It's Love, Hate, Love again for Stony Creek. I will save you some time reading about why and what if, sticking to my training plan blah, blah, blah. Even I'm getting sick of reading my blog at times. This is how it rolled.
I got 8th in the Expert Men 30-39 with a time of 53:51. And I went out again for the Expert/Elite Single speed race and got 7th. In both races, I had chain suck that forced me off my bike and I cramped in the single speed race at the end causing me to run a hill or 2. Bottom line, times slower than last year. Competition is harder this year.
Big M next...
Congrats to Brad Lako for nailing the double podium. And this was his first race on the single speed too! Way to go!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Citerium Detroit City
Well first thing is, at least I didn't crash.... But we will cover this in a minute. With my mountain bike season, training, etc. coming to crawl with not much on tap for the next month other than start ramping up for CX, I decided to throw my name in the hat a venture into some road racing. And what better way to do it than to do the First Annual Cirterium Detroit City! What a great place for this style of racing. Located on the twisty block of the Opera House just behind Comerica Park. The course was short but it had plenty of corners and none of them were the same. The one thing that could use some improvement was the many many wheel destroying pot holes located at random. But hey, this is Detroit. Overall, the venue and the style of racing was top notch. You may see me pop in a few more in the future. And I think I will be back for this one for sure if they continue to have it.
As for the race itself, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had to do the Cat 5 race because I don't hold a road licence, or have any road races under my belt for an upgrade. But not a problem. I got to start somewhere. So I put my wheel on the line with 27 other "Cat 5's" (I am curious what the criteria is to be a Cat 5) and we were off. Since the race was going to be under 30 mins, the pace was quick right from the start. It instantly strung out on the first lap. Soon after, it came together for a bit, and then it was a battle to make sure people would hold their line. I got a little frustrated with this, and about 10 mins into the race decided to make a break to open things up a bit. I went hard for about 1 lap and paid for it. I was soon caught, but my plan worked and the pace stayed high from here on out. Another break went off, and this time I was in the field to chase them down. We worked together and got them back. I continued to stay up near the front to avoid any crashes. Everything was fine, until the last 2-3 laps. One rider went down hard on the right side of the course in a tricky section of corners. Luckily I was on the other side, and no one else went down. This did however cause several riders to get nervous and panic for the rest of the race. With 2 laps to go, the pace was getting quicker. I was sitting in the top 10 waiting to make a move if I could. In the final lap, things were strung out again, and others were trying to move to the front. I was in an OK position, but should have been closer to the front. Lesson learned. As I rounded the last corner getting ready to cue up for the sprint. I got boxed out by the guy on the inside of me, and I guess he needed to use his brakes. This pushed me toward the back of the top 10 pack. I shifted into a few more bigger gears but I was on the outside of the road and racers on the inside were already going into their sprint. I stood up and started to give it all I had. I was making ground on some and getting pulled back by others. With about 75 yards to go, There was a spectacular crash just ahead of me with the top 3-5 guys which also took out the race officials standing on the side of the road! WOW! As Soon as I saw this I backed off my sprint to avoid being part of the carnage. I ended up 12th out of 27. Not too bad I guess for a dirty mountain bike/CX racer... In the end, I was surprised that a Cat 5 group would avg. 24.2 mph! really? Are these actually Cat 5 dudes? I guess I really have no reference to go by. But I do know how I will do things different if I line up again for a Crit...
