I was wondering how many people would show given the Saturday rain forecast. When I rolled in at 8:45 there were a few Lattitude riders getting ready. As it turned out there were 8: Steve O, SuePer, Ted, Sara, Dennis, Michel, Doug S and me. We rolled out a little after 9 under cloudy skies and wet roads. The pace was down right off season and we all had a good time chatting it up. In a few places like Brooks Woods and Wilson Rd, the pace did pick up a bit, just because that's the nature of this ride. I don't think we had any real rain on the first half to the store just maybe a sprinkle or two. In what turned out to be an omen, the sun poked out a few times before the store and SuePer said, "I think we are through it".
Just before we came to the stoplight at the beach, the torrential rain started. We thought it might be just the proximity to the bay. Nope. I think we rode this slow moving rain band all the way back to the park and ride. At times it was raining so hard it really felt like swimming! At least it was warm - and it was the first opportunity I had to wear my fancy-schmancy Pactimo rain jacket, which was very comfortable. The pace was high enough to keep warm, but the group all kept together.
We ran into the incredible shrinking Doug S at the end of the ride as he had short circuited the store. Turns out he ran into Doetsch and they did the Tue/Thu ride backwards on the way home.
I ended up having to walk 1/4 mile into the park and ride. After crossing under Rt 50 after Gov Bridge Rd, I heard the tell tale "hssssssss" in my front tire. Oh s#%$, changing a flat with 1 mile to go was not what I wanted to do. I was thinking of trying to ride Curious George style, all the way back, but instead I sat waaaay back in my saddle to get as much weight off the front wheel as possible. I nursed it as much as I could up the hill and around the corner on 424 until the rim hit and I had to walk it in... Oh well, at least I made it that far.
Doug S, Dennis, Sue, Sara and I went to Baha Fresh, ate and talked Spain. A great way to end what turned out to be a very nice ride.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday September 24 Training Ride: The Wheelsucker Report
Since the wheelsucker actually has to work for a living, he was not able to show for the newly moved start time of 5pm. As typically happens, the change in start time really thinned out the group. It was looking like a nice "off season" ride (according to Bill Neuman), but at the last minute Doetsch screeched in on his bike. We were just rolling out a few minutes past 5 when the amazing Amanda Wu rolled in; the lashing the Tues/Thurs group received at the fingers of SuePerMad must have sunk in because everyone stopped and waited.
The ride went at a nice steady pace up Harwood Hill and down Rt 2, with this Wheelsucker trying to, well, suck wheels, since he rode to the park and ride from Annapolis. After the circle, and after a clueless resident passed the group and then attempted to turn into their driveway infront of the group, instead of ripping our legs off Doetsch organized a very nice rolling paceline on South Polling House. It took a little bit of time for everyone to get organized, but with words of, uh, "encouragement" by Doetsch, everyone got in the swing of things. The rolling paceline worked its magic all the way past 214 at which point, a single line train rocked to the end. The rolling paceline was really good practice for everyone to keep riding very smoothly and tightly. Hopefully, we can do more of this in the off season.
The wheelsucker unfortunately had no wheels to suck on the way back to Annapolis, but hey, life is not all fair winds and following seas!
For others who did not make it yesterday but plan on doing the 5pm rides, keep your guard up as the traffic patterns are a different; lots more less than friendly commuters on the road at that time.
The ride went at a nice steady pace up Harwood Hill and down Rt 2, with this Wheelsucker trying to, well, suck wheels, since he rode to the park and ride from Annapolis. After the circle, and after a clueless resident passed the group and then attempted to turn into their driveway infront of the group, instead of ripping our legs off Doetsch organized a very nice rolling paceline on South Polling House. It took a little bit of time for everyone to get organized, but with words of, uh, "encouragement" by Doetsch, everyone got in the swing of things. The rolling paceline worked its magic all the way past 214 at which point, a single line train rocked to the end. The rolling paceline was really good practice for everyone to keep riding very smoothly and tightly. Hopefully, we can do more of this in the off season.
The wheelsucker unfortunately had no wheels to suck on the way back to Annapolis, but hey, life is not all fair winds and following seas!
For others who did not make it yesterday but plan on doing the 5pm rides, keep your guard up as the traffic patterns are a different; lots more less than friendly commuters on the road at that time.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Original Snow Valley Women's Team
Debbie Dudas brought this picture to the Saturday ride today. Evidently, it is the original Snow Valley Women's Team from the 90s. Since I'm new around here, can anyone identify the riders and the date?
Update from Arch:
"It was actually circa 1993. Prior to 1992, I think the 'women's team' consisted of just Debbie Dudas. That photo was taken for an article which ran in the Capital. Left to right: Deb Dudas, Debbie Neilson, Nita Settina, Margy McArdle, and Megan Bilodeau."
Update from Arch:
"It was actually circa 1993. Prior to 1992, I think the 'women's team' consisted of just Debbie Dudas. That photo was taken for an article which ran in the Capital. Left to right: Deb Dudas, Debbie Neilson, Nita Settina, Margy McArdle, and Megan Bilodeau."
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday September 18 Training Ride: The Wheelsucker Report
The wheelsucker is an old man and needs his sleep, but his current employment conspires to limit it. The wheelsucker was a tired, frustrated and stressed IT worker after being woken up for a work call at 12:30AM and working for two hours before going back to bed, and then putting in a full day at the office. One would think that working during the night would be a) exceptional and b) entitle one to take a few hours off the next day. Neither appears to be true.
In any case, a tired, and stressed wheelsucker was very much looking forward to the Thursday training ride, IF he could get off work in time.
It was a near-thing, but the wheelsucker made it before the smallish peleton rolled out of the Park & Ride. Being careful, the wheelsucker ALWAYS considers who is on the ride to assess how hard it will be and what the risks might be. This ride looked OK, as the obvious “strong men” were Ace McDermott, and Matt from AABC. While warming up, the group discussed keeping the group together by riding easy when necessary, so stragglers were not left by themselves as dark fell. This was sounding promising to the wheelsucker! None-the-less, the wheelsucker rode at the back, warmed up slowly and conserved energy as best he could. The trouble with riding at the back is that sometimes “the devil takes the hindmost”, and sure enough, at the left from Patuxent Parkway onto Queen Anne Bridge Road, an oncoming right-of-way car caused Stu Waring and the wheelsucker to slow to wait for the car to pass, while the peleton rolled up QABR.. But this was a both aware and friendly driver -- apparently quite rare in these parts -- and he waved them across. The wheelsucker decided that he needed to move up on the peleton, and surged forward catching and then passing the main group and then catching a group of three slightly off the front, just as QABR pitched up a little. For a brief moment the wheelsucker was in danger of actually LEADING the peleton, but he quickly established himself behind Ted Harris, who pulled all the way up QABR, and pulled off at the turn onto Wayson Road, leaving the wheelsucker at the front unprotected. While you may be concerned with the wheelsucker’s predicament, the wheelsucker was not, because knowing the Tuesday/Thursday route VERY well, he knew that pulling downhill on Wayson Road was about the easiest part of the ride. The trick is to not be tired and out of breath when you get to the two rollers! So the wheelsucker did his fast-but-easy pull all the way to the rollers, and even led up the first roller, before Matt from AABC went hammering by. “Damn all young and stronger riders!”, thought the wheelsucker to himself. Then several more riders went by including some who were older than the wheelsucker. The wheelsucker did what wheelsuckers do best, grabbed a wheel and hung on. The second roller is easier, and the wheelsucker was still near the front of the group at the top, with AABC Matt slightly off the front. It turns out that the wheelsucker and his lightest CAAD9-in-the-world go downhill quite well, and the wheelsucker coasted past a couple of riders before slowing for the turn onto Harwood. The pressure was off, as the group had caught Matt. The climb up Harwood was looking good for a conservative wheelsucker until Matt went AGAIN. Now if there is one thing the wheelsucker cannot stand it is … well, maybe if there are TWO things the wheelsucker cannot stand, they are a) being dropped and b) someone from another team beating up on a Tuesday/Thursday training ride. The wheelsucker would be DAMNED if the only rider not wearing Latitude kit was going to ride off the front…. The wheelsucker grabbed a wheel after the top of Harwood, caught his breath, and then when it was his turn to pull he PUT THE HAMMER DOWN! Well, put the hammer down for the wheelsucker; you may not have actually noticed. But slowly, imperceptibly, the wheelsucker’s pace increased, along with the group behind him, and they reeled in the offending Matt shortly before route 2. The pace was fast down route 2, and at the false flat a couple or riders finally shook loose, but the peleton slowed after turning onto Harwood so they could catch back on. Steve Owens was riding his TT bike and was taking LOOOONG pulls. Matt went AGAIN on one of the rollers on Bayard, but Steve stepped it up and the group caught him. Matt has an annoying habit of falling back and then just riding alongside instead of grabbing a wheel. The wheelsucker wishes he were strong enough to do that. Matt’s move made the wheelsucker remember the workout description from his coach.
Group ride. Ride how you feel today: If tired, sit in at CP90-CP180; if fresh, ride race effort. Be smart.
