Leland Kermesse, Leland, IL, April 21, 2012

Today was the day that all area bike racers both look forward to and fear at the same time...the Leland Kermesse.   A 15-mile circuit in the middle of the still-barren cornfields with five miles of gravel and barely a tree to block the wind.  

I had made it my mission to finish the race this year, come hell or high water.  I had finished (and taken 8th) in the 2009 race, but that was on a shorter, 10-mile course with only one mile of gravel.  In 2010 the organizers expanded it to the 15-mile loop.  I abandoned after one lap...despite sunny skies, the winds were horrendous (30+ mph gusts) and I had absolutely nothing in the tank.  I sat out the 2011 edition, as it was just a few weeks after our son was born.  I thought about going, then looked out the window at the horrible weather and said "uhhhh...no."

So it was with a great deal of determination that I swore to finish it this year.  The weather was actually quite nice...mostly sunny skies, and manageable wind.  Early in the morning I met up with newly-minted Cat 3 Bryan Fuller and his friend Tom, who was going to work the feed zone.  Along with Jim Spanish, and with the gentle, melodious strains of Steel Panther caressing our ears, we carpooled down to Leland.  

The Cat 4s were scheduled to do 4 laps/60 miles.  About 75 riders had pre-registered, but only 66 rolled to the line.  I had numerous Bicycle Heaven teammates in the field, and my old WFR komrade Jason R was there, too.  The officials sent us off for the mile-long neutral roll-out, and although there isn't supposed to be any jockeying for position during this neutral time, tons of guys were stealthily moving up and around.  

We hit the official start line, and the hammer came down.  For the first few miles of pavement we were crushing it at 27-28 mph, but with the usual Cat 4 slowing/accelerating/slowing/accelerating for no reason.  The follow moto was constantly blaring his horn for yellow-line violators.  Despite the high tempo, I was feeling good...HR was moderate, breathing was fine, and my legs were responding to the accelerations just fine.  So far, so good.

When we hit the first gravel section, though, I got caught behind a few riders who allowed a gap to open.  About 20 or so riders opened up some ground on my position, but I just couldn't get around to bridge up to them.  They didn't get too far up the road, and I was confident that once we exited the gravel I'd be able to close the gap.  I spent the next section of pavement as "the tip of the spear" trying to chase down the lead group.  We were gaining ground on them as we neared the next section of gravel.  And that is when the day took a turn for the worse.  

I was still in the lead of the chase group as we negotiated the right-hand turn.  I took it very slowly and cautiously, not knowing what the condition of the gravel was.  I took a pretty easy line at no more than 10-12 mph.  But the gravel in the turn was very deep and very loose, and in a nanosecond it had grabbed my front wheel and I went down hard on my right side.  A rider directly behind me ran straight into me and got tangled up.  As I lay there in the gravel with my right calf almost cramping up, this guy starts screaming "f--k!  F--K!!!!"  I think I even said "I'm sorry," but what could I do?  It happens to the pros, too, dude.  I couldn't tell if his profanity was directed at me or was just general venting that he was now losing time on the lead group.  

I picked myself up and dusted myself off.  The corner marshal asked "are you OK?"  My response was "mostly."  The palm of my right glove, and the skin underneath, were shredded.  I knew I had some road rash (gravel rash?) on my right hip, but my shorts weren't even torn.  I could tell that my right knee had been chewed into a little bit, along with my right forearm.  But all in all it wasn't too bad.  For a brief moment I thought "crap, 12 miles into the race and I'm gonna have to abandon."  But then I resolved to do at least one more lap and see how I was feeling.  My bike seemed to be OK, but for the fact that my left brake lever was turned 45 degrees inward from where it should have been.  So I wrenched it back into place, hopped back on the bike, and rode off.  

Lap two went pretty well.  I connected with teammates John and Matt F, and we worked together.  At one point we came across the lead group of Cat 4 women, where Mara was riding strong.  We overtook them, and moments later they overtook us.  This back-and-forth went on several times.  Technically, the different fields aren't supposed to "mix," but it was difficult here because we were all riding at about the same tempo.  Staying separate proved to be difficult.  John and Matt ended up getting a small gap on them, but I was momentarily gassed and hanging on to the back of the women to catch my breath.  At which point one of the women sniped at me "you've gotta get off of our paceline, dude, this is the Elite women's field."  Uh, not quite...you're Cat 4, not Elite.  Get over yourself.  If the roles had been reversed, and a woman was hanging on to the back of the men's field to recover, I never in a million years would have yelled at her to get out.  Whatevs.   Duly "chastened," I stood up on the pedals and cranked it to get back up to John and Matt.    

Aside from some stinging pain in my hand and hip, I was feeling pretty good, so I made the right turn to continue on to Lap 3.  I snagged a fresh bottle from Matt H as I came through the feed zone.  John, Matt F and I continued to work together until the later stages of that lap, as I fell off of their pace and ended up alone.  I choked down part of a Clif Bar and some gel, and resolved to tough it out through the rest of the race.  As I made the turn to start Lap 4 I grabbed another bottle from Matt H and off I went for the final 15 miles.  

My low point came at mile 50.  I was going solo into a headwind, and I had to force my legs to keep them turning over.  I kept telling myself "10 more miles, you just have to do 10 more miles, and in a few miles you're going to have more favorable winds."  I gritted my teeth,kept going, and watched the miles tick off on my computer.  I was pretty elated as I made the left-hand turn to ride out the final kilometer to the finish.  Despite crashing and riding 48 more miles with less skin than I had started the day with, I had conquered the Leland Kermesse and upheld my promise to finish it.  

In the end, only 47 riders of the 66 starters finished the race.  Of those 47, I took 36th (John and Matt had come in just ahead of me to take 34th and 35th).  Bicycle Heaven had a pretty good day, overall.  Rob Kelly took 4th in the 1/2 race, Andy Swims got 4th in the 3s (and Bryan finished his first Cat 3 race), David Ross and David Pratt took 2nd and 6th, respectively, in the 4s, and Mara took 4th in the Cat 4 women's race.

Call me crazy, but I can't wait to do it again next year.  

Burnham Super Spring Criterium, South Beloit, IL, March 31, 2012

After missing the 2011 edition of the Super Spring Criterium (mere days after our first child was born, so I think I had a good excuse), it was great to be back in South Beloit.  Some sunshine and warmth would have been even better, but this is March behind the Corn Curtain.

I was there to mix it up in both the Cat 4/5 field in the morning, and in the Cat 4 field in the afternoon.  In both fields, I had a bunch of Bicycle Heaven teammates, so I was hoping that we could put in some good teamwork and post some solid results.  The course is an auto / motorcycle speedway, and is a 1.9 mile circuit with wide roads, perfect pavement, and lots of twists and turns.  Despite these perfect road conditions, I knew from years past to expect some sketchy riding...

CAT 4/5

With that in mind I rolled to the Cat 4/5 line with a field of 70 riders for 30 minutes of racing.  

Sure enough, the entire race was a mess of poor riding and near-misses.  Much like Sherman Park last year, I spent the whole race tense and just waiting for a huge crash to occur.  Somehow, though, everyone escaped unscathed.  

