Old Capital Criterium - April 26th

Sunday turned out to be a great day for bike racing in the eclectic Iowa City Downtown District. I went to school here, so I always feel nostalgic as I make my way through town to the race. The course takes riders in a loop around the Old Capital of Iowa and right through the Ped mall area. This is a very well organized race with good payouts and competition.

I appreciate the steep incline portion of this course because it provides an opportunity for riders who are feeling stronger to flex some muscle. Of course, the hill can work against you as well, but today it was my friend, as I have never felt better pedalling up it than I did this year.

I lined up in the pole position, remembering how it took me almost 6 laps last year to make my way from the back of the pack in 2008, completely draining me. I tried the opposite approach, and led the first 3 laps. I just wanted to get those first laps over with, and was happy not to have to contend with other riders as I got a feel for the downhill 'dead man's curve'.

The first of three prime sprints was called, which inspired two riders to come around me. A fast race just got faster. Nothing too momentous occured for a few laps, as I comfortably stayed at and/or near the front. Maybe around lap 10,however Derek Cassady, from an all but forgotten team called DICE created a gap shortly after the hill.

I was at the front and opted not to bridge the group up, (ok, and also I wasn't quite physically able to just yet). The DICE team seems to be more of a development team of Cat 4/5 riders who keep their racing pretty laid back, while specializing in cyclocross events, so I regretfuly assumed this rider wouldn't be a major threat.

Unfortunately, he actually turns out to be an ISU cycling team member who won two races the weekend before with teammate Bryan Moritz. Dang, that would have been good to know prior, as he only finished 22nd in Saturday's Road Race, so he wasn't really on my radar.

Well, that was the last we saw of him as he edged up a :30 second gap and held his lead until the end. Not everyone was even aware of his move, as he was out of sight and out of mind. I was mindful, but not sure completely nailing it to bring him back would do me much good in the overall placings.

Jerome Rewerts(BikeWorld/All9Yards), Ryan Jacobsen (Atlas/Ecolips), and a guy from 'Get A Grip' (chicago area) were some of the riders I remember making definite impacts at the front of the race. Brian West from Colorbiotics (I think that is his name), made some short lived attacks as well, and I believe won a prime.

I won the third and final prime, by pushing another hard lap all the way to the line. This was awesome, because I usually don't have any success with primes, and it was a sign that the other riders weren't feeling as strong now that the race was nearing the end.

I was sitting near the front as we crossed the line for the final lap, and then again as we crested the hill... perfect position. At this point, I couldn't see any logic in holding anything back and came around the final corner in great position, though redlining to the max.

Brendan Keely (2009 Eagle Point Crit Cat 3 winner) from ICCC raced brilliantly just barely losing the field sprint for third overall. He offered me some clearasil acne creme , however, implying that he was a pimple, and the clearasil might have helped to get him off of my ass. This can be seen clearly below as he is maintaining his 'pimple position' to perfection...

I held off the charging field for 6th place (7th overall), conceding a few places over the last 200 feet. Not too bad. I believe the pimple approach would have given me the extra energy I would have needed to possibly win the field sprint, however not sure I have what it takes to be 'butt oil'. I will be working on it, over the next few weeks however, as being a 'jack-ass' isn't much better.

Sunday's Cat 3 winner Derek Cassady is a rider who needs to be taken seriously in future events. He is a phenom type rider who would have done well in the Cat 1/2 Crit race as well, based on his 15 lap solo breakaway against a competitive midwest Cat 3 field. I like the Quad City's DICE team and hope this is the beginning of many victories for them.

In the Cat 1/2 race, Steve Tilford and his teamates dominated the event. Sean Walker (World of Bikes/Bikes2You) I believe was the best Iowa finisher with a fifth place. This race got completely broken up, and was one of the first real Cat 1/2 Criterium tests for some of my former Cat 3 competitors. From talking with some of them afterwards, I can tell that the lessons learned in Sunday's race will make them successful later in the season.

Congratulations to teammate Greg Harper made the Master's 50+ podium in the Master's race that was won by Dewey Dickey of Iowa City.

I am planning on racing my pimpled ass off this year, so check back for race reports throughout the season as I will be at many events throughout the midwest, especially races in Iowa and Illinois.

- Harper's Cycling Racing Team Old Cap Crit Results Page -

2009 Iowa City Road Race

I was excited to be lining up for the 52 mile Category 3 Iowa City Road Race Saturday Morning. About 30 competitors lined up to take on the 4 lap course and battle it out for the top 5 'money' positions.

As we awaited our start, I admired the impressive Pro Cat 1/2 field as they began their race ahead of ours. The Trek guys were there (Brian Jensen, Steve Tilford), a pro rider from Jelly Belly, lots of ICCC, and pretty much the entire Bikes 2 You team. I also admired the fact that the attractive blonde USCF ref was the lead official and she wasn't taking anyone's shit. I tilted my head to the right and daydreamed a bit about the perks of dating a ref, imagining the post race 'results protesting' that might occur later that night, and the insider advantage I would have if my 'bike throw' was ever in question.

Besides that 'Scrubs' style mental cutaway, I noticed that the wind was calm, and wouldn't serve to break things up, as it did in 2008 when I made the lead breakaway group.

The first lap was definately neutral. I don't think anyone felt confident enough to 'race' for 50 miles, so I eventually worked my way to the back to wait for the second lap. Michael Edwards (2Bee Racing) was back there, hoping to merely 'finish with the field', so that gave me someone to chat with.

