Another year down...

With the year drawing to a close, it's a natural time to look back and reflect on the previous twelve months.  2009 was a great season for me.  My level of riding was a little higher than previous years and I saw some improved results as well.  Most importantly though, riding and racing remained just as fun as it always has.  A change of jobs to a more bike focused shop in the early spring also helped reinforce my passion for all things bicycle.

It was a year with more highlights than lowlights.  My first mountain bike race in years in February was a whole lot of fun and went better than I should have expected given my fitness at that time of year.  A training ride in the Okanogan area in May led to the discovery of some great new training routes to put in my repetoire.  May was also the month I raced for the first time at the Enumclaw omnium, an extremely well run and enjoyable race weekend.

Midsummer and July brought a mixed bag.  One of my season's big goals, the state time trial championships, passed with a disappointing effort and result.  Only one week later, however, I turned in a career result at the state masters omnium championship with a second place time trial result and a sixth place for the weekend in the Masters C field.

Late summer and fall racing and training brought more fun and enjoyable miles on the bike.  Now, I'm back in the gym and looking forward to 2010 and hopefully another season of all good things bicycle.

Thoughts from Interbike .........finally.

It's been two months now since I went to Interbike, the bike industry's yearly gathering in Las Vegas, and now that everything new and wow for next year has been in the press, I thought I'd offer at least a couple of observations on bikes and equipment I tried at the demos and stuff I saw on the show floor.

My first full day in Vegas was spent at Bootleg Canyon at the OutDoor Demo riding several 2010 road and mountain bikes from a variety of manufacturers. I had the opportunity to try new rides from Orbea, BH, Pivot, Rocky Mountain, Felt, and Scott. The demos are a great chance to try different bikes and make direct comparisons since they are all being tried on the same terrain in the same conditions. As most manufacturers are really pushing their flagships, its also an opportunity to ride some bikes that I could never afford.

On the mountain bike side of things, I only sampled 29ers as I am a total convert to the big wheel thing. They just roll so well and handle the trails in my part of the world so well that I will never have another little wheeled bike again. The bikes I tried ranged from a full carbon Felt hardtail that was an absolute rocket, definitely a race-bred machine, to 4" travel full suspension bikes from Rocky and Pivot. Aluminum hardtails from Rocky and Scott filled the middle ground. The full-squishies were nice, but the inherent smoothness of the larger wheels has me thinking my next bike is going to be a 29er hardtail. One feature that a few of the bikes had that made a big difference in their handling was the new 15mm through axle front hub and fork combo. It just makes the front end track much more precisely and really livens up the bike.

On the road side of things, all the bikes I tried were plastic, oops I mean carbon, and were definitely some of the nicest rides I've had the opportunity to try. The upper limit was the BH G5 with Dura-Ace Di2 electric shifting. Way out of my price range, but what a race bike. After riding mountain bikes all morning, I nearly dumped it when I stood up to sprint on it as the handling was much quicker than I was used to. It wasn't twitchy or squirrely though, just very responsive. If you race, you'd love it. If you like to do 6 hour rides and look at the birds flying by, you might end up in a ditch after the late ride fatigue and inattentiveness sets it. And Di2 is simply amazing. Hopefully, the technology will become affordable before I'm too old to make use of it. After the BH, I rode a new 6700 Ultegra equipped Orbea Orca. This was definitely and all day type of bike. It was light and responsive (everything in this price range is) but more forgiving than the full-race BH. As for the new version Ultegra, I was underwhelmed. The shift lever effort has gone up considerably with the routing of the cables under the tape and the crispness of the rear shifting just isn't there in my opinion. I'll keep my 6600 thanks.

The best blend of raciness and all-day comfort was the Felt AR2. That bike felt perfect as soon as I rolled off on it. The Felt B2 time trial bike I tried however was a little dissapointing. I'm not sure what I expected and to be fair a TT bike is so much about your position being comfortable on it that without taking the time to fit it well, its tough to get a meaningful demo of one, but it just didn't feel all that fast or impressive to me.

As for observations from the show floor itself, after ten annual trips to Interbike, a lot of it looks the same, but a few things always stand out. The SRAM XX group looks pretty cool (although I'm sure out of most mortals' price ranges) and the rear cassette is an amazing piece of machine work. Last year, I raved about the Blackburn Flea lights and this year they've made them even better with a model that charges off of a USB port or even a solar cell. White is pretty widespread for mountain bike parts now as a color, but there are more disturbing color trends in the near future. For those of you who remember anodized parts in all the colors of the rainbow, they appear to be coming back with even large manufacturers like SRAM getting in on the action. And the color of choice for the coming year or two appears to be gold. Truth be told some of the gold parts and accents look nice to me, kind of a brushed brass look, but some of it is really, really hideous and should only be seen on a chain around someone's neck surrounded by a polyester shirt.

That's my take on the highlights of Interbike 2009. Only ten months to go 'til next time.........

Ride 542 - A fine way to close out my season

A couple weeks ago, I headed over to the west side to take part in Ride 542, which is a recreational ride/race up the Mt. Baker highway from the town of Glacier to Artist's Point. I've done this event the past two years and have always enjoyed it a lot and have found that its mix of recreational riders and hard core racers make for a relaxed vibe that is a really enjoyable way to close out my road season. The past two editions had been blessed with spectacular weather and this year was no different with temps in the upper 70s and plenty of sun.

The first part of the course is kind of rolling with a couple short climbs while steadily gaining elevation. This first part is about 14 miles or so. Then, the final 10 miles are the serious climb broken only by a short flat section in the vicinity of the Mt. Baker ski area. For me the question is always do I push hard and burn matches trying to hang with the front group for the first 14 miles and hope I have something left for the "real" climb or do I throttle back a little and ride with a smaller group so that I know I have something left for the climb.

The first year I did this event, I eased out of the back of the pack almost immediately and found a small group to ride with for the first part of the course. This seemed like the safest strategy seeing as how I had never ridden the climb before and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't blow before the top. Last year with the confidence of a successful first year behind me, I fought to stay in the main bunch and then got up the climb with what I had left. Having turned in a slightly faster time with last year's strategy, I decided to try and hang with the bunch again this year.

I got lined up a little too far back in the pack and in a group of 260 or so that can make a big difference. I spent a lot of energy early closing gaps and moving around slower riders to maintain contact with the group. On the Powerhouse climb (the longest of the climbs in the first part of the course) I finally lost contact for good. I rode alone for a mile or so, caught in the no man's land between groups, and then was finally caught up by a group of about ten riders. We continued to make a good pace and soon we were at the base of the main climb with 10 miles to go.

A couple riders in the group continued to push the pace and I decided that their tempo was more than I was going to be able to sustain. I let them and the remnants of the group go and settled into my own rhythm. I caught and dropped a couple of them a few miles later when the aggressive early tempo turned out to be too much for them. One of these riders would catch back to me later and we would swap positions the rest of the ride with neither one of us ever getting more than a couple hundred meters on the other.

