Ride Sally Ride

Just a quick report on Ride Sally Ride:

To start, Hayes covered what has become the trademarked DC Velo hard effort off the start line. When the real move went, it was initiated by Chuck Hutcheson. I have to admit that it was by far the hardest attack I have ever witnessed first-hand. He unleashed pure pain for about a half of a lap on that course, and even in the draft I thought I was going to get dropped.
The move ended up having Chuck, me, Andy, Brian B., Sean O, Josh, Mike G, and Chip Hoover?. We were rolling pretty damn hard, and had a reasonable gap. However, I don't think people were particularly happy with the make-up of the group (there were three Battley riders), and people were contributing varying amounts of effort. Eventually, a few guys were caught out (by design) and dropped from the move--one of which was a Battley rider, and I thought that would improve our chances of success, but alas.

DC Velo ended up pulling us back. I made one more effort, but it was suicide. DC Velo was on a mission, and started to string it out over the last 15 laps. Hayes and I didn't think it was possible, but they did a great job keeping the pace high and set Ken up for the win. Meidhoff told me that they really pride themselves on the office park crit.

I was a dumbass and didn't move quite up far enough with 5 to go. With 2 to go, Bryan Vaughan and I tried to move up on the inside but got pinched bad on turn 2. (Big mistake not running the outside line on the last lap). I hit the final corner about 15th--way too far back--and rolled in for 11th. A result that would have made me happy last year, but this year: disappointment.

Sitting On (Updated)

I wanted to address this issue, but didn't want to subject everyone on the MABRA listserv to my perspective.

First, there are no rules against sitting on. Everyone has differing needs in the race. Some people need to sit in for the sprint. And there are plenty of circumstances when it is the right thing to do (obviously, when you have a sprinter or a GC contender in the field). Additionally, if it's a big race and your best chance at victory is to keep your nose out of the wind, you have that right. But of course, as Curtis Prosser loves to say, actions have consequences.

If you don't pull through and you beat people who worked to make the break survive, you aren't going to gain any allies in the peloton. In the future, guys aren't going to be as willing to work with you around. (On the flip side, for instance, I sure as hell am going to work with guys like Jacob Tremblay, Brian Butts, and Chuck Hutcheson in breaks. I've been in breaks with these guys and they have busted their tails). There are also a few guys whose presence in a break will make me work less. And there are a few who I am happy to gap off.

I can't sprint as well as a ton of guys: Dave Bozak, Ken Young, Todd Hipp, Dave Osborne, to name a few. I have no ill-will toward anyone sitting in. But I am going to do my best to spoil their day, and set up a potential win for myself.

If people aren't working in a break, I think the best thing to do is give them some "encouragement." This can range from a relatively positive comment to shouting. (I don't tend to shout, though). There are a few guys who can be intimidated into doing their part. However, there are plenty of dudes who are totally unphased by the yelling. The next option is to start gapping them off the back. Make them work to stay in the break. Sooner or later they'll drop, or they will realize that they are going to have to work one way or another--either to help the entire move, or just stay in the break. And there are definitely a few guys in the MABRA who are skilled in all of these roles.
Specifically, I am happy to give due propers to Haymarket rider Chris Hayes for his effort in the Master's event at Ride Sally Ride. He got in the break with Dave Fuentes and Chuck Hutcheson. He was in a tough spot. Chuck and Dave are on the same team, are crazy strong, and were sure to attack him at the end, but Hayes continued to take big pulls. He finished 3rd out of that group, but rode with some class and didn't try to ride coattails to the finish line (though I would have loved to see him sprint against those guys heads-up). And who knows how it would have shaken out if he didn't take his pulls. It's that dynamic that makes bike racing interesting to me.

I'd love to start a list of guys who work hard in breaks and those who don't, but that would be better suited for a few other blogs, maybe a spin-off of yougotdropped. (Is that site still around?)

Is there a gamjams poll brewing?

CSC--Who is that riding my bike?

