Iowa State Championship Pre-Game Rundown.

Alright, I got in 71 miles yesterday, only 'entry-level' cramping, so I have decided to race it up this Saturday at the State Champs in West Branch, Iowa, (Cat 1,2,3, 108miles). So, let's have some fun marking wheels in the Cat 3 race... (NOTE: I don't claim to be Paul Sherwyn, Bob Roll, or Phil Ligget, and don't always know fellow riders by name only face, so these will basically just be the riders who I know by name and face. No offense to the countless number of riders who I didn't mention and may be just as worthy if not more so, than those called out below)

First, let's quickly look at last years event (80 rolling miles) to see if we can get any insight into how this year's will be...

Total competitors equals: 23. (not as large as you may have thought)
Total finishers: 15
Cat 3 winner (and overall)...
Nate Moenck... Not marked because he isn't in Iowa this year.
Next placed current Cat 3....
Ian Robinson... Yes, finishing 8th is a good result in a tough race. Races for HBA. If his form is comparable then no reason why he wouldn't be able to place well.
Top Placed in the Cat 4 race who is now a Cat 3...
William Greenwood... He rides for Bikes To You, probably enough said, I would recommend keeping a close eye on all of these guys because they are on a mission to dominate, and taking home a couple of medals is going to be a part of the plan. He rode in Superweek and has won a couple of Iowa Road Races as a Cat 3 this year.

This event was held in Dubuque, so a discouraging drive for many west Iowans. And, wasn't put on by the much larger ICCC team. Also not nearly the pre-race hype, so I would expect many more than 23 in this year's race. (I predict around 40, maybe 50, with just under half being Cat 3's)

2008 CAT 3 SHOWDOWN...

There will be many teams here with multiple competitors so team tactics will be in play, namely:
Bikes To You, ICCC, Atlas, HBA (East Coast)
All Nine Yards, Rasmussen's, DMOS (West Coast)
Some of the teams will have riders who aren't feeling like they can win, so they will sacrifice themselves by launching attacks and/or setting a high tempo, leaving the other teams to chase them down, saving their 'team captain(s)' for the last lap.

For B2U, I feel that Bryan Moritz is going to be the main threat. Winning at Superweek, winning the Iowa Cup, rocking at Snake Alley, gold in Team Time Trial... the list goes on. He may even opt to be a Cat 2 after this season, and actually might be a candidate for the overall, especially if he works something out with Cat 1/2 Iowa Cup winner Sean Walker (my pick to win the 1/2 race).
Thinking about it Andrew Fagersten, Finn, Will and Chris Hansen, also on the B2U, could easily win, but more imporantly will be able to be key contributors to the team's overall success.

For ICCC, I don't specifically know who many of their Cat 3's are, so I will just ackowledge Adam Price. This guy is always a strong rider, with a huge motor. Maybe he isn't as strong at flat Crits, so you may have thought he is no longer a factor... nope he is... he has been secretly crafting a late season fitness peak. He dominated the Cat 4's last season early to get his upgrade, and is anxious to make his mark as a Cat 3. I just remembered Jimmie Corrico. He is great on the hills and was dominant as a Cat 4 this year. ICCC will be well represented at the Cat 3 level.

For Atlas, again I don't know who all of their Cat 3's are, so no offense intended because I know I am overlooking some of their strong Cat 3's. However, Ryan Jacobsen comes to mind. Atlas is a strong team, so he will have support. His biggest strength is that he often frequents the Tues/Thurs Iowa City training rides that are pleasantly infested with Cat 1/2 and 3's. These rides make you strong and smart. Also, of note, they actually do training rides on this course, so will be familiar with the layout and good places to attack/recover, etc. Dominic Moraniec is on Atlas, but might enter the Masters Race. If he lines up with us, however, watch out, because he is very skillful.

For HBA, Carson Christian. This guy is hungry and confident. He has traveled to wisconsin and ohio valley to race at the Cat 3 level and get the experience he needed to be a threat at this level. He won the Cat 4 Snake Alley race this year (always at the top in every other cat 4 race) and just pulled off a victory at a Two Bee event as a Cat 3. Also coached by Paul Deninger, a sign of his dedication, and of note because he will be going into this race with a strategy.

