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! 

Providence Cyclocross Festival 2011

Cyclocross. A crazy, mad, dirty, painful, gut wrenching, sufferfest. Also, possibly the best thing to happen to cycling since you decided to race deadmans curb when you were 3 years old.

Having never done cyclocross, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Other than watching Behind the Barriers, and chatting with friends about the madness that is Cyclocross, I had yet to experience the mashup of road and mountain that becomes cyclocross. We arrived at a reasonable hour Friday night, Ben and I drove ourselves down late after work to meet up with team at the hotel. Naturally, having an early start, we were up until 1am chatting and causing mayhem in the hotel.

Day 1: That morning, we arrived in Providence, RI ready to roll. I threw on my kit an my numbers and ventured over to the Shimano Neutral Support to have my front derailleur adjust before the start of the race. Having lost track of time, I missed my start by at least 2 minutes. Thanks to the kindness of the USAC officials, I was able to start late. I chased hard and began to pick riders off one at a time through the technical sections of the course. On every straight away and run up, I was also able to move my way through the field. Having never practiced mounts and dismounts, I found myself quick, but sloppy at the stairs and barriers. Around lap 3, I was getting the hang of things.
With two sets of stairs and a set of 2 foot barriers at the top of a hill in the middle of a hairpin of section next to the beer garden. I managed to chase back and ended up finishing in the 50s. Not good, but considering that I missed the start... not bad either.

Day 2: The course for day 2 was much more suiting to my riding style. I started on time and the back of the pack. With a long paved section, I knew I would be able to overtake many. Each lap and straight away I was able to over take more and more riders. Going into the final lap I was sitting in the top 20 when I dropped a curb and felt my rear tire start to sag. When I reached the barriers following a long fast straightaway, I was able to check my tire while leaping the barriers to find it going flat. Because of my flat I was forced to go slow up the paved section and carefully descend the dirt switchbacks before the pit. Going into the final switchback, I dismounted and sprinted into the pit where Shimano provided me with a spare wheel. Remounting and sprinting to catch the field, I was able to get back into field and catch some of the riders that overtook me while I was in the pit. Finishing in 36th, I know I have the strength to catch the pack and lead the field.

On top of the fun of racing, the festival itself was a blast.  With the Veloswap, vendors and wonderful food, there was always something to do in case you got bored watching the international pros racing on the same course.  I spent much of my day browsing the Veloswap and getting to know the vendors and dealers who had made an appearance at the Festival.  Custom frame builders also made appearances, however their highlight was Friday evening at the builders ball.  Having missed the ball, the least I could was check out all the custom steel and carbon frames scattered throughout the venue.

Having survived my first 'Cross race weekend, I am excited to continue competing in 'Cross.  It is quite possible that it is more fun than Road, but that is to be determined by future races.

