promenade, Ye and
Nathan caught us. I became a little frustrated that we had slowed up
enough for Nathan to catch back on, but at the same time I was glad that
Ye was back. I did not see the Giant rider and I figured he was gone.
About a mile before the prime, both of the LGBRC riders said they had to
go to the bathroom. We slowed up at first, but then sped up when we came
closer to the prime. JP and I were at the front and he asked me if we
should go for the prime. I said yes and told him that he should go. When
it came time, he and Ye both sprinted, but Ye slowed up and JP won it.
After that, we didn't slow down a whole lot to wait, but we didn't speed
up either. Besides, we never agreed to slow down because someone has to
go to the bathroom, only for mechanical problems. Anyhow, when Phil and
LG did catch up, we were already a little ways up the hill. Before hand,
I had told JP, Ye, and Andy that I was going to go on the first hill, and
if I could not get away I would go again on the second. I moved to the
front again and simply picked up the pace. JP and Andy were on the front
and I am guessing they slowed up because the group fell off pretty fast.
When I was reaching the top, I looked back and saw that JP had almost
caught up. Great! We did it again. I looked back and saw that Andy was
in front of the group blocking. When we hit the first descent, Andy had
caught up with JP, and Phil and LG were still a ways back. I forgot about
not going fast on the descents and just went for it. We were moving
really fast, but Phil and LG must have really been flying because they
ended up catching us right before the second hill. When Phil did, I asked
him if he was willing to work or not. He said yes, which made me hopeful.
We took this hill fairly fast, but I wished we had still picked up the
pace a little bit more. We also took the descent fairly fast, but not
fast enough because on the middle of the flat section Ye and Nathan caught
us again. JP and I were talking a whole lot about what to do, and I told
him that I was going to try and go with a quarter of Haskins Hill left. A
couple minutes before the feed zone, LG just pulled over and stopped. He
seemed to have been hurting and he must have just had enough. Right
before the feed zone, Ye pulled off of the front and just kept going, which we planned.
I figured that we would most likely catch him on Haskins and if we didn't,
than he would win, so I slowed up. When we passed the feed zone, I told
JP and Andy that we should speed up the pace to not necessarily drop
riders, but just to get them warn out for the climb. JP went up to the
front and started pulling pretty hard. Andy came up to me and told me
that he was hurting and I said that's okay, we're almost there, just try
and hang in there. He stayed with us. Almost as soon as we hit the hill,
the pace sped up and Nathan fell off. Phil was in front, leading it out,
then JP was right behind him, then I was behind JP, and then Andy was
behind me. I asked JP to just stay with Phil. As we rode further and
further up, Phil's legs started shaking. With about 2 Kilometers to go,
we caught Ye. I tried yelling to him, but he couldn't keep the pace and
he fell back. My legs were hurting, so every five to ten seconds or so I
would jump out of the saddle just to get in a different position, and when
I sat back down I actually sped up. With about 1 Kilometer to go, Andy
said he was hurting and fell off. Now it was Phil, JP, and I. This was
the perfect order, JP was right behind Phil who was dying and would soon
drop off. Then I was right behind JP for the sprint, in case Phil pulled back
on. With about 250 Meters to go, JP and I started moving around Phil.
Then, with 200 Meters left, Andy came sprinting around all three of us and
went up to win. JP sprinted, I am guessing because he was a little
confused and couldn't tell right away who had just passed us. We hadn't
been expecting anyone to come around us at the finish. Then I passed Phil,
who had absolutely nothing left, and sprinted to the finish for 3rd.
Even though I'm a little disappointed the finish didn't go according to
plan, it is still great that we won all of the primes and took 1st, 2nd,
3rd, and 5th. Sometimes there are misunderstandings and things get a
little messed up, but overall great job to everyone. Great job to Aaron
who won 10-12's, Julian who won both primes and the 17/18's race, and to
Lars for just coming down and racing 3's. For the 15/16's, I want to
thank Ye for coming out, even though it is not his type of course, and
hugely participating in a team win today. He basically sacrificed himself
when he dropped off of the pack with Nathan twice. Also to Ye, great job
on staying with us in the hills and on that break right before the last
climb up Haskins. I also want to thank Andy who was a huge help on the
flats and the first two hills of the course. I especially want to thank
JP for riding a great race. He did a great job of letting me go, and then
bridging without bringing anyone else with him. He also was totally
unselfish and pulled whenever I asked if we could step the pace up. The
biggest thing was JP's superb lead out on Haskins Hill the last lap. He
was right on Phil the entire climb, with me sitting behind him. Then,
when he could tell Phil was done and the finish was ahead, he pulled me
past Phil. Even though the outcome got a little messy, it was still a
great lead out, and a great day for Tieni Duro.
Race: Jr Crit Championships
Date: June 12, 2005
Finish: 11th
Category: 15/16’s
Field: 25+
Teammates: JP, Ye, Jordan, Andy, Nitish, Greg, Navin
I had been feeling really lousy, but wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t ride. When I arrived and started walking the course, I noticed that everyone was there. Jason had sent an email the night before that said who we were suppose to watch, so we already had a game plan. All of the 15/16’s went over behind Jason’s car with their trainers and we warmed up and talked about tactics for the day. We had decided that it was going to be a man-to-man defense. This was a good idea considering we had eight riders. After we talked about who was covering who, we finished warming up, and went to roll-out. It took a while, but once everyone was finished we went to the starting line.
The race started out pretty fast, as normal. In the first few laps, I was towards the very front and feeling pretty good. There were a couple of attacks but they were all chased down. After about eight laps or so, I moved toward the back of the group because my throat started burning. After another lap or so, I looked up and saw that JP was off of the front with another rider. Unfortunately, it was the common scenario that JP was strong, but the second rider could not hold a strong enough pace and they were eventually caught. After another couple laps, on a prime lap, Andy broke away. I had only seen him race twice before and I knew he was pretty fast, but he was flying. In about one lap, he had a good lead on the group. When I noticed that he was going to stay away, I moved up to the front of the group where most of the other Tieni Duro riders were and helped block. Andy kept a decent sized lead for about three more laps, but then we started closing. This was a combination of Taylor (Davis) being at the front, and Andy probably just running out of gas. Within another two laps we caught him. By that time, my throat was burning more and I had started coughing. Every time the pack went around a corner I fell off and had to catch up. This really tired me out. With about six or seven to go, Andy went off of the front again. I hesitated and then sprinted to join and help Andy. JP yelled no and I figured he was right so I slowed up. I should have gotten more off of the front or slowed up more, because I may have been pulling the pack (Sorry!). When I realized this, I pulled to the side and then jumped back in. The field ended up catching Andy. With about three to go, I moved up to the front in an attempt to stop anybody from jumping off. JP was already up there, like he had been the entire race, and I just rode right next to him and then past him. I picked the pace up a good two to three miles per hour. I kept this for a little more a half a lap and then pulled off. I know people like to jump off with about that much time to go, and none of my teammates were off of the front, so if I picked up the pace to where nobody could sprint and go faster than that, then nobody would get away. I pulled off with two to go. On the last lap, I was almost off of the back of the pack. I sped up on the backstretch and caught up. On turn three there was a crash. I glanced over and saw that it was JP. When I looked forward, there were some Swift kids in front of me that were dazed or something. I yelled at them to keep moving and it kind of woke them up. I ended up catching a couple people on the sprint, but I still did not manage to break top ten, I placed eleventh.
Overall it was a pretty good race with two of our riders at sixth and eighth. I am disappointed about JP’s crash, but he wasn’t too hurt. This was an especially good race for tactics. We went over different types and chose which would be most fitting for this race. Also, great job to Aaron for winning the 10/12’s and all three of the 13/14’s for staying with the pack till almost the end. Overall great job.
