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.

Flatlandia Kermesse

MK3_7077, originally uploaded by never drown out.

Leading the charge through the loose gravel.

2010 Flatlandia Kermesse, Leland, IL
-Road Race, 15 mile laps including three sections of gravel.
-CAT 5 was three laps.

I arrived early in fact way earlier then I wanted or needed to. Does that race day excitement wear off eventually? By now everyone knows, it was sunny, but windy, which made it cold AND there was some gravel. Not hard packed Cottonwood Pass dirt road stuff, but good old country living loose gravel road stuff. In fact, I do believe they grow there gravel rocks pretty darn big out there in Leland.

Let’s get rolling; as we roll out with a neutral start I immediately realize I am stuck on the right and in the cross wind. At least I was in the big ring and got clipped in. One of these days I will get the starting stuff right. I wasn’t sure how my legs would be since I was pre occupied with some allergies and a nasty neck/shoulder stiffness & pain. I was rolling next to and chatting up EC from BH. Everyone knew he was the guy to keep an eye on. He goes and I imagine 10 of us follow. It was pretty tame before that first section of gravel. The nasty crosswind blew me into the gutter, but my mad skills saved it without losing ground. Minutes later EC did the same thing, which we laughed about later. At one point I bumped into Bangert as I moved up and our bars got hooked. No worries, me and him are like Fonzie and avoided disaster without anyone noticing.

Mile 8ish of the first lap we made that left onto the first gravel section. I was midpack I believe going into it. No one went down, but everyone seemed to panic a bit including me. Next thing I know I am going backwards. Hey, so is Bangert. Hey, so is MCook. Hey, so is MZ. At least I had company. It did organize fairly quickly after that and we had one very long line of riders. I was worried, but everyone was still in sight, even if I was oh so way back. We took a left and EC took darted to the left side taking riders with him. No worries, I am still in the game. Next we hit a right turn with some seriously soft gravel right in the middle of it. I have never seen riders fall down so slowly. It was funny and it was not funny. They were falling right in front of me. I think 3 dudes just fell over.

They didn’t take anyone down with them, I think, but it fractured the group. I was way back now. Two or three groups were riding away, including the winning one with EC. I was on Bangert’s wheel with two other riders for the next couple minutes. It felt like we were slowing down when we needed to be hammering down. I got the sense that everyone was going into self survival mode. I don’t blame anyone for that, heck I was in that mode too. However, I needed to be in race survival mode, so I went. At some point MCook picked me up or I picked him up and we pressed on hard in that gravel.

As we rolled out of that section onto the pavement and into a tailwind we had passed everyone, but the leaders. We could still see them and MCook was ready to go go. I wasn’t sure. We had not even completed lap one. It would take a huge effort for only two of us to catch that group. I said we should wait for someone to bridge up and help. We needed help.

No one ever came. I don’t think anyone ever tried. Not sure. I don’t know how long we sat up, but eventually we pressed on. It was too damn late. At mile 10 our race for the podium was over.

The balance of the race was just as epic. MCook and I both took pointless flyers off our 5 man group at one point. After the race we were like, WTF. Lap two had me gunning it at 30 mph with that tailwind on the last section of gravel. I was floating on the crap. Ran out of water. Purposely shed some riders on the last lap to try to ensure top tens for us.

Last lap we hit the tailwind with a 5 from Half Acre. I try to drop him, he tries to drop me, does, but MCook brings us back. He made a great move on the gravel where he gunned it on a slight incline to pass some riders. I burnt my last match getting back to his wheel. As we are about to exit the gravel and turn to the finish I yell back, “MCook you still there?” and he is. I was hoping we could take the Half Acre rider, but we didn’t. No sprint, he just jumped and I couldn’t.

8th for MCook and 9th for me. Me and the kid had a great time out there. For sure.

Race stats for those who care. Max HR and CAD data is not correct.

