Another year older, another year closer to masters

Some people my age look at 30 as a negative turning point in there life, something to be avoided not embraced. While I am not there yet I just turned 28 and this just means I am a little closer to 30 and that's a good thing. I want to be thirty(or at least a racing age of 30) it means I can go race Masters Nationals. I am really looking forward to chasing a jersey in the TT(RR and crit also). With that said the TT bike is done as well as the budget will allow:

It's been a bit.

Ok, so with the race season over I have slid the posting to the back burner but I'll add a couple new things. The new-ish TT bike is almost complete(pics coming soon) and a new flag to fly in the nor-cal race scene for me. It's not set in stone just yet but it is a small group of chill guys that just want to go out and race hard and race alot. No club that also have a team, no guys that like the idea of racing but do 1 race at the start of the season and disappear. Focused committed guys that rip. We wont be the biggest or stacked but I think it will be a lot of fun.


Next season should be fun, a full season without worring about upgrade points or class changes just racing, trying not to get dropped and working on my TT for nationals and next year('10 masters nationals).

Interbike crits.

Ending the season without a result but with my skin
In the 2/3 race there were just 20 finishers of 80 on the start list. Some of this was due to pulled riders not being placed but most of that was from crashes. I got absolutely destroyed by the heat(94 degrees at the start and baking asphalt) and tried one break off the front that didn't go anywhere. I just rode it in for 15 happy to stay upright.

The Industry cup was thankfully smaller than last year at 60ish(100+ last year). The guys that did the race last year said it was better this year cause people actually belonged there instead of the guy who races his bike one a year just showing up. That didn't stop the crashes though. On the very first lap, very first turn, a group of guys smacks the barrier and goes down splitting the field. I get in a group of 10 or so and we try to chase back on. A couple guys drop off and it is down to a group of 6 chasing a group of 30. The time gaps hold roughly the same every lap at 40 seconds to the front and 14 seconds to the tail of the main group. I don't think we are going to catch them but I really don't want to stop. One of the chasers clips a pedal and takes another guy out and now we are 4. Finally we get pulled with 6 laps to go still with the same time gap. I'm a little bummed they didn't let us ride it out since we weren't losing time and wont get lapped. Oh well, at least I left with all skin attached which is more than about 100 other guys can say.

1 week left in the season. It's Vegas time.

Just a little bit longer. Hold it together. Only 7 days left in the competitive season till I can switch over to mind numbing(and toes, fingers, ears, etc. thanks to the cold) base miles for next year. Last up on the ticket it Interbike. Beer, go-go dancers, models paid to act interested as some toothpick guy drools at there feet while looking at new products, oh and some racing. First up is a 2/3 race with a ok purse that I hope to do well in. The course is in the parking lot of a hotel and dark. Super tight corners made lots of crashes last year. 2 hours later is the Industry cup. What is targeted as a chance for industry reps to bring a bike and throw down rapidly became a ringer show. Recognize this guy:


That's Mario Cippolini. Not sure if Cippo will race this year but a host of other guys who have funny colored bars on there sleeves will nake it fast and painful. Honestly I don't expect to do great in this especially after doing the previous race but I hope to get first retailer so I can nab a jersey.

Folsom Cyclebration Omnium

P/1/2
Stage 1 TT:
Kinda boring out and back on a bikepath/mup along side a canal. There were 3 steep short humps each direction that were suprisingly painful. It was also slightly uphill on the way out and mild headwind. I tried to positive split my power knowing this. Ended with a time around 21:30 for the 10 mile course and 5th in the p/1/2. My teammates went 3rd and 7th. I was feeling like a burnt match for the past couple weeks but after I downloaded my power file for the race I saw a 334av and 335np wattage which is pretty close to my best for the season so not to much to complain about.