For All Nine Yards, Steven Robinson. He was a threat in the Iowa Cup and has won as a Cat 3.

For Rasmussen's, Pete Basso. Well, he found a passion in Time Trialing in the middle of the season, so you know he has been getting in extra mileage having this new discipline to prepare for. Plus, he is on 'the death squad'... With a team name like that you have to expect trouble.

Lot's of other riders will be entering without the team support, and they can take advantage of the team wars, possibly, by sitting-in and/or following wheels at times when others will be obligated to chase. This just depends upon how the breakaways pan out. There will also be out-of-state riders, who aren't eligible for medals, but probably wouldn't have made the drive if they didn't think they had a shot at some of the cash.

My team mate Bill Ford is thinking about entering the Cat 3 race (he may opt to do the Masters instead). He claims to have earned around 38 points in a 12 month period as a cat 4 (only 20 needed to upgrade), so he is definately worthy of being categorized at this skill level. He actually won a 200 mile race, and is a strong mileage junkie and fierce competitor, so these distances actually suit him. Just as we may be thinking about pulling off in exhaustion, he may be just getting warmed up.

As for me... don't bother marking me, I will be sitting at the back so I can craft a good blog entry on sunday. If I do end up with a gap, here is my request.... Can one rider from B2U, ICCC, and Atlas come with me? Then, if you don't mind, I will sit in the draft as you three rotate through. Obviously, your teamates will block, so you won't even really have to work that hard. We may have to slow down, actually, if I start cramping, but no worries, I will hang on. Then as I cross the finish line as the first Cat 3, I will disclose that I have been sandbagging on my blog for the entire week and actually am in the best shape ever... or am I? (insert sinister laugh here)

I realize this rundown has yet to acknowledge an obvious situation... the cat 1/2's are racing at the same time for the same money. Ok, definately complicates things. My prediction, in general is that the Cat 1/2's tactics will create many chase groups early, as they will be trying to shed the field down to a more workable number, and 'weeding out' some of the Cat 3's, so they can focus on their true rivals.

I would hope that the first 27 mile lap would be somewhat neutral, in that everyone respects the true energy/hydration demands of racing for 108 miles. I, imagine, though, that a handful of people will get a gap by the end of the first lap. Then, just like in 'European' racing, the peloton will slowly reel them in, and their race will basically be over. Then attack after attack. Each one getting 'caught' but shedding riders one by one who couldn't bridge. Many of us will be in 'no man's land' by the 4th lap. Too tired to catch the group ahead, rather forced to wait for the group behind, or fake a flat tire, so they can DNF without losing face.

We Interrupt Your Originally Scheduled Training...

I got nailed with some non-cycling obligations and just a touch of motivation deprivation, so what could have been a sweet week of training, ended up being one of my longest stretches off the bike in many many months.

Thursday - had to put in monster hours at work, - no riding.
Friday-Should have ridden in afternoon, but missed it.
Saturday - Work in morning, with son rest of day (and not a babysitter in site, grandma was at RAGBRAI)
Sunday - With my son and unmotivated to find a sitter
Monday - suffering training withdrawal

In my perfect training schedule for last week, I would have ridden a group ride thurs (or RAGBRAI), two bee race sat. and 100 miler with club on sunday. So, I only missed my mark of 250 miles by about 150 miles. Oops.

Well, I literally buckled my belt one notch wider this morning. Not sure where that puts me for competing in a 108 mile cat 1,2,3 road race this saturday (maybe at home sulking?). I am hoping to get back on track this week. No way to get the belt back to 'race position', for saturday's race, but maybe saturday can be a 'leap frog' event that puts me in good form for events later in the summer and fall.

The plan, then, is to just resume my training plan as if everything was going accordingly. Maybe some fellow racers had a slightly less than admirable week of training, or can relate to having weeks like this, during the racing season.

It would be nice if all of my fellow Iowa racers can take this week off, so that I can 'catch back on'. Come on, I'll let lead you out at the finish line, promise.