Northeastern University Wild Western Mass MTB Weekend

  The weekend was marked with dirt and water, which as we all know can make a buttton (yes, a buttton) of mud. For those who are unfamiliar with the unit if measurement, a buttton is equal to a ton of butts, which as you all know is quite a large amount. We arrived at Jiminy Peak the evening before our races to find a condo large enough to house the whole team. The tall fluffy carpets provided additional sleeping comfort as many of us slept on, under and next to tables throughout the unit. The dense night air did not particularly help with pre race rest. Even with the rain, humidity levels remained consistently moist throughout the evening and into the next morning.
   Being my first mountain bike race, I wasn't sure what I was in for (other than a god-awful early start). I warmed up as I normally would, doing a few intervals to open up my dormant legs in time for the Men's C Cross Country Race.  My first mistake of the day was underestimating the race before the race. I.E. getting to the starting line and being one of the first to cross it. I arrived with enough time to get in at about row eight or nine. Pretty far back from the start of the pack, which in road biking is not as big a deal depending on the type of race. Being a mountain bike race, starting on a fire road and diving into the woods, I found that a bottle neck situation was highly likely. As we were started by the mighty Sully, my thoughts were right. The pack bunched up and bottle necked into the first turn onto the fire road, and then again into the single track which lead past the Dual Slalom course. Because of the consistent moisture from the night before, and light rain during the race, the track was muddy and slippery, which split the pack up very quickly. The first hill we reached dismounted many and shuffled the order of racers by those willing to ride the muddy slope, run the muddy slope and finally slowly wheel their bike up the muddy slope. Because of my starting position, I was caught behind a mix of walking, running and slowly wheeling and was forced to dismount and haul ass up the hill.
  The 3.3 mile cross country race loop was a demanding one at the least. Mud covered the bridges and rocks making them like slip and slides for bikers to test their balance and finesse. Slowly, I was able to pick off riders and move up on the leaders. While I never saw them during the three laps, I know I was able to make up ground. On the final lap, my legs had finally awoken and I was remembering how to rip up the hills and across the flats. Riders nearby fell behind me as I took them victim on the hills. Going through the finish I was glad for it to be over. The technical sections and descents had left my hands cramped and glued to my handlebars. Peeling them off was a chore and a half.
  All in all, mountain bike racing is a lot of fun, but very different from road. While in road the pack sticks together and attacks are warranted by ballsiness, mountain bike racing requires ballsiness the whole way through. While I will admit, racing with a pack of 90 other twitchy riders takes balls, I believe it takes those same balls, if not a whole new set to be able to launch or huck yourself if you will, down a mountain face or through a rock garden, over a bridge, through rivers and puddles hub deep. I have a new found respect for what it is to be a mountain biker. As I am still fairly new to the art of mountain biking, much less mountain bike racing, I applaude those who are able to succeed, or even attempt to be competitive in both.  Here's to a new found game.  Mountain bike racing.
  You may be wondering about the bike which I rode.  I will soon be posting a review of it once all components are up to spec and I am able to rip on the first Flahute Carbon Mountain Bike a few more times.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Rain, Stage 4, and more Rain

Upon hearing the weather forecast of Monday, September 5, I was skeptical. The previous 3 days had all been given a similar forecast, only to be changed at the last minute to something the complete opposite. I could only hope for the same thing today, but was not so lucky. While the early races went off "without a hitch," afternoon races were canceled when the clouds opened up and the end of the world began. The rain brought enough water to turn main street into a river. With water rising over the curbs of the brief descent of the course, officials made the call to cancel all afternoon races, including my own. Maybe the world didn't end, but the cancelation of afternoon races certainly left an anticlimactic end to the finale of the Green Mountain Stage Race. For a lack of things to say, on top of sheer exhaustion, I am going to keep my stage 4 entry short. After hearing the call for cancelation, Onion River Racing and Burris Logistics (along with a few other teams), took an ceremonial/celebratory lap on the course before it was opened to traffic. Alberto, the General Classification winner, threw on the yellow jersey and took to the road for one lap of glory. We all followed our ceremonial lap with food and beer and the Farmhouse Diner. A well deserved reward after 3 days of hard racing. With wounds healing, I am looking forward to two more races to the road season and the potential start to Mountain Bike Racing, and the eventual start to Cyclocross Racing. Next year will be different, faster and even more fun that this year.

Wind, Solo and poor planning

Bad luck seemed to follow me from yesterday to the start of todays stage when I put my bottles on my bike and the cages both snapped.  I can only assume that yesterdays crash is what did them in.  In any case, with no time to find replacement cages I threw my bottles on my back and took to the road.  Feeling only slightly sore from yesterdays introduction to the road, my legs generally felt good.  I was able to keep a decent cadence up the first climb through Duxbury and figured I would be able to keep on the peleton through the bolton flats and on to App gap.  Unfortunately, after riding a short dirt section, the pack crossed over a gravel pit where the first attack was launched.  While attackers rode away, riders closest to me seemed to come to a crawl trying to cross the "gravel pit."  The pause to cross the pit in front of me was so long, that the pack put a good amount of distance in to us, that I was unable to make up.

With one other rider, I began the chase through the Bolton flats.  It did not help that the sprint was coming up, meaning another hard acceleration that we would not be there for.  We did our best to bridge back up, but even with an additional rider, could not.  After the feed zone, I decided it would be best to just ride in at a steady pace.  Afterall, I was not in contention for the General Classification, so time lost was not a big deal, especially since giving up was not an option.

