Since NE Championships and Looking Ahead...

Since I last blew myself up at the New England Cyclocross Championships in late December, I took some time off to get my legs back under me and recover from 51 races over 9ish months. Now late January, I have begun building base miles for upcoming 2012 season. There are a lot of projects and plans in the works this year.

With no collegiate season ahead, I have turned my focus to a few early races after a pre season venture to South Carolina for training.  In addition, I have teamed up with Bobby Bailey of 1K2GO Sports to build speed and gain my place on top step of the podium.

January thus far has been building as many base miles per week as unreasonably possible.  In other words, hours and hours on the bike.  Additionally to time spent on the two wheeled battled axe, I have managed to squeeze in some time skiing slalom at Cochrans for two evenings during each week.  The quick and twitchy movements from skiing slalom have managed to make their way in to my cycling.  Cadence has increased with proportional power increase.  Each slalom has had huge benefits to what will be climbing and sprinting muscles.  Come time for racing, I can only hope to hold on to, and build on the new found quick twitching muscles.

Looking ahead to the season, I have my eye on the podium for as many races as I can enter.  A large goal, and a tough one to meet.  Building off of last season, up seems like the right way to go.

On equipment; I have a new battle axe for... well, racing, riding and anything else you'd do with a bike.  Based off some awesome new designs, Flahute has released a brand new more aerodynamic sprinters bike.  Tubing shape has also changed, in addition to a new cut out which allows the stem to sit lower and shrink the effective steerer tube, creating a stiffer cockpit which reacts to all movements that make up that minuscule amount at the line.  Full specs on the new bike to be released in late February after on road testing has been completed.

New England Cyclocross Championships - Fitchburg, MA

Remounting and riding away after the barriers for now.

The latest and last race of my 2011 season was this past Sunday.  While many teammates traveled home for winter break, two UVMers made their way to compete at the New England Cyclocross Championships in Fitchburg, MA on a rather cold Sunday afternoon.

With temperatures not rising above 28 degrees, the course remained frozen for all but 2 or 3 laps of the Elite Men's race.  The track was long and flat, twisting and turning over athletic fields and around trees.  Two sets of barriers, a sandpit, and a flyover were laid into the track to test the best of the best.  Being so far into the season, I only made it through 2 1/2 laps before full system shut down and resulting in the first DNF of the Cyclocross season.

Aaaand BONK.

That said, leading up to the full system shut down, I cannot say things felt great.  In warm up, I was able to rip through on my bike, everything was comfortable and I felt powerful from the weeks preparation of both running and riding.  By the time the race came about later in the afternoon, I had lost the sensation of speed and comfort lingered back to the warmth of the van which I would estimate remained at about 50 degrees throughout the day.  A warm refuge after a massive debacle of a race.

Arc hard...

Closing out the season with a DNF is not my idea of finishing on a high note.  However, I think it is myself telling me (confused? good.) that it is time to take a break and let things recover before building for speed in the 2012 spring, summer and fall seasons.  I will be taking the next few weeks (until January 1, 2012) to rest and just futz about with whatever Tubular Adventures come my way.  Rest assured, skiing will most definitely be a good portion of said Tubular Adventures.

Until 2012,  Arc hard, ride fast and go plaid! 

NBX GP of Cyclocross

Working the field from the back... it'll go better next time.

After taking a weekend off, UVM cycling ventured with four competitors to Warwick, RI to compete at the NBX GP race weekend.  Not wanting to get up early, and also having come off of two previous top 10 results, I decided to upgrade with the hops that sleeping in would counteract the unfortunate starting position of DFL.
Both days had fast courses, with only slight modifications from day to day.  Day 1 had a sand run ending on a hill, as well as a ride-up and a set of quick barriers near the Shimano PRO Pit and core center of the course.  Day 2 was only slightly modified, leaving in the first sand run, adding in a second sand run into a dune hill run-up as well as having moved the barriers onto an uphill run just before the core of the race.

Flying through some fast trails towards the beach runs.

