'ah man, this is not looking good'

2008 STATE CRIT CHAMPIONSHIPS...

The title of this blog refers to a thought that popped up often throughout Saturday's race. The first sign of trouble was that the bathroom smelled horrible and there wasn't any toilet paper. The second sign of trouble was that Chris Hansen shaved his facial hair, a cheeky move that I didn't see coming, so I was a bit thrown off. And the third and most important sign of trouble can be noted in the picture below. Me and one other guy were the only ones not with a team.

So, basically five teams were battling it out, with me and the guy from colorbiotics left with some interesting advantages and disadvantages. The race panned out in a very predictable fashion, an excellent display of team tactics.

We raced around in a circle as one by one each of the five teams got someone in the break. There was a brief moment when Bikes 2 You and Mercy Specialized weren't in the break and I was potentially still in the race. My task was obvious, I just had to make sure I stayed near the front so I could bridge up when these last two teams sent up their rider. The picture below is a key point in the race, as Bryan Moritz is seemingly trying to pull the group back together since they weren't represented in the break, and I am simply not feeling like I have it in me to bridge up.

Since no one had on their race radios, Bikes2You wasn't able to conceal their next move, as I over hear Bryan Moritz request that Hansen comes up to the front. I believe he did, but it wasn't a gentle move, it was some sort of attack type deal... not really sure, I just saw a yellow blur off to my left. Apparently, Hansen attacked the group with his teammate in tow... Yes, that's right the dreaded 'shake and bake', as Andrew F. bridged to the breakaway. Crap, now every team is in the break, and even that other single rider from colorbiotics. 'ah man, this is not looking good'.

The race was over, I missed the move I had been waiting for. It happened at a point when I was still recovering from the hill, I just couldn't respond. This B2U rider basically sacrificed himself for his team, by launching a viscious attack, designed to tow up his teamate. Below is a picture of the breakaway group... Seven riders, because Hansen was still hanging on. Race winner Andrew F. is in front.

And now the race becomes, well... a bit humorous. All five of the teams were essentially now in defensive mode to make sure the break sticks (again six guys up ahead, one from each team plus colorbiotics guy). So, if they are blocking and I am the only one without representation in the break, I guess they are sort of blocking me. That sort of sucks, obviously no one else has any incentive to close down the gap... 'ah man, this is not looking good'.

Well, I took a stab at bridging up, probably not noticeable to the untrained eye, it just wasn't going to happen. I was already a bit spent, and I didn't do it early enough, instead pulled the group around for few laps, trying to keep the gap within striking distance, wasting tons of energy. At some point, I resigned the effort, and sure enough the gap widened, as the others were still blocking.

Some attacks started happening, and I almost got shelled from this 'chase' group toward the final laps. I wasn't really interested in posting the DNF, but it was becoming a potential reality as the group was slowly pulling away.

Alas, my race is saved! Just as I was about to pull out of the race and head over to Casey's to get some toilet paper the breakaway caught us. Maybe that sounds odd, but this was to my advantage, because I knew I would be able to tuck into this larger group, therefore needing to use much less energy to 'hang on'.

I wasn't thinking about the sprint at all, I was just finishing the race out... sort of a bad attitude, but I was tired and also confused because the 6 breakaway riders were in the mix. I crossed the line in the ninth position... really? I almost got some cash? I guess the rest of the riders were tired? Perhaps more team tactics? I am sort of an idiot when it comes to crits, so I wasn't sure if our group still had a lap to go since we were one lap down from the breakaway. So, I pedalled for awhile longer just to make sure we were done. We were in fact done, which is unfortunate because I got a huge gap on the riders after they stopped pedalling.

So, all five teams placed one guy in the top five, and that colorbiotics guy(Bryan West) finished sixth. Do I wish I had team support? Well, I guess it would have been nice, things would have turned out differently, however it is also fine to be alone, makes things a bit more straight forward.

Results

1 andrew fagersten - Bikes To You

2 Adam Price - Mercy-Specialized

3 Karl Rosenberg - Hawkeye Bicycle Assoc

4 Kristopher Kunze - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000

5 Jerome Rewerts - ALL9Yards.com Cycling Team

6 brian west - Colorbiotics

7 Steven Robinson - ALL9Yards.com Cycling Team

8 Carson Christen - HBA Racing Team

9 Chad Bishop - Harper's Cycling & Fitness

10 Jimmy Carrico - Iowa City Cycling Club

11 Pete Basso - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000

12 Bryan Moritz - Bikes To You

13 William Greenwood - Bikes To You

14 Brent Mitchell - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000

DNF...