Entire workout (232 watts):
Duration: 2:21:46
Work: 1972 kJ
TSS: 218.6 (intensity factor 0.964)
Norm Power: 251
VI: 1.08
Pw:HR: -1.2%
Pa:HR: -7.95%
Distance: 45.814 mi
Elevation Gain: 457 ft
Elevation Loss: 469 ft
Grade: -0.0 % (-10 ft)
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 819 232 watts
Heart Rate: 132 246 170 bpm
Cadence: 46 239 96 rpm
Speed: 0 31.2 19.4 mph
Pace 1:55 0:00 3:06 min/mi
Altitude: 688 745 717 ft
Crank Torque: 0 885 211 lb-in

Hillsboro-Roubaix 2010

that was fun. srsly.

my third race and first road race. the 29 mile loop was a challenge for me and my skillz. tight country roads with winter muck not washed away yet, short risers, short descents with tricky "s" turns, quick turns and the wind.

early start to the day since i was staying at the in laws about 60 miles away from the the race start. i didn't have the grand breakfast that some had, but i grabbed a McGriddle and some coffee in Litchfield. i got to tell you something, a pancake muffin injected with syrup is pure genius. god bless the Golden Arches.

i was pretty early to the start getting a prime parking spot near the start/finish. checked in, got instructions on proper number placement. since there were two, a giant one and a small one, i had the lady write down on the back which side which number went. later when the full crew arrived Rob pointed out that i pinned the numbers on wrong or backwards. even when a CAT 5 follows instructions he is wrong.

it was cool to hang out with the experts of the team before the start. warm up was solid as i rolled out with Rob, Kyle and Crystal. in typical Rob fashion he was all 411 and i was taking it in.

the first time we went up the "big climb" the sharp left turn on the decent really surprised me. i was in the gravel, then the grass, but managed to keep it all together. after that turn is the decent into and onto the brick road. my first thought was holly sh!t. i was coasting down it and hitting 30 with ease. the transition to the brick road is plastered with asphalt patches, uneven payment, and oh yeah, a left hand turn at the bottom. next, after the decent the bricks continue, slightly uphill, and i was bouncing all over the place. i was not comfortable on this section at all. i took two more warm up passes on it though. all that and all i had done was a solid warm up.....

lets race. the neutral start was helpful since i was small chaining it at the start line. Matt and I lined up together in the second row, then waited 10 to 15 minutes for the roll out. unfortunately, this would be the most time i spent with Matt.

4 miles in i was in the back 1/3rd of the pack. not due to fitness, but more a lack of skills. i need to work on getting my arse in the front half of packs and hope that comes with more races. the back was all that CAT 5s are said to be; brakes, surges, brakes, surges, squirrels, brakes, and surges.

then, everyone yells slowing, i hear brakes, i hear metal, i hear a pop, and the guy in front of me locks up his brakes. i got no where to go, so i continue forward on my line, slowing, but not braking, and i believe i pushed that guy off the road into the ditch. i either got my tire square on his or into his RD. not sure, but my first thought was braking hard was not the right thing. 5 seconds later i see Matt, who had been riding well near the front, floating back. remember the pop? as we pass i say, "flat" he says "flat" then i say "fuck" and slam my bars.

4 miles in his day was done.

i spent the next 16 miles at the back of the pack. i never got comfortable. braking and surging again and again. i would move up and fall back quickly. at one point on a nasty quick decent with a s turn i started to move up when a Metro East rider came blazing by on my left, into the gravel shoulder and i was sure he was bound for the ditch and a 10' drop. several minutes later he rejoined the pack, but i have more on him later.

riding at the back and being caught on the wrong side of the cross wind was killing me. no one was breaking away and no one was pushing the pace that hard. however, doing what i was doing was bad. at mile 20 the pace did pick up a bit and i was falling off the lead 20 guys. we hit a roller and i found myself standing, nailing it, and losing ground.

all i could hear was Curtis; "don't ever lose the wheel in front of you. do everything you can to stay with the pack.do it."