Having just upgraded, I was started at the back since I have no points.  Unfortunately, I was only able to move upa few places from there.  I found the 3s to be so evenly matched that starts were everything within that field.  Since I have a terrible start, it was difficult to move up and make up time on the leaders. The only time I felt like I was able to ove up was on the dune run-up on Day 2, which allowed me to scurry up the hill and pass multiple people before remounting and descending back into the starting area.

Making this additionally difficult was the use of improper gearing.  I have since swapped my crankset for a cyclocross specific gearing by attaching a 46/39 to Dura Ace 7800 172.5mm crankarms.  From riding this past week, the gearing feels much better and is moe manageable to for riding trails and varied terrain as opposed to the compact 50/34 of previous rides and races.

I'll be taking this next weekend off from racing to ride and finish up classes for the semester.  Stay tuned for some training adventures and racing updates.  Up next on the calendar is New England Championships in Fitchburg, MA.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Cyclesmart International Cyclocross Festival

A cold and early start makes more time for free beer....

This past weekend, UVM cycling ventured to Northampton, MA to compete at what is considered to be one of the best cyclocross races on the Eastern Seaboard.  My morning started off waking up early, downing some delicious homemade pancakes and dashing down I89 and I91 to get to Look Memorial Park in time to get to the start of the Category 4 race.  With frost still on the ground, mud and water frozen into patches, I inspected the technical and diverse course.  The race started with a sort grass section of a baseball diamond and lead racers on to a short paved section and then into the outer field towards a ridiculous run-up into the upper section of the course, which in itself, could be considered a whole separate course from what ran through the baseball fields.

The loose run-up strung out
the pack from the start.

The run-up could practically be considered a loose dirt cliff.  With the start of the race, over 130 riders were left waiting in line to sprint up the loose dirt run-up.  Starting about 8 rows back, put me about a minute back from the leaders  and further back because of the first run-up.  After the run up, racers dove through the woods, over roots and back down the hill into the field where racers dove across a sandpit, circled the trees and rode back up into the woods where there were brief moments spent on the bike path.  From the path, riders dove back into the woods where hairpins and roots could make or break a riders race.  After descending back down into the field, were launched over train tracks, into a few more turns before having to dismount and leap with a single bound over a single set of double barriers.

With temperatures rising, racers had to stay on their toes, as no lap would be the same as the last.  Burms were forming and thawing out, water created slick spots in the upper undrained forest and the baseball diamonds turned from frozen dirt, to loose mud.  Keeping the rubber side down, I managed a 47th place finish after Day 1.

Above is the speedy entrance to the pit.  Below is the tricky
180 degree turn around back through.  Like sliding on a 
wooden floor in socks.

Day 2 gave riders similar challenges, but in different orders.  This time, the race started out circling the baseball diamond, and launching riders out onto the pavement for a brief moment before arching into the hairpins before the double sandpit.
At this point, you may be wondering, what is a double sandpit?  I would describe it as an area of sand which you enter straight and come out onto a short patch of grass, which you then are forced to make a 180 and enter back into the sand.  Thus, becoming a double sandpit.
From the sandpit, racers circled giant pine trees, launched over the train tracks and were thrown into a quick 180 turn before the run-up, which the day before had been a descent onto the field.  After climbing the run-up, riders arched through the woods, in and out of the trees and then quickly dropped back down into the field where the train tracks could be used as a berm to make the turn as quick as possible before launching over the train tracks yet again.  From there, the race remained on the baseball fields.  Curving around bases 3, 2 and 1 but never touching home.

Thawing conditions kept riders on their toes.

With two laps to go, and the course thawing, I couldn't tell if I was loosing air, or the ground was just getting softer.  Eventually figuring out that it was a mixture of both, I dropped the hammer to get to the finish before it was too late.  Without pitting, I was able to finish the race on about 15 psi.  The worst part of it was probably the final three corners which took riders through the baseball diamond and on to the pavement where I was caught and force to sprint on the flat, which was no fun task.

Loosening conditions and a slow leak
made the last three corners
the most difficult.

All in all, the result was  a good one.  Out of 137 riders, I managed to post a 39th place finish, which translated to a 4th place finish among the Men's Collegiate C.