Once through the "flat" at the ski area, the final five kilometers are marked with signs and the road is steeper and even features numerous switchbacks just to make it interesting. If you're into that kind of thing, there are even spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. I continued to try and maintain the fastest pace that I thought I could hold. The kilometer signs slowly counted down, and I must say I did not feel as bad at this point as I had the previous two trips up the climb. Soon I was in the final kilometer and round the final switchback and digging towards the finish. As I rounded the last bend and headed for the line, I was annoyed to find that nearly the entire road was blocked by a race vehicle attempting to get parked just shy of the line. I had to slow slightly, but the situation was an annoyance and not a serious time loss.

I crossed the finish and had recorded a time of 1:45:24. Again, I was just over one hour and 45 minutes. I have done this event three times now with three different approaches and all my times are within a span of 23 seconds. I'll continue to try and break the 1:45:00 mark. This year I struggled a bit early, but definitely felt the best of the three attempts on the main climb. Next year, I'll be back to give it another shot.

Sometimes things are uphill

This past saturday was the Washington State Hillclimb Championships at Crystal Mountain. The event is put on by the Wheelsport Cycling Team and they do a great job putting on a fun event. The entry fee even includes a post race barbeque lunch. Coming as close as it does to the end of the road racing season in Washington, the event has kind of a relaxed vibe to it as for a lot of racers it is one of their last events of the season.

The course is straightforward. It begins at the bottom of Crystal Mountain Boulevard just off of Highway 410 and climbs for about 6 miles to the finish in the main parking lot at the base of the ski hill. It gains a little over 1600 feet in the six miles. It is run just like any other time trial with riders starting at thirty second intervals. An interesting addition at this race is that you weigh in at the finish and they have a prize based on the rider's time-to-weight ratio as well as the tradtional competition on elapsed time.

I had done this race once before in 2007 and had managed to clock in just under 30 minutes at 29:48. I added a lot of climbing to my training rides in the last month or two and hoped that would help me to improve on my previous time. Other than that, I really didn't have any great hopes as I don't generally consider myself much of a climber.

My turn to start arrived and I eased onto the early pitches of the climb. I maintained a steady but somewhat relaxed pace for the first couple minutes to give my body a chance to settle in and adjust to the effort. I then began to lift my effort to my target heartrate and establish a rhythm. The mantra of "good pain, feeling strong" repeated over and over in my head in sync with my breathing helped me lock in on my pace. Just after the first mile passed, I caught and passed my 30 second man and caught my one minute man maybe a mile later. I was feeling good and staying focused on the task at hand.

At around the 2.5 mile mark a rider came steaming past me. I resisted the temptation to try and lift my pace and instead maintained my own rhythm. He had lifted his pace to get around me as he did not pull away all that quickly. The middle of the course flattens out for a bit and I was able to match his pace across that section. When the steeps returned, he gradually left me behind though.

As the climb continued, it looked like I was going to be very close to my goal of bettering my time and this provided even more motivation. I was able to push harder and stand occasionally as the consequences of blowing up became less as the finish grew closer. The 200m to go sign passed and I dug in and clawed my way up the final rise to the finish to post a time of 29:43, five seconds better than my previous effort.

My wife and I went to the BBQ and waited for the results to be posted. I really wasn't expecting much as in 2007 I was 12th out of 16 in the Masters C field. I was in for a pleasant surprise though. When the results were posted, I had achieved a 9th place out of 23 in the Masters C field. That was quite unexpected and capped off a great day for me. In hindsight, I think that conditions were slightly faster in 2007 with a stronger tailwind up the climb. So this years time was only an improvement of five seconds, but effort and work wise it was a bigger improvement.

The last event for me this season is another "uphill" task. In a few weeks, I'll take on Ride 542, the Mount Baker Hillclimb, for the third time. Hopefully, another surprising improvement is in store.

Masters Omnium Criterium - 7 seconds can be an eternity

Sunday evening was the final event in the Washington state masters omnium championship. Shortly before 7pm, the masters C field rolled off the start line for a 30 minute long criterium. I managed to have probably the worst start of my career. As can happen occasionally, I had difficulty getting my foot clipped into my pedal quickly. No big deal. I figured I'd pedal a few strokes unclipped to stay near the pack and try again. In the process of doing that, my chain dropped off. With my speed dropping, I urgently tried to shift my chain back on and get my foot in my pedal. Just as I was about to hop off and put the chain back on by hand, it finally shifted on and my foot clipped in and I was off in pursuit of the pack. It seemed at the time like this crisis had taken forever, but in watching video today that my wife shot, I saw that the whole mess transpired in seven seconds. Still, I was left with a pretty good gap to close to the pack. It took half a lap but I managed to rejoin the group and try to settle in for the race. Fortunately, masters tend to ease into their races. If that had been a category 4-5 pack, which usually start full gas, I'm not sure I would have gotten back. As I caught the pack, I took a deep breath and told myself that must have been my bad luck for the race.

The course was basically flat and sort of triangular in shape. Each lap was about a kilometer in length and enclosed a few blocks around city hall. The pace was fairly quick but steady. Only a few attacks tried to get away during the race. Unlike most of my criterium experiences in recent years, I was quite comfortable and was able to focus on positioning and trying to get a result rather than just hanging on. As the race wore on, I tried different pack positions and lines through the last couple corners to see what might work. As the last lap began, the pace elevated as expected and I was only able to hold a mid-pack position. We all got through the last two corners safely and began the sprint down the finishing straight. Although, I didn't manage to move up more than a place after the last corner I also managed not to lose any spots. After crossing the line, I counted the riders in front of me and realized I had finished 13th. With points going 15 deep, I was in a points paying position.

I had been sitting 5th in the omnium standings after my strong time trial result earlier in the day and these few points from the criterium might help me keep a high omnium finish. They did. I slipped one spot, but finished the weekend in 6th place in the omnium standings for the masters C field. It was easily my best complete weekend of racing of my career. Its been a while coming, but it feels really good.

Masters Omnium TT - That's what I'm talking about

Usually, when I go to omniums, I put in good time trials. I'm usually in the points and generally somewhere between 7th and 10th place. I've been waiting for the day when I put it all together and jump a little further up the results table. Today was that day.

Today's TT was eight miles in length and started at the Padilla Bay Interpretive center and headed north. The profile in the tech guide made the course look like it had a good size hill to climb over in the middle of it, once each way. The reality was that it started on a plateau overlooking Padilla Bay for a couple miles and then dropped down onto the flats for a couple miles until the turnaround. The only real hill was on the return leg climbing back up onto the plateau and it wasn't all that bad.

I started well and settled into a pretty good pace right away. Typically, the first challenge in a TT is to avoid going out too strong and blowing up. With tired legs from yesterday's road race, I don't think anyone had that problem. I overheard numerous comments in the parking lot after the race regarding rider's inability to elevate their heartrates to their usual levels. Today was less about finding that perfect max aerobic pace and more about just pushing through the pain and fatigue caused by yesterday. It was akin to the last rep or two in a weightlifting set in the gym. The whole race was just trying to keep pushing a little more.

I dropped off the plateau and down onto the flats. This stretch of the course to the turnaround was dead flat and straight for two miles. It was a little like being on a treadmill, there wasn't much sensation of movement. I made a decent turn, maybe a little wider than necessary, and got back on the gas for the return leg. The flats passed quickly and I was faced with getting back up onto the plateau. Again, blowing up wasn't much of a risk, so I just stood and kept the wheels turning as quick as I could.

