I think it's offical, this cycling season has been cursed. I'm typing now with only one hand because I had my 4th crash of the year. Over the last two years I crashed only once at Tyson's Corner two years back. So far this season on top of the crashes and the flat at Tri Peaks I can add dropping my chain twice in the TT last weekend at the Giro d' Rankin.
The wrist is sprained and in a splint. I pulled some muscles in my leg and I'm sore everwhere else. Therefore I've decided to take sometime off from racing. I don't think the pocket book can take much more of this. It's my right hand so now I've gotta brush my teeth, comb my hair and tie my tie with my bad hand. I never realized how uncoordinated I am with my left hand. Guess I'm going to have to learn to make it all work.
The crash was my fault. I was just a little too aggressive going through a corner in the crit and put the pedal into the pavement. When I dropped I was able to grab the top tube of the guy behind as he came over the top of me. That saved him from a lot of road rash and kept his bike from getting hurt. My machine is just fine, no damage to speak of, so I continue to get lucky in that regard.
For the road race this weekend in the 96 degree heat I continued to have troubles with hydration. I tried a gatorade and water mix, but it was still too sugary for me to get it down quickly. I went with Gu packets and that really hit the spot. It was a big change from my dry Nature Valley bars that I had been using till then. I think I'll stick with them for the future when I start racing again.
Well, it's off to DC in 2 days. I was going to race and ride while there, but I'm not even going to take a bike this time.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Monday, June 05, 2006
South Carolina Road Trip
Btw...if anyone reads this post who lives in Clemson, rides bikes and is named Ben is interested I'm thinking about driving through in 8 days or so, and maybe we might do some mountain riding for a day?
Nutrition
My weight in January 2006: 175lbs
My weight in June 2006: 155lbs
I think the diet is working, but I won't be sure until my body is so calorie starved that it begins to cannibalize the tissue in my spine causing me to shrink in height. When I hit that point I'll officially be ready to race.
The most recent struggle I'm facing is getting the calories necessary to keep going. I've started a new training/eating regime now. I'm giving up the chocolate Lucky Charms for Raisin Brain and I'm going to carry a banana with me during my morning rides. Afterwards I'm going to down my favorite Slim Fast shake on the way to work in place of my Pop-Tart. Just looking at my eating habits for the last couple of months I'm amazed that I continue to survive.
Back in Kansas I could get away with drinking little and eating less because of the temperatures and distances that I raced. However, here in the South where we are so close to the damned sun I cannot do that anymore. This weekend we start our road race at 1:30PM on Saturday, where the forecasted temperature is 96. That's insane, it isn't even summer yet.
So the question I pose to the more knowledgeable members of the cycling community is how the heck to hydrate and put calories into your body efficiently. I've seen a million different gimmicks and supplements and crap ad naseum, but what actually works? What is going to get me to the last 20 miles of a race in a position where my body can react when called upon and not run the risk of cramping or bonking out?
My weight in June 2006: 155lbs
I think the diet is working, but I won't be sure until my body is so calorie starved that it begins to cannibalize the tissue in my spine causing me to shrink in height. When I hit that point I'll officially be ready to race.
The most recent struggle I'm facing is getting the calories necessary to keep going. I've started a new training/eating regime now. I'm giving up the chocolate Lucky Charms for Raisin Brain and I'm going to carry a banana with me during my morning rides. Afterwards I'm going to down my favorite Slim Fast shake on the way to work in place of my Pop-Tart. Just looking at my eating habits for the last couple of months I'm amazed that I continue to survive.
Back in Kansas I could get away with drinking little and eating less because of the temperatures and distances that I raced. However, here in the South where we are so close to the damned sun I cannot do that anymore. This weekend we start our road race at 1:30PM on Saturday, where the forecasted temperature is 96. That's insane, it isn't even summer yet.
So the question I pose to the more knowledgeable members of the cycling community is how the heck to hydrate and put calories into your body efficiently. I've seen a million different gimmicks and supplements and crap ad naseum, but what actually works? What is going to get me to the last 20 miles of a race in a position where my body can react when called upon and not run the risk of cramping or bonking out?
Monday, May 22, 2006
Lulla Graduated
I hope that everyone in the whole wide world will join me in congratulating LullaBelle on graduating cum laude from law school. I am so very proud of her for working so very hard these last three years. I know it wasn't easy, and at times I was the cause of it not being easy, but she did it. Now the world is her oyster and I hope she finds the pearl she's looking for.
Tri Peaks and the Battle for Uphill Dominance
After a good performance on Saturday mechanical difficulties relegated me to the wheel truck on Sunday. However, mad props go out to Uncle Steve for turning Mt. Nebo into his own personal suffer fest and leaving the competition in the dust.
Slowly but surely my powers as a climber, which were long rumored to exist, are coming into reality. Mills and Coles no doubt are confused about where my climbing prowess emerged from but I assure them largely it's a result of our combined stupidity of fighting 30 mph headwinds on the way to Globe, Baldwin City, Wellsville, Topeka and beyond. Not to mention the ability to descend on the top tube at 50-60 mph without blinking while hitting a corner that is supposed to be taken at 25 mph.
Here is the race profile for those who doubt that I really climbed.
I cannot mention my race on Sunday, because a flat taking me out of a road race makes me so angry. This is especially the case when I had just put new tires on the Ksyriums in order to prevent the same. Therefore, I will only talk about Saturday. Three climbs and 93 miles of racing put me in a tie for 4th place in a field of 50. After 20 flat miles of jockeying for position and making sure no one snuck away we hit Petit Jean. Petit Jean is a dirty little stair-stepper which started steep and the sort of relinquished it's grip as we went up. After my failures last year at McMinnville, I learned the lesson that no one wins a climb by starting in the back. So I started all the climbs in about 10th. Petit Jean failed to break enough legs to make it worth any trouble at all.
25 miles later was the long, and as far as I know unnamed climb. Honestly, I didn't notice we were going up it, until I saw everyone around me slow down and felt my legs start to burn. I looked to the right and left of me and suddenly there was a valley beneath me. The second climb lasted close to 6 miles and by about mile 4 I was beginning to grow weary of it. After engaging in the battle of who is the best climber in the 601 area code with a guy from Memphis Motor Werks we crested the mountain in a small group of maybe 15.
The descent was long and open so I took a few pages from Ben Coles' "Guide to Cycling While Intoxicated or how to not use your Brakes while Going Downhill" and put the knees and elbows together and head on the handlebars and went downhill. At the base of the descent about a mile later there were two of us together with a few stragglers. No one organized and so about 30 guys were able to pace back on to form what remained of the group.
25 miles later we hit the Danville climb. What I love the most about Arkansas climbs is the sign that proceeds them: "Caution the next X miles is steep and curves." We passed that sign and my teammate yells from the back, "good luck Rob and God speed". Danville was short but steep. It may have last only a mile, but when the lead group crested there were seven of us remaining. I'll admit that at 70 some odd miles into the race I was reaching my climbing breaking point. Something amazing happened to me during that final climb. I was getting gaped and my power to continue was failing me. I closed my eyes and took an extra deep breath and surged forward again. It was as if the guys in front of me stood still for a second. I rode right up to the front of the little group. I've seen that exact scene happen a bunch of times on flat land but at those points in time I could never make it back to the group and ended up getting dropped. There was something about the going uphill part that gave me just a little extra power to make the connection.
