Yesterday I won a cyclocross (CX) race. I’ve never written a race report from a race I’ve won because, well, I’ve never won a bike race before, of any kind. It’s sort of hard thinking back on the day to write about any details that would make it interesting to read about in this format but since I have friends and family who don’t get to come to races I’ll do my best to recap how it went.
In CX the start is sometimes the most important part of the race. If you’re unfamiliar they stage us all in rows of 8. Every region seems to have a different method of handling staging, but here, they do it by order of registration. I was number 36, which meant I was the 36th guy to register and found myself on the 5th or 6th row. The field was probably over 100 deep so if you’re on the 10th+ row your race, if you’re trying to place, can be over literally at the first corner when 100+ guys are trying to squeeze through, and the further back you are, the more likely you come to a complete stop. Obviously this is bad when the guys on the front are riding as hard as they can while you’re standing still.
With the importance of the start in mind I lined up on the far left of my row. There was about a bike width of room between the edge of the road and the course tape and so my plan was to shoot up that side through the grass as long as it was open and available. Luckily, the guys lined up in front of me were content with staying on the pavement and I was in the 3rd row before some guys were even clipped in. When that lane of grass ran out an opening to my right presented itself and I shot into that gap continuing to move up as far as I could before the choke point. At this race the choke point happened to be a right hand corner at the stop of an uphill drag. I went into that corner in around 10th position. Out of that corner was a slight downhill that went into an off camber left hand u-turn. I was surprised at how many of the guys in front of me were coasting this downhill so as I continued to pedal I was able to move up maybe 2 or 3 more spots. What goes down must come up and so the next section was another uphill drag in which I was able to continue to move up a few more spots until I found myself sitting 3rd wheel. At this point, I was pretty content to sit there and try and feel out those guys to see who was strong and who just sits at their computer to register the second registration opens so they can start on the front. We went through a few more off camber sections and I noticed that there was a small gap, maybe just a second or two forming behind me.
This brought us into the run up where the first guy shouldered his bike while #2 and I pushed ours. The ground wasn’t muddy so you weren’t at a disadvantage just pushing it. Number 1 tried to make himself wide which isn’t a terrible strategy but he wasn’t running fast enough I went to his right to pass him. He sort of blocked me with his front wheel (maybe not intentionally) so I just assertively made some room for myself and ran by. #2 got the top of the run up at the same time I did so I decided it’d probably be better to get at least a little bit of draft so I let him get on first and followed him for the remainder of the lap.
The run up definitely stretched our gap out but only by a few seconds. There were still plenty of guys within striking distance. It was still early in the race so I didn’t want to attack this guy only to have him sit on my wheel and then smoke me at the finish. And, to be honest, it didn’t seem like he was working that hard. About half way through the second lap I looked back and realized we had a gap of probably 10 or so seconds to the chasing group so I figured at this point it was well worth the effort to work with him to increase that gap and then deal with any winning tactics on a later lap. I pulled around him on the straight away beside the pit and said, “We got a gap, let’s go,” and he responded, “Good job.” I was completely puzzled by the response but decided to just keep the pace high and I could ask for clarification later. After this straight there was a sweeping left that led into a flat right handed u-turn. When I got through the u-turn I looked and saw that he wasn’t into the turn yet. I didn’t feel like I’d accelerated but I read that as a sign that he was gassed so I decided to roll the dice and I hit it hard to try and make that gap expand.
Describing 90% of the rest of the race wouldn’t be very interesting. It was a lot of me riding as hard as I could, alone off the front. I was definitely nervous that I went too early as I was in completely unchartered territory, but, I like racing my bike, not riding in packs, so I figured even if this was a fly and die move, at least I’d tried.
Apparently my gap continued to increase over the next four laps, which was good considering that I crashed on an off camber corner on the last lap. Luckily my friend and teammate Thom, who wasn’t racing, was standing right where I crashed. He immediately started with the reassurances of “It’s ok, stay calm, you’ve got a gap.” Then, when I got up and realized my chain was off, again, “Just put the chain on. You’ve got time.” That made a huge difference. I don’t know how long I was on the ground or how long it took me to get going again but it felt like an hour. I’m sure without his reassurance I’d have panicked and taken at least twice as long. Luckily, the gap I’d built it up was more than enough to recover from that crash.
I rode the rest of that lap pretty cautiously, which ironically meant I actually took a lot of the corners much smoother and faster than before. I guess that’s a lesson for another day. About half way through I realized I’d won as long as I kept it upright and so I started to think about the finish line celebration. I’m sure I’m not the only bike racer who has stood in front of a mirror and thrown my arms up in the air until I got one that I thought looked cool. All of that practice was for absolutely nothing because when I did cross the finish line I had no idea what to do. I did post up but it was more of absolute shock that I’d held everyone off and somehow managed to win a bike race. I rode slowly for a bit and then went back to find Jill because if anything, she’s the one who helped me win that race. I spend a lot of time on my bike and she’s always been nothing but supportive, encouraging and motivating.
With the baby due in a week but could decide to show up anytime I haven’t registered for any more races. This means that I’ll be playing them all by ear and registering at the race if the baby is still holding out for a higher signing bonus and incentive package. With registering at the race I’ll likely be starting dead last in the field. That means I’ll probably get stopped behind the choke point and have to chase and fight my way through traffic instead of leading it and picking my own lines through the corners. But, that’s ok, because bike racing is still fun, no matter what, and just because I got 1 result doesn’t deviate from my goals for the season. I can still ride my bike hard regardless of where I start and regardless of where I finish. But finishing first sure is nice!
And a link to some photos my friend Thom took.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Candy Pedal Question
Hey Fellow CX folks, I have a question for you. I switched pedals this year to egg beaters but wasn't having the easiest time getting back into them. I won a set of candy 1s so I switched over to see if they were any better. I like the extra platform they provide and they're easier to find when oxygen is no longer at a maximum level in my brain, but I do have an issue.
Eggbeater:
Candy:
The big plus of eggbeaters or candy pedals are the 4 points of entry. But, I find that's only sometimes the case with my candy pedals. The engagement piece (we'll just call it the eggbeater for ease of visual aid and referencing) spins freely from the platform which in theory should still allow for the 4 points of engagement. However, I find that it doesn't spin free enough not to also spin the platform and what this means is that occasionally I end up with the eggbeater orientated perpendicular to the platform with only 1 piece sticking up through the platform instead of 2, which is what you need to "properly" clip in.
