Last Week at the Track and Some Tunes

Me, before the Chariot photo: M. Ferren

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BRO!!

I totally forgot to post about what happened at the velodrome last week. It was a rainy start and things got rolling late for the keirin state championship. For those of you who don't know what a keirin is: 5 lap race paced by the moto for 4 laps, speeding up every lap until the 5th lap - the moto pulls off and it's all an all out sprint to the finish. The fields were small - surely a result of the foul weather but a few of us showed up and when the track finally dried it turned out to be pretty nice, but for the fact that it was cold and damp after sundown.

Keirin start (I'm in the middle) photo: M. Ferren

All the scheduled races were shortened - we only did a 5 lap scratch race and then a Chariot (a one lap held start - first to cross the line wins) but that was quite okay. I was cold and quickly losing the love. It turned out that I won all three events that evening and am the Keirin champion - probably something I could not have done if a full field had shown up, so it was a worthwhile trip to the track for me!

I haven't posted a playlist for a while so here's what we're doing at noon today:

warm up followed by this, twice (with a 3min break between):

2min VO2 (accelerate last 20sec)
2min EZ
2min VO2 (accelerate last 20sec)
2min EZ
5min LT

Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis
Shadowplay - The Killers
Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - JET
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face - Coldplay
Last one to Die - Rancid
Forever Yellow Skies - The Cranberries
Everlong - Foo Fighters
rearviewmirror - PJ
Arizona - Kings of Leon

At this moment I am without something to read!! I finished 'American Lion' - it was outstanding. Not sure what I'll start next...we'll see what strikes me when I visit the used bookstore.

Chicago Criterium Recap

Turn One
Photo courtesy of Gavin Gould

I've been a bad blogger lately - I meant to provide an entire recap of last weekend's RR and TT and just never really had time to sit down and type. Today was the Chicago Criterium - the short story is that I finished 8th. I'm pleased with the result mostly because I was nearly wrecked going into turn 3 and lost a bunch of position trying to get back up to speed. Had I been able to hold the position I had at that time - who knows what could have been....

I'll do a more thorough post later and hopefully will have some good photos to share. Right now it's time to slip into the Skinz and put my feet up...

UPDATE:
Now that I've had a chance to sleep on and mull over the events of yesterday, here's my summary of how things went down:

It was nice to have a later start - since I typically suck in the morning a 1:00pm start time was good for me. Being able to ride to the race is a big bonus - no parking hassles and no gear to drag along, just show up and race. I was a little bummed when I retrieved my numbers and saw that the field was not huge - only about 20 were signed up at that time and on the line there couldn't have been more than 40. A couple of teams had decent representation which was in my favor - having no teammates means that I can be more selective about what I want to cover or stay out of during the race.

Things were fairly aggressive from early on and I managed to be part of a couple small breaks though it was obvious with the wind and long front straight that most everything was going to get hauled in eventually. Things were pretty smooth for the most part - my legs felt good and I was able to be pretty much wherever I wanted to be. I wasn't so keen on the idea of sprinting for primes and chose to stay near the front but not contest any of them in favor of trying for a strong finish.

I had good position with 2 laps to go and was able to hold onto it. Unfortunately the speed wasn't really fast enough (hello!! where was the leadout train for the biggest team there?!?!) so things got a little bunched up going into turn 3 on the last lap. I had to grab a lot of brake to avoid a potential wreck coming over from the left and lost some position because of it. No one went down but things got shuffled so going over the hump into turn 4 I had to grind up the bumpy right side if I was going to have a prayer in the sprint. I learned a lesson last year in turn 4 - don't be on the inside so I stayed outside and had a much more open line to the finish. I didn't have ideal position for the sprint but at least I wasn't stuck in the back.

As the sprint unfolded things began to push over from my left in the form of HUB Racing so as I adjusted by moving right I started to feel Gina's (Juice Plus) arm. We managed to not get tangled up but Gina lost some position. She's a very talented criterium racer and I respect her a great deal - I really couldn't do anything other than hold my line and hope we separated, which we did but unfortunately it cost her a better finish.

PACT/Dishnetwork was well represented in the men's races too - I don't know how everyone did but it was great to see my teammates, especially Jim who's dealing with an elbow injury and can't race right now. Not to be overlooked were numerous friends who came by to watch and cheer - thank you for being there. It turned out to be a really great day.

Next up is a short time trial on Saturday and maybe Elk Grove on Sunday - depends on how I'm feeling. I don't particularly like the course and may just opt to hang out and do the local group ride.

Thanks for reading - if I come across any good photos from today I'll be sure to post them.

Mississippi Bluffs RR/Cordova TT

This is quick and dirty - won the ABR state RR championship and after a hard hour in some wind I finished second in the 40K TT. Details forthcoming....

Superweek - Arlington Heights Criterium

Tuesday was a pretty busy day - I worked a full day then threw all my stuff in the Jeep and headed to Arlington Heights to race. I was tired before I even got there! Based on results from the previous races it appeared that the field size wasn't huge (maybe 30-40 each day, max) and that Colavita-Sutter Home and HUB were pretty much controlling everything. Having no teammates, this is the ideal situation for me - I can key off of those two teams, work when I need to and maneuver as much as I like without being marked as a threat.