As we passed the final feed zone I grabbed myself a bottle of Heed and descended again (if anyone else can tell me what Heed is I'd appreciate it, because to me it tasted like watered down coke). The final descent would have made Jed proud. There was a corner with a 15 mph sign posted pretty close to the bottom of it. I saw a group of about 5 forming 100 feet in front of me and knew that this plus a few others was going to be the selection and I wanted to be in that group. I went to the top of the corner, which curved to the left, grabbed both brakes and tipped the bike sharp right. I let go of the levers and plunged right to back of that group.
It took another 5 minutes for us to be joined by any of the climb's survivors and we made up a group of 14 who pacelined into the finish. By mile 90 I was cooked and just sat on as the little guys (i.e. those skinner than me) pulled us in. I wasn't dead weight, but I did almost drop myself the couple of times I pulled. So I relegated myself to the back.
The weekends success and follies compelled me to call up the old coach. So starting in the Fall I'd like to get Coach Mills back in the action, that's if he'll have me back? However, I think for this week I'm going to kick back and relax to avoid the burnout that I'm starting to feel.
Slowly but surely my powers as a climber, which were long rumored to exist, are coming into reality. Mills and Coles no doubt are confused about where my climbing prowess emerged from but I assure them largely it's a result of our combined stupidity of fighting 30 mph headwinds on the way to Globe, Baldwin City, Wellsville, Topeka and beyond. Not to mention the ability to descend on the top tube at 50-60 mph without blinking while hitting a corner that is supposed to be taken at 25 mph.
Here is the race profile for those who doubt that I really climbed.
I cannot mention my race on Sunday, because a flat taking me out of a road race makes me so angry. This is especially the case when I had just put new tires on the Ksyriums in order to prevent the same. Therefore, I will only talk about Saturday. Three climbs and 93 miles of racing put me in a tie for 4th place in a field of 50. After 20 flat miles of jockeying for position and making sure no one snuck away we hit Petit Jean. Petit Jean is a dirty little stair-stepper which started steep and the sort of relinquished it's grip as we went up. After my failures last year at McMinnville, I learned the lesson that no one wins a climb by starting in the back. So I started all the climbs in about 10th. Petit Jean failed to break enough legs to make it worth any trouble at all.
25 miles later was the long, and as far as I know unnamed climb. Honestly, I didn't notice we were going up it, until I saw everyone around me slow down and felt my legs start to burn. I looked to the right and left of me and suddenly there was a valley beneath me. The second climb lasted close to 6 miles and by about mile 4 I was beginning to grow weary of it. After engaging in the battle of who is the best climber in the 601 area code with a guy from Memphis Motor Werks we crested the mountain in a small group of maybe 15.
The descent was long and open so I took a few pages from Ben Coles' "Guide to Cycling While Intoxicated or how to not use your Brakes while Going Downhill" and put the knees and elbows together and head on the handlebars and went downhill. At the base of the descent about a mile later there were two of us together with a few stragglers. No one organized and so about 30 guys were able to pace back on to form what remained of the group.
25 miles later we hit the Danville climb. What I love the most about Arkansas climbs is the sign that proceeds them: "Caution the next X miles is steep and curves." We passed that sign and my teammate yells from the back, "good luck Rob and God speed". Danville was short but steep. It may have last only a mile, but when the lead group crested there were seven of us remaining. I'll admit that at 70 some odd miles into the race I was reaching my climbing breaking point. Something amazing happened to me during that final climb. I was getting gaped and my power to continue was failing me. I closed my eyes and took an extra deep breath and surged forward again. It was as if the guys in front of me stood still for a second. I rode right up to the front of the little group. I've seen that exact scene happen a bunch of times on flat land but at those points in time I could never make it back to the group and ended up getting dropped. There was something about the going uphill part that gave me just a little extra power to make the connection.
As we passed the final feed zone I grabbed myself a bottle of Heed and descended again (if anyone else can tell me what Heed is I'd appreciate it, because to me it tasted like watered down coke). The final descent would have made Jed proud. There was a corner with a 15 mph sign posted pretty close to the bottom of it. I saw a group of about 5 forming 100 feet in front of me and knew that this plus a few others was going to be the selection and I wanted to be in that group. I went to the top of the corner, which curved to the left, grabbed both brakes and tipped the bike sharp right. I let go of the levers and plunged right to back of that group.
It took another 5 minutes for us to be joined by any of the climb's survivors and we made up a group of 14 who pacelined into the finish. By mile 90 I was cooked and just sat on as the little guys (i.e. those skinner than me) pulled us in. I wasn't dead weight, but I did almost drop myself the couple of times I pulled. So I relegated myself to the back.
The weekends success and follies compelled me to call up the old coach. So starting in the Fall I'd like to get Coach Mills back in the action, that's if he'll have me back? However, I think for this week I'm going to kick back and relax to avoid the burnout that I'm starting to feel.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Getting Ready for the Big Mountains
Tri-Peaks and TN races are coming up and bring a few mountain climbs. It's at this time every year that I start to think that I like climbing and that I'm good at it. So I thought I would find a visual reminder of the pain I go through when climbing in an effort to sober up to the stupidity that lies ahead.
U-City, Gateway Cup 2004. Everyone else has the ultra-euro pain face going on, but me. I get the confused and half-baked where are all the white elephants coming from look.
Mountains Mountains everywhere and nare a chance to field sprint. Maybe this year my prophecy and the Ben "what do you mean I didn't eat all July" Coles diet will take hold and I'll get to the top of Mt. Nebo and beyond.
Collegiate Nationals in 2002 going up Middlebury Gap at about 30 miles into the race. I don't really remember much about the 2000 foot climb or the descent. I know I dropped the guy behind me like a dress on prom night. No one jumped around me and rode away from me...however I was nowhere near the front when I started the climb. I was able to stay in the group for another 10-15 miles and then the next climb up Appalachian Gap ended my hopes of contesting for anything other than zig-zagging up the final kilometer.
For some odd reason the camera seems to find me with the same stupid look on my face:
U-City, Gateway Cup 2004. Everyone else has the ultra-euro pain face going on, but me. I get the confused and half-baked where are all the white elephants coming from look.
Mountains Mountains everywhere and nare a chance to field sprint. Maybe this year my prophecy and the Ben "what do you mean I didn't eat all July" Coles diet will take hold and I'll get to the top of Mt. Nebo and beyond.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Cincinnati Kid
What can one say about Brian Murphy that has not already been said? He is a man of mythic proportions yet possessing a humility that would make Gandhi seem vain. These are but a few of the prose he has composed in the past 24 hours:
A song of beauty which is unmatched except by his other words like:Rob I would like to give the following speech on your last day of work to
the entire court:
I do not posses (as no one else does) your
amazing ability to craft a magnificent work of art from words floating around in
chaos. I don't have the patience and temperament to make the world a
better place one sentence at a time. I can't see the forest through the
trees, I can't make grown men weep. Sometimes when I read your writing, I
think "this proves it, rob is a god of communication. He speaks to me as
if he has lived in my shoes all my life." Rob, your words mend the soul
and cradle the heart; keep up the good work
I feel honored that he even knows my name. That he has taken the time to think about me in the few moments during the day when he is not controlling the weather. What are we mere mortals to do, but stand in awe of the verbal perfection that is Brian Murphy. I've seen his words shake the Earth and stop the tides. He is first among equals. No I have mispoken, he has no equal but stands supreme among all creation save Nate's beard:Rob: a calm and collected genius when it comes to painting a picture with
words. If he ever met Steven Hawking, Hawking would be astounded by Rob's
magnificent prose and tailoring of the English language to meet his need, a
higher need. He has always had a love for the "little guy" but has also
never been afraid of a challenge. He loves the finer things in life, but
has no credit card debt. He was on his way to owning a house at the young
age of 23, and he can ride the hell out of a bike with thin tires.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
GA Crits
This past weekend Lulla and I went to Athens for the Twilight Crit and then stayed an extra day for the Roswell Crit. I have never seen more crashes in a Cat 3 crit then I did in Athens. Crashes occurred all over the course including on the uphill start-finish line. I don't know why either. It might have been because the field was so big, because the course was rather easy to race or because it was a short race with a lot on the line. Whatever it was I saw at least three crashes before the one that took me down.