Finally the second lap began, and the pace lifted a bit, especially at strategic portions of the course like uphill gradients and corners. I used this lap to feel the group and myself out, with respect to strength. Ok, everyone made it through the second lap, I was starting to get worried, as the reality of a 30 rider field sprint was already starting to enter my head.

I assumed the lead (work horse) position for 49.5% of the race (according to post race comments from fellow riders). Whenever I would slow down, everyone else would slow down, whenever I accelerated or attacked, everyone reacted. I believe that is the definition of being 'marked' but perhaps I am delusional.

At one point I was coming around the left at a brisk pace and three different times the group felt obligated to call out my move 'on the left, on the left'. I wasn't even planning on attacking, but I felt obligated at that point.

Ok, so I set the tempo for large portions of the race, accelerated up hills, reacted to attacks, and hoped that somehow, someway we would drop some people. Well, one guy broke a spoke, which ended up being the only one that got dropped the entire race. Everytime I looked back, the group was in tow.

With about 5 miles left in the race I 'threw in the towel' as far as a breakaway goes. Now, I was curious to see if I had used too much energy to have any potency as a field sprint was now all but inevitable. I sat about 5 or 6 spots back for a few miles as some new faces made there way to the front.

With about 2 miles to go, I got swallowed up by the group. Everyone was getting sketchy, bickering a bit, twitching, etc. At this point, I just tried to find open lanes, which was a huge struggle, as everyone was aggressively trying to get in position for the finishing stretch.

Ok, so what are my chances in a field sprint of 29 Cat 3's? I felt that I had the strength but really didn't think a lane would open up in time, as I was boxed in. Even though it was tempting to give up, I just kept peddaling. Then, in the last few hundred meters of the race, I could finally see daylight and could focus on finishing strong.

I could see the winner race his arms just ahead (Geoff Perril/ICCC), as I noticed I was gaining fast on the remaining riders. Yes, I can still get 'in the money'. With a little bike throw action I pulled off the fifth spot.

It felt good to at least make the top 5, because I sort of felt I 'earned' something for keeping the pace spirited throughout the race. Also, I would have felt retarded, had I finished in the back of the sprint. That would have proven I was 'writing checks my butt couldn't cash' throughout the earlier parts of the race.

Riders don't get to the Cat 3 level without having achieved some level of success earlier in their racing careers. A Cat 3 rider knows how to train and be competitive... this was demonstrated clearly at the 2009 Iowa City Road Race.

RESULTS:
1 - Perrill, Geoff - Iowa City Cycling Club
2 - Mitchell, Brent - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000
3 - Jacobsen, Ryan - Atlas EcoLips Cycling Team - Atlas Cycling
4 - Schnee, Justin - Central Iowa Cycling Club - Colorbiotics
5 - Bishop, Chad - Harper's Cycling & Fitness
6 - Edwards, Michael - Two Bee Racing
7 - Kealey, Brendan - Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized
8 - Padfield, Chris - Team Get A Grip Cycles
9 - Martin, Nick - Atlas EcoLips Cycling Team - Atlas Cycling
10 - Kluck, Jeff - POWERADE - INDEPENDENT FABRICATION
11 - McAllister, Garrett -
12 - Balmer, John - Century Road Club Of America
13 - Carrico, Jimmy - Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized
14 - Kunze, Kristopher - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000
15 - LaForce, Ben - Team Get A Grip Cycles
16 - Basso, Pete - Rasmussen Death Squad 5000
17 - Chesterman, Jay - POWERADE - INDEPENDENT FABRICATION
18 - Anderson, Tracy - Iowa City Cycling Club
19 - Webb, Paul - Midwest Cycling Community NE
20 - West, Brian - Central Iowa Cycling Club - Colorbiotics
21 - Thompson, Robert - Atlas EcoLips Cycling Team - Atlas Cycling
22 - Cassaday, Derek - Double I Cycling Experience (DICE)
23 - Robinson, Steven - All9Yards.com Cycling Team - Bike World
24 - Gorry, Aspen - Team Get A Grip Cycles
25 - Rewerts, Jerome - All9Yards.com Cycling Team - Bike World
26 - Klahsen, Douglas - All9Yards.com Cycling Team - Bike World
27 - Gumm, Matt - All9Yards.com Cycling Team - Bike World
28 - Robinson, Scott - All9Yards.com Cycling Team - Bike World
29 - Oswald, Spencer - Baraboo Sharks

Illinois... Land of the Less Red Neck

I spend most of my solo training rides over in the great state of Illinois. Pictured above is a view from Muscatine's Mark Twain overlook, viewing the bridge that I have to use. The county roads on that side of the river, though a bit rough, have plenty of hills and minimal traffic. I ride in Illinois so often, I almost feel more connected to that state than Iowa, with respect to bike racing.

Unfortunately, whenever I go on these solo Illinois rides, I have to face two very annoying challenges.

1) Going over the bridge into Illinois and

2) Going over the bridge back into Iowa.

While riding in an automobile over the Mississippi River is an awesome experience, traversing by bike is very uncomfortable. Here is a list of the things that annoy me as I cross the bridge into the promise land...

1) Increased amount of rock and debris on shoulders

2) Wide expansion grates that seem to pound into my wheels and frame as I 'hop' over them

3) The amplified sound that the cars produce due to the cement side wall accoustics.

4) The incline adds insult to injury.

5) During the spring it is always colder and windier on the bridge than on the roads

6) Sewer grates that obligate riders to swerve over across the line.