I say properly because you can still get clipped in this way but the amount of float is almost zero and the amount of twist required to disengage is also a lot greater. They still "work" when this happens but it's not ideal.
Visuals of what I'm attempting to describe above.
Good:
Not Good:
So I basically have 2 questions:
1) Is there a fix for this? I've applied lube to the connecting pieces and spun the two pieces independently trying to get them to loosen up more but it doesn't seem to do much good unless I'm physically holding the platform and spinning the eggbeater with my other hand. If I just push the eggbeater portion the platform spins as well.
2) If there's not a fix, does it make sense to somehow (maybe super glue) fix the eggbeater into place so that there are only 2 points of engagement, but they would be perfect points of engagement and provide reliable, consistent performance. While this option would eliminate the benefit of the 4 points of engagement of the crankbrother's systems it wouldn't be any worse than most companies standard 2 point systems.
I'd appreciate any input that anybody has. Thanks!
Eggbeater:
Candy:
The big plus of eggbeaters or candy pedals are the 4 points of entry. But, I find that's only sometimes the case with my candy pedals. The engagement piece (we'll just call it the eggbeater for ease of visual aid and referencing) spins freely from the platform which in theory should still allow for the 4 points of engagement. However, I find that it doesn't spin free enough not to also spin the platform and what this means is that occasionally I end up with the eggbeater orientated perpendicular to the platform with only 1 piece sticking up through the platform instead of 2, which is what you need to "properly" clip in.
I say properly because you can still get clipped in this way but the amount of float is almost zero and the amount of twist required to disengage is also a lot greater. They still "work" when this happens but it's not ideal.
Visuals of what I'm attempting to describe above.
Good:
Not Good:
So I basically have 2 questions:
1) Is there a fix for this? I've applied lube to the connecting pieces and spun the two pieces independently trying to get them to loosen up more but it doesn't seem to do much good unless I'm physically holding the platform and spinning the eggbeater with my other hand. If I just push the eggbeater portion the platform spins as well.
2) If there's not a fix, does it make sense to somehow (maybe super glue) fix the eggbeater into place so that there are only 2 points of engagement, but they would be perfect points of engagement and provide reliable, consistent performance. While this option would eliminate the benefit of the 4 points of engagement of the crankbrother's systems it wouldn't be any worse than most companies standard 2 point systems.
I'd appreciate any input that anybody has. Thanks!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
CX Season Goals
I'm a big believer in the value of goals. I like to have things to strive for and most importantly, remember what I'm working for when the going gets tough. Sometimes, just like the tag line on this blog says, we set completely unrealistic goals and then get frustrated when we fall short.
Three years ago I raced my first cross race. It was ugly. I'll spare you most of the details but I dropped my chain 17 times (yep, I counted) and was lapped twice. It was probably the most fun I'd had on a bike in a long, long time. After that race I immediately made some changes to the bike, not least of course, to prevent the chain from falling off, and raced again the next weekend, and the next weekend, and so on and so forth.
Since that initial year though I've done a terrible job of managing my motivation and fitness through late summer. I always found myself burned out and needing a rest from the road and then all of sudden it was late September and I hadn't done anything to get prepared for CX season. This left me feeling flat and exhausted and not willing to spend my hard earned dollars on entry fees when I could take a beating for free if I really wanted to.
This season I somehow managed to remember that CX season was on the horizon. I was approved the purchase of an aluminum CX bike with working shifters which, in theory, should make a huge difference in my racing. I find myself coming into this season mentally and physically prepared, at least as much as I can be. I'm ready to race and I'm excited to get in as many races as I can given life's commitments (there is a baby set to be born any day now).
So with all of that in mind I decided to write out some goals for CX season. Realistic goals that I think I can stick to but most importantly use to define success. Winning bike races is hard. If 100+ guys show up to an event only 1 guy wins. It doesn't happen very often for a variety of reasons and because of that I'm going to no longer use "win" as a goal. If all goes well, hopefully I can find myself in that hunt and make that happen. You can't control what other people do in a race, but you can keep control of what you do and so my goals are written from that perspective.
Goals:
1) Ride as hard as I can for the entire race.
2) Improve technically.
3) Have fun.
4) Race.
If at the end of every race I can look back and say I did those 4 things, maybe I'll get lucky enough to snag a result or two.
Three years ago I raced my first cross race. It was ugly. I'll spare you most of the details but I dropped my chain 17 times (yep, I counted) and was lapped twice. It was probably the most fun I'd had on a bike in a long, long time. After that race I immediately made some changes to the bike, not least of course, to prevent the chain from falling off, and raced again the next weekend, and the next weekend, and so on and so forth.
Since that initial year though I've done a terrible job of managing my motivation and fitness through late summer. I always found myself burned out and needing a rest from the road and then all of sudden it was late September and I hadn't done anything to get prepared for CX season. This left me feeling flat and exhausted and not willing to spend my hard earned dollars on entry fees when I could take a beating for free if I really wanted to.
This season I somehow managed to remember that CX season was on the horizon. I was approved the purchase of an aluminum CX bike with working shifters which, in theory, should make a huge difference in my racing. I find myself coming into this season mentally and physically prepared, at least as much as I can be. I'm ready to race and I'm excited to get in as many races as I can given life's commitments (there is a baby set to be born any day now).
So with all of that in mind I decided to write out some goals for CX season. Realistic goals that I think I can stick to but most importantly use to define success. Winning bike races is hard. If 100+ guys show up to an event only 1 guy wins. It doesn't happen very often for a variety of reasons and because of that I'm going to no longer use "win" as a goal. If all goes well, hopefully I can find myself in that hunt and make that happen. You can't control what other people do in a race, but you can keep control of what you do and so my goals are written from that perspective.
Goals:
1) Ride as hard as I can for the entire race.
2) Improve technically.
3) Have fun.
4) Race.
If at the end of every race I can look back and say I did those 4 things, maybe I'll get lucky enough to snag a result or two.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
tumblr.