It was one of those classic crashes where the guy on either side of you goes down and you know that you have no way out of it. You just accept your fate that soon you are going to be down on the ground and it's going to hurt. The thing that ticks me off is that this is my second crash this year and neither of them have been my fault. In both cases I've been the unlucky guy who just gets caught. I have my theories on what or who is causing these crashes, but I'll spare everyone the long boring explanation.
This crash took it's toll on my equipment. I split my helmet along the side behind my ear but thankfully it wasn't my head that did the same. Everything else was ok, but I developed a huge bruise on the back of my calf and inner thigh from the handlebars or maybe someone else. Needless to say the day was done for me.
I decided that I would just watch the twilight race and enjoy myself. Jed was racing at night and thought it would be great to watch him and some of the big time pros go at it. We had great seats right in the final corner and got to watch one of the biggest wrecks that I've ever seen. Unfortunately Jed went down in it and broke his handlebars in the process. The 40th guy hit the ground and then riders 41-150 hit him. There were just too many guys in the field to come after the crash for anyone to escape.
The twilight crit was some of the fastest racing I have ever seen. It got so hard and so fast that you could just feel people's legs ripping in half. In the end it wasn't the big teams that won the race but two guys who came out of nowhere, took a huge risk in the final corner and drove it to the line for the win. That's the kind of racing I like to see. The racing where sparks fly from pedals hitting the ground and guys who start their sprint before the bike can even dream of being back upright.
The Roswell Crit was fine, just stayed up and finished in the pack. I wanted to do more, but the bruise stopped me from unleashing a lot of power, even though I did string the field out once going for it with 3 laps to go.
It was one of those classic crashes where the guy on either side of you goes down and you know that you have no way out of it. You just accept your fate that soon you are going to be down on the ground and it's going to hurt. The thing that ticks me off is that this is my second crash this year and neither of them have been my fault. In both cases I've been the unlucky guy who just gets caught. I have my theories on what or who is causing these crashes, but I'll spare everyone the long boring explanation.
This crash took it's toll on my equipment. I split my helmet along the side behind my ear but thankfully it wasn't my head that did the same. Everything else was ok, but I developed a huge bruise on the back of my calf and inner thigh from the handlebars or maybe someone else. Needless to say the day was done for me.
I decided that I would just watch the twilight race and enjoy myself. Jed was racing at night and thought it would be great to watch him and some of the big time pros go at it. We had great seats right in the final corner and got to watch one of the biggest wrecks that I've ever seen. Unfortunately Jed went down in it and broke his handlebars in the process. The 40th guy hit the ground and then riders 41-150 hit him. There were just too many guys in the field to come after the crash for anyone to escape.
The twilight crit was some of the fastest racing I have ever seen. It got so hard and so fast that you could just feel people's legs ripping in half. In the end it wasn't the big teams that won the race but two guys who came out of nowhere, took a huge risk in the final corner and drove it to the line for the win. That's the kind of racing I like to see. The racing where sparks fly from pedals hitting the ground and guys who start their sprint before the bike can even dream of being back upright.
The Roswell Crit was fine, just stayed up and finished in the pack. I wanted to do more, but the bruise stopped me from unleashing a lot of power, even though I did string the field out once going for it with 3 laps to go.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Confederate Memorial Day
I forgot to mention in my last post that I had Monday this week off of work to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day. Seriously, it was an official State of Mississippi holiday. I'm not so sure how I felt about taking a day off to celebrate a people who waged war on my country but I did it just the same.
I bet that caught a few people off guard, but think of this-- having lived in a bunch of different states, countries and on different continents, this is the only place I have ever lived where the government built monuments to men and women who raised arms against my country.
I bet that caught a few people off guard, but think of this-- having lived in a bunch of different states, countries and on different continents, this is the only place I have ever lived where the government built monuments to men and women who raised arms against my country.
Mississippi Grand Prix
It's been one full day since the end of my first timed stage race. I've healed some of the wounds that I inflicted on my legs but it's going to be a while before everything is running at full steam. It was a tough 4 races over three days in Brookhaven, MS. I'm proud of my 11th place finish in the cat 3 race, but wished I could have done better in the overall standings.
Friday night was a rough and tumble crit full of lappings and being lapped. I don't know the wisdom of including a crit in a timed race but heck, if that's what they want that's what they get. From the gun it was fast. I've never started quick in any race but knew that I would have to that night. It was easily closing in on 30 for the first ten minutes. I thought about pulling out but then realized . . . well I don't think I had the time to complete any of my thoughts.
I along with a group of ten was lapped at about the 35 minute mark, after having lapped another group of about seven. I never thought I could be dropped twice in one race but I was. It was at that point in time that I lost some time to a few of the cat 3s who were able to hang on to the 1s and 2s in the lapping group.
Saturday was rough too. Some yo-yo decided to go from the gun. As I'm fumbling for the big ring he's dropping the hammer. I put myself into the red only to realize that I was the lantern rouge of the race and that there was nowhere to go but forward. After the first 18 mile lap things settled down. A break got away and an organized chase ensued with the Compliance Depot guys leading the charge.
The chase brought the race down to a manageable pace, but I could still tell that one particular section of road which included a long slow uphill would cause serious troubles if anyone ever decided to go hard up it. The nice thing about a 3 racing with 1s and 2s is that you know that all you have to do when the time comes is respond to the move.
That's exactly what I did. With about 5 km to go someone put in an effort up that section of road. I had been dropped there two years ago and was bound and determined not to be a victim this time around. I jumped onto Frank Bruer's wheel as it started to get nasty and just put my head down. I could feel the muscles in my legs ripping to pieces, but I was not going to lose that wheel. I looked back and the field was gone and I was the last man in the break. Too bad it was all for nothing because the field caught us half a mile later when people started playing around up front and it turned into a massive pack finish.
The TT was painful and I care not to talk about it. TTs are by far my weakest discipline, but on a positive note I finished in the middle of the 3s this time and got the sense that I am improving.
The last crit was hot and fast. It was built just the way I don't like it. I have some serious problems with courses that repeat power climbs and this one did just that. It isn't the climb that hurts me, but the fast descent that puts me down. I'm small enough to be able to climb with the power riders by spinning the heck out of things but when they switch into their 11s and 12s on the descent I don't have what it takes to respond as quickly as I need to.