The wheelsucker thought it would be smart to attack on a hill, now that Steve had been pulling for at least 5 minutes and had had to chase Matt down, and the pace was slowing. So the wheelsucker jumped hard at the bottom of the next climb, stood in the pedals, and HAMMERED (well, hammered for the wheelsucker) to the top of the hill, and then breathing hard, pushed hard down the other side. The wheelsucker was just starting to enjoy his mental image of him off the front, when to his shock, surprise and horror, he realized:
a) he was spent
b) Ace, Aaron, Matt, Steve and Tom had caught him and were on his wheel
c) that they were doing 36 mph and there was no way the wheelsucker was going to catch the last wheel!
The wheelsucker watched them roll away and looked around for help. The next two riders went by too fast for him to get on, but he managed to speed it up, gradually catch one of them, and then as the leaders sat up, caught on. It was a near thing!
What was impressive was that most of the riders, including the amazing Amanda Wu, Alex Pline and Ted Harris, were sticking with the lead group.
After lots of wheelsucking for the last bit of Bayard and most of Sands road (with one good pull on a false flat that the wheelsucker was quite proud of), the group came to the dip and climb before the left turn onto Pautuxtent Parkway. Having quite forgotten what happened the last time he went, the wheelsucker drafted down the hill and part way up the other side while Matt exerted himself at the front. Then the wheelsucker jumped HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and sprinted for the top of the hill. He won the sprint (probably because no one else was sprinting) and then slowed for the left turn, while Ace and Matt cut the corner and started hammering down Patuxent Parkway. A frustrated wheelsucker coasted down the hill as the gap opened, waiting for help. And help finally arrived when the strong and youthful (well, youthful compared to the wheelsucker) Stu Waring decided he was going to heroically close the gap to the leaders, which he did, with the wheelsucker glued to his rear wheel. The wheelsucker cut inside Stu at the right turn at the bottom of the hill and then passed Ace and Matt when Ace sat up. Thinking he was being given a gift, the wheelsucker tried to pace himself up the climb, was doing fine, and then stood for the steeper part at the top. Just about then Ace with, whoa, WTF? Alex Pline, stuck on his wheel, pushed the pace, and the wheelsucker could not get on, and watched as more of the group flew by. Once again looking for help the wheelsucker found a wheel, hung on, and then let himself be towed up to the leaders. The light at 214 turned green as the lead group approached and they all hammered through. The wheelsucker carefully sat up and got to the back of the line. The pace was high from 214 to the finish, and the wheelsucker was unable to avoid taking a pull or two, so did his usual short-and-fast pull.
Shortly before the finish Ace took a pull and as he was sliding back on the left, motioned to the wheelsucker to open a gap so Ace could jump in. Always ready to let a strong rider in ahead of him, the wheelsucker agreeably opened a gap. Ace motioned to his rear wheel. Any wheelsucker understands an invitation to grab a wheel, so the wheelsucker clamped himself remora-like to Ace’s rear wheel. Ace was third wheel on the last dip, behind the hard working duo of Stu Waring and Alex Pline, and at the start of the false flat/climb to the finish with the wheelsucker still clamped to his rear wheel. Stu and Alex's leadout work done, Ace shifted into a bigger gear and did that amazing Ace move of inexorably accelerating in a big gear. The wheelsucker was spinning hard to stay on his wheel and then realized to his horror that he was going to lose Ace’s wheel! The wheelsucker, desperate to hold on, stood up and pedaled HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and somehow stayed on Ace’s wheel, while Ace checked now and then to make sure he had not lost the wheelsucker. Meanwhile Matt, the only one on the ride not in Latitude kit, was on the wheelsucker’s wheel. Ace was going 30mph (as reported later) toward the finish with the wheelsucker holding on for grim death. No one else could hold the pace, so the three sped for the line by themselves. Then just before the line, Ace flicked his elbow and pulled off, and to make sure the wheelsucker could get by before the line, sat up and probably braked. The wheelsucker was giving it all the 450 watts or so he had and slid by, while Matt tried to go around him, and Ace yelling encouragement to the wheelsucker. Matt was now overlapped to the left and gaining fast, but Ace had timed it perfectly and Matt did not have the time or distance to go by. The wheelsucker did his best imitation of throwing his bike across the line like the real pro sprinters do, and crossed first, with Matt half a bike length back.
What a TRIUMPH this was, but not really for the wheelsucker. It was Ace’s triumph for setting it up and pulling off so late Matt did not have time to go around the wheelsucker.
The wheelsucker was so spent he was barely able to stay on his bike and pedal up the bump to the Governor Bridge road intersection.
Matt quickly caught his breath and pounded his way up the hill towards 424, while the wheelsucker working with Tom Aga and Steve Owens tried to reel him back. Just before reaching 424, the wheelsucker (riding third wheel most of the way up) went around them and managed to catch Matt who was now coasting down 424 to the Park & Ride.
From first crossing the start line back to the finish line: 01:01:51, 212 watts, 24.36 mph, 144bpm.
In any case, a tired, and stressed wheelsucker was very much looking forward to the Thursday training ride, IF he could get off work in time.
It was a near-thing, but the wheelsucker made it before the smallish peleton rolled out of the Park & Ride. Being careful, the wheelsucker ALWAYS considers who is on the ride to assess how hard it will be and what the risks might be. This ride looked OK, as the obvious “strong men” were Ace McDermott, and Matt from AABC. While warming up, the group discussed keeping the group together by riding easy when necessary, so stragglers were not left by themselves as dark fell. This was sounding promising to the wheelsucker! None-the-less, the wheelsucker rode at the back, warmed up slowly and conserved energy as best he could. The trouble with riding at the back is that sometimes “the devil takes the hindmost”, and sure enough, at the left from Patuxent Parkway onto Queen Anne Bridge Road, an oncoming right-of-way car caused Stu Waring and the wheelsucker to slow to wait for the car to pass, while the peleton rolled up QABR.. But this was a both aware and friendly driver -- apparently quite rare in these parts -- and he waved them across. The wheelsucker decided that he needed to move up on the peleton, and surged forward catching and then passing the main group and then catching a group of three slightly off the front, just as QABR pitched up a little. For a brief moment the wheelsucker was in danger of actually LEADING the peleton, but he quickly established himself behind Ted Harris, who pulled all the way up QABR, and pulled off at the turn onto Wayson Road, leaving the wheelsucker at the front unprotected. While you may be concerned with the wheelsucker’s predicament, the wheelsucker was not, because knowing the Tuesday/Thursday route VERY well, he knew that pulling downhill on Wayson Road was about the easiest part of the ride. The trick is to not be tired and out of breath when you get to the two rollers! So the wheelsucker did his fast-but-easy pull all the way to the rollers, and even led up the first roller, before Matt from AABC went hammering by. “Damn all young and stronger riders!”, thought the wheelsucker to himself. Then several more riders went by including some who were older than the wheelsucker. The wheelsucker did what wheelsuckers do best, grabbed a wheel and hung on. The second roller is easier, and the wheelsucker was still near the front of the group at the top, with AABC Matt slightly off the front. It turns out that the wheelsucker and his lightest CAAD9-in-the-world go downhill quite well, and the wheelsucker coasted past a couple of riders before slowing for the turn onto Harwood. The pressure was off, as the group had caught Matt. The climb up Harwood was looking good for a conservative wheelsucker until Matt went AGAIN. Now if there is one thing the wheelsucker cannot stand it is … well, maybe if there are TWO things the wheelsucker cannot stand, they are a) being dropped and b) someone from another team beating up on a Tuesday/Thursday training ride. The wheelsucker would be DAMNED if the only rider not wearing Latitude kit was going to ride off the front…. The wheelsucker grabbed a wheel after the top of Harwood, caught his breath, and then when it was his turn to pull he PUT THE HAMMER DOWN! Well, put the hammer down for the wheelsucker; you may not have actually noticed. But slowly, imperceptibly, the wheelsucker’s pace increased, along with the group behind him, and they reeled in the offending Matt shortly before route 2. The pace was fast down route 2, and at the false flat a couple or riders finally shook loose, but the peleton slowed after turning onto Harwood so they could catch back on. Steve Owens was riding his TT bike and was taking LOOOONG pulls. Matt went AGAIN on one of the rollers on Bayard, but Steve stepped it up and the group caught him. Matt has an annoying habit of falling back and then just riding alongside instead of grabbing a wheel. The wheelsucker wishes he were strong enough to do that. Matt’s move made the wheelsucker remember the workout description from his coach.
Group ride. Ride how you feel today: If tired, sit in at CP90-CP180; if fresh, ride race effort. Be smart.
The wheelsucker thought it would be smart to attack on a hill, now that Steve had been pulling for at least 5 minutes and had had to chase Matt down, and the pace was slowing. So the wheelsucker jumped hard at the bottom of the next climb, stood in the pedals, and HAMMERED (well, hammered for the wheelsucker) to the top of the hill, and then breathing hard, pushed hard down the other side. The wheelsucker was just starting to enjoy his mental image of him off the front, when to his shock, surprise and horror, he realized:
a) he was spent
b) Ace, Aaron, Matt, Steve and Tom had caught him and were on his wheel
c) that they were doing 36 mph and there was no way the wheelsucker was going to catch the last wheel!
The wheelsucker watched them roll away and looked around for help. The next two riders went by too fast for him to get on, but he managed to speed it up, gradually catch one of them, and then as the leaders sat up, caught on. It was a near thing!
What was impressive was that most of the riders, including the amazing Amanda Wu, Alex Pline and Ted Harris, were sticking with the lead group.
