Cycle Racing

When the Roman Emperor Valerian had Laurentius (now known as St. Lawrence) executed on the gridiron in 258 AD it is rumored that Laurentius told his torturers “This side’s done, turn me over and have a bite.”  After this weekend’s heat fest in Kern County I was saying the same. You would think Bicycle Bob Liebold would arrange for some better weather for the Kern Women’s Stage Race, but maybe he enjoys the heat.

In spite of the heat there was a good showing of women to battle each other, and the weather for glory and Bicycle Bob trophies. The Wife did her second Kern, and finished all stages this time, battling the triple digit temps (her new nemesis), hills (her old nemesis), and biting insects to secure a ‘Lantern Rouge’ for the mantle. But there was a lot of grittiness and sports(wo)manship on display, so it is hard to single out any one rider. So just a few general comments and observations.

• Never stay at a motel next to an all night amusement area.
• There is never enough water, or ice, in the feedzones at this race. Note to self: bigger ice chest, more water next year.
• It is amazing the effect of a couple of bottles of water to spray the heads and jerseys of the riders at the start line.  It can even elicit the ‘L’ word.
• Good to have all manner of accoutrements  (e.g., wheels, tubes, a pump, bottle opener, and food) as well as water and ice in the feedzone.
• Perhaps follow cars should tow port-a-potties.
• 1 minute starts for the TT make for a long afternoon.  Perhaps a return to 30 sec starts could be negotiated.
• It was nice to see a healthy sized Cat 4 field; now a few more Cat 1,2, and 3’s would be nice.
• I need to get a better stage race organization schema for the Toaster.
• Great mutual support vibe from all involved.

My attempt at a racing season ended in a thud last year. On June 14th I attempted the Pescadero Classic Road Race when the body was fighting something and ended up doing most of the race as a solo training ride. Four days later I crashed in a points race at the track and the season was over. A bad week one could say. Since that fateful week the question ‘will you race again’ has come up frequently, both from others and myself. I am a bit of the ‘need to get back on the horse’ type, so I have always told myself ‘yes’, but with others I have been less willing to commit. The Wife chose the Bariani Road Race as her first race of the year back in the early fall and at that time I told myself I would be ready and would race there, too. The recovery has been no where as swift as I would like, and Bariani, later this month, is out of the question.

The bone shattered last June has healed, but the muscles that operate the hip joint are far from being back to normal. The orthopedic surgeon told me on the last visit that I should expect a one year recovery period, and that the last step was rebuilding the musculature. She said the gluteus in particular would take time, but the one’s I can detect are not back are the knee extensors and the hip adductors. Until I get the strength back attempting to train hard much less race is out of the question. Complicating matters is that ever since the accident I have had trouble getting comfortable on the road bike, specifically trying to get a spot where the arse is comfortable without pinching a nerve in my left hip (opposite the side that was injured). I am attempting to build bone mass (weight bearing activities), increase muscle mass and strength, get back flexibility, and try to solve the position problem in an effort to get back to close to where I was last year.

The obvious race for my return is the Pescadero Classic Road Race. It was my last road race before the accident, I was embarrassed by my showing, and it is a hilly race that tends to get strung out thus lowering the risk of another rider taking me out. The date for that race is June 13th, still 14 or so weeks away. But for some reason race registration was opened a couple of weeks ago, almost 4 full months before the event! In NCNCA it seems that with the exception of a couple of distant early (Cantua Creek, Pine Flat) and late (Henleyville) races that the men’s fields fill up in the first hours or days of registration; he who sleeps gets on the waiting list at best. Within a day of the opening of registration for Pescadero the baby geezer (35+) 4/5 field, the one I raced in last year, was full. That left the E4’s (e.g., race with the young bucks), the geezer 4/5 (about 90% full at that time), or the ultra-geezer (6 of 10 slots taken at that time) available if I wanted to register. It was fish or cut bait, so I threw my hat (aka $30) into the ultra-geezer field.

I now have 14 weeks to get myself prepared, physically and mentally, for that bit of abuse. I will not exceed the limits that my body imposes on me as I prepare, and if I do not feel ready for it I will not take the line. But now there is a more concrete objective out there that I can work towards. So now the question that hangs over me is, will I be ready?