I was lucky enough to nab a spot on the DC Velo squad for the pro race at the CSC Invitational on Saturday. I have been trying to throw down with the pros all season, racing at Athens, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Somerville, and really enjoy the pressure of 'competing' on that next level.

I was initially planning on racing the 1/2/3, but got a call from Josh Frick on Thursday morning while in the middle of a field trip tour of Jamestown.

I got home from the field trip (I had been walking around Colonial Williamsburg with about 50 teenagers all week)
on Friday night, and immediately went home and finished moving out of my house. (FYI--this is not good preparation for a big race).

I rolled up to the race about 10 minutes after numbers were supposed to be picked up, and got my DC Velo kit from Ryan McKinney. It was very weird to see the red, white, blue, and black beneath me. I kept thinking to myself, "Who the hell is riding my bike?!"

I started the race buried much farther back than I typically like to, and made a few moves on the inside in the first few laps. I then drifted to the right and started riding the outside line. The outside line was tremendously easier than the inside. I was able to keep more speed through the corners, and limit my accelerations. I flatted once early on, kept it upright, and had to swap my Aeolus to a Ksyrium. Downgrade.

As the race wore on, the attrition really set in. With Gerlach off the front, Kelley got on the front and drive the pace. The speed came in waves, 5 laps hard, 2 laps easy. As people started to pop, I moved up the field, finally settling in around 60th wheel.

50 laps in, and I thought that those who were left were going to finish. I moved to the very back of the field and started to ride smooth and easy lines. Every once in a while someone would drift to the back. I'd ask them if them if they were okay. If they said yes, I stayed where I was. If they didn't answer, I'd pass them, and they'd be gone in a lap. Tailgunning.

With about 15 to go, there were 2 Bissell guys directly in front of me, and 2 Mtn. Khakis guys in front of them. I was certain we were going to finish, and was feeling pretty calm. Then, out of nowhere, a huge gap opened up in front of the Mtn. Khakis guys. I jumped as hard as I could, but the pace was too high. I cut the gap to the pack in turns 1 and 2, but couldn't close it down. The headwind on the 3rd leg put the nail in the coffin.

I rode for about 3 more laps, and the officials didn't pull me. I figured I would dip in behind the field when they came by and just ride it out for a finish somewhere in the 50s. However, when the field did come by, my acceleration to match their speed was too much and I cramped.

The fact is, a two hour crit might be a little too much for me right now. My training volume has been hovering around 8 hours per week, the the speed was just too high for too long for that type of preparation. Owen Nielsen made a good point to me after the race, too. He noticed that I became a little complacent. (Funny aside about Owen: I never told anyone I wasn't going to make the 1/2/3, and I got a call-up for that race. Since I wasn't there, he took my spot on the start line, but the hairy legs were a dead giveaway.) He was right--at 15 to go, I really thought we were all going to roll in to the finish. I should have become a little more proactive as the race began to wind up for the finish.

I was pretty disappointed at not finishing, but got more props for my performance in that race than just about any other. It was great motivation to train more and get faster. I suspect RideSallyRide will be pretty different this weekend.

Equipment Upgrade: Get Wheels

The following is for Mike May's series on Gamjams.

I think the best upgrade anyone can make is a wheel upgrade. At minimum, everyone should have a pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbones. These wheels cost about $1200-$1400 at retail and can be used virtually all the time.

They're not the lightest at 1740 grams, but the real advantage is their aerodynamics and handling. On top of that, they hold their speed and are bomb proof.

[Aside: I think it should be noted that while it is spelled "Carbone" (with that pesky "E" on the end) it should still be pronounced "kar'bin", as if there is a schwa in the second syllable and not "kar'bone," with the long "O" sound. I have spoken.]



Other wheelsets in the running:


For cooler aerodynamics: The HED Jet C4 FR (clincher, 23mm rim width, and ceramic hubs)

For lighter weight: Zipp 404 (tubular, 1250g)

For a better Mavic option: Cosmic Carbone SLR (clincher, carbone spokes, 1595g)

For style: Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 (From Project 1, these wheels can match most bikes, plus they handle great)


Other upgrade suggestions:
Handlebars: You need smaller drops.
Rubber: Get some Michelin Pro3 Race tires that match your bike.


