RGS Chantilly Crit 2011, etc.

Today was the 2011 RGS Chantilly Crit. It was also my first Cat 4 race. First of all, I have to give credit to the organizers and registration volunteers for helping me out. I upgraded mid-week last week, and I was already registered for the Cat 5 race. So a big thank you to them for getting me switched to the right class. Let me say that going into today's race, the weather outlook was less-than-optimal. The weatherman was calling for severe rain and wind. For once, he got it right. The men's Cat 4 race started at 1015, and the rain was definitely coming down. The wind was also horrible on the back side of the course. Anyone caught alone on the hill (without a draft) would surely be left to fend for themselves. We started with a registered field of 72. I'm not sure how many, if any didn't show, but I know the field felt fairly large. I wasn't nervous a bit (which is a nice change for me!). I had my sunglasses on for the first 2 laps, hoping to shield my eyes from the rain, but they quickly fogged and I had to toss them to my son as I rode by. I hung on until about the 10th lap or so, and then got caught exactly where I didn't want to be...off the back, up hill, in the wind. Woops. I tried to catch back on for about a lap, but soon realized that the group was just riding away from me. At this point, I decided just to ride at my own pace, and get in some good laps. Every few laps, I caught and passed the occasional guy that got shelled off the back like I did earlier. Eventually, I caught up with and rode to the finish with a group of 4 others, so I did have the opportunity to work with some other guys and ride it *somewhat* like a race. Drafting, however, was near impossible, since there was so much water coming off of everybody's wheels. Click on the picture above, and you'll see what we were dealing with! I cruised into the finish in a cool 44th place, no worse for the wear. Coming off of the big crash at Richmond a few weeks ago, I'm just glad I stayed upright. Not to mention in my first Cat 4 race. In the rain.

So afterwards, when I was back at my truck getting some warm, dry clothing on, I couldn't stop laughing about the race. I had so much fun riding in those conditions. Even though I got shelled off the back, I was happy with my ride. I haven't done intervals in probably 5 weeks, and I don't have much leg power right now, but my lungs feel awesome. Even with my HR in the mid 170's, I didn't struggle to breathe at all. My target events aren't until August, so I'm not too worried just yet. I did, however, realize how much I enjoy this sport! I may not have the lightest bike, or the biggest legs, but I can promise that I'm having just as much fun as the next guy. AND I'm in pretty good shape for 34 year old guy.

Tomorrow we're racing the Carl Dolan Memorial. The winds are forecasted to be gusting to 40mph. Wait, I said I liked this sport, right??

First race of the season: RIR Crit

Sitting 8th wheel @ the RIR Crit

To preface:
I've been training about twice as much this year, as I did last winter at this time. I really wanted to be as strong this Spring as I was at the end of the season last year, in August. So my first goal was to feel strong in my first race. That mission was accomplished. I felt unbelievable all day. I kept my strategy from last year: stay in the front 1/4 of the race, and don't let any dangerous looking breaks get away. If one or two guys jump off the front, I don't usually worry about it; they don't usually get too far. But if a group of 4 or more goes...I'm going with them.