I was feeling good and was making sure to stay parked next to my teammates.  Maintaining position in this race was a challenge, though.  Because the road is so wide, the field is constantly "swarming."  Just when you get yourself positioned where you want to be, swarms of riders come up either the left or right side and the next thing you know you are further back than you were mere seconds before.  Which meant that after the final turn I was nowhere near where I wanted to be.  And since the start/finish straightaway is so long, you really have to be in position before the turn.  

The good news is that despite going into the final turn somewhere right next to me, Bryan was able to find a hole that I didn't see and rocketed himself up to a third place finish.  I kept sprinting as hard as I could and nearly rear-ended some goob who decided to just sit up.  As I sped around him I screamed "ride it out!' or something like that.  I get the concept of not wanting to spring for 20th place.  But don't sit up and soft pedal, people.

Of the 66 finishers, I ended up in 29th.  In addition to Bryan's 3rd place, Bicycle Heaven rounded out with top ten with 9th place (Stephen Pedone) and 10th place (Ben Jenkins).  

CAT 4

Next up was the 40-minute Cat 4 race.  The field was smaller (50 riders), and fortunately it was a much cleaner race than the 4/5.  Again, I had a bunch of Bicycle Heaven teammates with me, with high hopes again of being able to animate the race.  

There really isn't much to tell about this one.  We rode in circles.  We finished.  There were no near-misses and no crashes.  But there really were no attacks to speak of, no breaks to chase down.  For the most part it was   gruppo compatto for the whole race.  There were some prime laps thrown in here and there to make it more interesting.  

My legs, lungs, and heart were all feeling great.  I realized about 2/3 of the way through that I could have carried on a normal conversation with someone without even having to take a heavy breath.  Perhaps, given how I was feeling, I should have tried something more aggressive.  But I didn't.  And again, I didn't have good position at the end, and finished up 25th out of 49 finishes.  Total pack fodder.  But Bicycle Heaven had a couple guys in the top 10 with Shon Zeller's 8th place and Scott Bowden in 9th.  

In other categories, Bicycle Heaven had a good day.  Patrick Fasse pulled down 4th in the 1/2/3 race, and Ben Jenkins took 2nd in the Cat 5.  

Next up...the Hell of the North, also known as The Leland Kermesse.

Kenosha Velosport Spring Training Criterium #2, Pleasant Prairie, WI, March 18, 2012

Well, today felt like a step back.

We lucked out yet again with another unseasonably beautiful day for mid-March. Temps were in the low 70s with plenty of sunshine. Plenty of wind to go along with it, too, but I suppose that is a given.

Just like last weekend, I raced both the Masters 30/39 race and the Cat race. My plan for the Masters was just to sit in and get a respectable finish while keeping myself as fresh as possible for a strong finish in the Cat 4.

MASTERS 30/39

The 25-rider field started out a lot mellower than last week, but was surprisingly squirrely for an experienced field. On the 2nd lap a Velocause rider almost took me out when he made a quick move to the right without even looking. I had to swerve to the right, and fortunately my path was clear. But, yeah, I swore a little bit.

At 10 minutes in the attacks started coming fast and hard. I stayed with them, and at about the 26 minute mark I ended up in a 2-man break with a Velocause rider. That lasted a couple laps, and then we got absorbed. Instantly some more attacks came, and at that point I was just hanging on for dear life. At the 32 minute mark I got popped but got absorbed in a group of 6 or 7 other riders. With a few laps to go we caught back on to the field, but just barely. I blew up hard on the last lap and ended up dangling off of the main field. I ended up taking 17th out of 25, and could only hope that I had saved enough in the tank for the 4s race.

CAT 4

After a nice between-race warmup, teammate David Ross and I rolled to the line to find ourselves in a 10-man field. I am not kidding.

Seriously, what is going on? Here it was, an unbelievably warm, sunny day, with good racing a mere hour or so away from Chicagoland, and we had 10 guys show up for a Cat 4 race? Hung over from St. Patrick's Day? Afraid of being involved in a bad crash like last weekend? I don't get it.

But I digress. The official sent us off for our 35-minute race, and two KV riders led us around the course for the first lap. When lap 2 came around I did the gentlemanly thing and moved to the front to take a pull. I led for the entire lap, at which point I moved to the right to let someone else pull through. No one did. So, I figured "what the heck, lets do another one" and led for the entire 3rd lap. As we turned out of the start/finish, I moved to the right yet again. And no one came through. No matter what I did, or how much I slowed, I could not get anyone to pull through. I could almost here the pack say "no thanks, we like you right where you are."

After another lap of this, Dave came to the front and relieved me. Still, I was never further back than 3rd wheel. Eventually a Colavita rider came around, and we spent the better part of the race working together at the front. No one else did a thing until with about 8 minutes to go a Team Plus rider spent a few laps at the front.

With two to go, it was me and Colavita marking each other. We were still in the lead halfway through the last lap. About 3/4 of the way down the backstretch, he jumped. The riders that were just biding their time started streaming past me on the left. I was tapped out. I fought as hard as I could but had nothing. A Pegasus rider came around me shortly before the line, and there I was...the lantern rouge. A top 10 finish feels pretty cheap when you finish DFL in 10th.

Dave had another strong showing, though, taking 2nd, so another great result for him and the team. I'm betting we'll be seeing him in the Cat 3 field before this season is over.

So, it was a disappointing day, but lessons were definitely learned. Family is coming in from out of town, so I won't be able to make it up for the 3rd and final weekend of these races. Up next is the Burnham Super Spring Criterium at the Blackhawk Farms Speedway in South Beloit on March 31. I missed this race last year, since it was just days after our son was born. I'm looking forward to being out there again for the morning Cat 4/5 race and the afternoon Cat 4 race.

Kenosha Velosport Spring Training Criterium #1, Pleasant Prairie, WI, March 11, 2012

At long last the offseason was over and it was time to start turning the pedals in anger. First up, as usual, was the 1st weekend of the Kenosha Velosport training criteriums in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

The weather was unbelievably beautiful as I drove north to race in both the Masters 30/39 race and the Cat 4 race. I had come fully loaded for chilly weather, but in the end all I needed were shorts, a jersey, and arm warmers (and even those I could have done without). Temps were in the mid-60s, with a pretty stiff breeze that was going to hit us after turn 3 and continuing all the way through the start/finish.

MASTERS 30/39

22 guys rolled to the line for the start of the Masters 30/39 race. Given the great weather, I was really surprised at the low turnout. Now, since this was a race based solely on age, it meant that I could be mixing it up with anyone from a Cat 1 on down to a Cat 5. The Velocause team had a big showing in the field, as did Nova IS Corp. I was the only representative of Bicycle Heaven.

The pace was fast right from the whistle. The field instantly splintered into a few groups. There were a couple guys up the road, followed by a few more, and there I was with my heart in my throat trying to catch up to them. Right from the start I heard my brother's voice yelling in encouragement...he was going to be joining me in the Cat 4 field, and had arrived early enough to cheer me on in this race. The first 3 or 4 laps were crazy fast, and I was just hoping to hang on, while also being mindful of conserving my strength for the Cat 4 race.