The management team here at TeamLandall has decided that we needed to venture out and utilize another social media tool. Sometimes the writers on staff here have something to write or post but it doesn't quite justify an entire blog entry but it's a bit more than 140 characters. In those instances we've decided to post thinghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs to tumblr.
We can be found at teamlandall.tumblr.com.
Right now there isn't a lot posted. In fact there isn't much at all. But there is a video of me going through the barriers at cx practice last night. I've been working pretty hard on this (the barriers, not the posting to social media) so I'm pretty stoked for the upcoming season.
See you out there.
We can be found at teamlandall.tumblr.com.
Right now there isn't a lot posted. In fact there isn't much at all. But there is a video of me going through the barriers at cx practice last night. I've been working pretty hard on this (the barriers, not the posting to social media) so I'm pretty stoked for the upcoming season.
See you out there.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Community Fund
Yesterday I read this. Which, I suggest you stop reading my post and read that first. But, if you're not going to, because for whatever reason you can't get enough of my grammatical mistakes, I'll give you the reader's digest version.
Guy hangs out in drum shop and starts to notice a trend in the customers. There are guys who only want really specific vintage drums. There are guys who can't play a lick but have a ton of money so they buy expensive drums anyway. Then there's a kid who doesn't look the part but when he plays it's amazing and they ask him what kind of kit he has and he says he picked it up from the ChuckECheese when it was about to close down. It's the kit that the fake animatronic mouse played on. He then points out that now as he likes to hang out in bike shops, he notices the same trends in bike consumers. Then he wraps it up a with a question of how many kids with tons of talent have shown up at a local group ride not looking the part, being ignored, and talent gone to waste?
I guess that's a valid point, except every time I've been on a group ride with a super talented guy, it generally doesn't matter what he's riding. He kicks everybody's teeth in pretty quickly and we stop making fun of his socks.
When I was in high school my baseball coach used to always say, "Son, if you're not a ball player, at least you can look like one." That was his way of correcting all of the sideways hats and un-tucked jerseys. I remember pretty vividly one game when the other team's short stop had on bumble bee stripped socks with his pants rolled up high to his knees. We all made fun of him. Then he went 3-4 with like 4 RBIs and made a couple great defensive plays that left us all in agreement that he could play in a tutu if he wanted.
It's the same in cycling. We all dress the part, mimic the pros, follow the rules and quietly poke fun of the new guy with hairy legs and a pie plate. Well, until he drops your ass on the climb and then you go find out his name as you're still gasping for air.
But just as the author notices a trend in rich guys buying drum kits way more expensive than they need, there are no shortage of rich, fat guys rolling around on $10gs worth of carbon fiber and it's always drove me absolutely insane. I know it shouldn't bother me. In fact, it should make me smile every time I drop one of those guys on their sub 14lb bike on my 19ish lb aluminum CX bike. But, jealousy takes over and one always wants what one doesn't have.
A long time ago I came up with this Title IX-esk system that I thought all bike shops should employee. Every time some slow, rich dude comes in and buys a PRO level bike there should be a sliding scale that actually increases the mark up of that bike based on his ability to actually ride it fast. That extra mark up would then go into a community fund that would help those uber talented poor kids get on bikes that are actually worth riding. When I first proposed this concept to anyone who was unlucky enough to be in ear shot the extra pot of money was to benefit me. But as I've gotten older, wiser and much more philanthropic, I realized I don't need fancy stuff to continue to ride my bikes medium fast. Instead, the talented kids who can't even afford the level of stuff I have should get it so they can go from riding plastic Sora junk to at least Rival or 105.
Obviously this is never going to happen but I think about it every single time I see a rich dude on a [fill in the blank] bike with [highest level component line] rolling on [$3k+ wheels]. But, a boy can dream can't he?
(In the drum scenario there are those guys who want vintage kits and there are those guys in the bike world as well. They ride custom bikes hand made by some buy in a garage or a boutique artists space. While those bikes are often just as expensive as the primary offender I'm speaking of, they are excluded from this discussion as they are riding art slowly, not bikes meant to win the cycling's biggest races.)
Guy hangs out in drum shop and starts to notice a trend in the customers. There are guys who only want really specific vintage drums. There are guys who can't play a lick but have a ton of money so they buy expensive drums anyway. Then there's a kid who doesn't look the part but when he plays it's amazing and they ask him what kind of kit he has and he says he picked it up from the ChuckECheese when it was about to close down. It's the kit that the fake animatronic mouse played on. He then points out that now as he likes to hang out in bike shops, he notices the same trends in bike consumers. Then he wraps it up a with a question of how many kids with tons of talent have shown up at a local group ride not looking the part, being ignored, and talent gone to waste?
I guess that's a valid point, except every time I've been on a group ride with a super talented guy, it generally doesn't matter what he's riding. He kicks everybody's teeth in pretty quickly and we stop making fun of his socks.
When I was in high school my baseball coach used to always say, "Son, if you're not a ball player, at least you can look like one." That was his way of correcting all of the sideways hats and un-tucked jerseys. I remember pretty vividly one game when the other team's short stop had on bumble bee stripped socks with his pants rolled up high to his knees. We all made fun of him. Then he went 3-4 with like 4 RBIs and made a couple great defensive plays that left us all in agreement that he could play in a tutu if he wanted.
It's the same in cycling. We all dress the part, mimic the pros, follow the rules and quietly poke fun of the new guy with hairy legs and a pie plate. Well, until he drops your ass on the climb and then you go find out his name as you're still gasping for air.
But just as the author notices a trend in rich guys buying drum kits way more expensive than they need, there are no shortage of rich, fat guys rolling around on $10gs worth of carbon fiber and it's always drove me absolutely insane. I know it shouldn't bother me. In fact, it should make me smile every time I drop one of those guys on their sub 14lb bike on my 19ish lb aluminum CX bike. But, jealousy takes over and one always wants what one doesn't have.