The Arlington Heights course is about .7mi long with 8 corners in an hourglass shape. There was a fair amount of bumpy pavement on the back side and the 8th turn had a pretty gnarly manhole cover but a long sprint straightaway made it possible to make up any earlier lost distance.

Racing started a bit late due to some scheduling miscommunication but once we were underway things were pretty much 'go' from the gun. There was a fair amount of attacking but nothing stayed away for very long - maybe 2 laps at the most before getting hauled in. I was happy to work with Colavita and probably did a little too much early on but I was feeling good so it wasn't a problem. HUB, LipSmackers, UltraLink and Altarum were pretty aggressive and the point sprints every fifth lap were pretty animated. I even got in on the action and managed to snag a few points, just to test how things might go down at the end.

With about 4 laps to go HUB started kicking up the speed and stringing things out quite nicely. I was hoping it would stay that way - easier for me to sprint - but it was not to be. With 2 laps to go things were getting bunched up and I was amazed to see a slew of asses in front of me I'd not seen the entire race. Again, just lazy I guess. I had but one option coming into the final sprint when I found myself sitting about 20 spots back (dumb!!) - hammer up the bumpy gutter between turns 7 and 8, pick through the holes and sprint my guts out as soon as I saw daylight.

I ended up 7th - it's abundantly clear that I need to be more aggressive in the later stages of a criterium. Poaching my way into the Colavita or HUB leadout train would have been the smart thing. Positioning is everything and had I been smarter earlier on I surely could have finished better. Hindsight...

Up next is Thursday evening at the track and a weekend of road racing and time trialing out near the Quad Cities then some more Superweek next week. I'll be missing the Evanston GP this year but that's okay - I'm planning to do at least Kenosha and Racine, maybe Whitefish Bay or the Chicago Crit. There are so many options I can pretty much pick and choose at this point what works best with my schedule.

Short Quick Update - More to Come!

Last weekend I had the esteemed pleasure of sharing 50K of time trial bliss with Mr. Brian Akers. That meant I got to sit behind him half the time. Indeed.... Brian was pretty fried from doing his first ride so we kept it steady and finished a respectable 5th in the Men's 30+ field. Mike and Josh had an incredible ride - aside from a couple of pros who showed up to kill the locals, they had the fastest time on the day. Very impressive. Then Mike and Jim did yet another ride and I believe they finished 3rd in the 50+ masters field. Not to be overlooked was a great time by Ted and Brian Harris - well done, gentlemen.

Today (Tuesday) I worked a regular schedule then threw all my stuff in the Jeep and headed to Arlington Heights for a Superweek crit. The short story - I finished 7th, felt strong and had a good ride. As it frequently is in criterium racing, position is everything and I just didn't manage to have great position when it mattered.

More soon....

Wood Dale Criterium Recap

The coolest thing about the local racing scene is that I can race with the Masters boys. They're super strong and fast so I get something out of it and because they're all cool guys, it's lots of fun. Today I headed to Wood Dale for the ABR State Championship with MetLifeGuy for 40min + 3 laps of enormous fun. I was feeling good - better since taking Friday and Saturday easy - so I was ready to do whatever I could to help Mike to a good finish.

I didn't actually count but it appeared that there were at least 40 guys on the start line - with a lot of firepower in the bunch including Wayne Simon, Mike, Tom Doughty, Stuart Grinnell, Fabio Orlandi, Andy Kerr, Gary Doering (who's riding really well this year), John Fleckenstein, and some other local killers. Not to be overlooked are the guys who come out and end up just getting in the way...maneuvering through that CF can be difficult and scary at times. A break got off the front about half way in - I was too cooked to get to it and a few of the strong guys missed it which meant the work was far from over.

Anyway, Gary and Fabio had teammates in the mix so after the break got away it was hard to reel it back in. Mike and Tom tried a bunch of times to animate the chase and get things rolling but every time they did someone sat on the front and let the gap open back up. With a lap to go, all the guys we hadn't seen for the entire race were suddenly in the front, riding like twitchy, wobbly fools. For the record, it's difficult to respect anyone who sucks wheel the whole race and then expects to drive the front on the final lap - that's just lazy. You know the guys I'm talking about - the slackers - the ones who say. "I'm not fat, I'm a sprinter." At first I was going to just let it go but then decided WTF - move up, sprint and see what you can do. I got a little pinched in the last turn but was able to snag (I think) 10th place thanks to a bike throw on the line. I have no idea who actually won - results weren't yet posted when I left.

It was a good outing for me - I felt good and had fun. Next up is a 2 person time trial with Brian Akers out in BFE Illinois somewhere next weekend. SuperWeek also starts this weekend so I'll be picking and choosing races that I like, are easy to get to and agree with my schedule - because I have a real job and will likely be heading to races right after work.