The race did settle in to a pretty comfortable groove, and I was able to stay with the surges. Unfortunately, we let a 4-man break get away, and they stayed away to the very end. I kept myself comfortably in the peloton, trying to stay out of the wind.

On a side note, the difference between riding in a very experienced Masters field and riding in a Cat 4 field is like night and day. During the course of this 40 minute race, the only sketchy moment for me came when a rider directly in front of me blew a shift and his whole bike stuttered. He kept it upright, and on we went. Later in the race, two guys drifted into each other, but no biggie, neither of them reacted and they went their separate ways.

During the sprint I gave it what I had, but some of those boys were burning some much bigger matches than I have. I'm stuck with those small crappy cardboard matches that you find in a fishbowl at the Holiday Inn, whereas they have those big, long fireplace matches (and don't read anything Freudian into that...let's all be adults here). I eyeballed about 8 guys in front of me. And I was right...the group of 4 stayed away, 8 other guys beat me to the line, and I took 13th out of 22. All in all, not a bad showing and I still felt pretty fresh for the Cat 4 race. In between races, I warmed up with my brother and watched teammate David Ross crush the Cat 5 field in the sprint to take the win. First road win of the season for Bicycle Heaven! The first of many, to be sure...

Cat 4

A slightly bigger field rolled to the line for the 35-minute Cat 4 race...a whopping 25, including my brother (riding for Wheelfast Racing) and the aforementioned David Ross. who was OK'd by ABR to do that Cat 4 race. ABR tends to be more relaxed about the categories, especially for training crits such as this. There was a good mix in the field...some Half Acre, some KV, some Team Mack.

My plan was to sit in and do absolutely no work. I wanted to shake out the legs from my efforts in the last race, and conserve as much energy as possible for the sprint. And right from the start, that plan went out the window. Just like in the last race, there were attacks right from the start. And I worked hard to cover them.

I was feeling good. It was becoming clear that one of the good effects that all of those Computrainer classes had on me was my ability to recover. I could put in a hard effort to stay with a surge, and moments later my HR would be low, I wouldn't be gasping for air, and my legs would feel just fine. And you can tell from looking at some of the photos that have been posted...when I'm suffering, I tend to pull what I call the "Bucky Beaver" face, with my mouth gaping open and my front teeth bared. In the pics that I have seen from this race, I look calm, cool, and collected.

But I digress. As to be expected from a Cat 4 race, this was much sketchier than the Masters. Lots of near misses, contact being made here and there, guys yelling at other guys about how poorly they took a corner, etc. And coming out of Turn 4 the lead riders must have thought that they were in the Tour de France, for many a time we would follow a line that would take us to the right side of the road, but then they would instantly dodge all the way to the left side of the road and the field would snake right along behind them. Uh, guys, it isn't any less windy 10 feet to the left then it is on the right side of the road. Very bizarre, and very unsafe.

I hadn't seen my brother for much of the race, and just as I was wondering whether he was hanging off the back somewhere I heard his chipper voice right behind me, asking how I felt. He, too was feeling good and sitting pretty comfortably in the field.

With just a few laps to go I was still sitting right toward the front of the field, and was feeling great. My downfall came in where I was positioned, not in how my legs responded. When the final surge came along the backstretch, I was boxed in and couldn't escape. And then to make matters worse there was a terrible crash in turn 4. The wheels of a Half Acre rider slid out from under him, and I saw body hit pavement and bike fly into air. I was juuuuust far enough behind that I could hit the brakes (my wheels did briefly skid) and get around him. As I went by, I saw another rider plow directly into him. Not good.

In the end, I wound up taking 8th. A solid finish, but a disappointing one. After his Cat 5 win, David was able to bunny-hop to the grass to avoid the crash and ended up in 10th. Kev took 15th.

I can tell that I have the strength, now I just need to work on positioning. In the final laps I need to make sure that I always have an "out" so that I can escape the surly bonds of the peloton and maybe...just maybe...score myself a podium finish one of these days.

ABD Fall Fling Pella Criterium, West Chicago, IL, September 24, 2011

Today was my 15th time racing at “The Pelladrome” during the 2011 season. Every Wednesday night From May through September, ABD puts on training criteriums at this flat, 0.80-mile, near-oval stretch of pavement next to the Pella Windows factory in West Chicago. I was able to make it out to those races 14 times this summer, and today it was “for real.”

ABD has upped the ante for the Fall Fling series this year, awarding a cool $2,000.00 to the team that scores the most number of points (based on results) during the 4-race series. Bicycle Heaven has the numbers and the talent to make us serious contenders for this windfall of cash.

So it all started today. I mixed it up in the Cat 4 race with two other Bicycle Heaven teammates, Scott and Spanish. Skies were cloudy, the rain held off, temps were moderate, and the wind was manageable. A whopping 19 riders took to the line for 40 minutes plus two laps of racing.

Allow me to go off topic for a moment. Seriously, only 19 riders? This is a great series with serious cash on the line, and the weather was just fine. I know that road racing numbers have been down this year, while CX is on the rise. But 19 riders was just sad. And it meant that only the top 10 spots would score points for the $2,000.00. Had the field had just one more person, the points would have gone 20 deep, and I actually would have contributed to the team effort. But more on that later.

I had an added incentive to avoid embarrassing myself today…right as we were rolling off of the line, my wife and awesome 6-month-old son arrived at the course to shout out their encouragement. They were joined shortly thereafter by Stephanie’s sister, and I had a nice little cheering section.

We took off at a brisk but easily manageable pace. Here and there some guys would drill the speed up a few notches to soften up the field, but the tempo always backed down shortly thereafter. There was a prime sprint early on, and I was in good position. But a couple guys really wanted that 10 dollar prize more than I did…I wound up for the sprint, but backed off when they got a small gap. I decided that I would rather keep myself fresh for the final sprint than waste myself for $10.

Shortly thereafter, a Team Mack rider took a flyer with one guy attached to his wheel. Scott was next to me and predicted “they’re not going anywhere.” Moments later, another Mack rider flew up the left side to bridge up and Scott changed his mind. “OK, now we have to go.” “Yes we do” was my reply, and we hit the gas and reeled them in.

Another prime sprint for $10 came and went. I halfheartedly hit the gas, but backed off when it became clear that I couldn’t close the gap.

About halfway through, I was up front with a xXx rider. He looked over and asked “do you have any teammates in the field?” “Yeah, I’ve got two guys.” He asked “do you want to try a breakaway?” I gamely responded “why not?” He stood up and hit the gas and I followed suit. I don’t know whether we ended up with any sort of gap, but we each took a pull before I realized that the field was nipping at our heels.

This xXx rider and I spent most of the race near the front. In fact, I don’t think that I was ever further back than 5th wheel position the whole time. At one point, xXx said lamented that “we’ve been up at the front the whole time…this probably means that we’re going to lose.” And it is true, I spent way too much time working at the front. I could have pulled off and let myself be swallowed by the bulk of the field, but on the other hand I wanted to be up at the front in case there were any breaks or primes to cover. And it was fun to hear my name called out by the announcer one time when I led the field through the start/finish. Hey, I’m easy to please.