6) The fact that I am too busy dodging debris, grates and automobiles to enjoy the beauty of the river and the landscape.

All right, this was a throw away post, but I needed to vent.

I will have some reports soon, as I have entered in both the Iowa City Cat 3 Road Race and Old Capital Criterium this weekend. I am hopeful of some success in at least one of those events.

Thanks again for reading my bridge rant.

Eagle Point Criterium Report

A cloudy but perfectly temperate day greeted me as I entered Dubuque and drove around for about 20 minutes trying to find the turn-off to Eagle Point Park. Did you know that Dubuque is rumored to have just as many taverns as churches? Compelling fact considering how many taverns I passed looking for the turn off to a race I have participated in three times previously.

Alas, up the hill to overlook the bluffs of the majestic Mississippi River. Familiar faces began to emerge, this is the real deal... winter is over, spring racing has officially arrived.

I feel confident these days when I line up to Category 3 events. I had a good debut last year, and shook all of the jitters out. I tweaked my training approach and equipment up this year, to turn things up just that extra bit that will be necessary to improve upon my former capabilities.

14 Cat 3 riders lined up. I sized up the competition, not knowing that I wouldn't see most of them after the start because of my early move. This course isn't riddled with 90 degree corners or hairpin downhill turns, so the starting line anxiety was extremely low for me. I knew my game plan, just not whether or not it would play out.

Jimmy Carrico launched off the front from the start (wtf?). I kept him dialed in for a lap, and pedalled at a pace that felt comfortable. I was happy to see that the pace I dialed in was more than the group was interested in maintaining, so after Jimmy was reeled in, I sort of 'emerged' with a gap.

Not interested in a solo flyer this early in the race, so I looked back often, waiting to see which rider(s) were going to take the bait and bridge up to my move. Eventually Carson Christen pedalled his way onto my wheel. He needed some time to recover, but I felt great, so didn't mind digging in a bit more to secure the gap. Eventually, he pulled through, and I knew this move was going to stick.

Two other riders (Domanic Morianiec/Atlas and Brendan Keely/ICCC) sensed that this was the winning move, and also bridged up over the course of a lap or two creating the winning 4 man break.

We took turns pulling through as our gap grew steadily. It was a smooth rotation, but I believe it was an agressive pace, as we were testing each other out while maintaining the gap. For a time, I lost track of the chase group, and wondered if they were gaining. In fact, we were edging up to them from behind.

With a few laps to go, right about the time we were beginning to mildly attack each other, I saw the chase group ahead. Hmm, I had to make a decision at this point. I couldn't resist the temptation and decided to push up to the chase group, and then right through them, hoping that some of my breakaway companions would get lost in the shuffle. My move was called out, due to the 'cheaky factor', but I was committed so I decided to try my luck.

Well that didn't work out accordingly. What effectively happened, was that the chase group, having been lapped just prior to the bell, was going to be sprinting it out with us. All of the sudden, the three other breakaway racers had teammates and a chance to recover in the pack.

Chris Reed latched on to me, Jimmy C. was executing a sort of lead out for Brendan K, etc, etc. All of these new variables as I hammered it over the last part of the race.

Brendan shot around me at the last corner. I pedalled briskly as his burst was short lived, however timed to pefection. I was slowly edging back up to him as Dominic passed me and then Carson nipped me at the line. Interesting that all three of them made it out of the pack for this bunch field sprint, so we still finished in the top 4 against the other lapped riders. Two other riders had made an earlier move, so the rest of this field was sprinting for 7th.

Well, that race was a blast, and went much better than last year. I also felt better in every aspect. That bodes well for the future, though I suppose I can cry a bit about finishing 4th out of four in the breakway.

No worries, I took my prize winnings and headed back home. I was going to watch the entire Cat 1/2 race, but wasn't as inspired when only 8 people entered [6 Bikes 2 U riders who were basically racing against Lane Anderson(A9Y) and Adam Price (ICCC)]. Somehow Adam won? I imagine that the Bikes 2 You team was more interested in getting in the workout than a team win, so they probably raced every man for themselves. Still, I bet Adam is stoked with that result, congratulations.

Iowa Racing Starts

This Sunday I will start the 2009 Iowa Road Racing Season by entering the Cat 3 Eagle Point Criterium in Dubuque, Ia. We do 20 laps of a 1mile course that has some cornering and inclines, but is basically just plain fast.

Three of the top four Cat 3's from this race last year are all cat 2’s this year, so should be interesting to see who upgraded from the four’s to fill the void. A three man breakaway (moritz, adam price and ryan Jacobsen) slipped ahead last year, and I was the only one doing any chasing. I couldn’t catch them with Andrew F. and Will G. of 'Bikes To You' blocking, and had nothing left for the sprint, so really didn’t go well for me finishing 9th out of 13.

2008 Cat 3 Results:

Bryan Moritz

Ryan Jacobsen

Adam Price

Andrew Fagersten

Chris Reed

Dominic Moraniec

David Reyes

William Ford

Chad Bishop

Ian Robinson

William Greenwood

Kelly Steele

Spenser Oswald

E agle Point is a race to look forward to, and hopefully things go a little better for me this year. I will be interested to see how well my training has or has not prepared me for this event.