At minute number 20 of 75 I dropped my water bottle. I had two water bottles and one of them just popped out of the cage when I hit a little pothole. I was in trouble when that happened. It was Bensenville all over again. This time I was too stubborn to quit. At minute 40 I started to get a couple of chills in the 85 degree heat. Minute 50 came and I noticed a few goosebumps developing on my arms. I stood up coming over the hill at minute 60 and the breeze nearly took my breath away because it was so cold. Thereafter I decided not to look at the clock anymore. I told myself just make it to the last lap and group finish to keep your 11th place hopes alive. That's all I wanted to do and that is what I did. It's sweet revenge for my failure at Bensenville to do the same.
Next Race: Athens Twilight and Roswell Criteriums
Friday night was a rough and tumble crit full of lappings and being lapped. I don't know the wisdom of including a crit in a timed race but heck, if that's what they want that's what they get. From the gun it was fast. I've never started quick in any race but knew that I would have to that night. It was easily closing in on 30 for the first ten minutes. I thought about pulling out but then realized . . . well I don't think I had the time to complete any of my thoughts.
I along with a group of ten was lapped at about the 35 minute mark, after having lapped another group of about seven. I never thought I could be dropped twice in one race but I was. It was at that point in time that I lost some time to a few of the cat 3s who were able to hang on to the 1s and 2s in the lapping group.
Saturday was rough too. Some yo-yo decided to go from the gun. As I'm fumbling for the big ring he's dropping the hammer. I put myself into the red only to realize that I was the lantern rouge of the race and that there was nowhere to go but forward. After the first 18 mile lap things settled down. A break got away and an organized chase ensued with the Compliance Depot guys leading the charge.
The chase brought the race down to a manageable pace, but I could still tell that one particular section of road which included a long slow uphill would cause serious troubles if anyone ever decided to go hard up it. The nice thing about a 3 racing with 1s and 2s is that you know that all you have to do when the time comes is respond to the move.
That's exactly what I did. With about 5 km to go someone put in an effort up that section of road. I had been dropped there two years ago and was bound and determined not to be a victim this time around. I jumped onto Frank Bruer's wheel as it started to get nasty and just put my head down. I could feel the muscles in my legs ripping to pieces, but I was not going to lose that wheel. I looked back and the field was gone and I was the last man in the break. Too bad it was all for nothing because the field caught us half a mile later when people started playing around up front and it turned into a massive pack finish.
The TT was painful and I care not to talk about it. TTs are by far my weakest discipline, but on a positive note I finished in the middle of the 3s this time and got the sense that I am improving.
The last crit was hot and fast. It was built just the way I don't like it. I have some serious problems with courses that repeat power climbs and this one did just that. It isn't the climb that hurts me, but the fast descent that puts me down. I'm small enough to be able to climb with the power riders by spinning the heck out of things but when they switch into their 11s and 12s on the descent I don't have what it takes to respond as quickly as I need to.
At minute number 20 of 75 I dropped my water bottle. I had two water bottles and one of them just popped out of the cage when I hit a little pothole. I was in trouble when that happened. It was Bensenville all over again. This time I was too stubborn to quit. At minute 40 I started to get a couple of chills in the 85 degree heat. Minute 50 came and I noticed a few goosebumps developing on my arms. I stood up coming over the hill at minute 60 and the breeze nearly took my breath away because it was so cold. Thereafter I decided not to look at the clock anymore. I told myself just make it to the last lap and group finish to keep your 11th place hopes alive. That's all I wanted to do and that is what I did. It's sweet revenge for my failure at Bensenville to do the same.
Next Race: Athens Twilight and Roswell Criteriums
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Cycling Probability Question
This post is something that I have long been contemplating but only recently have come to a mathematical conclusion on. My problem is that I am not sure what the formula is for this conclusion. So if anyone can create a formula for these results I would love to see it.
Here is the basic question:
Three people leave their homes around the same time of day. Each person lives within 50 miles of the other person and they do not know each other. They set off on their daily journey all heading in a random directions. What is the probability that they will cross the other's path at the exact same moment? Most likely almost zero.
Now change one fact. One of the three people is me on my bike. Now what is the probability that the two other people in a car will meet me on the road at the same time going in opposite directions of each other? Mostly likely high.
Now what is the probability that these other two will pass me and each other while cresting a hill or going around a blind corner? 99.9%
If only cars were not allowed on the road while I was out riding...
Here is the basic question:
Three people leave their homes around the same time of day. Each person lives within 50 miles of the other person and they do not know each other. They set off on their daily journey all heading in a random directions. What is the probability that they will cross the other's path at the exact same moment? Most likely almost zero.
Now change one fact. One of the three people is me on my bike. Now what is the probability that the two other people in a car will meet me on the road at the same time going in opposite directions of each other? Mostly likely high.
Now what is the probability that these other two will pass me and each other while cresting a hill or going around a blind corner? 99.9%
If only cars were not allowed on the road while I was out riding...
Monday, April 17, 2006
I Did Something to Grab the Attention of the AP
The following is an AP article taken from today's Clarion Ledger. It marks the first time that an opinion I worked on made the news.
Miss. Supreme Court tosses 18 out-of-state asbestos claims against 3M
The Associated Press
The Mississippi Supreme Court has tossed out the asbestos claims of 18 out-of-state plaintiffs against the 3M Co.
In its 6-1 decision this past week, the court ruled a trial judge erred in ruling the cases would be heard in Holmes County Circuit Court.
"Holmes County lacks the required interest in the wholly out-of-state appellees' claims, and it would be a waste of judicial resources if tried in Mississippi," Presiding Justice Kay Cobb wrote for the court.
Cobb said the plaintiffs have no connection to Mississippi and are neither from Mississippi nor did their injuries arise from conduct in Mississippi.
"The courts of Mississippi will not become the default forum for plaintiffs seeking to consolidate mass-tort actions. To allow otherwise would waste finite judicial resources on claims that have nothing to do with the state," Cobb said.
In a 19th case, Cobb said Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis must determine separately if that case can be heard in Mississippi. Plaintiff Willie Kern claims exposure to asbestos while working in Attala County and in Illinois.
Of the 18 out-of-state plaintiffs, 13 claimed exposure in Illinois, while others claimed exposure in Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado and North Carolina.
Cobb said if the out-of-state plaintiffs were allowed to pursue their claims in Mississippi, the trial judge would be forced to apply not only Mississippi law, but also the laws of Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Minnesota and Missouri.
"This would require seven different product liability statutes, seven different jury instructions and seven different verdicts. This would confuse the jury and lead to possible error," she said.
Asbestos is a commercial name for several different types of minerals that were commonly used in insulation, fireproofing materials, wallboard materials and automotive brakes until the 1970s.
Its use was drastically scaled back after public disclosure that it had a tendency to break down into microscopic particles that could hang in the air and be easily inhaled, potentially causing lung scarring, breathing problems, cancer or heart failure.
In 2000, more than 150 plaintiffs sued about 62 defendants in Holmes County over asbestos exposure. Six plaintiffs were selected to be tried jointly against the defendants against whom there were claims.
On Oct. 1, 2001, a jury awarded each plaintiff $25 million in compensatory damages. No punitive damages were awarded.
The Mississippi Supreme Court threw out the jury award in 2005, ruling that separate trials should have been conducted in each case.
