June 28 - Burlingame Criterium

TSB: 8
CTL: 117

Feel so much better today, but when I get to the race and get ready, realize I forgot the jersey at home! Luckily Michael H. has a *spare* so he lets me borrow it, and I don't have to pull a snokrashe and race in my t-shirt.

We have so many riders in this race that I am assigned to keep the pace up so the front of the pack is safe for our sprinter so I trade off pulls for as long as I can go or as it turns out about half the race. This is much harder than just sitting in but more fun and I am highly likely to be successful. :)
rear view
front view
E4
T:40:02
D: 27.8
S: 41.5
C: 98
Pavg 199
pnorm: 233


35+ 4
Pretty much the same plan for the next race for me, we do not have a neutral first lap though, and some folks are confused about this, so when I get my usual quick start, and don't see anyone behind me, keep going for two laps, when the pack starts to get interested I ease up and get back in the routine of trying to get off the front again.

View from the front

2009 Burlingame Criterium 35+ 4 rear view from Steven Woo on Vimeo.

T: 40:14
D: 27.8
S: 41.3
C: 93
Pavg: 187
Pnorm: 214

June 27 - Benicia Criterium

CTL: 116
TSB: 8

I thought I might have a bad day on the bike because after standing around for six hours at the Hellyer AVC my legs and back were still sore in the morning and only got four hours of sleep. Was looking forward to the post race snooze. The course is a figure eight with a lot of small undulations, maybe at most ten to twenty feet over the course of a block with the finish on a long uphill drag.

E4
Hang out midpack, feels like I am struggling. Half way through the race there is an accident and a gap opens up in front of me. I know some folks behind me so I pull to get us close to the pack and am really not feeling good at all and just quit. The data shows the race was not that hard. Hmmm...


T:19:46
D:12.45km
S:37.7 kph
C:101
Pavg: 202
Pnorm: 225


35+ 3/4
I feel a little better during this race. When I try to move up the legs are not responding so I am not going to be able to help anybody out. I can just hang in the back just to finish but since I am racing tomorrow, don't need to just finish for the sake of finishing and pull out again...


T:22:42
D:14.4
S:38.1
C:104
Pavg:179
Pnorm:216

2009 June 19 Hellyer Friday Night Racing

CTL: 117
TSB: 3

Three or four of the really strong juniors are not in the 3/4 field tonight, one has upgraded to 2 and the others are saving themselves for Nevada City and the USA Cycling junior camp later this weekend, still the field is pretty big at fifteen to twenty.


3/4 20 Lap Scratch Race
T: 9:03
S: 44.5
C: 104
Pavg: 270
Pnorm: 299
This is a little different without the kids - a lot less attacking so the field stays intact until almost the end AFAIK. I set tempo for a bit, then Rick counters and almost gets away but we bring him and the others back. At one point I am behind Shawn and we are getting dropped and I am wondering what happened, he got a bug in his unshielded eye and can't see anything for a bit! Then Rick does a leadout and causes a slight separation, I react too late and can only manage a fifth.

No rear view, didn't turn it on.

3/4 30 Lap 6x5 Points Race
T:14:11
S: 43.6
C: 102
Pavg: 268
Pnorm: 297
On the plus side I didn't get lapped! Scored a few points, was pretty conservative after getting dropped the last two times, maybe could have gone for more points, not enough points to score.

2009 June 19 Friday Night Hellyer 3/4 Points Race Front View from Steven Woo on Vimeo.

2009 June 199 34 points race rear view from Steven Woo on Vimeo.

Did five laps of the 123 Points race at the suggestion of Eric Petersen, this was a pretty good idea just to keep warm. It was really easy sitting in but I didn't want to burn any matches just to sit in back of the field
T: 2:07
Pavg: 259
C: 105
S: 44.9


3/4 Miss and Out
I use the simplest strategy which is stay on the front as long as possible but I only last a lap before the Neal, the strongest rider in the field, takes over. Then I am boxed in by Rick for most of the rest of the race, which sort of turns out OK. At one point he let's up and I attack (maybe too hard) but Neil reels me back in, and I am behind him and boxed in by Rick again! I keep waiting for an opening and for a few seconds I look back and there's an opening where Rick is ahead of me and Erik is off of my hip but I hesitate and Erik moves forward and I am boxed in again(!) so finish fifth - mostly by following Neal for all but three laps.
T: 7:46
S: 41.5
C: 96
Pavg: 282
Pnorm: 311