Back up top, I could see the rider who started thirty seconds ahead of me, and although I wasn't going to catch him, by marking his time as he passed the 1k to go mark I could tell I was a couple seconds ahead of him. I dug in and really tried to lift my pace as all I could think of is that it would be a drag to lose a place to him when I was up with a kilometer to go.

I crossed the line and saw on my watch that my time was in the neighborhood of 18:30 for the 8 miles. Not too bad. I was sure I'd be in the points and probably well in the top-10. When the results were posted, I'd managed 2nd place, only about 5 seconds behind first. And my thirty second man? He was in third, two seconds behind me.

2009 State Masters Omnium - Road Race

Today was the first event in the Washington State Masters and Juniors Omnium Championships. Unlike most omniums which start with a time trial, today featured the road race with a time trial and criterium on tap for tomorrow. The road race was held on the challenging Northshore road race circuit which is about 8 miles per lap and has about 500 feet of climbing per lap divided primarily between two main climbs. A strong wind was blowing as well providing that extra touch.

After my disappointment with my effort and result at last weekend's state TT championship, I was hopeful that this weekend's racing would help me put that behind me. I didn't get a chance to pre-ride or drive the course so when I rolled away from the start with 36 other masters C riders, it was a little bit of a voyage into the unknown. Our race was to be 6 laps plus another time up the first climb to the finish at the top. This would leave us with a tally of about 50 miles and 3300 feet of climbing for the day.

In less than a mile, the first climb began. It was kind of a stair step affair with sections of various steepness but gained a couple hundred feet in about a mile. The pack took it at a fairly relaxed pace, with everyone still loosening up a little bit. After the "frontside" climb, the course had a long mostly flat, downwind leg that kept the speed nice and high. At this early point in the race, I was mostly still settling in and taking notice of any riders whose pack riding skills, or lack thereof, might make them a hazard to be avoided. Usually these riders are no longer in contact after a lap or two. Today was no exception. The rider that most worried me today had a habit of changing which wheel he was following without making sure he was clear. It's fairly amazing he didn't take anyone down, but he was off the back on lap two.

After the fast downwind section, the course turned and headed back into the wind and towards the other main climb, which also had the feed zone located at the top of it. The wind on this section was strong and as we turned onto it, the pack would stretch a little and riders near the back would have to sprint out of the corner to close back up with the group. I suspect more than a couple tired riders lost contact at this point today as the wind took its toll.

The "feed zone" climb was simlilar in size to the frontside climb, but was much more steady in its grade. It was followed by a fast, steady descent back down to the start area. On the descent, there was a couple spots with crosswinds that seemed to make life difficult for those racers running deep section wheels. You could certainly tell who had ridden their fancy wheels in the wind before, and those who had not.

The first few laps were marked by occasional attempts by riders to form breakaways. As would be expected on this course, the pack was also steadily losing numbers out the back. I think it was on lap four that a breakaway of four or so riders finally got a good gap and disappeared off into the distance. By this time the remaining field was down to about 15 riders or so. The pack had been pretty quiet up to this point. Generally, there is a little small talk going on between riders throughout the race, but I think today's effort kept the chat to a minimum. On lap 5 that changed, I think we all came to the same conclusion, the break was gone and with two laps to go there was no reason squander our individual chances chasing it. With omnium points going 15 deep, everyone still in the pack was in the running. The pace eased noticeably and the small talk picked up. Even approaching the feedzone climb for the last time, guys were chatting away like it was a weekend club ride.

We came down the descent quite leisurely, as everyone was waiting for the final time up the front side climb and the "bonus" 200m long climb on a side road to the finish line. As we rolled onto the bottom of the climb, I tried to be patient and get up it at my own pace, but obviously as fast as possible. I was pretty spent by this point and although I lost contact with the group, I was still hopeful I might pick off a straggler or two by the top and get into the points. As it was I caught and dropped only one but was able to hold him off to the line. The final 200m turned off onto a side road and was the steepest part of the whole race. By the time I was halfway up it, I was seeing stars. I got across the line and was quite relieved to be done and extremely happy with how I had ridden on this challenging course. For the record, I missed out on the points, but I did finish 17th out of 37 starters. Hopefully, I've got something left in the legs for tomorrow's time trial.

2009 State TT Championship - Dealing with disappointment

When I reconned the course for this year's time trial championship a few weeks ago, I realized it was going to be a challenge and that conditions would play a big part. As I arrived at the race site this past sunday, a stiff wind was blowing and it was clearly going to be a big headwind for the return leg of the race. The course also featured a sizable hill to climb over within a mile or so of the turnaround point. This was going to be a day where correct pacing would be critical. I felt good warming up and although I didn't expect to set the world on fire, I felt I was ready and capable of doing a good ride and turning in a solid time.

I rolled off the start line quickly and settled in to a slightly reserved pace. The small roller a half mile into the race passed easily and with a strong tailwind, I was flying right along. Knowing I had a big hill to get over twice and a strong headwind to battle on the return trip, I tried to hold back just a bit on the way out and not give into the temptation to ride like a wind-aided hero only to half nothing left for the second half. At mile 10, the kilometer long climb began, and I got up it fairly quickly and down the other side without being blown off the road at 45mph in the buffeting winds. The climb broke my rhythm a bit, but I found it again just before the turnaround.

The turnaround was uneventful. Usually, I wouldn't even mention the turn, but this course was on a highway that had "rumble strips" on the centerline. I hadn't even thought about them until the manmade potholes appeared before me as I rounded the cone. The wind was immediately apparent as I headed back towards the hill. The return side of the hill was a little steeper and featured the headwind as well. I struggled a little on it and probably lost a fair amount of time. Over the hill and down the other side, all that was left was to fight as hard as possible into the wind back to the finish. I struggled at times to keep my speed above 20mph and dropped as low as 17mph at times. I got back to the finish with a time on my stopwatch of about 1:02. I knew it wasn't a great time, but given the conditions, I thought it might place me mid-field or so.

I went and cooled down and then back to the car to change clothes and have a snack. An hour had passed since I crossed the finish so I headed over to check out the results. To my shock, I was listed in last place with a time of over 1:24, worse yet the results had been posted a half hour earlier, so by rule, it was too late to protest them. I asked a volunteer if the officials were still around, but was informed that they had left. My correct time was only going to move me up a couple places, it really was a poor ride, but I at least wanted to know what my actual time was. I sent an e-mail to the results company when I got home pointing out the error and they were able to get my correct time to me the next day, 1:02:12. It was only good enough for 15th out of 18 riders in the masters C field.

After getting home that evening, showering, and eating some dinner, it struck me that I really didn't feel all that tired. I definitely did not "leave it all on the course". For whatever reason, I had a bad day and couldn't or didn't push myself hard enough. This event had been a main priority for my season so I am pretty bummed, but life goes on. My next race is the state masters omnium championships in Bellingham next weekend. At the very least, I'll try to get back on track in the TT.

Tdf Team Time Trial - F1 on a dirt oval?