The rest of the race passed pleasantly enough. Surges here and there, but nothing that I couldn’t cover and there were no serious threats. It was fun to see my wife and baby every time I came past, and I was feeling good enough that I was even able to smile at them a few times.

The pace went nuts with two to go, but as we came around with one to go, it settled down a bit. Guys were jockeying for position, taking a quick breather for the grand finale. On the backstretch is where things went crazy again. As we approached turn four, I was still in about 5th or position and giving it everything. I tried to shift down but quickly realized that I was already on my smallest cog. Crap. I stood up and smashed on the pedals, my face locked in a vicious rictus of pain, thinking “too many guys, I see too many guys in front of me.” I badly wanted a podium finish (top 5 would have done it), but in the end I had to settle for 12th. Which, as mentioned previously, put me just out of the points for the omnium.

The good news, however, was that Scott took 2nd and Spanish took 10th. In all, Bicycle Heaven had a great day…Patrick Fasse won the Cat 1/2, Andy Swims won the Cat 3 (in fact, we took 4 of the top 5 in the Cat 3), Rob Kelley won the Masters 40+ 1/2/3, Andy Kerr won the Masters 50+, Hal took 2nd and Mike took 4th in the Masters 40+ 4/5, and Karen Enockson made the podium in the Women’s 4. So, at the end of Stage 1 Bicycle Heaven was holding the lead in the omnium, with 104 points to ABD's 102.

Personally, though, it was a disappointing day. I badly wanted a podium finish, but just couldn’t make it happen. However, racing has definitely become more fun for me. There was a point in my racing career (OK, years and years and years of my racing career) where I would suffer like a dog, hoping to just hang onto the peloton and get a field finish. Hoping not to get blown off the back and pulled for being “out of contention.” But, thanks in large part to the ABD training crits, I feel like I have really improved my skills and can really feel like part of the race…mixing it up for primes, chasing down breakaways, actually being a part of the final sprint and not just dangling off the back (although that did happen a few times earlier this spring).

I can’t make tomorrow’s time trial, but will be at both the DuPage Tech Park Circuit Race next Saturday, and the grand finale in Wood Dale next Sunday. Two more races, two more chances to get points for the team. Stay tuned…

Winfield ABR Championship Criterium, Winfield, IL, August 14, 2011

With yesterday’s DNF embarrassment still painful in my mind, I drove back over to Winfield for the second race of the weekend. I was worried about how today’s hill would feel after my weakness on yesterday’s incline. However, the hill on this course is quite different.

The course is a big rectangle. Shortly after leaving the start/finish there is a left turn, followed a block later by the long straightaway up the 2-step hill. There is a bit of flat before the road tilts upward, so the momentum gained along that section is almost enough to get you over the first section. Then there is a brief flat followed by the steep “kicker” at the top. Then there is a left-hand turn into a block-long downhill (with some horrible pavement, I might add), followed by one more left hand turn into the long downhill to the start/finish.

Only about 25 riders rolled to the line for the Cat 4 race, and this has been a disturbing trend all season. Turnout for many of the races over these past few months has been down from the last few years. The blogs and boards are all a-twitter with speculation as to why this is, and there appear to be no easy answers.

After the usual instructions we took off for 35 minutes plus 3 laps. I had no teammates in my field, but my brother Kev was on the sidelines cheering me on. Throughout the race he did a complete circuit of the course, so each lap I heard his encouragement at different points.

For most of the race, I felt good. I was managing the hill with few problems, and had no difficulty regaining ground any time I found myself too far back for comfort. There were some attacks on the hill, but none of them got away, and I was able to cover all of them. I always made sure to be near the front of the field, since the acceleration coming off of the hill was always intense. Before I knew it, the lap counter was already showing that we were 15 minutes in.

I shook out the legs and sipped my Gatorade every chance I could to keep the tank topped off. I kept a close eye on the lap cards, and soon we hit the 30 minute mark. I told myself that I just had to hang on for 5 more laps.

As we came across the line with 2 laps to go, I was at the very front of the field and still feeling pretty relaxed. Kev shouted his encouragement, and I was feeling good enough that I even smiled and stuck out my tongue at him. So far, so good.

Or so I thought. We had lowered the pace quite a bit, and in hindsight this was a big mistake. As we entered came out of turn two and were facing the hill, we were probably only somewhere in the low 20s. As soon as the gradient increased, several riders launched a vicious assault. When I stood up on the pedals to match their acceleration, it was as if someone hit an “off” switch somewhere deep in side of me. My heart rate redlined and my legs turned to mush. I struggled my way to the top of the hill, going in reverse of what everyone else was doing. My only hope was to be able to grab back onto the peloton on the downhill. But it wasn’t to be.

Despite my best efforts, I ended up riding the last lap alone, picking off one rider on the final downhill to snag 22nd out of 23 finishers. I was not happy to have ridden so well for 97% of the race only to have it fall completely apart during the last 3%. But I took some consolation that I had recovered a little bit of dignity after the previous day’s DNF.

And, all in all, it was a good weekend for the Bicycle Heaven crew. David Pratt won the Cat 5 races both days, and on Sunday Hal took 2nd in the 40+ Cat 4, Andy Kerr was 3rd in the 50+, Peter Kelly and Eric Christ took 7th and 8th in the Cat 3, and Andy Swims snagged 8th in the 30+.

Winfield Twilight Criterium, Winfield, IL, August 13, 2011

Today was the first of two races put on by ABD this weekend in Winfield. I hadn’t participated in this race since the 2009 edition, and faithful readers will recall that it had kicked my butt. I wish I could say that this year was different. I also wish that I was a multi-millionaire living on a private island in the San Juan Islands. But some things just aren’t in the cards…

How was the course? Well, to plagiarize my own report from 2009, it is a mile-long loop raced counter-clockwise through a residential neighborhood. As soon as you left the start/finish and rounded the first sweeping left-hand curve you were faced with a 300 meter climb that topped out at 6.2%. From there it was all downhill…at the top of the hill was a left-hand turn followed by a few technical left and right turns.

Rider turnout for the Cat 4 race was incredibly weak. Only about 22 riders rolled to the line for 30 minutes plus 3 laps, and when the whistle blew we took off at a brisk pace. Hal was my only Bicycle Heaven teammate in the field. I was near the front of the field the first time up the hill. Of course, there was mad acceleration turning off of the hill, and I found myself losing ground. The pack strung out, but bunched up again the 2nd time up the hill. Already my legs were starting to sing, and not in a good way. They were singing like Yoko Ono.

Well, the long and short of it is that at 8 minutes I was gassed, at 10 minutes in I was gapped, and at 20 minutes in I was lapped. The official didn’t pull me, and I soldiered on for another 10 minutes. At that point, the rain started up again. In hindsight I should have just sucked it up and finished the race, but I have seen too many crashes caused by miscellaneous detritus (i.e. lapped riders) on the course. Today, I was a piece of that detritus. So as I came across the line after 30 minutes, I eyeballed the official and made the throat-cutting “I’m done” motion. DNF.