Stage 2 crit:

For those of you who know the Nor-Cal area it was run on the Sierra Nevada crit course but backwards. We controled the race from the start. The three of us took turns going on attacks and picking up primes while the other two marked every move. I felt great. I was working hard but actually having a blast which was very different than the last p/1/2 races I did. Nobody wanted to bridge when every time they looked over they saw a blue streak. Finally my teammate Chris Lyman sitting 3rd in the omnium jumped with about 20 minutes to go(sooner than he wanted) and we covered. He stayed away to the end for his first p/1/2 win solo. Nice


Stage 3 circuit:

Rolling course in historic folsom across two bridges with a tight finish. Didn't really favor Chris so I just tried to keep it together and limit the losses. Joel Robertson of Sierra Pacific(3rd in the omnium) attack and I couldn't go with him due to my position. I thought the others had seen him go but never really asked them, oops. No one really wanted to chase and a group of three got away never to be seen again. We still pulled 2nd 6th and 8th in the omnium.

Let the suffering continue: Dunnigan Hills RR

43 mile loops 86 total
The course was mostly flat with some rolling hills and freaking brutal cross winds. The officials announce there is a center line rule in effect for all but the final sprint. We all line up and Eric Wholberg attacks from mile 1. Bastard. Lots of jockeying and creative maneuvering ensues to grab wheels. the pack makes a right turn and it's time for the cross winds. The pack quickly echelons across the road with the majority of the pack over the yellow. Faced with two options either stay to the right of the yellow and blow up quickly or be a lemming, hop the line and get a draft. I opt for number 2.

Attacks continue to go and I suffer along with each of them. Still strung out across the road the moto was sitting right behind us and not saying anything yet. It was like cheating on a test with the teacher standing right behind you just waiting. Well finally the DQ's came but only to the riders that advanced a spot. Most of the time it was to close a gap a rider infront of the had created but thats what they decided.

Toward the close of the first lap we made a right onto a fast tailwind section and the pace got very high. Unfortunatly there was a wheel eating pothole in this section. A VOS ride manages to ride through the crater but as the tacoed wheel began to break spokes it finally gave way resulting in a horrible face plant. I hope he is alright. I got gapped by the crash and tried to chase back on with a couple other guys but it was a losing battle and we wern't working well together. I called it after the first lap when I stood up to strech out my back and my left knee started to hurt.
SUCK.

SuiSun Crit: Out with a bang in with a whimper

After winning my last crit as a 3 I upgraded and this was going to be my first race as a 2. I knew coming into it guys were going really fast right now and I have been clutching onto what little form I have since January. After another crash 2 weeks ago and being on the TT bike for Esparto last weekend I really couldn't get over the sketchy feeling around corners. I wasn't very comfortable before the start. Most of the p/1/2 field was rolling on the course before the race since there was suppose to be a kids race but nobody signed up.

Rolling past the start/finish I hear "10 minutes to the start" so we keep rolling. A couple more times through and I know it must be getting close so I'll stop on the next lap cause I want to start at the front.
As I round the last corner I see a wall of riders in front of me. Starting dead last.

Goals for the race:
Don't get dropped
don't crash
Don't get dropped
Oh and Don't get dropped

The race starts and it is strung out from the whistle and it hurts already. 72 laps to go. Don't get dropped. don't get dropped. I accept my fate as a tail-gunner for now since I am really uncomfortable and don't want to advance on the straights just to slow riders in the corners. Observations: The poor riding doesn't stop in the 3's its just faster in the 1/2. Biggest change isn't the speed but the duration that they maintain the speed. It wasn't much faster that the fastest times in a 3 race but instead of it being ballistic for a lap or two it was on for 71 of the 72 laps. I saw some stupid stuff that just defies logic. Also, you hear a lot of "hold your line","on you right","slowing" etc in a 3 race and none of that in the 1/2. You do hear and extreme amount of F-Bombs though

Well, the rest of the report is about the same. I just suffered greatly and finished with one of the most rewarding pack finishes I've had. I know I would have spent much less energy in the thick of the pack or off the front pushing for a break