Race Report: Sunny King

Every race this year so far has brought on nervous anxiety in the days leading up to it. Sunny King was no different. At first I tried to downplay it in my mind. I told myself there are no BAR points on the line and I don't need any upgrade points, so just go have fun, try to make something happen, and don't worry about winning. But the night before and day of the race, pressures started swarming in my mind. People commented about this being a huge race and to win would be a big deal; it's still only Cat 4 though. Anyway, I said my prayer on the start line, knew my rough plan of attack, and we were off.

Like most Cat 4 crits, the first few laps were really fast and definitely got the heart pumping. I was happy to be near the front so I didn't have to do quite so much checking up and braking into every corner. The group was staying together nicely as the first prime was called out about 9 minutes into the race. It was too early so I just let it go. Around 16 minutes in, the next prime lap was announced and just as we had planned two other guys and myself were sitting on the front of the group coming out of corner two. The plan was to attack and not sit up after the line in order to form a break with these other two guys. Well, as the line neared, I decided I really wanted the prime and accelerated hard in the saddle. I took the prime and keep on going screaming into corner one. I was sure I was going down, sliding across the pavement, and slamming into the barriers. I hit the corner so fast with my bike leaned over so far. My rear wheel skidded, jumped, and skidded again I think. I don't know exactly what all happened, but I thank God I was able to keep my bike up and not lose any skin. I'm still amazed at how that worked out. Somewhere during that my chain fell off the outside. Soft pedaling along the barriers, I got it back on the big ring and was making forward progress. The field had still not caught me. Where were my guys that were supposed to break with me? I didn't realize how hard and deep I had gone in that section until later. Looking back, I hit the same max HR in that effort as I did in the sprint finish and almost just as many watts. I kept pedaling around corner two and down the back straight sitting up looking for what happened to the field. I now question whether I should have kept going and tried to solo break or not. I think I made the right decision being solo and the huge effort I had just made. Anyway, the field caught back up with me after corner 4 and we were back into the start/finish straight. It was now time for me to do some recovering if I wanted to be able to go again at the finish.

I drifted back in the back trying to stay out of the wind as much as possible. Things are a lot scarier the further you are back in the pack. You have to do a lot more braking going into the corners, a lot more out of the saddle hammering coming out of the corners, and there are a lot more people surrounding you with questionable bike handling and decision making. Somewhere around 30 minutes in, I heard the announcer call out a 3rd prime lap. There were only supposed to be two primes in the race according to our pre-race start line instructions. The timing of this one could have made it very interesting if I had waited to go for it. But I knew I couldn't. I was still sitting back in the pack trying to make sure I was going to be ready to go hard at the end.

At 6 laps to go I started making my way back up to the front. Four laps to go and I was where I wanted to be, but I could see someone up the road. I wasn't sure who he was or whether he was off the front or off the back. The motorcycle was in between him and the field which only added more confusion as some of the guys in the peloton were saying OTF and others OTB. At 3 laps to go I moved up to the front of the pack and got confirmation that the rider was indeed off the front. We were going to have to do some chasing and in a hurry. My buddy Michaelee was driving the group with about 3 laps to go and me sitting second wheel. With 2 to go, Michaelee pulled off and I took over to bring this guy back. Coming out of corner 2 I pulled off and waited for the next guy to pull through. As I turn to look and yell some harsh words at the field for their lack of help, Michaelee pulls on through again off my wheel and creates a little separation from me, again driving the field. We go through the one to go with the lead guy still off the front. In between corner 1 and 2 of the last lap, we finally brought the lead guy back in. Awesome job by Michaelee by the way.

Coming out of corner two for the back straight, I was leading the field with Michaelee maybe a bike length in front of me. I scanned my periphery and realized that still no one was willing to come up and pull, take over, or even throw an attack. At that point, I knew this was my run for the finish. I was all in at this point. If anyone had come around leading a train, I don't think I would have been able to pass them back. I dug in and drove it home, trying to keep the pace up to prevent anyone from coming around. Coming out of corner 3, I was back on Michaellee's wheel with a little speed, but I decided to check up and sit on his wheel through corner 4. Coming out of corner 4, I pulled off Michaellee's wheel and tucked my head. I gave another surge once the road started going up. Halfway to the finish line, I was certain I was going to see trains of people that had been sitting on my wheel the last 3 laps coming up on the side of me, but no. No one was there. I lowered my chest to the bar trying to stay as aero as possible, never got out of the saddle, and just kept mashing the pedals. I brought it home. Excited and thrilled to pull off my biggest win to date.