After lots of wheelsucking for the last bit of Bayard and most of Sands road (with one good pull on a false flat that the wheelsucker was quite proud of), the group came to the dip and climb before the left turn onto Pautuxtent Parkway. Having quite forgotten what happened the last time he went, the wheelsucker drafted down the hill and part way up the other side while Matt exerted himself at the front. Then the wheelsucker jumped HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and sprinted for the top of the hill. He won the sprint (probably because no one else was sprinting) and then slowed for the left turn, while Ace and Matt cut the corner and started hammering down Patuxent Parkway. A frustrated wheelsucker coasted down the hill as the gap opened, waiting for help. And help finally arrived when the strong and youthful (well, youthful compared to the wheelsucker) Stu Waring decided he was going to heroically close the gap to the leaders, which he did, with the wheelsucker glued to his rear wheel. The wheelsucker cut inside Stu at the right turn at the bottom of the hill and then passed Ace and Matt when Ace sat up. Thinking he was being given a gift, the wheelsucker tried to pace himself up the climb, was doing fine, and then stood for the steeper part at the top. Just about then Ace with, whoa, WTF? Alex Pline, stuck on his wheel, pushed the pace, and the wheelsucker could not get on, and watched as more of the group flew by. Once again looking for help the wheelsucker found a wheel, hung on, and then let himself be towed up to the leaders. The light at 214 turned green as the lead group approached and they all hammered through. The wheelsucker carefully sat up and got to the back of the line. The pace was high from 214 to the finish, and the wheelsucker was unable to avoid taking a pull or two, so did his usual short-and-fast pull.
Shortly before the finish Ace took a pull and as he was sliding back on the left, motioned to the wheelsucker to open a gap so Ace could jump in. Always ready to let a strong rider in ahead of him, the wheelsucker agreeably opened a gap. Ace motioned to his rear wheel. Any wheelsucker understands an invitation to grab a wheel, so the wheelsucker clamped himself remora-like to Ace’s rear wheel. Ace was third wheel on the last dip, behind the hard working duo of Stu Waring and Alex Pline, and at the start of the false flat/climb to the finish with the wheelsucker still clamped to his rear wheel. Stu and Alex's leadout work done, Ace shifted into a bigger gear and did that amazing Ace move of inexorably accelerating in a big gear. The wheelsucker was spinning hard to stay on his wheel and then realized to his horror that he was going to lose Ace’s wheel! The wheelsucker, desperate to hold on, stood up and pedaled HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and somehow stayed on Ace’s wheel, while Ace checked now and then to make sure he had not lost the wheelsucker. Meanwhile Matt, the only one on the ride not in Latitude kit, was on the wheelsucker’s wheel. Ace was going 30mph (as reported later) toward the finish with the wheelsucker holding on for grim death. No one else could hold the pace, so the three sped for the line by themselves. Then just before the line, Ace flicked his elbow and pulled off, and to make sure the wheelsucker could get by before the line, sat up and probably braked. The wheelsucker was giving it all the 450 watts or so he had and slid by, while Matt tried to go around him, and Ace yelling encouragement to the wheelsucker. Matt was now overlapped to the left and gaining fast, but Ace had timed it perfectly and Matt did not have the time or distance to go by. The wheelsucker did his best imitation of throwing his bike across the line like the real pro sprinters do, and crossed first, with Matt half a bike length back.
What a TRIUMPH this was, but not really for the wheelsucker. It was Ace’s triumph for setting it up and pulling off so late Matt did not have time to go around the wheelsucker.
The wheelsucker was so spent he was barely able to stay on his bike and pedal up the bump to the Governor Bridge road intersection.
Matt quickly caught his breath and pounded his way up the hill towards 424, while the wheelsucker working with Tom Aga and Steve Owens tried to reel him back. Just before reaching 424, the wheelsucker (riding third wheel most of the way up) went around them and managed to catch Matt who was now coasting down 424 to the Park & Ride.
From first crossing the start line back to the finish line: 01:01:51, 212 watts, 24.36 mph, 144bpm.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday September 16 Training Ride: The Wheelsucker Report
The wheelsucker has been told that alcohol is not good for cyclists. Some of the riders on the Tuesday/Thursday claim to not drink at all, or to drink very rarely. While the wheelsucker vehemently denies being an alcoholic (realizing that some people claim denial is a symptom), he is known to enjoy a glass or two of wine, or some dark rum, preferably Goslings Black Seal. At the wheelsucker’s advanced age it seems to be easier to resist this sort of temptation, and the wheelsucker claims he rarely drinks too much. But there are exceptions. Monday night was such an exception, without going into details, the wheelsucker drank more than normal, crashed on a friends couch, and did not sleep well. The next day went fine with assistance from extra shots of espresso in the latte, but sitting in an office working is not quite as demanding as riding the Tuesday Kill or be Killed (KOBK) training ride, so the wheelsucker was worried.
Sure enough, the wheelsucker realized he was struggling as soon as the peleton turned onto Rossback road going DOWNHILL towards the turn where Rossback becomes Patuxent Parkway. Not long after that the wheelsucker started to wonder if he was going to toss his cookies, then he started to wonder if he would feel worse or better if he did. The wheelsucker seriously considered turning around and going home, but it occurred to him that the increase in HR and metabolic rate from the exercise would probably clean out the remaining hangover effects, and tossing his cookies might not be the end of the world.
The wheelsucker struggled on, initially riding at the back and wheelsucking, later taking a few short lame jumps and eventually feeling a little better and even taking some pulls.
It was a small group. The Doetsch turned up, but went off on his own doing monster TT intervals, so Ace was the only strong man on the ride. An AABC’er named Matt (I think) was jumping every now and then. The wheelsucker was not going to accept the one guy on the ride NOT in Latitude colors riding off the front, so had to ramp it up and pull the group back to him. A few riders had been dropped from the group, and we were down to about nine riders, including the amazing Amanda Wu.
Shortly before crossing 214, as we closed in on the finish, Super Sue joined; apparently we had left the Park & Ride just a few minutes before she arrived, so she rode around and then jumped in as we came by.
Matt jumped at least one more time between 214 and the finish, but was reeled in. Then at the bottom of the penultimate (that means the one before the last one) dip, the wheelsucker was riding second wheel behind Steve Owens, and Matt had finished his pull and was trying to hook up at the back of the lead pack. The wheelsucker, recalling doing this move on an earlier Tuesday ride and splitting the pack jumped HARD at the bottom and HAMMERED up the little hill and HARD off the top. OK, for context, that was HARD by wheelsucker standards… to the wheelsucker’s great surprise and disappointment, when he looked back, he could see wheels on his. It turns out he DID shake loose the back of the lead pack, including Matt, but not Ace, Chris, Tom Aga, or even Steve Owens. This group did a few rotations and then, inexplicably, slowed down enough coming into the sprint that Matt CAUGHT BACK ON!!!! Ace was taking a pull and Matt jumped again, the wheelsucker figured Ace would catch him before the finish and stayed glued to Ace’s wheel, with others behind him. Sure enough Ace caught Matt easily enough (Matt was somewhere between dead and dying) and then instead of going by, slowed down to ride his wheel. So the wheelsucker had to slow down, so everyone riding behind the wheelsucker had to slow down. So the entire group, with Matt leading, is now going up the false flat to the finish IN SLOW MOTION. Finally Chris jumped and Ace jumped and the wheelsucker was immediately gapped, but giving it everything he had (too damned little!) but went by Matt who was basically road kill at this point. Ace won the sprint, Chris second, wheelsucker third.
Numbers (the interval is from the Park & Ride all the way back to the finish line)
Average speed 22.97mph, HR 141bpm (max as 170, nearly the aging wheelsucker’s actual max), average power 197 watts.
Sure enough, the wheelsucker realized he was struggling as soon as the peleton turned onto Rossback road going DOWNHILL towards the turn where Rossback becomes Patuxent Parkway. Not long after that the wheelsucker started to wonder if he was going to toss his cookies, then he started to wonder if he would feel worse or better if he did. The wheelsucker seriously considered turning around and going home, but it occurred to him that the increase in HR and metabolic rate from the exercise would probably clean out the remaining hangover effects, and tossing his cookies might not be the end of the world.
The wheelsucker struggled on, initially riding at the back and wheelsucking, later taking a few short lame jumps and eventually feeling a little better and even taking some pulls.
It was a small group. The Doetsch turned up, but went off on his own doing monster TT intervals, so Ace was the only strong man on the ride. An AABC’er named Matt (I think) was jumping every now and then. The wheelsucker was not going to accept the one guy on the ride NOT in Latitude colors riding off the front, so had to ramp it up and pull the group back to him. A few riders had been dropped from the group, and we were down to about nine riders, including the amazing Amanda Wu.
Shortly before crossing 214, as we closed in on the finish, Super Sue joined; apparently we had left the Park & Ride just a few minutes before she arrived, so she rode around and then jumped in as we came by.
