The Squirrel
Well-Known Member
WHOA, Nice day! Congrats.
Can I get a freakin race report?
- Thread starter jShort
- Start date
rsinger814
Well-Known Member
Thanks man! You too, hope to meet you at a race in the future!
Congrats! Winning on my old cranks?
Nittany Day 2 – M35+ (a.k.a. the sort of old men)
I haven't pinned on a number (or twist-tied a number as the case were) since April and haven't done any structured training this year so I wasn’t entirely sure if my legs were going to show up to race. Also, a bunch of firsts: first race on a new bike, first race on discs, first race on Challenge Baby Limus tires, first race in SPRINKLES KIT.
I've had nearly 6 months to visualize a great start from the 3rd or 4th row at Nittany. Two years ago I was able to move from 4th row to 2nd wheel by the mud pit. This year, not so much. My man on the front row missed his pedal. After moving around the ball-screen I was probably 20-25th when we hit the mud. NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN.
After the mud pit I burned a bunch of matches trying to Ginsu through the field. Luckily, the lead group was still trying to figure out who was going to make the first move so I was able to move into ~10th spot towards the end of the first lap and worked my way to about 6th shortly thereafter jockeying for position with Wolter. We were moving in an orderly line--like ants marching off to a dropped ice cream cone--so I wasn’t too concerned…yet. 4 guys were on point: Roger, Larino, Yozell and some guy I didn’t know. I was happy to sit on Rich W’s wheel but I could tell that he was starting to lose his grip on the lead 4 because gaps were starting to open up after a few of the accel/deccel sections. Rich has mad watts and he was closing down the gaps on the power sections but eventually the elastic broke and the group of 4 got a gap of maybe 10s.
Rich and I were joined by another guy (polka dot) and we generally worked together most of the race—calling out passes in advance and taking decent pulls. I could tell that I was a bit faster through the few tech sections (no-log alley, stairs, root forest) and put that into my short term memory bank. With a couple to-go, Yozell dropped anchor from the lead group then lost contact with the back of group as well. The three of us all took a few pulls and kept the gap about the same to the lead 3. At this point, I started playing difference last lap scenarios in my head. With 1 to go, I was content to sit 3rd wheel through the power section and saved up for my one and only last match to burn. I made the pass around Rich and Polka Dot just before no-log alley and carried a small gap up the stairs all the way through the root forest. I buried it on the last grass stretch, which is really the only place to pass in the last ¼ lap and kept the lead into the barriers, which I hit at orbital bone crushing speed. I heard some carnage behind me—Rich and Polka Dot got a little tangled up but neither went down. I never looked back and kept on the gas through the finish for 4th-- best MAC M35+ finish to date.
After the race @seanrunnette *bought me a Coke, which was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.
*actually he convinced somebody else I don't even know to pay for it.
More thoughts on 35+ vs UCI racing on the Mediocre Blog later.
No photos except @pearls instafeed. Actuually, there are never any photos of the M35+ field, which is to be expected.
@The Squirrel @Robin @Dominique @TriChick and others - what say you?
Interesting to read Eric's take on the race. Mostly accurate (haha), but I wanted to correct the record:
1. I only "lost my grip" on the front group when Roger went to the front and drilled it. (I'm good but I ain't that good!)
2. Eric tries to play it cool, but the overriding thought in his head the entire race was, "I can't believe I'm racing for 4th, I better not fuck this up." At least that was my thought process.
3. I thought we were all pretty evenly matched everywhere. Except I was weakest on the barriers, which was going to make winning out of our group complicated. Sure enough...see below.
4. Eric failed to thank me for (unintentionally stumbling and) holding up Polka Dot as we were all coming out of the last set of barriers.
rsinger814
Well-Known Member
Thank you, YES! Wouldn't have been able to do it without them!
Yay, Rich is here. My memory of the details is is usually pretty weak so I probably missed some details. Typically what I remember is: Whistle, feel like I'm going to crap myself, Joe Sailing says "2 laps to go", legs start to cramp, done.
1. Yes, he does this and there's not a darn thing I can do to follow either.
2. Same thought here. I was hoping that somebody was going to pop from the lead group and we'd be fighting for the podium.
3. Agree. Very little room for separation on this course.
4. Thank you!
I think we all had slightly different plans to win the group. Curious to know what you had in mind. I know I didn't want to have to sprint against you.
hotsauce
Well-Known Member
Long time listener, first time caller. Love the show...