As a I approached RT116, I found myself pushing through a headwind that would not let up.  By the time I met up with the roads I had crashed on just a day before, the sky opened up just enough to cool things down.  I eventually met up with the base of RT17, which leads up to App Gap, but first crosses what is known as Baby Gap.

Approaching the 100m to go mark with a good pace, just at the wrong
time and with the wrong group leader.  Whoops.

I kept my tempo light and quick for the entirety of Baby Gap and eventually flew across the brief flat section before the beginning to the App Gap climb where I pick up my tempo and flew to the top.  Finishing just over 30 minutes back from the leaders, I am disappointed in todays result.  While I happy that I finished, and my result was not a matter of fitness, but more bad luck and poor strategizing, I'm not too torn up.  Tomorrow is a new day and the start of the Crit in downtown Burlington.  I will get to sleep in enough to get a good nights rest, but still see some good racing.  Hopefully the rain holds out and I'll be able to redeem myself at the finish.

The day I met the road... 33.2mph to 0.0mph in 1.3 seconds

Today I met the road.  While I have not been previously close with the road in the past, today we got better acquainted so to speak.  During Stage 2 of the Green Mountain Stage Race, I crashed within the final 3 miles of the race, but before divulging into juicy details too soon, here's a review of the race.

We started early. After rising to a bagel, a cliff bar, and a cup of coffee, I was out the door and ready to race.  With legs feeling strong, I lept on my saddle and took to the road amongst the Cat 3, Stage 2 Road Race.  We took to Hinesburg Hollow at a very relaxed pace.  There were no accelerations, no attacks and nothing all that exciting throughout the race.  During the first lap, I decided I would try to gain some points for the King of the Mountain title, or KOM.  However, not wanting to waste myself too soon, I held off and crossed the KOM line of the first lap somewhere within the top 10.  Continuing up the climb and the back side of "Baby Gap,"  The pack stuck together like glue through the pothole and washed out descent towards RT116.  Hearing flats left and right, I watched my line and was careful to avoid debris and potholes while descending at 50mph.

After reaching 116, a tailwind kept the peleton generally together.  With some accordion action within the pack, we made it through the first lap fully intact, at which point things eventually got interesting, but not in the least bit exciting.

Lap 2 was more of the same negative racing.  While there was shuffling and movement within the pack, the leaders found themselves without help from drafting riders.  Those tucked in the slipstream didn't dare to take a gander at the head of the pack.  I eventually followed a teammate up to the front where I found myself pulling through the next two towns.  Even when I went down to a spin, there was no follow through from drafting riders within the slipstream.  On occasion I would find myself with some assistance in the pull from other riders, but for no more than 30 seconds when they would look for another rider to take over the pull.  Once again with no one taking the initiative, I found myself playing tug man with field and towing them through yet more towns, until the 10k to go mark of the KOM for lap 2 when the pace picked up just until the crest of the KOM, and then slowed back down.

While descending, some riders were dropped, but given an opportunity to catch back on when the field was neutralized within 5 miles of the finish due to a crash in the Women's field finishing sprint.  Once the neutral was lifted, two riders almost immediately crossed wheels on the far right of the peleton.  Almost identical to dominoes set on a diagonal falling pattern, the crash shook through the pack and out to the cows in the field.  While I did not see the cows fall, I can only imagine the impact of us falling sent shock waves which toppled them on their sides in a fit of terror....

Okay, so maybe cows didn't fall over, but I did go down in the crash.  Ignoring the blood and cuts, I was able to then rally with one other rider to begin out chase back to the field.  We were then joined by another rider up the road who soon dropped off our pace, as I imagine out adrenaline was pushing everything to the limits, as I noticed a heartrate of 186bpm and a speed of 42mph without any burning and lactic build up.  As we neared the tail end of the peleton we flew through yet another crash by the same hand of two crossed wheels.  Zooming through, we sprinted out to the finish only about 10-15 seconds back from the main field.  To my pleasure, I was then informed that because the crash happened at a distance so close to the finish, the crashed riders would be given the same time as the main pack (which was the whole pack).

