Who would be at Enumclaw? Svein and crew, yet again. This year their domination was just silly. Crushing his own TT course record of 12:44 with a 12:25 ride. I thought I was fast by shaving 5 seconds off my time from last year that got me 12th. Nope, too f-ing slow kid. Good for 23rd. Maybe okay if it were a timed race, but not so hot on top-1o Omnium scoring.
Luckily, or rather, without needing any luck, Matt Weyen did a good ride to take 4th.
Then, the shit really hit the fan when it rained cats and dogs for the first 10(?) minutes of the crit. and the top-1o selection ocurred in the first 2 laps. Matt again rode strongly, but for 11th and no points. Probably the most destroyed the race has ever been at the event, and Mr. Tuft won his second stage from a 3-man break. Ollerenshaw and Ecker were there too with him. Nice ride by Ecker who was also with Ollerenshaw in the break at Piece of Cake.
Then, in the road race Symmetrics pulled back the Bob's-inspired break where we had Brandon and Justin Mayfield. They had 30 seconds at base of the climb and were reeled in 3/4's up. Then it was panic stations throughout the field as 17 dudes rolled away. Again, Matt made it and was set to go high in the standings since he would probably get some good points and Tubbs and Ecker among others didn't make the split.
That was it for the rest of the pack. All points up the road, and we weren't going to help chase even if it would have done any good. Then, to make the somewhat tenuous situation nearly hopeless, Matt went down before the final climb and limped in in 14th place to secure 11th overall. Really a good ride, but overall a shellacking for the team, and pretty much everyone but Symmetrics. McKissisk did a good race overall and took 2nd in the road race, and Washington's road champion Chris Daifuku took 4th I think. I guess he is worthy of the jersey and title then.
So, now we see if the 8-man star-studded Bob's squad can produce anything at Mt. Hood. Our biggest race of the year with our best line up. It looks like the weather will good, so that is one less hardship to face there.
See you at stage 1.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
The heart of the season is here
This is definately the time of year that the early season stars are having the wheels fall off a bit and those that are peaking later are beginning to show. The latter couldn't be better illustrated the the NW's very own 1,000 pound gorilla, Kenny Williams. After he effortlessly bridged to the break, he made the four of us not on his team, and of course those he left in the pack, look like fools. He drilled it for back to back $100 primes and then kept on going for the solo win.
Meanwhile, few riders even showed up to Wenatchee. Great weather, great courses, great prize list. But are the morale and legs gone? Part of the being somewhat successful is having the stamina and drive to keep it going and get the most out of yourself, especially when the "good" races are happening.
Anyway...nice to race with Tyler Farrar again, in his hometown no less. He beat Kenny on a loaner bike from Kenny in the TT. Pretty nice gesture from a person you all have intimated is nothing but a "cannibalistic poacher." He's more than that people. And now he's off to show the world what a steady diet of NW amatuer carrion can do for the form at the Pan Am games. Nice to know I was used as a sparring partner/punching bag before the big event! Good luck there. And good luck to Tyler as he heads back to France.
As for the rest of the Wenatchee event, I was happy to place 9th, two back from Russell Stevenson in the TT from hell. Then bridging the gap in the crit felt good, and those points got me a lucky 10th place, last in the money after dropping out of the road race. I'll call that stage "training" since I didn't do much racing in it. I did do 5,000 ft. of climbing in less that 50 miles, so it was pretty tough anyway.
Back at home I've kept the pressure on the legs with Mon-Thurs: motor pace, club ride, motor pace, club ride. Mon.-Wed. was really hard, but I think I've eaten enough to get the aching out the legs so that I'm primed to ride well at Enumclaw. There is nothing like motor-pacing. If you go that hard in a race and crack you will get dropped and be gone. If you crack behind the motor, it waits for you, and you have to keep on suffering at close to 30 mph again. I did 2 30 min. sessions each day and averaged about 27 mph on rolling terrain. We came in at 38 mph for about 3 K at the end of Monday's second session, and that felt pretty good.