standing and hitting it hard for only 5 strokes, i pause, 5 more, i think i am done.

no no no. i am telling myself this out loud with a few curse words that i believe could have been DQ'ed. i bury myself and i grab back onto the pack at mile 22ish.

at mile 25 the pace really picks up and i finally look down at the Garmin and think the two climbs should be coming. i look up and i see the feed zone climb. i like climbing.

i am on the inside as we hit the two hills and think that is dumb. we shed riders in the feed zone. as we hit the final hill a skinny rider stands to go at the base and the pace picks up. i keep thinking go, but wait. half way up that rider is blown up and going back. my inside line didn't hurt me and i passed half the pack on this section.

next we have the nasty left and mad decent. at the top, the previous mentioned Metro East rider asks me if there are any more hills and i say no, but watch out for the tricky left. he floats back and i am about 5th going into the turn. he returns, blazing inside me and yelling; "look out & I'm sorry." he has pushed me back into the soft gravel and grass ditch that i scouted on my warm up. he and several other riders fly past me.

shift, jump, check bottles, grab his wheel and i am bombing the decent. i don't bomb, but i did today. i was up, just off the saddle as we hit the rough stuff. i was passing everyone and catching the two leaders. as i hit 41 mph a sharp left approached, i was on the inside, then remembered i am also bad at taking corners at high speed. i brake hard and fall back.

i navigate that turn, but i was dead up the last little incline of bricks. somehow i passed two riders. we hit the corner and the better pavement, but two riders flew by me. maybe three not sure. i thought i was done and should sit up, then i look up and there aint that many riders in front of me. i cant stand, but i am turning the crank. i believe i passed two the last 200m to finish 6th.

i finished up my day cheering on PSIMET Racing. a really really nice day. congrats to those who raced, especially those doing two laps and double especially to those with a brick.

my ride stats are HERE

i have logged some miles, slow and fast, low and high, solo and with a 1000 others, but this was fun. CAT 5'ish fun for sure. later.

C.O.U.G.A.R.

» Date 3/28/2010

» Name of event: COUGAR

» Format of event: Criterium (Autobahn Race Track)

» Number of riders 30 in CAT 5

» Placing 15

» Distance 13.51 miles

» Time 00:36:41

» Average speed 22 mph

» Average Power 214w / Max Power 829w

» Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better: Overcast, Drizzly, Cold & Windy. Local event in Joliet so limited drive time. Team had 6 riders in the 5s. A break at lap two of two stayed away. Pack raced for 3rd. Once again I went to the front to early. That effort into the wind killed me coming out of the last turn. I was in the lead again into that turn.


---------------


» Date 3/28/2010

» Name of event: COUGAR

» Format of event: Criterium (Autobahn Race Track)

» Number of riders 26 in MASTERS 30-39

» Placing DNF

» Distance 8.94 miles

» Time 00:25:10

» Average speed 22 mph

» Average Power 238w / Max Power 977w

» Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better: Overcast, Drizzly, Cold & Windy. Local event in Joliet so limited drive time. Race #2 of my day. It started out super fast and never let up. I thought I would be OTB before the first turn. I hung of for 3 laps at the back then 3 laps with Thomas, then called it a day. OUCH.

Burnham Spring Super Crit

» Date 3/27/2010

» Name of event Burnham Spring Super Crit

» Format of event Criterium (Autobahn Race Track)

» Number of riders 38 in CAT 5

» Placing 22

» Distance 14.88 miles

» Time 00:41:19

» Average speed 22 mph

» Average Power 197w / Max Power 886w

» Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better: Sunny, but cold for 8:30am start. 2 hour drive to S. Beloit. First real race and not the typical 4 corner crit style. More subtle and wide on the race track. I felt good. I lead going into the last turn, but worked too hard to get there and sat up as everyone flew past. Needed to wait longer. Fitness is there.