A long time ago I came up with this Title IX-esk system that I thought all bike shops should employee. Every time some slow, rich dude comes in and buys a PRO level bike there should be a sliding scale that actually increases the mark up of that bike based on his ability to actually ride it fast. That extra mark up would then go into a community fund that would help those uber talented poor kids get on bikes that are actually worth riding. When I first proposed this concept to anyone who was unlucky enough to be in ear shot the extra pot of money was to benefit me. But as I've gotten older, wiser and much more philanthropic, I realized I don't need fancy stuff to continue to ride my bikes medium fast. Instead, the talented kids who can't even afford the level of stuff I have should get it so they can go from riding plastic Sora junk to at least Rival or 105.
Obviously this is never going to happen but I think about it every single time I see a rich dude on a [fill in the blank] bike with [highest level component line] rolling on [$3k+ wheels]. But, a boy can dream can't he?
(In the drum scenario there are those guys who want vintage kits and there are those guys in the bike world as well. They ride custom bikes hand made by some buy in a garage or a boutique artists space. While those bikes are often just as expensive as the primary offender I'm speaking of, they are excluded from this discussion as they are riding art slowly, not bikes meant to win the cycling's biggest races.)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Monday, September 05, 2011
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Friday, September 02, 2011
Thursday, September 01, 2011
#30daysofbiking | Day1
One of the bike people I follow on twitter (@cycloboredom) had a series of posts he titled #30daysofbiking. Then, I found this, http://30daysofbiking.com/ and for some reason that spurred me to take on the challenge as well. I obviously already ride my bike a lot but not necessarily every single day. I suspect this will on occasion pose a challenge or two but we'll see what happens. We all know I don't like to lose, not that this is really something that can be won, but you know what I mean. The rule seems to be pretty lax. All you have to do is ride. Doesn't have to be long or to get somewhere. Their site says it can just be around the block. There may be days where I ride up the alley and back because that's all that fits in. There will be other days where I ride 60+ miles (it is cx season after all) and there will be days when I race. Either way, I'm going to ride my bike everyday for 30 days. It's pretty convenient that I'm starting on 9/1 since there are 30 days in the month of September. I'll try and post a photo everyday. If I weren't so attached to TeamLandall I'd start a flickr feed for this, but I like this site, so we'll use it.
Here's day 1.
Here's day 1.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Stage 18, Great Stage, Only 1 Gripe
Yesterday's Tour de France stage 18 was, for the most part, excellent. Andy Schleck attacked from a long way out, which was bold, and daring, and all of those other adjectives that people are using the describe it. But, what it really was, was necessary. Andy needed to get back a lot of time and so the only way to do that was to go from a long way out. He wasn't going to get back ~3:00 just on the Galibier. I read a funny quote on twitter yesterday in reference to Andy's attack. The scenario is exactly the same except Andy sent teammates up the road and Floyd just went by himself.
I do have a gripe though. I couldn't help but wonder why on the slopes of the Galibier Voeckler and especially his teammate, Rolland, didn't work with Cadel to bring Andy back? I know Cadel was going hard. His tempo shredded those last few guys and the look on Basso's face pretty much showed how hard they were going. But, still, at least Rolland should have pulled through once or twice to give Cadel a tiny bit of a breather. There's only one minor downside for Europecar by helping Cadel in that scenario. Rolland probably doesn't finish the climb with those guys and isn't in the hunt for the white jersey for the best young ride. In my opinion, that's the wrong strategy to employee.
Voeckler, while not a good time trialist, can't really be any worse than Andy or Frank Schleck (I admit I haven't poured over TT results that included all three guys but the Schleck's are notorious for giving back huge chunks of time in TTs so my assumption is that Voeckler could at least limit his loss to them with a cushion). And, if they helped Cadel bring back Andy and Voeckler can stay with him at a steady, turbo diesel pace, he's not really losing any time to Cadel. Europecar's strategy here should have been to keep as big of a cushion as possible to take into the TT on Saturday. Once Contador was popped off that group, there was absolutely no downside to Rolland coming to the front to help ensure the put as much space between them and Contador as possible and close that gap to Andy. Rolland, was the only guy in that group, outside of Frank Schleck, that looked like he could have contributed to the pace making and clearly Frank's not helping in that scenario. Maybe Rolland has a great poker face, but he certainly didn't look to be struggling as much as everybody else. I think their strategy should be to race for the Yellow jersey even if that means risking losing it, rather than for the podium in two categories. Voeckler finishing on the podium in Paris is still not guaranteed so playing a safe card isn't necessarily any better than laying it all on the line. Nobody's going to remember the white jersey winner anyway unless you end up being a real contender in the future. Maybe Rolland is, but I always see the white jersey (and team classification for that matter) as a fun little competition that teams should be excited to win but unless it's your only option, nobody should care about. Especially when caring about that competition interferes with another.
I also realize this is easy to say from the comfort of my couch.
I do have a gripe though. I couldn't help but wonder why on the slopes of the Galibier Voeckler and especially his teammate, Rolland, didn't work with Cadel to bring Andy back? I know Cadel was going hard. His tempo shredded those last few guys and the look on Basso's face pretty much showed how hard they were going. But, still, at least Rolland should have pulled through once or twice to give Cadel a tiny bit of a breather. There's only one minor downside for Europecar by helping Cadel in that scenario. Rolland probably doesn't finish the climb with those guys and isn't in the hunt for the white jersey for the best young ride. In my opinion, that's the wrong strategy to employee.
Voeckler, while not a good time trialist, can't really be any worse than Andy or Frank Schleck (I admit I haven't poured over TT results that included all three guys but the Schleck's are notorious for giving back huge chunks of time in TTs so my assumption is that Voeckler could at least limit his loss to them with a cushion). And, if they helped Cadel bring back Andy and Voeckler can stay with him at a steady, turbo diesel pace, he's not really losing any time to Cadel. Europecar's strategy here should have been to keep as big of a cushion as possible to take into the TT on Saturday. Once Contador was popped off that group, there was absolutely no downside to Rolland coming to the front to help ensure the put as much space between them and Contador as possible and close that gap to Andy. Rolland, was the only guy in that group, outside of Frank Schleck, that looked like he could have contributed to the pace making and clearly Frank's not helping in that scenario. Maybe Rolland has a great poker face, but he certainly didn't look to be struggling as much as everybody else. I think their strategy should be to race for the Yellow jersey even if that means risking losing it, rather than for the podium in two categories. Voeckler finishing on the podium in Paris is still not guaranteed so playing a safe card isn't necessarily any better than laying it all on the line. Nobody's going to remember the white jersey winner anyway unless you end up being a real contender in the future. Maybe Rolland is, but I always see the white jersey (and team classification for that matter) as a fun little competition that teams should be excited to win but unless it's your only option, nobody should care about. Especially when caring about that competition interferes with another.