Iowa City Training Rides

I have been hitting up the rides that meet at College Park in Iowa City on Tuesday/Thursdays every once in awhile this summer.

Lots of strong riders. I really can say I am jealous of what an awesome training tool this is for those who live in the Iowa City area. It is sort of like a free training camp, with some of the best riders in Iowa. I imagine Des Moines' 'Tuesday Night World Championships' are just as 'epic', and perhaps some of the others that are based in larger populations.

If you are not on Atlas or Mercy/Specialized you may feel a bit like a 'guest', because it is basically their team training ride, though open to the all those who are up for a fast-paced ride. I can admit to being a bit anxious sometimes about getting a flat or being dropped in the middle of nowhere, but other than that, quite a good work-out and lots of fun.

Last night, lost contact with the remants of the group (quite a few dropped riders already), towards what I thought was the end of the ride. (we were doing the Iowa State RR course). Turns out we were 6 miles from West Branch and about 12 miles from Iowa City. Oops, I was out of fluids, food, had no money, and didn't for sure now how to get home. Of course, no lights either, so worried that I would get caught out in the dark. Luckily, I could still see the group up the road through West Branch so made the correct path home.

The rides in Muscatine are actually very impressive considering how small of a town it is... thankfully there is a good bike shop that supports group rides. On the other hand, you guys from Iowa City, Des Moines, etc, shouldn't take for granted how beautifully and consistently painful and well-attended your tues/thurs rides are.

Tech Tach Teicher

SLOW AND STEADY DIDN'T WIN THE RACE

Not sure what was going on with this race today, but as always, TWO BEE Road Races are never predictable. This one was a 27 mile 4 corner RR. Not a very large turnout of 12 riders but two Cat 1 racers (Lee Venteicher & Jim Cochran) entered and three Cat 3's, so plenty of opportunity for fun and games.

Adam Price came out for some racing, sporting his new Zabriskie mustache. I figured that would slow him down a bit, but still, he was all that was standing between me and a plate of cookies in the Cat 3 division (I decided to stop grabbing the 12 packs of Michelob Ultra's as trophies because of my inability to abstain from drinking them prior to races or training rides), so I tentatively 'marked' his wheel.

The rest of the field were basically Two Bee riders. This ended up being a very slow paced race. At one point, I was 'pulling' at about 50% of my max and decided to let someone come around as there were a couple of riders up the road, no one did, as I glanced at my spedometer reading 14mph. I could have braked to about 9mph, and I still would have been in the lead of the chase group, as it seemed everyone was waiting for Lee or Jim to attack, while simultaneously not obligated to chase because their teammates were up the road.

So, the breakaways were left to dangle, as we weren't chasing. The one that got away contained Adam Price (ICCC), Mike Edwards (2b) and Gary McNabb(2b). So, it wouldn't have been prudent for the Two Bee Riders or Adam's teamate (nate moenk's brother) to chase, leaving me, Lee and Jim with this task.

I respect Lee and Jim as accomplished racers, so I figured they were going to time the catch accordingly, as the breakaway wasn't all that far up the road, and we weren't even breaking a sweat to keep them in our sights. I have been burnt by Cat 1/2's way too many times, bridging up gaps only to be dropped right after the pull, so I will admit I wasn't much help.

So I waited... and waited.

I couldn't stand it anymore, as I saw we were about 1.75 miles or so from the finish line. Were we too busy marking each other to realize Adam was about to win the race?

Not sure, but they had enough of a gap at this point to win, so now it was time for the field sprint? I don't really like taking my chances with a group sprint, so I just took off by myself with about 1.5 miles left to go.

I had a good gap, as the rest of the field reluctantly reacted. I had the three leaders just ahead of me, and the rest of the field just behind me. Perfect motivation to keep pedalling hard.

Yee haw, I held off the cat 1's and the field, but didn't quite get up to the breakaway, so I finished 4th. Sort of felt like a mini-victory, because a 1.5 mile TT style sprint was sort of a gamble that doesn't always work out.

Congrats to Adam and the Two Bee Racing team for the win.