While I did not contend for the sprint, I am still happy with the way I rode.  I felt strong the whole way through and feel like I have plenty of leg left for tomorrows Stage 3.  Although I suppose that will be tested during tomorrows finish.

Now, you may be wondering what happened to me and the bike the crash.  I only got a little road rash on my elbow and hip, as well as a tire burn on my leg.  Luckily, I got away without a head injury even with my stealthy ninja roll to avoid Supermanning across the pavement.  

The bike got away with some scrapes and similar injuries as myself.  My derailleur hanger was twisted, so when I got home I found a similar one and filed it to match the profile of my bike.  Shifting smoother than before, I am ready for tomorrow.

Godzilla, Irene and the Green Mountain Stage Race

Update: With a 52nd place finish in 16:12.36, only 00:01:49 off pace and a good bit faster than last years time, there's lots of room to improve and still plenty of other opportunities that don't include 5.6 miles of suffering alone, to go for a little home turf glory.

Today marks the prologue time trial of the Green Mountain Stage Race.  Somehow, even in the wake of hurricane Irene with hurricane Katie just on the horizon, race organizers scrambled to reassemble stages 2 and 3.  Why you ask?  Because in Vermont, where we never get Hurricanes, we got a hurricane.  Said massive amounts of rain and wind from the given storm called Irene, demolished large sections of road when what were trickling brooks and streams, became MASSIVE RIVERS which dug trenches in hill sides and made cars, bridges and towns such as Waterbury, Granville and Rochester look like a model train sets that had recently met the wrath of 4 year of Irene and her Godzilla action figure with new and improved wind and rain!

I am amazed that in the wake of this destructive event, the race went on.  Even with a large portion of our main racing roads now gone or cut off, new courses we created to substitute the missing portions.  However, today's stage, was one of the two courses that remained intact.  With no noticeable scars from the storm on the course, the 5.6 mile time trial starting from Warren Village was able to start as scheduled.

Leaving the start at 10:11:00 a.m., I found myself at a slower pace than I wanted to be on the initial climb of the ITT.  I had to rally my legs to pull through over the top crest where I was able to slowly work up to speed through the final pitch and across the gradual descent towards the finish.  Now, when I say gradual, I mean that over the final 6K, there was about a 1-2% negative grade that allowed riders to really rip through East Warren and back towards Waitsfield.  With 1K to go, I reached a quick dip before the final climb, one which can potentially make, or brake you're entire ITT.  I entered the climb from the dip with as much momentum as I could carry, and without pushing myself to the point of popping, was able to keep strong power through the climb and increase my output through to the finish.

I wouldn't particularly call today a complete success, but I also would not write it off as a failure.  There were a lot of good things that happened during the course of the ITT, along with bad.  Now that it's done, the only thing that I can do is prep for Stage 2, the Hinesburg Circuit Race.  My plan for the evening, eat lots of carbs, lots of protein and ice my legs in frozen towels.

To all competitors, good luck and keep the rubber side, down.  We're all glad to have made it.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Tokeneke Classic Road Race

Climbing with the pack at the Tokeneke Classic
Road Race before bad tactics got the better of me.

This past weekend I ventured to New Hartland, CT to compete at the Tokeneke Classic Road Race.  The course was rolling with two climbs, each about 2 miles a piece.  With rain pouring down from the sky and the pack going hard, I found myself with no brakes on the descents.  Now, this was not because I did not actually have brakes, but rather because I forgot cork brake pads and carbon rims do not have good stopping ability in wet conditions.  In the past I hadn't had problems with slowing in the rain, however this time it was particularly wet and slick.  

With descents hitting speeds over 50 mph and the pack moving like an accordion I figured as not to cause an accident I would hang back a little towards the top of a climb and just accelerate through the descent and catch back on.  Due to poor timing I wasn't able to tack back on to the pack and only completed 2 full laps with legs left to complete another 2.

After poor tactics pulled me out of the race, I used
the course to train hard to make the next result
a good result.