The boys are heading over today and we will try to repeat our success from Walla Walla. The Omnium format makes things a bit more chaotic, but the race will be overall less difficult than WW. I'd really like to have the opportunity to get support and go for the overall if it seems like that is our best shot. Who knows who will be at the race though and how tough the riders will make it? I just hope we take the title however it is done.
See you in the peloton.
Meanwhile, few riders even showed up to Wenatchee. Great weather, great courses, great prize list. But are the morale and legs gone? Part of the being somewhat successful is having the stamina and drive to keep it going and get the most out of yourself, especially when the "good" races are happening.
Anyway...nice to race with Tyler Farrar again, in his hometown no less. He beat Kenny on a loaner bike from Kenny in the TT. Pretty nice gesture from a person you all have intimated is nothing but a "cannibalistic poacher." He's more than that people. And now he's off to show the world what a steady diet of NW amatuer carrion can do for the form at the Pan Am games. Nice to know I was used as a sparring partner/punching bag before the big event! Good luck there. And good luck to Tyler as he heads back to France.
As for the rest of the Wenatchee event, I was happy to place 9th, two back from Russell Stevenson in the TT from hell. Then bridging the gap in the crit felt good, and those points got me a lucky 10th place, last in the money after dropping out of the road race. I'll call that stage "training" since I didn't do much racing in it. I did do 5,000 ft. of climbing in less that 50 miles, so it was pretty tough anyway.
Back at home I've kept the pressure on the legs with Mon-Thurs: motor pace, club ride, motor pace, club ride. Mon.-Wed. was really hard, but I think I've eaten enough to get the aching out the legs so that I'm primed to ride well at Enumclaw. There is nothing like motor-pacing. If you go that hard in a race and crack you will get dropped and be gone. If you crack behind the motor, it waits for you, and you have to keep on suffering at close to 30 mph again. I did 2 30 min. sessions each day and averaged about 27 mph on rolling terrain. We came in at 38 mph for about 3 K at the end of Monday's second session, and that felt pretty good.
The boys are heading over today and we will try to repeat our success from Walla Walla. The Omnium format makes things a bit more chaotic, but the race will be overall less difficult than WW. I'd really like to have the opportunity to get support and go for the overall if it seems like that is our best shot. Who knows who will be at the race though and how tough the riders will make it? I just hope we take the title however it is done.
See you in the peloton.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
"I was a race poacher." The horrifying storying that couldn't be told...
Poaching. Let's see, what does that really mean? And should convicted/accused poachers feel guilty? Defensive? Or just 'fess up?
Nice to see that this term is in circulation in the NW these days. Hopefully it will remain current, and have the same long legacy of phrases such as "Campbelling/being Campbelled" and "schlonging."
Now poaching is a very serious crime and all such charges must have firm evidence to have any sort of credibility. And like all serious crimes, it is best if the defendent just 'fesses up to the charge rather than claiming innocence or a convenient alibi.
I'll confess. For instance, I've won the Olympia Capital Criterium the last three years in the Masters division. This would stand as outright poaching if all I did that day was the masters event, since I am a cat. 1. It is/was poaching, but by entering the pro/1/2 race later in the day, I can get away with it since I can say it was a "warm-up." Of course if those fields were a bit tougher, maybe it wouldn't be considered poaching at all. There's a lot of gray area. And tons of examples that could be brought forth.
Now, on the other hand, when a certain mountain bike PROFESSIONAL won the AMATEUR national road race, this was out and out, undisputed poaching. The Pro had tons of class, talent, and experience, but no ROAD PRO CONTRACT. What was he to do? Not race the AMATEUR champs. After all, it was right there in Utah, a mere 6 hour or so drive away. That was undisputed poaching.
In between these two examples is when there are two events in the same region on the same day, and an established champion chooses to do the easier event, and then goes ahead and wins it. Why be defensive? It is what it is. The poacher's presence at either event would have caused trepidation among either field--the poacher was just going with the surer bet. Or maybe grandma lives on the course or something. That would be a good excuse.
