Speed Theory Stage Race - Day 2: Road Race

Goal for the race: Finish in the top half
Secondary Goal: Don't get dropped

"Stay out of the wind"

Those were last words I heard from Cyrus before we went to the staging area. Those five short words were the most important words one could give as advice and it echoed in my head throughout the race. We could feel it in the staging area...today's race was going to be an open road battle against the wind.

The race was going to be two 35km laps on the northeast portion of the new ring road. The only major elevation changes were the turnaround at 16th ave and the turnaround at Metis Trail.

We lined up and a pace car led us out. As we got settled into the pack it seems more like a Sunday afternoon ride then a race. We stayed at a pretty neutral pace with no attacks and no breakaways for the first lap because of the strong wind. I did a few shorts pulls at the front and could see why we were all staying together. The wind was brutal. Near the end of the first lap, one rider attempted an attack but was shutdown in a matter of seconds. Going off by yourself into the wind was tactical suicide.

After we completed the first lap and went into a second a group of riders attacked into the second lap. I saw the attack and tried to jump on a wheel. My legs just weren't ready...I tried to hang on but my legs would not push any more. The whole pack surged past me and I got dropped. I tried to close in on a wheel but the strong wind was resisting my efforts.

As I saw the pack pull away, I looked back to see who else got dropped. I kept pushing and then I heard the words I thought I would never hear in a Cat 5 race....

"Guys, let's work together and catch back on"

5 of us then grouped together, formed an echelon paceline and rotated turns at the front. Everyone pushed hard and soon we grabbed a couple other riders who got dropped. There was a section of the road that was extremely bumpy and was pretty much just a pavement patch job...so water bottles were getting bumped out of the cages and some riders were getting a few inches of air. We were really close to catching up when all of a sudden my bike hit a hidden bump in the road...my right hand was knocked from my handlebar and my front wheel was going crazy...I knew I was going to crash...

I managed to get my right hand back on my hood and correct my wheel. For a split second I thought it was all over...the adrenaline gave me that extra boost to help me push the last few hundred meters to catch back onto the pack. After I caught back on I thanked all the guys for making the effort to catch back on and then moved my way up the peloton.

We rolled as a pack down the last 16km stretch. As I wasriding beside one of the guys who had helped me get back to the pack, I said things looked way to calm and something was going to happen. During the last 10km it finally started to feel like a race and not a fast pace group ride. The were constant attacks and with every surge I responded right away to shut them down. Every small gap I jumped on a wheel and bridged.

I then starting watching my GPS very closely. I was waiting for the last 2km. As we approached the last kms things started to get chaotic...the attacks were becoming more aggressive...the leaders was weaving all over the road to try and shake the pack. I followed every move and at one point a rider rubbed his wheel on mine...I remembered how to deal with this from my road clinic and was able to get him off my wheel.

We approched the gate indicating the last km and now sleepers in the pack were all coming out in full force. I jumped a wheel and just went as hard as I could. I was pushing harder then I thought I could and it felt like my legs were just going cease up. I crossed the finish line and could only see about 9 or 10 riders in front of me.

Result: 11/32

It's hard to believe the it was probably less then a second difference between the guy in first place and me. When I started racing this season I never thought I'd be racing road as well so I'm glad to have done well in my second road race of the year.

On a side not: This was the first time since high school social class that Zane, Cyrus and I were all together in the same place...crazy!

Congrats to all my friends for their hard work and great results. And a big thanks to everyone who cheered me on and came out to watch the races....it makes a huge difference.

Also props to Speed Theory for putting on this awesome event. I can't wait until next year's races.

Now onto the next chapter of my season: Cyclocross

Speed Theory Stage Race - Day 1: Crit Redemption

Goal for the race: Finish the race without getting lapped.

Well, I skipped the time trial for a couple reasons:

- 40km is a long way , especially if you've never done a TT, and this was the longest one of the year

- I wanted to save my legs to do well in the criterium

I got to the site just in time to see Cyrus fly past us in the ITT and grab second place.

Then after catching up and chatting with him then a few other riders I went to get ready and do a few warmup laps around the course.