Today's team time trial stage of the Tour certainly proved suspenseful and exciting but at times it also seemed a little absurd. I'm all for a technical time trial course rather than just a straight wide highway but asking nine guys to ride full-gas with precision and focus on a narrow, super twisty course in a windy part of the world is a little like asking Formula One cars to put on their best performance on a 1/4-mile dirt oval.

Pros riding a team time trial should be about speed, power, and poetry in motion, not who can navigate a super complicated roundabout without falling over or blasting off into the weeds. Furthermore, a course like today's puts the lower budget teams at even more of a disadvantage as they probably don't have the time or resources to dedicate to the ultra-thorough reconnaisance required to ride the course at top speed without falling all over themselves.

Lets keep the dirt track cars on the dirt tracks and Formula One cars on the road race circuits.

2009 State Time Trial Championship course preview

A few days ago I put the bike on the car and headed down to Ellensburg to check out the course for the Washington State Time Trial Championships, which will be held July 12th on a course that winds through the Yakima River Canyon. Since the race announcement describes the course as mostly flat with one short climb in both directions, I thought it would be useful to ride those climbs for myself on my TT bike so that I would know what I'd be in for on race day.

I found my way to the start area and parked at Helen McCabe State Park at the mouth of the canyon. The "park" consists of some undeveloped land owned by the state and a large pond which is a local fishing hole. Having gone to school in Ellensburg for a couple of years, I was not surprised to have very windy conditions for my reconnaissance ride. I changed into my riding clothes, got the bike off the car, and headed out on the course. The course is on a fairly busy, two-lane highway through the Yakima River Canyon. On the weekday afternoon I rode, there was a fair amount of traffic and I can't imagine it will be any quieter on race weekend since the canyon is a very popular recreation area.

The course has a small roller within the first (and last) half mile or so and then flattens out. The pavement is so-so for the first few miles. The roadway was originally sectioned concrete and has been paved and chipsealed over throughout its history. This has left the surface uneven and cracked in spots and there are occasional small potholes as well. It's not really bad, but it will require attention on the part of the rider, especially on the return trip when fatigue is at its greatest. The next several miles are flat with better pavement and unremarkable.....until the climb at mile ten.

The "short climb" is about a kilometer long and on the outbound leg appears to be about 4% or 5%, it is immediately followed by a descent of about the same length. The return leg side of climb is slightly steeper, maybe 6% or so. Both descents are straight forward without any turns to worry about. Since the climb is about two miles from the turnaround, there is effectively about four miles between the two significant sections of climbing in the ride. This should provide some chance to recover.

The wind will likely be the biggest factor on this course. The canyon twists around quite a bit so the wind direction the rider feels will change a lot. In addition, the wind swirls a lot in the canyon. Some places are quite sheltered and others are pretty exposed to the wind. If it is very windy, light riders and those who don't like gusty crosswinds may want to consider their wheel choices carefully.

After previewing the course, I got back to the car and noticed that the parking lot was empty. I started to put my stuff in the trunk and noticed a mosquito on my arm and dispatched him with a swat. She was not alone. I was immediately swarmed by mosquitoes and frantically threw my bike on the car and got out of there as quickly as possible. It appeared there had been a large hatch of mosquitoes at the pond while I was on my ride. I must have had fifteen or twenty bites on each leg in the few minutes it took to get the bike loaded up. I don't envy the race officials who will have to hang out in this area if there is another hatch on race day.

Overall, it will be a challenging course. Personally, I'd prefer it without the hills, but that's just me whining. In a couple weeks we'll see how it rides at race pace.

Methow Valley Tour omnium - Road Race

My goal for today's road race stage of the 2009 Methow Valley Tour omnium was to stay out of trouble and finish with the bunch. Happily, I achieved that goal. It was a beautiful morning for a bike race with clear skies, temps in the 70s and only a little wind. The race for the category 4/5 field consisted of 4 laps of the the 13.5 mile Chewuch loop for a total of 54 miles. Once each lap we passed right through the center of downtown Winthrop.

Like last year, the first lap was pretty mellow. Our field of 70 or so rolled out neutral until we had passed through town and were out on the East Chewuch Road for the first time. When the officials honked their horn signalling us to race, there was no immediate acceleration as usually occurs. The pack continued at a pretty comfortable pace for the rest of the first lap, seemingly in no real hurry. That changed on the second lap.

Coming through town to start our second lap, the pace went up considerably and people began to drop off the back on the hills. I made sure I closed gaps in front of me and stayed in contact. Looking at video my wife shot of our pack each lap as we passed through the finish area, it looks like we lost at least a third of the field that lap.

On lap three, the pace seemed to relax again. Last year, the race became very nervous on lap three culminating in a crash that took down or delayed about half the field. This year, there seemed to me to be less of that. There was one solo attack for about half a lap, but other than that, very little aggression or driving of the pace and very little twitchiness in the pack.

I thought for sure that the pace would elevate again for the final lap and that riders might try their luck at getting off the front. The pace was high as we passed through town, but on the hill leaving town it was only slightly higher than the previous lap and the other hills on the East Chewuch were taken similarly. There were no serious attacks and the bunch seemed resigned to a sprint finish as we headed back in the West Chewuch Road and the final 6 miles or so to the finish.

To this point, I was not aware of any crashes in our field although their had been one or two close calls with the customary skidding and cussing from the involved riders. As we crested one of the final rises a few miles from the finish, I heard a rider go down behind me and off to the other side of the pack from me. I have no idea what happened as I was nearly at the back and the pace was steady at the time. I guess he probably touched wheels with the rider in front of him out of fatigue and loss of concentration.

With the finish approaching rapidly it was clear it was going to be a bunch sprint and I was not going to be a factor in it as I was sitting on at the back. I set my self up towards the right side of the bunch figuring that as people swung across the road at the 200m point, some room to pick up a couple places might appear on the right side. With about 25om to go however, the inevitable happened. Too many people trying to squeeze into too narrow a lane resulted in someone drifting onto the gravel shoulder and taking themselves and at least one other rider down with them. I had to slow to get around the crash and crossed the line at the tail end of the main field in 36th. Still, I had achieved my goal of finishing with the field and staying out of trouble. I had a great day and a great weekend racing my bike on my home roads and look forward to doing it all again here next year.

Methow Valley Tour omnium - TT and Hillclimb

The Time Trial:
(thanks to Kristen Smith and MVSTA for the startline photo)

As I wrote in my post last night, I was pretty excited for this morning's time trial and beginning of the Methow Valley Tour omnium. This weekend's courses are on my home roads and I am very familiar with them. My TT form has been steadily improving this year and I feel like I am going really well right now. Given all these factors, I was optimistic for today's TT and expecting a big result. I usually hover around the top 10 in time trials an felt that now was the time I could step up and bump up a few places and maybe even score a top 5 placing.

The TT course features four significant (at least to me) hills that are usually my undoing. This year I planned to start out a little easier than normal until the base of the first hill and then ramp it up on the hill, recover a bit on the backside and flat section before the second climb and so on. I hoped that by doing this, I could avoid losing big chunks of time on the hills, especially the last one which is followed immediately by a gradually rising false flat that makes it difficult to get back up to speed.