On top of some excellent racing, there was lots of fun to be found from watching the pros race.  Particularly watching Katarina Nash, the Czech national champion solo off the front of the women's field with what seemed like almost zero effort.  Within a single lap we watched Nash put a good 30 to 40 seconds into the rest of the field.  A demonstration of utter domination and raw power.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

SPA:CX

UVM Cycling CX Squad storms Saratoga Springs with 1st, 3rd and 5th
in the Men's B/Category 3/4 Race

UVM Cycling ventured to Saratoga Springs for the SPA:CX race weekend, the first official ECCC Collegiate Cyclocross race of the season.  All of us entered into the Men's B Race, which was mixed in with the Men's Category 3/4.  To put this into perspective, I am a Category 4 Cyclocross racer having only started this season and completed 5 CX races.  A Category 3 racer has successfully scored points in multiple category 4 races and is considered to be an Amateur Elite.  The mixture of Category 3 and 4 in a single field makes for, and during the race, made for a difficult time.

There are no breaks in CX.  Always
moving, never resting.

  The pace started off hot.  With about 70 racers sprinting towards turn one, we began the gentle grass cut grind until the first set of stairs before a long hill, which had to be run UNLESS you were skilled enough to ride up the stairs which would have then set you up for the hill.  However, I noticed that the riders who were hopping the stairs were not getting much of, if any sort of an advantage from doing so.  Other than of course a moment of fame and glory from on watchers.  My personal choice was to dismount and run the hill.
  For the rest of the race I felt like I was grinding uphill.  With switchbacks and hairpins to control the pace, the pack strung out from the first lap.  Any effort to chase towards the front was futile and wasted.  From the small stairs and the run up, we descended and eventually took a long sweeping turn before the gentle ride before the long sandpit.  Luckily, the sandpit packed down throughout the race, making it very manageable.  Just like ski racing, looking ahead, ignoring the ruts and keeping the pressure forward allowed me to tank through the sand at a high speed.

Mud, mud, mud, mud, mud.

After passing through the sand, we reached a brief section of mud before some barriers near the end of the lap.  The barriers came after a quick 180 degree turn following the mud.  Explosive power was quickly smothered by the dismount for the barriers.  Once through the barriers, you were almost home clear to the finish.  All that lay between the barriers and the end of the lap were some hairpins and 180s through the trees and up some small steep banks.
  Finishing 42nd, I know I have a ways to progress.  Finding the time to ride this time of year has been tricky for me.  With school and work I am pressed to ride at night with the brightest headlamps I can dig up.  It's a huge motivation to see teammates do well.  This weekend, in the same race, we placed 3 riders in the top 5, taking 1st, 3rd and 5th.

Bikeman Goes Eastern - Eastern Collegiate Road Championships at Penn State University

Bikeman and the League of Superhuman Bipedalists ventures to compete at Eastern Championships on the legendary Black Moshannon....

The race before the race at the
Frat Row Criterium, Penn State edition

Day 1 - Road Race - Black Moshannon
To start off blunt, this weekend was both disappointing and frustrating.  After eight consecutive weeks of racing, UVM finished up the season at Eastern Road Championships as hosted by Penn State University.  Our first day of racing was on the mighty Black Moshannon which presented a 20 mile loop for racers to complete.  While some racers did one lap, others did two, three and even four laps.  I however completed one lap after getting shelled off the back of peleton on the third climb.  Not wanting to waste myself chasing back on, I decided to pull out of the race and reserve my energy for the Criterium on Day 2.

Arcing hard, riding fast and closing out
the 2011 ECCC season in green and
gold.  Here's to 2012 racing!

Day 2 - Criterium - Frat Row
Having saved energy for Day 2, I thought I had played it fairly safe.  However in the Crit I was shelled off the back of the pack after a crash at corner one which forced me to come to a stop and almost crash myself.  Without thinking and having just avoided near death, I lept back into the race and attempted to chase back on.  At this point I am realizing I could have taken a free lap, in which I could have reported to the pit and explained there was crash that forced me to stop riding.  I was eventually pulled out of the race because I was getting lapped on the 1km loop.