Matt jumped at least one more time between 214 and the finish, but was reeled in. Then at the bottom of the penultimate (that means the one before the last one) dip, the wheelsucker was riding second wheel behind Steve Owens, and Matt had finished his pull and was trying to hook up at the back of the lead pack. The wheelsucker, recalling doing this move on an earlier Tuesday ride and splitting the pack jumped HARD at the bottom and HAMMERED up the little hill and HARD off the top. OK, for context, that was HARD by wheelsucker standards… to the wheelsucker’s great surprise and disappointment, when he looked back, he could see wheels on his. It turns out he DID shake loose the back of the lead pack, including Matt, but not Ace, Chris, Tom Aga, or even Steve Owens. This group did a few rotations and then, inexplicably, slowed down enough coming into the sprint that Matt CAUGHT BACK ON!!!! Ace was taking a pull and Matt jumped again, the wheelsucker figured Ace would catch him before the finish and stayed glued to Ace’s wheel, with others behind him. Sure enough Ace caught Matt easily enough (Matt was somewhere between dead and dying) and then instead of going by, slowed down to ride his wheel. So the wheelsucker had to slow down, so everyone riding behind the wheelsucker had to slow down. So the entire group, with Matt leading, is now going up the false flat to the finish IN SLOW MOTION. Finally Chris jumped and Ace jumped and the wheelsucker was immediately gapped, but giving it everything he had (too damned little!) but went by Matt who was basically road kill at this point. Ace won the sprint, Chris second, wheelsucker third.
Numbers (the interval is from the Park & Ride all the way back to the finish line)
Average speed 22.97mph, HR 141bpm (max as 170, nearly the aging wheelsucker’s actual max), average power 197 watts.
Silly Season (Again)
A couple of months after the wheelsucker started doing training rides with Latitude/ABRT (that was in August of 2006, so about September or October of 2006), the wheelsucker read a very interesting post on the Latitude/ABRT website entitled "Silly Season", about people switching teams, thinking about switching teams, talking about switching teams, spreading rumors about who else was moving, and so on. The post was written by Wendy Ulmer, then with ABRT, but more recently Masters Nationals bronze medalist, riding with Team CycleLife. Wendy reposted it on her blog because... well because not much has changed in two years, and we appear to be in silly season once again!
While the wheelsucker has only ridden for one team during his very short bicycle racing career (as per Groucho Marx, it is not clear anyone else would have him), the wheelsucker does find talk of switching teams a little strange. After all, it is NOT like Johan Bruyneel is calling you and offering you more money. I mean c'mon, he has Alberto, Levi and probably Lance Armstrong on the squad, unless Armstrong signs with Latitude, and he does not need you, even if you are one of the top up and coming cat 3s in MABRA, or are a potential threat at the master's level.
The wheelsucker plans on staying with Latitude (it is not like he has received a lot of offers), but it sure would be weird going with another team and then showing up for a Tuesday/Thursday ride in another team's kit. On the other hand, if Johan calls, I'm outta here.
While the wheelsucker has only ridden for one team during his very short bicycle racing career (as per Groucho Marx, it is not clear anyone else would have him), the wheelsucker does find talk of switching teams a little strange. After all, it is NOT like Johan Bruyneel is calling you and offering you more money. I mean c'mon, he has Alberto, Levi and probably Lance Armstrong on the squad, unless Armstrong signs with Latitude, and he does not need you, even if you are one of the top up and coming cat 3s in MABRA, or are a potential threat at the master's level.
The wheelsucker plans on staying with Latitude (it is not like he has received a lot of offers), but it sure would be weird going with another team and then showing up for a Tuesday/Thursday ride in another team's kit. On the other hand, if Johan calls, I'm outta here.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sunday September 14th Turkey Day: A Wheelsucker Special Report
The wheelsucker registers for every event that offers MABRA BAR 50+ points, and does very few other events. But not having raced a mass start race since the Reston Grand Prix, and memories of that race (which did not go well for the wheelsucker) having faded, the wheelsucker was considering signing up for a second race at Turkey Day. Having recently been upgraded to a cat 3, the 1,2,3 race looked interesting, but it was rather late in the afternoon, while the 50+ was at 10:20AM. Then Steve Doetschman announced that he was going to race the 40+. With other teammates registered for the 40+ that looked to be more fun, so the wheelsucker registered for the 40+ and not the 1,2,3 race.
Knowing that Bobby Phillips was looking for support from the team to help put the event on, the wheelsucker arrived early, and got to both watch the earliest races and warm up well (Bobby told the Wheelsucker that he would be put to work AFTER his races). It was very cool to watch the younger juniors race a few laps, under the watchful eyes of their parents. While watching two young brothers in action near the back of the strung out group, I asked their father if they knew about "grabbing a wheel", he replied that he wanted them far away from anyone else's rear wheel, so he was not encouraging them to draft.
In the older junior’s race, Tom MacKay was being marked by most of the field. Aaron Canale was able to ride off the front and ended up 4th, while Tom ended up 6th in a tough race.
Sue Estes wrote a much better report on the junior races:
Sue also took some great photos, posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7226860@N06/sets.
President Shapter posted images at http://web.mac.com/dshapter/iWeb/mac%20site/Turkey%20Day.html.
And "TrackSean" posted images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7243760@N04/sets/72157607346461651/.
Jim Wilson is working on his; they are posted at http://images.jamesrwilson.com/p90514298/
The cat 5 race was next. ABRT had a large and strong team which included some riders with limited racing experience, but who were strong on the Tuesday/Thursday training rides. The squad came up with a plan, worked hard to implement the plan (which was to have Stu Waring go off the front and time trial away, while the rest of the team blocked). Stu ended up going off the front half a lap before he wanted to, as when following a team mate's wheel he found himself off the front. Stu went hard, but was caught soon after. He went again at the base of the hill (where he had planned to go), but had not given himself enough time to rest, was caught, and lost touch with the leaders. While the race did not go Stu's way, the squad still had cards to play. At the sprint, an arguably still-hung-over (long story, ask Ty or Amanda) Ty Wu was 5th, with another couple of Latitude riders in the top 15. We have some cat 5 riders with real potential! Check out the race video.
The wheelsucker missed seeing most of the cat 5 race as he was riding laps on the reverse course, warming up easily, while trying not to expend too much of his limited strength. It was fun cheering the squad each time we met on the course.
Next up was a combined 50+, 60+ and 70+ field, (the has beens, old bastards and near dead, as the Wheelsucker muttered at the start line) racing together, scored separately, in a short twelve lap race. The wheelsucker's concerns over BAR points were alleviated when he could not see Paul Mittelstadt, or the other usual DC Velo riders, at the start line. The wheelsucker and Mittelstadt are in a close battle for BAR points, and Mittelstadt being a no show made the Wheelsucker's goals more straightforward.
The Baltimore Bullet (aka Bobby Phillips) was too busy running Turkey Day to race the 60+, but this race had a neutral lap, led by the man himself. Several riders jumped around the lead pack to ride next to Bobby during the neutral lap. Bobby pulled off about 4/5 of the way around, and one rider took off immediately, while the rest of the pack waited until they rolled across the start/finish line, as instructed. The early jumper was reeled in quickly enough, and soon went OTB. The race was basically a series of attacks, as single riders or small groups tried to open a gap. Most prominent amongst the "jumpers" was Mark Sommers, but Art Brown and the wheelsucker were getting into most of the breaks, and were never in a position of having to close a gap by themselves. But despite not having to chase hard, the wheelsucker was tiring... With about five laps to go, the repeated attacks had slimmed down the field to a lead group of about nine riders. On the hill, Mark Sommers countered as a brief attack was brought back, and jumped on the right side. At the same moment Phil Hepburn jumped on the left. The wheelsucker was riding second or third wheel and was well positioned when he saw the attacks and heard Art Brown's yells of encouragement, "Get on it! Get on it!!!". The Wheelsucker gave it what little he had left and chased after Sommers and Hepburn. They were flying, and it took the Wheelsucker a little distance (to the top of the hill and around the curve) and time to get to them, but he made it.
The wheelsucker learned afterwards that most of the rest of the lead group were keying on Art, who immediately sat up to help the Wheelsucker get up to Sommers and Hepburn by himself, while strong rider Tom Bain was blocked by a DC Velo 60+ rider who was helping Mark Sommers out.
The wheelsucker was so blown by his effort to catch on with Sommers and Hepburn that he was skipping pulls. Then in a Faustian bargain, he told them he would not sprint, just please don't drop him. The Wheelsucker was so done in, that he figured at 3rd would be great, while being dropped and falling back to the chase group would mean sprinting with them, and finishing further back. Hepburn is a strong sprinter and good on the flat, while Sommers is a machine who has lapped the 50+ field in crits this year. They powered the break, towing the wheelsucker, well clear of the chase. Once the Wheelsucker had recovered, he took a few Wheelsucker-style short fast pulls, stayed paranoid about being dropped and tried to remember to check the lap counter each time past the finish line. With most of the oxygen he was breathing being routed directly to his legs, the wheelsucker's oxygen-starved brain was having trouble processing key information. Apart from working too hard, he was having trouble remembering how many laps to go, despite reading the placard on each lap. But as the laps counted down, the wheelsucker’s mantra was "gotta hang on for third... gotta hang on for third... gotta hang on for third..." A couple of times the wheelsucker risked a quick glance back, and could not see a chase close behind. With two laps to go, things were looking good. With one lap to go, and no chase close behind, the Wheelsucker started to let himself believe.