This course was pretty interesting for a crit. Gradual climb, 3 hairpins, long straightaway. I had never done a race with a hairpin before...but I had pretty practicing a couple days earlier doing them so I wouldn't be as nervous taking them in the pack. The crit was also 40min + 3 laps which will be the longest crit I've ever done.

I lined up and went right to the front this time. We did a pace lap and then we were off.

Everything was going a lot more slowly then I expected...no one made a move at all until 3rd lap when I (stupidly) decided to attack and push the pace a little. All of a sudden I had a 30 foot lead on the pack going up a hill into a huge headwind....such a bad idea. Things were starting to heat up now.

This time I was determined to not let the break get away from me. As soon as I saw people moving up...I jumped on a wheel and moved up with them. Then 2 riders decided to make a break and the pack splintered into 4 main groups. 2 riders up front, 8 guys in the chase group and I was in the 2nd chase group of 5 and I think there was a group of 10 behind us.

We stayed together a good portion of the race eventually catching a rider that fell off the first chase group riding by himself and then we sorta managed to work together. We rotated our pulls but sometimes people would go off the front and have to slow down to join back up. We could pretty much see the entire race anywhere on the course. We saw the first chase pack catch the break so we were now the chase pack. We had them in our sights the whole time but just couldn't pull it together to bridge up.

When it was finally the last lap we picked up the pace a little but still couldn't catch up with the main pack. I can't believe I lasted as long as I did in this crit. I surveyed the field as we did the last climb and it looked like we were back about 300 meters on the main pack. I was really happy even before the race ended. I did my final sprint as per custom to make everyone suffer for their placing.

Result: 12/30

I quite proud of my result. My last crit was pretty discouraging, so this was redemption. I think I can finally stop beating myself up over the Bow crit.

Speed Theory Jason Lapierre Memorial Stage Race

This is a race that a lot of people were waiting for.

2 day-3 event stage race, new pavement, no cars and a chance for an interesting series of races using the new ring road overpasses. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be missed.

The 3 events were:

40 km individual time trial (ITT)
Criterium (Crit)
Road Race (RR)

For me there was a little more to it. Cyrus told me he was considering coming down for the race. As soon as he confirmed he was coming down...I signed up for 2 of the races (crit and road race). It's been over a year since I last saw him and I was stoked to finally watch him race.

The week leading up was pretty crappy...but it looked like summer was finally going to arrive in Calgary, just in time for the race.

Crit Racing

Normally I don't post about the Midweek Mayhem crit races because:

a) They are training races
b) They don't really count for anything
c) They are almost social get togethers

A friend sent me something, which I have attached at the bottom of the post, and it inspired me to post this up.

When I did my first crit race back in May, I remember starting in the B group as there wasn't a C group yet, and getting dropped after the first two laps. I was then lapped 3-4 times by the main pack while I made several attempts to rejoin and hang on. While it was a little discouraging...I knew this was going to happen my very first race.

The next 2 weeks I decided to race with the C group which is the novice category and generally ride a little slower as everyone in the group is still mostly new to crit racing. I was really learning how to pace myself and stay at the higher intensity for longer periods of time. It was also much less discouraging because I didn't have to ride alone and it's easier to learn when you have a group to learn with. I was able to test my sprint ability as well as do attacks and pulls.

After my race in Edmonton, Keith, had said to me that I should moving up into the B group. The following week I raced my last race with C (Keith called me out before the race but I was feeling pretty tired from mountain bike racing on the weekend).

The following week I started racing in B and got dropped after 3 laps. I went back to the start and joined up with the C group to finish off the race. The week after I started again with B and got dropped afer 5 laps. I managed to form a paceline with 2 other dropped riders and we kept ourselves from getting lapped by the main pack by alternating pulls.
After the race I got some really good advice from another B racer on how to stay with the pack and how to race smarter.
The following week I managed to stay with the B group the whole race and managed one attack into the last lap. I finished somewhere in the middle but I finished. The next week I had to skip as my racing bike was in the shop so I rode up on my cross bike and marshalled the B group.

This past Tuesday I finished in 5th place in the B and got my first points. Although these are training races...for me this showed some progress in my training. Don't get me wrong...crits are still hurt...and I still suffer...but I find I'm able to cope with the intensity a lot longer then when I started. Some people hate crits...but I love them....I love the intensity, the speed and the fact that you can always learn something new. I consider the crits a integral part of my training and so far this season I have only missed one. Now things to try and do would be contesting primes, attacking, counter-attacking, pulling off the front and staging a breakaway.