Scott Robinson - ALL9Yards.com Cycling Team

Finn Kolsrud - Bikes To You

Christopher Reed - HBA Racing Team

Kelly Steele - HBA Racing Team

Matt Gumm - ALL9Yards.com Cycling Team

Ian Robinson - HBA Racing Team

Brendan Kealey - Mercy-Specialized

Chris Hansen - Bikes To You

Ok, I got home and really just tried to repress all memories of the event. I feel some measure of success, because I really didn't want to go, but I did, and I finished sort of respectably. Mainly, though, that was more of a down note to end the road racing season on. I will need a few days to recover, mentally. If I do, then it is on to cyclocross, as a means to motivate future workouts.

(photos by moritz)

"The Curse"... is 2nd place the 1st loser?

Above, picture of me displaying my cool new hat, award plaque and 'wannabe triathlete tattoo' mark on my arm.

DU STATE DUATHLON

You have got to be kidding me... even though it was my prediction, I can't actually believe that I finished 2nd Overall again. This is an awesome result, but come on, if I am going to get that close it would be nice to have at least one trophy that recognized a '1st place' performance.. Again, I am thrilled to take home 2nd place but let's quickly take a look at my 'hardware' (trophies) for 2008, in events involving my TT bike, to shed some light on my frustration...

Swing into Spring Duathlon - 2nd place overall

DICE 20k TT Championships - 2nd place overall

Iowa State TT Championships - 2nd place overall

Du-State Duathlon - 2nd place overall

This is all fun and games now, but that is going to be really confusing 20 years from now when I look back at my 2008 results.

Recap - My main goal was to have the fastest bike split and/or be the first one to arrive after T2... mission accomplished. There were 174 people entered, about 90 of which were entered in the Men's Open individual competition. I lined up at the front and began sprinting it out for the first 2 mile run segment. I was slowly but surely overtaken by about 15 people, by the time I got my bike rolling, but I still ran well. It does suck, though ,to be completely 'redlining' heart rate wise as you start what could have otherwise been a rewardingTime Trial.

Here is a link to the 2008 Du-State Duathlon Results.

I was about 1 minute behind some of the lead competitors, as I began pedalling for the 14 mile hilly bike segement. 4 rather steep hills and some flats sections between. (NOTE: some were on teams, so they had a runner and a cyclist, and didn't have to spend time transitioning).

One by one I passed the riders. Jeff Paul was the pre-race favorite so I kept my eye on him. He had a huge head start on the bike, but eventually I passed him about 10 miles in. I needed to get as much of a lead as possible because he is an incredible runner.

Unfortunately, I only had about 30 seconds or so on him (my bike split, then was about 1min 30 seconds faster) so he ran past me about 1/2 mile into the 2 mile final running segment... Ok, I can back up just a second. The second running leg of a duathlon is the most painful athletic situation I ever subject myself to, and today was worse then ever, because I totally let my running training lapse in favor of being a faster cyclist for the august races. I felt like walking and believe I will probably be ranked about 30th or so in the 2nd run.

I was being passed by some of the 'teams', but none of the other individuals were in sight.

So, sort of cool, to think that I still came in 2nd overall, after having a horrible second run. I did beat Jeff Paul up to the 2nd leg, so that means I should be good at the Harvest Hammer, which is a 5k run, then bike tt, without the grueling 2nd run. (still not sure if I can do that one yet, though).

I am glad that is over, it is a painful, and intimidating race, but I don't like to back down from a challenge, especially one that I have put upon myself. So I 'grew a pair' and entered.

At this point, I believe I am free to enter the IA state crit champs this saturday. This duathlon was extremely painful, which makes me think it was a good workout that will make me strong for the crit. The principle of 'training specificity' mandates that I should have spent more time on the bike doing sprints/intervals, etc. in prepartation, but hey, something had to give, and crit racing isn't my specialty. Having said that, if I enter, I am still going to give it a serious GO, and in a crit anything can happen.