Dan Henry got some awesome shots of the race and the finish that can be viewed here. 

A sample is seen below

The Sunny King website has also posted a replay of the event here that can be viewed by clicking on the "Watch a replay of the Races" tab. The cat 4 race starts at the 2 hour mark if you wanted to skip forward.

Race Report: Aaron Shafer RR

Definitely a pretty drive through rural TN

I was skipping class to make this race, so I knew I needed to make it count. I had decided to not plan any particular attacks, but to simply race the race that unfolds with maybe some gas up the climb just to see what happens.

So about two miles into the race when the first attacks started going, I simply sat in and watched people burn matches for the heck of burning matches. I was sitting further back in the field than I was encouraged, but with the hoopla that was going on in the front, I felt more secure and protected where I was. Oh, and none of the attacks stuck or really ever even formed for more than 30 seconds.

Turning to start the climb, I had moved my way up to the front, knowing that I wanted to be in the top 5 wheels for it. Two other guys and I were working a rotating pace line over the easy rollers up to the climb and when the road started going a little more up, one rider went off the front. Unfortunately for him, he never made it more than 30 meters in front of us and stayed there the entire way. Once we got to the steeper sections, the field was stretching out and two other riders (different from the lower section) and myself knew what we wanted to do: hurt the field and create a gap over the top to start a breakaway. We began rotating nicely. I was about to finish one of my pulls, when all of a sudden teammate James B. came out of nowhere on my left and said he'd march ahead and do all the work. So I sat on his wheel and he pulled the dragging field along to the top steep kicker. At that point, a few riders kicked it up and over. I tailed along and got in a group of 3 with another group of 3 just ahead up the road. They didn't wait for us, so we had to chase them down over the next 1/2 mile. Once we caught them, we all knew what we needed to do and started a nice 6 man rotating paceline breakaway. Unfortunately, our group of 6 did not include a VW rider (assuming that is who chased the break down), so we were chased down and caught about 3 miles down the road. At this point I thought the entire field was together. I was wrong and supposedly we had dropped a good handful of people on the climb.

We continued rolling across the country landscape of farm animals and lush green grass. It was nice to take it in for a few quick seconds. This second part of the race didn't have any of those 3 and 5 second gap attacks like the first 15 miles. We were all rolling together and if someone accelerated, everyone in the front of the group accelerated with them. No one was getting away. I also made sure I stayed closer to the front from here on in, not getting much out of 7 or so wheel.

Once we made the second R hand turn nearing the finish, the group was really picking up speed. I was making my way up a few wheels along the yellow line. I knew soon we would be making the last L bend for the run into the finish. I was sitting somewhere around 3rd or 4th wheel as we made that turn and the finish line banner came into sight. The road was supposed to be open at the 200 m to go mark. Maybe around 300 meters to go, a CBC rider attacked from my left and created a two to 3 bike length gap between him and the field. At this, I pulled out of the line and began to charge, not quite knowing exactly what I wanted to do yet. I decided to bridge to his wheel and sit for maybe 2 seconds. Around 200 meters to go, I jumped off his wheel and went around to the left. It was perfect timing because as I was punching it out of the saddle, I saw riders out of the periphery of my vision on both sides of me going at the same time. I kicked it hard over the blip in the road. About 30 meters to the line, I took a glance over my shoulder and the race was over. I cruised under the banner super pumped and thrilled to have pulled off another win. A road race win!

It was frustrating to have to pack my car up and leave after the road race to get back to school. I had really wanted to do the time trial and defend my only race win from 2012. But life is life. I made back to class in time to discuss some material and complete the graded assignment before the 5 o'clock dismissal.

The very cool mugs they give to the podium. Now I have a set!

All the posters I 'get' to sign after the race

   

 If you look close, you can see me on the start line (top L corner). The picture they used was from last year's Cat 4 RR start. Pretty cool. 

I found some more photos.

Race Report: Cedar Hill Crit

I have to start this report by thanking the Amos family for letting me come stay with them Saturday night and feeding me on Sunday. Without them, I would have been getting up at 6 am Sunday morning to make the drive and hoping I didn't run into any traffic to make the race on time. Many thanks for their continued hospitality.