I also realize this is easy to say from the comfort of my couch.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Armstrong, My Thoughts
In the last month I've written about half of 20 or so posts. They never make it to completion because at about that point I ask myself, "Am I saying anything that isn't already being said?" Generally the answer is no and since there are plenty of professional and amateur writers out there saying it better than me, I hit ctrl+A, delete.
It's really no surprise that most of the cycling world is still talking about Lance. What is surprising, at least to me, is that so many people still seem to live in some dream land believing he didn't do it. Come on people, at this point, it shouldn't even be a question anymore. Lance's doping allegation defense strategy has always followed a very simple strategy: 1) Act insulted. 2) Angrily deny. 3) Use the tested more than anyone else line. 4) Question the credibility of the accuser, whether that be 1 person or an entire nation. 5) Threaten lives/livelihoods.
With Hamilton's 60 minutes piece it was pretty obvious that the Lance response would follow those 5 steps just like it always does. This response was so predictable I'm not entirely sure it happened because I didn't even bother to look for it. Yes, Tyler denied doping for years, took donations and now comes clean about the whole thing. Does this on the surface seem like the accusations of someone with credibility issues, sure it does. Does this person come from the camp who probably coached him on this life of denial, seems likely.
Hincapie won't comment on it but it's been reported that in his grand jury whatever it's called, he also testified that he witnessed Armstrong doping and that he used PEDs himself. To me, and it should be for all you believers of the fairy tale, that's the nail in the coffin. The other three guys who have come out and said Armstrong doped all have agenda/credibility issues, not Hincapie. There's no alternative agenda for Hincapie except making sure his ass stays out of jail to raise his kids. He doesn't need to rat Lance out because he's mad at him but he certainly doesn't need to keep his mouth shut and do time for the Don either.
In a small way I find this incredibly ironic because a lot of people attribute George's lack of classics success to his loyalty to Armstrong. Instead of being able to put up a sprinting fight against Boonen on the velodrome in Roubaix he was becoming a better climber to be more loyal to Armstrong. Without Armstrong, Hincapie probably wins Roubaix at least once because he'd have ridden for a team who would have surrounded him with guys in those races. Instead, Hincapie stayed with Lance and continually lost the race that meant the most to him while helping Lance win the race the meant the most to him. Let's say Big George goes to another team early on and wins a bunch of Roubaix's it doesn't necessarily mean that he still isn't testifying that Lance taught him to dope, but in the present scenario, it makes it very hard for Lance to use his typical 5 step program against his accuser. If there's anybody the American cycling fans see as the model of credibility, it's Hincapie.
The other piece that strikes me as ironic is that Armstrong is always so quick to point out the previous denial pattern of all those who have accused him of doping. When it's official and he can no longer deny it, what does he think that's going to do for his image? He's essentially lumping himself right into the same category as Tyler and Floyd and in the end, the only thing that's going to separate Lance and those guys, is that he survived cancer and they didn't. But all three will be convicted dopers who denied it for years and took others money under some sort of false pretense. An obvious argument to that is that Lance's money raised went to cancer research, not a fake defense fund, and that'd be absolutely right, but how much less money would he have raised if the story wasn't so grand and dependent on PEDs?
I'm not smart enough to understand exactly what he's up against if some sort of rico charges against him as he used government money to buy doping products. That side of this entire situation seems insanely unlucky since the same thing would have happened regardless of the sponsor printed on their jerseys.
I wrote sometime last year that I hoped for the sake of the cancer community that he didn't get caught. I wrote that I believed 100% that he was guilty but that I didn't think any good would actually come of it. I'm still not sure that much good comes of Armstrong getting busted. For everyone but the most casual cycling fan the writing is on the wall and we've all made our minds up regardless of what the feds find out. But at some point, people, regardless of how big they are need to be accountable for their actions and I think this line of thought is what changed my opinion on the seemingly impending Armstrong trial. Just because you create a larger than life persona doesn't mean you're larger than the law and at some point, you have to lay in the bed you made.
It's really no surprise that most of the cycling world is still talking about Lance. What is surprising, at least to me, is that so many people still seem to live in some dream land believing he didn't do it. Come on people, at this point, it shouldn't even be a question anymore. Lance's doping allegation defense strategy has always followed a very simple strategy: 1) Act insulted. 2) Angrily deny. 3) Use the tested more than anyone else line. 4) Question the credibility of the accuser, whether that be 1 person or an entire nation. 5) Threaten lives/livelihoods.
With Hamilton's 60 minutes piece it was pretty obvious that the Lance response would follow those 5 steps just like it always does. This response was so predictable I'm not entirely sure it happened because I didn't even bother to look for it. Yes, Tyler denied doping for years, took donations and now comes clean about the whole thing. Does this on the surface seem like the accusations of someone with credibility issues, sure it does. Does this person come from the camp who probably coached him on this life of denial, seems likely.
Hincapie won't comment on it but it's been reported that in his grand jury whatever it's called, he also testified that he witnessed Armstrong doping and that he used PEDs himself. To me, and it should be for all you believers of the fairy tale, that's the nail in the coffin. The other three guys who have come out and said Armstrong doped all have agenda/credibility issues, not Hincapie. There's no alternative agenda for Hincapie except making sure his ass stays out of jail to raise his kids. He doesn't need to rat Lance out because he's mad at him but he certainly doesn't need to keep his mouth shut and do time for the Don either.
In a small way I find this incredibly ironic because a lot of people attribute George's lack of classics success to his loyalty to Armstrong. Instead of being able to put up a sprinting fight against Boonen on the velodrome in Roubaix he was becoming a better climber to be more loyal to Armstrong. Without Armstrong, Hincapie probably wins Roubaix at least once because he'd have ridden for a team who would have surrounded him with guys in those races. Instead, Hincapie stayed with Lance and continually lost the race that meant the most to him while helping Lance win the race the meant the most to him. Let's say Big George goes to another team early on and wins a bunch of Roubaix's it doesn't necessarily mean that he still isn't testifying that Lance taught him to dope, but in the present scenario, it makes it very hard for Lance to use his typical 5 step program against his accuser. If there's anybody the American cycling fans see as the model of credibility, it's Hincapie.