I had hoped for better, but I knew that the next day would be a chance to redeem myself.

Tour de Villas, Des Plaines, IL, July 2, 2011

Despite my dislike of all things hot and humid, I headed out in 90+ degree heat for 30 minutes of Cat 4 action at the Tour de Villas. The course is a perfect oval in a residential area of Des Plaines…think Sherman Park, but with better pavement and less crime.

Given the complete and utter lack of anything even remotely resembling a “turn,” I knew that this would be a shootout from start to finish.

I arrived at the course with plenty of time to spare, only to find out that all races were running at least 45 minutes behind. So now I really had plenty of time to spare. Super. I hooked up with fellow Bicycle Heaven teammates Bryan and Jim, and we did some easy warm-up laps on the smaller “inner oval.” We were also joined by Psimet chief Rob Curtis and some of his men. After a while, we took a break to watch Matt take 3rd in the 30+ race. Matt’s girlfriend Mara took 2nd in the women’s 4/5 race, so it was shaping up to be a great day for Bicycle Heaven.

After some more time spent warming up, we rolled to the line. 37 riders took off from the whistle, and the pace was pretty mellow, at first. After a lap spent at about 21 mph, we soon ramped it up into the 26-27 mph range. I found the tempo to be very manageable. Despite the heat, I was feeling good, but was very sure to drink every chance I got. Any time I felt that I was too far back I was easily able to move up the side of the field and insert myself back into the lead riders. Since there were no turns to speak of, there was never the whiplash/caterpillar effect. Although the race was mostly clean, there were a few profanity-inducing moments. Late in the race an unattached rider in a Hawaii triathlon jersey moved left without looking and almost took out my front wheel, bringing on a mild bout of blasphemy. A few minutes later, a Tati rider did the same thing. Please, people, look before you make a move! Criterium 101, truly.

With about 4 laps to go, I heard the sound of the moto tailing the pack, and knew that I needed to get back to the front. As we roared past the start/finish I sprinted up the left side and ducked back in right next to Bryan, announcing my presence. At one point during the next few laps I realized that I didn’t see Bryan anymore, and wondered where he went (turns out he flatted with two laps to go, ending his day).

Halfway through the final lap, I was sitting in third wheel position and hoping for a great finish. However, as is my wont, I wasn’t able to maintain position during the surge and ended up taking only 14th. A solid, but unimpressive, result.

Next up is the Geneva Grand Prix, sponsored by Bicycle Heaven and one of the first races of the phenomenon known as Superweek. 20 miles of pain and suffering through the quaint streets of Geneva…I can’t wait.

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…

ABD Fall Fling Circuit Race, West Chicago, IL, October 2, 2010

I shouldn't have even bothered. Rolling terrain, a healthy dose of brutal winds, plus a pinch of impending illness made for a very short and painful day in the saddle.

The course today was right across the street from the "Pelladrome" in West Chicago. It was a 1.8 mile paved loop around what had been planned to be an office park. The Cat 4s were on tap to do 14 laps. The east and west ends of the course both featured a fair amount of uphill which in the absence of wind would have been manageable. But not today...

I hadn't pre-registered, so as the wind whipped around me on my walk over to registration the rational part of my mind said "back out while you still can." Perhaps I should have listened to that voice. But I laid my money down, got my number, and headed back to the car for a warm-up on the trainer. As I spun, clouds started to gather and the wind seemed to get worse.

After one warm-up lap out on the course I rolled to the line with 22 other riders. All the usual suspects were there. My nightmare began as soon as the whistle blew...I performed one of the most amateurish clip-ins of my racing career. For the life of me I just could not get that left cleat engaged in the pedal! I felt like a total goob as riders surged past me.

And surge they did. This field had no intention of hanging together to fight the wind...those at the front clearly intended to shatter what little peloton we could have had and turn this into a 25-mile strung-out drag race. After finally getting myself clipped in, and hauling a** to join up with the field, I could tell that this was not going to end well. My legs felt like two lumps of lead and my heart rate was already through the roof.

I soon found myself spit out the back of the main field, but fortunately I was not the only one. I was able to get in a four-man group with Beverly Bike, WDT, and a Purdue rider. Initially there was still hope that we could catch back on to the field, but with each passing moment that hope got further and further away. As did the field.

By now I was in agony. My lungs were burning, and with each gasp it was like breathing in liquid fire. All the while, my heart was firmly lodged somewhere right behind my uvula. We dropped the WDT rider, and picked up someone else, keeping our group at four. But then the uphill start/finish stretch was my downfall. I lost touch with my group, and found myself all alone out in the wind.

I rode another two laps to make for a tidy 7.5 mile "race." I was caught on the backstretch by the 40+ Cat 4/5 field that had been started right behind the Cat 4 field. And on the start/finish stretch I looked behind me and saw the pace car breathing down my neck. As I rode past the official at a mere 22 minutes into the race I made the imaginary slash across my neck and stated "I'm done." As I rode away I heard them announcing over the loudspeaker that 483 had dropped out. Thank you everyone, I suck.

What an ignominious end to the season.

ABD Fall Fling “Pelladrome” Criterium, West Chicago, IL, September 25, 2010

Today marked the 6^th time that I raced at the “Pelladrome” this year. I had been able to make it out for five of the ABD Wednesday Night Training Crits, but today the race actually counted for something.

With mostly cloudy skies and temps in the low 60s, I actually started to overheat while warming up on the trainer. First off was the wind vest, then went the arm warmers.More clouds started to roll in, and after one warm-up lap on the course I zipped back to the car to pull back on the arm warmers. My lungs felt tight and my legs felt heavy, so I was a bit pessimistic about how the day was going to go.

As the sole WFR rider, I rolled to the line with about 40 other guys. There was good representation from ABD, xXx, Mack, Project 5, and Beverly Bike/Vee-Pak. The race was fast right from the whistle, and we instantly strung out. For the few two laps I was sitting comfortably in 10^th wheel position. I was feeling good…the lungs had cleared out and my legs were doing everything I asked them to. There was a bit of a breeze on the backstretch, but I was able to stay protected.

I used the next few laps to improve my position. For the third and fourth laps I sat 8^th wheel, and for the fifth and sixth laps I had moved up to 6^th wheel. Suddenly, there was a vicious attack from Beverly Bike and Mack. No longer strung out, we were riding 3 to 4 across to reel them back in. At about 10 minutes in, the sole PACT rider veered from right to left without even looking, coming mere inches from taking out my front wheel. I curse loudly, and other riders jeer his poor move, shouting “Rider of the Year!”

At about 20 minutes in there were a few more attacks, forcing the pace up even higher. It was at this point that my lungs started to tighten up, but I just held on and tried to stay relaxed. The attacks never amounted to anything. Shortly thereafter, a prime lap was called for a set of handlebars, keeping the pace high. After the prime sprint, the pace mellowed out a bit, and on the backstretch I moved up the right side of the field to get back into the top ten.