The first race of the day was the cat 4/5 crit. Crit is loosely used for this race course since it was just over 1.5 miles with only two turns and 4 little inclines, two of which had the potential to really hurt. Not the standard, technical downtown crit course (from my limited experience). The finish was just over a slight right hand riser after a fast, slightly downhill straight.

I am going to try to keep this shorter for time sake and my quickly fading memory. So the first race was supposed to be 40 minutes with one prime lap. I barely heard the announcement and didn't know what it was for. By the second corner, one rider was a considerable distance off the front and easily took the prime and then reabsorbed into the field after. Not much else happened until the finish. So closing in on the finishing lap, I knew of about 4 or 5 riders I was looking after. A friend had informed me of a new threat before the race and the internet told me praises of another sprinter. It was this latter sprinter's wheel I was looking for on the run into the finish and I had it. Coming up the 3rd incline and the last significant one, I was sitting 4th wheel on the rider I wanted. He faltered over the apex of the climb and a gap opened between him and the 2nd rider. I quickly pulled out and moved up into 3rd wheel. As we started racing down the hill for the last straight before the finish rise and right turn, I think I was hollering "GO, GO GO!" to the two riders in front. I didn't want a train coming up either side of me (like I said, sketchy memory). At this point I guess my memory really goes because I don't remember whatever happened to those two riders in front of  me. The next thing I remember was an attack coming from the left, and then this rider was immediately in front of me by about 3 bike lengths. And when I say in front of me, that's really how I remember it. I only remember seeing him and no clue where those other two riders went. So seeing this guy open a gap on me, a sudden feeling of "Oh crap, I have to go close this down." came over me. I'm not sure why I felt briefly intimidated by it, maybe from the struggles back at Hell of the South. Anyway, I knew I had to go. I did a quick check of my gears to make sure I wasn't going to immediately spin out, then I was up out of the saddle, pulling off to the left/outside, and sprinting up the slight right hand rise. I passed the leader on the slope of the rise and continued to gap. A little ways down the back side, I was spinning really high and had to sit down. At that point I took a glance over my left shoulder and saw the significant gap I had created. I sat up, arms in the air, and cruised to the finish. A beautifully executed sprint finish. It felt amazing! (Video below thanks to Will Montgomery)

With only about 45 minutes between races, I did a quick spin around the lower lots and then headed back to my car to mix another drink of EnduraFuel, grab a bite of banana, a muffin, and change numbers on my jersey. The second race was the 3/4 crit. It went similar to the first race with a few noticeable differences. Overall it was faster, the corners were huge bottlenecks with tremendous slowing sometimes down to even standstill and walking paces. There were several attacks off the front and a lot of sitting in for me. Being the only rider from HUB Endurance in the race, I felt content to sit in the pack and let all the other teams chase down all the attacks and pull the group around the race. As we started counting down laps, I moved up to the front; a little too far up to the front since I led about 3/4 of the 2 to go lap. I wanted to see how they would react to me on the front though. Would they let me go? Let me get a gap? They didn't.

So, coming off that last significant hill on the course for the run into the finish, I still wasn't far enough up in the group for my liking. I charged on the inside passing several people. I was moving up nicely until 3 or 4 guys in the line crashed down on me. At this point I had no where to go, so I hopped over in the grass. I rode in the grass, dirt, rocks, and bumps up and over the last riser for about 30 meters before I passed those guys and was able to safely get back on the pavement (I think my Zipps need some truing now). By this time the lead group of about 10 guys were already at the finish line practically so I knew my race was over. I gave another few firm pedal strokes passing 2 or 3 more guys and crossed the finish line in 11th place overall and the best placed cat 4 rider.

Great experiences for the weekend. I loved being able to get a great sprint finish in. I've proved to myself I can hang in with a cat 3 crit field. I saw the dynamics and benefits of having a team to race with in a crit.

Race Reports: HoS & PeachTree TT

It's taken me a while to get around to writing these reports, but I've been trying to focus on my school work and not failing grad school. I'm sure my parents would be proud. Anyway, school has been filled with endless projects, presentations, tests, and additional classes over the normal. They think they can just control our lives. I guess they can, but it is really getting annoying and my disgust for that building and program is growing quite rapidly recently.