The other piece that strikes me as ironic is that Armstrong is always so quick to point out the previous denial pattern of all those who have accused him of doping. When it's official and he can no longer deny it, what does he think that's going to do for his image? He's essentially lumping himself right into the same category as Tyler and Floyd and in the end, the only thing that's going to separate Lance and those guys, is that he survived cancer and they didn't. But all three will be convicted dopers who denied it for years and took others money under some sort of false pretense. An obvious argument to that is that Lance's money raised went to cancer research, not a fake defense fund, and that'd be absolutely right, but how much less money would he have raised if the story wasn't so grand and dependent on PEDs?
I'm not smart enough to understand exactly what he's up against if some sort of rico charges against him as he used government money to buy doping products. That side of this entire situation seems insanely unlucky since the same thing would have happened regardless of the sponsor printed on their jerseys.
I wrote sometime last year that I hoped for the sake of the cancer community that he didn't get caught. I wrote that I believed 100% that he was guilty but that I didn't think any good would actually come of it. I'm still not sure that much good comes of Armstrong getting busted. For everyone but the most casual cycling fan the writing is on the wall and we've all made our minds up regardless of what the feds find out. But at some point, people, regardless of how big they are need to be accountable for their actions and I think this line of thought is what changed my opinion on the seemingly impending Armstrong trial. Just because you create a larger than life persona doesn't mean you're larger than the law and at some point, you have to lay in the bed you made.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Race Report: The Bunny Hop Crit
Race: Bunny Hop Crit
Date: May 1, 2011
Location: Suitland, MD
Course: 3 corners, flat.
Conditions: Rainy but surprisingly not windy.
To not completely bore you with the details of a 42 lap crit I'll recap the race really quickly:
It was rainy and I figured it'd be sketchy. I went to the front and went with or instigated every move of the race. None worked and it came down to a bunch sprint in which I got pinched in the final corner and got 14th with all my skin fully intact.
Date: May 1, 2011
Location: Suitland, MD
Course: 3 corners, flat.
Conditions: Rainy but surprisingly not windy.
To not completely bore you with the details of a 42 lap crit I'll recap the race really quickly:
It was rainy and I figured it'd be sketchy. I went to the front and went with or instigated every move of the race. None worked and it came down to a bunch sprint in which I got pinched in the final corner and got 14th with all my skin fully intact.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Race Report: Meadows Farms or something like that
I'm not entirely sure what this race was called because I just referred to it as "the race down in Doswell" whenever people would ask. I find that to be much more useful than the names of races unless they have some sort of history. It's even better when the name of the race is actually where it's being held. That certainly makes things simpler. But, that's not the point.
This was my first race of the year and I'm pretty pleased with how I felt throughout. It was a 30 mile circuit race on a really technical course. They claimed to have 9 90 degree corners but I only counted 7. There were 3 big sweepers so maybe a few of those were thrown in for the 9 count. There was also a hill but it wasn't long enough or steep enough to really make a difference.
The 4s started out with something like 70 people but that was whittled down to about 25 or so by the time we were at 5 laps to go. We ended up doing 31 miles in just over 1:10, so it was fast. But I think the yo-yo through the corners probably shed more people than the hill or the actual speeds.
With 2 laps to go there was a group of 6 that were about 30 seconds or so up the road. We came through the start finish and everybody slowed so I went to try and bridge up to those guys. It seemed pretty obvious to me that everybody else left in the main field was content for sprinting for 7th and I wanted nothing to do with that. In hindsight I probably went a bit early as I attacked into the cross wind, then into the headwind after the right hander and burned a really big match creating the separation through there. I'm not sure if anybody would have tried to come with me had I waited till the tailwind, but I wasn't interested in towing guys with me to the break so I wanted to make sure I was by myself. Some guy after the race said he tried to go with me and couldn't, so that's at least encouraging.
Trying to get up to the guys I had to fight my way through a ton of lapped traffic who were kind enough to essentially take whatever line they wanted through the corners. I'm not sure why these people weren't pulled but they were still on the course chatting with each other or picking their noses.
I knew I had to make it to the break before the downhill with the headwind or I'd never catch on. I didn't make it so at the bottom of the hill I sort of sat up a bit to wait for the field. As they came by, much to my surprise, it somehow ballooned to at least double as all the lapped traffic decided it was a good idea to latch on and get a free tow. I wasn't sure who in this group was actually still on the lead lap so I forced myself in somewhere about 20 guys back. As we turned left into the headwind it became apparent which guys weren't on the lead lap as they all blew back up and I was left with at least 15 bike lengths between me and the guys in the main field. This was obviously annoying and so I yelled at quite a few of the lapped guys to get the F' off the course as I tried to close that gap down to the main field. I think we're all friends now. (I did apologize to a few of them on the cool down lap) But seriously, what makes you think that getting back onto the main field after you've been lapped is ok? They'd obviously be pissed if they were in my situation as well.
I chased as hard as I could the final lap but couldn't quite catch back on to field. I ended up being scored 19th but I have no way of knowing if that's actually accurate or not. If I hadn't tried to bridge up I'm sure I could have finished top 5 out of the main field but that's only a 7th place finish at best. Anything after that gets the same upgrade points as my 19th. I'm happy with my decision to try and bridge that gap. I'd rather risk losing in an attempt to win than sit in for a marginally better finish on paper.
And a small rant:
Once again the USAC officials enforce all the rules that don't make a difference and completely ignore the small things that can actually make a difference in a race. Why they stopped pulling lapped riders with 2 to go is beyond me. It seems like that is the time they should have been most vigilant about getting guys out of the race off the course. They are the only people at the race being paid to be there so I wish they'd do their jobs a bit better. I know in the grand scheme it's still just amateur bike racing but it's an amateur bike race that everybody there paid to race in and part of that entrance fee certainly pays their wages for the day. They need to worry less about the imaginary perfect place for a number to be pinned on and whether a rider has his/her hands on the handlebars and more about ensuring race results are actually accurate.
