Race Report 3/28/2010 C.O.U.G.A.R. Crit in Joliet

Ken, Jake, Katie, Chip, Kristina, Ed, Brandon and I went down to Joliet for the Cougar Crit this Sunday. Below is Kristina's race report:

First and foremost, a GREAT BIG THANKS to all the people who made the race possible, South Chicago Wheelmen, USA Cycling, AutoBahn Country Club and all the other cool people I don't know.

Race #1 A Good Pull

Ok so this was my second crit in a long time, the first being a Gapers Block Crit on Wednesday. I roll up with my trusty steed, a late 80's Bianchi (5sp Nuovo Record with downtube shifters...Brandon asks me "WHAT'S THAT!?" when he sees it). I got it at a yard sale for $50. I smile all excited but I have to say I was feeling a little silly lining up next to a full line of shiny carbon rigs with Zipp wheels, powertap hubs and the like. This was the womens 3/4 race. But I decided eh whatever I'm learning and who knows maybe I'll surprise somebody. So we go, and with a bit of trouble clipping in I manage to join in with the rest of the group at a light peppy pace mainly spinning and settling in and getting nice and comfortable with the nasty wind on the back stretch of the roughly 1.5 mi. course. Everybody is going along just fine for a while, a couple of small jumps here and there by some of the ladies just to see if we're all paying attention. We lost the team Pegasus rider that way and the headwind became her only companion. With 3 laps to go and no one obviously wanting to pull the group...case in point...when the front rider tries to pull to the side and let someone else up, the whole group would just stay right behind her...I decided to try and see what it was like and pulled the group. I felt good there for the 1st quarter of the lap, so I figure hey why not pull a littler harder and see what happens? Katie jumps on my rear wheel and I pick the pace up and hold it for a while...then I feel the wind in the back stretch...I'm getting tired, so I try and pull to the side to see if somebody, anybody wants to relieve me at the front...Nope nobody. Three times I try and move over to no avail. But Morgan decides shes gonna make a move and attacks, Katie and everyone else pretty much rush to catch her and leave me in the dust alone and close to imploded. Somehow I manage to keep it together and catch up in just under 2 laps and was with the group on the last lap, but I just didn't have any left in me to sprint to the finish, and that was that. My teammate Katie Isserman though, managed to sprint to a win in the end and landed a big win for Iron Cycles, so I was just glad to be around to see that. Lesson learned, if your going to pull hard w/ 3 laps to go you better be sacrificing yourself for a teammate, don't get any ideas of still placing well, especially if you get dropped.

RACE #2 The Wind and I are Good Friends Now

So after paying the extra $10 and no calls from the hubbie pleading for me to come home and relieve him of the kids, I decide to do the Womens Open Race. My legs were still aching from the race 2 hours prior so I knew deep down this was gonna hurt. And well it did. Right of the line. I couldn't clip into my pedals, I think the shoe covers were keeping the cleat from locking in initially. That on top of the cat 1/2 riders deciding to sprint at the start, pretty much took me out instantly. So I viewed the remainder of the race as a real hard training ride and learned to love the wind. Props out to Niki Cyp for cheering me on that one time, it really made me feel better. I was considering pulling out at first but that tipped the scales to stay in it. That and in the first race, the little juniors pretty much braved the wind by their lonesomes the whole time, why couldn't I? The guy in the lawn chair in the back stretch kept me company too, he was cool. I managed to not get lapped until later when I had a dropped chain cus the FD threw too far and the lead breakaway, Kristen? and Stacy rolled by me super fast. Four laps later same story, dropped chain and the main group lapped and hung with me a short while but their pace was too quick for my winded self. Yet again I was left to my own thoughts and encouragement and rolled to the end as fast as I could and tried to sprint out whatever I had in me to the end. Honestly I was just happy that my bike held up and didn't disintegrate on me. After a long talk with the wind...the wind thinks that I should train on the Bianchi, but maybe show up with something that has more than 10 speeds and weighs 10 lbs less next time. I have now decided to name the Bianchi "Headwind".

Cheers!

Kristina

Brown County Road Race

Jake and I drove down to the Bloomington, IN area for a taste of some early season Midwest road race action this past weekend. Here is his race report:

Brown County Road Race

Ted and I made the drive south to Nashville Indiana for the Brown County Road Race. The course was a closed 6 miles loop inside of the state park. It starts with a screaming descent, followed by two climbs, about 200 ft each, and false flats back to the finish.

Only 11 of us showed up at the line for the Cat 3 race. I didn’t get a chance to pre-ride the course, so when it was off, it was all new territory. The descent caught me off guard and I had trouble finding a good line. Basically, you are going 50+mph, then you need to stick a steep right followed by a sharp left, then its smooth sailing. I actually got dropped but managed to bridge back up as I can now see the descent lines clearly from the others in front of me.

After the first climb, it is only six of us remaining. To be honest, I feel terrible. I had food poisoning less than a week before and I am not 100 percent back on form yet. Coming into the next lap and series of climbs, I’m worried I might actually be the next to drop off the peloton. I managed to pace myself really well and stay at the front on the climbs feeling much better.

Finishing the climbs on lap three, I get to the front and keep the pace up, hoping to shell anybody on the fence. The 15y/o junior (Andrew dillman, redzone cycling) takes my cue throws down a punishing attack. I am the only one who goes with him. Eventually the race gets back together, but other 4 guys are clearly fatigued from the attacks.

On lap four, we finally shell one of the riders making it 5 of us. On lap 5 he manages to claw his way back up to us at the foot of the climbs. Unfortunately for him, he lasts about 5 seconds before we drop him again, as well as several others.

For the remainder of the race it is just three of us, 15y/o, some 130lb guy and me. I keep the pace hot on the last climb hoping to sail away, but it’s not enough to break anything up. Instead I just get stuck on the front. I’m on the front for almost two miles. I flick my elbows begging for somebody to pull through. I start riding erratically, slowing then accelerating to no avail. Then 15 y/o attacks hard and makes a huge gap. We chase and it comes back together with about 300m to go. 15y/o makes the jump, I grab his wheel, but ultimately run out of real estate. He wins by less than a wheel length. My calves cramp like crazy and I feel like I never really got the full power into my sprint. Oh well, it was a great race, clean course and a few points toward upgrading.

-jake

A new begining is near

Everyone here is excited about the new season. Fancy bikes are being built and race schedules are being planned.

If you haven't seen the new Storks, they are sweet.




Derrick is hold up an Absolutist 1.0 complete with SRAM Rival. Yes he is holding it up with only 1 finger. The bike weighs in at 17.3 lbs with pedals and pink bike computer. Just image how light that thing would be with some race wheels on it.

Nasty.