Bikeman ventures to the home of his nemesis, the Philly Phlyer in hopes to to arrive at an arangement to be decided by the outcome of a friend competition...
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No plaid seen in the Criterium at Temple University. |
This past weekend, UVM cycling ventured towards Philadelphia. Upon our arrival we encountered the illusive hipster in it's natural environment. With a fixed gear and handlebars just large enough for both hands, but small enough to squeeze where no man has gone before (i.e. between two buses), we marveled as the hipsters zoomed through the heavy traffic of Philadelphia. Somehow, I don't think I'll be trying it any time soon....
Day 1 - Fairmont Park - TTT and Circuit
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| The race before the race. |
The first day of racing took place in Fairmont Park. While the first squad for the C-men took to the road for the Team Time Trial at a blistering pace, the second squad took more time to work on team dynamics and pace lining technique.
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Dropping the hammer at
the finish of the TTT |
While we finished 11th out of the 19 TTT teams, we were happy with the dynamics and skills that were practiced while on the road.
After the TTT, we once again took to the road for the Circuit race. Again racing in Fairmont Park, we completed multiple laps around a 6.2 mile loop which had short climbs and long straight aways. We averaged 25 mph during the 3-lap race. I managed to finish in 9th place after a lapse in judgement going in to the final climb. While I was with the leaders going in to the climb, I was in the wrong gear to be able to drop the hammer and pull away in the way that I needed to. With the 9th place finish, I am now one step closer to the illusive podium finish. Hopefully I now have some additional tactics in my weaponry.
Day 2 - Temple University - Criterium
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| Riding to 28th in Sundays Criterium |
The Criterium at Temple University did not go as well as the Circuit in Fairmont Park from the day before. While I believe myself physically capable of placing within the top 10 of a criterium, I still remain mentally unprepared for such an event. The course was a simple 4-corner loops which totaled 1-mile per lap. I managed to stay glued to the back of the main field for the entirety of the race, but was unable to make the jump towards any sort of front position. With a 28th place finish and all my limbs intact, I would call that a success!
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| Descending before the final climb. |
Next weekend we race much closer at RPI in Troy, NY. Hopefully my results will fair better than they have been. This week I will be practicing my cornering abilities rain or shine. Snow however... we'll see.
Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!
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