Charges of poaching can only be leveled at individuals that are capable of winning races. You can't just hurl the charge at anyone that is doing "the other" event in the region on a particular day. Those individuals are simply "doing the other race." They weren't going to strike fear in the hearts of either field. They are simply making a prudent choice to not recieve a complete ass-kicking at the tougher event.
The fact is, to poach, you have to be a winner. It's really a compliment. It's never easy to win any bike race.
(*Pros that are home and not away with their team get an automatic exemption from poaching charges no matter where/how hard the race they enter/win.)
Nice to see that this term is in circulation in the NW these days. Hopefully it will remain current, and have the same long legacy of phrases such as "Campbelling/being Campbelled" and "schlonging."
Now poaching is a very serious crime and all such charges must have firm evidence to have any sort of credibility. And like all serious crimes, it is best if the defendent just 'fesses up to the charge rather than claiming innocence or a convenient alibi.
I'll confess. For instance, I've won the Olympia Capital Criterium the last three years in the Masters division. This would stand as outright poaching if all I did that day was the masters event, since I am a cat. 1. It is/was poaching, but by entering the pro/1/2 race later in the day, I can get away with it since I can say it was a "warm-up." Of course if those fields were a bit tougher, maybe it wouldn't be considered poaching at all. There's a lot of gray area. And tons of examples that could be brought forth.
Now, on the other hand, when a certain mountain bike PROFESSIONAL won the AMATEUR national road race, this was out and out, undisputed poaching. The Pro had tons of class, talent, and experience, but no ROAD PRO CONTRACT. What was he to do? Not race the AMATEUR champs. After all, it was right there in Utah, a mere 6 hour or so drive away. That was undisputed poaching.
In between these two examples is when there are two events in the same region on the same day, and an established champion chooses to do the easier event, and then goes ahead and wins it. Why be defensive? It is what it is. The poacher's presence at either event would have caused trepidation among either field--the poacher was just going with the surer bet. Or maybe grandma lives on the course or something. That would be a good excuse.
Charges of poaching can only be leveled at individuals that are capable of winning races. You can't just hurl the charge at anyone that is doing "the other" event in the region on a particular day. Those individuals are simply "doing the other race." They weren't going to strike fear in the hearts of either field. They are simply making a prudent choice to not recieve a complete ass-kicking at the tougher event.
The fact is, to poach, you have to be a winner. It's really a compliment. It's never easy to win any bike race.
(*Pros that are home and not away with their team get an automatic exemption from poaching charges no matter where/how hard the race they enter/win.)
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Another solo mission
Well, the boys took a licking at the Gila for the most part. Mart Santurbane has been going well all year and has been doing NRC/pro am events all year. He converted his good TT into a high 20's finish, but a cold spread through the team, Matt crashed and got the sickest of all, and Derik was feeling some effects of the bug and not enough training. And then of course there is the altitude and pro team tempo and power.
Our cat. 2's did awesome with a stage win and a 2nd as well, but the lack of neutral feed about killed the 3 of them, and killed Justin M. and Chris Stuart's chances that they had in their break that had 6-8 minutes on the field. All three required IVs post-race, but I guess Justin M. has an aversion to needles. That left him cooked for the duration I hear.
The line-up for Wenatchee was already tenuous, but now it is basically scratched from the team's programme. So, climber extrordinaire that I am, I am now "free" to ride my own race. What a joke! I have managed a top-10 in the Omnium in the past and have won the crit there before, so it isn't that bleak. I'll target the crit, do as good a TT as I can, and try to not get left behind to early in the road race. Maybe I'll attack from the gun again and get a head start? Why not?
Oh, my back. It is feeling much better. The massage was painful on Monday, but it was much needed. And now I am feeling the legs that I should have had at the state champs had I not had the back injury in the first place. Last night I finished the Oly club ride solo with a nice 1/2 minute gap, then rode strongly in our three trips up Tumwater Hill. The wind was brutal last night and I had to bridge a 20 second gap at one point that really was a test. Easily as hard an effort as in a race.
Hopefully it wasn't just the combination of Naproxin and the muscle relaxant I had taken!