The race:
I was at the venue with plenty of time to spare. My son raced in the first group of the day, so I had about 3 hrs to get ready for my race. I set up my usual timeline: eat at 2 hrs. out, get dressed at 1 hr., hit the Sport Legs at 1 hr., small dose of caffeine at 45 min., on the trainer at 30 min., off the trainer and warming up on the road at 15 min., Hammer Gel at 15 min., then to the start line with 5 min. to go. Everything felt great. I was relaxed, my stomach wasn't nauseous, and my legs were strong. We started with a field of 50, to race around Richmond International Raceway. Once we got going, I stayed anywhere from 2nd to around 7th wheel, and I went with any jumps that I thought were trying to get away. Halfway through the race, the 2 riders in front of me crossed wheels and went down. I went over the guy in front of me, and landed on the guy in front of him. I turned around just in time to see about half the field pile up behind me. They neutralized the race immediately, as the ambulance came out on the track, and would give us a restart. Once I found my bike, I took a quick look and noticed that I had a bunch of stuff that was knocked out of whack. I twisted my right shifter back to where it should be, put my chain back on, and tried to roll my bike. No go. I noticed that my brakes were rubbing, so I opened my calipers and headed back to the start line. My wife and a friend brought my spare rear wheel, and I got that on, but then noticed that both my derailleurs were bent. Thankfully, a couple spectators lended me a hand, and held my bike while I worked on it, and helped me bend my stuff back into place. My seat was jacked. The rails wer totally bent sideways. I managed to get it back to where I could at least sit on it, but it needs to be replaced. Everything else was functional for the restart, though. I started noticing that blood was everywhere. My quick injury-check noted the following: left knee road rash, left hip scraped, left knuckles road rash and bloody, left elbow abrasions, right palm road rash, left pinky sliced, left forearm road rash. I was so pumped at the moment, though, that I wasn't really in pain. The organizers gave us the official word. We would restart with one neutral lap, then 5 laps to finish. On the restart, I found myself first wheels, which is where I didn't want to be. I waited until some others came through in the first turn, then latched on. I went with every acceleration on the remaining 5 laps, and felt great about the sprint finish. UNFORTUNATELY, I made a ridiculous mistake with my positioning and let myself get boxed in at the finish. I finished 16th, but I honestly felt like I could have won the race. The sprint was not that high-paced, and I had plenty of gas left in the tank.

Post Race Analysis:
I felt awesome on the day. I'm right on form, and it proves that my training is working. Last year, I was happy to finish wherever I could, so it's a funny feeling to be upset at finishing 16th position. I've never been able to say before, that I felt strong enough to win. Lesson learned: I won't get boxed in at the finish again. It's time to recover a bit, and get ready for the next race. I cleaned my bike up, and found that my saddle is beyond repair. Everything else is functional, and my frame is in tact. In all, I think we only lost one rider out of the group to the crash. He snapped his frame in 2, just behind the head tube. I least I wasn't that guy.

March Racing on TV

Here's a lineup for March racing on TV.

March 6-13: Paris-Nice (Versus)
March 9-15: Tirreno-Adriatico (Universal Sports)
March 19: Milan-San Remo (Universal Sports)
March 23-27: UCI Track World Championships (Universal Sports)
March 26-27: Criterium International (Versus)

Enjoy!

Hip Flexibility Stretches/Exercises

Wow. Awesome. Instant relief.

http://stronglifts.com/7-dynamic-stretches-to-improve-your-hip-mobility/

This guys is hilarious!

He offers a unique opinion on Lance Armstrong's doping allegations.

Cipollini is my new favorite ex-pro.

This is hilarious.

Modifying my balaclava

Balaclavas all seem to have the same problem. It doesn't matter how well vented they are, your exhaled breath has nowhere to go but up into your sunglasses, fogging them up. Recently, I got a new balaclava from Cannondale. It's brand new, and not even available on their website yet. I got it from a rep, and it retails for either $40 or $50. So I thought "It must be good".  The big difference, mainly, is that the part that covers your face is a flap of sorts, so you can easily tuck it under your chin if you want some fresh air on your face, etc. The flap looks to be well vented, and everything fits my face well. HOWEVER...just like the $10 balaclava that I have from Target...it fogs my glasses.

If you've ever watched a surgeon, or a doctor performing a procedure, even though they are wearing masks their glasses are fog-free. I get a new N95 mask from work every year at my annual physical, so I've got a few lying around. They have a thin metal strip covered by a piece of foam padding that you "mold" around the bridge of your nose that prevents your exhalation from going up into your eyes. I figured that was the answer to my problems.

So here's what I did: I cut the metal strip out of the N95 mask (along with the foam padding), and glued it to my brand new (expensive) balaclava using a hot glue gun. You'll see in the last picture how well the mask part molds to my nose/face now. I rode for 2.5 hrs today in 35 degrees, and had no problems with fogging. I actually had to move the flap down for portions of the ride because my face was getting hot! What a change that was!

^ There's the metal strip that I cut out of the N95 mask

^ There it is sitting on the nose area of my balaclava, before I glued it

^ And with the foam glued over top of it now

^ The finished product.