Race: Wheels of Thunder Crit
Date: June 4, 2005
Finish: 3rd
Category: Jr 17/18
Field: 17/18's 3, Field 30+
Teammates: JP
This was the second race of the day for JP and I. Since it was
immediately following our 5/16's race, JP and I decided that we would just
take it as a training ride. We also knew that we would receive a top
three placing because there was only one other 17/18 racing, a CVC rider,
who we didn't recognize. The officials raced us with the Women 4's.
The race started really slowly. So slowly, that when CVC sped up the pace
by about three miles per hour, the whole women's pack just let him go. I
told JP that we should probably go with him just to get out of the
potentially dangerous women's field. So we road up behind him and the
three of us just kept moving further and further away from the group.
After doing this for about a half a lap, a female junior who I recognized
pulled up to us. She told us that the Cat 4 women thought she was a
junior so they let her go. It turned out that she was racing as a Cat 4
and was eligible to win some money. The race's second name is the Dash
for Cash. Every few laps, ten dollars or more is awarded to the first
person across the line. However, this does not include juniors. So when
the women thought that this girl was a junior, they let her go, not
realizing that she would automatically win every cash prime. When she
told us this, we stepped up the pace and actually got her about twenty
dollars or so. Then the announcer told the women that the girl was a
junior, so the women sped up and caught us. After about another lap, I
told JP that I just wanted to get out of the field because so many of the
women were just moving everywhere and it made me nervous. He agreed, and
we both went off of the front. After about another lap, the women caught
us again. Then we just sat around for a while until JP went to the front.
CVC was already off of the front because there were a couple of 17/18
primes that he kept sprinting for and winning. Anyhow, the group let JP
go. When he caught up to CVC, JP just kept going and CVC did not do
anything to stop him or even jump on his wheel. I was at the back of the
group, and it took me a little while to get around everyone and to the
front, and by the time I had, JP had a pretty large gap. When I noticed
this, I rode up to CVC and got in front of him. He must have thought that
I was going to try a catch JP because he jumped right on my wheel and did
not say a thing. When JP kept speeding up, I kept the same pace, and it
seemed the women's group slowed down. After one lap of this, CVC must
have realized that I was blocking. He pulled up around me and took a
pretty hard pull and I followed. Then he pulled off and I eased up. After
a lap of me just sitting there, two women, who had broken off of the
front, caught us. I became a little worried because I didn't want them to
speed up the pace too much and try to catch JP, so when it was my turn to pull, I slowed down
a little instead of riding at the same pace. CVC started really becoming
angry. It was getting towards the end of the race and JP was pretty far
ahead. CVC was becoming so upset that he started calling me names like
"wheel sucker". I wanted to start laughing but I held it in. On the last
lap, JP was far enough ahead that we were not going to catch him, so I
actually took a harder pull to calm CVC down. He chilled out. When it
came down to the sprint, there was no competition. It was an 18-year-old
weight lifter and a 120 pound 15 year old. He crushed me. But I still
got third place and helped JP to win first.
This race just goes to show you that things might not always come out as
planned. At first JP and I were just going to sit in. But it turned out
being a tactical race and I was able to block for JP. Congrats JP on a great race. It
was good practice for the crit championships and future criteriums. Hope to see
everyone out there on Sunday.
Race: Wheels of Thunder (Dash for Cash)
Date: June 4, 2005
Finish: 3rd
Category:15/16’s
Field: 20+ 10/16’s
Teammates: JP, Peter, Alex
I came to this race with a pretty bad cough, but still really confident thinking that there was not going to be much competition since the Time Trial Championships were the day after. I was right. There were only about six 15/16’s, so instead of starting the 10/12’s, 13/14’s and 15/16’s separately, they started the race with 10/16’s. Since we were the first race JP and I never took out our trainers, we just rode the course. This way we could warm-up and go over corners and cracks on the course. Each lap was point nine miles, so it was a decent distance. There were not any tight corners, so we were able to carry our momentum throughout the whole corner. Another thing that we noticed was that on the last corner there were a couple a loose bricks, parts of the roads were made from bricks and cobblestones. After riding about five to six laps, we went back to put our numbers on. Then, we went to the starting line.
Before the race, JP, Jason, my dad, and I had talked a lot about our team tactics. In order to place, JP and I had two options. The first was that either he or I would break off of the front and stay away. Then, the other teammate would break away later, making sure that they were not pulling the group or more than one person in which case they would stop the break. Our second plan was simply to just have both of us break off together. We ended up choosing the second plan.
The race started with an attack by Daniel Tisdell (LGBRC), who was quickly caught. Throughout the rest of the race, there was a mixture of attacks by Daniel, Phil (LGBRC), Brandon (CVC), JP, and I. The largest attack started after about four laps. JP, Brandon, Daniel, a Swift rider, Peter, and I all went. Even though this seems like a lot of people, there were at least twice as many in the rest of the pack. When JP and I pulled, we would be going at about twenty-five miles per hour. When we pulled off, the next person would slow the pace down to about twenty-two or twenty-three miles per hour. This was a problem, and we were eventually caught. The longest attack was with about six laps to go. JP went off of the front and Brandon jumped on his wheel. When I noticed this, I pulled up to the front of the field and slowed up the group. Phil was not happy about this and was constantly jumping up to try and speed up the pace. Every time he did this, I also just sped up and stayed right next to him. He would then stop. Eventually he really stopped. Once I had noticed this, I jumped off of the group and bridged up to JP and Brandon. It was not long before Phil pulled the rest of the group back up also. From then until two laps to go there were only a couple of pack surges. Then, with two to go on the backstretch, I rode up next to JP, who had been pulling for a while, and sprinted ahead. I did this to break up the group, and if I could, break away. It took the group about twenty seconds to catch me, but I could tell it tired some people out. On the last lap, I told Peter that if he had anything left he should go. He said that he was saving it for the sprint. I figured that was a good idea, but on the backstretch, I sprinted ahead again. It was basically the same as the first time, except that I started a little further back and instead of riding up to the front and then sprinting, I just sprinted from the back. This was a little more effective and we actually dropped a couple of people. When I looked backwards, I noticed that Peter had also sprinted ahead, except that he went on the other side. This was great because the group could not go both ways. I pulled until the last corner. Unfortunately, there was a 10/12 riding in the road and I was forced to go around him, taking the corner way too wide to really do anything. Luckily, JP was behind me when I sprinted, and he was able to take the corner tight and get a good sprint. I knew I could not win, but I still kept going. Brandon was pretty far ahead and even though he rode through the inside of the corner, he had slowed up halfway towards the finish. I took this opportunity and started sprinting. I ended up catching and passing him. By doing this, I took third.
JP’s and my team tactics worked out perfectly, even though we could never follow through with our original plan. I was still able to semi lead him out and help to set him up for the win. It was also great to see some 13/14’s out there. Alex was able to gain valuable experience and Peter stayed with the pack the entire race and took second place. Overall, great job to everyone.
Race: EMC Documentum Crit
Date: May 22, 2005
Finish: 4th
Category: Jr 15/16
Field: 10 in the 15/16’s, and 31 in the entire Jr’s race
Teammates: Lars, Rashiv, JP, Nitish, Gregg, Navin, and Ye
I was planning on racing in the 4’s before the juniors, but I decided that it would be better for me to sleep in. I arrived about an hour and forty-five minutes before the race. I checked in then walked the course. The road was in good condition and everything else looked fine except for a double row of bots-dots. When I got back to the cars, we talked a little about strategy in general. Then I got out my trainer and started to warm-up. I only stayed on the trainer for about ten minutes when I jumped off, rolled out, and started riding around the course. It was nice because the officials had made it so there was a lane for cars that went all the way around the course. After I did a couple of laps with the rest of the team, I went to the starting line.