Apologies to Kevin Nealon

The Wife convinced me [threatened me into conceding] that doing a bike tour of the Sonoma wine country was not a good idea this weekend [or any other between Oct and Apr] due to weather concerns. She still wanted to watch the Women’s Crit in Santa Rosa [and check out George H. in person] so we made plans to spend a couple of days up in the northlands as a combined ToC visit/Valentines Day celebration.  Sunday morning we did our obligatory training [relieve the guilt] sessions in the garage, The Wife on the trainer and me on the rollers.  We then packed a few clothes, jumped in the toaster and drove [paddled] north to Santa Rosa.  Fortunately, everyone else seemed to be working on important business [nursing hangovers] so the drive through San Francisco was not too unpleasant.

After our arrival in Santa Rosa the first order of business was lunch [or suffer The Wife chewing off my arm] so we wandered around the barricades looking for some eateries that were open.  A few along the closed streets seemed to think it was a holiday, but we soon found a serviceable establishment near where the GoldSprints competition was setup.  A quick snack [and some beer] and we were ready to find the start/finish for the Women’s Crit [as soon as the downpour stops].  On our way we ran into Cathy and the mouse squad preparing for some GoldSprint action [better them than me]. A chat with some volunteers [guys in XXL orange shirts] and we were oriented to where the race was to be held.  We were only about 15 sec late for the start, enough to see a split starting in the field as they rounded the first corner. Working our way towards the start/finsh line we found Beth [thorn in Michael Ball's side] cheering on Karla [looking for a sponsor] who was in the break and looking strong.   We lined up along the railing and cheered on our favorites [friends] consigned to the reality that we were going to get a bit wet [soaked to the bone].   Tibco Director Linda J. kept coming up alongside me, watching the action, then passing info into the radio to here riders which I ignored [relayed to the competition].    By the time the officials started the lap countdown it was clear that the break would stick, so pre-race favorites Brooke, Ina, and Laura VG were going to be denied podium positions.  I have to give major props to all the ladies who went out and endured that sloppy mess.   After Emilia [roowr] Fahlin nipped Lauren T. at the finish for the win, it was time to move towards cover [see if I could get a glimpse of Amber].

We had two-and-a-half hours before the men could be expected to arrive in town, so an opportunity to relax [spite the schedule planners who thought we would shop].  Time for some coffee, some relaxation [standing in restroom queues longer than a football field], and some stretching [yawning]. As the time for arrival of the men’s field got near we went back out into the rain and aligned ourselves at the barricades [knocked a couple of youngsters out of the way] to cheer the final laps of town. After a few [far too many] VIP cars and a flotilla of CHP motorcycles and cars passed there appeared …. a lonely rider [soggy body on a bike]. We waited for the rest of the field to arrive in town, then wondered why no one was driving it on the circuits to catch the lone flier. We learned later that the officials decided to neutralize the circuits after the first crossing of the finish line [when it was evident Levi wouldn't win]. I think it was the same official who made the ‘neutralize after crash within 10km rule’ [or else Levi would be too far down in time] rule a couple of years ago.

We finished the day driving north to the Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg where we told us we would receive a free room upgrade [they gave our room to someone else]. After changing into dry clothes, we made our way to downtown Healdsburg for dinner at Scopa [don't look down while walking down the street or you will miss it] The restaurant was great; excellent food, appropriate portions, and superb service; highly recommended but make reservations [or be prepared to offer a good bribe]. Next time we go to Sonoma County we will look for better weather and maybe even do some riding [rather than sit on our duffs].

’tis the season as they say.  The calls are going out from teams looking to sign up racers for next year.  The team whose colors I have flown this year is taking applications for ‘committed’ racers for 2009, trying to get folks selected before the uniform orders have to go to the vendor.  It had been my plan and goal to become a ‘committed’ racer for that team next year, but after consideration I will not apply.  The reason is simple:  I am not sure how much I can realistically commit to for next year.  I can walk unaided (no crutch, no cane) now, but barely and not for far.  I can ride on the trainer, but a power meter connected to the bike would show  embarrassingly low numbers.  I can pedal fine sitting down, but as soon as I stand up things grind to a halt as soon as the right leg gets to 12 o’clock; not enough strength in the leg, yet, to push the crank over the top of the stroke.   I suspect it will be another 6-8 weeks, minimum, before I can do any real riding and who knows how much longer before I can do anything resembling ‘training’.  And that means being able to compete is somewhere off past the horizon.

So I will stay ‘uncommitted’.  I will order new uniforms from the club/team, and will race in them when and if I am able.  But I cannot, in good conscience, say I will line up for X number of races next year.