Then, Saturday when I get back from Pella, I am going to grab a case of beer, and begin 'preparing' for Cyclo-cross, because my road racing season will be in the books until next spring.

4 Iowa Riders participated in Sunday's Cat 3 National Crit Championships. Results may be of interest (out of 68 finishers, around 100 starters):

Dominc Moraniec - 8th

Carson C. - 22nd

Chris Reed - 51st

Bryan Moritz - 56th

Iowa State Criterium Championships...

Criterium racing is the 'bread and butter' of U.S. amateur cycling, so this is a huge event to settle the score, regarding who is on top of their 2008 Iowa 'crit racing game'. (Pictured above is a shot of me leading the field at the Illinois State Crit Championships this year... and below a shot of Moritz in action...I believe we can expect a similar scene at the IA State Crit). CAT 1/2 RACE... I follow the results of Iowa Cat 1/2 riders both as a fan, and because from time to time I have to race against them. Looking back on some of the bigger races across the region, I feel I can make a prediction about which Iowa Team is strongest in this discipline and therefore has a good chance of getting on the podium and earning a medal (or two).

I put my top three TEAM pics as options in the poll at the right... they are in order of my predicted outcome. All Nine Yards took all three medals last year... Wow! That had to be a bitter pill for the other teams to swallow. However, of the 12 finishers, 7 of them were from All Nine Yards... what is going on with that... they really did have a huge advantage. Lee V (now on Bikes 2 you) got the bronze however, and Sean Walker (Bikes 2 You) wasn't there (or didn't finish, I don't know)... so I maintain that B2U is very skilled in this discipline and will give All Nine Yards much worry.

I would prefer B2U to win, but I have to say All Nine Yards uses their geographic proximity, and racing talent to their best advantage and will be my favorite to earn the coveted Iowa State Crit Gold. Sean Walker... what can you say, he was a top finisher throughout the memorial day weekend races, and even went to Illinois and made the winning breakaway at their state champs. He might not win, but if a breakaway ends up winning, I will be very surprised if he isn't in it.

CAT 3 RACE... Since I am a Cat 3 racer and, therefore, follow the results closer, I created a more specific poll for this race specifying individual riders who I feel are strong candidates for the podium.

Josh Madsen won the race last year, however he is now a Cat 2. Ryan Jacobsen (of Atlas) came in second, so he gets an automatic listing on the poll. Bryan, Steve and Carson have been racing a lot this season, and have even traveled out of state to pursue criterium races. Now they get to bring back some of this experience to possibly 'school' some of us less traveled Iowa guys.

Bryan Moritz, a strong Cat 3 rider for B2U, has two noteworthy racing tactics...

The 'DOMinator' and the 'Shake and Bake'.
The 'DOMinator' involves attacking the field early in hopes of getting in a break, but then quickly relenting to the back of the pack if this doesn't work, to re-emerge to the front at the very last moment to take the win. I may not have explained this quite right, but I do know that is named after Dominic Moraniec, of Atlas.

'Shake and Bake' is only possible if Chris Hansen shows up. Basically a NASCAR tactic, that will sling-shot Bryan across a gap or the finish line. You can see it coming, but there isn't anything you can do about it. I believe Chris even yells out 'shake and bake baby!' after the move, just to rub it in a bit.

So, I have created two 'polls' on the right side. Please vote accordingly. These again are just based on my predictions as a 'fan' of the sport. Also, might generate some good 'banter'.

DU-STATE-DU
My running is way off from this spring, so not feeling as confident about the duathlon this Sunday at Loud Thunder. Maybe I will look at it as practice for this Harvest Hammer run/bike race that seems to have sparked interest from my previous entry. I am not sure I can go, but since they are throwing in free gourmet jelly beans, it is getting tempting.

The Du-State-Du is 2 mile run, 14 mile bike over hilly terrain, and then run 2 more miles. Iowa/Illinois' fastest can do it in around an hour. There is the Pigman Half Ironman Triathlon in Palo, Iowa the same day, so that eases the competition back a bit, and gives me a good shot at getting top three overall. Overall winner even gets $50. Wow, a duathlon that pays out...

State TT Championship - Gold (Cat 3) 2nd Overall

It was fun to be competing for the 'gold medal' with the olympic spirit energizing the world. This motivated my trip to Nichols, Iowa for the annual State Time Trial Championships 40k.