At the same time, if you're a 4 you've done at least 10 races and should in theory understand a bit of race etiquette. If you are out of the race, get off the course or at least get out of the way. You do not get to take the good line through a corner when the group is coming up behind you and you are about to be lapped. In fact, you may even need to pull over, slow down, and let the field pass you before you go into that corner. Also, under no circumstances should you get back into the main field that is on the lead lap when you are not. The guys that are still fighting to stay in the field shouldn't have to try and remember who is and isn't on the lead lap. It should be pretty evident by the people that are around them in the group.
I also saw an official up a rider taking a free lap due to mechanical into a breakaway instead of the main field the other day. This is completely inexcusable. Getting a free lap is nice enough. You shouldn't get free entrance into the break as a reward for your flat tire. Luckily that guy wasn't good enough to be in the break and after a few laps was shelled.
This was my first race of the year and I'm pretty pleased with how I felt throughout. It was a 30 mile circuit race on a really technical course. They claimed to have 9 90 degree corners but I only counted 7. There were 3 big sweepers so maybe a few of those were thrown in for the 9 count. There was also a hill but it wasn't long enough or steep enough to really make a difference.
The 4s started out with something like 70 people but that was whittled down to about 25 or so by the time we were at 5 laps to go. We ended up doing 31 miles in just over 1:10, so it was fast. But I think the yo-yo through the corners probably shed more people than the hill or the actual speeds.
With 2 laps to go there was a group of 6 that were about 30 seconds or so up the road. We came through the start finish and everybody slowed so I went to try and bridge up to those guys. It seemed pretty obvious to me that everybody else left in the main field was content for sprinting for 7th and I wanted nothing to do with that. In hindsight I probably went a bit early as I attacked into the cross wind, then into the headwind after the right hander and burned a really big match creating the separation through there. I'm not sure if anybody would have tried to come with me had I waited till the tailwind, but I wasn't interested in towing guys with me to the break so I wanted to make sure I was by myself. Some guy after the race said he tried to go with me and couldn't, so that's at least encouraging.
Trying to get up to the guys I had to fight my way through a ton of lapped traffic who were kind enough to essentially take whatever line they wanted through the corners. I'm not sure why these people weren't pulled but they were still on the course chatting with each other or picking their noses.
I knew I had to make it to the break before the downhill with the headwind or I'd never catch on. I didn't make it so at the bottom of the hill I sort of sat up a bit to wait for the field. As they came by, much to my surprise, it somehow ballooned to at least double as all the lapped traffic decided it was a good idea to latch on and get a free tow. I wasn't sure who in this group was actually still on the lead lap so I forced myself in somewhere about 20 guys back. As we turned left into the headwind it became apparent which guys weren't on the lead lap as they all blew back up and I was left with at least 15 bike lengths between me and the guys in the main field. This was obviously annoying and so I yelled at quite a few of the lapped guys to get the F' off the course as I tried to close that gap down to the main field. I think we're all friends now. (I did apologize to a few of them on the cool down lap) But seriously, what makes you think that getting back onto the main field after you've been lapped is ok? They'd obviously be pissed if they were in my situation as well.
I chased as hard as I could the final lap but couldn't quite catch back on to field. I ended up being scored 19th but I have no way of knowing if that's actually accurate or not. If I hadn't tried to bridge up I'm sure I could have finished top 5 out of the main field but that's only a 7th place finish at best. Anything after that gets the same upgrade points as my 19th. I'm happy with my decision to try and bridge that gap. I'd rather risk losing in an attempt to win than sit in for a marginally better finish on paper.
And a small rant:
Once again the USAC officials enforce all the rules that don't make a difference and completely ignore the small things that can actually make a difference in a race. Why they stopped pulling lapped riders with 2 to go is beyond me. It seems like that is the time they should have been most vigilant about getting guys out of the race off the course. They are the only people at the race being paid to be there so I wish they'd do their jobs a bit better. I know in the grand scheme it's still just amateur bike racing but it's an amateur bike race that everybody there paid to race in and part of that entrance fee certainly pays their wages for the day. They need to worry less about the imaginary perfect place for a number to be pinned on and whether a rider has his/her hands on the handlebars and more about ensuring race results are actually accurate.
At the same time, if you're a 4 you've done at least 10 races and should in theory understand a bit of race etiquette. If you are out of the race, get off the course or at least get out of the way. You do not get to take the good line through a corner when the group is coming up behind you and you are about to be lapped. In fact, you may even need to pull over, slow down, and let the field pass you before you go into that corner. Also, under no circumstances should you get back into the main field that is on the lead lap when you are not. The guys that are still fighting to stay in the field shouldn't have to try and remember who is and isn't on the lead lap. It should be pretty evident by the people that are around them in the group.
I also saw an official up a rider taking a free lap due to mechanical into a breakaway instead of the main field the other day. This is completely inexcusable. Getting a free lap is nice enough. You shouldn't get free entrance into the break as a reward for your flat tire. Luckily that guy wasn't good enough to be in the break and after a few laps was shelled.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Value of Good Teammates
Johan van Summeren was able to win Paris-Roubaix yesterday because Thor Hushovd refused to work with Cancellara, forcing Cancellara to get frustrated and eventually sit up. Hushovd was 100% in the right for not pulling through since he had a teammate up the road. While it was probably annoying for Cancellara and he obviously wasn't interested in towing his competitors to the finish line, Hushovd is not obligated to work in that situation. The result, van Summeren stays away.
In my opinion Sylvain Chavanel lost Flanders because Tom Boonen attacked while he was up the road drawing Cancellara out. Once Cancellara had neautralized that move and then realized Boonen wasn't that strong he kept going and eventually bridged up to Chavanel. Maybe that would have happened later, anyway, but it certainly should not have been sparked by Boonen with Chavanel up the road.
The casual observer of bike racing might not have seen either of these scenarios play out that way. But bike racing is much more about team work and tactics than the casual fan realizes. Most big races are won and lost because a strong team played their hand perfectly. This doesn't matter if it's a one day classic or grand tour. Nobody wins a bike race that matters all by themselves. Just ask Cancellara.