At 33 minutes in I found myself in 5^th wheel position. A Beverly Bike rider launched a sole attack along the start/finish stretch, and at first no one reacted. Then a voice from behind, like Obi Wan speaking to Luke on Dagobah, said “if we don’t go, he’s going to stay away.” OK, if you insist. Those of us at the front stepped on the gas and by the backstretch we had reeled him in.

Then started a series of sketchy moves. A few of the riders up front must have been hallucinating that there were in the Tour de France, because a line of riders started snake and back across the road for no apparent reason. I hung back and played it safe, sitting somewhere around 15^th wheel. A Mack rider to the right of me said “this is why there are so many crashes in Cat 4 races.” Amen, brother.
When the bell lap came around, I was sitting back in about 20^th position, but used the early part of the lap to move up into the top ten again. The final surge came about halfway through the backstretch, and as usual I started to lose ground. I put my head down and hammered for all I was worth, picking off a few riders here and there in the process. I came across the line almost neck and neck with a WDT rider, and I thought that I pipped him at the line. However, the official results placed him one ahead of me. When the dust settled, I had taken 19^th out of 27 finishers. Which is nothing spectacular, but way better than I could have hoped for, considering how I felt during the warmup.

Hopefully the weather is good next weekend. I plan to race the Fall Fling Circuit Race, which could be my last road race of 2010. Thanks for reading!

Glencoe Grand Prix, Glencoe, IL, August 14, 2010

What should have been the height of my season was instead a short and disappointing day in the saddle.

When Downers Grove decided to not host the Criterium National Championships for the first time in over 20 years, Glencoe picked up the slack. Much like Downers, it was a technical, 10-corner course with a short (but challenging) hill. With the only Masters option for 30+ being a 1/2/3/4 race, I demurred and chose to mix it up with the young Cat 4s for a 45-minute race.

Kev and I, the only WFR representatives, carpooled up to Glencoe and set up the trainers in a parking lot next to the train tracks. In the course of a 30 minute warmup, I think that I sweated out the equivalent of half of my body weight. I could have wrung out my jersey when we were finished. Fortunately, I had brought a fresh jersey in which to race.

Once the Masters 40+ 1/2/3/4 riders were finished, we were let out onto the course for a warmup lap. The pavement looked to be decent (a few manhole covers here and there, but nothing to worry about), but some of those corners sure looked tight. As Kev and I rolled around to the start finish, we found ourselves stuck at the back of the field. My rear tire was literally the farthest back in the field of close to 100 riders. Crap.

The field strung out right from the whistle. I tried to jump up as far as I could, but still was probably 3/4 of the way back. The pace was furious until we hit each corner, at which point we had to slam on the brakes and then accelerate back up to speed. I found myself a few bike lengths behind another rider, and heard a voice over my shoulder say "are you going to close that gap?" I said "I'll try," stepped on the gas, and grabbed onto that wheel.

The hill was not as steep as the hill at Downers, but was a bit longer and did not have the benefit of being followed by a long descent. I knew from the first time up it that it was going to be problematic. Hills and I don't get along.

Two laps in and I was already starting to question how this day was going to turn out. I kept drifting back, working with whatever group I could for as long as I could before falling off the pace and grabbing onto a new group. About 10 minutes in I heard Kev yelling encouragement at me from the side of the road. I hadn't seen him since the start, but suddenly became aware that his day was done. At one point I was working with Bryan from Bicycle Heaven and a few other riders, but they lost me on the hill. At the end, it was just me and a rider from Half Acre. As we came around to the start/finish at the 20-minute mark, the race official stepped out into the middle of the road and crossed his chest with his arms. Game over, man, game over. I can't even remember the last time that I had been involuntarily pulled from a race...

What a horrendous day. In the final analysis, hills and heat just don't make for a good combination for me. I'm sure there will be a few ABD Wednesday night crits to hit before the leaves start to fall, plus a few of the Fall Fling races, but I can already feel the season winding down.

Monsters of the Midway Criterium, Chicago, IL, May 15, 2010

I was really on the fence this year about racing this one. Last year’s sketchy crash-fest ended with my brother landing on his face and going home with 7 stitches. After much vacillating, I finally decided to take off the skirt and register. Earlier this week, my body asked me “are you really sure you want to race?” I came down with a sore throat, which by Friday had moved into my lungs and sinuses. Whereas I usually like to do a moderate ride the day before a race, I had been off of the bike since Monday. Still, my runny nose and congested lungs wasn’t enough to keep me from loading in the gear and making the trip into Chicago.

The day was overcast with medium winds. Regular readers will remember that the course is a 1.1 mile, rectangular 4-turn course with two half-mile straightaways along the Midway Plaisance at the University of Chicago. 72 riders rolled to the line for our 40 minute Cat 4 race. Kev and I were the only WFR riders, along with good representation from xXx, ABD, South Chicago Wheelmen, Half Acre, Spidermonkey, Psimet, and a host of others. Our wives had made the trip, and secured a place by the start/finish to cheer us on.

It was hot right from the whistle, and it never slowed down. We accelerated up to well over 30 miles an hour along the half-mile straightaways, only to scrub about half of that speed as we negotiated the quick turns at the ends of the rectangle. And then the harsh acceleration back up to 30+ mph. Lather, rinse, repeat.

This “caterpillar effect” was, as always, worse at the back of the field. Unfortunately, this is where I spent the entire day. My mind told me that it would be better if I could just throw myself up to the front, but my legs just wouldn’t go along with the program. Two laps in and I heard Kev’s voice over my shoulder, telling me “you’ve got to move up…get up there!” If only. My ill health was causing my lungs to perform a nice slow burn, and my legs just couldn’t generate the power to move up.

After what seemed like an eternity, I looked at the lap counter as we came around the start/finish and saw that we still had 11 laps left. I did my best to block out the defeatist thinking, but a small part of me said “holy cow, I don’t know if I can do this.” I had to stand on the pedals and jam out of the corners every time we turned into the long straightaways. Half of that length would be the struggle to move up into the field, and the second half would be spent trying to get a drink and rest up for the same effort going into the next straightaway.

A couple of primes were thrown in here and there, but we were already moving so fast that the change in pace was barely noticeable. That, or people just weren’t all that geeked to sprint for a loaf of bread. At some point I saw Kev sitting back in the field, but he was shed off the back a short time later. Little did I know that we were moving so fast that we lapped him three times during the race. To his credit, he toughed it out by himself and finished. I’m not so sure that I would have had the mental toughness to do that.

Fortunately, people were riding a lot safer than last year. Sketchy moves were minimal, and only once did I have to shout out “on your right, on your right” to someone drifting into my path. As we came around with two laps to go, I was finally beginning to believe that the race would end safely and that I could finish with the pack.