I tried to call my orthopedic surgeon this morning to plea for a bit more leash. I want to progess a bit faster, and want all the tools I think I need to get there. I am bummed that I cannot walk without the ’stick’, and really want to get the right leg to where it can start paying its own way. But, alas, the message on the machine says that she is making this a 5 day holiday weekend so I will not get any more leash until Tuesday at the earliest.

National RR champion Brooke Miller

I am looking forward to a long weekend near the homestead. Last weekend’s travels to San Ardo and beyond stretched the limits and stressed the body. My backside and legs would start complaining about being stuck in a car seat about every half hour. And the body did not take well to the lack of the trainer time to which it has become accustomed. It took me two days to get the muscles back to where they did not seize up and cramp in the first few minutes on the bike. Monday it was 10 minutes on the trainer, get off and stretch, another 10 minutes, get off and stretch, and so forth. For now I think I will need to keep the recovery days to one at a time, not a duo like last weekend.

Stars and Bars

About the only good thing about last Saturday’s trip to San Ardo was to see a few friends, say hello, then heckle, mostly from the feedzone. An interesting perspective on the races when you get the once-per-hour or so snapshot of the dynamics. The women’s P/1/2 race was interesting; it was easy to spot them coming and see the dynamic as they passed up the hill towards the freeway overpass. First lap it was two out in front with Elis doing her best to bridge across but the field less than 5 seconds behind her. Next lap the newly minted women’s national road race champ, Brooke Miller, was trying to keep her 25m gap off the front. Nothing seemed to be sticking in any field. It was interesting to see Brooke out there; it was only about 6 or 7 years ago that she got her first road bike and would ride up Old La Honda on occasion with our Tuesday morning group. Now she has two national titles to go with her NCAA title.

We did move up to the finish line to watch the last half of the fields finish. Need to gently remind a couple of folks that it ain’t over till you cross the line. Saw a couple of folks drop down in the placings by letting up a couple seconds too soon.

Join the argyle brigade

Maurice modeling his argyles. And his quads.

And I am not talking of Garmin-Chipotle. Young Maurice, who has been slaying a few in crits and on the track this year, has a penchant for the argyle knee high socks. Another pair were on display at San Ardo. Perhaps that should be part of the SJBC kit next year?

Advocacy time

Getting politicians to promote cycling issues does not happen very often. So it is a good thing that San Jose councilperson Sam Liccardo has put forth a proposal to make the city (downtown at least) more bicycle friendly. The problem is, he and his backers did not pass this idea by folks who bicycle regularly and know what works, what does not, and what violates best practices. Their ideal is commendable, now folks need to gently persuade them to alter the proposal, make realistic goals, and enlarge the target area to the whole city rather than just the downtown core.

… training ride. That is what I had at Pescadero on Saturday.

A quick review of the year leading up to this. I was just getting some traction in racing this season, with a good effort at the Rondee von Brisbeen Circuit Race on March 30th, then had my commuter tip-over accident on March 31st leaving me with a broken thumb. That meant no racing for the next 6 weeks and no real intensity workouts for much of that. Then one good crit (EBC) and a couple of good nights of track racing leading up to Memorial Day and a crash in the crit then. That was less than 3 weeks ago, and I was without my racing bike for two of those. The road rash has healed, but there is still some bruising in the lower left back region that is a limiter for really hard efforts. That sets the stage going into Friday. I deluded myself into thinking that despite the paucity of intensity training the past two-and-a-half months, and despite being still a bit sore from a crash 19 days before that I could hang with the pack … at least for the first lap (28 miles).

Friday night as I finished packing for the early Saturday start to Pescadero it became obvious that something in my gastrointestinal tract was not right. And that became more obvious through the night as it kept me awake for a good chunk of the time I should have been sleeping. I gave in and got out of bed at 4:30A, and was doing the internal debate as to whether to trek over the hills to the race or not. The severe cramping was subsiding, so a bit after 6A I figured ‘what the heck’ and we headed for Pescadero.

A slightly late start hitting the road and the need for an urgent pit stop in Woodside led to a later than ideal arrival at the Pescadero High School. After another urgent pit stop and a quick trip to the registration desk, I loaded the extra water bottles into The Wife’s saddle bag and sent her on her way to the feed zone about 16 miles down the road. I then pinned on my number, got the bike ready, and did a warmup on the road between Pescadero and Butano State Park, an abbreviated warmup given our late arrival.

