Category Archives: road race

Illinois State Road Race

Posted on by
1

The 2009 Illinois State Road Race – was the most interesting race I didn’t race.

Mrs. P was working so I was babysitting…errr…parenting little P. I took it as an opportunity to get a demo set of my carbon clinchers under some guys in races.

I asked around and got a few volunteers. Jason Senffer (Masters 30+ 4/5), Peter Kelley (Cat 5), and Joel Friedman (Cat 3). It was going to be hard to work the logistics – me with a 3 yr old in a trailor with wheelsets and tools to change gearing and brake pads – with all of the races being back to back.

It was just a weird day all around. I set Jason up and he was off racing. First time through I didn’t see him. I’ve built a lot of wheels and I have always had great results but you do this a while and you begin to understand that just about anything can happen. So I started thinking “oh crap…what happened?”

With it being a road race I would only get to see them every 1/2 hour or so. I got to sit around and wait for them to come back around. I was about ready to poop my pants. When they did come around I saw Jason hanging right near the front and he gave a thumbs up – whether or not it was to me was immaterial, he was OK. “Whew.”

We couldn’t see the finish but the racers came rolling back in. I had already changed Pete’s brake [ads and was just waiting for the wheels. Jason said he thought he won but it would be a photo finish for sure. Little did either of us know that would turn into a huge ordeal.

I had set all of this up to get these under Joel and adding everyone else was kind of an afterthought. So Joel arrived. Told me he put a new chain on and worked on the bike. He’s a mechanical guy and an engineer to boot but lacks application experience with bike drivetrains…so I’m thinking “great – don’t know what condition everything is in and I will be puttnig a new wheel and cassette on…and no work stand…I hope everything works”

It took me a while to swap his brake pads and adjust his gearing. I test rode it over to where the cat 5 racers where coming back to meet up with Pete. Found out Wiz ended up blowing chunks at the top of the hill (big thumbs up), Hillary finished in front of 2 other racers in the womens and Pete went to early and missed out in the sprint. Justin got 2nd though. Not bad at all!

I swapped wheels and headed back to set the pad correctly. Couldn’t toe in the fronts enough so I knew they were going to end up screaming like a banshee. Got Joel up and running in time.

We were standing at the pub near the rollout area and I was swapping back the pads from Pete’s bike, talking to everyone I knew when little P comes walking up to me drenched from head to toe saying he fell in the waterfall….long story.

I had people calling, people texting, racers talking, kids running, wheels going everywhere, AAAARGH! This was more stressful than racing for sure.

The 3′s went off, the girls went to the hill to watch and I found myself with Peter, Wiz, little P and Little K. Next thing I know it’s just me and the kids. The Master’s results were finally posted and they put Jason in 1st. Sweet. I was checking for Lenski who told me he placed 5th. He was out racing the cat 4 race at the time. I look and they have him 34th or some such crap. I’m thinking, “Oh crap”….the area fills with riders going, “WTF??!!!”

I can feel a big protest coming on. At that time the kids start running off and I turn and see Joel coming backwards towards us. “Oh, SHIZ!” He starts yelling, “I need a wheel!” My heart sank. Turns out he had a flat. It happens and it made me feel better because it had nothing to do with the wheel, but it still meant he was basically done with the race. Then Cory shows up saying he’s out with a mechanical. I check it over and the front brakes are dragging. Ara calls out that the lever slid down and tightened the cable. Both levers were loose. He already told the officials he was done. Total suckage. I felt bad for him.

MJH2 is lawyering and politicing in the melee that became the results protest. The 2nd place rider is contesting the results. No one knows WTF is going on and the finish line is quite a distance away. They all run off to check the results/tape. I start getting texts saying, “they may not even have tape of the finish. This is a joke” etc.

The whole time I am just thinking, “I promised Lenski I would stick up for his 5th. I threw the kids in the stroller and went to walk to the finish line. I didn’t know where it was and it didn’t take long to figure out I wasn’t goint to make it there so I turned around.

At that poing I just wanted to get out of there. Little P hadn’t eaten since breakfast – apart from snacks all day. and hadn’t takend a nap….We were both getting grouchy.

I got a text saying Jason won – it stood. They came down and I took some podium shots of him…alone because 2nd took off and they hadn’t figured out who third was yet. He also won the Illinois Cup then as well. Psimet wheels – first race – podium, state championship, Illinois cup….not bad. Congrats Jason. That was a lot of hard work that paid off for you.

Soon after that I was done. Joel was still out there riding around and I needed to get his brake pads switched and swap the wheels. I had picked up another wheel that was trashed to fix. So I had 3 wheels in the trailor. Then I got a call that Scott K had crashed….bad. I was sitting there when the medical truck brought him in. 2 strollers, 2 kids, one’s father is in the back of a medical truck, I was slightly stressed. When it was apparant he would live I took a look at his new Reynolds 68 tubular front wheel – first race – and half of the spokes were bent and broken. He wants to race on it this weekend….psimet to the rescue :D

After that I looked and the Pro 1/2 had been going for a while…we had a guy in a break. Awesome. I wanted to stick around but that was all I could handle. I got home and had pizza and beer and passed out – sleeping to 10am the next morning. I think I’d rather race.