The beginning of the race was a little hairy because it was a 10/18’s race. When we started, a couple of 10/12’s and one 13/14 jumped the pack. I placed myself towards the front, following my own advice for once, for the first lap. On the second lap, I dropped back a little bit. The group sped up a little bit after the first corner, and I became stuck behind a 13/14 who slowly started dropping off. I passed him and caught back up. Then, on about the fourth lap, Lars, Joe (Davis), and Matt Mosby (LGBRC) sprinted off the front. No one chased, but the break moved away pretty quickly. The next lap, after the first corner, Daniel Holloway (Lombardi) broke away way too fast for anyone to have gone with him. So far I was not too worried because all of those riders were 17/18’s. Then, on the next lap, Taylor (Davis) broke away. He stayed out front for a little while. Then on the second part of that lap, Alex Wick (Davis) bridged up to Taylor and they shot off. When Alex went, I jumped up, but was too late to catch his wheel. I thought I might be able to catch him, but no one else had come up with me so I died pretty quickly. The next lap, on the backstretch, I was toward the back and slowly moved up the side. I told JP to jump on and then I moved up to the front of the pack and started pulling. I picked up the pace, but I did not sprint away. I did this because I was hoping for us to gain time on the breakaway since there were now two 15/16’s with them. I pulled off and noticed that JP and I had dropped the group. JP took a nice pull and when he pulled off I just kept the same pace. When I pulled off, JP had realized that we had dropped the pack, so he really kicked it up. I was still just a little tired from my earlier “sprint” to catch Alex and I started falling back. JP realized this and slowed up to let me catch him. Thanks JP. We stayed ahead of the group by a huge amount for a while. With about five or six laps to go, Blake was trying to bridge up to us. Jason and my dad were telling us to slow up and we did, figuring that Blake would be helpful. Having three riders also made it so we took less pulls. With about two laps to go, Blake sprinted ahead dropping both JP and me. JP was ahead of me and was almost catching Blake. I had become tired, but I still kept trying to keep up. Then on the start/finish stretch, I looked up the road and noticed that the breakaway was right in front of me. I sped up and caught them. Almost as soon as I did, someone in the front sprinted ahead. JP and I were both dropped. There was now only about half a lap left, and the lead group was still only a little ways ahead of me, so I kept going. On the last turn, there was no one behind and JP was too far ahead to sprint with, but I still sprinted to the line.
This was definitely one of the more exciting races this season. This is mostly because there was some strategy involved and we did not just sit with the pack, ride slowly, and sprint in the end. Ever since Wente when I missed the break, I have tried harder to chase down attacks in my age group. At Golden State, JP, Ye, and I worked together and eventually caught the break. JP and I can definitely not take all of the credit at Documentum because Nitish, Gregg, Navin, Ye, and Rashiv were all back in the group blocking. Also, I might not have made it the whole time if JP had not slowed up a little. Thanks to everyone who helped. The biggest thing I learned was that you should not underestimate yourself. The Tieni Duro 15/16’s have had some highlights, but we have not really stood out. We need to keep working together and have confidence in our abilities and experience.
Race: Northern CA/Nevada Jr Track Championships
Date: May 27, 2005
Finish: 2nd
Category: 15/16
Field: 3
Teammates: JP
I have never raced or even watched a track race before, so I was a little nervous as to what to expect. I had been to the track three times before that, once with Tieni Duro, another time with Cycle Sports (my dad’s club team), and I went down on Tuesday with JP for the junior training clinic. The 15/16’s race is called an Omnium. An Omnium consists of four events. The 500-meter individual sprint, the 5-kilometer scratch race, the 2-kilometer scratch race, and the point’s race. The winner of each event receives seven points, the second receives five points, and the third receives four points. The rider with the most points at the ends wins overall.
When I arrived, JP, his dad, and Rick Moale had just gotten there and there were only a couple of other people. While there was still only a couple of people there, JP and I jumped on our bikes and rode a forty-lap warm up. One lap is about 330 meters, so that’s about seven miles. I also did two, one and a half lap, practice sprints in-between that time. Then Rick rented a track bike and gave us a few pointers, which really helped. As it became later, more and more people started showing up. I jumped off of the track, went to see who had checked in for 15/16’s, and jumped right back on my road bike, which we had brought to put on the trainer. There were only three 15/16’s, JP, Ben Barsi-Rhyne (LGBRC), and me. Pretty soon it was time for the first race. Before I go into detail about the actual races, I will describe what each event is.
The first event is the 500-meter standing sprint. You start on the opposite side of the track with someone holding you. You ride as fast as you can for one and a half laps. I started my sprint pretty quickly. As I reached my three quarter lap marker, I started slowing up. It was not really because I could not physically go faster, it was more mental. I didn’t motivate myself, and I slowed up. Then, when I realized this, I became extremely frustrated with myself. I ended up finishing two seconds behind JP and four seconds behind Ben.
The second event is the 5-kilometer scratch race. A scratch race is basically a Criterium on the track. One kilometer is about three laps. So you ride for fifteen laps and sprint for your placing on the last one. This race was pretty interesting because there was so much strategy involved. Even though there were only four people, the 15/16 boys and one 15/16 girl, it was still kind of confusing with everyone jockeying for their position. JP took the first pull, but when he pulled up Ben would not get off of his wheel. I did not want JP to burn out by pulling the whole time, so I sprinted through the inside, right next to the measurement line. This got Ben’s attention and he jumped on my wheel. This is when having teammates comes in handy. I did this a couple of other times, but by then it was getting towards the end of the race. Kelly LeFleur (Alto Velo) was still with us and I could tell that she was hurting a little, so I stepped up the pace a little. As soon as I did this she dropped off. The main reason I did this was because at the time I had forgotten that the 15/16 men and women were being placed separately. I did that at the time so there would be less competition. Right after the race, I realized that it would not have made a difference, but oh well. Anyhow, Ben sprinted ahead on the last lap, and dropped everyone. I hugged the measurement line, the black line on the inside, and gave my all to catch up. Unfortunately I could not. I ended up coming in second place.
The third race is the 2-kilometer scratch race, which is the same thing as the 5-kilometer scratch race, except that it is only six laps. This race was a lot faster. Everything was about the same including Ben breaking away with one to go. Fortunately, I was expecting this, and I got a little bit more of a jump, but couldn’t beat him. I ended up coming in second again.