All good... because since that race didn't end up having any attacks, I have plenty of energy left in my legs for either a long ride, or maybe a TT in swisher tomorrow.

108 Miles for State Road Race

oops, I just checked my weekly mileage for last week, it was 132 miles (again for the entire week). Also, I laid it out last night for 54 miles, and felt pretty sore later that night and this morning, so am I ready to race twice as long in about 2 weeks for the iowa state road race in west branch?

Probably not, but as the organizer mentioned, this race will be 'epic'. Ryan Jacobsen of Atlas already questioned the distance on bikeiowa.org yahoogroups, which makes me think most cat 3's will be equally under trained for this distance... therefore an equal playing field, so let's go for it.

Riding with Cat 1/2's who will probably attack early to get rid of the weak won't help matters. I imagine by lap 3 most of us will be on solo rides overcoming new levels of pain and suffering. Fortunately for me, I like the suffering part and the challenge, I was very surprised to see 108 miles, though, and still am.

Well, there is no way to actually be 'prepared' for this distance (especially considering it was just announced today), but I am going to try and log longer rides, just in case I end up hoping to be competitive that day.

My guess is that they will re-think this decision and lower the cat 3 race to 81 miles like the masters races. My vote, however is to keep it as it is, I am oddly inspired by this.

Sweet Home Alabama

"Did I trade a walk-on part in a war for a lead role in cage?"

I raced the Men's Open (1-4) Mississippi Bluffs RR over in Illinois on Saturday. Quite a few members of the DICE cycling team were there as well some other Illinois guys, and plenty of random competitors like myself.

I tried to 'measure up' some of the riders, because I wasn't really sure who many of them were. I figured the ones with matching socks might be worth marking. This was a two lap Road Race of 50k total. A bit short, so it was tempting to shoot straight out from the start ,but I forced myself to the back of the pack for the first 8 miles or so I wouldn't waste energy for no apparent reason.

Actually that was sort of the 'mantra' in my head... don't waste energy until you make the attack. I played out exactly what I was going to do the night before, and I am happy to announce that it worked out very well. The plan was to make one strong decisive move on the one main uhpill section of the course that is about 1 mile from the finish. I decided to try it on the first lap, after realizing how soft the group was.

Second wheel, the hill arrives, I accelerate, never leaving the saddle. I believe my speedometer said 22mph. I quick look back revealed that the pack had reacted but wasn't actively bridging up. No turning back now, so I pedalled as my lactic acid and heart rate rose to very uncomfortable levels... uh maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

Up over the hill, now is the time to really stick it, they have to be hurting too, so I kept the hammer down.... This isn't going to work, can I really make a solo flyer stick for 16 miles?... Then company arrives... not the pack, just a guy who was able to bridge up. He said something to the effect of 'let's go'. Alright, let's give it a go mate...

Not sure who this guy was, but was happy to see that his pulls were actually a bit stronger than mine. You know the drill at this point, we traded pulls, as I set the immediate goal of getting 'out of sight, out of mind'. It took a bit, but sure enough they were gone.

Having no way to know what kind of strength the pack had, or if they were working well together, me and my breakaway partner kept hammering away, giving it an all out effort.

I realized he was stronger so as we came into the last 2 miles, I suspected that he would easily get the win. Sure enough, he attacked me on the same hill that I had made my move on, with 1 mile to go and the pack long, long gone.

I didn't have any thing left in the legs, and watched him get a sizeable gap that he held to finish first with me following about 15 seconds later. The pack arrived with a good portion of the riders still intact, but quite a bit later.

I won this race last year using a similar tactic, but instead of the attacker I was the guy who bridged up to Peter Sharis of DICE and then took him at the line. Teamate Bill Ford helped block that day, as did Bruce Grell (DICE).

No DICE guys made this two man break, which made us assume that the 6 or 7 of them that were left in the pack would organize an all out chasing effort. Talking to some of the riders after the race, however it seemed that the group wasn't able to get a smooth rotation going.

The winner ended up being up a Cat 2 rider from Alabama. Talking with him later, he seems to be pretty well accomplished as he mentioned he usually races much longer distances in pro 1/2 races.

