Memorial Day weekend/BikeJam 2011 (Patterson Park, Baltimore)

Well, despite how many crashes there were throughout the day of racing, despite myself and 2 of my teammates getting shelled off the back (for different reasons, but off the back, nonetheless...) and our 4th man getting wrapped up in a nasty little crash himself, our junior's team getting a flat, a crash, and a DQ for gearing...today was pretty awesome.
I know...I know....this is a blog about racing, but indirectly, it's because of the racing that the day was so good. If it weren't for going racing today, my son never would have had the chance to hang out with this guy, who gave him a hat, signed it, and gave multiple high-fives and even took a picture with him. Without going racing today, our juniors team wouldn't have gotten all those free Slurpees, made their own stickers, played on the moonbounce slide, watched the trials riders, or listened to the live bands. We wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to walk up in the pagoda at Patterson Park, and check out the 360 degree panoramic view of Baltimore, including the Inner Harbor.
And, without going racing today, I never would have parked behind a Marine Corp veteran of the war in Iraq. A veteran who I've seen on multiple occasions throughout the Mid-Atlantic circuit. A veteran who continues to race, despite having lost his leg during the second taking of Fallujah (read this...skip to the Iraq War 2003). A veteran who took the time to walk up to me, introduce himself, and begin a conversation. Of course, we began with talking about the day's race and what happened. He candidly joked about his prosthetic, and let me hold the "racing leg". And then he shared with me the story of how he arrived at the point in his life where he needs to wear the above mentioned prosthetic. The story, and his willingness to tell me (a complete stranger) about it, was amazing. In a 20 minute conversation, I learned that he was in the "passenger" seat in a humvee, as his platoon was leading the way, and that not only did they drive over the explosive device that took his leg (and  his platoon leader's life...in the same vehicle), but that they also were ambushed TWO MORE TIMES as they tried to evacuate themselves (and other wounded) from the city. Amazing. I didn't really know what to say. We made small talk for a few more minutes, and then I politely thanked him and we agreed that we'd probably see each other next weekend at the race, and we went our separate ways.
As I drove away, I thought about the conversation. I went over almost every word in my mind. I know it's memorial day weekend, and I've ALWAYS been a HUGE fan of our military (in fact, had I not been DQ'd during my entrance physical, I probably would have made it my career), but today really made me think about our guys (and gals) that fight for our country every day. Maybe they're fighting for our freedom, and maybe it's some political bullshit (or as Carlin would say a "prick measuring contest"), but it doesn't really matter. The fact is, that we have the bravest people on the planet fighting for and protecting the USA. It's a thankless job, and you can guarantee that our government doesn't show them the respect that they deserve. The guy that parked in front of me today get's to sport a Purple Heart license plate, but I wonder what else he got in return for his leg? I'll bet it wasn't much. And today, he continued to give...so to him, and everyone else that either is currently serving or has served in our armed forces....THANK YOU....seriously.

Fort Ritchie Crit 5/7/2011

Yesterday was the 2011 Fort Ritchie Crit in Cascade, MD. The weather was nice and sunny by the time the Men's Cat4 started at 3:30 in the afternoon. There was a little wind, but certainly nothing like what we saw at the Carl Dolan and Chantilly races. I haven't seen the race results yet, so I'm not sure how many started in the field. For our team (Capital Region Fire and Police Cycling), we actually had 3 of us there. It's not much compared to teams like NCVC or SynFit, but considering we're only in our second year as a team, I'm glad to see that we're getting out there. In the above picture, that's me chewing on my earphones cord (really, just keeping it out of the way of my hands), Dennis in the middle, and Steve on the far end. Dennis raced the 3/4 earlier in the morning and took 8th, and this is Steve's first year back racing after a few years off. Both are normally very strong. My strategy for this race was simply to keep touch with the pack. After getting completely dropped in Chantilly, I figured it was a good goal. Overall, the race was pretty quick-paced and the competition good. Of course, I could point out several guys that need to do some serious work on holding their lines, or having better spacial-awareness, but it wasn't overly treacherous. I managed to hang on throughout the race, sometimes finding myself sitting in the top five or so, and then going all the way to the back...but I never lost touch. Steve flatted maybe on lap 5 of the 60 minute race, and by the end, Dennis had nothing left in the tank (after racing earlier). I could have pushed a little harder and finished a little higher at the line, but with the Richmond crash still fresh in my mind, I'm still getting used to fighting for my position. It was a fun race, with music playing all day, and the occasional announcing by Joe. Next on the schedule is BikeJam on 5/28, followed by Ride Sally Ride, and the Tour of Washington County.

**edit** Just looked at the results, and I finished 26th out of the 40 that started. I'll take that at this stage of my Cat4-ness.

2011 Carl Dolan Memorial Race (Cat4/5 field)

Today was my second race as a Cat 4. After yesterday's performance in Chantilly, I set 2 simple goals. 1) Stay upright. 2)Stay with the pack. Both missions were accomplished. We started out with a full group of 75 (per the official at the start line). From the "go", we settled pretty quickly into "group mentality". I would have liked to have seen it string out a little more, but I won't complain. The wind was brutal, probably gusting in the 30-40mph range. There was also a hill just prior to the start/finish, which was both a help and a hinderance. It sure sucked to race up that thing every lap, but if nothing else, it also prevented anybody from getting away. The picture above is from our first "Prime" lap (about 3 laps in). That's me in the red and black jersey on the left, in front of the group. I didn't stay in that position long. Most of the race, I managed to stay in the top 30% or so. On the final lap, I hung with the leaders, but had to jam the brakes to avoid what I thought was going to be a crash, so I lost momentum going into the hill. It actually probably only lost me 2 or 3 positions, and I finished 28th overall.

The course was good, open, and fast. there was only one real turn, which was a fast right hander. If it weren't for the small patch of wet gravel on the inside of the turn, it would have been perfect. Maybe next year it will be completely dry...and without all the wind.

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/