I hope there is a good field over there now that it isn't the State Omnium. In the past not that many people did all three stages and the championship drew more people I think. So, another solo mission. 3rd week in a row. Hopefully guys will be rejuvenated for Enumclaw in 2 weekends.
Our cat. 2's did awesome with a stage win and a 2nd as well, but the lack of neutral feed about killed the 3 of them, and killed Justin M. and Chris Stuart's chances that they had in their break that had 6-8 minutes on the field. All three required IVs post-race, but I guess Justin M. has an aversion to needles. That left him cooked for the duration I hear.
The line-up for Wenatchee was already tenuous, but now it is basically scratched from the team's programme. So, climber extrordinaire that I am, I am now "free" to ride my own race. What a joke! I have managed a top-10 in the Omnium in the past and have won the crit there before, so it isn't that bleak. I'll target the crit, do as good a TT as I can, and try to not get left behind to early in the road race. Maybe I'll attack from the gun again and get a head start? Why not?
Oh, my back. It is feeling much better. The massage was painful on Monday, but it was much needed. And now I am feeling the legs that I should have had at the state champs had I not had the back injury in the first place. Last night I finished the Oly club ride solo with a nice 1/2 minute gap, then rode strongly in our three trips up Tumwater Hill. The wind was brutal last night and I had to bridge a 20 second gap at one point that really was a test. Easily as hard an effort as in a race.
Hopefully it wasn't just the combination of Naproxin and the muscle relaxant I had taken!
I hope there is a good field over there now that it isn't the State Omnium. In the past not that many people did all three stages and the championship drew more people I think. So, another solo mission. 3rd week in a row. Hopefully guys will be rejuvenated for Enumclaw in 2 weekends.
Monday, May 7, 2007
WA State Championships
I can't blame pros and crosswinds this time. This week I am blaming a stupid "everyday life" injury on hampering my abilities. I was doing some re-con on my sailboat on Saturday to make sure we could motor it over to Longbranch on Sunday and I hurt my left low-back pulling the cord on the motor. I jacked it pretty good and did the usual recovery routine (ooops, should have iced) but there was less than 24 hours to race time. I didn't think it was too bad, and the legs themselves felt good from an easy week.
I felt good and progressively felt worse and the back was to blame. The "wall" at Longbranch is enough to wreck your back, let alone having an injury to start with. Oh well. I just tried to enjoy being in a race and not doing something horrible while I knew I probably wouldn't be contending.
After getting gapped pretty badly the 2nd to last time up the hill I decided to go "all-in" on the last lap and instigated some good attacks and hit the wall with a tiny gap. Once caught I was done. I didn't think I'd be contact if I tried be cautious anyway so I went down in flames.
Crash!
There was a terrible crash involving a Garage guy overlapping his teammate and hitting the pavement hard with the side of his face. I heard his arm was broken and at a 90 degree angle where it shouldn't have been. Not good to see that stuff.
Now it is "get the back fixed" mode and getting set for Wentachee. That road race will not be kind to a weak back, so I hope I heal fast. It will be nice to be riding for/with some teammates over there. I hope they are not too blown from Tour of the Gila.
I felt good and progressively felt worse and the back was to blame. The "wall" at Longbranch is enough to wreck your back, let alone having an injury to start with. Oh well. I just tried to enjoy being in a race and not doing something horrible while I knew I probably wouldn't be contending.
After getting gapped pretty badly the 2nd to last time up the hill I decided to go "all-in" on the last lap and instigated some good attacks and hit the wall with a tiny gap. Once caught I was done. I didn't think I'd be contact if I tried be cautious anyway so I went down in flames.
Crash!
There was a terrible crash involving a Garage guy overlapping his teammate and hitting the pavement hard with the side of his face. I heard his arm was broken and at a 90 degree angle where it shouldn't have been. Not good to see that stuff.
Now it is "get the back fixed" mode and getting set for Wentachee. That road race will not be kind to a weak back, so I hope I heal fast. It will be nice to be riding for/with some teammates over there. I hope they are not too blown from Tour of the Gila.
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