Big Dogs 200k Brevet

Brevet, (a long-distance bicycle ride with check-point controls). After researching what a 'Brevet' was on wikepedia, I realized that I had stumbled upon a European cycling tradition that dates back to 1891. This event was authorized by the QC Randonneurs. Randonneur loosely translates to 'long journey'. Randonneuring is not a competitive sport. It is a test of endurance, self-sufficiency and bicycle touring skills. All riders who complete the task are congratulated, and no prizes are given to those with the fastest times. The most famous of these is the 'Paris-Brest-Paris which is 1200 k. Riders who complete the 200, 300, 400 and 600k events are acknowledged as 'series' participants. I believe there will be a local 'series' next year, but for 2009 there will only be this 200k and a 300k, May 23rd.

Well, Joe Mann and Bill Ford are local 'Big Dogs', so I rode up to the event to start this 126 mile 'long journey'. (These guys, especially Joe, have racked up some impressive mileage over the years). A group of about 20 riders were geared up in their finest cold weather apparel as we headed north from Le Claire, Iowa heading to Bellvue. It was a biting cold, but the sun was shining and the wind was minimal.

I had never attempted to ride this far, so I was excited at the prospect of setting a new distance benchmark, and giving my body some endurance training. Within about 2 miles Joe, Bill, Dennis Grelk, Larry Ide and me were alone, having set a pace just a bit out of the comfort range for the rest of the group. Dennis was riding his recumbent so he was usually a bit ahead of us for the first part of the day. We recieved brevet cards that we had to have signed at the designated check points (aka, convenience stores).

I felt pretty good as we made it into Bellvue with about 65 miles travelled. This could be a mentally challenging time, if my body/brain would have elected to question my drive to pedal my way home. Fortunately, I was good to go.

We continued onward as the miles and hours accumulated. No saddle, neck or back issues... I was feeling confident that my training over the years was going to make this a comfortable ride. After the last check point before the finish, it was down to just Bill, Joe and I. We all have slightly different riding agendas, but for the most part we rode in together, having been in the saddle for almost 6 and 1/2 hours by the time we got our last checkpoint card signed.

Man, I was tired when I got home. I ordered a pizza, took a shower and... no, nothing else happened that day except sleep and TV. I am hoping that riding that far will mentally give me confidence when I do enter longer road races. The Iowa Road Championship, for example, was 108 miles last year. I employed some good eating/drinking habits and practiced endurance pacing, which I believe will help make this year's race go just a bit better.

No, I am not a 'Big Dog' as 200k should be the longest I ride this year. But, I can see the benefit of doing a couple of 100 mile plus rides throughout the season to compliment a race-specific training plan. There are a couple of UltraMidwest Cycling races in the Iowa area, including the Metamora 4x50, and Balltown Classic, that may be of interest to anyone who likes to compete, but wants to take advantage of their endurance strengths as well as their racing tactics. Luckily, I have scheduling conflicts with most of these events, so I don't have to have to worry about becoming a mileage junkie this year.

Hillsboro Roubaix

Due to a void in early season Iowa racing, I elected to make the drive down to the Hillsboro Roubaix April 4th. I hadn't really heard much about it, but I liked the fact that it was south, so could be warmer.

Upon arrival I was impressed by how huge of an event I had stumbled upon. Each event was at or near its 120 rider max.

The Cat 1/2's and Pros took off first for their 88 mile race. It looked like a huge field. A couple of pro-type riders like Bryce Mead from Jelly Belly, and Steve Tilford and Brian Jensen from Trek were lined up, not to mention a large representation of Iowa riders from Bikes 2 You and Mercy Specialized (I guess they had spring fever too?).

I entered the Cat 3 race which had 105 pre-registered and who knows how many on race day. We were doing 3 laps for a 66 mile race. Within the first mile a group started forming off of the front. Some of the stronger riders were pinned in the back or middle, as the there was no way to advance and still maintain the center line rule.

Well, there wasn't any center line markings, so riders were all over the road at first. The officials stopped the entire field once to scold us... Unfortunately, the group of 10 that had gapped off the front didn't get stopped, so they disappeared into the distance. Sort of frustrating, as I hadn't even gotten a chance to try and chase yet. I figured there was some major team blocking going on at the front as well, adding to the success of the breakaway.

Finally, toward the latter parts of the first lap, a strong cross wind created an opening along the side of the road. I launched myself up to the front and stayed in control of my race from there on out. I chased for a bit, and was surprised that no one was really intrested or able to match my efforts.

The ten in front were no where to be seen, but finishing the first lap we were told they were 3 minutes ahead. At some point in the second lap, I finally was able to coordinate a group of seven riders that were willing to rotate at the front of the group to close down the gap. I wasn't there to sprint for 11th, so chasing made sense. We rotated through for a few miles, but a couple of the rotating cyclists got frustrated and the organized chase ended.

Hmm, toward the end of the second lap I found myself at the front of the pack pulling the group. I wasn't really exerting any effort to maintain this lead position, so I felt good about being at the lead. I knew I was going to attack, but wasn't sure when, so I just enjoyed a nice stroll through the Illinois country side with about 100 of my Cat 3 buddies in tow for awhile.

Early into the last lap, I squeezed a little harder up a hill. I still felt great and looked behind me to see that that minimal effort had actually gapped the group. I was 50 feet in front of the peloton. Screw it, I put my head down and busted a move. I figured if I could get out of their sites, they wouldn't mind just one more guy being up ahead.

Of course, solo breakaways are sort of risky, and I imagine not many racers include them as part of their racing strategies. Having some Time Trial success in the past, however, I seem prone to this sort of move. I never really got too far ahead of the group, as I passed riders from the different races. As I spotted the Master's peloton group, I knew if I could get around them, I would be long gone. So I snuck through their peloton, hoping they would sort of shield me from the Cat 3 chasers.