The fourth and last race is the point’s race. This is the most complicated race. There are thirty-five laps and every five laps there is a sprint. The first four riders across receive five, then three, then two, then one point for their place. This race was a 15/18 men’s and women’s race. To make the race even more complicated, the four sprint places were awarded to the top four riders in the race, not in each category. This meant that if the four 17/18’s could win every sprint, then the 15/16’s could win no points. In that case, the 15/16’s placements would come down to however well they did in the final sprint. The race starts by you fully clipped in and grabbing onto the wall. When I pushed off, I went straight to the measurement line again. The oldest LeFleur sister, Kim, jumped off of the group at the very beginning, but noone worried about her. I unfortunately was towards the back. I had to make sure that in the next five laps I could move up. With about three laps to go, the 17/18’s, Daniel Holloway (Lombardi), Blake Anton (Davis), and Jim Ryan (LGBRC), were all moving around trying to get the best draft and pull the least. I knew that was a smart thing to do, but I figured it was early in the race and that it wouldn’t hurt to do an early sprint. So I sprinted through the bottom and sure enough, the group jumped on. Even though I was pulling, I made sure to pull for only a half a lap every time. For the first three sprints, everything was pretty confusing. Especially with Kim LeFleur off of the front and the rest of the group sprinting, I could not tell what places I was taking. When there were four sprints to go, Blake sprinted off of the front. I went right with him. We were working really well together, but when the officials signaled the bell-lap, the group caught us. It was a good experience though. Anyhow, I do not know how I placed in that sprint either. On the next couple of laps, Daniel, Blake, Jim, and Ben all kept sprinting. This caused me and JP to fall off of the back. I had been noticing that the pack slowed up after every sprint, so I was not too worried about catching back up. I caught the group for the third to last sprint. With about two laps to the second to last sprint, JP and I fell off once more. Again, I tried extremely hard to catch back up, but I did worry a whole lot. JP and I did not catch the group for the second to last sprint. They had just finished sprinting and road high into the turn, when we spun past them down below. We were not going extra fast, but the main field just seemed to keep falling further and further back. I yelled up to JP ahead of me and told him how far back the field was. I did not know if either of us had the strength to stay out front, but we made a judgment call. We decided that if we stepped it up a little, that we could make it. I think that the main field was so caught up over that last sprint, that they did not even notice that we were going further and further away. When we were about a third of a lap ahead of the field, we really started cranking it up. The spectators were cheering us on because we were definitely the underdogs. On the last lap, we had a good half of a lap lead on the field. When we were turning into the final sprint, I started too late and lost by about a half a wheel to JP. I don’t know how I did overall in the race, but JP finished first in the final sprint, and I finished second.
This was by far the most fun race I have ever done. Even though JP and I were behind the field at some points, we ended up using our heads to actually finish the last sprint first and second. Overall, I had a great time racing with JP, Ben, and the 17/18’s. They taught us a lot about tactics. Thanks JP for being a great teammate, and thanks Rick for coming down and coaching us. You were both a big help and made the whole experience a lot of fun.
Race: EMC Documentum Crit
Date: May 22, 2005
Finish: 4th
Category: Jr 15/16
Field: 10 in the 15/16’s, and 31 in the entire Jr’s race
Teammates: Lars, Rashiv, JP, Nitish, Gregg, Navin, and Ye
I was planning on racing in the 4’s before the juniors, but I decided that it would be better for me to sleep in. I arrived about an hour and forty-five minutes before the race. I checked in then walked the course. The road was in good condition and everything else looked fine except for a double row of bots-dots. When I got back to the cars, we talked a little about strategy in general. Then I got out my trainer and started to warm-up. I only stayed on the trainer for about ten minutes when I jumped off, rolled out, and started riding around the course. It was nice because the officials had made it so there was a lane for cars that went all the way around the course. After I did a couple of laps with the rest of the team, I went to the starting line.
The beginning of the race was a little hairy because it was a 10/18’s race. When we started, a couple of 10/12’s and one 13/14 jumped the pack. I placed myself towards the front, following my own advice for once, for the first lap. On the second lap, I dropped back a little bit. The group sped up a little bit after the first corner, and I became stuck behind a 13/14 who slowly started dropping off. I passed him and caught back up. Then, on about the fourth lap, Lars, Joe (Davis), and Matt Mosby (LGBRC) sprinted off the front. No one chased, but the break moved away pretty quickly. The next lap, after the first corner, Daniel Holloway (Lombardi) broke away way too fast for anyone to have gone with him. So far I was not too worried because all of those riders were 17/18’s. Then, on the next lap, Taylor (Davis) broke away. He stayed out front for a little while. Then on the second part of that lap, Alex Wick (Davis) bridged up to Taylor and they shot off. When Alex went, I jumped up, but was too late to catch his wheel. I thought I might be able to catch him, but no one else had come up with me so I died pretty quickly. The next lap, on the backstretch, I was toward the back and slowly moved up the side. I told JP to jump on and then I moved up to the front of the pack and started pulling. I picked up the pace, but I did not sprint away. I did this because I was hoping for us to gain time on the breakaway since there were now two 15/16’s with them. I pulled off and noticed that JP and I had dropped the group. JP took a nice pull and when he pulled off I just kept the same pace. When I pulled off, JP had realized that we had dropped the pack, so he really kicked it up. I was still just a little tired from my earlier “sprint” to catch Alex and I started falling back. JP realized this and slowed up to let me catch him. Thanks JP. We stayed ahead of the group by a huge amount for a while. With about five or six laps to go, Blake was trying to bridge up to us. Jason and my dad were telling us to slow up and we did, figuring that Blake would be helpful. Having three riders also made it so we took less pulls. With about two laps to go, Blake sprinted ahead dropping both JP and me. JP was ahead of me and was almost catching Blake. I had become tired, but I still kept trying to keep up. Then on the start/finish stretch, I looked up the road and noticed that the breakaway was right in front of me. I sped up and caught them. Almost as soon as I did, someone in the front sprinted ahead. JP and I were both dropped. There was now only about half a lap left, and the lead group was still only a little ways ahead of me, so I kept going. On the last turn, there was no one behind and JP was too far ahead to sprint with, but I still sprinted to the line.
This was definitely one of the more exciting races this season. This is mostly because there was some strategy involved and we did not just sit with the pack, ride slowly, and sprint in the end. Ever since Wente when I missed the break, I have tried harder to chase down attacks in my age group. At Golden State, JP, Ye, and I worked together and eventually caught the break. JP and I can definitely not take all of the credit at Documentum because Nitish, Gregg, Navin, Ye, and Rashiv were all back in the group blocking. Also, I might not have made it the whole time if JP had not slowed up a little. Thanks to everyone who helped. The biggest thing I learned was that you should not underestimate yourself. The Tieni Duro 15/16’s have had some highlights, but we have not really stood out. We need to keep working together and have confidence in our abilities and experience.
Race: Ronde Van Brisbeen
Date: May 21, 2005
Finish: 35th
Category: Cat 4
Field: 83
Teammates: Sean Smith from Cycle Sports, three Jr's from other teams
I have only ridden in four Cat 5 races, all at the early birds, so I have
not really had any experience except with the juniors. Because of this, I
was a little anxious to get my first Cat 4 race underway.
My race was at 11:00, but I arrived at the course at seven so my dad could
help out by course marshaling. At first I thought that it would be a drag
waiting around, but then I realized that I was now able to preview the
course for a while. I made sure that I rode the course before any of the
races started. This helped because I was able to practice the 100' hill.
This was important because the race was only made up of a long descent,
two extremely short stretches, and a climb. There were two parts to the
descent, the first was a short and steep straightaway and the second was a
more gradual descent after an "S" turn. The climb was like a giant stair,
it started steep, then flattened out, and then became steep again. I
spent some time riding up and down the hill right next to the pack that
was racing to see how fast they were climbing, then I went to warm up. I
didn't have any Tieni Duro teammates for this race, so I used my
connection with the Cycle Sports racing team to my advantage. I warmed up
with one of them, Sean Smith, who had placed third in the same race last
year, so I was able to ask him questions. After about thirty minutes of
warming up, I went to the starting line.
The race starts out right at the top of the descent, but we still started
out pretty slowly. The head course marshal had just told the group that
we should take the first corners on the descent slowly just to get the
feel for them. I had thought about switching my rear wheel with my dad's
so that I would not spin out on the descent, but I never switched them.
This was a mistake because as soon as we hit the straightaway descent, I
just couldn't go that fast. Luckily, at the bottom of the descent there
is a really sharp, narrow corner that causes the pack to slow up. This
was an easy way to catch up if you ever got dropped. The first time up
the hill I was towards the back, and so whenever anyone dropped off, I
would have to go around them in order to catch back up. From the top of
the hill on the first lap until about seven laps to go, nothing really big
happened except that the pack kept speeding up and dropping riders. With
about six laps to go, there was a crash in the middle of the group. It
was fairly decent size, but I rode around and kept going. The riders who
became stuck behind it fell back and had to work pretty hard to catch back
up. With about four laps to go, I started becoming really tired on the
climbs. I realized that slowing down while in the back of the pack was
not a good idea because I would fall off. So, on the climb I rode harder
and went up so I was almost in the front. Then I slowed up a little so
that I could rest, but I would not fall out of the pack. After that
climb, I basically hung to someone's wheel and let them pull down the
descent. I did this two more times until it was the last lap. The
descent went smoothly, but I was dropped a little bit on the tight corner.