Had I thought about it more and considered my options, I should have attacked over the crest of the climb and led through the descents.  The uncomfortable part of not having brakes was not the accelerations, but the accelerations towards people who were slowing.  Without the ability to brake I psyched myself out, especially after already have seen a friend who crashed in an earlier race, resulting in snapped handlebars and some minor flesh wounds.  Even though he was okay and quite chipper after crashing, the image of sliding out, or crashing into someone at 50mph was not appealing.

The positive part of the race, my legs felt spectacular on the climbs.  I didn't particularly feel like I was struggling at any point other than settling into the rhythm of climbing accelerations.  After being dropped because of my poor racing tactics, I used the remainder of my time on the course to train to hopefully make my next result a good result.

Over the next week I will be traveling to Vancouver for my Cousins wedding.  While I'm there my plan is to spend the early mornings training in the mountains of British Columbia and aiming to peak for the Green Mountain Stage Race which will be happening on Labor Day weekend.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Back in Business and goin' strong!

After playing with new stretches and exercises off the bike, and finally getting a bike fit, I am back in business and going strong!

TRAINING AND GENERAL HEALTH

These past few weeks have been spent consulting with Steve and Hannah at Elevation Physical Therapy in Warren, VT.  They both helped my to begin the process of loosening my hip flexors which, as observed by Steve and Hannah as well as Sean at Ski Rack, are far too tight for my own good.

Before getting the bike fit, Specialized Body Geometry fit at Ski Rack, to be precise, I spent a lot of time doing stretches to loosen my hip flexor, strengthen my gluts, and separate my IT bands.  All in the effort to reduce stress on my right knee, which until this past week could not last more than 10 miles of easy efforts. The addition of simple stretches, as well as minute adjustments of the cleat, lead to my knee being 200% better than it was before.

While I am still working on loosening my legs in general, the additional help of the BG Fit from Sean at Ski Rack sealed the deal.  While I do not know how to fit, I had done my best by searching google and reading through almost every thing I could find on how to solve any problems I could find.  Alas, nothing beats having someone who is an expert had has the papers to prove it dial your bike fit in.  As demonstrated in the video, there was an amazing improvement of knee alignment.  Can you tell which is before and after?

Photo by Kenneth Saxe

The pack accelerates through the straights and corners
at the GMBC Practice Criterium in Essex, VT.

RACING
I finished 3rd in a local criterium in Essex, VT while racing in the A field.  After warming up with the B field and successfully testing my knee, I took to the road with the simple game plan of playing it safe and just keeping a good tempo through the entirety of the race as not to aggravate my knee.
The A race proceeded as expected, Bobby Bailey made a break in the pack, which held until the end, resulting with Bobby and Jake taking 1-2 and leaving the rest of us room to sprint for 3rd.  Feeling good, I wound up with 2 corners to go, taking the smooth line through the final corner I unleashed my sprint, finishing in what I thought was 10th, but turned out to be 3rd after a few checks with spectators and officials

Photo by Kenneth Saxe

Sprinting for the line out of what was apparently the
main field at the GMBC practice criterium.

Looking ahead...
I am planning to head down to Tokeneke Classic in East Hartland, CT next weekend.  After which I'll be heading to Vancouver, BC for my cousin Sarah's wedding... of course I'll be shredding some trails and riding some gaps while I'm there... I mean, wouldn't you?  When I return it's final preparations for the Green Mountain Stage Race....

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Part of training is resting

Pond Rd leading towards Rt 116 from Dorset St.  One
of many roads taken in the past ten days.

The past 10 days have been spent dodging rain and not always successfully.  Today, although beautiful was spent resting and getting fresh for the days ahead.  While this entry is short and to the point, I'd like to stress the importance of resting, whether active or passive.

After spending multiple days in the saddle, doing rides both easy and hard the body needs a day which it can rest and recover.  The enjoyment of the saddle can sometimes be a curse, especially when the weather does not always cooperate.

Laundry day!

All in all, be sure to rest, no matter how nice it may be, it might be just as nice to just sit and enjoy the sun.  Rest days are also great days to do laundry.