----------------------------------------------------


» Date 3/27/2010

» Name of event: Burnham Spring Super Crit

» Format of event: Criterium (Autobahn Race Track)

» Number of riders: 45 in Masters 30-39

» Placing: 37

» Distance: 17.11 miles

» Time: 00:41:00

» Average speed: 25 mph

» Average Power: 208w / Max Power 940w

» Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better: Second Race of the day and my career @ 10:50am. The goal was to hang on to the main pack since Masters is an open CAT. Faster pace, but easy for Masters, I was told. Group stayed together with no breaks and I handled the surges. Need to be more in the pack for experience.

It Is Officially Spring.

the Proof

i raced. i had fun, see me smilling, and i mixed it up a bit, see me at front on the last lap.

we have a winner

PSIMET Racing has a winner. See the glorious details HERE. all we need now are the team kits.

congrats to TQ on the win. dont you just feel the power and speed and force coming out of the picture!

next up for me; racing this weekend.

Race Journel

soon enough these will be outisde, REAL racing.

-Date 2/20/2010

-Name of event ABD Indoor Rolling 10K TT

-Format of event Computrainer Indoor TT

-Number of riders 24 in CAT 4

-Placing 11th

-Distance 10k

-Time 16:33:50

-Average speed 23 mph

-Average Power 290 watts

-Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better: Hot and stale. This one was harder than anticipated. It hurt the legs. My main downfall was too much coasting on the down slopes.

*Yes, this is old news.

tik tok

time that is, not the current pop hit that is on the radio every 10 minutes that i sing like a little grade school girl.

it seems just like yesterday that i thought March would never come. now March is almost over. before March can end i will race. two races the last weekend of March. two events at each race. it seemed like a good idea at the time of registration.

training hours are up compared to last year. you may recall last year it was all about Colorado. the Bicycle Tour of Colorado; 6 days, 550 miles, two 12k summits. looking back at my training log i see 57 hours of training through March 31st. currently i am at 65 hours bike/trainer and 8 hours of core strength.

hours do not tell the entire story. training with power has given me motivation and focus over the winter. the hours have been harder and seemingly longer. much, much, more suffering this off season.

it is not all fresh roasted & brewed coffee around here though. lately, i am a bit lost, tired, and achy. my chronic left IT Band started barking at me last week. i am unsure how to transition the training outdoors and around events......ect.....

blah blah blah sings the current pop sensation. later.

Peaking...

everyone says dont be a christmas star. whatever, this RACE is worth it. later.

Odd Things...

it is Febuary in Chicago. we just got 12 inches of snow in one day and had an earthquake.

all i care about is March and its arrival.

is it March yet?

race journal

ChicagoBikeRacing.com is a great site. check it out and see for your self.

i am no longer weight loss aham23, or century aham23, or getting high aham23, but racer aham23.

so, i just read all 33 of his racing tips. most are targeted at the noobies like me. one says i should keep a race journal. that is cool since i love my numbers and the tracking of them.



» Date 1/24/2010

» Name of event ABD Indoor Flat 10K TT

» Format of event Computrainer Indoor TT

» Number of riders 28 in CAT 4

» Placing 8

» Distance 10k

» Time 15:34:31

» Average speed 25 mph

» Notes on conditions, key moments and why I didn’t do better : Hot and stale. The last 5 minutes. I should have pushed the last minute harder. I should have kept my arse down on the seat the entire time. AVG pwr around 300w.

**edit** Coach and Captin's Race Write Up is HERE.

Colorado Dreaming....

it's evolution baby

2010, the year of racing.

PSIMET Racing Team

this should be.......interesting.

its over......

the blogness of aham23 is nearing its end.

the above really reads like someone cares, which is not the intention.

i care. the start of this blog marked the start of my transformation. a transformation i had no clue was coming.

a transformation to what? to a better fitter me? to the high school me? to a happy sober husband and father? to the greatest recreational will county cyclist evar?

i have pictures. i have stories. i have this blog. it can be done. when they say it can not, point them my way.......