When I came around, the pack had gotten a little bit of a jump and I fell
off. As I continued to climb, I was passing riders who had been dropped
and had given up. And when I came to the finish, even though the pack was
about ten seconds ahead of me, I still sprinted to the line.
For my first 4's race, I am pretty pleased with my results although I
would have liked to have finished with the pack sprint. I was not really
used to going at this kind of tempo. In the juniors we ride pretty fast
for twenty to thirty minutes. In the fours, they ride faster for fifty to
sixty minutes. Today I learned a couple of things. First, if you can
arrive at a race early enough and if your race starts late enough, watch
one or two other races whose riders are around your skill level. This way
you can get an idea of the race's pace up a hill and through corners.
Second, if you know anyone who has raced a race you are about to do, talk
to them. I had a few questions about the course and Sean, from the Cycle
Sports team, answered them. I found out important information such as
where to grab a wheel and not drop off. Third, you may need to change your
cassette if you're not riding with Jr's. Fred or Jason, is that legal?
Last, try to stay towards the middle, if not the front of the pack. I
know everyone says this, but it does really help. If you get tired and
fall back, you will still be with the group. Also, there will be less
people in front of you, so there should not be as many crashes. Overall,
today was a good race. I can't wait to get out there again tomorrow.
Race: Golden State Crit
Date: May 15, 2005
Finish: 10th
Category: Jr 15/16
Field: 20
Teammates: JP and Ye
This was the last junior points series race of the season so I was
planning to make it an interesting race. When I first showed up, it
didn't look like there was going to be too big of a field. As it got
later, I started noticing more and more riders. Before it got too late
and the 13/14's started racing, Ye, JP, and I rode the course about four
or five times, just to get the feel for the corners and tell where the
head winds and tail winds were. I recommend riding the course before
every race, and if you cannot ride it, at least walk it. It had become
late pretty quickly, so JP, Ye, and I rode on the trainers for about ten
minutes and then got off and rode around the side streets, which we did
because they were really wide and flat. When we went to the starting
line, there was a pretty decent sized field, about 20 or so.
The race started pretty quickly, with an attack by Taylor (Davis) on the
second or third corner. No one really responded until Alex Wick (Davis)
sprinted up to ride with Taylor. Because the pack knows both of their
capabilities, we pulled them right back in. For the next three or four
minutes, we were clipping along at a fast pace, with the occasional attack
by an SGW or Davis rider. Then, Julian (Davis) sprinted ahead and no one
went with him. Davis was at the front blocking. Bryan Larson (SGW) would
move to the front to try and gain on Julian, but whenever Davis yelled at
him to slow down, he did. I started thinking of Wente and how I had
disliked the outcome so much. I did not want the same thing to happen
again. So, I went up along the side of the group on the finishing stretch
and sprinted in front of the field. The riders that were in the front
grabbed my wheel. I pulled off at about the second turn, I was happy to
see that Ye and JP were both close to the front, about to take pulls. We
were not really gaining on Julian, so a couple of laps later, I did the
same thing in the same place. It worked again and the field sped up, even
after I pulled off. We were slowly catching Julian, but I did not know if
we were going to make it. So with four laps left, on the backstretch, I
slowly moved up the side of the pack and told Ye and JP to grab my wheel.
We pulled up to the front of the group. I sprinted ahead, with Ye and JP
right behind me. This was great, because as soon as I
pulled off, Ye jumped and sped up the field. Then, when Ye pulled off, JP
was right there to pull the field until we closed the gap. In this way,
JP, Ye, and I were all able to catch Julian. Once we caught him, we only
had about two laps left. Everything was pretty calm until the sprint,
which I had poor placing, like usual, and finished last in.
I try not to focus on my poor sprinting abilities. Instead, I focus on
how well we worked together as a team. It felt really good knowing that
we actually had some say in the outcome of the race. For me, this was the
15/16's first big tactical race, like JP was saying. The two differences
were mainly that we seemed to be riding closer together, and we talked,
not a lot but more than usual. The race overall was pretty good
considering we all took top ten places, Ye fourth, JP seventh, and me
tenth.
Even though the points series is over, that does not mean that the racing
season is. I am still going to try and race every weekend, and I would
love to have some teammates out there. I know that this weekend there are
two races, the Ronde Van Brisbeen (no junior races), and the EMC/Documentum
Criterium, which has junior races. I know that Ye, Navin, Nitish, and
Greg are coming to race 15/16's, but I think it would be a good race for
the 13/14 riders who have not been racing that much to get back into the
swing of things. Anyhow, I hope to see you guys out there.
Race: Berkeley Hills Road Race
Date: May 7, 2005
Finish: 3rd
Category: 16 and under
Field: 11
Teammates: JP
I have been looking forward to riding this race. I know the
course very well, having ridden it over and over in preparations for the
Pinole TTT, and it is basically pure climbing. (There are a lot of
rollers, but there are only two or three large climbs) I had also ridden
the course two Fridays before, during which I looked for holes, practiced
climbing each hill in different gears, and seeing how much energy I had
left at the top of papa bear. This way, I knew where to ride on the road,
I knew what gear to be in ahead of time, and I knew how much leftover
energy I would be able to use during the final climb. I recommend riding
a course, especially if it is as close as this one, and doing all of the
above to help you become better prepared.
Going into the race, I thought that I would have at least two
other teammates, Lily and Aaron, but it turned out that Lily was under the
weather and Aaron couldn't make it. Luckily, JP decided to come and race.
When I arrived at the course, I checked in, rolled out, and jumped
on the trainer with JP. We talked about strategy and were feeling pretty
confident until we checked the 15/16 sign-up sheet and saw that Taylor
(Davis) and Logan Loader (CVC) had both decided to ride with the Jr's
instead of the 4's. This concerned me a little, but I figured I had a
pretty big advantage having ridden the course so often. I warmed up for
about twenty minutes, seems to be my average time, and went to the
starting line.
There is a prelude to the beginning of the race, so there were no
attacks and I got a nice warm-up. When we hit San Pablo Dam Rd., there
was one kid, Tyler Brandt (Drake High School), who was just pulling the
whole time. It was his first race, so I figured that he should learn by
experience not to pull so much the first half of the race. Everything
went pretty smooth until we started picking up the pace a little bit right
after the right-hand turn off of SPDR. We dropped a couple of people,
only one of whom caught back up. A little ways after the swooping descent
that puts you onto Alhambra Valley, JP yelled to me that he got a flat.
