Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Bikeman and the Battle of Troy - Tour De Troy

Bikeman hauls into Troy, NY for a series of battles to prove the best of the best...  The town prepares by blocking streets and allowing marshals to take to the corners, keeping innocent residents out of harms way....

All races in Tour de Troy made visits to the Pain Cave and Bonktown.
Day 1 - Individual Time Trial and Circuit Race

ITT - This weekend UVM cycling traveled to Troy, NY to compete in week 4 of the ECCC.  The weekend consisted of an Individual Time Trial, Circuit Race, and Criterium.  The ITT was along a small 2.6 mile stretch of the Hudson River.  Starting off with a false flat into gentle rolling hills, the ITT was surprisingly demanding for it's length.  I managed to press myself to a 27th place in 13:13.88 while my teammates pushed to a 3rd place amongst the C's in 12:21.93 and 7th amongst the A's in 11:45.97.

Circuit -  The Circuit Race used the full ITT course, plus an additional section of rolling and sandy hills.  While the terrain itself was entertaining while riding solo, the sandy and bumpy descent was nerve racking enough to shell myself and others off the back of the main pack, resulting in the first DNF of the season.  While I am disappointed in myself for not continuing in the race, it is important to remember that it is still early in the season.  Because I am planning to race through the summer, it is helpful to think of these early season races as additional opportunities for base building to enhance summer season results.

With no employed racing tactics, the 7-Corner Criterium
results in a 24th place finish with room for improvement.
Day 2 - Criterium

Criterium - Downtown Troy was an interesting place.  The streets are not set on a grid, but seem to have been built as they were needed and form around the buildings and their nontraditional shapes.  The criterium, which was supposed to be a 9 corner crit over 0.6 miles, was modified to be a 7 corner criterium over 0.6 miles.  The course itself was what I would consider to be the most fun course of the season thus far.  The pavement was as perfect as a city paved in ridable gold!  The corners seemed to be banked and laid out in such a way that was perfect for cornering at 30 mph.

While I have not come even close to mastering the tactics of a criterium, I was able to finish in 24th place after going airborne off a manhole cover during the final sprint.

This week I am planning to work on criterium tactics in my own neighborhood.  I can only hope that this will help me to prepare for the up and coming Boston Beanpot.  An excellent race from what I have heard, that has been missing from the UVM calendar in previous years.  I can only hope this weekend is less frustrating than the last.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

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