I raced Town Hall 4/5's on Saturday. The first "small" race (non MAC/Granogue) I've done, 72 finishers on the day. Fun little course with what seemed like a lot of elevation but came in below the elevation for Fair Hill or Granogue according to my Garmin. The course had a semi-sketchy "bridge" over a "creek", log hop, uphill gravel path, steep climb x2 with railroad ties towards the top of the hill, and plenty of technical sections. Most of the course was set on the side of a hill and made for fun riding. The atmosphere was good: plenty of guys drinking Coors Original at 10 AM, good looking donuts for sale, and beer on offer for a $3 suggested donation. Fun vibe.
I was the third call up in the third row and thought I picked my spot wisely towards the left hand side based on pavement on the left after the start/finish line and a first sweeping right bend. As soon as we're in the grid the guy in front of me talked about how it's his first race of the season and he had too much whisky last night, sheeiiit. I promptly got swamped at the whistle, which seems to be a common theme for me (see video and help request below). I then spent the entire race clawing back the spots that I lost and enjoyed a HR going through the roof. The climbing hurt more and more every lap but played to my strength. It felt like the Bear Mountain RR all over again!
The railroad ties were tough and I opted to run every time. With the pitch and riding obstacles being new to me, it felt like the safer option. Many other riders tried ride them but got through the first then stumbled on the second and lost time. I felt like I was passing riders every time I had the an opening for the first 2 laps and then settled in to a good pace. Came up on a rider with a nearly flat tire in the last few turns and lost the sprint for 8th on the line. 9 of 72, best result yet!
Lap times:
8:24
8:07
8:04
8:02
7:56
Next race: Caffeinated Cross - Men's 5
HELP HELP HELP!!
As my first season racing cross coming from the road, I'm getting comfortable with the technical skills and feel like I have a big enough engine for now. My biggest struggle is doing well at the start. Every race I get swamped and then spend the last 90% of the race trying to make up the ground I lost which is getting frustrating! As I'm getting ready to upgrade to Cat 4, staying towards the front is going to matter more and very well could have been the difference between me and points the last few races. Outside of peddling like hell, what should I do to do better at the start?
Town Hall video*
Nittany video for reference*
*watch at 2x speed, its a 4/5 race after all
I raced Town Hall 4/5's on Saturday. The first "small" race (non MAC/Granogue) I've done, 72 finishers on the day. Fun little course with what seemed like a lot of elevation but came in below the elevation for Fair Hill or Granogue according to my Garmin. The course had a semi-sketchy "bridge" over a "creek", log hop, uphill gravel path, steep climb x2 with railroad ties towards the top of the hill, and plenty of technical sections. Most of the course was set on the side of a hill and made for fun riding. The atmosphere was good: plenty of guys drinking Coors Original at 10 AM, good looking donuts for sale, and beer on offer for a $3 suggested donation. Fun vibe.
I was the third call up in the third row and thought I picked my spot wisely towards the left hand side based on pavement on the left after the start/finish line and a first sweeping right bend. As soon as we're in the grid the guy in front of me talked about how it's his first race of the season and he had too much whisky last night, sheeiiit. I promptly got swamped at the whistle, which seems to be a common theme for me (see video and help request below). I then spent the entire race clawing back the spots that I lost and enjoyed a HR going through the roof. The climbing hurt more and more every lap but played to my strength. It felt like the Bear Mountain RR all over again!
The railroad ties were tough and I opted to run every time. With the pitch and riding obstacles being new to me, it felt like the safer option. Many other riders tried ride them but got through the first then stumbled on the second and lost time. I felt like I was passing riders every time I had the an opening for the first 2 laps and then settled in to a good pace. Came up on a rider with a nearly flat tire in the last few turns and lost the sprint for 8th on the line. 9 of 72, best result yet!
Lap times:
8:24
8:07
8:04
8:02
7:56
Next race: Caffeinated Cross - Men's 5
HELP HELP HELP!!
As my first season racing cross coming from the road, I'm getting comfortable with the technical skills and feel like I have a big enough engine for now. My biggest struggle is doing well at the start. Every race I get swamped and then spend the last 90% of the race trying to make up the ground I lost which is getting frustrating! As I'm getting ready to upgrade to Cat 4, staying towards the front is going to matter more and very well could have been the difference between me and points the last few races. Outside of peddling like hell, what should I do to do better at the start?
Town Hall video*
Nittany video for reference*
*watch at 2x speed, its a 4/5 race after all
Last edited:
If I raced cross, I'd be this dude. Sorry.
Props for spelling it correctly.
And good job clawing your way up!
Hopefully you'll get some constructive feedback here that will propel you to Cat 4 podiums.
Paging @Delish
I think it's a general rule to ignore the bullshit everyone spews at the start.
