Extreme Momentum

Elkhart Criterium
May 27, 2007 – Elkhart, IN
Cat 3 – 22nd
253 watts – 23.9 MPH 

Bristol Road Race (44.0 miles)
May 28, 2007 – Bristol, IN
Cat 4 – 29th
246 watts – 22.0 MPH 

I have to admit it. I’m ashamed to be a member of this team. Wait, I need to be clear. I’m not ashamed of the team; the team should be ashamed of me. Why? The largest thread on our forum is entitled “Daylight Savings Time”. Given that fact, you would think that we’d be masters of the clock and calendar. Well, not me. I headed off to Indiana on Sunday morning for the Great Race criterium in Elkhart, IN only to forget that NW Indiana was now on DST like the rest of the USA. Oops. How humiliating! Will they every let me wear a XXX jersey again?

Well, I did race in the Cat 3. I got to Elkhart in time to see a phenomenal team performance in the Cat 4 crit. Not a big field, but XXX was a force to be seen. I wasn’t too worried about racing the Cat 3s, since I had raced with the Masters 30+ before. I was a little nervous at the start, but felt more comfortable as the race progressed. It was very smooth with the usual attacks and counterattacks. The race was largely dominated by Swanson and a couple of other Indiana teams. I was the sole XXXer in the field and just hung in the pack. Ironically, this was the first crit from which I had never been dropped. I was in the group going into the final sprint! I figured we averaged about 27 MPH for a little over an hour, so it was definitely my fastest and longest. The best part of the race was the support from the team on the sides. Bob, Jeff, Joe, and company all were cheering me on throughout the race, which really helped. Thanks guys!

Our XXX team grew larger for the road race the next day in Bristol, IN. The course was very rural with rolling hills and tons of turns with loose gravel. One tip for the future: Bonneyville Park where the race started has many parking lots and bathrooms, so bike around on your warm-up looking for one to avoid long lines at the staging lot. The Cat 4 road race was pretty subdued the first lap. A few attacks came on the second lap with Chris and I launching a counterattack against one by the sole Team Apache rider. Pieter and others also attacked later in the race. The way things were going, it didn’t seem as if any attack was going to get away. XXX was definitely a presence in this race with about 20% of the entire peloton. I realized my legs were pretty shot from the Cat 3 crit the day before, so I just hung in the pack. This only made me realize how much better the 3s are regarding smoothness and bike handling! I really had no energy in my legs to sprint, so I talked to a couple of riders the last few kms. What? Yep, I think we had more interest in yapping about the Giro then fighting it out in a group sprint.

These 2 races were my first experiences with Dan Daly-run events. I have to agree with Luke that he puts on some good races. Both courses were in good condition and were well marked and marshaled. They did feel somewhat smaller than the normal Chicago and Wisconsin races, but that wasn’t surprising since we were in rural Indiana. Both races were great experiences for a beginning/intermediate pack racer like me. I have more confidence in my pack riding abilities now. I think future Memorial Days will be a tough choice between the Great Race, the Snake, and the Soto Memorial. They are all “great races” and nothing to be ashamed of.

Elkhart Criterium Results

Bristol Road Race Results

MATTS Double Bong 40K Time Trial
May 6, 2007 – Kansasville, WI
Cat 4 – 5th – 01:01:51.72 (official) – 01:00:12 (actual)
255 watts – 24.3 MPH

The first rule of time trialing is never be late for your start time.  Many a rider has broken this rule.  Most famously, Pedro Delgado in the 1989 Tour de France prologue and Floyd Landis in the 2006 edition.  Less famously, Peter Allen in the 2007 Double Bong TT.  Although the first two riders were implicated in doping, I’m the only who has publically admitted to it.  Yes, I dope before races on Diet Mountain Dew and Frosted Mini Wheats.  Did they help me at the Double Bong?  Hell ya!  I just had few problems with my internal clock.

The Double Bong was my first Target A race of the year, so my legs were fully prepared.  Mentally, I was jacked for the race, though I didn’t know how my time would be with the wind.  The weather at the Bong was your typical Wisconsin spring weather—temperatures in the mid-50s with blustery winds.  I got to the Kansasville start with plenty of time for a warm-up.  With winds out of the SE, I wasn’t looking forward to the finish.  Plus, we had to do it twice for a full 40K.  I knew a Top 3 was likely, but winning would be tough.

I saw my XXX TTing teammate Cecile Redoble for the first time this year and we exchanged race stories and strategy.  The race was running about 20 minutes late so we didn’t feel as rushed as normal.  Eventually, Cecile had to run off to the start and I was supposed to go a few minutes behind.  Considering the cooler weather, I opted to keep warming up within a mile of the start.  Not a bad idea, but it would have been more prudent of me to check to see how the officials were handling the late start.

As I made my way to the start, I thought I had at least 2-3 minutes to go.  I saw one of the officials waving me to the front.  It turns out I had missed my start time by about 1:30 minutes.  The officials had started racers every 30 seconds instead of every minute to help speed up the delay.  Oops.  Cecile and other riders had been screaming at me when they saw me pedal away to do my warm-up, but I couldn’t hear them with the wind.

Thankfully, I was warmed up and adrenaline took over once I took off from the line.  I didn’t go out too hard as my mind immediately shifted into 40K mode.  I settled into my rhythm and got a feel for the course the first time around.  The backstretch was pure heaven.  I averaged 4 miles at 30+ MPH.  The finishing stretch was a greater challenge, because it was uphill and into a headwind.  Still, I kept fighting and trying to pick off the riders in front of me.

The second time around, I gave it my all on the last few miles.  I had passed what seemed like a dozen riders and no one had caught me.  I definitely had my best effort thus far of the year, but I knew my starting time error had cost me a good place.  I pretty wiped, but extremely happy with my performance.  I had nearly broken 60 minutes (though the course was only 24.5 miles) and set a new average speed PR.  In the end, my mistake dropped me from second to fifth.  That goes to show you why you should check with the officials before you leave the starting line.  Maybe I just need some more Diet Mountain Dew…

MATTS Double Bong TT Results