Our field lined up for our 8:50A start, but they were running late and kept getting later. We finally got the start whistle at about 9:12A and eased into the 2 miles or so of neutral promenade through the business district of Pescadero. After the motor pulled off the field picked up the pace slightly but kept things reasonable and I was content in my 5th wheel position on the narrow portion of Stage Road. As we neared the sprint prime point a few more guys, mostly from Synergy-Taleo, came to the front apparently ready to contest for the $15. It was not much of a sprint, three guys powering on the front, then everyone settled into getting ready for the climbs coming up. We hit the first of the Stage Road climbs and the pace was nice, much, much below what I had done on the pre-ride the week before. But the depleted body was, well, depleted and the legs had nothing in them. I could not push; in fact all day I had trouble even tickling the bottom HR zone 5, never even close to reaching HR max, but the legs and body had no push. And so I quickly slid back in the pack as we neared the top and was soon off the back.

For the next 12 miles or so I had visual contact with the pack much of the time, even on the twisty mountainous roads, so I deluded myself into thinking I might catch back on or at least catch some stragglers with which to work. I did pass some remnants of the Cat 4B field that started 20 minutes before us, but never anyone in my field. At the feed zone I told The Wife that I was now in a training ride as she reported the field was not that far in front of me. From the feed zone I had the 2.5 mile climb up Haskins Hill and making ground with dead legs was not in the cards.

I pushed on, not slowing down at all, and did finish the ride strong. I was never passed by any in the two fields behind me, which started 5 ( W P/1/2) and 10 ( W 3/4) minutes after us. I was amazed that as a solo rider on a tough course that neither pack was able to make up the ground, though the front of the W P/1/2 field was only about a minute behind me at the finish.

There were a couple of other interesting tales from the course.

• At the start of lap two, coming into the turn from Pescadero Rd. to Stage Rd. in downtown Pescadero a motorcycle was starting to try to pass me before the turn when a CHP car following squawked on his PA ‘do not cut in front of the bicycle, do not cut in front of the bicycle’.
• Near the top of the first Stage Rd. climb on lap two I was passed by the front of the men’s P/1/2 field. As they passed one of guys pulled to an abrupt stop and pulled up the halves of his Campy Ultra-Torque crankset; apparently the torque on the connecting bolt was insufficient and it had come loose and fallen out. Bummer!

Next year I will try to redeem myself and actually race at Pescadero. But for now I will finish healing and do some intensity work.

That is what I keep asking myself about the Pescadero Road Race this coming Saturday. Originally I was not going to do this race, but signed up for it when I missed the Wente RR due to my broken thumb, figuring I should do one of the hilly road races this year. But the time off the bike due to the thumb compounded with the recovery from the Memorial Day crash has not given me a lot of time to prepare for this sufferfest. And to compound the problem, my right ankle which was rebuilt some 40 or so years ago has been locking up regularly for the past week. I may start a race on Saturday, but end up with a long training ride.

The Wife and I did wander over and do a pre-ride of the Pescadero course on Saturday morning, joining dozens of others taking a look at this beautiful but brutal course. The attached profile is a bit mis-leading; there is only one summit on each climb, but for Saturday’s little ride I tested my climbing legs on each hill then descended back down to find The Wife and then climbed back to the summit with her. And it is just a partial profile of what the race will look like since we will do about 1.7 laps, with the finish at the top of Haskins Hill, the biggest of the 3 climbs on this profile. 47 or so miles, 6 climbs, lots of suffering. It was such wonderful weather on Saturday, and the area so beautiful, it seemed like racing through it and not enjoying it would be almost criminal. Sunday may have been an even better day, but knowing that the Tour de Cure was passing through much of the course area made me want to avoid that traffic jam.

Sunday I did get out for a bit of a ride, mostly trying to work out the ankle. Often when the ankle locks like that riding helps to loosen it up. But not this time; it was locked and painful the entire ride. If it is still acting up like that on Saturday then even the training ride aspect will be abbreviated.

This week I will try to front-load my efforts, and relax a bit at the end of the week. I had an unplanned 24 mile ride to work this morning (CalTrain clogged, again), and will attempt the Tuesday Night Crit tomorrow and track racing on Wednesday. That should be enough before Saturday’s main event, though at least one person has suggested that I should do the Friday night track races, too.