Well, I totally buried myself to get that result... time to relax.

Multi-Sport Training Race

Road my TT bike out to Wild Cat Den State Park to do a Muscatine Multi-Sport Training Race. We ran out 2 miles, biked 20k, then another 2 miles. This is also known as a 'brick' workout, and I can say there is nothing quite as painful as getting off of the bike after a hard ride and then running all out.

HEAT/HUMIDITY: Sort of an eye opener, my previous running efforts had all been indoors or first thing in the morning before the heat kicked in. This obviously creates a new challenge for the body's physical systems. My heart rate was maxed out as I began pedalling the TT, and stayed much higher than usual, creating for a much slower average pace.

There is a great Bicycle, Blues & BBQ race this weekend in Clear Lake Iowa. It is also an Iowa Cup Race, so I imigine it will be well attended. Pro rider, Tom Zirbel won the RR last year. Sort of a far drive and larger committment than what I am comfortable with, especially considering my questionable fitness and current distaste for cornerning.

So, I will hang with the Quad City cyclists this weekend and the ABR, by attending Donnie Miller of DICE cycling's racing events. A road race in Rapid City Illinois, then a 40k TT in Cordova, Ill. Mostly interested in the TT, since I did it last year and came in 10th overall. I should be able to improve upon that, I guess it depends on who shows up. Top three get trophies... I do love those trophies.

Le Bon Doc Tour #2 --- 'man cards'

RACE OF TRUTH... OR LIE DETECTOR?

It as around 10am, just got home from this race in West Branch, Iowa that might actually still be going on... How is this possible, you may ask?

Take a few moments to come up with some scenarios, and scroll down after you have came up with your best scenarios.

Hmm...

???

Before I get to the race report, let's play a game that might make sense of the subtitle...

Below are two almost identical pictures... can you find what is different between the two pictures?

If you guessed Michelob Ultra v. Accelerade you are correct. Did you know that one of the number one vitamin deficiencies in healthy humans is currently Vitamin D? Yes, Vitamin D used to be primarily derived from exposure to the sun, but with the skin cancer/ozone issues many people's use of SPF 30+ is creating a void. You need about 1000 units, and can then enjoy a 30% reduced incident of some cancers (including prostate and colon) along with reduced risk diabetes. So, go grab some Vitamin D supplements...

Ok, maybe I am stalling, but that is a true fact.

Speaking of self-induced vitamin deficiencies...You have to relinquish a 'man card' just to drink michelob ultra, but they upped it to two man cards, by now creating this new 'slimline can'. I win 12 packs of this beer by entering two bee TT races and essentially being the only one in my category, so I get first and last place and a 12 pack. This new can doesn't fit very well into the bottle cage.

I have been watching wimbeldon for no apparent reason... I wonder if anybody would still read this blog if I took up tennis and started posting entries about it?

---This race was a 21 mile Road Race followed by a 6 mile Time Trial. I had told Bryan Moritz of Bikes To You, that I would hand off my disc wheel at the race, so he could use it at the state Team Time Trial this Sunday. Speaking of Bikes To You, completely by coincidence, virtually the entire team showed up.

Why don't I enter the Team Time Trial? Probably for the same reason that my cat has stopped using the litter box, and now simply deposits 'his business' on my basement carpet...

So, with 5 Bikes To You guys, a few Two Bee Racers, a couple of unattached type riders and myself, we headed out. I chatted with Sean Walker during the first part of the race. We talked about how running takes away a bit of bike power, but builds cardio (I had a good 5k race the day before, 19 minutes, my PR). I also confirmed that he is entering the State Time Trial championships in Nichols. He came in second last year, and is on form to possibly win overall, though team mate Josh Madsen and Mercy/Specialized rider Paul Denninger are going to be heavily favored as well, not to mention some other strong cat 1,2,3 riders who may be 'flying under the radar'.

B2U attacks (maybe Finn) and a Two Bee rider follows. At some point inbetween one of the attacks, I realize I am left with the responsibility to help bridge up (at this point I was seriously rethinking my nutritional tactics of the night before). When the group gets all back together, Bryan Moritz tactfully counter attacks and calls Finn up with him. Sean Walker and Josh Madsen eventually bridge up, and a group of 4 B2U guys has a gap.

