Mt Hamilton RR 2013

GarminData 

                This is my 2^nd time racing Mt Hamilton RR.  It’s a great race for training.  You get climbing, flats, and descending all in one race!  Last year I got dropped on the 1^st climb.  This year I was planning on staying with the lead group for as long as I could, and then find a group to stay with.  I didn’t want to be left alone after the climb.

                The race starts off fast.  We were climbing fast up the first climb.  I am not sure if this hurt my time climbing Mt Hamilton or not.  I basically stayed at my max and beyond for the first 20 min.  I fell off the lead group about ¾ of the way from the top of the 1^st climb.  That’s farther than last year, but expected to hang on for longer.  I just didn’t have that kind of power to last for this entire race.  I was on my own until 3 guys caught up with me.  The 4 of us worked with each other up Mt Hamilton.  I got dropped from those guys 1 mile from the top.  I PR’ed the Mt Hamilton climb (1:30:00 2013 and 1:32:27 2012).  I descended on my own until a BBC guy caught up with me right before the Neutral Feed Zone.  We agreed to work with each other and try and catch any others that got popped off the back.  We worked well and each took 1 min pulls.  We caught a Team Oakland guy that I was climbing with up Hamilton.  The 3 of us worked together until the final climb out of Mines Rd.  Team Oakland guy dropped off the back of us, and then the BBC guy attached himself onto the back of a 45+4 guy.  With a few miles to go some 45 + guys caught me and that motivated me to keep them in sight till the finish.

                Overall I am please with knocking some time off the race course and Mt Hamilton. My main focus is climbing Mt Diablo in October at the Diablo Challenge.  I want a sub 54 min this year.  I know that I am choosing some of the toughest races to compete in.  Taking my licks now and hoping to keep progressing as a racer. This is all a work in progress.  I used 3 bottles for the race.  I started off with one bottle to be lighter up Mt Hamilton, and I picked up water at the neutral zone and a bottle at the feed zone. 

             

My next race is Pescadero RR June 2!

Thanks to SJBC!

Thanks to those at the Neutral Feed Zone!

Thanks to my Teammates!

Thanks for reading!

My First Time Trial

I just purchased my first time trial bike from Concept Cyclery in Morgan Hill, CA!  It's a Specialized Transition.  Bruce from Concept Cyclery also did a fantastic job fitting me on the bike using Body Geometry from Specialized.  Specialized is based out of Morgan Hill, CA and they also just built a wind tunnel there!  Unfortunately that experience is not included in the purchase.

I purchased a TT bike so that I could compete in the Cascade Classic Stage Race in Bend, Oregon from July 19-21.  That course hasn't been posted yet.  Last few years it has been a steady climb out and fast descent back to the start.  I'll be trying to mimic this course during training.  

I love climbing and it just so happened that my first TT race experience was the Stage 6 TT course for Amgen Tour of California!  They opened up the course for a charity ride before the Pro's took it over. Not a complete course shut down, but CHP and volunteers did their best to keep the roads clear.  

Strava link for the course. My Garmin data.

I decided to warm up by riding from my house to the start line. Spina Family Farms is where I would get ready.  The ride there is about 17 miles and 54 min.  A good warm up for me.  I followed my normal routine of eating a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast followed by a Performance Power Bar 45 min before the 10:20am start time.  

Started out strong on Bailey Rd climb.  I haven't done this short climb since last summer.  Got a PR on it.  I am going to have to learn about when to stay in the aero drop position as opposed to sitting up a little for turns and climbs.  For those that don't know...the bars that stick out on a TT bike only have gearing switches, and no brake controls.  It's a pretty unstable feeling to get over.  You are really stretched out over the front of your wheel!  McKean Rd was a road I am very familiar with and stayed tucked the entire time until we reached Willow Springs Rd.  It's another short climb followed by a really fast descent with lots of sharp turns.  I got stuck behind a few cars on the descent since the course wasn't closed yet.  Slowed me down!  We then turned left on Santa Teresa Rd and headed back to Bailey Rd.  A good cross wind and headwind on Santa Teresa was keeping it challenging for me to stay aero.  We made a right on Bailey Rd and headed to Metcalf Rd for the final climb.  Everything felt great so far.  My legs were a little cooked, but its because this is a whole new way to ride.  Building up the TT power will help me in Road Racing.  Metcalf Rd was a brutal climb on a TT bike!  1.6 miles up with 10% avg gradient.  Some pitches up to 20%!  I passed up lots of road bikes, time trial bikes, and cars.  It was pretty packed now as everyone was trying to get up to the finish before the road was shut down.  I worked hard and made it to the finish line.  Oh and I passed up Fast Freddy right before we made the right turn to the finish!  I must say that I was out of breath and be was chatting away :)

The ride back down Metcalf Rd on the TT bike was super uncomfortable!  These bikes aren't made for this.  I rode back to Spina Family Farms for some fuel and walked with Hanns and Johny over to the expo.  Lots of great products and watched some pros start the TT.  After riding back home I put in 62 miles on the TT bike!  A great first effort on the bike.  I'll be putting at least one day a week on the bike for now on.