It seems I am learning the meaning of Greg Lemond's famous cycling quote:

“It doesn't get easier; you just get faster”

I checked my computer and I was with the group averaging 41km/h per lap...when I first started I never thought I'd be there 3 months later keeping up at that pace.

Anyways, I thought I throw this in here just to remind me of how important it is to not give up.

Quote:

"As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.


My friend saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away."Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." My friend was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? So make an attempt to grow further....

Why shouldn't we try it again?
Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt & CHOOSE not to accept the false boundaries and limitations created by the past..."

This seems like good words of advice for my upcoming crit.

Tour De Bowness Stage 3: Road Race

Goal for the race: Finish the race

This was a tough race to get ready for there was only a 14 hour or so break in between the crit and the road race. I had done 2 practice runs of my laps on the course so I knew I would have the energy to finish following the criterium. There had been a thunderstorm and 20 degreee drop in temperature during the night so I had trouble sleeping and had to wake up in the middle of the night to close my window. I woke up really early as I had a 9am start time and needed enough time to eat my race day breakfast and have time to digest.

We arrived at the race course and the course looked surprinsigly dry so it looked liked the race was good to go despite the chance of a thundershower. It was pretty brisk outside which is good for racing...not so good for spectators. My parents had also come out to watch me race which is the first time they have ever seen me ride my bike for an extended period of time.

After doing a warm-up going up and down the flat section of the course. We were ready to get get going. We all lined and up and were led out by a lead motorcycle and pace car. It was a neutral start for 1km so we could all get settled into the pack. After the first km the pace car pulled over and the race started. I managed to stay with the pack for the first lap. During the climb on the way to the start/finsih area I could see a gap developing so as soon as we reached the top of the climb I decided to bridge the gap and not let it get away from me this time. I caught up with the break group and moved my way to the middle of the pack as to not get dropped again.

During the 3rd lap I got gapped once again during the climb. While I think I could have powered up and stayed with the group I was concerned about having the do it another 6 times and suffering more each time a that pace. After the climb I managed to form a pack with 2 other dropped riders and we continued on together for the next 5 laps rotating pulls.

About lap 7 we managed to catch 2 other dropped riders and went through the 8th lap as a group of 5. We also finally got passed by the cat 4 riders who started 5 minutes after us. We could not see the main pack anywhere so we must have been over 2km back. During the last lap 2 of the riders of my group got dropped on the first climb. As this was the final lap we decided not to wait for them. We got to the last climb and dropped another rider. I decided to use everything I had during the climb to sprint for the finish. I was hammering so hard and just trying to finish off the race I forgot to check to see if anyone was behind me.

Just as I was about the reach the finish line...one of the riders I thought I had dropped on the hill had been in my draft all along and pulled out at the last second from behind me to beat me by a foot at the finish line. This was the closest finished I've ever had. As we coasted down the straight we gave each other the fist pound...it was such an awesome way to finish off the race.

Finally I had finished off my first stage race and my first ever road race. It was tough but I learned a lot during the course of the three days. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the long weekend. After every race...I always find out where I need to focus my training and I also find out just how hard I can push myself.

Result: 21/42

Not bad for my first road race. I'm so glad I was able to form a pack with a bunch of other riders. That made all the difference in the world and allowed us to get a chance to finish the race. I actually really liked this course and I can't wait to do it again next year.

I also got a place on the Omnium finishing 21/27 as I got points from my hill climb placing. There were probably about 50 participants in my category so I finished up in the top half.

A big thanks to my parents for coming out to watch and taking pictures.

Also congrats to my teammates Mark, Craig and Stuart for their awesome performances in the Tour. Congrats to Mark on his 3rd place in Cat 4 overall and Craig on his 2nd place in Cat 3 overall. It feels awesome to be on a team that always manages to end up with riders on the podium at every event.

Le Tour De Bowness Stage 2 - Criterium Delirium

Goal for the race: Finish with the group

Well today was the criterium race (crit for short). I went into this one feeling pretty confident becasue of my hill climb results. I hadn't done a crit for a couple weeks because my bike was in the shop so I wasn't too sure what the speeds would be in this one and if my legs could keep up.