A lot larger turnout than last year (84 total), so I was immediately excited. Perfect temp, somewhat mild wind, and lots of cool bikes and ultra-fit competitors. I had only ridden my TT bike once during the last month, but I was feeling confident having gotten a silver medal (cat 3) in the 108 mile State road race the week before. Not to mention a great week of training, in large part due to that race.

I was gunning for the overall win, but still mindful of getting a 'gold' in my category. My actual prediction would have been 3rd overall, because it seemed that some of the competition was on an upward fitness swing, whereas I am in an inadvertant maintenance mode.

I was very happy to post a 53:27 which is about 27.9 mph/ave. Based on last year's winning time of 54:05, I had an initial goal of 27.5mph ave. and finishing under 55 minutes. So when I crossed the line and looked at my time, I was very thrilled. Of course, 'there is always somebody faster'... I got 2nd overall with Jeff Barnes of ICCC, finishing in 52:52. I wish he would have stayed home, but congratulations, because that is a blazing fast time. My 20k split time was 25:58.

I will admit that I did have a couple of people on my 'hope to defeat' list, and since Jeff Barnes wasn't one of them (I didn't even know who he was.. I do now), I can say I achieved success in that area as well. I would hope that a few of the competitors were trying to better me as well, that is all part of the fun and a form of motivation.

Right behind me in the overall was Sean Walker of Bikes To You (who came in 2nd last year) with a great time of 53:56. In the Cat 3 race Collier Shofield (Rasmussen's) got the silver and Adam Price earned the bronze.

Not much for tactics in a TT race, however I enjoy the fact the results are based on a rider's overall fitness approach. Not that day, but the big picture of one's training season. Nutrition, mileage, periodization, cross training, etc. Also, fun is optimizing your aero position and building a TT bike with loads of 'wind cheating' aero gear.

"3,2,1, start" Then pedal it out with powerful consistency. I usually spend my race doing mathmatical calculations regarding my speed, remaining distance, etc. It is sort of boring, and I always wonder why I am Time Trialing during the race. Afterwards, however, I always feel rewarded, having put in a great workout.

Awesome, I have gotten a medal in all three of the state championship events so far. Two events remain, the criterium in pella and then cyclocross.

I imagine their will be some great racing at the criterium. I definately don't enjoy the process of criterium racing but it would be loads of fun to race against a mainly Iowan Cat 3 field. It's on my calendar but still not sure. Cyclocross... still too early to even start thinking about that odd sport.

I am now focused on the 'du-state duathlon' this weekend in Loud Thunder. I haven't ran much lately, however I should be able to have a great bike split, which could possibly be enough for the overall win. Unfortunately, my true prediction would be 2nd (maybe third), that seems to be the trend for this year, but that would still be a great result against those freakishly healthy multi-sporters.

Still Sore, you gotta be kinding me.

I ended up taking Sun, Monday and Tuesday off due to soreness/sickness from the State RR. I felt fine Sunday, but got sick Monday and Tuesday, even called into work. I wasn't kidding when I said I was a bit under trained to race 108 miles. No regrets though, I am feeling good and back on track today. Plus, I got my first IA State Champs Medal as a Cat 3.

Below is picture of Andrew F. and Lee V. of Bikes 2 You just after the feed zone as we started that fateful final lap. I am pictured just behind sucking on the single bottle that I had just gotten from the ICCC feed coordinator. I nearly finished it right then and there, causing me much concern, not certain if I would get help at the mid point feed zone. Also of note, the follow car was still behind me, so in theory, still 'chasing' the field.

Next up is the Iowa State Time Trial Championships in Nichols this weekend. I was tearing it up earlier in the year posting some good times and fast average speeds. Haven't ridden the TT bike much since then, but I would assume I should still be able to finish near the top overall.

I will most likely enter the Cat 3 division (not age group). Whether I get a Gold in that depends on who shows up, and how I perform, but definately a possiblity. I will be disappointed if I at least don't get the bronze, considering how much potential I seemed to have earlier on.

My picks for the overall winner in the 2008 Iowa State TT championship: Sean Walker, Josh Madsen, Paul Denninger, Lou Waugaman, JJ Bailey.