In what has become the standard for huge tort lawsuits involving multiple plaintiffs and defendants, the Supreme Court ruled it was improper to group the plaintiffs together when their claims did not arise from the same incident or involve the same defendants.
Miss. Supreme Court tosses 18 out-of-state asbestos claims against 3M
The Associated Press
The Mississippi Supreme Court has tossed out the asbestos claims of 18 out-of-state plaintiffs against the 3M Co.
In its 6-1 decision this past week, the court ruled a trial judge erred in ruling the cases would be heard in Holmes County Circuit Court.
"Holmes County lacks the required interest in the wholly out-of-state appellees' claims, and it would be a waste of judicial resources if tried in Mississippi," Presiding Justice Kay Cobb wrote for the court.
Cobb said the plaintiffs have no connection to Mississippi and are neither from Mississippi nor did their injuries arise from conduct in Mississippi.
"The courts of Mississippi will not become the default forum for plaintiffs seeking to consolidate mass-tort actions. To allow otherwise would waste finite judicial resources on claims that have nothing to do with the state," Cobb said.
In a 19th case, Cobb said Circuit Judge Jannie Lewis must determine separately if that case can be heard in Mississippi. Plaintiff Willie Kern claims exposure to asbestos while working in Attala County and in Illinois.
Of the 18 out-of-state plaintiffs, 13 claimed exposure in Illinois, while others claimed exposure in Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado and North Carolina.
Cobb said if the out-of-state plaintiffs were allowed to pursue their claims in Mississippi, the trial judge would be forced to apply not only Mississippi law, but also the laws of Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Minnesota and Missouri.
"This would require seven different product liability statutes, seven different jury instructions and seven different verdicts. This would confuse the jury and lead to possible error," she said.
Asbestos is a commercial name for several different types of minerals that were commonly used in insulation, fireproofing materials, wallboard materials and automotive brakes until the 1970s.
Its use was drastically scaled back after public disclosure that it had a tendency to break down into microscopic particles that could hang in the air and be easily inhaled, potentially causing lung scarring, breathing problems, cancer or heart failure.
In 2000, more than 150 plaintiffs sued about 62 defendants in Holmes County over asbestos exposure. Six plaintiffs were selected to be tried jointly against the defendants against whom there were claims.
On Oct. 1, 2001, a jury awarded each plaintiff $25 million in compensatory damages. No punitive damages were awarded.
The Mississippi Supreme Court threw out the jury award in 2005, ruling that separate trials should have been conducted in each case.
In what has become the standard for huge tort lawsuits involving multiple plaintiffs and defendants, the Supreme Court ruled it was improper to group the plaintiffs together when their claims did not arise from the same incident or involve the same defendants.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Tour LeFleur
Some weekends you've got it and then some weekends you don't. For me it was the latter. I misjudged everything. For me the weekend was "oh that break will come back" (it didn't), "this guy will bridge that gap" (he didn't), "these guys will go easy here and faster there" (so didn't), "they're racing for X" (they weren't racing for anything). So I take my lumps and look forward to the next race.
I crashed wicked hard on Saturday. Some yahoo, decided that he was tired of going fast and by the time I knew it I was up on his rear wheel rubbing it pretty hard. That's fine and all I don't have a problem with that, until someone else starts rubbing my wheel at the same time. So there I was trying to fend off two guys forcing my bike in two different directions, which of course means that I'm headed in a third which is right down to the ground. My question is why do people get pissed and start cursing when they crash? I'm calm about it. For me it's, ok let's check out all our body parts and make sure they are still there, then check out the machine, is it all together?
For me, the machine wasn't. I lost my Ksyrium front wheel. It was tacoed straight to hell, but on a brighter note, my tire didn't flat and I broke zero spokes. So it's safe to say that those are some good wheels. I went and took my five free laps, got a new wheel and put myself back in the race. It's a bad crit course and I strongly recommend for anyone who doesn't live in Jackson to not do the crit ever. You're wasting your time if you do. Thankfully for me it's a short drive and I had a lot of supporters out there yelling for me. And then later I had some very kind person take care of my road rash. Thank you for that.
The road race was equally disappointing, so I won't belabor anyone with that report. I'm just going to take my lumps and move on to the next race. My thing is, if you're team has 9 cat 1s in a race and my team has 5 cat 3s, don't ask us to chase down a break of 1s and 2s from a 3rd team for you. You've got the manpower to control a race and we've got the man power to be opportunistic. Go chase it down yourselves. My team did well at the road race, too bad I was so far back that I didn't get to see it. See earlier mention of gaps closing and breaks sticking.
Next Race: Miss. Grand Prix, Brookhaven.
I crashed wicked hard on Saturday. Some yahoo, decided that he was tired of going fast and by the time I knew it I was up on his rear wheel rubbing it pretty hard. That's fine and all I don't have a problem with that, until someone else starts rubbing my wheel at the same time. So there I was trying to fend off two guys forcing my bike in two different directions, which of course means that I'm headed in a third which is right down to the ground. My question is why do people get pissed and start cursing when they crash? I'm calm about it. For me it's, ok let's check out all our body parts and make sure they are still there, then check out the machine, is it all together?
For me, the machine wasn't. I lost my Ksyrium front wheel. It was tacoed straight to hell, but on a brighter note, my tire didn't flat and I broke zero spokes. So it's safe to say that those are some good wheels. I went and took my five free laps, got a new wheel and put myself back in the race. It's a bad crit course and I strongly recommend for anyone who doesn't live in Jackson to not do the crit ever. You're wasting your time if you do. Thankfully for me it's a short drive and I had a lot of supporters out there yelling for me. And then later I had some very kind person take care of my road rash. Thank you for that.
The road race was equally disappointing, so I won't belabor anyone with that report. I'm just going to take my lumps and move on to the next race. My thing is, if you're team has 9 cat 1s in a race and my team has 5 cat 3s, don't ask us to chase down a break of 1s and 2s from a 3rd team for you. You've got the manpower to control a race and we've got the man power to be opportunistic. Go chase it down yourselves. My team did well at the road race, too bad I was so far back that I didn't get to see it. See earlier mention of gaps closing and breaks sticking.
Next Race: Miss. Grand Prix, Brookhaven.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Scalia Speaks
Justice Scalia came to Rural yesterday and chose to speak on a topic that surprised me--the role of foreign legal decisions in American law. I was waiting for the traditional speech about blah blah blah originalism blah blah everyone else is wrong blah blah. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the change of topic and even agreed with him when he said that he wouldn't allow self-righteous Europeans dictate our law to us. There definitely is value to knowing what the rest of the world is doing, but that doesn't mean we have to follow them.
In 1776 the rest of the world was creating monarchies and autocracies, we didn't follow them then and it's turned out pretty good for us so far. I do however, disagree with most of the usual stuff that Justice Scalia says. Therefore I found this quote which I particularly like:
"I can only hope for a day when the courts of justice will decline to dig among the tombs of a dead past for ancient and obsolete precedent . . . and the law will be treated as a philosophy to be applied to the ever changing condition of man, and not as a straight jacket with no leeway for the exercise of common sense and common justice."--Mr. Justice Scott of Colorado
There is of course something to be said in favor of Scalia's interpretative prowess and against the rapidly changing world of the living constitutionalists. However, extremist are rarely right and the better course is typically charted through the middle. I don't have an interpretative agenda to push like Scalia, because I cannot wrap mine into a neat two sentence package like he can. I agree that simplicity is the key and that a dynamic changing Constitution serves no one but those in power. However, I also agree that there are rights embedded in the Constitution which do not appear in bold print. There will always be a B in between A and C. Therefore, I must respectfully dissent from Justice Scalia's approach and follow my own path.