In my opinion Sylvain Chavanel lost Flanders because Tom Boonen attacked while he was up the road drawing Cancellara out. Once Cancellara had neautralized that move and then realized Boonen wasn't that strong he kept going and eventually bridged up to Chavanel. Maybe that would have happened later, anyway, but it certainly should not have been sparked by Boonen with Chavanel up the road.
The casual observer of bike racing might not have seen either of these scenarios play out that way. But bike racing is much more about team work and tactics than the casual fan realizes. Most big races are won and lost because a strong team played their hand perfectly. This doesn't matter if it's a one day classic or grand tour. Nobody wins a bike race that matters all by themselves. Just ask Cancellara.
A Retraction (sort of)
With Gregory Rast's 4th place finish at Roubaix I was clearly at least a little bit wrong about Radioshack's chances. Because of that I would like to offer a mild retraction. If it weren't for the long breakaway producing the winner and a bunch of top 10 placings, which he was apart of, who knows where Rast would have finished. But, that's neither her nor there. He was in that long break. It went a LONG way and he got a 4th.
Euskatel on the other seemed to follow my exact predictions. Their best placed rider was Alan Perez Lezaun in 103rd place. How many riders finished Roubaix you may wonder? 108. Perez was the only Euskatel rider to bother to finish the race. Good show!
Euskatel on the other seemed to follow my exact predictions. Their best placed rider was Alan Perez Lezaun in 103rd place. How many riders finished Roubaix you may wonder? 108. Perez was the only Euskatel rider to bother to finish the race. Good show!
Friday, April 08, 2011
Obligated to Race
This weekend is Paris-Roubaix. If you're reading this blog, you know that already. As one would expect most of the cycling chatter this week on the interwebs is directly related to Paris-Roubaix. Pictures of Roubaixs in the past, descriptions of just how terrible the cobbles are, technical reviews of the changes being made to team bikes, and, if you're velonews, a sort of odd story that features Ben King, current US National Champion and his upcoming first attempt at Roubaix on a squad that has about no chance at winning.
In the end, what I took away from this particular story is that the current system where the UCI requires the teams with ProTour license to race all the races on the ProTour calender is clearly screwed up. To prove this point, look at the roster that Radioshack is sending to Paris-Roubaix:
Ben King
Bjorn Selander
Jesse Sergent
Fumiyuki Beppu
Robbie McEwen
Nélson Oliveira
Gregory Rast
Sebastian Rosseler
My assumption would be that these guys are working for, I have no idea, nobody in that group is even a long shot at winning this race. I'm going to actually make a point to see how many of these guys even bother finishing. Clearly Radioshack is built to win stage races. With Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Andres Kloden, Janez Brajkovic and the rest of their climbing/TT focused team, they don't really give a damn about the cobbled classics. Even Rast and Rosseler are flat stage body gaurds, not classics specialists in a true sense. And that's fine, but for the sake of the race, let's stop forcing teams to participate that don't care. I'm pretty sure whatever squad Euskatel is sending this week will be heavily seen at the back of the bunch and drawing straws for who gets to abandon at the first feed zone. Whichever unlucky riders draw the long straws have to abandon at the second.
Instead of forcing teams with ProTour license to show up and abandon why not give Radioshack and company the opportunity to offer their spot up and enter more wild card Continental squads. I'd be willing to bet if you replaced Radioshack and Euskatel and a few others who don't care with two Belgium squads, you replace pack filler with recognizable jerseys with guys that show up motivated to make some sort of statement in the biggest race of their careers.
Let's face it. The chairman who approved the sponsorship of Radioshack isn't going to brag at the end of the year that their team had two riders finish Paris-Roubaix and most of the Basque fans who go crazy in the mountains during the Tour de France can't possibly have any hope for their guys come Sunday. Those teams are focused on a different kind of racing and that's a perfectly justifiable decision. But the governing bodies are doing both the race and smaller, more motivated teams a disservice by forcing participation on teams that couldn't care less. I'd rather have a race that includes five teams I'd never heard of throwing hail marys every chance they get to make the race exciting than a bunch of feed zone abandons out of obligation.
In the end, what I took away from this particular story is that the current system where the UCI requires the teams with ProTour license to race all the races on the ProTour calender is clearly screwed up. To prove this point, look at the roster that Radioshack is sending to Paris-Roubaix:
Ben King
Bjorn Selander
Jesse Sergent
Fumiyuki Beppu
Robbie McEwen
Nélson Oliveira
Gregory Rast
Sebastian Rosseler
My assumption would be that these guys are working for, I have no idea, nobody in that group is even a long shot at winning this race. I'm going to actually make a point to see how many of these guys even bother finishing. Clearly Radioshack is built to win stage races. With Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner, Andres Kloden, Janez Brajkovic and the rest of their climbing/TT focused team, they don't really give a damn about the cobbled classics. Even Rast and Rosseler are flat stage body gaurds, not classics specialists in a true sense. And that's fine, but for the sake of the race, let's stop forcing teams to participate that don't care. I'm pretty sure whatever squad Euskatel is sending this week will be heavily seen at the back of the bunch and drawing straws for who gets to abandon at the first feed zone. Whichever unlucky riders draw the long straws have to abandon at the second.
Instead of forcing teams with ProTour license to show up and abandon why not give Radioshack and company the opportunity to offer their spot up and enter more wild card Continental squads. I'd be willing to bet if you replaced Radioshack and Euskatel and a few others who don't care with two Belgium squads, you replace pack filler with recognizable jerseys with guys that show up motivated to make some sort of statement in the biggest race of their careers.
Let's face it. The chairman who approved the sponsorship of Radioshack isn't going to brag at the end of the year that their team had two riders finish Paris-Roubaix and most of the Basque fans who go crazy in the mountains during the Tour de France can't possibly have any hope for their guys come Sunday. Those teams are focused on a different kind of racing and that's a perfectly justifiable decision. But the governing bodies are doing both the race and smaller, more motivated teams a disservice by forcing participation on teams that couldn't care less. I'd rather have a race that includes five teams I'd never heard of throwing hail marys every chance they get to make the race exciting than a bunch of feed zone abandons out of obligation.
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