As for the race itself, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had to do the Cat 5 race because I don't hold a road licence, or have any road races under my belt for an upgrade. But not a problem. I got to start somewhere. So I put my wheel on the line with 27 other "Cat 5's" (I am curious what the criteria is to be a Cat 5) and we were off. Since the race was going to be under 30 mins, the pace was quick right from the start. It instantly strung out on the first lap. Soon after, it came together for a bit, and then it was a battle to make sure people would hold their line. I got a little frustrated with this, and about 10 mins into the race decided to make a break to open things up a bit. I went hard for about 1 lap and paid for it. I was soon caught, but my plan worked and the pace stayed high from here on out. Another break went off, and this time I was in the field to chase them down. We worked together and got them back. I continued to stay up near the front to avoid any crashes. Everything was fine, until the last 2-3 laps. One rider went down hard on the right side of the course in a tricky section of corners. Luckily I was on the other side, and no one else went down. This did however cause several riders to get nervous and panic for the rest of the race. With 2 laps to go, the pace was getting quicker. I was sitting in the top 10 waiting to make a move if I could. In the final lap, things were strung out again, and others were trying to move to the front. I was in an OK position, but should have been closer to the front. Lesson learned. As I rounded the last corner getting ready to cue up for the sprint. I got boxed out by the guy on the inside of me, and I guess he needed to use his brakes. This pushed me toward the back of the top 10 pack. I shifted into a few more bigger gears but I was on the outside of the road and racers on the inside were already going into their sprint. I stood up and started to give it all I had. I was making ground on some and getting pulled back by others. With about 75 yards to go, There was a spectacular crash just ahead of me with the top 3-5 guys which also took out the race officials standing on the side of the road! WOW! As Soon as I saw this I backed off my sprint to avoid being part of the carnage. I ended up 12th out of 27. Not too bad I guess for a dirty mountain bike/CX racer... In the end, I was surprised that a Cat 5 group would avg. 24.2 mph! really? Are these actually Cat 5 dudes? I guess I really have no reference to go by. But I do know how I will do things different if I line up again for a Crit...
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Stony Death March 2011
The race that I vow that I will never do again year after year. Bad luck mechanicals. Dehydration. Crazy hot weather. Lack of endurance training. It has all seemed take a toll on me at this race one way or another. So here I am again. Again at what I like to call the Stony Death March. Beginner friendly Stony Creek, turned into one evil event year after year with 50 miles of pain for the experts. And this year was no different. With Temps in the mid 90's and the heat index at 102! Even the bad asses of the sport were getting mowed down one by one with the dreaded DNF. For me it was simple. Rely on all my additional base miles I put in for the year, and grind this thing out. Knowing that there will be a lot of DNFs for mechanicals and cramps, I rolled the dice and hoped for the best.
The plan for the day was to "Just Finish", maintain my hydration and nutrition plan so I wouldn't cramp, and try to keep my lap times as consistent as possible. From the whistle, the lead group went out like a 20 mile XC race. Have fun boys. I decided to go at my own pace and have my own race. My bud Shawn Schaffert had the same plan, and we helped pull and encourage each other on all 5 laps. This was awesome, to have someone there to help with the boredom of the race. We plugged along at a respectable clip, each taking turns. I felt good for the entire race, except for the last 4 miles or so. This is when Shawn was able to ride away from me. Its too bad I let him get away, because for both of our consistent efforts and determination to finish strong, Shawn was rewarded with a 5th place and I came in less than a minute later in 6th. I just can't seem to shake that 6th place curse, as this is my 3rd race in a row looking at the last step on the podium. But overall I had a great race. All my laps were between 45-48 mins. I finished in under 4 hrs with 3:54. And I felt great in the end. This is great news as I am nearing the start of my CX season.
TSB had a full squad representing also, which was great! And out of the 8 racers that showed up, at least half got on the podium! Great job. And special thanks to Trixie for all her hard work handing out bottles, and providing lunch to a bunch of famished stinky bike racers. Your the best!
So before I start training again for CX in less than a month, will my next stop be the Criterium Detroit City next weekend???? Its time to get my power on!
The plan for the day was to "Just Finish", maintain my hydration and nutrition plan so I wouldn't cramp, and try to keep my lap times as consistent as possible. From the whistle, the lead group went out like a 20 mile XC race. Have fun boys. I decided to go at my own pace and have my own race. My bud Shawn Schaffert had the same plan, and we helped pull and encourage each other on all 5 laps. This was awesome, to have someone there to help with the boredom of the race. We plugged along at a respectable clip, each taking turns. I felt good for the entire race, except for the last 4 miles or so. This is when Shawn was able to ride away from me. Its too bad I let him get away, because for both of our consistent efforts and determination to finish strong, Shawn was rewarded with a 5th place and I came in less than a minute later in 6th. I just can't seem to shake that 6th place curse, as this is my 3rd race in a row looking at the last step on the podium. But overall I had a great race. All my laps were between 45-48 mins. I finished in under 4 hrs with 3:54. And I felt great in the end. This is great news as I am nearing the start of my CX season.