This move was working. In fact, I eventually came upon a group of 3 riders from my race who had fallen off. Now I am making progress and currently in 7th place. When I started this solo attack, I had about 20 miles of racing left... Yes, I was sort of getting worried as the Cat 3 peloton could sometimes be seen off in the distance.

Alas, a group of three riders from my race had bridged up to me. Perfect scenario, as we started working together to both widen our lead on the field and maybe even catch the front of the race.

The four of us worked well until the end of the race neared. The cobble section of this race was definatelly bumpy and came near the end and finished right before the sprint. A huge hill was positioned right before the cobbles, and our group of four split up just a bit at this point, as we began to each unload everything to reach the finish.

Little did we know, the front of the race was only about 40 seconds ahead of us, toward the end. We were catching them, just ran out of race course. I finished about 56 seconds off of the winner, for a 10th place overall finish.

I consider this somewhat of a success. I felt like the race was over after about 3 miles in, as I watched a group of 10 race off ahead of us. I used some confidence and fitness to make a move that I wouldn't have even considered a year ago. Had I lined up in the front of the field at the starting gun, I am positive I would have been in the top 5. I fought against the odds to almost pull myself back into contention.

Going to join the 'big dogs' for a 200k (124mile) ride this saturday from Le Claire, Iowa. I have never ridden that far in my life, so I am looking forward to the challenge.

St. Louis Spring Fling Criterium

I had a great weekend of racing, participating in both the Hillsboro Roubaix and Tilles Park Spring Fling Criterium in St. Louis. It was great to see that spring had arrived in Mid America, as the grass was growing and flowers were beginning to bloom. I had excellent weather and even got a bit sun burnt on my legs.

I will post a recap of the Hillsboro Roubaix in a day or two, as that was an awesome event, but I am hoping to have some photos. Check out the results. Also, of interest, a lot of Iowa Riders made the trip for the Pro, Cat 1/2 race. Bikes 2 You and Mercy Specialized had 4 or five riders each.

So, first up the Criterium at Tilles Park...

I had a nice drive through St. Louis and enjoyed seeing the Arch and Anheiser Busch Stadium. I was running late, so had to skip the brewery tour I had originally planned. The photo above features the Cat 3/4 race I entered as we traversed the start/finish area.

As I arrived, I began to get the feeling that I was going to have a great race, because it seemed to have a much more informal feel than the Saturday mega-event in Hillsboro. I was feeling that a podium finish was in my grasp. The course was a short .6 mile loop in a park, so it didn't have any right degree angles and only slight gradients, basically flat. Below is a picture of me riding within the pack at some random point in the race.

Our race was 50 minutes plus 4 laps, so about an hour. I thought it would be a smaller turnout, but by the time it was all said and done, there were over 60 starters... this was going to be another battle.

Because there weren't any hills or sharp corners, breaking away wasn't much of an option, and fitness wasn't really as much of a factor. This race came down to riding smart, holding a good position and then hitting it all out at the last lap.

Ok, I rode in the middle for awhile, tried it at the front for a bit, then meandered at the back for awhile, trying to exercise some patience and conserve some energy. At some point I realized that I may never get back up to the front if I waited too long. With 60 riders, there simply wasn't room to accelerate to the position you wanted, you had to wait and fill gaps and slowly make your way up. Below is a shot of the group negotiating one of the turns.

I finally made my way up to the front, hoping to jump on board some of the attacks, and form some sort of break. Lap after lap passed, and I basically ended up pulling the entire group most of the time, as most of the riders had already decided to just try their chances at a bunch sprint. I am quite positive that most of the Missouri teams were very happy to have me in the race. The tempo I set was just fast enough to discourage attacks, but apparently not fast enough to thin out the field. Every time someone did attack me, I joined their move, but the pack quickly closed in.

My tactic didn't pan out according to plan, however I did end up in excellent position as the last lap approached. I was in third wheel, then all hell broke lose as the bell sounded. Everyone launched ahead at the exact time, almost as if by some sort of pre-race script that I didn't read.

I was overwhelmed, but because I had good position, managed to hang on to a position within the front half of the pack. I pedalled it out, obviouslly not quite as crisp as the others, having set tempo and wasted energy on my earlier failed strategy. I ended up in about the 15th position of the sprint.

I can say, I don't regret attending the race or even my strategy, it could have worked, probably not on that course profile, but, I had fun trying it. The course was fast, and provided me with a chance to get used to my brand new Madone 6.5. This bike is awesome, and will recieve credit for some of my hopeful successes.

This race gave me a chance to sharpen my criterium skills for the 2009 season, hopefully getting just a bit more comfortable with racing in large packs. It was also of interest to ride with racers from a different state, alot of them from Big Shark Racing.

I had a better race on Saturday, having formed a solo breakaway chase, that nearly caught the lead group of 6, and allowed me to finish in the top 10 in a race of 120. More on that in the next post.

Getting ready for the Winter Roller Season.

Yeah, that is sort of an odd title for a post in April, but I really am experiencing another indoor fitness peak based on the nature of my workouts over the last couple of weeks. I can say training is going well, and I am in good form, but again, 4 of my last six workouts were indoors.

So, though my weight, VO2 Max, Lactate Threshold, etc. are all on track, I haven't got much training in racing situations (sprinting, briding gaps, attacking, etc) due to some weather issues. That should all come around, though, as the weather becomes less and less of an obstacle each week.