Overall, the weekend was very disappointing for me.  I am using these poor results as motivation to improve and train harder to get faster.  I will be taking a 3 or 4 week hiatus from racing to specifically train and work specifically on my climbing base.  I found this to be my weakness while I was racing.  I am planning to post at least once a week, a training update for the past 6 days worth of riding or any other cross training.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Bikeman and the Bees - Dartmouth L'Enfer Du Nord/ UNH Live Free or Ride Harder

Bikeman ventures into the wilderness of NH, in a world where there are no taxes and just roads....

The first mass start in the Men's B and as a Cat 3 at
Dartmouth University

UVM Cycling ventured down to NH, the closest race of the season.  We had four races to compete in, the first two hosted by Dartmouth, and the final two hosted by UNH.  To highlight the weekend, UVM Cycling gained a win from the appearance of The Jamey Driscoll who stomped the Men's A field in the Criterium.  Day 2 was marked with a 3 Men's A riders within the top 10 of the road race. A spectacular weekend of racing from UVM Cycling!

Day 1 - Dartmouth L'Enfer Du Nord - ITT and Criterium

Hammering the
Criterium climb

Rocketing up the power
climb in the Criterium

After gaining an upgrade to Cat 3, I was automatically placed in the Men's B this past weekend.  Sadly leaving the hoard of C-Men, I moved into the B category starting with the on campus time trial.  Riding through Dartmouth Campus was both inspirational and educational.  As you rode through, you could feel the intelligence seeping from the buildings.  While nothing of excitement happened for me in the time trial, the 4 mile up hill grind through dirt, pavement and New Hampshire was more than grueling.  I finished in 29th place amongst the Men's B in the time trial.  Not my best result, but also not my worst.

The day progressed with the weather fluctuating from warm to cold, from windy to calm.  By the end of the day it had begun to snow, but before the snow was my time to take a stab at the Criterium.  Having watched the Men's B race before, I expected a faster and smoother pace when compared to the Men's C.

Attacking from the back of the back during
the final lap of the Men's B Criterium

Through the race I managed to hang towards the tail of the main pack.  With about 6 or 7 laps to go, a crash at corner four separated the main pack.  I managed to weave through the carnage and latch back on to the lead pack.   During the final lap, I made a move up the right side of the field and tried to launch off the front.  The gap that I opened was quickly shut down by the field, but I was not over taken.  I managed to hang on to third wheel position until just after corner four when the sprint happened.  Having exhausted myself trying to make a gap, I had nothing left for the sprint and was swarmed.  I managed to go from 3rd to 20th in the matter of 5 second.  Be faster than the things happening around you.


Day 2 - UNH Live Free or Ride Hard - TTT and Road Race
The races hosted for UNH started with torental downpour.  With no end in sight for the rain, the Men's B did not assemble a team for the TTT and instead rested in the vans in "prep" for the afternoons race.  The rain eventually let up in time for the start of the road race.  Soon after the start of the race I heard a clicking that I thought was the magnet on my front wheel hitting my sensor.  I later discovered (around mile 15 of 19 in lap 1 of 3, that I had actually blown a spoke.  I stopped and removed the spoke, after which I opted to pull out of the race.  Better safe than sorry!

Overall, I'm happy with my results and can see where I need to tactically improve as well as physically.  Not being remarkably stronger than the other riders, I am going to be forced to ride smarter and conserve energy with hopes I will have enough left for the final sprint.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Bikeman and the Battle at East Rock - Yale Lux et Velocitas

Bikeman ventures into the heart of the Battle at East Rock, where he fought his first fight....

Riding amongst the peleton during Sundays Criterium at East Rock Park.

UVM Cycling traveled to New Haven, CT to compete in this years edition of Yale Lux et Velocitas.  This was the first race I did last year with UVM, in which I fell off the back of each race.  This year, I was out to seek revenge only after sipping on coffee and devouring sandwiches at a nearby Italian Deli who supplied it's customers with the fuel of champions (fresh veggies, delicious meats, and wonderful pastries).

Smiles at the line.

Day 1 - ITT and Circuit - East Rock Park

ITT - All of the races took place in East Rock Park, a large rock which rose 500 feet from it's base.  The ITT, which was labeled a hill climb was a mad grind to the top of the rock.  Averaging 25mph in the first half before the climb, my pace dropped significantly upon entering the climb which resulted in a 23rd place finishing with a time of 13:05.28, just over 1 minute behind the winning time.