TSB had a full squad representing also, which was great! And out of the 8 racers that showed up, at least half got on the podium! Great job. And special thanks to Trixie for all her hard work handing out bottles, and providing lunch to a bunch of famished stinky bike racers. Your the best!
So before I start training again for CX in less than a month, will my next stop be the Criterium Detroit City next weekend???? Its time to get my power on!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Ugh.... 6th again! PLRA XC
Things have been winding down. I haven't done any training in 2 weeks other than riding my bike for fun. No Plan. No intervals. Just fun. I start my new job on July 5th. So I really hope this is a new beginning for not only work, but getting mentally focused again for my life, racing, and training. I have already dropped 7lbs since Fort Custer. So I am getting back on track. And with everyday, every race, cyclocross is getting closer. Sometime around July it will be time to put on the running shoes again, and pull out the barriers to get ready for my real season. But before I get too carried away, there are still a few mountain bike races to take care of, and this is one of my favorites. Pontiac Lake XC...
Like I said, I have been basically peaked out since the Brighton Debacle. So I figured I would give it a go, and see what my fitness has done since. Surprisingly, I have been feeling great, and my Power on the flats is still high. Goal was simple. Ride as hard as I can. Don't pop. And sneak in a top 5. There were a few guys that came out of the woodwork today. Gotta love racing... So I knew it was going to be a tough race if I wanted to crack the top 5. The whistle blew, and we were off. Blistering pace into the single track for the first few miles. The trail was in awesome shape, and very fast. I settled into 5th place early on and slipped back to 6th. I was feeling good, and could really tell the difference the 7lbs made in climbing the hills! Gives me motivation to keep going. I pushed hard all the way. I caught and passed 5th place, and soon was riding by myself. Into the 2nd lap, I missed a bottle hand up. This proved to detrimental as I lost my other bottle on the bike on a bumpy downhill early in the 2nd lap. So I went the entire lap without any water and or nutrition. Ouch! On the last climb I could feel it. But during this time, I had also caught the dude in 4th, but he kept yo-yo-ing away from me. Into the 3rd lap, I got another bottle and sucked down as much as I could before the single track. Surprisingly, it helped me recover a little. Thanks Hammer Nutrition. I then got caught and passed by 2 others in my class. Not good. I was still feeling strong but was slowing a bit from the effects of the missed bottle. I pushed on knowing that anything could happen, and I was still in the hunt for a podium spot. On the last climb, I gave it all I had. I could hear someone coming up behind me, and not knowing what class they were in, I punched it. Onto the flats and into the last grass section, I big ringed it all the way home. I did not want to give any chances of getting beat at the line. Thank God, cause he was in my class. I ended up 6th... again. And missed 5th again, by 20 seconds. I was still happy with my result and my progress heading into Cyclocross and my new beginning at work. My lap times were not too bad either. 43, 45, 47. Obviously, the missed bottle hurt me in the end.
Maybe you might even see me at the Stony Marathon... It's still up in the air.
Like I said, I have been basically peaked out since the Brighton Debacle. So I figured I would give it a go, and see what my fitness has done since. Surprisingly, I have been feeling great, and my Power on the flats is still high. Goal was simple. Ride as hard as I can. Don't pop. And sneak in a top 5. There were a few guys that came out of the woodwork today. Gotta love racing... So I knew it was going to be a tough race if I wanted to crack the top 5. The whistle blew, and we were off. Blistering pace into the single track for the first few miles. The trail was in awesome shape, and very fast. I settled into 5th place early on and slipped back to 6th. I was feeling good, and could really tell the difference the 7lbs made in climbing the hills! Gives me motivation to keep going. I pushed hard all the way. I caught and passed 5th place, and soon was riding by myself. Into the 2nd lap, I missed a bottle hand up. This proved to detrimental as I lost my other bottle on the bike on a bumpy downhill early in the 2nd lap. So I went the entire lap without any water and or nutrition. Ouch! On the last climb I could feel it. But during this time, I had also caught the dude in 4th, but he kept yo-yo-ing away from me. Into the 3rd lap, I got another bottle and sucked down as much as I could before the single track. Surprisingly, it helped me recover a little. Thanks Hammer Nutrition. I then got caught and passed by 2 others in my class. Not good. I was still feeling strong but was slowing a bit from the effects of the missed bottle. I pushed on knowing that anything could happen, and I was still in the hunt for a podium spot. On the last climb, I gave it all I had. I could hear someone coming up behind me, and not knowing what class they were in, I punched it. Onto the flats and into the last grass section, I big ringed it all the way home. I did not want to give any chances of getting beat at the line. Thank God, cause he was in my class. I ended up 6th... again. And missed 5th again, by 20 seconds. I was still happy with my result and my progress heading into Cyclocross and my new beginning at work. My lap times were not too bad either. 43, 45, 47. Obviously, the missed bottle hurt me in the end.