Recalling his promise to not sprint, the Wheelsucker said he would do leadout, but this really turned into just taking the last pull into the last turn, as the Wheelsucker did not have enough left to actually accelerate. Mark Sommers slid by at the turn. The wheelsucker expected Mark and Phil to sprint for the finish, with the wheelsucker trying to grab a wheel and coast in just behind, or at least roll across before the chase got near. But neither Mark nor Phil went. The wheelsucker even waved Phil by him, but Phil refused, and the three rolled across nose to tail, with Mark taking the win, the wheelsucker taking second (his best mass start race finish yet) and Phil Hepburn 3rd. Behind them the legendary Art Brown took the pack sprint for 4th. For the entire race the wheelsucker could hear his teammates cheering him on, even though he was so focused, he never looked up to see who was yelling his name.
After a few cooldown laps discussing the race with Art, the wheelsucker gratefully got off his bike and rested. Even while cooling down, the wheelsucker was being congratulated by Latitude teammates. One would think he had won the race, instead of making a bargain to not be dropped out of the break!
The next race was the women's cat 4. The Wheelsucker was warming up and receiving instructions from the Doetsch, so did not see any of this race. He did hear from the amazing Amanda Wu while she was cooling down that she was 6th. WAY TO GO, AMANDA!! The wheelsucker later learned that Amanda had been powering the break to keep it away, and so was tired out for the sprint finish.
The 40+ was a large field. The wheelsucker had been given a very specific task -- to mark a particular Immediate Mortgage rider -- along with specifics like, "Don't take ANY pulls with him, unless you are more than one block clear." The pace started off civilized, with Latitude in a paceline at the front controlling the race. That lasted about 3/4 of a lap before the attacks started. Trying to do just one thing, stay on a particular rear wheel, suited the wheelsucker's tired and oxygen deprived brain. But even that task was hard to do in the middle of the pack. The wheelsucker found himself straining to accelerate with his target, and was working hard to stay on his wheel when the target was in the pack. Occasionally Ramon would show up and push the wheelsucker off the target's wheel, or simply the press of the pack would do it. The target would get away, and the wheelsucker would have to wait for a chance to get to one side of the pack, power past a few riders, and tuck in ahead or alongside the target and then drift back to his wheel. This went on lap after lap, with the target and the remora-like wheelsucker sometimes near the front, and sometimes buried mid pack. Two or three times the target got clear and jumped with the wheelsucker unable to get to him. During the first, the target made it up to a chase group that was trying to catch the leaders, but the pack reeled the chase in, and the wheelsucker reattached to his target. The second was with one or two laps to go, the wheelsucker was pushed off his target's wheel by the crowd, the target jumped, and the wheelsucker was blocked. The target got clear, and a knackered wheelsucker could not get to him, but tried to convince himself that the target could not possibly get up to the break with so little distance left in the race. The wheelsucker soft pedaled the last lap rather than struggle for a 15-20 placing. Later it turned out that the target had made it up to the break earlier in the race, but Doetsch and Mike King had dropped him. The target's efforts on the last lap or two got him near enough to the front of the pack that he was able to sprint for a decent pack finish, but the two man break was well clear and The Doetsch won the sprint to take the win.
The Wheelsucker was -- and is -- in awe of how strong the really strong guys like Doetsch, Ace and Ramon are.
Though the wheelsucker was almost completely focused on the target's rear wheel, other Latitude team members drifted into his narrow field of vision during the race. Steve Owens, Andreas Gutzeit and Doug Milliken were all working hard in the race, though the wheelsucker had no idea what their missions were.
After another few cooldown laps and a quick discussion with the wheelsucker's bike engineer/mechanic/mentor about the creaking noises the bike was making when the wheelsucker pushed hard (hard for the wheelsucker) on the pedals, the wheelsucker staggered back to his car, and changed out of his drenched uniform. The rest of the afternoon went by in a hot daze. The area under the two team tents were a little Oasis of shade and relative coolness; it was great hanging out with the team and cheering team mates on and watching close sprints. Writing of sprints, check out this video of the cat 4 finish, and try to figure out which rider is Fabrizio. The wheelsucker had to leave before the 1,2,3 race, but heard afterwards that Doug Milliken finished the race with the pack. AWESOME JOB DOUG!
So a great day of racing for ABRT, and an awesome job of putting an event on by Bobby Phillips. Since the Wheelsucker finished "in the turkeys", he collected a still-frozen-in-the-center turkey and a bag of schwag from event sponsors. Bobby, thanks VERY much for putting this event on each year.
Results on Bikereg.com
ABRT Finishes: Keep in mind that many riders were riding in support of team mates rather than working to get the best finish they could. Congratulations to all the Latitude riders who raced!
Pro 1-2-3:
29 20 DOUG MILLIKEN LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 3-4 Men:
3 322 MIKE HEFNER LATITUDE/ABRT
11 303 DAVE BRADSHAW ABRT/LATITUDE
18 334 LUKE MYSKO ABRT
20 318 ANDREAS GUTZEIT ABRT - LATITUDE
Cat 4 Men:
7 443 FABRIZIO ROMAN LATITUDE/ABRT
19 413 AARON CANALE TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 5 Men:
5 385 TY WU LATITUDE/ABRT
9 372 KYLE PITMAN ABRT
10 373 ALEX PLINE ABRT
17 336 CHRIS ADAIR ABRT/LATITUDE
25 347 JERRY CHAPMON LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 4 Women:
6 79 AMANDA WU ANNAPOLIS
Junior 15-18 boys:
4 70 AARON CANALE TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
7 75 THOMAS MACKAY ABRT/LATITUDE
17 77 BROWN NICK ABRT/LATITUDE
18 80 JAMES RUSH LATITUDE/ABRT
Junior 10-14 Boys:
10 76 ETHAN FALSONE ABRT/LATITUDE
13 75 THOMAS FALSONE ABRT/LATITUDE
30+ Men:
6 7 CHIP HOOVER LATITUDE/ABRT
18 9 STEVE OWENS LATITUDE/ABRT
40+ Men:
1 34 STEVEN DOETSCHMAN LATTITUDE
4 8 ANDREAS GUTZEIT ABRT - LATITUDE
20 50 GUY PERUTTI ABRT
23 35 MATTHEW ALBANESE ABRT
29 19 ALEXANDER MELLER LATITUDE/ABRT
31 22 STEVE OWENS LATITUDE/ABRT
33 20 DOUG MILLIKEN LATITUDE/ABRT
50+ Men:
2 51 ALEXANDER MELLER ABRT/LATITUDE
4 60 ART BROWN LATTITUDE
12 36 TOM AGA ABRT/LATITUDE
16 44 TED HARRIS TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
60+ Men:
10 26 BEN WILLIAMS ABRT/TEAM LATITUDE
The wheelsucker would like to point out that BAR points go to 12th place in this race, so this was a very good day for a number of Latitude riders, and a great day for the team!
Knowing that Bobby Phillips was looking for support from the team to help put the event on, the wheelsucker arrived early, and got to both watch the earliest races and warm up well (Bobby told the Wheelsucker that he would be put to work AFTER his races). It was very cool to watch the younger juniors race a few laps, under the watchful eyes of their parents. While watching two young brothers in action near the back of the strung out group, I asked their father if they knew about "grabbing a wheel", he replied that he wanted them far away from anyone else's rear wheel, so he was not encouraging them to draft.
In the older junior’s race, Tom MacKay was being marked by most of the field. Aaron Canale was able to ride off the front and ended up 4th, while Tom ended up 6th in a tough race.
Sue Estes wrote a much better report on the junior races:
Some of you may have missed the early events of the day; the juniors were particularly exciting to watch. We had a crop of 3 brand new boys racing in Latitude jerseys (Ethan and Thomas in the 10-14 category, and Nick in the 15-18 category). There were only two bikes to share amongst the 3 boys (talk about a transition area between their races!?). Poor Tomas took a tumble before his race even began that required a trip to my first aid kit. But the new kids put forth a superb effort in their first race and I hope the ambiance was rewarding enough for them to want to come back next season and do it again. Those boys have *major* potential.
James, Tom, and Aaron lined up together for the second race of the day. James looked great and rode smooth and steady on his new bike- he has a great poker face out there, btw! Aaron and Tom put together some great tactics that forced the much larger NCVC squad into the react-and-respond role. Aaron blasted away from the field into an early breakaway that stuck! Only a few of the other juniors were able make the bridge and join him eventually. Aaron did the majority of the work, however, and this took its toll. He proceeded to take more hard pulls for the final few laps that certainly sapped his legs for the sprint- but his efforts also ensured that his group kept that gap on the rest of the field. He raced an AWESOME race!
Special thanks to Dennis for leaving home at the crack of dawn to help me set up the tent, chairs, and trainers, and also to help with helmet distribution and cheer on our juniors. Oh yeah... thanks to Stu for racing to the Park n Ride on Thursday night to get the tent to me in the first place; it was much needed on such a hot day-even at 8am! Also, a shout out to Jerry for loaning the boys his trainer and to Doug M. for helping Jesse's kids with those spare bike parts. Pics will be posted soon (probably tonight), but I was having some camera troubles- so not sure how they'll come out.
ALSO, not to forget! A HUGE thank you to Bobby Phillips for putting on such a favorite MABRA event year after year!
Cheers to all for your great efforts, volunteering, and results- so proud to be on this team!
Sue also took some great photos, posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7226860@N06/sets.
President Shapter posted images at http://web.mac.com/dshapter/iWeb/mac%20site/Turkey%20Day.html.
And "TrackSean" posted images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7243760@N04/sets/72157607346461651/.