Thanks to all the masters boys who let me come out and play in their game - especially Mike, Andy, Wayne, and Tom. They are always polite and supportive - they respect my ability and treat me like I belong racing with them. After years of not having fun racing, it's become fun again and a lot of it has to do with them and the fact that they're good to me both on the bike and off.

If I come across any photos from today I'll update the post.

US Masters Nationals - Criterium

My post-race binge...Dr. Pepper and a Moon Pie

Wakes - parked on the top of the FJ with my TT bike watching the action at Churchill Downs. He made the Louisville newspaper! For the record, he is by far the very best race-support/mechanic dude a girl could ever ask for! Thanks so much - you made my week SO much easier!

The quick short version - I'll update with photos and a better summary later on - I scored bronze in the criterium at Nationals. It was a short, flat, four corner course located in the infield of Churchill Downs. On a day where I was feeling completely useless I somehow managed to be part of the 3 rider break that at one point held a one minute advantage over the field. My break companions were current Jazz Apple salary-earning professional Dotsie Bausch and Leslie Jennings from DC - based Cycle Life.

UPDATE: To complete the post....

I knew during my warm up that it was not going to be a great day. My legs were still cooked from the time trial so I decided that I'd just be smart, watch strong riders and try to make the break. There were a few attacks during the first 15 laps but things pretty much stayed together until Dotsie unleashed an attack through the start finish that appeared good enough to stick. I went with it and within about 3/4 of a lap we were away - for the rest of the race. It was everything I could do to just take my pulls and sit on. At one point I was even shelled for about 1/2 a lap but I managed to get back on and stick to the end. At sprint time I hesitated ever so slightly and missed my chance - I wasn't very confident and paid for it, though ended up a respectable third. If I'd been feeling better I'm sure I could've finished higher but my goal was to get on the podium, so it was a successful day.

Huge thanks to Brian Akers and Reed Oliff who rode 2.5hr over to watch and cheer - it meant so much to hear your voices while I suffered like a dog and died a thousand deaths out there. Also - thanks to Nicki who came out to spectate and let me clean up at her place for the ride home. Speaking of the ride home....it never quite goes smoothly, does it? We got stuck in some heinous I-65 traffic (so I played animal cracker games...) then I hit the CF of the Dan Ryan/Kennedy/I-55 snafu. Indeed.

I'm happy to be home - it was a good trip. Friday was a super easy ride with MetLifeGuy on the lakefront path and post-ride coffee. My legs were dead but the sun was up and I was home with two medals from Nationals - it's hard to beat that!

US Masters Nationals - Time Trial Pix

Thanks to a two hour start time delay, Brian was able to squeeze in a second breakfast - Krispy Kremes. Reed was kind enough to jump on his bike, roll over to the grocery store and provide Brian with his sugar fix.

Then Reed got in on the donut action.

Tom Doughty and Jim Host before they headed out on their 110+ tandem ride. Tom had just finished snagging a silver in the individual TT. They won the jersey - congrats guys!!

The Steelman tandem ridden to a first place finish by Jim Host and Tom Doughty. It has this killer dark graphite metallic paint job (looks like one of my favorite nail polish colors...).

Not to be overlooked is the 63/50 tooth chainring combo. I can't even calculate the gear inches. I just know it's HUGE and requires enormous amounts of power to go fast, which Tom and Jim definitely have.

Mr. Pink, Wayne Simon, puts his feet up and relaxes while we run on time delay. He got 6th in the road race on Monday and then scored bronze in the TT. Way to go Mr. Pink!! We're entertaining thoughts of doing the 90+ mixed tandem next year....look out Applegates...

US Masters Nationals Time Trial

Heading out of the start house on my ride. photo: M. Wakeley

This post will be updated when I get home - I'm pirating my host's computer and don't have photo upload capability or full access to the applications I need to publish a thorough post. The short story is that I managed to score a silver medal in the time trial at US Masters Nationals in Louisville, KY today. I was second to Laura Igoe, a pro duathlete who is mercifully moving to the 40-44 age category next season. She had a great ride - my congratulations on her win. Things were a little crazy - start times were delayed two hours for course closure problems. That was fine for me - the later I ride, the better I perform.

A quick rundown of other local talent down here for the fun (that I can recall currently):

Wayne Simon 3rd - 50-54 men

Tom Doughty 2nd - 55-59 men

Leigh Thompson 4th - 45-49 women

Mark Swartzendruber - 8th 45-49 men

There are other athletes here but due to my need to warm down, eat, recover and relax I wasn't able to memorize everyone's finishes. Reed Oliff and Brian Akers (with donuts!!) are here representing ALLVOI/WDT and Mike Wakeley (my travel companion) is here riding for Blue Competition Cycles.

I have to send a huge thank you to my training companions - guys, it is the suffering I endure in your company and your patient, supportive encouragement that have helped me do this. You provide me with opportunities to learn and improve both on and off the bike every day - thanks for that, I appreciate it.

I've had a lot of down time and have been able to start 'American Lion' by John Meacham. So far it is fantastic. Thanks for reading - I'll be sure to update things with photos and full time trial and criterium reports when I return home.