In a quick gear update, I've been told a replacement set of cranks are on the way from FSA.  Racing will resume within the next two weeks.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Barre Bike and Fitness Festival - Barre Grand Prix - Barre, VT

This past weekend was the first of hopefully many Barre Bike and Fitness Festivals.  Citizens traveled from far and near to attend the event of healthy habits and entertainment.  With the help of probably hundreds of volunteers, the weekend was able to end in the smooth execution of the Barre Grand Prix.  The Criterium bike race meant to highlight the weekends festivities.

Bridging up to the pack after a surge for the prime sprint lap.

Being the first year of the festival, I expected fields to be minimal in the number of entrants and spectators.  Boy was I wrong!  The 3/4 field, although small in comparison to other races, had just shy of 40 entrants.  The support during the race was phenomenal, people lined the start/finish stretch along Main St.  The cheering was more than enough noise to down out the constant complaints from my legs enough for me to last through the entirety of the race.

The 0.85 mile loop went right through downtown Barre.

The course consisted of a 0.85 mile loop with three corners, one of them being more of a curve than a corner.  Competitors went counter-clockwise through the loop, crossing train tracks on two separate occasions each before or after a bridge section.  There were no causalities I was aware of during the race, however a few racers were dropped from the field during one of the many surges throughout the 60 minute race.  Eventually a two man break formed and stuck with about 17 laps to go.

The peleton is given a break through the tailwind assisted
straightaway. A brief rest before the bridges and headwind.

The two riders, one Onion River Racer and a VOX rider rode to claim the top steps of the podium while the rest of us fought it out for the remaining places.  I managed to finish is 16th, a respectable finish after being sick with a stomach bug for the week previous.  Overall, I am happy with how the race went, and I can't wait to race again next year.  Hopefully by then I will have built on the strength and tactics I have earned in order to gain a win.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Bikeman and the Wall at Sterling - Sterling Road Race - Sterling, MA

This past weekend I unexpectedly entered the 17th Annual Sterling Road Race in Sterling, MA.  The race was 7 laps on an 8 mile loop going through rolling hills and finishing on what might as well have been a wall.

Having just finished racing the 8 week collegiate season, I was planning to take time off until the Lake Sunapee RR at the end of May.  However, having a race less than 4 hours away is rare, so I took the opportunity and traveled down interstates to Sterling, MA with Andrew who was entering the Pro/1/2 field.  After counting more vanity plates along the way, we arrived at the staging area and were greeted warmly by fellow Onions who had either just finished racing in the 4s field, or were planning to put the rubber to the road in the coming afternoon races.  I was lucky enough to be racing alongside my teammate Damian, who entered the blistering pace of the 3 field.

We began the race with a 1 mile neutral start from staging to the course, upon the arrival of the course, the pace increased to the speed of a hammer hitting a nail.  Under normal circumstances, the pace would let up slightly once the competition settled it.  In this case, the pace did not settle until there were two laps to go.  At this time, my back had already seized up and thus preventing me from putting any hard efforts in to keep with the pace of the race.  I was dropped like a rock, but rode out an additional lap before calling it a day.

After chatting with teammates and other riders, we came to the conclusion that my saddle was jammed too far forward and needed to be moved back a few centimeters.  I have since done so and my back feels considerably better.  To help fix the problem I will be doing a variety of core exercises which target the back region.  Additionally, my saddle has been moved back to easy pressure on the vertebre.

After the race, we enjoyed a scenic ride back along route 12 through MA and up into NH before hopping onto I91 and eventually I89.  From now until Sunapee I am planning to put in many more miles.  With school coming to a close, I will have more time for 5+ hour rides.

My next planned event is a practice crit which is run by the GMBC.  I entered these practice crits last year and they greatly improved my handling skills and abilities as a racer.  There will be four practice crits this summer, one per month.  I encourage racers of all levels to enter either the A, B or C race at least once time this summer.  They cost 5$ and there are 10$ temp licenses available.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

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 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.

Battle of the Scarlett Scurry Parts I & II

With dark clouds looming overhead the epic Battle of the Scarlet Scurry begins...