Thanks for reading!

Wente RR Race Report 2013

Wente RR Livermore, CA  (35+Cat 4) 3 Laps

Field Size: 56

Placing: 40

Start Time: 11:55 am  (Finishing time 2:32)

Teammates: Christian Mauri, Manny Managbanag

Average Speed: 18.8 MPH, Top Speed 39 MPH

Average HR: 167 Max HR: 189

Elevation Ascent: 3773 Ft.

Weather:  91 degrees avg.  Not windy
Garmin Data

                Oh Wente RR, you are always my first true hot race of the season.  The 35+4’s start at 12pm, and it was around 90 degrees on certain parts of the course.   I have been racing some really challenging hilly races, and finishing with the pack will come in time.  Right now I am shooting for some mini personal achievements.  There are a few areas of the course that I wanted to improve my times on, and also wanted to get comfortable riding in a pack that takes of the lane.  Centerline rule is enforced the entire race.  I got an OK warm up in.  Maybe could have gone a little bit longer but didn’t have the time.  I am still trying to figure out what I want to eat when a race starts at lunchtime!!!  Today I started with my regular breakfast at 8am.  A bowl of hot oats, wheat, barley, rye, cocoa, brown sugar, pumpkin seeds, and cranberry.  Then a bagel/cream cheese at 10, and performance power bar at 11am.  I didn’t have anyone at the feed zone so I drank a bottle of water during my warm up.  I carried one large bottle and one small.  This is a good move on hot days, but bad move on cold ones.  (You’ll have to stop to pee)

                Race is off!  We are following the Elite 5’s.  I got in a good position up front from the start line.  Centerline rule in effect for the whole course and Greenline and Altamont Rd’s are pretty wide and easy to move up.  I wanted to be in the top 5 all the way till the right turn on Carroll Rd.  We’ll have to ride up Carroll Rd 4 times.  That’s where the finish is.  The start line is down by registration on Greenville Rd.  Pretty much an easy tempo until you get to Carroll Rd.  We hit Carroll Rd and I was maybe 10^th.  Hard effort, but sustainable.  After you go past the finish line there is a flat section to goes across Hwy 580, and then a false flat pretty much up Flynn rd until we make a right turn to begin the descent.  You can’t move up in position once you get onto Flynn Rd.  There is no shoulder to ride on and the road is narrow.  We had a large group that filled the road up.  Some began to fall back on Flynn Rd that went too hard on Carroll Rd climb.  The descent down Flynn to Patterson Pass Rd stayed pretty calm.  I have ridden this course a lot, and moved up some positions on guys that weren’t comfortable descending this winding road.  We stretched out around the hairpin turn and one guy went off the road, and through the 5 ft weeds.  He stayed upright and tried to hop back on.  The pace up Patterson Pass Rd to Cross Rd was a good tempo but no one at the front was trying to make a move.  Once we hit Tesla rd the pace began to pick up, and on Greenville Rd I found myself too far back in the group.  This is the widest section of road on the course, and a good place to move up.  We made our way to Carroll Rd for the 2^nd time and it hurt.  I fell off the front but caught the group as we started to descend on Flynn Rd.  I wasn’t ready to give in yet, and burned a lot of matches to stay with the lead group.  I got dropped last year at this point.   Fast forward to Carroll Rd for the 3^rd time I was done at the finish line.  It was so hot that the sweat on my face was stinging.  No wind, and no cover from the sun!  I chased with 2 other guys and we never got passed up.  We did pass some Elite 5’s along the way. 

Finished strong and acclimated to the weather now J  I got a few PR’s and some good racing miles on a hilly course.   A couple of things that happened along the race I am stumped by.  On lap 2 I had the worst stomach cramp for about 10 minutes.  My feet also cramped up on the last lap.  Both really painful.  The feet thing happened last year also.  Probably the heat and exertion I was putting out.  

              My next race is Mt Hamilton RR May 26!

Thanks to SJBC Racing!

Thanks to Concept Cyclery of Morgan Hill!

Thanks to Voler!

Thanks to Cytomax!

Thanks to Vittoria Tires!

Thanks for reading!