Circuit - The Circuit race became a more challenging race than I was initially expecting.  We did multiple laps which were essentially a mellow climb into a slightly steeper switchback, followed by a technical and fast descent.  There were no places where the pace really eased up like they would normally do in a circuit race.  From the start of the race right up until the end, the pace climbing was higher than I could sustain without having warmed up fully.  Usually one can warm up throughout the course of a longer race such as a circuit race, but during this particular circuit, I was popped off the back off the pack no later than midway through the second lap.  In an attempt to chase back on I further strain myself and finally arrived in Bonktown, where I rode out the remainder of the race with a 51st finishing result, a low for the season.

Grinding into the finishing sprint, a close contest to the line

Day 2 - Criterium - East Rock Park

The Criterium was set on a straightforward track with 4 corners and a long straight away just at the base of East Rock.  Going into the race I did not feel on my game.  My quad felt pinched and the bone spur on my right foot was already throbbing.  With the persuasion and support of my teammates, I decided to at least start the race and see how long I would be able to last.  Pulling up to the line I figured I would hang off the back, which I ended up doing for the first few laps.  I eventually made the choice to fly up the side after corner two along the straight away and try to make a break off the front.

My efforts failed and I ended up sitting on the front of the pack for 3 laps until the prime lap which sent me returning to the chase at the back of the pack.  Throughout the rest of race I managed to play in different areas of the peleton.  Going into the final three laps, I was hanging onto the back of the pack.  Eventually I decided to make a move at the same place where I had tested the water with a pull earlier in the race.  While I wasn't sure if it was the final lap, I asked a teammate how many were left to go.

A close call at the line.  Just shy of 3rd according to the results.

Upon hearing it was the final lap, I figured I had enough juice to raise the pace going in to the finish.  With a downhill sprint, I ended up crossing the line in a very close 4th place, a top mass start result for the season.

Shenanigans atop East Rock during the Mens A Circuit Race.
Yes.  That is a golf club.  It's a shame the shorts can't be seen.
Picture a rainbow puking.  That's what the shorts look like.

Overall, a great weekend!

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Bikeman Eats the Beanpot - Boston Beanpot 2.0

Bikeman ventures deep into the pain cave while trying to steer clear of bonksville.

The race before the race was won by the green and gold.

The weekend started off with snow.  Lots and lots of snow fluttering down from the skies in both solid and liquid forms making the drive down a less than fun experience (driving-wise, still entertaining though!).  Upon arriving we found out the planned Circuit race had been changed to a day of Time Trials, both Team  and Individual.  Luckily, Day 2, the Beanpot 2.0 Campus Criterium remained unaffected by the weather and ran as scheduled with Men's and Women's Collegiate Races in the morning and USAC races immediately following in the afternoon.

Day 1 - Westminster, MA - TTT and ITT - Boston Beanpot 2.0
Our day started with a mixture of delicious pancakes, maple syrup, orange juice and snow.  Lots of cold, white, fluffy and stupid snow.  Because of the recent accumulation of precipitation, our schedule of events had changed from a TTT and a Circuit to a TTT and an ITT, also known as a day in the PAIN CAVE.  We arrived in Westminister with classic UVM Cycling style, a style which explains itself.

Right to left: Scott Igo, Harry Goldman and Joshua Saxe
cross the finish with the fastest TTT time.

TTT - For the TTT we decided to reform teams to be equally suited in ability and body types.  For a TTT all riders work together by using the rider in front of them as a blocker, riders take turns being the lead rider and blocking wind, thus creating a slipstream for teammates to ride and rest in until it is their turn to pull. Teams of equally sized riders are efficient when riders take pulls for short amounts of time, making sure to keep a pace which all riders can maintain until the finish.  Our four-man team of smaller riders, including myself, succeeded to post the fastest time of 35:16.28 over 12.5 miles to take the win, while our four-man team of larger riders was close behind with a time of 35:29.82, resulting in a 1-2 finish for UVM Cycling!  I would like to point out the use of equipment amongst the winning team more specifically the converted Haro Mountain Bike ridden by Scott Igo who utilized road fork and drop bars to complete the conversion to a "Road Bike" and special for the occasion, an aero disc wheel for extra "badassery."

