My Superweek Wrap-up
I suck.
Cat - 4/5
7/11 - Blue Island - 36/41 placing
7/12 - Elgin - 38/63 placing
7/14 - Arlington Heights - 31/37 placing
7/15 - Bensenville - 28/32placing
Cat - Masters 4/5
Didn't finish a single race.
Again...I suck. Granted the fields were much larger than what they show as placing but that is little solace. Every day was the same. Race hard...try to hold on...pop...start up a chase group....pull chase group around....then let the guys in the chase group come around me at the end dropping me futher.
To top it off the scale has been climbing for a little over a month. I believe it's muscles but there is definitely some fat in there as well. Scale read 180 this morning for the first time in a long time. I'm wearing 32" waist pants still with no problem so...maybe it is muscle.
I suck.
Time to step up my game. Cyclocross is coming...
Superweek Sucks
Where're you parked? Hold on I have a txt coming in...
Where's registration? Do I need my license again? Are you warming up on the trainer or riding around? Have you ridden the course? What's it like? Are they running late? How late? Seriously...Yes I just asked that.
Dude, what happened yesterday??! How's Bob? Who else is coming? You got bottles? Yeah you can borrow my pump. Espresso Love...awesome.
This turn will suck. That one will too. Someone will attack here thinking they can get away. Dude....look at this corner! It's all you. So what's the plan? Hey man! You racing both? Yeah, I know...I'm an idiot. Yesterday? I sucked. You? Nice job! They lining up?
Hey, rider A is here. Look - rider B. Hey they're is only ___ riders from xXx here. *start humming the evil empire music from star wars* How many newbs are here? Awesome. I had no idea Discovery, Phonack, Garmin and CSC were sending riders here for the 4/5 race today.
-official- You are racing __ laps. The wheel pit is over there. Make sure you talk to an official while in the wheelpit in order to get a free lap. Free laps end with 5 to go. Are there any juniors here? Raise your hands. You must report to rollout after the race. blahblahahahahahahahahahahhahahablahablbbbbbbbllllllaaaaahhhhhh *snore******
-Wisecrack #1- -laughter from the field- -Wisecrack #2- -not as much laughter-
Ridersready*whistle*
*pain, tightness, suffering*
Anticipating that first corner. Are they going to nail it from the gun? Look for squirrels. We're cool. Pick a line. Should I yell at him? Nah...let's see if he does it again. Ok, I'm saying something this time, "Come on Team A....watch your line. I have to go to work after this."
Accelerate. More. More. Brake. Turn right. Accelerate. Brake. Turn left. Quick right. Where did that wind come from? Move up on the outside guys...come on....
"I could be at home sleeping, or at least at work" *laughter*
Accelerate. More. More. Brake. Turn right. Accelerate. Brake. Turn left. Quick right. Oh look....a 'break'. Don't chase that guys. Come on. Damnit! Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate, Accelerate. Brake. Turn.
Haven't drank. I should probably drink.
Screws getting turned. Sonnuva. Hold it.....hold it.....gogogogogogogogogo. UUUUUHhhhhhhhhhhhhh......keep it going. They'll slow up in a bit. Hang on.....
"GO PSIMET! GET BACK ON THAT WHEEL!"
"GO DADDY GO!"
Not again! SUCK. Should I just quit now? Why keep going? Oh that's right, because I love torture. Think of it like cross. Just start picking guys off as they come off the back. Man they look like they're going slow now.
Hey...I can work with them. "Hop on!" Where did they go?
Was that something behind me? When did I pick up 10 guys? Have fun with the sprint guys. Enjoy it. I'll hold things down back here.
Thank god that's over.
Wonder how long they'll give us before they start the next one. Eat a gel. Where's the other bottle? "How'd you do? AWESOME! Nice job? Me? Meh. You racing the next one? You coming out tomorrow? See you then!"
Are they lining up?
....yup....it's superweek. I'm tired. I suck. I'm too fat for this sport....and I'm having a blast.
Peak
Haven't blogged a lot lately. Very busy. Business is going well. Selling a ton of wheels.
On top of that we are in the start of the peak of the Chicago road season. This weekend begins the annual tradition known as Superweek. I like to call it Stupidweaks. Mainly because if you race it you're stupid. You will also end up weak, and the event is a series of races over close to 3 weeks.
If you are not familiar with it then consider youself lucky. I don't remember the whole history but basically it they had a week of races in Wisconsin that drew a lot of people from all over. Over the years it has gotten bigger, more dangerous, and expanded into the flatlands of Illinois.
On tap I am racing 8 races in 5 days starting on Saturday. I will be stupid weak at the end. I will follow that up with maybe another weekend race and possibly another day the following week and then maybe soldiers field and then two races at the Chicago crit. Then you get into downers, grays lake, Oakbrook, etc.
It is burnout time at the end of this. It happens to me anyway at the end of July. I am already talking about cross season.
