Kenosha Velosport Spring Training Criterium #1, Pleasant Prairie, WI, March 13, 2011

With temperatures in the mid to upper 30s and with winds at 8-10 mph, I ventured north of the Cheddar Curtain for the first race of the 2011 season. This was my debut race for Geneva-based Bicycle Heaven, having transferred from Wheelfast Racing in the off-season.

Our Cat 4 race was scheduled to last 35 minutes. However, there was a bad crash in the Cat 5 race (involving lost teeth, a broken jaw, and blood on the pavement) which necessitated a visit from the ambulance. I’m sure the thoughts and best wishes of every rider went out to the fallen, knowing that “there but for the grace of god go I.” The incident set the day’s schedule back by about half an hour, so after a vote at the line the officials decided to cut our race to 30 minutes. Unbeknownst to us at the time, they would end up cutting even more. But I get ahead of myself…

About 35 riders rolled to the line after the ambulance left the course and the, ahem, “moisture” had been washed off of the pavement (in the words of the ABR official). I lined up in the front row. Looking around, I saw handfuls of Team Mack, Psimet, ABD, and Spidermonkey riders.

Forget the preliminaries, let’s go! The pack gunned it right from the whistle, and we instantly strung out. I sat in 5^th wheel position for a lap or so, and then let myself drift back to 7^th wheel. I was feeling good and trying to stay as relaxed as possible. Spending 30+ minutes in the drops is always a bit of a shock to the system so early in the season, and I was focusing on keeping my upper body relaxed.

After a few laps of riding single-file, the pace dropped, but only ever so slightly. We bunched together as a peloton and followed every attack, of which there were plenty. However, most of them were solo and none of them really had any hope of staying away. A Mack rider launched a particularly wicked attack about halfway through, but the field reacted in kind and reeled him in.

Surprisingly, the race was pretty clean for it being so early in the season. Only once did I have to loudly announce “hey” to an Expo rider who started drifting into my path as we zipped along the start/finish stretch. Here and there I would announce “on the right…on your left,” but never in response to any close calls and never in anger. Not once did a single profanity cross my lips, and that is saying a lot. And there wasn’t any of the infuriating “slowing…braking!” that can often permeate a Cat 4 field.

Over halfway into the race and I was still feeling good. I never got boxed in, and any time that I found myself too close to the back I would use the ample road space to move back up near the front. My lungs were clear, and my legs were steady. I never felt gassed, and actually found myself enjoying the hard efforts…especially when we turned into the start/finish stretch and powered over the mild incline.

With only a few minutes left to go I once again found myself near the back. However, I was right behind a couple of Spidermonkey guys…knowing that their team has pulled down some good results in the past I figured that I should keep an eye on them and follow their moves.

With 3 laps to go I was still near the back, so after turn one I jumped up the left side and get back near the front. My plan was to hold position, grab a drink, and relax the legs as much as possible. I never imagined that during the course of that lap we would go through some sort of bizarre time warp, because as we came around again the lap cards were now showing 1 to go. Really? Those two minutes were really going to make-or-break the racing schedule for the rest of the day? But c’est la vie…

The field went berserk, and what ensued was pretty close to an all-out sprint. I obviously need to work on my power, because I lost too much ground. Still, I continued to fight like hell, and after we negotiated the final turn I hit the gas as much as possible. I finished 17^th out of 21 finishers…which was a pretty mediocre finish, but I like to think that I could have done better if I’d had another lap in which to get set in position.

My availability for the next few races is in considerable doubt, with my wife being due on March 21. I would love to Joliet and Burnham, but we’ll have to see. At the very least, I should be back in action for the Sherman Park crit and the agony-inducing Leland Kermesse. Stay tuned…

It's go time.

Faithful readers (all 2 or 3 of you...you know who you are) might have noticed a subtle change in the name of this blog. "Pinchy's Wheelfast Adventures" has become "Pinchy's Heavenly Adventures." No, I did not shuffle off this mortal coil and am not typing this from beyond the grave. Rather, in the off-season I made the difficult decision to leave my Wheelfast komrades and join the ranks of Bicycle Heaven. Tomorrow's season-opening criterium in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin will be my first race under the blue, black, and teal of the BH crew.

Is it race time already, you ask? Oh heavens, yes. Time to see what kind of shape I'm in after all of those hours in the basement riding to suffer-inducing training videos. Pinchy has received a thorough cleaning, and is sporting a new cassette and a chain that isn't as stretched out as Gumby. He could still use to be recabled, but we're getting there. It is time to put the rubber to the road and turn those pedals in anger.

That being said, the early part of this racing season is going to up in the air for me. This is because it is also "go" time in another important way...my wife is due with our first child on March 21. This is smack dab in the middle of all of the Pleasant Prairie crits, the Joliet Autobahn race, and the South Beloit Blackhawk Farms Speedway race. Not knowing whether the baby is going to be punctual like his father, or whether it will opt for an early or late checkout, means that I'll have to be making a lot of game-day decisions. I won't want to be hours away at a race when she needs to be heading in to the hospital! Also, being a first-time father I have no idea what the time impact and fatigue levels are going to be. Fortunately, my wife is very supportive and is encouraging me to keep riding and racing as much as possible. She still doesn't like it when I shave my legs, though.

Hopefully the baby comes more or less on time, so that things have started to settle down a bit by the time that the Sherman Park Crit and the Leland Kermesse roll around in April. Maybe it won't be pouring down rain during Sherman Park. Maybe we won't have 30 mph gusts during the Kermesse. A man can dream, right?

The legs are starting to feel somewhat strong. Pinchy is clean and tuned up. And the house is now cluttered with crib, stroller, basinette, etc. So, be it on the road or in a delivery room, it is definitely go time.