Maybe you might even see me at the Stony Marathon... It's still up in the air.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Marching On... Fort Custer TT
Its been an off year, and a year for change. And not just in racing...
I guess if you wait long enough good things will happen. But sometimes, if you just sit back and wait for them to happen, the good things will never come. You have to make them happen! Does that all make sense?
And so that brings me to the Fort Custer TT. First off, what a fantastic trail! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time!!! Wow! If only I lived closer. Fort Custer has something for everyone, and this race is always one of my favorites. Much like my opening statement, this year the race day changed from the previous years to a much earlier time of year. And I was very welcome to it. However, as this has been a slightly off year for me so far in the life and training world, it was time for me to look forward and start making things happen again. I did not have the best racing day of my life, but it did offer a look into the rest of the year, and overall I was very pleased.
I did the usually double bagger. Geared and Single speed. I felt really good for both and mentally was ready to give it my all (first time all year). In the Expert 30-39 race. I gave it full gas. I could hang with anyone on the flat twisty sections, letting me know I have gained a lot of power over the spring, and could actually use it! However, I would lose time in the more technical sections, and of course on the climbs. but this is all great information I was able to process to make changes for the rest of the mountain bike season and especially for cyclocross. I finished up 6th place on the day with a time of 1:07:58. Just missing 5th place by 24 seconds. I am back in the hunt, and my 2011 podium quest continues! Overall I was very happy with the result especially considering the tough field that showed up.
By the time the Single speed raced rolled around, I was already spent from the first race, but was ready to give it all I had 1 more time. All the heavy hitters from the MI Single Speed world showed up to play! The filed was stacked, and it seemed like all the elites and experts that raced earlier had the same idea of doubling up for the day. With all the big names starting, I set my goal for a top 10 finish. I was riding fully rigid and the trail beat the hell out of me. So with not much left in the tank, I pushed as hard as I could and finished with a time of 1:13 and some change. This was enough for me to sneak into 10th place!
Great job to all my TSB team mates for making the trek over. We had about 10 folks and nailed a few podiums as well! See you all in a few weeks!
I guess if you wait long enough good things will happen. But sometimes, if you just sit back and wait for them to happen, the good things will never come. You have to make them happen! Does that all make sense?
And so that brings me to the Fort Custer TT. First off, what a fantastic trail! I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time!!! Wow! If only I lived closer. Fort Custer has something for everyone, and this race is always one of my favorites. Much like my opening statement, this year the race day changed from the previous years to a much earlier time of year. And I was very welcome to it. However, as this has been a slightly off year for me so far in the life and training world, it was time for me to look forward and start making things happen again. I did not have the best racing day of my life, but it did offer a look into the rest of the year, and overall I was very pleased.
I did the usually double bagger. Geared and Single speed. I felt really good for both and mentally was ready to give it my all (first time all year). In the Expert 30-39 race. I gave it full gas. I could hang with anyone on the flat twisty sections, letting me know I have gained a lot of power over the spring, and could actually use it! However, I would lose time in the more technical sections, and of course on the climbs. but this is all great information I was able to process to make changes for the rest of the mountain bike season and especially for cyclocross. I finished up 6th place on the day with a time of 1:07:58. Just missing 5th place by 24 seconds. I am back in the hunt, and my 2011 podium quest continues! Overall I was very happy with the result especially considering the tough field that showed up.