First race of the year and drinking Whiskey last night can easily mean "I had an excellent Cat 3 road race year and I had whisky last night before my masseuse loosened up my muscles"
First race of the year and drinking Whiskey last night can easily mean "I had an excellent Cat 3 road race year and I had whisky last night before my masseuse loosened up my muscles"
Practice starts. Pretend you're lining up, and go through the motions of pushing off, clipping in, and sprinting for 20 seconds, upshifting when you need to.
Also, make sure you're in the right gear to start.
hotsauce
Well-Known Member
Agreed but my start still sucked more than the blended whisky the guy drank the night before.
For reference, #115 in front of me is a sand bagger. It really was his first race of the season but he has enough points to upgrade to Cat 3 and is a Cat 3 on the road.
It's not the process of clipping in fast enough, gearing, etc. Getting in a group of 70-134 of my closest friends and following the right wheel close enough seems to be the hard part. Thanks for the help!
The Heckler
You bring new meaning to the term SUCK
@jShort has most of it.
I used to go to a park and just practice the clip in. Not even with a sprint. Try different stuff. Standing, sitting, turning your pedal to a certain angle. Think about the actual motion of your foot going from the ground to the pedal. Feel the interface and think about what you're feeling while practicing. Don't just smash. Faster clip in = faster power.
Do more races, the start will eventually be normal. Then you'll upgrade and re-learn it all over again
COFFEECOFFEECOFFEECOFFEEEEEEE
@hotsauce
I used to go to a park and just practice the clip in. Not even with a sprint. Try different stuff. Standing, sitting, turning your pedal to a certain angle. Think about the actual motion of your foot going from the ground to the pedal. Feel the interface and think about what you're feeling while practicing. Don't just smash. Faster clip in = faster power.
Do more races, the start will eventually be normal. Then you'll upgrade and re-learn it all over again
COFFEECOFFEECOFFEECOFFEEEEEEE
@hotsauce
hotsauce
Well-Known Member
Wawa is my friend in PA! 3/4 pumpkin spice 1/4 regular with a splash of milk
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
just watched some of both videos (first minutes of the starts), dont be afraid to put your bike in places you want to be. communicate with the people around you too. you almost need to ride through people sometimes to pass them. not physically, but if you are just riding around where someone is, they are going to take up the whole course.
don't be afraid to rub elbows and assert your position. doing this, along with talking, will help.
these are things that you cannot really practice. well, you can bump elbows in a field with one of your buddies, but otherwise it's something you will just learn every start. The first lap is the most important, you need to get in front of as many people as you can on that lap!
don't be afraid to rub elbows and assert your position. doing this, along with talking, will help.
these are things that you cannot really practice. well, you can bump elbows in a field with one of your buddies, but otherwise it's something you will just learn every start. The first lap is the most important, you need to get in front of as many people as you can on that lap!
rsinger814
Well-Known Member
@pearl is spot on! I watched the beginning of both videos and you just need to be a little more aggressive. You know you want to be up front, so take the position. If a gap opens up, fill it, and make the pass! It took me a few races to realize this is what needs to happen if you want to be out front, it takes some force and little bit of finesse.
Mountain Bike Mike
Well-Known Member
I watched the Town Hall video through the first lap... I heard some Heckle - "B Aggressive, B.. E.. Aggressive"
I haven't watched the video, but one more piece of advice about getting through lap 1 quicker...
During course inspection, anticipate where there will be pile-ups during the first lap. Plan your strategy, anticipate dismounts before they are forced to happen. Esp with a 3rd row callup, this will be important.
Also helpful to watch the first few turns after the whistle for other fields. Then you can see in practice where those pileups occur.
During course inspection, anticipate where there will be pile-ups during the first lap. Plan your strategy, anticipate dismounts before they are forced to happen. Esp with a 3rd row callup, this will be important.
Also helpful to watch the first few turns after the whistle for other fields. Then you can see in practice where those pileups occur.
Nice job. Negative Splits are good to see. Not uncommon to see a slow first lap or two because of traffic. But negative splits can also mean you weren't warmed up or left something on the course.
What is your body telling you first lap? Ready to lay down 100% power from the whistle? Based on the videos it doesn't look like the first 100 yards is your problem...it's bleeding spots throughout the first 1/2 lap.
@Dominos nails it. Try to predict the pinch points and pile-ups. Also, know exactly where on the course you can make passes and be ready to take advantage of each of those spots. In the no-passing zones try to conserve but make sure you don't let gaps open up that others might try to take. Then, be ready to pounce each and every passing opportunity you get. To do this, focus on exit speed from the turns. If you are apexing the turn early and late braking, you'll lose all the momentum you need to squeeze in a quick clean pass before the next corner.
Just curious, what camera do you use? I like the overlay.