The whole group slowed up and I was hoping that someone would have an
extra Campy wheel, but it turned out that there were none and JP had to
drop out. Everything else went pretty smoothly until the base of mama
bear. I noticed Taylor, Logan, and Brandon Howard (CVC) talking a lot at
the front, so I figured that they were working together. As soon as we
hit the base, Taylor broke away and the CVC team blocked. After about
five to ten seconds, Logan sprinted ahead and left Brandon to block. I
thought this might happen, so I jumped up and went with Logan, so did Matt
Abdalah (LGBRC) and Pedro Bonilla (Giant). Logan slowed down and Brandon
caught back up. We were taking the mini descent pretty slow and we were
not making any ground on Taylor, so I got some speed and passed Logan,
bringing us closer to Taylor. At the top of the second to last mini hill,
Logan, Brandon, Matt, and I caught Taylor, but Matt dropped off on the
large descent. The four of us were going pretty hard, and Taylor and
Logan kept picking up the pace. Eventually Logan and Taylor pushed ahead
of Brandon and me. Brandon was blocking really well, sprinting right next
to me and in front of me when I tried to catch back up to Logan and
Taylor. They had not gone too far ahead and it was not long until I
sprinted around Brandon and caught back up. We were reaching the top, by
which time Brandon dropped off leaving Taylor, Logan, and me, and it was
my turn to pull. I knew I should not pull for long, so I stayed at the
front for a couple seconds and then tried to pull off. Taylor and Logan
didn't budge. I moved back and forth in a snakelike motion, but it didn't
work. I knew I could not lead out the sprint, so I swerved to the other
side of the road and then jumped back on their wheel. By this time we
were at the very top and Logan and Taylor sprinted for the finish. I
sprinted as well, but my sprinting is not all that great and they both
beat me by about a bike length.
For this race, I learned a lot about tactics. I learned again
that teammates are extremely valuable, and that it would have helped to
have had some more TDer's out there with me. The CVC team worked very
well together, clearly having a plan and carrying it out. I also learned
that if you have any doubts about something, you should ask a race
official. I had looked online and thought I knew where the finish was,
but I double-checked with the referee anyways. It turned out that the
finish had been moved up. This was good to know for the finish because I
knew that I did not have to conserve any energy. I also need to learn more
about sprinting and how an uphill finish is different from a flat finish.
I am really happy with my result, and hope to see more of my
teammates at the Folsom Criterium.
Race: Cat's Hill
Date: May 7, 2005
Finish: Somewhere around 10th - 12th
Category: 15/16's with 17/18's
Field: around 40 total (25 15/16's)
Teammates: JP, Ye, Charles and Tyler
We drove this course on our way home from Sea Otter, and I have been
practicing hill sprints on a hill near our house that is similar to Cat's
Hill. So, I figured I was set.
When I arrived at the course, Jason and I met up with JP and his mom, and
we walked over to check in. The fives were just starting, so JP and I
checked in, rolled out, and walked our bikes about halfway up Cat's Hill.
The first time that the Cat 5's came through, there was a guy towards the
back who was in way too big of a gear and had to get off his bike and run
up. This was good for me to know, so I wouldn't do the same thing. The
next lap I looked at all of the different gears that the riders were in so
that I might figure out what gear I wanted to be in. We watched a couple
more laps and then went down to see what the pre-race clinic was going
to be about. It turned out it was just something for less experienced
riders, so JP and I went back to the cars and warmed up for about twenty
minutes. Then we went to the finish line.
When the race started, it was a pretty fast pace. I was towards the back
of the pack until the straight away after the climb. I slowly started
drifting backwards until I had lost the draft and was gone. I noticed
that a lot of other riders had fallen off so I tried to work with them,
but most of them were too tired. On the second or third lap, I caught up
to Ye and saw that Charles had dropped his chain on the hill, but that he
was receiving help. Till about the sixth lap, I was working with Matt
Mosby (LGBRC), Daniel Tisdell (LGBRC), Julian Wyss (Davis), and some other
Los Gatos riders all at different times. On the sixth lap, Daniel and I
were not really working together, him sucking off my wheel more than me on
his, but we were pretty close together. On the seventh lap, on the
backstretch after the hill, I started dropping him. Then, when we started
the eighth lap on the start/finish stretch, I started picking it up and I
dropped him. I did not want to have to sprint with him, so I picked it up
even more on the stretch before the hill and after the hill. When I was
making the second to last turn, I noticed that there were three or four
other riders gaining on me. I kept pedaling, trying to carry as much
momentum with me through the final corner as I could, and went pretty
fast. I looked behind with about twenty yards to go, and saw that Tisdell
and the other riders were not going to catch me so I calmed down, but
still finished strong. I am a little disappointed because Phil (LGBRC)
was just a little ways in front of me.
The major thing that I learned is to go hard in the beginning, but never
stop trying during the race because you can most likely catch a large
number of people if you keep your pace. I also learned to not only walk a
course, but if you have time, to look at how other riders are riding,
preferably fours or threes, and what gears they are in.
Our overall average speed was 21.6 miles per hour, and I hit 33.3 miles
per hour.
I am happy with how I finished, and am excited to ride this race next
year.
Wente Road Race
April 23, 2005
Finish: 3rd or 4th from the back of the pack
Category: 15/16’s
Field: 20
Teammates: Navin, Ye, Jordan
I had driven this course before, so I felt pretty confident that I knew where all of the summits, descents, and holes were. When I arrived at the race, it was pretty cold and sprinkling. I checked in and my dad signed up for sag-wagon. We had driven Jordan to the race, so we took out our trainers and warmed up for a half an hour or so until the race started.
As soon as the whistle was blown, Zack Wick shot off of the front. I did not think that he could go anywhere, but figured that it would not hurt to go with him. Another younger Davis rider pulled up behind me and we paced for a little while. I kept looking back and the group came closer and closer until they caught us. We were riding at a really slow pace for a while until Zack and the same Davis rider sprinted off the front with another rider. (We learned after the race that he was a 17/18 who had gotten confused and started with the 15/16's.) I thought that I might go with them again, but I figured that they were too young to stay off of the front for too long so I didn't go. At the base of the first climb Daniel Tisdell slowly started moving off of the front and ended up riding out of our sight. Once again, no one seemed to be worried so I didn't think anything of it. Even after Daniel and the other three riders had gone off of the front, no one was picking up the pace so I rode up to the front and sped up quite a bit. Alex Wick and his teammates started complaining that I should slow down and not to worry about the riders off the front and that we would catch them, but I just ignored them and kept up the pace. Ye then pulled up beside me and also picked up the pace. The main reason I had sped up was because I really didn"t trust the Davis or Los Gatos riders who were riding really slowly, and whose teammates were off the front. When I sped up and Alex said slow down, this only reassured me that Davis and Los Gatos had been blocking the whole time while everyone else was sitting back and enjoying the view. Back to the race, I was still in the very front of the pack when we were descending, and when we rode around the tight left-hand corner, one of the newer Los Gatos riders crashed. Luckily he didn"t knock anyone else over and ended up okay. From then till the first climb on the second lap, nothing really happened except for an occasional sprint by someone who was almost immediately caught.
On the second climb, the group picked up the pace a little. On the steeper part, after we crossed over the highway, when I went to shift, I dropped my chain and could not get it back on. I had to get off my bike, put it on, and get going. (Thanks for making sure I was okay Tyler). Normally, when I fall off of a group for one reason or another I can catch back up pretty quickly, but this time it took me nine minutes to catch back up. When I finally did, the pack was reaching the tight left-hand turn on the descent and I was stuck at the back. There was some rider in blue who took the corner extremely slow, probably remembering the rider who crashed the lap before, and caused me to drop off the back once again. This time it took me about two minutes to catch back up, but by this time I had really become tuckered out. Right on the last little climb, we started catching all of the riders who had broken away, all of whom then fell far behind us except Daniel who stayed with us. On the last turn before the sprint, I had horrible positioning and was second to last going around the corner. Before I had even finished the corner, I could see that the pack had surged forward. I tried to make up the lost space but couldn't.