Net results:Later – along with pictures…

Fall Fling Stage #1

Posted on by
3

Road Race in Westlake Village outside of Rockford.

Citizens/Cat 5 <- sad I know.

Things went well early on. I ended up in the front of the field right off the line AGAIN. I rode slow as crap hoping others would come around and no one did. I take corners well/fast and tookt he first one in front.

I heard MJH2 come along side and say, “no one’s coming. Screw ‘em. Let’s go!” I turned and saw a decent gap that we had ont he field. :wtf: I did not expect that. We gave it a half-assed go and were quickly caught.

From there I found I ended up in 1st or second position. RJBTrek and I were trading up front quite a bit. We were both looking for others to take over. MJH2 later pointed out that everyone must have read online that they were not supposed to work ever so none of them were. I have to agree.

Inputflangeman had decided to join in for today’s race. Those of you who have ridden with him know he’s a triathlete with a great diesel engine. We “advised” him before the race that it might be a good idea for him to go up front and ride his pace due to his background. He did just that. He went up front and worked hard enough to keep people from coming around, but not hard enough to kill us.

Everything was great….then we got close to the line to start the second lap (7.5mile laps). I heard a guy sprinting by. Started calling out “Left-side!” Then looked and saw it wasn’t just one or two or three guys, but a train…and it was trucking. The speed went up drastically and a few of the lesser experienced riders in front on me and MJH2 started popping and getting squirrelly. We both got boxed in….

SUCK! I felt like bumping them out of the way, but just worked with it. We got gapped enough that we had to go nuclear to get back on. That’s when I popped. I just couldn’t do that effort and recover quick enough.

I dropped like a rock through most of the pack and then solo TT’d the rest of the ride. Picked up a wheel sucker for a while. He didn’t understand how to work together. Happens all the freeking time to me during races.

There was no one to sprint when I finished. :( Sucked. I was feeling great today. I had tons of power at the end. I could have ridden really well, but just screwed up the read of the race and couldn’t cover that move.

Tomorrow is stage 2 – a crit. I know it will be fast. Don’t know how I will do. I guess I will find out. Not nearly as happy tonight as I thought I would be. Oh well. One day I will do well in a race.

I suck.

Postponing

Posted on by
4

I have been postponing my Psimet Invitational ride report. Don’t know why. Just tired I guess. It seems like a monumental task. I know it doesn’t have to be, but just doesn’t seem right if I don’t do it up right.

So…it’s coming…

Right now just trying to enjoy the winding down of the road season. Last night’s group ride was fun. Colorchange attacked on a downhill before the big climbing sections. I followed mainly because any advantage I can get for climbing will help me stay even. The attack was on a long slight downhill so it didn’t cost me anything energy wise to go there. I usually spend my time on and off the brakes through there anyway.

I hit the first climb behind colorchange, but he slowed at the top kind of waiting for the group. I yelled I was on him and we went. We traded on the other climbs and really pushed it for a bit once we realized we were gone. Worked it a bit like a race. Felt like it. Was fun and a nice preview for this weekend.

We ended up passing alien2 who had come out later and was riding the course backwards to find us. We slowed up for a while to let him swing around and catch up. Then we started shooting the crap about the race he did this last weekend. It’s on the same course as my race on Saturday. We slowed enough that it was definitely the end of the break by the time we turned South off of the hilly leg.

I felt good. I am not in as good of form as I was a few weeks back. Little P has been sidelined with a massive fever/ear infection. Others around me have been really sick as well. I had a small fever for a little bit before the ride. I just hope I don’t go into full sick mode before during or after the races this weekend. A 4 stage race split over 2 consecutive weekends at the beginning of fall gives you tons of risk for getting sick.

In general I would be really happy with a top 10 overall for the series. That will most assuredly require a top 10 for the road race – which is double points. I don’t know if I can do it, but what can I do but try. The TT and the crits don’t bother me.

The TT is 10 miles. It will take at least a 25mph TT to take the top spot I am guessing. I don’t have that in me, but I have done some near 23 mph ones…I might be able to do a 24 mph one if the wind cooperates and if I can borrow some Zipps (last TT I did a borderline 23 in the pouring rain with regular box section wheels on. Sat up in every turn and slowed to a crawl to stay upright….and it was 24-ish miles long).

The crits are like 8 miles long unless they make a last minute change. It will take like 15-20 minutes. I can ride at killer speeds for that amount of time. MJH2 has already decided to try to make it fun, and I am with him…especially if I screw the road race the day before.

I won’t win anything (especially if I think this way). I might have a chance if it comes down to a sprint and I am in position, but the odds of that are pretty slim. I also think it there won’t be a ton of riders doing all 4 events so that may give me a slight advantage.

Like I said….I would be extremely happy with a top 10.

…then it’s on to learning how to cross race. This would be the equivalent of a runner trying to learn how to swin in order to do “try”-athlons. Knobbies and mud….ewww. So NOT me, but they are still mostly road bikes and the bikes look HAWT.

Besides…Carpentersville will have beer this year…..