Weekend of Racing

Yay, i survived last weekend!! Two days of hell, one great day, how's that for racing?

Friday

Last Friday night was the inaugural Bear Mountain Hill Climb. 3km of 'up'. Not terribly steep, except for a few portions. Fastest guy (Marcel Arden i believe) did it in 7:47. Helps being 135lbs i bet. ;)

Me, i slogged it off in 10:28. Beefcake!! Strange for me, since i can do 3km on the flats in 4mins..haha..

From 07-09-15 - Hi...

I'm not a hill climber. At least i did it faster than my fellow trackies..tee hee!! I was happy to have some team mates tho, both Kevin and Casey were out, and rode impressive times!!

One good thing is that i got a new 10min power PB, held 330w, previous was 313w. Here's the file:

From PowerTapFiles

Pretty steady. I was careful, knowing that just over 300w was all i could handle, so didn't go out hard at all. I'm not sure if i could have held much more than that. I remained seated for all but the final steep climb to the line...i'm curious if i would have done significantly better if i stood on either of the other steep bits...or would i have just leached it from my final effort..?

Saturday

This morning was the Oak Bay Crit, i raced in the huge B field, with ~45 starters, from Cat 3 to Cat 5 and unlicensed. I really love this course, it's pancake flat!!

From 07-09-15 - Hi...

I made a few strong attacks early on, but no one came along, and being full aware that i'm no TT rider, i didn't opt to ride solo. ;)

Finished 6th after Brad Smith (who's raced on the track!) launched off the front early, and stayed away. I was just a few inches away from 5th. Casey and Kevin didn't fare as well, but for Kevin, it was his first time racing in a bunch, so it was quite different for him. He'll do a lot better next year i'm sure!

Here's my power file for this event, i wasn't at all over-extended at any point, which was good for the confidence:

From PowerTapFiles

Sunday

It was feared the Bastion Square crit would be rainy, and it was. Normally, i'd opt to sit out, but figured 'what the hell'. I hadn't raced in the rain before, and i doubt i will again. =P

From 07-09-16 - Ba...

In the Cat 4 race, about 18 riders started. The course was awful. All four corners had numerous spots where you could slip or slide out...but crash corner (Yates & Wharf) was the worst. There was a crash about 9 laps in, and a few of us sped by. Then i got on the front, took us around crash corner, and ZIP! My wheel goes out (rear i think), and down i go. Luckily, not too hard.

I'm back on my feet as the last rider zips by, and i get back on and start to chase....i'm ~20' back..bleh.. Whoever is at the front is keeping up the pace, and from this point i continue to lose ground. Crap.

From 07-09-16 - Ba...

So, i chase for about 25 laps, fun race. Mike Elkink (who also races at the track!) was the clear winner, nearly lapping the field (i'm pretty sure he could have, but stayed just behind the pack to avoid any crashes), caught me with about 15 to go, and i sat on his wheel for several laps..i was kind tired from chasing for so long, so didn't hold on too long. He was also a superior rider in the corners, and despite trying to follow his line, my tires were doing whatever it was his were, so i lost time each lap, and eventually he was gone.

Shortly after that, i caught Chris A, and with a few laps remaining, caught another rider.... Near the end, i come around the corner to the finish line, and everyone is staring! They're all waiting for Mike - so i take my moment, and blow everyone kisses:

From 07-09-16 - Ba...

hahaha... Although i didn't win the race, i certainly won the hearts of the spectators...hahahha

I'm currently listed as finishing 10th, but i believe they've made a mistake (and at least one has already been admitted), and i *believe* i may have actually finished 8th, but 9th for sure. 10 or 11 finished.

I learned shortly after finishing that when you crash in a crit, you're supposed to go to the pit, where they ensure your bike is safe, and then push you back into the pack (again, where i was sitting at the front). I'm not sure if i'd really want to be back in the pack tho, riding solo in the rain is bad enough, having a wheel splashing you in the face for 30mins seems even less appealing..

From 07-09-16 - Ba...

So that was my race weekend, reminder why i usually don't compete on the road... I didn't complain about the hill on the Bastion course at least. ;)

Here's my PT file for Bastion:

From PowerTapFiles

On to 'cross season! I've already swapped the tires on my wheels, and went out for an hour today, playing on the bike, getting used to how it handles, etc.. I'm really liking my Salsa, feels awesome, tho today i sort of injured my quads - i'm still waiting for a non-set-back seatpost, and shorter cranks (currently borrowing 175's), i need to move much more forward, and shrink the cranks, this set-up is screwing with my musculature!! I'll practice skills for now, rather than going on extended rides...

Get out there and enjoy the 'cross season too!

Trackfest #3 and a NEW CROSS BIKE!!

The last few days have been pretty exciting, check it:

Trackfest #3 / BC Cup #4

Final big race in Victoria this year, i'm pretty toasted from all the organizing...still, very rewarding!

From 07-09-08 - Tr...