Sadly, neither was to be. Halfway through the backstretch, the field was spread across the width of the road. As I was settling into the back of the field, I heard the distinctive sound of the crunching of bikes going down and the scraping of metal sliding across pavement. Cries of “crash…CRASH!” shattered the air. The carnage started on the far right side of the field and worked its way left across the entire field. I had to scrub all speed and narrowly avoided being taken down three separate times. I kept threading the needle, and the third time I had to clip out, put my left foot down, and push myself around the downed riders. I clipped back in, hearing the loud moaning of the unfortunates. Someone was yelling “stop…stop…help them!” I felt bad, but these things are best left to the professionals. As I came around the start/finish to begin the final lap, I caught up with Kev. As I passed Stephanie and Kim, I gave the “thumbs up” to let them know that I hadn’t been involved. Kev and I rode most of the last lap together, happy that neither of us had been taken down. I managed a weak smile as I crossed the finish line.

Out of 72 riders who started, only 54 finished. Of those 54 finishers, I took 40th. Although I have yet to post any spectacular finishes, it has been quite a while since I have been one of those riders desperately hanging on to the back, hoping not to get popped. Usually I can sit in the front quarter of the field, only to fade into mediocrity during the final lap. I console myself with the knowledge that my health was far from 100%, and I look forward to getting back out there. Next up are the last of the Wednesday night ABD training crits.

Flatlandia Leland Kermesse, Leland, IL, April 17, 2010

I am weak…and a quitter.

If you have been a faithful reader since last year, you’ll be familiar with this style of race. If not, and you are wondering what the heck a “kermesse” is, here is a brief recap.

In Flemish, “kermesse” means “carnival.” When towns would hold a carnival, they would hold a bike race to help earn money for the carnival owners. The course would be about 16 km, would incorporate both town and farm roads, and would always include sections of gravel and/or pave (i.e. cobblestones). And since they often take place in the spring they are usually horrifically windy.

Last year’s course was a 10 mile circuit with one mile of gravel on each lap. The Cat 4s did four laps. This year, the sadistic organizers expanded the circuit to 15 miles, with 5 miles of gravel each lap. Again, the 4s were set to do four laps. Yep, that’s right…a 100k road race for Cat 4s.

Last year’s weather featured scattered thunderstorms, 20+ mph winds, lightning, and a downpour during the last few miles of the race. This year the skies were sunny, but the weather was cool and the winds were horrific…from the north/northwest, and in the upper-20 mph range with gusts into the 30s.

Race time for the Cat 4s was 9:15, and I was at the course by 8:00. After getting my number, I sat in the car and finished getting dressed. I could tell that trouble was brewing…the wind was buffeting my car to a degree that it felt like sitting on an airplane during mild turbulence. Super.

After a decent warm-up on the trainer and a quick stop to shed a few ounces, I rolled to the line with a field of close to 100 other Cat 4s. The roll-out from the school in Leland was neutral for about a mile until we reached the Start/Finish line. Then all hell broke loose.

I did not have good position, starting about 3/4 of the way back in the field. Once the front of the field hit the start line, they flew off like a raped ape. From the get-go, I knew that I was in trouble. My legs felt like two leaden hams, and I could generate zero power. Struggling to not get knocked around too much in the gusting winds, I suffered through the whiplash accelerations and slowdowns that the back of the field always has to contend with. I hung on, hoping that the legs would come around and settle down. We turned out of the wind for a brief stretch, and the field strung out as the front started to accelerate away from us.

The rubber band snapped about two or three miles in, and I found myself spit out of the back of the field. Stragglers would come and go, but no one seemed interested in working together to make contact with the field again. I watched helplessly as the peloton moved farther and farther away from me.

Then came the gravel. Whereas the one gravel section last year was relatively packed down, it was not so with these new sections. Rough, loose gravel sucked at my wheels and threatened to take me down at any moment. A rider from Bicycle Heaven came by and motioned me on to his rear wheel. I grabbed on as best as I could. He yelled back “hey, you’re Pinchy!” I managed to get out a meek “yep.” We were joined by several other riders, including an MS Racing rider and a racer in an Illini jersey. We worked together for a while, but sometimes one of us would fall off, and we would be joined by another straggler for a while.

The gravel seemed to last forever. After a brief respite, we were met with another gravel section, this one no better than the last. I eventually lost contact with Bicycle Heaven, and found myself alone. Crawling along in the small chainring, I was seriously questioning why I bothered to even pull on the jersey this morning. A trio of xXx riders zipped by me, but I was unable to grab their wheel.

After a merciful stretch of pavement, I was met by the third and final gravel section of the circuit. I knew that I had a decision to make…within a mile I was going to hit the final turn of the lap. If I went right, I would embark on another 15 miles of solo suffering. If I went left, I would head into town and call it a day.

I honestly didn’t know which way the decision would go until the last moment, when I made the slashing motion across my throat and croaked “I’m done” to the corner marshal. Head down, I turned left. Although I felt much shame, I was not the only one. Upon returning to the parking lot of the school, I saw a lot of other riders milling about wearing 4-series numbers. The official results showed a total of 27 “DNF” riders.

In hindsight, I should have suffered through one more lap, if for nothing more than the training value. But I just could not bring myself to do it. Having had a very bad week already, I had mentally checked out of the race before it had even begun. I plan to “get back on the horse” at the Whitnall Park crit next weekend. There is still a long season ahead of me.

Burnham Super Spring Criterium, South Beloit, IL, March 27, 2010

Today’s Cat 4 race was a sketchy crash-fest. Considering that it was on an auto/motorcycle speedway with perfect pavement and wide-open turns, this was completely unnecessary. It was almost like racing in a field of new Cat 5s.

One good thing was that the weather was much better than last year. In 2009, my 8:15 am start-time in the Cat 4/5 race was met with high winds and temps in the mid to high 20s. The Cat 4 start-time this year was 1:55, and we enjoyed temps in the high 40s/low 50s. There was enough of a crosswind along the start/finish stretch to make the flags flap around, but it wasn’t terrible.

Kev, Hammer and I carpooled over to South Beloit, and after getting our numbers we set up the trainers out of the wind. I start overheating during the warm-up, so I ditch the wind vest and opt to ride with just a jersey, a long-sleeve jersey, shorts, and knee warmers. After about 30 minutes of warm up we tear down the trainers and head over to the start/finish.

Once we were allowed onto the court, Kev rolls off to do a full warm-up lap, while Hammer and I opted to take a ½ lap. We then rolled to the line with 68 other riders. I had good position in the 2^nd line. When the whistle blew we took off at a pretty brisk, but manageable, pace.

I could tell from the very first lap that this field was going to be trouble. Too many guys would make moves without looking, there was a lot of bumping, and there was way too much braking and slowing. As I mentioned, there are no tight turns and the roadway is wide open. Every corner could be pedaled through and taken at speed, so why we kept hitting the brakes was a mystery. This race was also a bit odd in that there were never really any attacks. There were plenty of surges, but no breakaways.

Sketchiness aside, the first few laps passed relatively uneventfully. At one point I heard Hammer announce that he was on my wheel. At about 8 minutes in, I heard metal hitting pavement somewhere behind me and to my left. Considering how the field had been riding, I knew that it was just a matter of time. I don’t know how many riders went down. When a crash happens behind you, you treat it like it never happened...you don’t look back; you just hope that none of your mates were involved and keep going. More often than not, those riders not involved in the crash take this opportunity to hit the gas and you don’t want to miss the surge.