The plan seemed to work well on the outbound leg and the first two hills. I got up and over them pretty quickly and seemed to be on a great ride. The return trip over the hills was less impressive. The first one was passibly okay, but the last one left me crawling along at the top as usual. My 30-second man who I had passed just after the first hill on the outbound leg passed me back. To add insult to injury, he was on a standard road bike with no aero trickery. I comforted myself with the thought that I would get him back before the finish as it was all downhill or flat remaining.

Try as I might though, I was unable to close the gap back to him and trailed him across the line by a few seconds. I congratulated him on his effort and he replied that I had made a great carrot for him. I told him I just die on those hills and he said, "I noticed." I had hoped to turn in a time of around 22:30 which I hoped might put me near that elusive top 5, alas I was only able to go about 22:52. I say "about" because there was a scoring error that added a minute or so to everyone's times. The placings and gaps were all correct, but I'm not sure if the error was exactly one minute or little more or less. My target time would have gotten me 7th, as it was I ended up 10th. Another "hovering" top 10. Related to the size of the field though (72 riders) it is my best TT placing ever, so I'm pretty happy even if frustrated by those freakin' hills!


The Hillclimb:

Speaking of hills, we got to race up a big one this year. Usually the second event of this, and most, omniums is a criterium. In the MV Tour the criterium has been held in Twisp. This year however Twisp has a large street project going on in their downtown that has torn up most of the criterium course. Undaunted, the organizers came up with a great replacement event, a mass-start hill climb. The course starts out with about a 1.25 miles of flat before hitting the steeps in earnest. The next 1.25 miles are about 10% followed by 5 miles of pitches ranging from flat to 10%. All told, the course is about 7.5 miles long and according to the tech guide gains over 1600 feet.

As expected, the pack splintered as soon as we turned onto the climb. Not being a climber (see part 1 of this post), I assumed my customary position drifting off the back and settling into my own rhythm. Being a local really helped out in this event. Many riders rode beyond themselves on the early steeps of the climb trying in vain to stay in contact or chased too hard on the intermittent flat sections and struggled mightily in the late stages of the climb. I rode my pace, picked stragglers off whenever possible, and managed a 44th place finish out of the 72 starters. Truly not a headline worthy finish I know, but given how I usually suffer on this climb in training, I was quite pleased with it. As a bonus, with the points this weekend in each event going 50 places deep, I even added a few points to my weekend total.

I really hope they keep this event in future years instead of a criterium. I suffered like mad, but you can ride a crit anywhere. This hillclimb stage was unique and fun and I think makes this omnium a little more special.

Methow Valley Tour omnium - Ready to GO!

This weekend is my home race, the Methow Valley Tour omnium. It will be on roads I ride all the time and that always makes it a bit more fun. When I laid out my race schedule for the year, this was not a high priority race for me, but now that it is here, I am fired up and ready to race. I rode a strong TT a couple weeks ago at Enumclaw and earlier this week posted a personal best in a local TT held on the same road as tomorrow's TT. I have no idea how the hillclimb will go for me tomorrow afternoon or how Sunday's road race will turn out, but I expect big things of myself tomorrow morning in the TT.

Enumclaw Omnium Road Race - A pleasant ride in the country

Not being a great climber, today's goal was to stay in contact with the bunch up the Mud Mountain Road climb for at least the first of three laps. Close but no cigar. I lost touch with just a few hundred meters left the first time up and spent the rest of the first lap in a group of about eight riders trying to chase back. Most of us in the group understood the plan: pull through and swing off as soon as you hit the front. When we managed to keep it working smoothly, we were definitely making great headway coming back to the group. Periodically however, someone would sit on the front too long and the pace would drop and the rotation would be disrupted. We managed to get within a few hundred meters or so, but could never quite close the gap.

Approaching the climb for the second time, at least half the group shut off, probably feeling that even if we caught back on, we'd immediately get dropped when the climbing started again. That sealed our fate to a day off the back. Shortly after the climb began for the second time, a pack of riders with lead and follow cars miraculously appeared before us and we were gaining quickly. As we drew closer, our dreams were dashed as it turned out to be the Cat 4 field which had been neutralized to allow our field, the one we were chasing, to pass. A few of the stronger riders in our group attempted to climb past the Cat 4s and a few of the weaker ones had already dropped off our pace. My pace on the climb was just enough to match the neutralized Cat 4s and so I followed along up the rest of climb behind their follow vehicles. Climbing a steep hill while breathing the exhaust of the follow vehicles gave me a new appreciation for the pros you see climbing the Alps in the Tour led by a number of cars and motorcycles.

After the climb was crested, the officials released the Cat 4s and they began to pull away. Our little group had splintered and I found myself working with one other rider on the descent back to Enumclaw. He seemed a little stronger than me and we were working well so I was surprised when he told me he was going to pull out at the fairgrounds and bail on the last lap. I told him I was going to finish it off and was left to start the third and final lap by myself. On the flat farm roads that begin the lap I was making good time and soon found myself up the back of the Cat 4s who again had been neutralized for some reason. Just as I pulled along side their follow car to ask if I should attempt to pass or not, they were again released and quickly left me behind.

The third and final time up the climb, I just rode at a comfortable pace and topped out with another rider in view just up the road. I picked up my pace and soon caught him. He turned out to be another master C/D rider, but he was pretty dead and unable to hold my wheel. I set about trying to get myself back to the finish as quickly as possible. Partway down the SR 410 descent I was caught by two members of our original chase group. We stayed together to the finish where I put in a token 75m sprint only to finish second in our group.

All in all it was a really enjoyable weekend of bike racing. The event was well run and marshalled, although I'm continually puzzled why it takes so much longer to put together the masters results as compared to any other field. I will definitely try to put this race on my schedule for next year.

Next up is my home race the Methow Valley Tour in two weeks.

Enumclaw Omnium Day 1 - The satisfaction of zero

Having never competed in this race before, I really didn't know what to expect. The TT course seemed to be favorable for a big guy like me, nearly dead flat with good pavement and short in length. Coming into the weekend, I was hopeful I would break 15 minutes for the 6.4 mile course. I didn't know if that would be good enough for a top-10 and omnium points, but it seemed like it was doable and might be just good enough to eke out a point or two.

There seems to be a new trend among promoters putting together their TT start lists. Instead of being truly random, they are sorting them alphabetically. This is the third race this year where I have started first in my class and as there is usually a couple minute break between classes, it leaves me with no "rabbits" to chase. Today, the break ahead of me was three minutes long. I saw no one to chase until the last 200m.

The race itself went well, I started off quickly and settled into my rhythm quite well. The course has three narrow turns at intersections and I took them all pretty well, maybe not on the limit, but reasonably fast. The one "hill" on the course, it gains all of about 50 feet or so, went by smoothly without disturbing my pace too severely. At the end, I stopped the clock with a time of 14:42. It was good enough for 13th in a masters C/D field of 76 riders. I was stoked to have beaten my target time so handily and was happy with my placing as well even if it netted zero points.