2009 June 13 Pescadero Road Race

CTL: 116
TSB: 11

Not quite the same shape as last year and five pounds heavier but had some different goals of helping some folks get through the first couple of climbs. That mostly worked and I didn't have to finish the race but felt kind of oddly fresh after the first climb on Stage so I continued. We had dense fog and a little rain on the first lap. From the data it looks like we went easier than we had in past years on both of the two hills on Stage. Then I just sat in. Takes a lot of pressure off in some ways to have goals that don't involve finishing!

When we hit Haskins we didn't go that hard either, though I was huffing and puffing. The guy next to me had never ridden it before and asked while we were going up "Is this it?" - I think if he thought it was easy, he should be able to win. :) We were in one pretty big clumpy group and I should have gone to the front to make things safer but got lazy and didn't think to have a secondary goal at the start. Then there was an accident near the McDonald Park entrance so I stopped to help out. Dan had his derailleur hanger bent so Mitch bent it back but it skipped all the time then they told me to continue without them. I just went tempo to the top and they caught me at the base and we TT'ed to the start where Dan dropped out and I tried to pull as much as possible before I had to ease up on Stage. The sun started shining so I decided to enjoy the last lap for fun, not really racing at all.

T: 2:33:38
S: 29.3
C: 91
Pavg: 176
Pnorm: 214
D: 75.3 km

2009 June 7 Two Wheel Criterium ( I guess we can have a tricycle and unicycle version...)

TSB: 7
CTL: 115

Signed up for this race because it's new and wanted to see the course. The name of the office park - Sonoma Mountain Village - portends a mountain top setting but it's more like Mountain View, the mountains are right there on the horizon. The course though is not the usual office park criterium fair, lots of undulations in the road, none long enough to cause any difficulty, and somewhat narrow twists and turns (for a sixty plus rider field of newbs).

The 35+ 4/5 race has a big field. I want to move up but am a bit scared by the riding habits of some of the riders ahead of me, not that I am perfect - see yesterday. There are so many close calls that I get out of the mode of racing and into survival mode and just finish with the pack.

S: 41.7
C: 98
pavg: 166
pnorm: 184
T: 38.24


e4
After not feeling notall that tired from the first race, decide to at last work a little bit to get a better workout, sprinting legs not back from yesterday's efforts. Am able to work to the front - it seems a little safer but we have one crash where there were only a bunch of close calls in the masters' race. Not feeling the mojo so only sprint enough at the end to finish in front of Lloyd. :)

Here's one lap for those who were not there (that junior is really strong as was near the front until the end):



T: 38:10
D: 26.8
S: 42
pavg 181
pnorm 212
C: 102

2009 June 6 ICCC Dash for Cash

TSB: 7
CTL: 115
Took it a little too easy on Thursday and Friday due to lack of sleep.

Trying to work on team tactics today, first race, trying to go for primes or lead out for primes. Lead out Reed for one, but I died before turn four, need to go a little longer or start a little later, or not go that hard at the start?


Next one I just happened to be near the front when there was a prime, Peter told me to go for it so I did, just sixth or seventh. Then Peter led me out, and did a much better job for me than I did for Reed. Unfortunately I made a few mistakes. Not following closely enough as Mark advised before the race. I also was not pedaling in the corners. Still getting confidence back after striking a pedal at Brisbane, need to forget about that and pedal through most corners, just not sprint through the corner... Ended up burning a lot of matches to stay close and came up a little short. Dang.

Also I totally blew after that effort, tried to keep going, but couldn't finish, sorry about blocking the course there everybody!
T: 26:43
pavg: 203
pnorm: 245
D: 18.75km
S: 42 kph
C: 100


For the second race I was supposed to attack a little later but I screwed up here after ten minutes:

and couldn't get back with the group - made the mistake of pausing when I caught some stragglers and should have kept on going. I guess on the bright side I didn't sign up to do the time trial tomorrow since I could not do it today.

T: 17:19
pavg: 198
pnrom: 227
C: 99
S: 37.1
D: 10.8 km