Quick summary of the event, i raced 'A' of course, and in the bunch races seven started in each:

From 07-09-08 - Tr...

Madisons - i paired up with speedster Julian Base who has the coolest wheels. For most of the two races, he thought that he needed to maintain 30kph in the corners (like in Burnaby) so while everyone else did about 1.5 lap exchanges, i was doing 2-2.5...add to that i raced the first one in a 79" gear (oops! I was in a rush..), we did alright finishing 3rd both times (out of four teams.)

500m ITT - felt great, but was spinning out...realized i put on the 15t instead of the 14t cog...d'oh..got my slowest time in a while of 39-something..5th of five starters. Marty, my new OA teammate, raced B and came in 2nd behind Cooper.

30 Lap Scratch - really surprised myself with my best ride of the day, finished 3rd in this event, which normally leaves me further back.. I just took it easy, no big moves, saving for the final sprint, and it paid off! Fast race, averaged nearly 44kph.

Sprints - i don't do matched sprints, but again, Marty came in 2nd behind the indomitable Mike Cooper!

25 Lap Tempo - man, this race was a lot of work! Of course, it was just attack after attack...finished 5th, but only four points separated 2nd thru 5th. My Madison partner Julian was the sprint king and took the most points.

Keirin - my keirin mojo has returned! I got myself into a good position and held it, got on Chater's wheel when the sprint began, and stayed there to the line, finishing 3rd! Hit 62kph, woohoo! I haven't mentioned that i've been trying out 165mm cranks (instead of the 170's i've been using for years) and at these high cadences, they feel AMAZING!!! I'm really liking the short cranks. =)

Marty had an even more impressive performance - he got a crummy position off the start, but in the final stretch coming out of the corner, he powered up, around and over the entire field to nip Cooper at the line! Woohoo!! Victory for Marty and OrganicAthlete Victoria!!! Marty finished 2nd in the B Sprint Omnium, kick ass dude!!

From 07-09-08 - Tr...

Points Race - my favorite event, but was a bit tuckered since i'd done another Madison right before. Still, gave it what i could, collected points in all but one sprint, and finished 4th. Chater and Base were in full control this race, leaving Emile and myself to fight for the scraps.

Overview - i'm quite happy with my riding, i thought i'd suck ass due to an overall exhaustion from all the racing this year, but i rode quite well, perhaps even better than previous events in some respects! I think i'm learning how my body works, and optimizing as much as i can... I finished 4th in the Endurance Omnium, and in the overall BC Cup standings, i'm now solidly in 2nd...hopefully i can hold that at the final BC Cup in November! I think it's pretty unlikely i'll be able to catch (and beat!) Matt Chater, who's well away in 1st.

More TT Thoughts

My previous posting has a huge outline of my TT performance (or lack there-of) this year, and TT guru Don Gillmore suggested that the traffic on the course might be the difference... I did note that in my last effort, there were practically no cars, and lots of traffic can mean flying down the highway portion 6kph faster (or more!)

Don said that if i've improved in every other area (including Pursuits) and not this one event, then it's likely that this event has changed....i think Ockham's Razor is appropriate in this instance.

New Salsa Cross Bike!

Check it:

From 07-09-11 - Ri...

Pretty fantastic, eh??

From 07-09-11 - Ri...

I absolutely *love* my new bike!! It's so damn cool!! Marty and i took off for it's first ride, and it was SO FUN! We cruised around, looking for parks, and would zip around on the trails, then hit the road again, and look for the next park. It's so great to ride around the roads at speed, and then be able to cruise around on other terrain! CX bikes are so much fun, i didn't realize this before! (Since i hadn't bough 'cross tires before.)

Anyway, the bike is *nearly* complete. Currently i've got my road wheels, Chorus groupo, Ritchey Comp bars, Specialized Team stem (it's kinda weird being 'high', but rides nice!), and the new Specialized Phenom saddle, which is basically the Toupe for offroad. Light.

For brakes, i've taken the original XT V-Brakes off my MTB, and while they feel a bit different, they're working quite well. When i get my new Mavic wheel, i'll be switching over to a disc brake on the front (got a 29'er coming, complete with bladed spokes, yip!)

I'm still waiting on the cranks, so have a cheap, heavy BB in there, and Tiagara cranks (thanks Marty!), but it'll be replaced with more Chorus. I'll also find a black anodized seatpost, not sure if i'll go with carbon yet, or maybe just another Thomson...i've liked the one on my Argon18.

I'm also on a quest to locate those funky orange Maxxis 'cross tires that you see people like Kabush riding around on....if anyone can score me a pair, let me know!!

That's all the excitement for now, a bunch of road racing this weekend, including my first hillclimb..eeep!

Here are some more Trackfest pics from Roland:

http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy/070908TrackfestRoland

And here's Ridecam 05:

http://picasaweb.google.com/davenoisy/070911Ridecam05

From 07-09-11 - Ri...

PS - Thanks again to Murray for the Rudy's and lenses! I finally have dark lenses! Yay!