Double or Nothing

it was 2008 when we coined this the Double or Nothing Metric. that year we did this ride on Saturday then hit the Udder Century Sunday, yes the very next day, for 100 miles. one day 62 miles with 6000 feet of climbing and the next day 100 miles in 5 hours (ride time). you had to do both to earn your Double or Nothing Badge. one of my most favorite cycling weekends to date.

the Double or Nothing name actually came about during the 08 BFNIC Spring Classic Ride. he was killing me up the hills. near the end of the ride i darted past and indicated last one to the top buys the first round. well, he grabbed my wheel, timed his jump just right, and hit the top first.

a few minutes later we approached another steep bugger. i dart past again and scream " Double or Nothing." i hit it hard at the bottom as i tend to do sometimes. too hard. midway up he zooms past me again. this was a longer climb though. i was falling back, but then i noticed he let up as he neared the top. i jumped on it hard.

as i neared his wheel the noise from the hard effort and my flapping wind jacket gave me away, maybe even startled Cy, and he droped the hamer one last time for the win.

tomorrow is the twenty ten version of the ride. good times. .

Fox River Grove Fun

photographic credit goes to the man Speciale. much thanks.

KOWR

part deux

5.16.10 Fox River Grove Crit, CAT 5.

i will keep this one short and sweet, OUCH.

seven times the 5s trudged up that hill.

halfway up on lap one a split took place. i knew i had to make the split to have a chance at top 5. as i spotted teammate Cook dart off to make the split i realized i was screwed. the legs were just not ready to go. i think it was a combination of a poor warm up and two hard efforts from Monsters on Saturday.

i stayed calm and rode within myself. the third or fourth time up i was struggling mightily. near the top of the climb i hooked up with teammate Djan and followed his lead through downhill section. i really needed that. he was hammering it at 30 mph plus and i was right in his draft, working only half as hard. without that recover my day could have ended prematurely.

a couple more times up the hill and the legs started to feel better. i was approaching the start/finish line thinking i was going to make a move the last few laps.......ONE to GO.......so much for the move.

i hit that hill that last time hard. i wanted to punch it in the face. just once. just like the six jabs to face i had taken from it. i think i got a glancing blow in and i passed several riders that last time up.

at the top i flew around Djan who seemed to be resting up or struggling a bit. i yelled to him, go go go, and he jumped on. i didn't want anyone passing us as we flew into the finish. no one did. in fact we were doing the passing.

then i snugged behind a BH rider as we approached the last turn. i believe he was off the front early in the race and now floating back. i could tell he didn't want us passing him. i stayed on his wheel as long as possible. we hit the last little downhill run into the finish when i jumped.

it was just us three. no one else around. with an open finish on a closed course. so, sprinting for 15th place seemed kosher. it was my first race day sprint. Djan almost got me at the end. almost, but i took it and that glorious 15th place finish.

TP Link/Stats

this wan fun. i like fun.

Turning It....

Monsters-Cat-4-5 (26 of 39), originally uploaded by Tim Speciale.

5/15/10 Monsters of the Midway Crit.

KAWOR

5/15/2010 Monsters of the Midway Crit, Chicago, IL.

it was held at the University of Chicago Campus on the South Side. i was going to tackle the 4/5 and 5 race, which were the last two races of the day. i think i prefer the early starts. waiting around for a 4:40pm race start is lame.

this was the first race where the family would be in tow. also, PSIMET Racing was going to be well represented with riders and families in tow. as we loaded up the car i rummaged through my cycling stuff and took out what i thought was unneeded winter gear. i mean it was calm and sunny in my neck of the woods.

hello, Chicago sits on this big arse lake where cold winds from oh Canada blow in.

the 4/5 was up first. i hit the start line in some borrowed team arm warmers. i would not retain feeling in my fingers until these were removed an hour later. yes, they are oddly tight.

i had no expectations for this race. i am 5, i need starts, i need experience and i needed a warm up. the course is completely flat and FAST. it was very easy to move up and very very easy to fall back. in a blink of any eye, or is that a tap of a brake, 20 riders could fly past.

about three laps in i noticed i was fairly comfortable taking those hard lefts at speed. that made me happy.

fast forward to the final lap. this would be after Mr. Rob yelled at me for being at the back. with one to go coming out of turn 2 i blastedup the inside. as i zoomed past EC from BH i yell lets go. then i hit turn 3 and remember being on the inside of this turn is the wrong line. see ya pack. i didn't bother with the sprint for 30th since i had the 5s race right after this one. placed 52nd out of 71.

TrainingPeaks Link/Stats

the 5s race went off 10 minutes after the 4/5. thanks to solid advice from, Mr. Rob ,the team owner, i was four pins and one gel away from being ready. 3 of us from PSIMET Racing who just finished the 4/5 would roll the 5s.

as we lined up second row i noticed a guy on the line with a saddle bag. clearly he didn't get any sage race advice from his team owner and manager. wait, his saddle bag, that is attached to his Trek Madone with HED carbon wheels, is open. i mention to Cook that he should watch out for flying CO2s.

the race was fast, just like the previous, and pretty uneventful as far as racing goes. the wind was not a factor and the course does not lend itself to breakaways. i found myself near the front & on the front the beginning of the race. i thought about going for a bread prime at one point. i love bread, but the xXx rider looked hungry.

as we approached the start/finish line for the one lap to go bell i was stuck in the back. i don't recall how i got there, but i must have been hurting. i spotted xXx gathering at the front and i shot up the left side. we hit the start/finish line and i was flying.

i passed teammate Cook and thought "Let them do the work" (when i say thought i mean i yelled it out) AND "Where the hell can I squeeze in this pace line" (which i did not yell, but should have).

i didn't get back in the pace line. i stepped on the gas some more. i hit turn 1 in front and i knew i had one rider on my tail. this lead me to believe they were all there. i didn't look. i should have looked. maybe i couldn't look? so, i slowed in order to "Let them do the work." nobody came around. we hit turn 2 and nobody came around. in fact not until the middle of the back straight away did some one come around. they all did and i was caught on the outside when a move went on the inside.

20 or so riders zoomed past. i was pissed, made an attempt, but failed. as i came out of the last turn i strolled in for 35th out of 50.

according to my wife there were three of us, including teammate Cook, and we had a gap on the pack. it must have been a decent one for her to mention it.

TrainingPeaks Link/Stats

all in all, i was not a happy camper at the end of this race day......


*KAWOR - Kick Ass Weekend Of Racing* has been and is coined by PSIMET Racing and may not be used without prior approval of PSIMET himself. jus sayin.

In The Money

when the top 4 get paid and only 4 racers show, well, you get the idea. still, i had to hang on to a couple CAT 2'ers in order to finish and collect my cash. :)

Kenosha Business Park Crit 5/2/10, raced 4/5 where i was 5th out of 8 and masters 30+ where i was 4th out of 4. very hard efforts and some good practice with a couple fast technical turns. otherwise, kinda a waste of my time.