For those who haven't heard there was a big wreck last Sunday in the 4's and a lot of guys I am friends with were taken out. RJB, SP from Verdigris, our own SK who won the 5's that morning and upgraded, and Lenski to name a few. By far the biggest loss was South Chicago Wheelmen's own MK. You might remember him better as last cross season's "Supergirl".
MK broke his frame (Colnago ouch!) and his wrist. He says that among a list of other things his season is over. He has been racing very well and personally I will miss racing alongside of him in the short term. He says he may even miss a bit of the cross season.
I think all the talk of that is what made MJH2 and I start talking ideas a out next cross season. I have decided I think that I might be going in-costrumeo. Thinking cheerleading uniform. What are your ideas? I'll take suggestions in the comments.
This just in….
...I suck at racing. I was happy with my performance today, but in the big picture I was a giant heaping pile of suck. The races were fast. I knew they would be...come on...it is a race, but they were faster than what I would even expect.
The course is super flat and in the morning there was a tailwind down the longest straight. I held on the the CAT 4/5 for about 5 laps. Then when I was OTB I ended up trying to work with a guy. He was just barely hanging on and I ended up doing most of the work. He was tiny too so even when he was in front I was getting nothing.
Just before we were about to get lapped I took off trying to hold the pack off. It was a pretty impressive effort if I do say so myself. It delayed the inevitable for another lap. We got lapped a seond time with 3 to go. Picked up a xXx rider who kind of worked with us - when he wasn't busy trying to tell us what to do (is there a rolleyes smiley on here?).
The Masters 4/5 was faster. It was brutal. Actually it probably wasn't, but the morning's race had taken a lot out of me. I did manage to stay in the front for a while. I was even in front going over the line one lap. I actually think I was in a 3 man break off the second lap or so, but I was going hard enough that I couldn't see. One guy came flying up and wanted me and the first guy to work with him. We put out heads down and I hammered for a bit. The second lap of that was obvious we were fading.
Pretty soon I did my usual OTB and just tried to hold on. The sun was intense and it is really hot out there today. After getting lapped a second time with only 6 or 7 laps left I decided to call it a day. I shouldn't have because it was then that riders were starting to get shelled and I could have found people to work with, but the gas tank was on "E" and the pounding headache was signaling dehydration.
DFL, DNF.
Rule 5,246 about racing: "Don't expect to ony go out a couple of times a year for races and still do OK."
Stupid Week
So I forgot my license on the way to the races today in Bensenville. So I went back from Bensenville to Elgin and got it. Then when I finally got to the race I went to go register and realized that I had 2 different shoes.
Yes one was right and one was left, but one was a mtn bike shoe and one was a road shoe. 2 different cleats. One that would work with my pedals.....the other wouldn't.
I took the start of the 4/5 race anyway. I just pretended I was having pedal problems. I took a lap and according to the official at the start I will be placed. Boo.
Stupid.
Really stupid.
When you race, or go to any event there are a few things you check and check and check again.
- Helmet
- Shoes
- Bike
- Gloves
- Water Bottle
- Pump
- EDIT - Even here I forgot to put "License".
Everything else is extra. Today I get an F. Still....I did take the start so the day wasn't a total loss.
Superweek Registration
nothing like registering for Superweek before they even have their rider bible published. I signed up for 4 events next week. The Bensenville races on the 15th and 16th. Both days I am attempting Cat 4/5 and Masters 4/5.
4 races in 2 days and I will be 1/2 way to my "modern" cat up....not that I actually want to cat up, but having that 5 on there right next to the "member since 01/01/1993" is kind of pathetic.
If all goes well I might take another day or so and try to get in on another day or two of racing during superweek. With this and 2 races on Elgin's race day I could cat up quickly.
I always needed something to hold as a goal after RAIN during my seasons....this looks like it will be it.
Vacation is over
So I am back at work. Moustache is gone. It was starting to come in nicely, but the wife didn't see anything other than White Trash-ness to it. No humor ...
Trying to piece together some upcoming plans:
- Tonight - Possible wrenching in the shop - Voldemort
- Tuesday - Group Ride
- Wednesday - Possible wrenching in the shop - Voldemort
- Thursday - Possible Commute
- Friday - Possible 1/2 commute then leave for RAIN
- Saturday - Ride RAIN and return to Chicago - and convert bike over to TT setup *pain*
- Sunday - Possible Hampshire TT
- Next Tues - Bensenville Races for Superweek
- Next Wednesday - Bensenville Races for Superweek
- Week off - wife working on the weekend so no rides
- Another TT the following weekend - OR - my boss's son's wedding (also my wife's cousin...long story)
- Melon Metric/Chicago Criterium/Oswego Century the next day(?)
- Elgin Crit the next saturday.
Feeling a little overwhelmed....and excited. I wish there was more time for an escape to Wisconsin mixed in there. Might have to take a 1/2 day and head up there sometime. Part of the wellness program....