Summer Solstice Doldrums
DP (do we really have to use these anonymous names? sheesh) asked in the comments how my stage race went three weeks ago. In the interest of revivificating the blog, here's a quick report. OK, maybe a quickish report.
So for those to whom I haven't been writing, a quick recap of my race season prior to the Summer Solstice stage race. The spring road race series turned out better than I ever could have hoped, with me winning the last two races and coming in 2nd in the overall standings. So I had reason to be optimistic. On the downside, I'd taken some time off for recovery after the spring series, and the time off had gone on a little too long, so I really only had about two weeks solid training before the races began. So be it.
Rather than give all the blow-by-blows, I'll just say that in the end, the stage race ended up being a bit of a drag, with really boring racing. The problem was that the courses were mostly flat and non-selective. There wasn't even a good wind to bust things up. Plus, the time bonuses for stage wins were miniscule, like 3 seconds. So anybody could tell that the best strategy for the GC was to sit in on all the road races, as they were likely to end in pack finishes with no significant time splits, then throw down in the TT. Heck, you could dominate the road races, win all three, and you'd only have a 9 second advantage. That's nothing compared to the TT, where first and last were separated by over 3 minutes. And if the non-selective courses weren't enough, several teams were banking on their designated TTer, assigning all their other guys to chase down any whiff of a break in the road races. Time after time, these teams would chase down a break, and then not counter-attack once it was caught. Boooring.
With no TT gear, a break was my only shot at the overall placings, so I was forced to play the long odds. I spent a fair amount of time off the front, including 8 miles solo in the second road race. Most of it was just me being pissed and losing my fight with impatience. For a while, I was seriously considering singing Josie's toilet training songs, in the hopes of annoying the pack into action (I can do it myself, I'm a big kid now! I can do it myself, 'cause I've got POTTY POWER!). Well, I just couldn't be that mean, so off the front I went.
In the pack finishes, I did alright but would have liked a little better. Friday night, I moved up too early and had to fight to stay near the front in what ended up being a very active finishing run. By the sprint, I didn't have much left and just held on for 7th. Saturday morning, I felt like I had a reasonable sprint in me but got swamped and boxed in in the last mile. Tried hard to get out to my right and got shoved back into place, tried to the left and made it out as I heard someone's QR pinging the spokes of my rear wheel. By then, it was only 75 meters to the line and I only had time to move up to 9th.
As expected, I didn't exactly set the world on fire in the TT, coming through midpack over a minute and a half behind the winner. So I skipped the Sunday race, being so far down in the GC that it wasn't worth abusing Heather's patience any more.
So with two top 10s in 70 person fields, I shouldn't be complaining. I would have liked a break to go, though, and baring that, a top 5 in a pack finish. At least I finished in the money on both road races, covering my fees and a whole $12 extra.
One final notes: I had what will hopefully be my stupidest moment for the year in the Saturday road race. I had gotten some guys to work with me at the front and string things out as we headed into the one selective part of the course, a twisty little chicane down into a stream valley and out. I was pounding away at the front when I looked up and saw a T intersection only about 50 meters ahead of me. Now, I could have looked for the pace car, or for the cop telling us which way to go, or for the arrow markers pointing out the course, but in my reduced oxygen state, I decided to yell a question to the other riders about which way to go. Well, I thought they said left, so I went left ... then looked over my shoulder and saw the beautiful and tragic scene of a long strung out line of riders making a right turn. Crap. Fortunately I got back on, but it took me another whole lap to work my way back to the front of the pack.
One final final note: the cat 3 overall was won by a guy (Dan Campbell) who only did his first road race in February. How's that for advancing quickly?
So for those to whom I haven't been writing, a quick recap of my race season prior to the Summer Solstice stage race. The spring road race series turned out better than I ever could have hoped, with me winning the last two races and coming in 2nd in the overall standings. So I had reason to be optimistic. On the downside, I'd taken some time off for recovery after the spring series, and the time off had gone on a little too long, so I really only had about two weeks solid training before the races began. So be it.