This was definitely one of the more tactical races this year. The first thing I learned is that we need to have someone in any break away group, no matter who is in it. And today, there were times that that should have been me. I am confident that Daniel and maybe Zack and I could have stayed away for much longer, if not till the finish. Unfortunately, I didn't take the opportunity and I am still extremely regretting it. The second thing I learned is not to listen to any other riders except your teammates, unless it is for safety issues. All of the Davis riders were chatting it up with all of the other riders, distracting them and taking their minds off of the fact that there were riders off of the front who we might not catch. I knew this ahead of time, and that is why I ignored Alex and the other Davis riders when they told me to slow up. The third thing I learned is that you should race your race, not someone else’s. A good race for me is when the pack goes at a steady, fast pace for a long distance, not going really slow and then picking up the pace a huge amount in the last four to six miles. This is also another reason I sped up on the hill, not only was I getting worried, but I just couldn't climb that slowly. I think there were way too many people left in the pack at the sprint, about a half of them should have been dropped. The final sprint up the hill was just too crowded. The last thing I learned is to talk to your teammates during the race, not just before. If I had asked Ye or Jordan to come up to the front with me and take a pull, the pack might have dropped a lot more riders, which would leave less to compete against in the sprint. And who knows, if Ye or Jordan or I had just ridden off of the front, Davis might not have responded and we could have won some points. Oh well, you learn from your mistakes.
Appelation / Stockton Crit
April 9, 2005
Finish: 8th in the 15/16’s
13th overall
Category: Junior 15/18’s
Field: 30
Teammates: Lars, Tyler, Charles, Rajiv, JP, Jordan, Ye, John, Navin
When I arrived at the course, there was pretty heavy overcast and the roads were wet and damp. I checked in, I had already pre-registered, and saw JP. We decided to walk the course and check out all the corners. I highly suggest this to everybody. It was really useful because there were a couple of corners where the road goes from four lanes down to two. The Cat 4’s were racing, and we watched what lines they were taking through the corners. It also helped me to know which way winds were coming from, where the longest straight-aways were, and where there were potholes. Anyways, after we viewed the course we went back to the parking lot where we set up our trainers. I spun for about twenty minutes. I was going to go to the start line when we were told that the 13/14’s and 15/18’s were riding in different races and that each race would only be twenty minutes long. This disappointed me, but I figured at least I could warm-up more. After twenty minutes, we went to the starting line.
The start did not seem as fast as McLane, which was good because I was able to hold on. I started towards the back, which was a problem throughout the race because riders kept falling off and moving around, so I fell off with them. However, I did not let myself fall back more than five to ten feet before I would sprint and grab back on. Luckily this did not happen too much. About halfway into the race a rider went down in the S corner on the back side, but was back in the race the next lap. Since I was towards the back, I could not see if anyone was attacking, so up until the second to last lap, nothing really happened except for an occasional increase and decrease in speed. On the second to last lap, Rajiv went down on a wide corner, but did not seem to be too banged up. On the long front stretch, the pack really started picking it up. I positioned myself just right on the last corner and was able to use that little bit of momentum to help carry me through. I started passing quite a few people, but I forgot how long the final stretch to the finish was. I sat down and just kept pedaling until just before the finish line.
The key things I learned in this race were to scope the course out before time, ride more towards the front of the pack so you do not become stuck behind guys getting dropped, and keep going hard at the finish because every place counts. One thing in general that I would suggest is to pre-register because it just makes things so much easier. You have a sure spot in the race. I also suggest getting to the race early so there is plenty of time to check in, look at the course, warm-up, and roll out. Overall, I am pleased with my results and will most definitely ride this race next year.
Copperopolis Road Race
March 26, 2005
Finish: 7th
Category: Junior 15/16
Field: 20-25
Teammates: JP, Ye, John, Navin
I didn't do this race last year, so that hurt me a little. When we arrived, it was pretty cold. I registered, checked out who else had pre-registered, rolled out, and got on the trainer. I looked around to see what other teams had arrived. The Sunday before the race, we had discussed what we would try to accomplish. Our main goal was for the team to help me place higher than usual. Because there were some hills, our plan was to have John break away on the first climb and either stay away or at least tire out some of the other riders while the group was chasing him. This plan was soon changed when we heard that Collin had shown up. JP stated our new plan in his report so I won't go over it again. I had heard that the road was really rough and bumpy. But I figured, how bad could it be. As soon as we started, I realized. There were bumps, holes, gravel, rock, grates, sand, and lots of other things. This was a big factor in the race, considering five or six riders flatted in our field alone. Luckily, no one from Tieni Duro had any flat troubles. The beginning tempo was pretty slow. It was not long before we hit the first hill. Climbing is my strongest aspect, so when it felt like the pack was moving a little faster, but not too fast, it turned out that we had started dropping people left and right. I normally would have been pleased, except that I noticed that I no longer had any teammates. I got worried, but figured there was nothing I could do. Almost immediately after we started our descent, JP pulled up beside me with another rider. Ye came a little while after. We rode the rest of the first lap at a pretty up-tempo pace, but nothing special happened. On the last hill, Ye and JP dropped again. As the pack was descending, I noticed all of the potholes and tried to remember where the large ones were so I would not hit them on the second lap. Once again, shortly after the finish line, JP and Ye caught the group. When we arrived at the big hill again, the remaining riders went up it pretty hard, and JP and Ye dropped off and didn't get back to the group. I was having trouble staying on, when Taylor broke off the front with Colin and two SGW riders. The rest of the back tried to catch up, but couldn't. Julian and I had fallen off the back and were struggling. I dropped him at the steepest part of the climb and tried to catch the group on my own. They were within sight, so I kept on it. It took me a while, but I caught them. Almost as soon as I did, a Los Gatos rider fell off. The four of us, Alex Wick, an SGW rider, a CVC rider, and I, worked together for a while. Right after the big left turn that puts you in the direction of the finish, Alex broke away. I was having enough trouble staying with the group, so there was no chance that I could stay with him. I little while after that, we caught up to one of the SGW riders who must have fallen off of the break away. Then, the CVC rider broke. The two SGW riders surged to catch him and left me. I didn't want to finish by myself, so I caught back up and pulled the SGW riders back up to the CVC rider. Right before the second and final hill, the CVC rider broke again, closely followed by one SGW rider. The other stayed with me until about half way up the climb when he fell back. I tried making up as much ground as possible on the descent, but the Pro/1/2s passed me, so I had to slow up a little. Not that I would have caught up anyways. When I could see the finish line, I used what energy I had left and sprinted to the top. I really liked the race, mostly because of the hills, and am really excited to do it next year now that I know the course.
One thing I learned is that you should give it all you've got. During the time with the two SGW and CVC riders, I was being dropped over and over. I had to keep catching up, but it turned out that I did beat one of the SGW riders, so I was not wasting my energy. Also, if you are not strong on one part of a course, use the rest of the course to your advantage. JP and Ye got dropped on the climbs, but used their great abilities on the flats to catch back up several times. The last thing I learned, which I have stated in other race reports, is to learn the course before hand. It would have been helpful to have known where all the huge holes were and where the steepest parts of climbs were. This will pay off for John and Navin next year. Great job to everybody who raced and thanks for all of your help.
McLane Crit
March 5, 2005
Somewhere toward the back
Junior 15/16
Field: 25 or so
Teammates: JP, Jordan, Ye, Navin
This was my first year racing at McLane. When I arrived at the course, I road a few warm-up laps, rolled-out, and then lined up at the start. I was prepared for the race to start, but was disappointed to find out that we were going to have to wait for another ten to fifteen minutes. When the race finally did start, the group quickly surged forward. I stayed with the pack for two or three laps until some people started dropping off the back, one of them being me. I could not catch up to the main field so I tried to organize a small group of riders. I am pretty sure there were three 13/14’s, Lance Wolfsmith from Wolfpak, a Webcor guy, and Daniel Tisdell from Los Gatos, and one 15/16 from Giant. Because I was with mostly 13/14’s, and this was not a 13/14 junior points race, I don’t think that they were really motivated to catch the main field. Because of this, I ended up taking longer pulls, while the other riders took short and easy pulls. This frustrated me, but there was nothing I could do.