So, I am off to the Hillsboro Roubaix RR. and St. Louis Spring Fling Crit. Check back next week to see how things ended upp

Kent Park... Spring Opener Cancelled

Due to snowy conditions, this year's Iowa Spring Classic had to be cancelled. Looking at the start lists, it was going to be one great battle. The list, at least, is an education as to which Iowa riders were feeling their early season racing form.

Well, that puts the next Iowa Road race at April 19th, for a criterium in Dubuque. I have been planning a cycling trip south to the St. Louis area to make up for the cancellation of the April 4th/5th Des Moines Area races, so I don't completely have the winter blues.

The Cat 3 Hillsboro Roubaix is a 66 mile Road Race with registration nearing the 120 rider limit (most of the divisions are already on wait list). I am working on possibly staying the night and going to St. Louis the next day to race in the 'spring fling criterium'. These races will serve to help further my training and race experience. But, mostly, anticipating them has helped keep me motivated to train through the 'hit or miss' weather in Iowa during this time of year. Pictured is part of the cobble section leading up to the town of Hillsboro.

Ahh, but green & sunny days are coming. How nice it will be to ride until I am physically done, and no longer having to stop due to freezing extemities, limited daylight or the mental burn of a cloudy/windy day. . I logged 6 workouts this week, but 5 of them were indoors... dang, that is less than ideal. I suppose the guys 260 miles south of me in the St. Louis area will have a bit of an edge on me, in that respect.

Dirty Road Race #3

Well, first let me say that the 'lollipop' section of this course was extra sucky for the third installement of this race series. There was new gravel on portions, and much of the other gravel surfaces had been grated, so they were softer and required much more effort to navigate through.

Things didn't exactly go accordingly to plan for me today, with respect to sticking with the lead group... however, as far as early season training goes, I couldn't have been happier with how this race played out.

Everyone stuck together for the first 12 miles of mostly paved surface. But then, that 'twitchy' feeling became tangible, as the first turn onto the gravel approached. As soon as we hit the gravel, all hell broke lose. Not necessarily because of attacking riders, just simply because racing on gravel is ackward, at best, and creates a bit of chaos.

Of course, this was the first 'move' of the day, as the tempo and heart rates increased. I suffered through for a mile or two, as most of the group was intact, but then began to slip off the back. What? Well this is going to be a long race.

If I could just hang on until the road section (which wasn't for another 13 miles) I would be fine. But, on the other hand, what was going on? Soon, my answer emerged as my rear wheel locked up... it released and I pedalled some more, then locked up again. I looked down to see that my rear wheel had actually come off of the axel. Hilarious. The road was so bumpy that it jarred my wheel right off. (of course, I may be at fault for not being the most meticulous of pre-race mechanics).

Seriously, though, this race was bumpy, my triceps are even sore today from all of the effort needed to grind through those rocks and sand pits.

Well, that sort of put the nail in the coffin, as anytime you have an 'off the bike' mechanical during an attacking section of the race, things aren't looking good. I put the wheel back on, and continued. Ok, now for the training race I was looking for last weekend. Alone, and in chase mode.

Lot's of solo tempo, as I passed riders from time to time. I worked with them for a bit, but ultimately, I was strong, and more interested in seeing how close to the front of the race I could get on my own. This is the ultimate time trial effort and great training for future races.

I passed dominic moraniec, jimmy carrico, the robinson brothers... wait, hmm, I am not going to have that bad of a result after all. Then I passed Tracy Thompson with a flat tire. Ouch, that isn't looking good for the eastern Iowa riders. Skipping ahead, miraculously Tracy battled back up, and even passed me about 7 miles later.

Toward the latter parts of the race, I noticed that the follow car was behind me, and not coming around, and that there was a group of three riders back in my sights. I felt like I could catch them, so I pursued. Could this be the front of the race? Yes it was! Unbelievable.

My determination to catch back on, meant that I never really felt like I had time to feed, so I raced 2hours 40 minutes on 250 calories... Hmm, what does that mean... yes the bonk.

I believe bonking has a good training effect. It teaches your body to adapt to stressful situations. However, riding basically solo for 38 miles, against head winds, sand pits, loose gravel, hills, etc, made for a challenging day. I was exhausted.

Fortunately, only one guy (Rich Wince-Rasmussen's Death Squad) was close enough to take advantage of my energy deficit, as he passed me with about 2 miles to go.

-Dirty Road Race #3 Results-
I ended up in 6th place overall and the 2nd of 6 cat 3 riders. Put a big 'X' on category 3 rider Jerome Rewerts' back, as he won the event, and actually had about a 2 minute gap on teammates Lane Anderson and Chad Vandelune. If that isn't a sign of a strong rider, I don't know what is, as this was a tough race, and he beat out some good cat 1/2 riders as well as fellow cat 3's. Not sure how, but Tracy Thompson of Bikes 2 You ended up finishing second, which speaks volumes about his fitness and racing determination.

This event really felt like a cyclocross race. Remind me to find some gravel roads to train on this fall, as it would make great training for cyclocross.

Having said that, thankfully, the rest of the race season is on the road. I have lots of momentum this season, that will make me a force to be wreckened with, especially within the Cat 3 field. Kent Park is next week, and is the unofficial start of the 2009 Road Racing Season... Bring it On.