The criterium in the afternoon turned out to be another pleasant surprise. My recent history in criteriums has been poor at best, usually being pulled by the officials to spare me the insult of being lapped. The Enumclaw course is dead flat, "8" shaped, and a fairly long lap so I figured I'd be able to make the necessary halfway point to stay in the omnium.

I was actually able to stay in contact with the pack until around the halfway mark, and after being dropped managed to avoid being lapped thus finishing my first criterium in a very long time.

Tomorrow's road race with its three trips up Mud Mountain Rd. ought to provide another stiff challenge for me. Although I probably won't increase my current point tally of zero, hopefully I'll have another satisfying day.

Wenatchee Omnium - Road racing and a satisfying weekend

Yesterday was the final day of the Washington State Omnium Championships in Wenatchee. The day's event was the road race which takes place on a very challenging course. It features a very long (10 mile) climb. The first half of the climb is almost totally up with a frequently changing gradient and a couple short sections of up to 16%. The second half of the climb is more rolling in nature, but continues to gain significant elevation. As we all learned early in life, what goes up, must come down and this course is no different. It features an equally long descent on which riders' speeds approach 50mph. The final feature of the road course is a long mostly flat section back to the finish that usually features a strong tailwind.

Just as last year, I'm still not a climber so my plan was to limit my losses as much as possible on the climb and then hopefully hook up with some willing partners and chase like mad on the descent and flats back to the finish. The masters C race started with an out and back on saturday's TT course before heading to the climb and the rest of the road race course. These first nine miles on the TT course seemed more relaxed to me this year or at least the pace was more steady. There were a couple of short lived breakaways but not much other action. At the turnaround point it was annoying to find that the organizers had not placed a cone for us to mark the turnaround. There was a "turnaround 200m" sign, but the pack had to make a 180 on a two-lane road at what it collectively thought was the spot. All in all it went quite smooth, but a definite turning point would have helped.

As we started the climb, I tried to positition myself mid-pack. My expectation was to ease off the back on the early pitches of the climb and stay within myself. All went according to plan, the climb got steeper, I maintained the pace I could manage, and the pack left me behind. I was much more comfortable on the climb this year. I don't think I was much faster, if at all, but having done it once before definitely made the steeps less fearful.

Across the rollers on the top half of the climb I kept on the lookout for partners for the chase to come. I hooked up with a rider from Baddlands and started the trip down with him. On the steeper, upper part of the descent, he was unable to hang with my gravitationally enhanced physique and he lost contact. I had a tense moment at one point as I was approaching an object in the road on the descent at 40mph. At first I thought it was just a scrap of plastic wrap blowing across the lane, but as I got closer I saw that it was a water bottle that had been dropped by a rider and it was rolling down the hill in a somewhat weaving manner. I avoided it and also negotiated the one 180 degree switchback on the steepest section of the descent. Just after this turn, my Baddlands partner returned on the wheel of another rider and finally I had a group to work with. Our rotations were a little sloppy as we continued downhill, but they did begin to get a little better. Just as we seemed to get it all together and work well with each other, Mr. Baddlands was gone again.

My remaining partner and I finished the descent and turned onto the flat highway to the finish. Along the way, we picked up a couple more riders. Everyone worked well together and the finish approached rapidly. At this point, I was trying to figure out how to get the best placing out of this group of four that I was part of. I figured the rider I descended with was the strongest of the other three and that the other two that we caught up to were likely weaker than me. The Second Ascent rider who had been just in front of me in the rotation was pretty ragged in his pulls so I figured he had little or nothing left. At the 1k to go sign he went all in and attacked. He only got a gap of about 5om but it seemed to be holding and no one else reacted so I decided to go across to him. As I pulled up to him, I told him we had a little gap and asked him if he had anything left. His reply, "A little", didn't exactly fill me with confidence so I pulled, but definitely not all out. He faded and the other rider we caught on the highway pulled along side me at the 200m to go sign. The final 200m are uphill and after a day as challenging as this one, the shorter the sprint, the better. We continued up the hill and I watched and waited for him to jump for the line. At about 75m to go, I realized he was already giving it all he had. I lifted my pace and easily took the sprint in my group (okay, so it was only for 25th, but it felt good anyway).

My elapsed time for the road race was almost exactly the same as last year, but I felt much, much better this year. For the weekend, I ended up 16th in the omnium, basically the same placing as last year. Given the increased field size in my category this year though, I consider that an improvement and am very happy with my results from the weekend.

Next up is the Enumclaw omnium in two weeks.

Wenatchee Omnium Criterium - An unexpected development

This afternoon's crit was fast and furious and unfortunately ended with my typical crit result, being pulled by the officials after being dropped. There was a pleasant surprise this afternoon however.

They are requiring all the riders to sign in before each event to confirm their participation in order to be scored in the omnium standings. Unlike some omniums, they are also requiring that you finish each event to remain in the omnium competition. For the criterium, as long as you made half distance before being pulled, you were considered to have finished and were placed.

As I was waiting in line to sign in, I overheard the rider in front of me discussing with the official that he had been mistakenly scored in my category for the TT. The official said they'd check into it and correct it if necessary. Fast forward to this evening when I went back to make sure I was credited with a finish in the crit as I was pretty sure I made it past halfway. I checked the crit results and saw that I was credited with 32nd of 35 finishers. The bigger development though was that they had corrected the aforementioned misplacing of riders in my category and it turns out I got 9th in this morning's time trial and scored a couple of points in the omnium.

It was a great morale boost to make the top 10 in the TT and will make tomorrow's heinous climb on the road course a little easier to bear. The road race course is a beast, but I managed to come away with a couple points last year on it, so I'm hoping I can do it again tomorrow.

Wenatchee Omnium TT - Reading between the numbers

Today's time trial was a mixed bag for me. Conditions were good, not quite as windy as last year and temperatures in the low 60s. I was the first in my class to go off, starting after a couple minute gap to the class in front of me. This left me with no one in sight to chase. Having done this race last year and having been unpleasantly surprised by the severity of the headwind on the return leg, I tried to hold a little back on the way out for the return struggle. This plan worked well and I turned in a time that was about 10 seconds quicker than last year. Unfortunately, it was not quite good enough to equal my 10th place and single point from last year. I ended up 11th out of 38 riders. Last year's TT field was only 35 riders, so from my perspective, this years 11th is maybe an improvement of last year's 10th.

Next up is this afternoon's criterium downtown, never one of my strong suits.

The Night Before

Tomorrow is the first day of the Washington State Omnium Championships in Wenatchee. It will start with a TT in the morning, move on to a criterium in the afternoon, and finish up with a very difficult road race on Sunday. Last year was the first time I did this race and I entered it with few expectations. I managed to score a 10th place in the TT and got some points in the road race as well.

This year, in part due to my "success" last year and the fact that I've raced and trained a little more leading up to it, I'm hoping, and maybe even expecting, to do a little better. A local TT ridden earlier this week shows I am at least as ready as I was last year and probably even better. Its a little like waiting to open your Christmas present in the morning. I'm ready, excited, and hopeful. Lets tear in to it and see what we get!