Last year Paul D. won with Sean Walker in second and Nate Moenck in third.

Iowa State Road Race ReCap...Ouch.

WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CRAMPED....

I have always respected what it means to be a Cat 1/2 racer, but after Saturday's race, I can say I got a chance to see first hand that these guys don't mess around. It was so great to be able to be in the 'main event' and finish. 108 miles, feed zones, team tactics... closest thing to the to the Tour that I will ever get a chance to enter in.

Oops, I am from Muscatine, population, 22, 500, when I raise my hand, the team car doesn't come up and give me water. I am happy to say, though, that Harper's Racing Team, got two medals on Saturday. I pulled off a Silver Medal in the Cat 3 Race and Bill Ford got Bronze in the Master's Race. (apologies, he is from Ill. so no medal, but it was the thought that counts.).

4 laps, 27 miles each.
First lap... ah yeah, this is awesome. 'Hey, how is going, nice blog'. 'Yah, only 4 more hours'. of note, my speedometer wasn't working, thank god, knowing how many miles were left would have been devasting.

"It feels like I am 'chasing life'. A quote from Tracy Thompson early on as he was in ear shot of me.
CHASE = My Son
LIFE = The Finish Line/Peloton

Sort of a mystical moment, thinking about the concept of chasing life. Riding through the fields of Iowa, being healthy enough, not only to live, but compete at this elite level and really enjoying just being ALIVE. (reminder, this is still the first lap, I hadn't hopped aboard the pain train yet).

Feed Zone... I was new to this, very odd. Bill Ford's wife, handing me a bottle for the first two laps. Those who didn't take on water, kept on peddaling through. We had to unload tons of energy to catch back on. Strong teams were taking advantage of this by designating riders to get the supplies, saving their captains.

Third Lap... team support... non-existent, Bill's wife had to leave. Thankfully, I had befriended the ICCC feed zone coordinator and he gave me a bottle of water, he was a good guy, add him to the list of people who helped me finish this thing. One bottle... I was already cramping and still had 54 miles left. This is going to be interesting.

Backtrack... Carson, fellow blogger. He gives readers reports of every race he enters, so we are able to track his form... As a Cat 3, we knew he had the ammo to pull of a great race... Flat tire.
Not sure what the point of having a follow truck is, because the group left him far behind, and his team mates (HBA) made the decision to upgrade Ian and Chris.

Who does Carson run into at some point, Bryan Moritz, who had a 'feed zone malfuntion' (unfortunately, Janet Jackson wasn't there). My two race favorites were out. I really was just trying to finish this thing, so oddly, I wasn't happy when I saw them abandon. Maybe if the 'Cat 3's' were on a team against the Cat 1/2's, they were the guys who had the best chance of placing high.

On the other hand, that's racing, it could have been me, it wasn't. Being 'marked' is a sign of respect, but it can also be a curse.

Will Greenwood, 15 mile solo flyer, was a Cat 3 going to steal the show again? No, but preserving the expectation, that B2U, was going to 'animate' the race. Also, of note, because he used all of the energy that he would have later needed to medal in the Cat 3 race. (get to that in a minute)

Finish line feed zone... crap. I started thinking about forming a new team 'double h racing'. Harpers and Hall, both trek dealers. I only mention this because I was becoming severely dehydrated, and trying to figure out how I could avoid this in the future.

Tim Campbell was there cheering me on, so was Scott Robinson of of All Nine Yards. Awesome, thanks guys... oh even better, you guys aren't up ahead of me... ok I will pass 'the point of no return' and take a stab at finishing this thing.

Why wasn't I with the main field... Cat 1/2 racing tactics. Some great riders, lined up knowing that they were going to post a DNF, because their job was to shed the weak, and protect their captains... Incredible to watch, demoralizing to endure.

The first part of this last lap, I enjoyed watching some big name Cat 1/2's as they pedalled back to West Branch... their work was done.

One bottle of water, no food, just keep pedalling.

THE CAMEL.
Lee Ventreicher, of B2u, was in the chase group that formed in this last lap. He was sporting a 'camel back' hydration system. Seemed like too much extra weight at the start of the race, seemed like the greatest racing tactic now that I was 81 miles in, and down to almost zero H20.