Gravel, Road Kill & Sandtraps... Dirty RR #2

My 2009 Road Racing season got under way Saturday, March 14th in Mitchellville, Iowa at the 50 mile Dirty Road Race. This was a training race of sorts that was conducted on 30 miles of gravel and 20 miles of county road over two 25 mile laps. There weren't any corner marshalls, cheering fans or podiums, but there was plenty of spray paint, attacking dogs/cats, road kill and pot holes.

My choice to ride my Madone was questioned at the starting line... yeah, I wasn't to sure about that either... what do you use to ride on gravel anyway. (Actually, I have never raced on gravel before, unless you count a few drunken mishaps on RAGBRAI). I had hard case tires on, at least, to maybe add puncture resistance against the rocks.

There were about 24 riders at the start. I was anxious to get on the gravel, and see what the situation would be, but I had to wait quite awhile as the first part of the course was road. Then, the moment arrived, Gravel...

LOLLIPOP SECTION

Clever phrase I heard at a point during the race..."maybe we should take that right turn to cut out the Lollipop Section"... I didn't get it at first but soon, I understood the joke... A part of the course that really SUCKS.

Riding on gravel was stressful. Everyone had shifty lines, tires that were spinning out and it was jarring. (Paris Roubaix?). The trick was to just 'pedal through it', but that took a few miles to figure out. A couple people seemed better at it than others, and the group broke apart a bit.

On some parts of the gravel, if you road all the way to one side, the sand created a 'trap' that caused you to sink in. I know of at least one rider that ended up in the ditch, and I can say I almost did on several occasions until I got the feel for the road surfaces.

About 3/4 of the way into the first lap, the gravel turned upward and Paul Denninger of Zoom Performance executed a mild acceleration. I was caught in my big chain ring, and too apprehensive to risk dropping my chain, but managed to hang on to that tempo. When the hill finally let up the race was broken up very definatively.

After the damage had taken its ulitmate toll over the next several miles, the strongest riders of the day emerged.. today that turned out to be Paul Deninger, Tracy Thompson (B2U), Ryan Elsbernd (All Nine Yards) and myself. (Jimmy Carrico joined us later in the race, but unfortunately, he had equipment troubles earlier, cut back on the course and ran into us, so he was a sort of 'lapped rider'. Having said that, he is strong as ever, especially when the road turns upward. )

Looking at the results, the chase group that emerged in the second half of the race seemed to then consist of four All Nine yards riders. Paul was very vocal throughout the race, almost like our team coach. He didn't mind telling us his moves or his tactics, and kept our pace dialed in to just the right tempo to maintain the gap.

Our only real challenge at this point was not to over exert ourselves, as it seemed that we had a large enough of a gap, so the pace was very comfortable. And with comfortable tempo comes the sandbagging...

MERSA

Still not sure what that is, but Tater claims that he had recently been in the hospital with this disease. I thought he said MENSA, and was wondering what having a high IQ had to do with not being able to train. Well, apparently a saddle sore had turned deadly, and he had been going to the hospital on a daily basis to get re-bandaged. He mentioned that at one point the gauze was so far up into his body that it made contact with his testicles. Well, that was pretty gross, but possibly could explain why he was slow to respond to some of the accelerations.

BACK TO THE RACE
Paul informed us that we were going to stay together into the big gravel hill section, then he was going to accelerate and 'see who shakes out'.

So the hill and the acceleration came and it 'shook out' all but three riders... Paul, Tracy and myself. Of course, Ryan was still in pursuit, so Paul instruced that we 'lose the All Nine Yards guy'.. tactically that did make sense.

Now comes the familiar part of the race when the breakaway group, once partners, has to eventually start to plot against each other. Hmm, I am riding with Tater and Paul Deninger, well respected and established Cat 1/2 riders.

Then Paul made his final announcment... For very understandable (and spiritual) reasons, he was going to go ahead and attempt to win this race, whereas in the past, he would have been content to use this as a pure training event, and pull me and Tracy, for a head to head sprint to the finish. This meant he wasn't going to pull for the remainder of the race.

Ok... so that means either I get off of my bike and start walking to get Paul to use some energy, or I pull and hope that Tracy's MERSA starts to flare up again.

I was cool with third place, so I just dialed in a nice tempo that would keep our gap from the chasing riders, but not too much in case I was strong enough to pull for the last 4 miles and still sprint to a win.. you never know.

So, as he said he would, Paul accelerated around me at the last uphill section. I hung on almost to the top of the first gradient, but then started slipping, as Tracy realized he would have to come around me. He hopped on Paul's wheel as I pushed myself to stay in contact.

The finish line was in sight, as they had about 50 yards on me. I was beginning to accelerate and make up ground as the two were trying to out smart each other for the win. Nah, I didn't have enough ground to catch up, and watched as Tracy stole the win from Paul at the line.

Good race, thanks to the organizers to provide some training opportunities in March. I imagine the 3rd one (this Sunday), will be very well attended. If the participants of the first race and this one all show up for #3... watch out, because some of the best riders in Iowa will be going head to head as a sort of last 'tune-up' for the unofficial start of the Spring 2009 Racing season, that following week in Kent Park.

The Iowa Cup gets kicked in the Nuts

Ouch! The first races of the 2009 Iowa Cup are cancelled (altoona and big creek RR's), that's going to leave a mark on my racing calendar as I was planning a race weekend in Des Moines, complete with hotel accomodations on Saturday night. Does anybody know what the 'unforeseen circumstances' were that caused those events to be cancelled? Just curious, but thanks to the organizers for their past efforts, I really do appreciate the opportunity to race in Iowa.