In 1776 the rest of the world was creating monarchies and autocracies, we didn't follow them then and it's turned out pretty good for us so far. I do however, disagree with most of the usual stuff that Justice Scalia says. Therefore I found this quote which I particularly like:
"I can only hope for a day when the courts of justice will decline to dig among the tombs of a dead past for ancient and obsolete precedent . . . and the law will be treated as a philosophy to be applied to the ever changing condition of man, and not as a straight jacket with no leeway for the exercise of common sense and common justice."--Mr. Justice Scott of Colorado
There is of course something to be said in favor of Scalia's interpretative prowess and against the rapidly changing world of the living constitutionalists. However, extremist are rarely right and the better course is typically charted through the middle. I don't have an interpretative agenda to push like Scalia, because I cannot wrap mine into a neat two sentence package like he can. I agree that simplicity is the key and that a dynamic changing Constitution serves no one but those in power. However, I also agree that there are rights embedded in the Constitution which do not appear in bold print. There will always be a B in between A and C. Therefore, I must respectfully dissent from Justice Scalia's approach and follow my own path.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Ode to a Pick-Up Truck (a cyclist's poem)
This is to you, the redneck in the F150,
please can you pass a little closer to me?
How great it is on a windy mornin',
to breathe in the smell of petrol burnin'
And how appropriate it is in the burgeonin' burg of ours,
for you alone to drive the Texas of all cars
Please remember, you, the wisest of the hillbillies,
as your foot unleashes all those fillies
The price of skoal is rising just as fast as gas,
so maybe you should think twice before being such an ass
please can you pass a little closer to me?
How great it is on a windy mornin',
to breathe in the smell of petrol burnin'
And how appropriate it is in the burgeonin' burg of ours,
for you alone to drive the Texas of all cars
Please remember, you, the wisest of the hillbillies,
as your foot unleashes all those fillies
The price of skoal is rising just as fast as gas,
so maybe you should think twice before being such an ass
Monday, March 27, 2006
The Wedding
I returned home to Chicago this weekend for an "old family friend's" wedding. This meaning of course that the only person that I knew was the bride and her immediate family. On top of that my folks were working and that left me all alone. I was seated during the reception with the bride's college friends. For one reason or another there was no less than 4 people at my table who were either law students or lawyers. And from that my dilemma arose.
You really occasionally have to look at some people and say, get over yourselves. You really aren't that impressive. Two of my tablemates fell exactly into that category of people. They were so full of their "prestigious law school pedigrees" that they failed to realize that no one else around them cared. It's these same people who get together and make up the ranking systems so as to perpetuate the belief that it really matters.
The only way I tolerated their annoying and self-righteous discussion was because of copious amounts of bourbon and the McDonald's chicken nuggets that I had smartly eaten right before coming to the reception. The more I drank the less I heard about them and the more I imagined new and inventive ways to plan for their hard fall from fiction to reality when they sat for the bar and realized that three years of law and pop culture means nothing at all. It wasn't a moment after dinner had been finally finished that I left my table bound directly for my next drink and then some entertainment with the bride's brother who was drinking his six foot eight inch body mass in tequila.
Humility is the one virtue which isn't taught any more. So for future reference to all those in the world, please don't try to impress me with your resumes and social clubs. If you really want to impress me, do it by actions and putting your money where your mouth is.
You really occasionally have to look at some people and say, get over yourselves. You really aren't that impressive. Two of my tablemates fell exactly into that category of people. They were so full of their "prestigious law school pedigrees" that they failed to realize that no one else around them cared. It's these same people who get together and make up the ranking systems so as to perpetuate the belief that it really matters.
The only way I tolerated their annoying and self-righteous discussion was because of copious amounts of bourbon and the McDonald's chicken nuggets that I had smartly eaten right before coming to the reception. The more I drank the less I heard about them and the more I imagined new and inventive ways to plan for their hard fall from fiction to reality when they sat for the bar and realized that three years of law and pop culture means nothing at all. It wasn't a moment after dinner had been finally finished that I left my table bound directly for my next drink and then some entertainment with the bride's brother who was drinking his six foot eight inch body mass in tequila.
Humility is the one virtue which isn't taught any more. So for future reference to all those in the world, please don't try to impress me with your resumes and social clubs. If you really want to impress me, do it by actions and putting your money where your mouth is.
Friday, March 24, 2006
And Even the Weather Channel Lies
Weather.com has become probably the most visited website on my computer. Part of my pre-ride ritual is to check to see what the weather is like and since I cannot tolerate the sound of human voices at 0-dark 30 in the morning the silence of weather.com makes it easy. So this morning I pulled up my trusty site, after determining that my march madness bracket was completely screwed up, to find 34 degrees to be the temperature. Over the next ten minutes I put on all the right clothes and stepped outside to find it in the 40s. This sent me into a tailspin. At 34 degrees I wear a totally different set of jackets, gloves, shoe covers and hat than at 40 degrees. I know it's only 6 degrees but those are 6 important degrees because it's the difference between damn its cold and damn cold. The latter obviously being worse.
If weather.com lies to me, than who/what else is lying to me? So I ask now, if you (and this includes inanimate objects) are lying to me or have lied to me in the past please come forward. I know that likely I will receive bad news because of it, but if I can take the pain of having my favorite website lie to me than I can handle anything. Well anything short of my parents telling me that my real name is Karen or Michelle.
Oh, and if you are a litigant in the State of Mississippi please file an interesting appeal and request that it is assigned to me. Also, be sure to spellcheck and proof read your briefs. That'll make my life easier.
If weather.com lies to me, than who/what else is lying to me? So I ask now, if you (and this includes inanimate objects) are lying to me or have lied to me in the past please come forward. I know that likely I will receive bad news because of it, but if I can take the pain of having my favorite website lie to me than I can handle anything. Well anything short of my parents telling me that my real name is Karen or Michelle.
Oh, and if you are a litigant in the State of Mississippi please file an interesting appeal and request that it is assigned to me. Also, be sure to spellcheck and proof read your briefs. That'll make my life easier.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Spring Time
I woke up this morning and took a quick look at the weather as I was getting ready for my ride, it was 37 degrees out. That was the start of what has become a bad day. So I put on the required 9-layers of clothes and headed out into the cold-pre-dawn morning. At least my legs were so occupied with shaking and shivering that they didn't notice the pain that I was delivering to them.
The fact is that someone turned winter back on in the South and didn't tell me about it, and I'm pissed at them. The one thing I'll never understand about Southern winters is the humidity. It's cold and humid all at once. The wetness tears through my gloves and jacket and hangs on me like a July sweat. I miss July and all the warm days that seem like they were here only yesterday.
Springtime in LAMBRA is time for the Two-Man TT. There are no fewer than two race weekends dedicated entirely to the Two-Man TT. I can think of no greater waste of time than that. There's no crit or road race, just a TT. TTs are great, in that I hate myself sort of way, but they don't tell you much about who's the best bike racer. The TT is all about who can hurt themself the most for the longest. I can do that at home and save the $20 and the 2 1/2 hour drive to Baton Rouge. Just give me a good old road race. One where I can look the guy next to me in the eye and know that he doesn't have what it takes to handle what I'm about to dish out.