At 12 minutes in, I was still feeling really good but was farther back in the field than I wanted to be. Hoping that the front would be safer, I decided to expose myself to the wind, and moved up the outside of the left side of the field to get away from all the squirrelyness. I inserted myself back into the field somewhere within the top 20, and stayed there for pretty much the rest of the race.

Throughout the race, my legs and lungs felt really good, and my heart rate was well under control. As mentioned, there were a lot of surges, especially going into the start/finish. We would top out at over 30 mph on that stretch, while averaging around 25 or so on the rest of the course. I was easily able to hang with these surges, and never once feared that I was going to blow up.

With about 5 laps to go, I started hearing calls of “lapped riders up.” I looked down the road and saw Kev working together with a xXx rider. Nuts. As we moved past them I shouted out some encouragement for him to keep going. As we came around to the start/finish, the lap cards again showed 5 laps to go. Was this an error, or did we still have 5 laps? I was feeling good enough that I shrugged this off. When we came around for the next lap, the cards showed only 3 to go.

On the backstretch with 3 laps to go, there was a huge crash right in the middle of the field. It happened in front of me, but fortunately I was far enough to the left that I could get by without slowing down very much. I hit the gas and bridged up to the 20 or so other riders who had avoided the crash. At this point, I was mentally out of the race. All I wanted to do was to stay upright and finish. I knew that this wouldn’t be as easy. With 2 laps to go, a xXx rider made some really bizarre moves. He twitched to the right, all the way to the edge of the road, cutting across 3 riders. Then he twitched right again, out into the grass, and then twitched back onto the road…for no apparent reason whatsoever.

The paced turned blistering as we zipped past the start/finish for the bell lap. I was still feeling good, and still sitting in the top 20. I fought my way up the left side to gain some more position. Shortly after turn 2, however, there was yet another crash. Again, I stayed out of the way of the carnage, but unfortunately this crash sent Hammer out into the grass, and he had to come to a dead stop before rolling again. I fought to maintain whatever position I could, but was still eclipsed by some riders.

As we came around the final turn, I started to think that I was home free. I knew that there were too many riders in front of me, and that I would end up with a mediocre finish. Still, I started to mash on the pedals just to take whatever I could. And just as I was getting up to full speed, there is another crash. I see a rider sliding on the pavement right in front of me. I dived to the right, but now there was a most curious sight in front of me…a rider who was still upright and still had enough momentum to be moving forward, but whose rear wheel was completely tacoed. I could even smell the burning rubber as I dived right around him and fought my way to the line. Guys were sitting up all around me, but I kept sprinting the whole way and ended up taking 25^th out of 58 finishers.

My biggest problem during the race was getting position. Had the field been riding safely, I would have taken a lot more chances to move up into open gaps. There were so many times when I would see a gap, but right next to that gap would be a rider who I had seen twitching around. I simply didn’t want to take the risk of moving forward only to have the squirrel decide to twitch over into that space that I had hoped to occupy. Perhaps I just need to be more fearless. There is still a long season ahead of me to work on that.

Kenosha Velosport Spring Training Criterium #1, March 14, 2010

Wind, wind, and more wind was the order of the day. Fortunately, there was a fair amount of sun, and temps were in the mid-to-high 40s. To refresh your recollection from last year, this course is 0.70 mile loop around a business park. The course is roughly in the shape of a capital “D” that we race counter-clockwise. There are two 90-degree left turns and two sweeping left turns. The start/finish is along the backside of the “D,” heading south with a slight uphill coming out of the turn at the top.

Four representatives of Wheel Fast Racing rolled to the line for the spring opener of racing in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. Chris Hammer, John Mahr, and I lined up with about 40 other Cat 4 riders. Kev was absent, choosing to soak up the sun in Mexico rather than soaking up some pain in chilly Wisconsin. Right behind us was Jason Roggenbauer, lined up with about 20 Cat 5 riders. A dedicated cross and MTB racer, Jason was about to experience his first-ever criterium.

No one team had a strong presence, and xXx and South Chicago Wheelmen appeared to be completely absent from our races. After one warm-up lap on the course, I take my place in the 3^rd line of riders. Instructions are given, and the whistle blows! We take off at a relatively mellow pace. My Garmin computer had crapped out on me toward the end of last season, so I’m flying blind, with no idea of how fast we are going.

As we round turn two into the wind, it is like getting hit in the face. If you weren’t relatively protected in the pack, it felt like someone had grabbed your bars and given them a shake. I think this accounted for some of the squirrely riding…people were simply getting knocked around by Mother Nature.

The mellow pace doesn’t last long, and by the time a few riders started to make a big effort, I was right at the front and in perfect position to grab onto their train. Bad idea. For one, there was no chance that the effort would stay away. I don’t even know if we gained any distance on the field. I should have just stayed in the safety of the field, which soon swallowed us up. As we came around to the Start/Finish, the lap cards showed that only six minutes had elapsed. I felt completely gassed and had to hope that I could recover back in the peloton.

As the pace slows on the backstretch, I see Hammer for the first time. As he moves past me I hear “come on, Stephen.” OK, time to hit the gas. I move myself up near the front of the field, but am careful to avoid being at the front.

Minor attacks are launched here and there, but nothing can stay away in that wind. The field never strings out, which is both a good and a bad thing. Strung-out fields mean high speeds, and I didn’t know whether my legs could handle that. Compact fields can result in some squirrely riding, though, and taking corners at speed riding 4 or 5 riders abreast can be dicey. For the most part, however, the riding was relatively clean. About halfway through the race, I took a nice jolt from someone’s bars on my backside right as I was replacing my water bottle in the cage. Not a pleasant surprise, but nothing hard enough to cause a crash. I didn’t even swear! I just said “easy, now…”

With a few laps to go, we catch up to the 5s field. The fields were allowed to merge, but in a compact field this causes a confusing situation where you can’t quite tell whether the riders around you are 4s or 5s, and you can lose sight of those 4s whose wheels you were just trying to stay on. I’m not a fan of allowing fields to merge.

With two laps to go, Hammer moves up the right side of the field. He announces his presence, but I’m a) too far back, and b) boxed in and can’t get over to his wheel. This is unfortunate, because Jason, who was near the front of the field, grabs his wheel, and the two of them gain some seconds on the field. It is a strong effort, and one that I would have liked to be a part of. Perhaps with 3 of us working together we could have stayed away. Sadly, they got swallowed up by the field with about one lap to go.

Going into the final lap, I’m further back than I want to be, so I use the wide backstretch to gain some position. Still, I can feel that I’ve got nothing for a sprint, and as we negotiate the final few turns, I just have to hold on as best as I can and settle for a finish with the field.

We take two cool down laps, and then it is back to the car for some warm clothes. We watch a bit of the 3s race as we await results. Hammer took 14^th, and I took 19^th. Jason nabbed 6^th in the 5s race…not a bad showing for his first road race. We’ll see if we can improve on those results next week…and hope for less wind!