The race started 40 minutes late because a bunch of cars had to be towed off the course so I tried to take advantage of the extra time and run a few more laps trying to see what lines I should tak and just get a little more warmed up.

The race started with a neutral lap around the course so everyone could get settled in (and clipped in) and I was able to settle in somewhere in the top half of the pack. After we did a lap the pace went up considerably but I was able to hang in the top third. After a few laps I decided to go for an attack to get into a better position. The key to crits is always positioning...and being in the front is better then being in the back...if you have the energy to hold on. I got to about the fourth wheel from the leader and tried to sit in but the pace was just killer. On the climb the pace didn't let up and I found myself drifting towards the back.

About 10 minutes in I noticed a bit of a gap developing on the power climb. Everyone was sprinting up the hill and I wasnt sure if I'd be able to sprint the hill at the pace and do it another 15 times. About 15 minutes in I riding with a pack of three other guys. After a few laps I ended up dropping all of them. No one was willing to work with me and form a pace line so we could rotate pulls and have a chance of catching up so I went off on my own....the only thought in my mind was to finish the race without getting lapped.

About the 30 minute mark I heard the lead motorcycle gaining on me and I knew that the paceline was right behind me. I got lapped right after the Start/Finish line. There was still 4 more laps to go but I knew I was going to get pulled fromt the race. I kept going hard anyways...and got a cramp in my stomach while trying to keep going.

As I approached the finish line...I was asked to pull out of the race. This is done so that lapped riders don't absorb themselves back into the main pack and contest the sprint.

I watched from the sidelines as my category finished up the race.

Today I was pretty disappointed. I was starting to do good in my training crits so I thought I had a chance at staying with the group during my first race. The pace was just a little too fast for me and it was much hotter outside then I was used to racing in.

A lot of people watching had very supportive words for me after my race and I was really grateful for that. People came up to me after my race and said they saw me working hard the whole way through which meant a lot to me.

Thanks to Kevin for doing an awesome job taking picture and to Shereen for coming out to watch me race. Also thanks to all my teammates and friends for all the support.

Race Result: 21/33

Le Tour De Bowness Stage 1 - Hill Climb Time Trial

Goal for the race: Finish in under 5 minutes

Today's course was the hill climb which was a race to the top of COP via the road beside the bobsled track. The course was 1.25km with an 100m altitude gain.

I got to the course fairly early and went for a one hour spin on the Bowness Road and the Bow River pathways. They opened up the course for pre-riding but once is enough for me so I didn't pre-ride it. I had already done the hill a a few times on groups rides so I was fairly familiar with the course.

After talking to a bunch of people and generally just killing time it was go time.
I got in line, got my bike weighed. and lined up with my heat.
The 2 guys in my heat looked over at me and asked "Are you any good at hill climbing?" and I responded "I don't really know...I guess we'll find out...".

My start was really good...I was leading my heat up into the first hill. I settled into my rhythm pretty early but one of the guys grabbed another gear and was pushing the pace pretty fast. The other guy grabbed onto my wheel and just drafted me up most of the hill. My plan was to not chase anyone during the race and just do my thing. It's too easy on this course to go out too hard and then blow up halfway up.

I could already feel my legs burning by the first switchback but I kept pushing anyways...I had only had to suffer for 5 minutes. During the race I was so focused on keeping my pace that I lost count of what switchback I was on. All of a sudden I was approching turn 7 and my plan was to start driving at turn 6. I stood up and just hammered the final stretch to try and get close to the guy in front.

At the top I was greeted by Ken (Good luck on the TR!) and his wife (Good luck on the 70.3!) who were taking pictures of the race and I told him I think I did prettty good...but I should have gone a little harder near the end. Seeing as this was my first TT ever...I'm pretty happy with my performance. I was told it's very hard to gauge your energy levels and thresholds on TTs unless you do them fairly often so I'm just glad I made it all the way to the top.

Result:
11/42
Time: 4:33min

While it felt awesome to get the race out of the way, knowing I did it and placed fairly high is an awesome feeling. I wish I had gone a little harder though. I can't wait to beat my personal record next year...hahaha.
This road racing thing is becoming quite fun.