A chase group formed, 3 B2U guys, Andrew Fagersten, Will Greenwood, Lee. Also, surviving Ian Robinson, and a guy from Nebraska. We didn't know how many Cat 3's were up ahead, but doing some calculating, we figured there might still be some medals left. All right, 27 miles to go, the race is on...

Severe cramping, off and on... the good thing is that everyone else was too, and the cramps subsided from time to time. I didn't tell the group how bad I felt, or how severe my cramping was, but now that the race is over, I can say I was hanging on by a thread.

Lee's mission now was to help Will and Andrew possibly medal in the Cat three race, so he did a lot of pulling. With no water or food, I was waiting for the Cedar Bluffs feed zone... Only problem, I didn't have any support there. Ok, time to start bargaining. I asked Ian R. for a bottle at the stop and he complied, he took two blue electrolyte drinks and I got a bottle. It wouldn't have made sense for B2U to hand me water so I didn't bother trying, this feed zone was a decisive factor. I tried to get a bottle from the third guy there but he pulled it back. Sort of rude, there were only a few guys still standing behind our group, hook me up. I suppose maybe he wouldn't have known that, though.

Will and Lee had pulled off at this point. Brent Mitchell pulled off to the side grabbing his hamstring in agony. Cramping so bad he had to stop. I felt his pain. He finished though, good job.

So the Cat 3 race came down to 'the last man standing'. Andrew, Ian, Nebraska guy, and myself, all Cat 3's, with two medals on the line.

DEHYDRATION... Every bottle on the side of the road represented a chance to rehydrate, but they were mirages, and of course they would have been empty. Jealous that these guys had fluid. Hey, that was a part of the race.

Andrew of B2U called it and gave me some good advice, as I was starting to swerve and over react. They were hurting too. We were crawling up the hills.

THE HAND-UP

Andrew offered me some of his bottle. I drank that down like it was ambrosia. I handed it back, not wanting to take too much, and he told me to drink some more... Thank you. The honor in this gesture was that he could have just watched me sputter out and die, insuring a medal.

We exchanged pulls, not to chase the field but to finish. Ian wasn't quite as strong, maybe a tactic, not sure.

What is that the finish line? Andrew leads it out, trying to perhaps get a gap at the 1km mark. Amazingly, I am not cramping, so just race smart and follow his wheel with Ian and Nebraska guy in tow.

500km, let's give it a go. A gap, some cramps, the crowd cheers... NOT... the main race was sort of over. A quick look behind, zip up the jersey and pose for the cameras. Ian grabs the bronze. In a perfect scenario Andrew would have gotten it because he pulled more, and the guy from Nebraska acknowledged we were gunning for the 'podium' so I believe he relented a bit.

I finished 18th (I think) out of about 24 finishers and 40 something starters.

This was a great race, the organizers used their cycling background to offer this 'epic' ride. 81 miles would have been more suiting for the cat 3's, but ultimately having the larger field was much better, just painful as the 'selection' was made.

Any comments about how the race went from other perspectives, would be fun. Later.

Iowa State Road Race... Continued

If you haven't checked out the first post on this topic, scroll down to it, there are some great comments. Feel free to continue to add any additional comments there or on this entry. Writing that entry and reading the comments, is making this race even more fun. Now there seems to be a narrative to the event. This provides yet another reason to enter... just so I can have a ringside seat of the action as everyone is battling it out.

Above is a picture Nate Moenck winning last year's RR as a Cat 3, ahead of Lou Waugaman, Lane Anderson and Sean Walker. Josh Madsen is also pictured, who finished 5th.

I know how to ride a bike 100 miles, but will admit I have never raced 100 plus miles. How does the feed zone work if you don't have a person to do the hand-out? Do I launch my water bottles prior to the zone, then pull to the side, and grab my bottles off of the table? Will everyone keep it sort of neutral as we are in this area, or do people attack? Do I carry all of my food with me, or is that too much added weight? Is there a website I can go to learn how to urinate while still on my bike? Any thoughts would seriously be appreciated, I haven't gotten a hand-up, ever. (Oh, I guess I did get one in a cyclocross race, but I won't be as interested in beer Saturday until after the race)

Good luck to all racing the many events on Saturday, and thanks to the coordinators, this is going to be a very memorable day for many riders.