Well, I scoured the internet to see if I could find an option... Perhaps the Illinois Cup is worthy of a quick glance... Yes, the Hillsoboro Roubaix Spring Classic in Illinois is scheduled for April 4th, maybe I will go. It has actual cobbled roadways, challenging climbs, a 66 mile Cat 3 route, a respectable prize list and a really long 4 hour drive each way to add to the accomplishment.

If anyone else knows of any thing closer, let me know. Maybe we should organize some sort of informal training race in eastern Iowa for that weekend? Maybe at Scott County Park? Probably too late.

Speaking of training races. Going to the Dirty RR #2 this weekend near Des Moines. A very talented field entered the last weekend's race, so this should be very good experience. Training races are fun, because the main goal is to advance your season's fitness, winning or doing well is just an added bonus. But if you 'won' by sitting on wheels all day, you won't have gotten the most benefit, these races are meant to take chances, leaving nothing behind.

madness in March

I was definately grouchy this weekend. The weather for Saturday's Dirty Road race sort of seemed to indicate that it might be a sign to skip that one. It is a 10 hour commitment (with travel, racing, prep, etc.) to enter this training opportunity, so I opted to stay home, which again made me very irritable, because I was counting on that mileage. I miss the Prairie Rude Days that were held in Cedar Rapids, I would have easily driven up for that, even with the rain/cold.

The results, however, were educational, and provide some early indicators as to which players are planning on being active for the 2009 season.

FRICTION BURN

Compounding the madness, out of nowhere my rollers have begun dragging on the ground when I ride them. Unfortunately I didn't notice this saturday, and just thought that the reason I couldn't get my bike up to my usual cadence/mph was because I was over training. So, I spun for 30 minutes and called it quits... baffled, bewildered...

I hopped on sunday, and decided to try again, this time I noticed the problem and propped up the rollers, thinking I had fixed it. Nope, after the ride there were two long black marks(under each roller) where they were rubbing on the carpet. Actually, I was glad to discover this, because again, I couldn't get my bike up to the same speed as previous workouts.

That's all for now, I believe I will have a special guest blogger submit my next post, stay tuned.

Iowa State Roller 2009 Championship Series

FROSTBUSTER ROLLER RACE - MARCH 1st, 2009
There it is, the result we have all been hoping for... top of the Cat 1,2,3 podium (standing next to Shawn Loomis and Bryan Moritz) at the final race of the 2009 indoor cycling season...
I definately had a great day, breaking not only my Personal Record, but successfully posting the fastest time ever on this Kreitler Roller Set-up, therefore, a State Record (sort of, since official State Records don't technically exist). Below is a list of noteworthy accomplishments...
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1)Old Personal Record = 5:17.5
-New Personal Record = 5:01.4

2)Previous State Record = 5:03.7 (Shawn Loomis, 2/24/08)
-New State Record = 5:01.4 (Chad Bishop, 3/1/09)

3)Previous Fastest Cat 3 Time (Tony Kisch, 3/11/07) = 5:08.7
-New Fastest Cat 3 Time (Chad Bishop, 3/1/09) = 5:01.4

4)Silver Medal, Cat 3 Iowa Road Race Championship Series
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It was definately a great day for racing indoors, as the cold outside was bitter and only for the mileage obsessed road junkies (no offense). It didn't seem possible to win the Gold medal in the Cat 3 race series because the current leader had too large of a lead, however I was hoping to possibly win that day's race overall.

This aspiration was soon dismissed as Shawn Loomis posted a new state record time of 5:01.5. On the other hand, everyone was posting blazing fast times compared to their previous efforts, so I kept my mind open.

Lee Venteicher advised me to just peg it up to a sub 5 minute pace, and 'go all or nothing' because I could definately beat Shawn's time. This is where the real battle began. This is a contest where the mind matters just as much as the physical conditioning. Could I convince myself that Lee was right? Can I conquer self doubt and win this race?

Keeping an open mind, I tried to remove all negative thoughts, and remind myself how well my winter training has been going, and the sacrifice I had made over the last 3 months to prepare for the 2009 season.

I started the race just like any other, with respect to my cadence and gearing. The difference would be how long I could hold it. I overshot my initial power burst a bit, as I noticed I was pacing a 4:45 time... um, easy there tough guy.

I dialed it back to 4:59, and waited for the pain to build... Hmm, not too bad as Greg Harper advised me that I was .5 miles in. I let my cadence slip a bit, but Greg demanded I pull it back up. I wanted to mentally argue but decided just to succumb to his demands knowing I couldn't let up if I wanted to beat Shawn's result.

I had some sort of flicker that 'I can do this' as the 1 mile mark passed. Unfortunately, the peak of discomfort really doesn't rear it's ugly head until the final stretch. My time fell to around 5:03, which still would have been such a great result. I tried to talk myself into 'settling' for this.
The crowd that was gathering, having noticed that I was close to breaking the record, wouldn't allow it, however, as cheers of encouragement could be overheard.

I actually shifted to a harder gear, sensing I could bring back those seconds. I did... my time was back in the 5:01 range. The last seconds of the race brought me to complete and utter muscle failure. I began to let up, feeling that I had just missed shawn's time of 5:01.5...

Nope, I beat him by one tenth of a second... nice.

That sort of makes it all worth it. The real goal of winter racing for me, however is a way of structuring my training for the spring road racing season. But, for now, I will just enjoy a rewarding result. Thanks for reading... It should be an interesting year of racing.