Staging for the start of the Men's Criterium.

Today marked the start of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference racing series.  The first three races stretch over a three day period with the Time Trial and Criterium on Day 1 and the Road Race on Day 2.  For this particular RR, the format is to be modified in to what is being called a "points race."  Every lap, points are awarded to the top 10 until the final lap when point values are doubled.  The rider with the most overall points gains the win.

PART I - DAY 1 - Time Trial and Criterium

This morning, started at 5am.  With the sweet charm of multiple cell phone alarms, the UVM Cycling Squad lept out of beds, cots and sleeping bags to awake to the call of the Scarlett Scurry.  Chamois' butt'red, and bottles filled, we arrived earlier enough to the Rutger Registration that USAC Officials had not even arrived to set up check in.  Collectively, UVM Cycling won the race before the race.

Before entering onto my own results, I would like to celebrate the virgin voyages of multiple riders on this fine and mostly sunny day.  While our results did not stack up to wins, UVM Cycling posted a strong showing of developing talent.  A tiger in it's cage so to speak.  For puns sake, a catamount in a cage (this terrible joke brought to you by BaDJK, a not real organization specializing in terrible puns and acronyms).

Time Trial - A time trial is an individual race against the clock.  Similar to ski racing, the fastest time wins.  I was once told by a teammate, "you know you've done a good time trial when you have absolutely nothing left in the tanks once you cross the finish."

Today, I rode my races with the intent to stretch my legs and gauge my strength.  With all the training done recently, I was curious to see how much it had all paid off and whether I would be in the same place I ended last season, or if I would end up slightly ahead.  Before I reveal any results, I would like to take some time to reflect on the results from last season, where I was pulled from, or DFL at every ECCC race I entered whether it be a ITT, Crit, or RR.

This season I am proud to say I ended up posting a 15th place result in the Time Trial with a time of 4:54:34 over a 2.5 mile course, a personal early season best.  While I did not collapse at the end of the TT, I am happy with the power I put out through the duration of the TT.  However, I also know where I could have exerted much more power.  Today being the first day on the FLAHUTE, as well as the first day back on the road, I am glad to say that I ended the TT with a good amount of energy left in the tank.

Arcing through corner four of the Crit.

Criterium - Criterium racing is a skill held by the balsy and sometimes stupid.  A high speed event which entails high speed cornering while surround by multiple riders of various cycling skills.  This is by far, one of the most entertaining events to be a spectator for.

Similar to the TT, I entered in the Criterium with the intention of stretching my legs and getting the feel of my bike.  While my field of competition was certainly not the fastest, it was potentially some of the most nerve racking racing I have ever done.  While I cannot attribute the fault to any rider in particular, on two separate occasions, was I either nudged off of the main path in to the dirt where I had to fight for my way back on to the road.  It was at this point, multiple teammates were nudged off of the main pack and pushed in to the chase pack for the remainder of the race.  On a separate occasion, a rider was pushed in to my by the wind.

Attacking with four to go in the Crit.

After two near race ending crashes, I managed to stick with the main pack for a 26th place finish.  Despite the pot holes, gnarly sand coated inner corners, and disgustingly strong wind, the track was demanding of mental and physical partnership.  Where you placed yourself coming through corners determined the amount of time spent in THE PAIN CAVE.  Being so early in the season, I put on the hurt and sent others in the main field to the cave de pain with 4 laps to go.  With no help on the far windy stretch I sat up and reserved energy.  In my mind, it is still base building season.  That said, I figure it's either a little glory now, or a lot of glory later.

PART II - DAY 2 - Points Race

The format of this race was very different from any other race I've done in the past.  In a points races, there are points awarded to the top four to cross the line.  This is similar to criteriums in that there are Prime laps which award points to riders and can be tallied to determine a sprint leader within a series.

Entering the pain cave after not warming
up before the Points Race.

Going into the points race, I was not mentally prepared for the current miserable rain conditions.  My 36th place result is completely attributed to my mental and physical preparedness for the race.  While I consider myself to be in decent physical condition, I did not take the proper time to warm up or stretch any part of my body.