Jim Wilson is working on his; they are posted at http://images.jamesrwilson.com/p90514298/
The cat 5 race was next. ABRT had a large and strong team which included some riders with limited racing experience, but who were strong on the Tuesday/Thursday training rides. The squad came up with a plan, worked hard to implement the plan (which was to have Stu Waring go off the front and time trial away, while the rest of the team blocked). Stu ended up going off the front half a lap before he wanted to, as when following a team mate's wheel he found himself off the front. Stu went hard, but was caught soon after. He went again at the base of the hill (where he had planned to go), but had not given himself enough time to rest, was caught, and lost touch with the leaders. While the race did not go Stu's way, the squad still had cards to play. At the sprint, an arguably still-hung-over (long story, ask Ty or Amanda) Ty Wu was 5th, with another couple of Latitude riders in the top 15. We have some cat 5 riders with real potential! Check out the race video.
The wheelsucker missed seeing most of the cat 5 race as he was riding laps on the reverse course, warming up easily, while trying not to expend too much of his limited strength. It was fun cheering the squad each time we met on the course.
Next up was a combined 50+, 60+ and 70+ field, (the has beens, old bastards and near dead, as the Wheelsucker muttered at the start line) racing together, scored separately, in a short twelve lap race. The wheelsucker's concerns over BAR points were alleviated when he could not see Paul Mittelstadt, or the other usual DC Velo riders, at the start line. The wheelsucker and Mittelstadt are in a close battle for BAR points, and Mittelstadt being a no show made the Wheelsucker's goals more straightforward.
The Baltimore Bullet (aka Bobby Phillips) was too busy running Turkey Day to race the 60+, but this race had a neutral lap, led by the man himself. Several riders jumped around the lead pack to ride next to Bobby during the neutral lap. Bobby pulled off about 4/5 of the way around, and one rider took off immediately, while the rest of the pack waited until they rolled across the start/finish line, as instructed. The early jumper was reeled in quickly enough, and soon went OTB. The race was basically a series of attacks, as single riders or small groups tried to open a gap. Most prominent amongst the "jumpers" was Mark Sommers, but Art Brown and the wheelsucker were getting into most of the breaks, and were never in a position of having to close a gap by themselves. But despite not having to chase hard, the wheelsucker was tiring... With about five laps to go, the repeated attacks had slimmed down the field to a lead group of about nine riders. On the hill, Mark Sommers countered as a brief attack was brought back, and jumped on the right side. At the same moment Phil Hepburn jumped on the left. The wheelsucker was riding second or third wheel and was well positioned when he saw the attacks and heard Art Brown's yells of encouragement, "Get on it! Get on it!!!". The Wheelsucker gave it what little he had left and chased after Sommers and Hepburn. They were flying, and it took the Wheelsucker a little distance (to the top of the hill and around the curve) and time to get to them, but he made it.
The wheelsucker learned afterwards that most of the rest of the lead group were keying on Art, who immediately sat up to help the Wheelsucker get up to Sommers and Hepburn by himself, while strong rider Tom Bain was blocked by a DC Velo 60+ rider who was helping Mark Sommers out.The wheelsucker was so blown by his effort to catch on with Sommers and Hepburn that he was skipping pulls. Then in a Faustian bargain, he told them he would not sprint, just please don't drop him. The Wheelsucker was so done in, that he figured at 3rd would be great, while being dropped and falling back to the chase group would mean sprinting with them, and finishing further back. Hepburn is a strong sprinter and good on the flat, while Sommers is a machine who has lapped the 50+ field in crits this year. They powered the break, towing the wheelsucker, well clear of the chase. Once the Wheelsucker had recovered, he took a few Wheelsucker-style short fast pulls, stayed paranoid about being dropped and tried to remember to check the lap counter each time past the finish line. With most of the oxygen he was breathing being routed directly to his legs, the wheelsucker's oxygen-starved brain was having trouble processing key information. Apart from working too hard, he was having trouble remembering how many laps to go, despite reading the placard on each lap. But as the laps counted down, the wheelsucker’s mantra was "gotta hang on for third... gotta hang on for third... gotta hang on for third..." A couple of times the wheelsucker risked a quick glance back, and could not see a chase close behind. With two laps to go, things were looking good. With one lap to go, and no chase close behind, the Wheelsucker started to let himself believe.
Recalling his promise to not sprint, the Wheelsucker said he would do leadout, but this really turned into just taking the last pull into the last turn, as the Wheelsucker did not have enough left to actually accelerate. Mark Sommers slid by at the turn. The wheelsucker expected Mark and Phil to sprint for the finish, with the wheelsucker trying to grab a wheel and coast in just behind, or at least roll across before the chase got near. But neither Mark nor Phil went. The wheelsucker even waved Phil by him, but Phil refused, and the three rolled across nose to tail, with Mark taking the win, the wheelsucker taking second (his best mass start race finish yet) and Phil Hepburn 3rd. Behind them the legendary Art Brown took the pack sprint for 4th. For the entire race the wheelsucker could hear his teammates cheering him on, even though he was so focused, he never looked up to see who was yelling his name.After a few cooldown laps discussing the race with Art, the wheelsucker gratefully got off his bike and rested. Even while cooling down, the wheelsucker was being congratulated by Latitude teammates. One would think he had won the race, instead of making a bargain to not be dropped out of the break!
The next race was the women's cat 4. The Wheelsucker was warming up and receiving instructions from the Doetsch, so did not see any of this race. He did hear from the amazing Amanda Wu while she was cooling down that she was 6th. WAY TO GO, AMANDA!! The wheelsucker later learned that Amanda had been powering the break to keep it away, and so was tired out for the sprint finish.
The 40+ was a large field. The wheelsucker had been given a very specific task -- to mark a particular Immediate Mortgage rider -- along with specifics like, "Don't take ANY pulls with him, unless you are more than one block clear." The pace started off civilized, with Latitude in a paceline at the front controlling the race. That lasted about 3/4 of a lap before the attacks started. Trying to do just one thing, stay on a particular rear wheel, suited the wheelsucker's tired and oxygen deprived brain. But even that task was hard to do in the middle of the pack. The wheelsucker found himself straining to accelerate with his target, and was working hard to stay on his wheel when the target was in the pack. Occasionally Ramon would show up and push the wheelsucker off the target's wheel, or simply the press of the pack would do it. The target would get away, and the wheelsucker would have to wait for a chance to get to one side of the pack, power past a few riders, and tuck in ahead or alongside the target and then drift back to his wheel. This went on lap after lap, with the target and the remora-like wheelsucker sometimes near the front, and sometimes buried mid pack. Two or three times the target got clear and jumped with the wheelsucker unable to get to him. During the first, the target made it up to a chase group that was trying to catch the leaders, but the pack reeled the chase in, and the wheelsucker reattached to his target. The second was with one or two laps to go, the wheelsucker was pushed off his target's wheel by the crowd, the target jumped, and the wheelsucker was blocked. The target got clear, and a knackered wheelsucker could not get to him, but tried to convince himself that the target could not possibly get up to the break with so little distance left in the race. The wheelsucker soft pedaled the last lap rather than struggle for a 15-20 placing. Later it turned out that the target had made it up to the break earlier in the race, but Doetsch and Mike King had dropped him. The target's efforts on the last lap or two got him near enough to the front of the pack that he was able to sprint for a decent pack finish, but the two man break was well clear and The Doetsch won the sprint to take the win.
The Wheelsucker was -- and is -- in awe of how strong the really strong guys like Doetsch, Ace and Ramon are.
Though the wheelsucker was almost completely focused on the target's rear wheel, other Latitude team members drifted into his narrow field of vision during the race. Steve Owens, Andreas Gutzeit and Doug Milliken were all working hard in the race, though the wheelsucker had no idea what their missions were.
After another few cooldown laps and a quick discussion with the wheelsucker's bike engineer/mechanic/mentor about the creaking noises the bike was making when the wheelsucker pushed hard (hard for the wheelsucker) on the pedals, the wheelsucker staggered back to his car, and changed out of his drenched uniform. The rest of the afternoon went by in a hot daze. The area under the two team tents were a little Oasis of shade and relative coolness; it was great hanging out with the team and cheering team mates on and watching close sprints. Writing of sprints, check out this video of the cat 4 finish, and try to figure out which rider is Fabrizio. The wheelsucker had to leave before the 1,2,3 race, but heard afterwards that Doug Milliken finished the race with the pack. AWESOME JOB DOUG!
So a great day of racing for ABRT, and an awesome job of putting an event on by Bobby Phillips. Since the Wheelsucker finished "in the turkeys", he collected a still-frozen-in-the-center turkey and a bag of schwag from event sponsors. Bobby, thanks VERY much for putting this event on each year.
Results on Bikereg.com
ABRT Finishes: Keep in mind that many riders were riding in support of team mates rather than working to get the best finish they could. Congratulations to all the Latitude riders who raced!