The fact is that someone turned winter back on in the South and didn't tell me about it, and I'm pissed at them. The one thing I'll never understand about Southern winters is the humidity. It's cold and humid all at once. The wetness tears through my gloves and jacket and hangs on me like a July sweat. I miss July and all the warm days that seem like they were here only yesterday.
Springtime in LAMBRA is time for the Two-Man TT. There are no fewer than two race weekends dedicated entirely to the Two-Man TT. I can think of no greater waste of time than that. There's no crit or road race, just a TT. TTs are great, in that I hate myself sort of way, but they don't tell you much about who's the best bike racer. The TT is all about who can hurt themself the most for the longest. I can do that at home and save the $20 and the 2 1/2 hour drive to Baton Rouge. Just give me a good old road race. One where I can look the guy next to me in the eye and know that he doesn't have what it takes to handle what I'm about to dish out.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Brook's Omnium
Three events over two days in So. Atlanta. Big fields. Huge ups for C-Dog for the recovering my water bottle after it bounced off your ankles into the field. Thanks for the save.
Time Trial
Plain and simple it was unpleasant. This was my first ever individual TT on a time trial bike. I was honestly expecting much more from myself than I was able to put forward. It was 6 1/2 miles of slightly rolling terrain and a touch on the cold side at the start. I wanted to go out steady and not too fast so that I didn't burn myself out before the turn around. Maybe I started to slowly, because the guy who started 30 seconds behind me caught me before the turn around. I didn't feel bad afterwards because he caught the guy in front of me and maybe some more. Needless to say at 17:10 I was not impressed with myself. I finished 18th overall in the TT which was right at about middle of the road. I'm going to have to figure out how to do better. Chuck and Sam both whooped up on me.
Road Race
Finally something that I'm good at. 77 miles over rolling terrain with a group of about 75 riders. The field had two or three big teams in it that I was expecting to control the race's pace. However, after the first of three laps those teams vanished from the front. Two teams had at least 10 guys and only one or two of those guys finished in front of me at the end, now that's pathetic because they had the manpower to win it all, but failed to do that. Sam, Chuck and I had the most effective and coordinated attacks of the day. On the second lap we all moved to the front. Sam jumped the field and put about 500 meters between us and him. Someone tried to ride up to him and I sat on his wheel. He swerved all over the road trying to get me to pull, but there was no way that I would come around and do that. Another guy jumped and Chuck covered. We had complete control of the field.
The field eventually pulled Sam back in and I countered. I put some time between me and the pack but no one came with me and I couldn't shake the field's will to pull me back. A couple teams organized quickly at the front and I sat up and took my place in the field. It was about that time in the race when everyone was making the collective decision that it was going to be a pack finish. Damn I thought, I don't want to field sprint. I've never been much of a field sprinter, largely because I have never really wanted to tussle up at the front for wheels.
The third lap was down right slow. It was like a group ride. I started to sense myself getting swamped in the field, because I'm sure not too many people had been shelled off the back. I had to continually re-assert myself to the front. Then I found my old buddy Ben's wheel. Last year he never finished outside of the top five so I knew he was the guy to follow. The tussle for the front began with about 10 miles to go. Slowly the pace picked up. It really got interesting at the final turn. It was about 2-3 miles down a winding road from the final turn to the finish, which was up a small false flat.
I found myself about 10th wheel going into the turns. I was fighting for Ben's wheel and the front of the pack. Some guy told me not to pinch him into the field. Great advice, how about I just go and ride in the grass. It's bike racing and the last 5 miles of a road race have no honorary rules in a field sprint, except keep your bike upright.
At about 1km to go it opened up and the field let loose. I found myself moving forward rapidly through the field to about 5th wheel. At 300 meters to go I got nervous and started my sprint. That proved fatal. The false flat kicked in and as I surged up I could feel the TT nipping at my legs. I should have waited to 150 meters to let go. I got passed by a couple of guys right at the line but held off the field for 15th. Sam was 22nd and Chuck was 42nd. A pretty good Saturday for us.
Criterium
I shouldn't even write about it. It was wet, cold and the course wasn't good at all. I hope they change it. Props to Jed for his sneaky bastard victory in the Pro 1, 2 field. Good lesson to be learned from that is be so quick that the sonic boom from your bike as you jump the field causes a crash. Damn I want to be that fast.
Also, props to Paul for his 2nd in the TT, 1st in the road race, 3rd in the crit and overall GC victory in the 4/5 field.
Time Trial
Plain and simple it was unpleasant. This was my first ever individual TT on a time trial bike. I was honestly expecting much more from myself than I was able to put forward. It was 6 1/2 miles of slightly rolling terrain and a touch on the cold side at the start. I wanted to go out steady and not too fast so that I didn't burn myself out before the turn around. Maybe I started to slowly, because the guy who started 30 seconds behind me caught me before the turn around. I didn't feel bad afterwards because he caught the guy in front of me and maybe some more. Needless to say at 17:10 I was not impressed with myself. I finished 18th overall in the TT which was right at about middle of the road. I'm going to have to figure out how to do better. Chuck and Sam both whooped up on me.
Road Race
Finally something that I'm good at. 77 miles over rolling terrain with a group of about 75 riders. The field had two or three big teams in it that I was expecting to control the race's pace. However, after the first of three laps those teams vanished from the front. Two teams had at least 10 guys and only one or two of those guys finished in front of me at the end, now that's pathetic because they had the manpower to win it all, but failed to do that. Sam, Chuck and I had the most effective and coordinated attacks of the day. On the second lap we all moved to the front. Sam jumped the field and put about 500 meters between us and him. Someone tried to ride up to him and I sat on his wheel. He swerved all over the road trying to get me to pull, but there was no way that I would come around and do that. Another guy jumped and Chuck covered. We had complete control of the field.
The field eventually pulled Sam back in and I countered. I put some time between me and the pack but no one came with me and I couldn't shake the field's will to pull me back. A couple teams organized quickly at the front and I sat up and took my place in the field. It was about that time in the race when everyone was making the collective decision that it was going to be a pack finish. Damn I thought, I don't want to field sprint. I've never been much of a field sprinter, largely because I have never really wanted to tussle up at the front for wheels.
The third lap was down right slow. It was like a group ride. I started to sense myself getting swamped in the field, because I'm sure not too many people had been shelled off the back. I had to continually re-assert myself to the front. Then I found my old buddy Ben's wheel. Last year he never finished outside of the top five so I knew he was the guy to follow. The tussle for the front began with about 10 miles to go. Slowly the pace picked up. It really got interesting at the final turn. It was about 2-3 miles down a winding road from the final turn to the finish, which was up a small false flat.
I found myself about 10th wheel going into the turns. I was fighting for Ben's wheel and the front of the pack. Some guy told me not to pinch him into the field. Great advice, how about I just go and ride in the grass. It's bike racing and the last 5 miles of a road race have no honorary rules in a field sprint, except keep your bike upright.
At about 1km to go it opened up and the field let loose. I found myself moving forward rapidly through the field to about 5th wheel. At 300 meters to go I got nervous and started my sprint. That proved fatal. The false flat kicked in and as I surged up I could feel the TT nipping at my legs. I should have waited to 150 meters to let go. I got passed by a couple of guys right at the line but held off the field for 15th. Sam was 22nd and Chuck was 42nd. A pretty good Saturday for us.