As a note to those who are at any point in your racing careers.  Always warm up in some fashion that allows your muscles to be fluid enough to drop the hammer at any point in the race.  This can be accomplished in a number of ways.  My personal choice is a 35 minute trainer spin session with intense intervals every 5 minutes for a duration of 2 minutes or more.  To follow this up, I stretch out key biking muscles to relieve any tension and work out lactic acids from previous days.  Warm ups should start an hour before your race.

From here, we move as a team to Beech Mountain, North Carolina to train during spring break.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

As Naked As A Naked Mole Rat Wearing A Bike Kit.

With naturally grown aerobladed carbon fiber hairs for winter warmth, Bikeman sheds his layers of hair in preparation to face the three stages of THE SCARLET SCURRY....

With less than 4 days until departure for the Scarlet Scurry, hosted at Rutgers University, the layers of hair which built up through the winter for warmth, magically fell off over the course of this past weekend.  While many were stunned and disgusted by the trail of hair left behind, I was simply cold.

Put simply, less hair does not equal going faster.  Not in my book anyways.  Less hair means less to manage and also a more comfortable (temperature wise) ride.  With less hair on my head, and bush on my legs, the average temperature of athlete will drop 34% (this message brought to you by UOJ (University of Josh) an unaccredited, not real University, specializing in not real published statistics).

There is also then the added bonus of understanding why crickets rub their legs together and make wonderful sounds.  BECAUSE IT FEELS AWESOME!

In other news, training this week is a lot less volume, and more intensity for the early parts of the week.  To prepare for the 3 races this coming weekend, I have opted to give myself additional recovery time between rides and a full day of rest on the Friday before the first stage.  While the Tank on Two Wheels will be taking the whole of spring break (next week) off from training, intensity of the decrease in volume has been taken up a notch to make up for time which will be lost to what I would imagine to be the 3 S's of vacation. Sun, Sand and Super awkward tan lines.  While my trainer partner, who is yet to actually come up with an alias (and will thus be called Tank on Two Wheels until further notice) is enjoying said 3 S's, I will be in North Carolina with UVM Cycling.

During our stay in NC, we will be making base on Beach Mountain where rides will start and end.  I'm excited to be able to get out on the road.  It's been too long in doors with too many days on the trainer going no where.

Stay tuned over the weekend for results.  Here's to keeping the rubber side, down.

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid!

Training for Super Strength

It's a bird! It's a plane!  It's a snowplow?  Bikeman retreats to his Fortress of Solitude within the depths of his humble abode.  Little do the neighbors know what stews beneath the streets....

Snow covered roads outside the Fortress of Solitude

With Vermont currently under what seems like endless amounts of snow, outdoor training has seemingly been delayed by the white evil which has covered and inhibited safe transportation by way of the Vermont roadways.  To compensate for this evil, training has been taken into the dungeon... or basement as many would call it.

With just over three weeks remaining until the opening race weekend at Rutgers in NJ, I have decided to try a new method of training.  During this time I will be incorporating a variety of different training methods which emphasize the strength of the core and legs.

More specifically, six sets, twice a week of 2:30-minute intervals at 95 to 100 percent of max heart rate (the point at which you cannot speak), followed by recovery to 60 percent of max, or until you full sentences are able to be formulated and you no longer resemble a loony toon who's heart is nearly leaping out of it's chest.  


On days between interval workouts, general core sessions and recovery of bike specific muscles will be the emphasis of applied workout time.  Recovery will be consisting of 1 hour spinning rides which will still utilize riding muscles, but at a relaxed pace with only one interval of 4:00 minutes (starting at the 30:00 minute mark) at 80 percent of max heart rate.


I have found it is important to consider a balance of biking and school.  While both take a large amount of time to themselves, it is important to balance both while leaving time to relax and mentally recover.  The best found method for myself is time spent with friends during which time school is not the topic of conversation.  I have also found that riding with a friend makes the tedious and boring chore of sitting on a trainer for 2+ hours much more enjoyable.  


Is it schadenfreude, or just good company?

Arc hard, ride fast, go plaid.