With a little ways left in the race, Tyler and the Major Motion guy passed our group. We jumped on their wheel and stuck with them. Before long, Charles and a couple of other riders caught up. With their addition, we made up a pretty large group. After a couple of laps with this group, Tyler and Switter broke away. They stayed ahead, and a couple of laps later, the main field caught up to us. I tried to stay toward the middle, but ended up towards the back for the sprint.
Overall, I think it was just not my day. I am not going to make up any excuses for dropping off the back, I just couldn’t hang. Instead of being negative about this, I take it as constructive criticism. I now know that I need to work on accelerating and going faster on shorter rides. Although it was most definitely not one of my better races, it was good to go and get the experience.
Snelling Road Race
Feb 26, 2005
Finish: somewhere around 10th
Category: Junior 15/16
Field: around 20
Teammates: Jordan, JP, and Ye
I rode in this race last year, which was the first road race that I had ever ridden in. Last year, I got dropped immediately and rode the whole thing by myself, except for a small portion with JP. However, this year was much different. We had to ride really slow on the promenade because we were catching the women. Then, when we actually got onto the course, we passed the women, but we were still riding only about fifteen mph. I didn't have a problem with this because it gave me time just to sit, chill, and get used to the pack. Within ten minutes of passing the women, the women passed us back. This was a pain because it seemed like as soon as some women got in front of us, they slowed down. Then all of the other women were stuck riding beside us. It didn't take long till our group slowed down and the women speeded up so that each group could use the whole road. Not much went on in the first lap, except that different single riders would sprint off the front, most likely just trying to get the pack moving.
A little ways after the start of the second lap a single rider, who was not on one of the main teams, broke off the front. At first I didn't know that he had broken away, I didn't even know he was in our group. But after a minute the guys started talking about whether or not they should chase. I wondered why nobody was doing anything, so I rode up to the front of the pack and picked up the pace. We were riding up a hill and I could see some shadows behind me and figured that the pack was behind me, so I kept going. At the top of the hill I looked back and noticed that the pack had slowed down. I figured that there was no point in riding alone so I slowed up. When the pack caught up, I noticed Jordan was in front so I went in right behind him. He basically did the same thing as me, except an older looking Davis rider starting yelling to slow down and to let the breakaway rider suffer a little. I thought about it and agreed. Jordan did not hear and kept going. After a while he also slowed up and waited. The pack trailed behind the breakaway for a while until an SGW rider started trying to form a paceline. The people in the front started one, but the back wasn't organized. After a while we got the hang of it and gained a little ground. One of the bad things about this course is the rough backstretch, and the bridge. After we formed the paceline, we came to the bridge where one of the Davis riders touched wheels and went down. Luckily I was in front of this crash and I was able to avoid it along with JP. Unfortunately, Jordan and Ye were stuck behind it. Right when the front riders arrived at the other side of the bridge, they sprinted up the hill and created a large gap. I realized this about half way up, so I stepped on it. I knew that if I didnn't catch that group then, I wouldn't catch them later. At the top of the hill I was still not with them so I caught up to two or three other riders, one of which was JP. We worked together and ended up catching the lead group.
At the beginning of the third lap on the flats, I was starting to become really tired. I knew I should hold on, but I didn’t seem to have enough left so I dropped off. After that, I figured it would still be cool to finish ahead of the rest of the field, so I went into time trial mode. After a short while, a large group of younger riders passed me so I had to slow up. Once they passed I kept on riding hard. I eventually caught sight of the lead group. They had also been neutralized and were now much closer to me. I again picked up my pace and caught them. I was happy to be able to take a break. I noticed that they had caught the one-man breakaway. The group picked up the pace, but was quickly slowed down because another group was passing us. This let me rest some more. Unfortunately, because of the delay, this group didn"t want to get caught by the rest of our category so they surged forward. This surprised me, but luckily I was able to stay on. We came around the last turn. Almost as soon as the finish line was in sight, the pack sprinted. I was still in back catching my breath and wasn"t ready. I knew there was no way I would place in the top five, so I did not bust it open trying to win. I still sprinted though to stay close. I am pretty sure there was only one rider in the lead group that finished behind me.
This year's race was much more fun than last year's because I was not the last person to finish, by myself. I was actually in the lead group. I also liked riding with Jordan, JP and Ye, and all of the teamwork our group used, even though mostly everybody was on different teams when the field split after the crash. We were so organized that we created a perfect rotating pace line. I also liked that some of the more experienced riders took it upon themselves to lay down the law. They tried to convince everyone that it wasn"t safe to breakaway on the bridge, even though that is what happened. I also learned that I may be in positions this year to take more control of a race.
Pinole TTT
February 20, 2005
Place: 3rd
Cat: Juniors
Field: Six Teams
Teammate: John Murphy
I did this race last year, which didn't help a lot since they changed the whole course, but at least I had the Team Time Trial experience. This year I did the race with my dad and John Murphy. I raced with my dad first. I have to say that I was not giving 100% so that I would have enough energy to race with John. We started out well, taking short pulls on San Pablo Dam Rd. A little ways after the turn at the stoplight, my dad flatted. We stopped and changed it in about seven minutes. After we got back on and started riding, my dad took more pulls so that I could save my energy. On the climbs we pretty much rode at my dad's pace. Finally we arrived at the last climb where we sprinted to the finish. Our time with out the flat, according to my bike computer and heart rate monitor, was 56 minutes 47 seconds. We averaged 16.5 MPH. I had a great time and am very pleased with our time.
My second race was with John. It started about 10 or 15 minutes after I rode back to the parking lot. John and I started out harder on SBD Rd. than my dad and I had. Although we still took nice, short, 30 second pulls. Once we reached the corner at the stoplight, we slowed up a little to save our energy for the climb. When John and I had ridden the course a few weeks earlier, we both noticed that John was pulling a little longer than necessary, which caused him to not have as much left for the hills. To fix this, John took a little bit shorter pulls during the actual TTT. This worked out well because John and I were able to both climb the hills at the same pace. Again, like my dad and I, we finished hard, sprinting through the finish. The really crazy thing is that our time, according to my bike computer and HRM, was 56 minutes and 50 seconds, only three seconds difference between my time with my dad. We also averaged 16.5 MPH. Once again, I was extremely pleased with both of my times.
Cherry Pie
2/6/05
7th
Junior 15/16’s
Field: 20
Teammates: Navin, Jordan, Ye, JP, Greg, Glen
Cherry Pie was my first real race of the season and I was pretty nervous. I was not so into racing early in the season last year, so I missed out on the opportunity to do it. I had never seen the course before so I made sure I got to the race plenty early and that I had time to do a couple of warm-up laps to get to know the terrain. After I warmed up, it was time for the roll-out. I did not have any problems. I lined up on the starting line next to Ye. We talked a little and then started. I had a little trouble getting clipped in and I knew I would never catch the pack if I fell behind so I pushed down harder and my foot went in. This was a good thing because it seemed like the pack split almost immediately. It was basically the 17/18’s and some of the 15/16’s. I stayed towards the back of the pack throughout the most of the race, heading up towards the front every once in a while. There were only a couple things that I noticed about the way the pack was riding. On the hill, they would go up it fast, slow down, and then speed up right before the top. They also tended to go slower on the backstretch. Other than that, nothing really special happened. With three laps to go, the pack picked up the pace, which did not make that much of a difference. On the last lap, right before the last turn onto the hill, I slowed up a little. I did this so that I could basically accelerate through the corner and gain a lot more momentum going up the hill into the final sprint. It was too close to tell exactly what position I received, but when I checked the results it said that I placed seventh. This was a really fun race, so much better than last year’s races. It was great having so many teammates. I am really hoping that Snelling will turn out the same way.
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