A group of 5 was then charged with trying to catch them. Lee Venteicher of B2U was still with us. So, obviously, he didn't help the effort to regroup the race, but strategically attacked on a hill right after one of my pulls, when I was blocked in, and gapped me off taking Mike Edwards of Two Bee with him.

I worked with two other riders to try and catch Lee and Michael (and then maybe the four leaders?), but eventually rode my chasing companions off of my wheel. Not very good tactics on my part, but we weren't gaining any ground with this rotation.

So, this for the most part was a Time Trial (first a team time trial, then a solo time trial). I spent the last 6 or so miles that I was by myself trying to decide if I wanted to do the 6 mile TT that was the second 'stage' of the day. I also tried to decide if I should get rid of my cat, because having poop all over the house isn't helping my mental health. Speaking of relinquishing 'man cards' a single guy who lives alone with a cat definately mandates that I withdrawal another one... How many do I have left?

I pedalled all out, at least enjoying the opportunity to get in some good training, as it seemed like sometimes Lee and Micheal were getting closer... they weren't.

Second Stage - 6 mile TT - RACE OF TRUTH...

The 'truth' should be obvious by now, if you have been reading the subtext of this entry. One race was good enough for me today, as I opted not to race the 6 mile TT. I still had to ride my bike the 6 miles back to West Branch. This reminded me of the 'walk of shame' that sorority girls sometimes have to do as they leave the frat house at 6am after a night of impaired judgment. Well, I am guessing they will give me the same time as the slowest rider minus one minute.

Do I give up another man card because I opted out of the second stage? Or maybe readers can allow me to keep this one, giving me credit for showing up and battling the awesome Iowa force that is the Bikes To You racing team (even though I will have to apologize for not being much competition)? I mean, there were only about 11 of us, so what were all the other licensed USCF racers doing at about 5:30 this morning as I was loading up my racing gear?

My biggest accomlishment is that I made it to all of three of the races this week. There are so many ways to make excuses and not show up, but I do really enjoy these races, even when things don't go according to plan.

Speaking of plans, I planned on taking off my bike shorts first thing when I got home, because they were a bit smelly. I guess I will do that now.

thanks for reading.

Racing Against The Clock

Well, if you aren't having success racing against other people, might as well race against yourself.

Thursday I did a 25k Time Trial near Solon, IA. I had raced this course twice before and was happy to have beaten my two previous attempts with a time of 34:32 (about 27mph). So, I won, I bettered my time... Unfortunately, Josh Madsen also improved his times to come in just under 34 minutes, so I took second place. This now serves as motivation, since simply improving my own times is no longer good enough to win Iowa TT's. Sometimes I wonder if I am getting slower, or if they are getting faster... In this case 'they' are getting faster.

Friday did a 5k Run in Grandview Ia. Some cross country kids set a blistering pace, so I was 'dropped off the back' from the very first 1/4 mile. I thought maybe racing the TT the night before might be ruining my pace until I crossed the line at just over 19 minutes. This is the fastest time I have ever posted on a 5k course, so I was happy about that. Unfortunately, even though this time would have gotten me a 5th or 6th place overall finish in years past (I checked), this year it was only good enough for 12th.

Talking to Dominic Moraniec at the Illinois Crits last week, he suggested that running would hurt my cycling. Very true, a phenomenon that I am aware of. If you are an aspiring cyclist, keep in mind that 'something has got to give' and if you start running, that 'something' is your bike speed. Pure cyclists or pure runners definately have an advantage in their discipline, however the big picture (health, wealth and happiness) sometimes allows other ways of measuring success besides your position on a results page.

Why run then, you may ask? Well, I just prefer to go all out in racing situations from start to finish. So Time Trials, 5k's and especially Duathlons suit my mental and physical preferences. I like to log results & times, make training adjustments and see how much I can improve. You do gain some cardio fitness, so when cycling your heart won't need to beat as fast (makes for much more comfortable bike racing). Also, easy to maintain and drop weight with running.