Things you don't need:
Super deep-dish wheels (Unless you're doing TTs and/or are 185lbs)
Carbon bars and stems
Campy Super Record (Super-expensive, and the hoods are heinous)


And if anyone is interested, since I already have the Cosmics for the road, and I am starting to shift thoughts to 'cross season, my next upgrade is going to be a pair of Zipp 202s.

Somerville (I forgot)

This was my first time to Somerville. I drove up with Melissa Sanborn and Leigh Hopkins from Vanderkitten, and Erin Silliman from Artemis. We took the van, and I did some serious speeding, concerned that I was going to get them there without much time to warm up.

[For all of the women's racing fans, Melissa finished 4th, Erin crashed in the last lap, and I am not sure how Leigh finished up.]


During warm-up I ran into Dave Bozak and Jason Meidhoff and they told me that it was a cake-walk to sit in, but the last few laps would become a little hazardous, and they were dead-on. The course is just a big, wide rectangle. It was really easy to move around the pack, and there was a lot of recycling.

With about 15 to go the speed started to crank up, and there was some battling in the corners in order to move up. The whole pattern reminded me of BikeJam--wide enough for people to move around the pack easily, and force themselves into spaces that weren't quite big enough.

There were a few crashes on the last few laps, I snaked through one and another happened far to my left. I was far enough up at that point to fight it out for some dough, netting $80. I was psyched to be in the cash in an NRC race because I've been consistently close, but never quite making it.

RFK a la Joe Dombrowski

In addition to Chris Hayes breaking off a vicious sprint in the RFK master's race for the win, Haymarket Bicycles also had a win in the junior race. Joe Dombrowski has been a revelation over the past 12 months, with his visit to Euro Cross Camp, some stellar results on the mountain bike, and a breakout season on the road. He took the RFK junior race in style and has forwarded a race report.

Haymarket had good representation in the junior race at RFK with Matthew Phillips, Sean Domitrovits, and me toeing the line. The course was partially on a stock car race track that wound its way in and out of the wind over the course of each lap.

Two of the stronger kids in the race went off the front early and I sat in and let others do the work of pulling back the two escapees. About midway through the second lap, the two were brought back, and the group was together again just before we got to the long drag before the final corner. I figured the long back stretch would be an ideal place to try to make a move as it was exposed to a pretty strong headwind.

I attacked thinking the strongest kids in the race were either just off the front or working to pull them back. I had my head down, into the wind, all the way to the last corner of the lap, when I looked back and saw that a sizable gap had opened up. The official’s motorcycle rode up to my side and told me I had 30 seconds on the first group. As the lap counter went down, the gap continued to go up. At one point a couple of kids tried to bridge across, but were unsuccessful.

I managed to hang on for the solo win, a great success, especially seeing as I generally don’t fare too well in crits. Sean D. and Matthew P. also put in strong rides, with Sean finishing 7th in the first group, and Matt finishing 12th and winning the sprint of his group.

Haymarket Physical Therapy and Magic

Haymarket Physical Therapy and Chiropractic is one of the main sponsors of the team. They provide a really wide-range of services, but up to this point, I haven't really needed anything of them.

I woke up on Saturday with a stiff neck like nothing I have ever experienced. I told myself it would loosen up and I'd be fine as the day went on. I proceeded to get dressed for my ride, and rolled out with Sean. I made it 4 minutes before I had to turn around. My neck hurt so badly that I spent the majority of the 8 minutes riding no-hands. I couldn't turn my head side-to-side, and worse, I couldn't look up. The idea of the robot became much less of a post-ironic joke.

I was really concerned about not being able to race RFK, and texted Dr. Moriarty of HPTC. With just about no notice, she had me over and gave me some outstanding chiropractic and active release treatment. Sunday morning my neck was about 50% better. She then had me over in the morning before the race for another treatment, and my neck was a non-issue for the race. With another treatment before Somerville (yeah, she took care of me the morning of Memorial Day!), a potentially disastrous weekend was averted.