Criterium
I shouldn't even write about it. It was wet, cold and the course wasn't good at all. I hope they change it. Props to Jed for his sneaky bastard victory in the Pro 1, 2 field. Good lesson to be learned from that is be so quick that the sonic boom from your bike as you jump the field causes a crash. Damn I want to be that fast.
Also, props to Paul for his 2nd in the TT, 1st in the road race, 3rd in the crit and overall GC victory in the 4/5 field.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Rouge Roubaix
Even though this race ended about a week ago, my legs are still tired. For those not in the know, which is pretty much everyone including myself, Rouge Roubaix (the hell of the south) is a poor man's copy of the real Paris-Roubaix race. Instead of having pavee and throngs of fans throwing water and mud on the riders, Rouge Roubaix has gravel and red-necks in pick-up trucks trying to kill you. But, it is still epic.
The race runs from St. Francisville, LA up to Mississippi and then back down. In between there are three gravel road sections, the last two with serious climbs in them. It's an A & B race so Cats 1, 2 and 3 along with masters race together. This made the field about 70 strong this year. Memphis Motor Werks, Compliance Depot, and Herring Gas made up the largest contingent of the race. MMW had a team replete with 9 cat 1s and Oleheiser the master's national champ. This made them the big team to follow.
There were 5 Pro Bike guys there (4 and me), our team plan was loose and almost non-existent, but mine was simple. I was destined to ride MMW wheels all day long until I could do no more. Its a 100 mile race so the first 5 miles were pretty easy paced. In fact the first 20 were easy paced, but as the first gravel section closed in it got faster. I hit the first gravel section two wheels behind Oleheiser, right on Pete Knoop's wheel, in about 10th place. Years of Kansas racing helped my bike handling skills out here. At the front of the pack the pace was fast, but not killer. Rocks and dirt were everywhere. One piece took out a chunk of paint on my front fork.
I emerged from the first gravel section in 5th place and part of a field of only 25 guys. My teammates gone and all alone I figured it was going to be a rough day. Thankfully the pace slowed up for a little while and Sam and then Dave caught up. The next 30 miles were decently quick with a a good breakaway that almost caught the field by surprise coming when we crossed into Mississippi.
As the pack approached the second gravel section the pace slowed a bit, but there was a ton of jockeying for position. I took up my place on MMW wheels again. I swung loose on a hard corner and nearly lost my balance in some gravel but kept the bike upright. Thus started the second gravel section and the long awaited uphill. It wasn't so much gravel as loose sand. Riders began loosing control of their bikes and dismounting. I had found some hard packed dirt, but an out-of-control rider next to me pushed me off my line. I went into the sand next to it and that was the last time I had control. The sand pushed my wheel 180 degrees around and I found myself on my back. I popped up and tried to get back up on the bike only to hit the ground again. I took off running up the hill with the bike over my shoulder but the field started to leave me. I knew that I wasn't going to win the race now.
I remounted the bike at the top of the hill and tried to make up time. I caught Dave and then Sam about 10 miles later. We formed a small group with some other guys and then hit the last gravel section at 80 miles. I actually think that the steep climbs and huge mud walls that surround this section was the best for me. In the pack I would have likely been dropped but in my small group I was able to out climb the rest. I definitely have hit form for this season. A Cat 1, dropped earlier, passed us and I, along with Sam, jumped across to his wheel. We lost Dave but two of the other guys from our groupetto joined us. The Cat 1 motored us in for the rest of the course.
By mile 95 my feet were hurting so bad and my back was killing from the chip and seal pavement that covered most of the race. A small jump happened at the 200m to go mark and I finished behind two guys. Overall I was 32nd but for Cat 3s I was 8th. I finished less than 30 minutes behind the winner (4:31 to 4:58), which in my opinion was good. Next mountain race will not be on gravel so I'm hoping to have better luck with it. I now sit in 5th place in LAMBRA, but will be missing the two-man TT that's next up on the schedule. However, I'm game for the rest of the race season and gunning for top 3 overall.
Next race up is this weekend in Atlanta--Brooks Omnium.
The race runs from St. Francisville, LA up to Mississippi and then back down. In between there are three gravel road sections, the last two with serious climbs in them. It's an A & B race so Cats 1, 2 and 3 along with masters race together. This made the field about 70 strong this year. Memphis Motor Werks, Compliance Depot, and Herring Gas made up the largest contingent of the race. MMW had a team replete with 9 cat 1s and Oleheiser the master's national champ. This made them the big team to follow.
There were 5 Pro Bike guys there (4 and me), our team plan was loose and almost non-existent, but mine was simple. I was destined to ride MMW wheels all day long until I could do no more. Its a 100 mile race so the first 5 miles were pretty easy paced. In fact the first 20 were easy paced, but as the first gravel section closed in it got faster. I hit the first gravel section two wheels behind Oleheiser, right on Pete Knoop's wheel, in about 10th place. Years of Kansas racing helped my bike handling skills out here. At the front of the pack the pace was fast, but not killer. Rocks and dirt were everywhere. One piece took out a chunk of paint on my front fork.
I emerged from the first gravel section in 5th place and part of a field of only 25 guys. My teammates gone and all alone I figured it was going to be a rough day. Thankfully the pace slowed up for a little while and Sam and then Dave caught up. The next 30 miles were decently quick with a a good breakaway that almost caught the field by surprise coming when we crossed into Mississippi.
As the pack approached the second gravel section the pace slowed a bit, but there was a ton of jockeying for position. I took up my place on MMW wheels again. I swung loose on a hard corner and nearly lost my balance in some gravel but kept the bike upright. Thus started the second gravel section and the long awaited uphill. It wasn't so much gravel as loose sand. Riders began loosing control of their bikes and dismounting. I had found some hard packed dirt, but an out-of-control rider next to me pushed me off my line. I went into the sand next to it and that was the last time I had control. The sand pushed my wheel 180 degrees around and I found myself on my back. I popped up and tried to get back up on the bike only to hit the ground again. I took off running up the hill with the bike over my shoulder but the field started to leave me. I knew that I wasn't going to win the race now.
I remounted the bike at the top of the hill and tried to make up time. I caught Dave and then Sam about 10 miles later. We formed a small group with some other guys and then hit the last gravel section at 80 miles. I actually think that the steep climbs and huge mud walls that surround this section was the best for me. In the pack I would have likely been dropped but in my small group I was able to out climb the rest. I definitely have hit form for this season. A Cat 1, dropped earlier, passed us and I, along with Sam, jumped across to his wheel. We lost Dave but two of the other guys from our groupetto joined us. The Cat 1 motored us in for the rest of the course.
By mile 95 my feet were hurting so bad and my back was killing from the chip and seal pavement that covered most of the race. A small jump happened at the 200m to go mark and I finished behind two guys. Overall I was 32nd but for Cat 3s I was 8th. I finished less than 30 minutes behind the winner (4:31 to 4:58), which in my opinion was good. Next mountain race will not be on gravel so I'm hoping to have better luck with it. I now sit in 5th place in LAMBRA, but will be missing the two-man TT that's next up on the schedule. However, I'm game for the rest of the race season and gunning for top 3 overall.
Next race up is this weekend in Atlanta--Brooks Omnium.
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