Pro 1-2-3:
29 20 DOUG MILLIKEN LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 3-4 Men:
3 322 MIKE HEFNER LATITUDE/ABRT
11 303 DAVE BRADSHAW ABRT/LATITUDE
18 334 LUKE MYSKO ABRT
20 318 ANDREAS GUTZEIT ABRT - LATITUDE
Cat 4 Men:
7 443 FABRIZIO ROMAN LATITUDE/ABRT
19 413 AARON CANALE TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 5 Men:
5 385 TY WU LATITUDE/ABRT
9 372 KYLE PITMAN ABRT
10 373 ALEX PLINE ABRT
17 336 CHRIS ADAIR ABRT/LATITUDE
25 347 JERRY CHAPMON LATITUDE/ABRT
Cat 4 Women:
6 79 AMANDA WU ANNAPOLIS
Junior 15-18 boys:
4 70 AARON CANALE TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
7 75 THOMAS MACKAY ABRT/LATITUDE
17 77 BROWN NICK ABRT/LATITUDE
18 80 JAMES RUSH LATITUDE/ABRT
Junior 10-14 Boys:
10 76 ETHAN FALSONE ABRT/LATITUDE
13 75 THOMAS FALSONE ABRT/LATITUDE
30+ Men:
6 7 CHIP HOOVER LATITUDE/ABRT
18 9 STEVE OWENS LATITUDE/ABRT
40+ Men:
1 34 STEVEN DOETSCHMAN LATTITUDE
4 8 ANDREAS GUTZEIT ABRT - LATITUDE
20 50 GUY PERUTTI ABRT
23 35 MATTHEW ALBANESE ABRT
29 19 ALEXANDER MELLER LATITUDE/ABRT
31 22 STEVE OWENS LATITUDE/ABRT
33 20 DOUG MILLIKEN LATITUDE/ABRT
50+ Men:
2 51 ALEXANDER MELLER ABRT/LATITUDE
4 60 ART BROWN LATTITUDE
12 36 TOM AGA ABRT/LATITUDE
16 44 TED HARRIS TEAM LATITUDE/ABRT
60+ Men:
10 26 BEN WILLIAMS ABRT/TEAM LATITUDE
The wheelsucker would like to point out that BAR points go to 12th place in this race, so this was a very good day for a number of Latitude riders, and a great day for the team!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lance Armstrong May Sign With Latitude
For Immediate Release:
Annapolis MD: Latitude/ABRT announced that discussions with Lance Armstrong regarding his joining Latitude/ABRT are progressing well. Armstrong is to race major events including the Tour de Frace in Latitude colors, backed by the Latitude/ABRT elite team.
Latitude/ABRT team president Doug Shapter announced today that negotiations with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong were proceeding very well, and that Latitude was about to apply for a wild card berth in the Tour de France for the Latitude team, with Lance Armstrong as team captain. "Latitude has been in a rebuilding mode for the last two years", said Shapter. "We had the sprinters, the leadout riders, the time trialists and the domestiques, we just didn't have the right rider to be a GC contender." The addition of Armstrong to the team is expected to not only vault Latitude/ABRT to the top of the MABRA BAR standings, but take the team all the way to the podium in Paris.
Existing Latitude riders were enthusiastic about racing with Armstrong. "I am very much looking forward to riding with Lance and learning from his experience", said Latitude junior star Tom MacKay, while 40+ ace Keith Reeder said, "I expect we'll be able to send riders off the front and still control the front of the peleton when we need to." "I could use a good lead out man for next year", said 30+ strong man Lance Lacy. But not all Latitude riders were as impressed, "Sure he can time trial and he can climb with the best in the world, making him a favorite in the grand tours." said 50+ star Art Brown, "but you have to be a sprinter to win in MABRA."
And the man himself? "I don't need the money, I just want to race bikes, and I am happy to have found a team like Latitude/ABRT which supports my primary mission of beating cancer", said Lance Armstrong.
For further information contact:
Latitude/ABRT President Doug Shapter: dshapter@gmail.com
Annapolis MD: Latitude/ABRT announced that discussions with Lance Armstrong regarding his joining Latitude/ABRT are progressing well. Armstrong is to race major events including the Tour de Frace in Latitude colors, backed by the Latitude/ABRT elite team.
Latitude/ABRT team president Doug Shapter announced today that negotiations with seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong were proceeding very well, and that Latitude was about to apply for a wild card berth in the Tour de France for the Latitude team, with Lance Armstrong as team captain. "Latitude has been in a rebuilding mode for the last two years", said Shapter. "We had the sprinters, the leadout riders, the time trialists and the domestiques, we just didn't have the right rider to be a GC contender." The addition of Armstrong to the team is expected to not only vault Latitude/ABRT to the top of the MABRA BAR standings, but take the team all the way to the podium in Paris.
Existing Latitude riders were enthusiastic about racing with Armstrong. "I am very much looking forward to riding with Lance and learning from his experience", said Latitude junior star Tom MacKay, while 40+ ace Keith Reeder said, "I expect we'll be able to send riders off the front and still control the front of the peleton when we need to." "I could use a good lead out man for next year", said 30+ strong man Lance Lacy. But not all Latitude riders were as impressed, "Sure he can time trial and he can climb with the best in the world, making him a favorite in the grand tours." said 50+ star Art Brown, "but you have to be a sprinter to win in MABRA."
And the man himself? "I don't need the money, I just want to race bikes, and I am happy to have found a team like Latitude/ABRT which supports my primary mission of beating cancer", said Lance Armstrong.
For further information contact:
Latitude/ABRT President Doug Shapter: dshapter@gmail.com
Tuesday September 9th Training Ride: The Wheelsucker Report
While the forecast was for rain (60% chance for late afternoon and evening) a check of the weather radar at http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?zoommode=zoom&num=6&delay=15&scale=0.250&noclutter=0&ID=LWX&type=N0R&lat=39.00437927&lon=-76.50714111&label=Annapolis,%20MD&showstorms=10&map.x=392&map.y=246¢erx=46¢ery=248&lightning=0 suggested we would be fine.
A smaller group including Ace and Doetsch rolled out of the Park & Ride shortly after 6:00PM. The pace was civilized early, but then Doetsch had a quiet word with Ace near the front of hte line, shortly before route 2. He rolled to the front, grabbed the aero bars (yes, Doetschman had AERO bars on his Motobecane), and pulled to route 2 and all the way down route 2, most of it at 30+ mph. The wheelsucker was suspicious of what might be going on (the wheelsucker is ALWAYS suspicious when the strong guys have brief discussions during the ride), and decided that Doetsch might be setting Ace up for a counterattack, but when Doetsch finally pulled off, Ace was still back in the paceline. It turns out that Doetsch is apparently trying to transition from a big jump kind of rider to a long pull kind of rider.
Shortly after the right turn onto South Polling House, Tom Aga flatted. This was a huge win for the wheelsucker, who is suffering from old-age-induced lower back pain. A tuesday morning session with PT Debbie Dudas at a Severna Park bonecracker's office had left him a little less tight, but even more sore. Ms. Dudas' advice had been to skip the training ride, or failing that, go easy. And Tom's flat opened the possibility of an easier ride. So the wheelsucker vociferously exclaimed that some riders should wait for Tom.. and lo and behold, Doetsch, Ace, Stu, the amazing Amanda Wu and our new junior phenom Aaron (a.k.a mini Doetsch), and the wheelsucker, all waited for Tom to pull the glass out of his Michelin Pro Race 2 Lite tire and put in a new tube.
The pace was even more civilized after that, with Doetsch taking one more I'm-in-training-for-a-TT monstor pull down Bayard and onto Sands. The wheelsucker was enjoying the ride, but at his favorite hill (long fast downhill to sweeping right, to false flat and then climb, shortly before route 2), mini-Doetsch was setting a fast pace, and the wheelsucker could not resist, and went into his high-cadence climbing mode. This was enough to spin past mini-Doetsch, but unfortunately also sparked Stu (I-need-to-prove-I-am-a-strong-climber) to go hard. The wheelsucker watched him go by, and decided that his goal of a relatively easy ride was incompatible with chasing Stu up the last of the hill (The wheelsucker's age, and age-induced back pain may have influenced him in this decision), and shut it down. Mini-Doetsch rolled past, and all of a sudden mini-Doetsch and Stu were off the front of the small group. This was more than the wheelsucker could take, so he jumped medium-hard on the next roller, and easily caught on the back. Doetsch, Ace and Tom were being gentlemen, and declined to jump and abandon the amazing Amanda Wu, so the three rolled off the front. As they rolled up to 214, the light was red, but someone noticed the yellow going the otherway, and all three sprinted for the short green, and MADE IT! Doetsch, Ace, Tom and Amanada were left unclipped waiting for the next green. The wheelsucker, claiming advanced age, avoided a few pulls, while mini-Doetsch and Stu were hammering to stay away. At the last descent before the sprint, a relatively fresh wheelsucker pushed hard as the rider in front pulled off and opened up a gap of several bike lengths... Thinking it was better to leave it at that, rather than actually sprint and risk being passed, the wheelsucker sat up and let mini-Doetsch work his ass off to sprint by, while Stu sat up and relaxed. A hard-breathing Doetsch was not far behind, having chased with Ace and the others, and then left them to try to bridge on his own.
The wheelsucker's numbers (from first cross of finish line back to the finish line) were: average speed 23.68 mph, average HR 146 bpm (high was 173, which is the wheelsucker's max), average power 195 watts.
A smaller group including Ace and Doetsch rolled out of the Park & Ride shortly after 6:00PM. The pace was civilized early, but then Doetsch had a quiet word with Ace near the front of hte line, shortly before route 2. He rolled to the front, grabbed the aero bars (yes, Doetschman had AERO bars on his Motobecane), and pulled to route 2 and all the way down route 2, most of it at 30+ mph. The wheelsucker was suspicious of what might be going on (the wheelsucker is ALWAYS suspicious when the strong guys have brief discussions during the ride), and decided that Doetsch might be setting Ace up for a counterattack, but when Doetsch finally pulled off, Ace was still back in the paceline. It turns out that Doetsch is apparently trying to transition from a big jump kind of rider to a long pull kind of rider.