ITT - The ITT was less of a team event.  In fact, the ITT is the definition of a non-team event.  All riders pace themselves to produce the fastest possible time over the distance of the marked Time Trial course.  Individually I was happy with my performance.  After catching two riders in front of me, and dropping a rider who caught me on the final climb of the ITT, I posted a 5th place finishing time of 18:06.50, roughly 5 seconds behind Jake "The Hebrew Hammer" Warshaw who finished in 4th with a time of 18:01.19 over the 6.3 mile course.

Day 2 - Somerville, MA - Criterium and USAC Criterium

Tanner Haskins and Josh Saxe take a visit through the
pain cave without going through bonktown.

Collegiate Criterium - After getting a good nights rest on the most comfortable couch in the world, we traveled to Tufts Somerville campus for the legendary criterium which was last raced in 2007.  The course was technically demanding, with 6 corners and three sets of cobblestone walkways spanning across the finishing flat.  The course started with an easy left hand turn into a quick descent which led straight to a blisteringly fast 90 degree left hand corner.  The corner of death was followed by a smooth semi-flat straight away leading into corner 3 and 4, an uphill switchback followed by a brief flat into the climb after corner 5 and 6 in to the finishing stretch.

The racing was fast and furious.  The brakes were rarely touched anywhere in the course.  Coming out of turn 2 on to the flats was the most forgiving section of the race due to the helping hand of the tailwind.  Coming into the climb and on to the flats was by far the deepest in to the pain cave I went in the whole race.  The upper flat finishing stretch was tainted by a brutally strong headwind which made the apex of the climb a chore and half to push through.  I managed to finish in 16th place in the Collegiate Criterium, a satisfying placement considering criteriums are by far my weakest event.

Returning to the pain cave of Beanpot 2.0 Criterium as
an Onion!

USAC 4/5 Criterium - Later in the day I had a repeat performance amongst the USAC 4/5 field, finishing in 17th place among the 18/49 finishers.  While the pace was faster and I was exhausted, I managed to push myself further into the depths of the pain cave for a finishing result.

Coming up next...
Next weekend I will be venturing to race the legendary Battenkill, a classic race of the East Coast.  Feared by some, won by others.  Hopefully I will be able to travel to Yale to compete in the first day of races before the Battenkill Road Race on Sunday.  Yale was my first collegiate racing weekend last year, where I was pulled from all races besides the Time Trial.  I would love the chance to be able to return to Yale and put the race in it's place.  After all, no one has ever won a race in which they don't start.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

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!

Bikeman and the Philly Phlyer - Philly Phlyer

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...

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

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.

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

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!

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!

Bikeman and the Ghost at Grant's Tomb - Grant's Tomb

Brief glory at ECCC Week 2 - Grant's Tomb Criterium

Bikeman ventures to the big apple to investigate sightings of an evil ghost... stories say the specter hums the sound of a full carbon disc wheel....

(there is no ghost... just a sweet title!)

This weekend was cut short by mass amounts of rain in NJ which forced the cancelation of Sundays Road Race.  However, Saturday was a warm sunny day of racing in New York City at Grant's Tomb.  The course was a .9 mile track with a power climb followed by a 120 degree corner into a descending straight away and banked left hand curve leading back to the climb.

Attacking the field at Grant's Tomb Criterium

ECCC Week 2, the Grant's Tomb Criterium was a disappointing 49th place finish for me.  I made the obvious tactical mistake by attacking off of the first lap with too little gusto to carry any break through the whole race.  This said, I was noticeably still exhausted and not fully recovered from illness gained while in NC.  Half way through the race I could feel my lungs start to seize up, causing me to fall off the back of the main pack.

While I and many did not perform to potential, I have to keep reminding myself that it is early in the season.  I still have a good eight months left of racing, and I am only two weeks in to the season.  While fitness is still improving, there's quite a ways to go before I am at peek performing levels.