Rather than give all the blow-by-blows, I'll just say that in the end, the stage race ended up being a bit of a drag, with really boring racing. The problem was that the courses were mostly flat and non-selective. There wasn't even a good wind to bust things up. Plus, the time bonuses for stage wins were miniscule, like 3 seconds. So anybody could tell that the best strategy for the GC was to sit in on all the road races, as they were likely to end in pack finishes with no significant time splits, then throw down in the TT. Heck, you could dominate the road races, win all three, and you'd only have a 9 second advantage. That's nothing compared to the TT, where first and last were separated by over 3 minutes. And if the non-selective courses weren't enough, several teams were banking on their designated TTer, assigning all their other guys to chase down any whiff of a break in the road races. Time after time, these teams would chase down a break, and then not counter-attack once it was caught. Boooring.
With no TT gear, a break was my only shot at the overall placings, so I was forced to play the long odds. I spent a fair amount of time off the front, including 8 miles solo in the second road race. Most of it was just me being pissed and losing my fight with impatience. For a while, I was seriously considering singing Josie's toilet training songs, in the hopes of annoying the pack into action (I can do it myself, I'm a big kid now! I can do it myself, 'cause I've got POTTY POWER!). Well, I just couldn't be that mean, so off the front I went.
In the pack finishes, I did alright but would have liked a little better. Friday night, I moved up too early and had to fight to stay near the front in what ended up being a very active finishing run. By the sprint, I didn't have much left and just held on for 7th. Saturday morning, I felt like I had a reasonable sprint in me but got swamped and boxed in in the last mile. Tried hard to get out to my right and got shoved back into place, tried to the left and made it out as I heard someone's QR pinging the spokes of my rear wheel. By then, it was only 75 meters to the line and I only had time to move up to 9th.
As expected, I didn't exactly set the world on fire in the TT, coming through midpack over a minute and a half behind the winner. So I skipped the Sunday race, being so far down in the GC that it wasn't worth abusing Heather's patience any more.
So with two top 10s in 70 person fields, I shouldn't be complaining. I would have liked a break to go, though, and baring that, a top 5 in a pack finish. At least I finished in the money on both road races, covering my fees and a whole $12 extra.
One final notes: I had what will hopefully be my stupidest moment for the year in the Saturday road race. I had gotten some guys to work with me at the front and string things out as we headed into the one selective part of the course, a twisty little chicane down into a stream valley and out. I was pounding away at the front when I looked up and saw a T intersection only about 50 meters ahead of me. Now, I could have looked for the pace car, or for the cop telling us which way to go, or for the arrow markers pointing out the course, but in my reduced oxygen state, I decided to yell a question to the other riders about which way to go. Well, I thought they said left, so I went left ... then looked over my shoulder and saw the beautiful and tragic scene of a long strung out line of riders making a right turn. Crap. Fortunately I got back on, but it took me another whole lap to work my way back to the front of the pack.
One final final note: the cat 3 overall was won by a guy (Dan Campbell) who only did his first road race in February. How's that for advancing quickly?
posted by curveship at 7:06 PM
1 Comments:
Nah, we don't have to use code names: I was just feeling silly.
I'd seen your results that thought that this was probably the scenario. Two road races and two enormous pack finishes sounds just boring as hell, actually, and I can see why it tested your patience.
It looks like TT gear is going to have to be your next purchase if you're going to keep doing races like this. I don't know that a skinsuit would help you much, but maybe some aero bars and a set forward seatpost to give you that low-and-lean approach. It still wouldn't make up for what sounds like a pretty boring race, but at least it would give you a fighting chance in the TT.
Oh oh, did you wear your fancy TT helmet?!?! That's worth a few seconds right there, and would be cool as all hell. Maybe not as cool as your winter helmet, but then again, what is?
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