Anyway, back to the races. I had been looking forward to the first road race for quite some time. Unfortunately, by the time it got here, school had me run down to the point that I was not looking forward to racing. I knew I still had to go, so early Saturday morning I set out alone for Berlin, TN and the first TBRA race of the year. Without a warm-up, I toed the starting line and we were off. I personally knew none of the other racers: all my friends from last year have upgraded to the cat 3's. I knew one person that I was going to be watching thanks to a friend's advice. The race progressed pretty uneventfully. I could hear someone blow a tire every once in while, but not a whole lot of action in the top 5-10 wheels where I was trying to stay. I hit the gravel in 2nd wheel. We didn't throw any attacks per se, but the accelerations up those punchy hills in the gravel were not nice on the legs. A bit later I charged up and over a hill creating a decent gap; no one responded. I knew I wasn't going to make it by myself so I sat up and waited for the group.

The next 15-20 miles were a big cluster mess. First the masters were closing in on us. We were told to go single file and slow down as they came up to pass. Then a few guys on the front accelerated and surged. Officials came back and regulated us at the front and we had to slow to less than 10mph for quite some time as the masters closed in and passed us. We continued to wait as they built up a gap so we didn't immediately pass them back. Once we were allowed to race again, someone shot off the front and up the road. Within the next 3 miles we were catching and passing the big masters field. About this time is when I was behind a guy that hadn't been up front in the race. Before I knew it, he led me right into a rather large pothole that gave me quite a jar. My fresh bottle I had just switched to the downtube cage shot out. I really could have used that powerful EnduraFuel energy later in the race, but I would have to do without. Here is where I must also give a big thanks to HUB Endurance for letting me borrow some super plush 28mm Vittoria tires for the race without which that pothole might have very well ended my race right there.

So, right before we entered the gravel for the second time, the official made us literally stop on the side of the road and wait. Several guys chose to pee as others sat around twiddling their thumbs. Now that everyone was well rested, any stragglers had a chance to get back on, and cold blood had time to settle in our legs, they let us off again.

Small surges from the front carried us the rest of the way back to the 2.5 mile finish stretch. By this time I had moved up to 2nd/3rd wheel as I was preparing for the finish. Unfortunately I was not patient enough to properly execute the finish. I was putting too much effort and riding in too much wind that entire trip back to the start finish. At the 1k to go mark the first attack went. I quickly matched and got on his wheel, another mistake. More attacks started coming from both sides. I was begging for the line, my body pleading with me to just stop, give up, and call it a day. I don't remember exactly how that last K went down, but I know at the end there were two big surges, one from each side of me. The one on the right was impressive and made a small gap, he took first. The one from the left was shaky and drifted slightly right and in front of me once he came around, he got second. That was enough to keep me seated and just holding on for the finish.

Take home: (1) be more patient and (2) sprinting at the end of a hard run into the finish is very hard and I didn't have it that day.

PeachTree TT:
The second race of the weekend was a time trial southwest of Atlanta. So once again, Sunday morning I got up and headed out the door for the drive down...by myself...in the rain...raining the entire way. I got there in time to setup for a nice little warm-up. My HUB skinsuit from Pactimo fit perfectly which I was very happy about as it was the first time I had tried it on.

I was on time for my start which is always rule number one for a TT. However, as soon as I went off, I came up behind a pickup truck sitting at a stop sign where I was supposed to turn right. I didn't know what to do at first as a slight panic set in. I ended up going around him on the left, but as I was beside him he started moving too. I continued on and passed across the yellow line. Not the best start, but I settled into my aero position and tried not to break rule number two in a TT: don't start out too hard. My legs were not putting out their best, so I just tried making up for it in aerodynamics implementing skills from the book of Tony Martin. I guess it worked because even with a subpar performance, I came away with the win.

It was good to get a decent distance TT in before I take on the state TT the first weekend of May (one of the reasons I wanted to do this race).

Overall not a bad start to the year. Three races and three podiums: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Back to the grind and back to racing soon enough. VERY glad to have this weekend off.

Race Report: Pick Your Poison XC

The first race of the season. The first race since the crash with the boat/truck last June and surgery. It's been a long time coming and I was very eager to get back in the saddle and push the pedals full throttle. I had decent expectations that unfortunately didn't plan out. It's tough to be efficient and good at something if you don't do it regularly and I've only mountain biked 4 times since last May: my fault, my choice. Mountain biking is a different beast than road cycling, as the soreness in my lower back and neck can attest.