Shortly after the right turn onto South Polling House, Tom Aga flatted. This was a huge win for the wheelsucker, who is suffering from old-age-induced lower back pain. A tuesday morning session with PT Debbie Dudas at a Severna Park bonecracker's office had left him a little less tight, but even more sore. Ms. Dudas' advice had been to skip the training ride, or failing that, go easy. And Tom's flat opened the possibility of an easier ride. So the wheelsucker vociferously exclaimed that some riders should wait for Tom.. and lo and behold, Doetsch, Ace, Stu, the amazing Amanda Wu and our new junior phenom Aaron (a.k.a mini Doetsch), and the wheelsucker, all waited for Tom to pull the glass out of his Michelin Pro Race 2 Lite tire and put in a new tube.
The pace was even more civilized after that, with Doetsch taking one more I'm-in-training-for-a-TT monstor pull down Bayard and onto Sands. The wheelsucker was enjoying the ride, but at his favorite hill (long fast downhill to sweeping right, to false flat and then climb, shortly before route 2), mini-Doetsch was setting a fast pace, and the wheelsucker could not resist, and went into his high-cadence climbing mode. This was enough to spin past mini-Doetsch, but unfortunately also sparked Stu (I-need-to-prove-I-am-a-strong-climber) to go hard. The wheelsucker watched him go by, and decided that his goal of a relatively easy ride was incompatible with chasing Stu up the last of the hill (The wheelsucker's age, and age-induced back pain may have influenced him in this decision), and shut it down. Mini-Doetsch rolled past, and all of a sudden mini-Doetsch and Stu were off the front of the small group. This was more than the wheelsucker could take, so he jumped medium-hard on the next roller, and easily caught on the back. Doetsch, Ace and Tom were being gentlemen, and declined to jump and abandon the amazing Amanda Wu, so the three rolled off the front. As they rolled up to 214, the light was red, but someone noticed the yellow going the otherway, and all three sprinted for the short green, and MADE IT! Doetsch, Ace, Tom and Amanada were left unclipped waiting for the next green. The wheelsucker, claiming advanced age, avoided a few pulls, while mini-Doetsch and Stu were hammering to stay away. At the last descent before the sprint, a relatively fresh wheelsucker pushed hard as the rider in front pulled off and opened up a gap of several bike lengths... Thinking it was better to leave it at that, rather than actually sprint and risk being passed, the wheelsucker sat up and let mini-Doetsch work his ass off to sprint by, while Stu sat up and relaxed. A hard-breathing Doetsch was not far behind, having chased with Ace and the others, and then left them to try to bridge on his own.
The wheelsucker's numbers (from first cross of finish line back to the finish line) were: average speed 23.68 mph, average HR 146 bpm (high was 173, which is the wheelsucker's max), average power 195 watts.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday September 2nd Training Ride: The Wheelsucker Report
It was another beautiful day, not too humid, not a cloud in the sky, and no haze; why can't all days be like this? The weather probably encouraged the large turnout.
What a great ride! Ace, Keith, Ryan, Matt, Eric and Young Tom were not there, but with Doetsch and Nat "Invincible Nat" Thompson one knew before we left the Park & Ride that it would not be an easy ride. The group was well-behaved at first. The wheelsucker was trying to follow his coach’s workout instructions:
Group ride. Treat parts of this as a race. Ride aggressively. Experiment with race strategies and test yourself.
And after considering that he was riding the world's lightest Cannondale CAAD9, the wheelsucker punched it on the first of the two rollers shortly before Harwood Hill. The "plan" was to ride away on the rollers, rest on the fast downhill and sweeping right, roll through the left turn (assuming no cars were there) and push up Harwood Hill and see if he could still go fast off the top. The plan appeared to be working, as the wheelsucker went up Harwood Hill by himself. But no plan survives contact with the enemy... There was a sudden WHOOSSHHHH and Doetsch HAMMERED up the hill past the wheelsucker, followed a couple of seconds later by a slightly less loud whoosh, as Nat went by in pursuit. The wheelsucker supposes the textbook move at this point would be to jump hard, grab Nat's wheel, take the tow up to Doetsch, and then quietly congratulate himself as Doetsch and Nat pull the wheelsucker well clear and the three ride in a fast break for the rest of the ride. Unfortunately the aging wheelsucker had nothing left to jump for Nat's wheel, burnt a matchstick or two trying to accelerate and staggered to the top of Harwood Hill well behind, and with the pack closing from behind. The wheelsucker sat up and waited for help, then grabbed a wheel and rested. While the peleton did not appear to have riders equal to Doetsch and Nat, it did have Steve "did I bring my A legs" Owens, an aggressive Rick Paukstitus, newly returned to the team cat 3 Dave, Tom Aga, the amazing Amanda Wu, and some other strong riders. It was too early in the ride to give up, and the chase got into a rotating paceline (with the wheelsucker repeatedly yelling for short pulls). The curves meant that Doetsch and Nat were out of site up the road, but once on route 2 they could be seen ahead. With grim determination the chase slowly ground them down. This became a little easier when Doetsch rode clear (maybe even dropped?) Nat on route 2. The wheelsucker took his turns with the other riders in the chase and shortly after the South Polling House turn, the chase caught Nat, and then continued up South Polling House and eventually caught Doetsch. The wheelsucker kept his sigh of relief to himself.
While some riders had been dropped by this point, we still had a large lead pack, with the leading 8-10 taking turns, and the rest hanging on behind. The "groupo compacto" charged up Sands road, with Doetsch and the wheelsucker exchanging insults each time they passed, with one rotating back and the other rotating foward, in the paceline. The wheelsucker started to feel better and then demonstrating his ability to forget what had happened earlier (perhaps due to oxygen debt?) the wheelsucker and his ultra-light CAAD9 could not resist punching it up the wheelsucker's favorite hill, the one after the downhill and sweeping right hand turn, shortly before 214. The wheelsucker got clear again part way up the hill, and was harboring delusions about getting to 214 off the front when there was another WHOOSSHHHH and Doetsch HAMMERED by just before the steep section at the top, doing 30 mph. This was once again followed by a slightly less loud whoosh, as Nat went by in pursuit. The wheelsucker gave it what little he had left, while looking around for help. Steve Owens went by at the top, and caught Nat's wheel, with the wheelsucker hyperventilating on Steve's wheel. These three caught Doetsch (or maybe Doetsch sat up) about the time the remains of the peleton caught the three... so "groupo compacto" once again. But then cat 3 Dave decided to jump, and this time no one went after him. The wheelsucker had time to reflect on the basic unfairness of this, while Dave rolled off the front with no one in pursuit, and Doetsch saying "let him hang out there!".
The wheelsucker’s views on the basic unfairness of Doetsch and Nat chasing the wheelsucker down when he jumped, but letting someone else go, was reinforced when Dave rolled through 214 on a green light, and the chase, led by Doetsch, Steve and the wheelsucker did not make it and had to stop. "Why can't this ever happen to me!", thought the wheelsucker, as Dave rode away up the road, and the "groupo compacto" unclipped at the light. Of course testosterone overruled safety, and Doetsch, the wheelsucker and Steve Owens jumped the light after the first car or two had rolled through and there was a big gap. The wheelsucker never looked back to see what the rest of the group did, but with Doetsch taking monster pulls, the wheelsucker taking his usual short fast pulls, and Steve pushing a big gear, they had what looked like an ABRT 3TTT going. Part way to the finish Dave was in range. Doetsch pulled the three up close, then pulled off and encouraged the wheelsucker to hammer by. The wheelsucker was just as eager to drop Dave as Doetsch was and did his best hammer, but Dave had other ideas and caught on the back. The pace stayed high (or maybe the wheelsucker was just tired out) and the lead four rolled up to the last flat fast. Doetsch pulled off, the wheelsucker did not have enough left to take a pull and soft pedaled and everyone looked at everyone else. Doetsch jumped, Dave went after him with Steve trying for Dave's wheel, and the wheelsucker wondering why he need bother sprinting at all, made a half hearted attempt to stay on Steve's wheel. Dave put out a very impressive sprint and was very close to Doetsch at the line, with Steve a distant third and the wheelsucker (gasping for air and thinking he was too old for this) rolling across fourth, well behind, but well clear of the chase pack.
The wheelsucker’s averages were: 24.51 mph, 218 watts, HR 158 (and a high max HR).
Monday, September 1, 2008
Another Great Bay Country Century
It was a beautiful day for riding, a bit humid, but cool and not a breath of wind. I rode down from Annapolis to North Beach to help get things set up for the last rest stop. It was a sweet ride down, cool, quiet and no traffic. Thanks to John K, all the supplies and tunes were ready to roll.Thanks to the many club members busting their butts, the North Beach station hummed along with drinks, snacks and my personal favorite turkey and cheese roll-ups. NB is without a doubt the hoppin' spot of the BCC.
I rode the course backwards from NB after my shift to look for some friends riding and there were lots of friendly waving riders coming into the stop. From what I saw it looked like all the riders were having a great time.
Ride Director James Prickett put together another outstanding BCC. Make sure to come back next year... Would you want to be on this guy's bad side?
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