The Power of New Routes

I'm pretty lucky. I live in an area with a pretty good diversity of training routes. There's some flat terrain, some good rolling terrain, and of course the Methow Valley is at one end of the spectacular North Cascades Highway and some serious climbs in the mountains. What we don't have here, is a great quantity of training routes. The riding we have is great. What's not to like about quiet country roads and cooperative (for the most part) drivers? It's just that, well, its easy to get that "been there, done that" feeling occasionally when you live here.

Last Wednesday was shaping up to be one of those "been there, done that" type of days. I figured I needed around a 50 mile training ride and with an iffy weather forecast and the thought of my regular routes not lighting a fire under my butt, motivation was lacking. I couldn't do anything about the weather but maybe some new roads would do the trick. I logged on to MapMyRide and searched for likely routes within an hour or so drive of home. Nothing really jumped out at me, so I decided to drive over to Okanogan and ride up towards Omak Lake and then back down to Omak and back to Okanogan on the roads on the west side of the Okanogan Valley. I'd never ridden any of these roads, but on the map, they looked like just the right mix of terrain and distance.

With the weather looking ever more favorable, I parked at the American Legion Park in Okanogan and headed east across Highway 97 and into the hills towards Omak Lake. Soon after, I made a serendipitous mistake. I missed the turn towards Omak Lake and continued up the Cameron Lake Road. This road is a really great climb to nowhere. About 10 miles from Okanogan, the pavement ends on a high plateau. Little traffic and some difficult pitches make it a great climb to file away for future training rides.

After failing to find Omak Lake at the end of Cameron Lake Road (imagine that), I came back down and took Cameron Lake-Omak Lake Rd. over to Omak Lake Road. A sign indicated that Omak Lake was only 4 miles up the road. At this point, Omak Lake Road looked like any other county road in Okanogan County. It was a somewhat narrow, chipsealed two-lane road. Just before reaching Omak Lake though, it changed dramatically, for the better. It became a wide, smooth two lane highway with 2 to 3 foot wide shoulders on both sides. Unlike most highways though, it had almost no traffic on it. The stretch along the lake featured a few short climbs and great views of the lake.

I had expected the pavement to end in the vicinity of the lake, but it just kept going, and I kept following it. I was blessed with almost no wind or traffic and plenty of smooth pavement. I just kept rolling along until I finally had to turn back to get back to Okanogan before dark. It turned out to be a little over 60 miles for the day and one of the most enjoyable rides I've done in a long time. Maybe this road is busier on the weekends or later in the summer, but on a midweek day in late April, it was a nearly perfect training ride. Given my earlier lack of motivation and enthusiasm for my usual routes, it was a day that demonstrated the power that a new training route can sometimes have.

A Grand Day Out

Today was a great day to get out on the mountain bike and take in one of the Methow Valley's classic mountain bike rides, the Buck Mountain loop. I had figured I'd end up only riding part of the loop, expecting some of it to still be snowbound, but was pleasantly surprised to find only a few very small patches of snow that were easily ridden through. This loop is also mostly in sparsely timbered terrain, so it doesn't suffer from a lot of blown down trees after the winter.

It was great to be out on the mountain bike for a couple hours. It provided a nice change of pace from my usual training on the road. The trail was in great shape and the it was a beautiful spring day in the Methow. It is still a little early for wildflowers with only a few Bluebells and Yellowbells in bloom, but in another month or so this route will be carpeted in the yellow of Balsam Root flowers. The snowcapped peaks in the distance were a nice touch, however.

I found a nice spot with a great view of the valley below to enjoy my lunch before beginning the final descent down to the trailhead. The very end of the ride features a high speed section on a fire road with some perfectly shaped waterbars.

I suppose you could stay on the ground if you tried, but that wouldn't be much fun. Its a great way to finish up a great ride. Today was truly a day that reminded me of how lucky I am to be able to live and ride in the Methow.

Frozen Flatlands Omnium Day 2 - Taking it easy

Today was the second day of the Frozen Flatlands omnium put on by Baddlands Cycling Club. It was the third and final event of the omnium, a circuit race on the car road racing track at Spokane Raceway Park. Unlike last year, when the race was postponed for two hours while the track was snowplowed, the weather was great. The course was a little different than last year though. Due to resurfacing on the track's main straightaway, which doubles as a dragstrip, the organizers were required to be a little creative in creating a circuit. The resulting course used nearly all of the track except for the dragstrip and utilized about a quarter mile of narrow, infield road with some bad pavement. Certain sections were delineated by numerous cones and a 180 degree turn on the main straight about 400m from the finish line was also a necessary feature. An additional highlight was the "fence" running along most of the straightaway, including the area where the 180 was, that consisted of rebar set up for the new concrete walls to line the dragstrip. Certainly not something you would want to fall on or into. The organizers did a good job making do with the situation on the dragstrip and I feel the course was reasonably safe, but it did provide for some additional stress in a large Cat 4/5 field.

I felt quite good, even after yesterday's sufferfest in the road race, but decided not to take any chances in a nervous pack on a slightly sketchy course. I spent the race just sitting in and finished near the back, but comfortably in the bunch. My single point from the TT did net me 27th out of 77 competitors in Cat 4/5 for the weekend and just like every Baddlands event I've attended, this weekend's racing was well run. They do a great job with their races.

Last year was my best season ever and I didn't see anything this weekend to concern me that I am off my pace of last year. This season is off to a great start for me. Next up is the Wenatchee Ominium in a little less than six weeks.

Frozen Flatlands Omnium Day 1 - a long, hard day

Today, I got my road racing season started for real. I am competing in Baddlands Cycling Club's Frozen Flatlands omnium this weekend in the Cat 4/5 field. When I raced in this omnium last year it had just two events, a circuit race at Spokane Raceway Park on saturday and a road race through the rolling hills south of Cheney on sunday. This year Baddlands decided to add a 12.5 mile time trial to the mix as well. Since both the time trial and the road race course start and end in Cheney, they moved the road race to saturday and the circuit race to sunday. Having both the TT and the road race on the same day makes for a very long and tiring day.

Last year, this race weekend had snow, hail, rain, and wind. The forecast for this year's race was much more favorable and I looked forward to competing on some great courses in decent weather. When I left my hotel in Spokane this morning to head for Cheney, it appeared like mother nature might still have a trick or two up her sleeve. While it was a beautiful sunny morning, the roads were coated in treacherous black ice. I passed several accidents on I-90, including a nasty looking roll-over, from drivers losing control on the ice. A time trial on ice didn't sound like a whole lot of fun. I got to the race site and went about my normal preparations, I went and drove the TT course and found several shady sections that were still icy. I hoped that they would thaw as the sun climbed higher in the sky. I saw one rider warming up crash on a shady patch of ice. Always good to bring a trainer to warm up on.

My time to start came and fortunately it had warmed to the point that not only had the ice thawed, but the roads had nearly completely dried. I started well and quickly settled into a good rhythm. On the way out I passed a rider who had crashed on his return trip and was being tended to by several people. The outbound trip loses a little elevation and had a slight tailwind, so it really made you feel heroic. I was riding around 28mph. Having had experiences like this before, I tried to keep a little in reserve for the return trip which was sure to be harder and slower. Sure enough, on the return trip, getting up to 22 mph was a challenge. I passed by the crashed rider who was still down and in the same position as when I passed by earlier. Later, I would learn he had been riding with his head down and crashed into the back of a parked car on the shoulder of the highway we were on. A lesson to all, keep your head up!