By the time the Single speed raced rolled around, I was already spent from the first race, but was ready to give it all I had 1 more time. All the heavy hitters from the MI Single Speed world showed up to play! The filed was stacked, and it seemed like all the elites and experts that raced earlier had the same idea of doubling up for the day. With all the big names starting, I set my goal for a top 10 finish. I was riding fully rigid and the trail beat the hell out of me. So with not much left in the tank, I pushed as hard as I could and finished with a time of 1:13 and some change. This was enough for me to sneak into 10th place!
Great job to all my TSB team mates for making the trek over. We had about 10 folks and nailed a few podiums as well! See you all in a few weeks!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Mother Nature's Peak Performance; Brighton Stage Race
Not much to report. Too many things went wrong, not enough went right. What was suppose to be my first A race of the year turned south. I wont bore you with the details or the pity party, but I did take something positive from the weekend. No matter how much I train, plan, and have luck on my side, bad races are going to happen. Its what I learn from them, to get stronger and perform better the next chance I get.
So sit tight. Got a make a few minor adjustments, because the season is only just begun...
Congrats to everyone that stuck it out the entire weekend and "finished" on Sunday's Mud fest. And if you were lucky enough to end up on the podium like my friend Brad Lako and Patrick Russell, my hats off to you because it was truly earned!
See you all at the Fort!
So sit tight. Got a make a few minor adjustments, because the season is only just begun...
Congrats to everyone that stuck it out the entire weekend and "finished" on Sunday's Mud fest. And if you were lucky enough to end up on the podium like my friend Brad Lako and Patrick Russell, my hats off to you because it was truly earned!
See you all at the Fort!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Pontiac Lake TT
For a second, I thought summer was upon us. Well at least that's how it felt in the afternoon for this years addition of the Pontiac Lake TT. This race is always a crap shoot, and this year was not any different. Heavy rain fell the the night before, and the winter has been hanging on day after day. So it was any one's guess what the trail conditions would be like for one of my favorite races. Well Mother Nature was on our side again for the most part. The trail was in good shape considering. A few greasy corners and some sloppy mud puddles. But it got better and better every lap.
I felt real strong again for the race, and was hoping for a good result. My lap times were just a hair under last year for my geared race. But with the conditions, I guess you could expect that some what. Like I said I was feeling strong and very consistent on the bike. But was only able to snag 7th out of 16. Just missing 5th by around 30 secs. My overall race time was 1:31 and some change. Not too bad considering I am only 4 weeks into the TCTP training plan.
As always I paid the extra $10 and jumped into the expert/elite single speed race. It was a very stacked class of elite racers. Probably almost all the fastest racers in the state! So I was not expecting a podium. However, I wanted to put up the fastest time I could, and get in some more hard training miles under race conditions. I nailed another 45 min lap. Again I was happy with this, but know it should have been faster.
At this point in my season, there is only one person to blame. Me. For the good and the bad. It is time to make the necessary adjustments to get the benefits from all my training. It begins now...
On a final note. Congrats to all my TSB team mates for their hard work at earning podiums! I hope to see more. And congrats to Lako and Payne on a Podium and a great finish! See you boys in a few weeks...
I felt real strong again for the race, and was hoping for a good result. My lap times were just a hair under last year for my geared race. But with the conditions, I guess you could expect that some what. Like I said I was feeling strong and very consistent on the bike. But was only able to snag 7th out of 16. Just missing 5th by around 30 secs. My overall race time was 1:31 and some change. Not too bad considering I am only 4 weeks into the TCTP training plan.
As always I paid the extra $10 and jumped into the expert/elite single speed race. It was a very stacked class of elite racers. Probably almost all the fastest racers in the state! So I was not expecting a podium. However, I wanted to put up the fastest time I could, and get in some more hard training miles under race conditions. I nailed another 45 min lap. Again I was happy with this, but know it should have been faster.
At this point in my season, there is only one person to blame. Me. For the good and the bad. It is time to make the necessary adjustments to get the benefits from all my training. It begins now...
On a final note. Congrats to all my TSB team mates for their hard work at earning podiums! I hope to see more. And congrats to Lako and Payne on a Podium and a great finish! See you boys in a few weeks...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)