After several delays in start times and 3 warm up sessions, the race was ready to start. Some guys jumped out of my category and up to the Pro/Open category leaving only me and one other guy racing the Cat 1 19-29 division. From the start, I jumped out in front and hammered. I was hoping to break the other guy and then settle into my own pace and race. He didn't break. I was redlining and still not going that fast. I would put some space between us on the fast, downhill, technical sections, but he would catch back up once the elevation went up again. I knew I couldn't keep this effort up as every time I looked down at my computer my HR was over 180bpm. I gradually slowed and decided that if the he wanted to just sit on my wheel, then we would cruise at a slower pace.

Three-quarters of the way through the first lap, I slid out in a left turn, catching myself, but still slowing dramatically. He moved around me at this point and I rode his wheel for the rest of the lap, losing ground when the terrain went up and rubbing tires when we went down. We came through the start finish together to start the second lap, but as we headed back into the woods I had to drop off. My body had to take a break from the effort I had been pushing that first lap. That was the last time I saw the other rider. After about 2-3 minutes of easy pedaling, I was back to racing, a little disheartened.

The rest of the race was pretty uneventful and I simply finished the last lap, knowing that I wasn't racing anymore and I was guaranteed second place. My body was aching and the miles were tough requiring a lot of effort and wasted energy to cover because of my rusty mountain bike skills. I might have been able to descend, but I was out legged and efficiently handled by the other rider. I finished the almost two hour race with an average HR of 173bpm, maxed out at 190bpm, and spent 23 minutes over 180bpm. HR was only below 151bpm for 1:40. We climbed 2,500 feet in only 19 miles.

I have to remember this was just a training race (very solid metabolic and cardiovascular training) and more racing is to come. A lot more racing. Next weekend I'll be on the track and back to racing the following weekend.

Taking to the Track

This past weekend I decided to do something new. I tried track cycling. The track had briefly caught my eye in years past, but I never gave it a genuine consideration until I begin training with a powermeter this winter. After reading a few books to learn how to interpret and properly train with my powermeter, I began to recognize some my numbers as ones that correspond to good track racing numbers. In track racing, the weight factor of the rider is all but eliminated, so my stocky build should not hold me back on the track as it does on climbs on the road. I then looked into my cadence and noticed some high numbers I am able to hit consistently. Put all these things together, let my power become pure watts and not necessarily watts per Kg, and on paper, I should be a good track racer. 

This past weekend was the first beginner class of the year at the Dick Lane Velodrome in Atlanta, so I headed down to get acquainted and see how I liked it. Temperatures in the low to mid 30s both days with light flurries on Saturday during the class limited our riding time for the two day, 6 hour class, but I got a good enough feel for how the track works. I got to wet my appetite for flying 200 meter sprints, match sprints, getting perpendicular to 36 degree banked corners, and non-stop pedaling. 

So, Monday afternoon after this weekend experience, I was at HUB Endurance asking what my options are for a track bike and how we can make it work. I am now registered and set to go to Rock Hill, SC for a collegiate clinic at the end of my spring break in two weeks. By the time the summer racing rolls around at Dick Lane, I think I will be ready to take on the track. Looking forward, I can't help but notice that with Xterra Nationals probably dropping off my schedule, my last big "A" race now occurs in mid-July. Seems like that gives me a solid 9 week buildup to Collegiate Track Nationals in Colorado. Who knows. Might be switching one national championship for another. 

                           

           

Catching Up with My Sponsors

Last week I got a call from my supplement sponsors at Biomedical Research Laboratories. They were calling to check in on how my training was going, if I needed any more products, and to tell me about some of the new stuff they have coming out over the next few months. The rep that called me even knew details about my upcoming racing schedule as he's been checking up on my blog. It was great to know that the staff at BRL cares enough about their athletes to call them and follow up with their racing and training schedule. You can check out the Athlete Profile page they have for me here.  

The rep also discussed some really exciting new products that BRL is working on. While still under wraps, I can say I am really excited to get some samples of the new products as they start testing it out. As always it will be of the highest grade natural ingredients and includes no banned substances listed on the WADA 2013 list. Take confidence in knowing that BRL manufactures in the United States and submits all of its products to the Banned Substances Control Group for testing to ensure that all of the athletes consuming their products are staying legal, no deer antler spray or holographic chips coming from this company!

Two days after my phone conversation, another support package showed up at my door. This is turning out to be a great partnership. I'm looking forward to racing and training on their products and excited for what I will be able to achieve.