My return trip went as well as could be expected. I had been hoping to be around 30 minutes for the 12.5 miles but could only manage a 30:27. Still, that's 24.6 mph for an average and really quite good for me since I've only got a little over a month and a half of training in so far. Better yet, the time placed me 10th of 52 riders in my field and netted me one point in the omnium competition.

On the afternoon's agenda was a nearly 50 mile road race through windy, rolling terrain. I ate a bowl of my new recovery snack, grapenuts with chocolate milk (kind of looks like stucco, but it tastes pretty good), and rested up as much as I could before the start. The road race starts with about a 2 mile neutral section while we wind our way out of Cheney and get across two sets of very bad railroad crossings while leaving town. It didn't seem like a good omen when one of my two bottles bounced out while crossing the tracks leaving me with just one small bottle for 2+ hours of racing. Oh well.

It was clear pretty early that I didn't have a lot in the tank for this event. Unlike a lot of omniums, this one doesn't require riders to start each event, so although we had 52 riders for the TT, for the road race we added another 20+ sets of fresh legs to the field. This made the pace pretty high. I was solid for the first 20 miles or so then began to yo-yo off the back on the climbs a bit. At about the 30 mile mark it was all over. I came off the back and was left to ride in by myself the last 20 miles. Soon after being dropped, I began to bonk and the suffering really set in. I had plenty of gel with me and my one bottle of energy drink, but they just made the ride survivable. At least the weather was nice and I got some good training volume in.

Tomorrow is a 50 minute circuit race on the car road racing track at Spokane Raceway Park. After a large dinner this evening and a good night's sleep, I'll try to see if I can add to my single point in the omnium.

Another diversion

While the road racing season for many (if not most) has kicked off, I am still trying to round myself into some sort of shape before my 2009 road racing debut at the Frozen Flatlands omnium the first weekend in April. Winter in the Methow has been reluctant to give up this year and I am eagerly awaiting the warmer weather of spring. A few weeks ago, I raced my mountain bike as a diversion from the usual base building rides and indoor trainer sessions. Then, last weekend, I had another opportunity to break my training routine with a little competitive diversion.

Every year at the beginning of March, the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association puts on a winter triathlon. It features a 12k bike leg on mountain bikes, a 22k nordic ski leg, and ends with an 8k run. Like most triathlons, it is contested by both iron competitors doing the whole event themselves and teams of 2 or 3 participants. Like all MVSTA events, it is well run and a whole lot of fun.

I was invited by a couple of friends to be their teammate and ride the bike leg. I accepted and soon enough race day came. The bike leg is ridden on mountain bikes but it is all on paved roads. The rules call for tires of a minimum width of 1.5" and the event is a mass start. With nearly all of the strong riders on slick tires, the pace is pretty high and pack riding is the rule. The bike leg route climbs slightly in steps for the first 5.5 miles and then gains another 500+ feet in the final 2 miles. Not being a climber, I hoped to maintain contact with the lead group until the last few miles.

Alas, it was not to be. I lost the shelter of the lead group on a rise about halfway through the leg. Three of us who were dropped formed a small group and continued at a pretty good clip until the base of the final climb. Here, more humility was dished out to me as one of my good friends and regular riding partners unceremoniously dropped me and climbed away from me. (I'll have to find an opportunity this season to return the favor.)

I completed the final climb at my own pace, trying to limit my losses. I knew that our team had the strongest skier in the race so that as long as I didn't lose too much time we'd be in good shape. I reached the transition and handed off the bib to our skier and he took over. He quickly erased the deficit on the leaders and extended to a comfortable 6 to 7 minute lead at the end of the ski leg. Our runner put in a solid run to finish it off and my 2009 season had its first achievement. It was a lot of fun and I was very fortunate to have such strong teammates. I can't wait until next year!

Getting the racing season started (sort of)

Since I had the time and opportunity, I decided to do a mountain bike race today. I took part in BuDu Racing's West Side Mountain Bike Series at South SeaTac park. I haven't raced a mountain bike in well over 2 1/2 years so, combined with how early it is in my training season, my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised however. I raced in the sport category and although I started out near the back of the field, my lap times were consistent and by the end I had moved up to the middle of the field, finishing 10th out of 20 in my age group.

More encouraging than the results page though was how I felt during the race. I haven't done any real intensity yet in my training and have only been back on the bike for a little less than a month. I felt good on the what climbs there were and was able to push hard without blowing up. The work in the weight room over the winter paid off as well as I had very little fatigue in my upper body. The trails at South SeaTac were as fun as always and the weather man was wrong and it didn't rain. Oh yeah, and the new bike is a kick in the pants as well!

Is there anything more fun than a new bike?

Being the bike geek I am, I can't think of anything more fun than getting a new bike. In the "real world", some people get company cars, at the bike shop I work for, I get a "company bike". It's a Kona Hei Hei 29er. I got it put together yesterday and will take it for its first ride tomorrow at BuDu Racing's West Side Mountain Bike Series race at South SeaTac.

I know, I know, it's a bad idea to try out new equipment for the first time on race day (much less an entire bike.) Since I'm not a mountain bike racer (it's been 2 1/2 years since my last one), I really don't mind if I finish dead last. It will just be a fun day in the mud on my newest toy and hopefully the first of many, many to come.

Splat!

Monday, I got out for my first outdoor ride of the year. Today I went for another season first. I decided to fall down and go splat. I was rolling along enjoying a blue sky, sunny day when I encountered a refrozen patch of meltwater on a heavily cambered, shady bend in the road.

Its interesting how many things can go through your mind in a short space of time. "Hmmm that's an interesting sensation, as if my rear wheel is slipping. Hey, my front wheel is slipping too. Uh-oh, I'm going down. I hope I don't break anything. Well, I didn't break anything. Did anyone see that? Is the bike okay?"

Luckily it was just a bump on the hip as the slick road meant I just slid along without even tearing any of my clothing. Still, it was a great day and a nice ride.

Outside again!

I got out for my first outside ride of the year this afternoon. I know, I know, there are lots of people who don't let the cold, snow, and ice keep them indoors and off their bikes for the winter, but I'm not one of them. The roads around here have cleared enough and it was a sunny afternoon in the low 30s, a perfect day for spin on my Ritchey that I sung the praises of in an earlier post.

Its amazing how good it feels to do that first outing of the season. The little hills that will barely be noticed later in the season provide a perfect opportunity to stretch the legs a bit and think of all the work yet to be done. All the memories of the previous season and all the hopes for the upcoming season compete for attention in my brain. The best part is the scenery changes. It never does on a trainer in the garage or a spin bike at the gym.

I'm glad to be back at it and out on the road again.

Who designs these things?

Last summer I posted some ramblings on the excessive amount of light blue in the pro peleton. Team Columbia has decided to go in a new direction this year with its team kit (http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=/photos/2009/features/columbia_launch09/16-mensteam). I think the blue may have been better!