This Silly Soapbox

Shamelessly stolen from The New Yorker, via my friend Marc's blog, but so excellent.

MILFORD CROSS!

It was so rainy on Sunday in Vermont that I didn't want to ride so instead I went to the Milford Cross race in New Hampshire. I hadn't been on the bikes yet this year, which was a bit nervous-making, so I decided to race the race before the women just to remember how to ride in an environment where I knew I would not be preoccupied with how fast I went or what place I came in. So I just rode around with the men's 3/4, trying to be smooth and use little gears. The course was pretty technical, a short lap with not much pavement, lots of turns on wet grass, one sand pit and three barrier sets. It was a good thing I did this because the seats on both my bikes slipped because I had not tightened them enough, and I would have been irritated if this happened in the women's race. The women's race just felt calm - it was a totally new experience for cross, this trying to be smooth, racing without gasping and flailing. I don't think I had a choice since my legs were pretty dead from the hill climb. Rebecca (Wellons) had more horsepower than I did, but I was doing some corners better and held my small gap. A goal of mine for the season is to learn to treat races according to the purpose they serve in the bigger picture, to not care how I do or read too much into a result. So I am glad to meet the objective of being smooth, but after last season - make that the last two seasons - I would be lying not to say it feels really good to win. I LOVE NEW ENGLAND CROSS. Altogether this grass-roots weekend killed all my cynicism about racing. Photo from Paul Weiss.

Burke Mountain Hill Climb

Friday morning I had an email from a riding acquaintance from the Berkshires asking me to do the team competition in a hill climb race up Burke Mountain in North Vermont on Saturday. I had to be in Vermont for a wedding later that day, the prize list was good, and it sounded pretty fun in a masochistic sort of way. All I knew about the climb was that Sara Cushman reported that Shauna Gillies-Smith said it was the hardest climb she's ever done - and this is the Shauna who routinely raced cross right up to the point of almost blacking out. The race was so low key I can't even tell you, a window into this cult sport of hill climb races, one I never thought I would dabble in. Warming up (one of two on trainer/rollers), I overheard a conversation between two older guys: One said "oh I am going to do some more road races this season," and the other replied "road races - I don't see well enough to do those anymore." And there was another guy there, in his 70s, riding a mountain bike covered in bumper stickers - "This bike climbed Mt Washington" and such - racing in leather work boots and toe clips. I guess he's a regular on the circuit! The team competition was based on the cumulative time of one man and one woman. My teammate Jeff Daigle had a 22-26 on his bike, and needless to say I was a bit overgeared with my 34-27. It was pretty much 30 minutes of low cadence grinding on 12-20% grade, trying to go as hard as possible without blowing up and ideally finishing ahead of all the other women. We did it, and won the team competition. So now I have a season pass to Burke Mountain, which means I might be forced to take up tele skiing again. On the way to the wedding, I went swimming at the GMSR circuit race finish - why haven't I done this before!!?? At the wedding (right above Kenyon's Field) I confirmed with a friend that this super-steep Burke Mountain was indeed the hill he roller-skied down (as in training devices for cross-country skiing that lack brakes) and remarkably did not crash on when one of the roller skis lost a front wheel at 40 or 50 mph. Now he is a physician.

GMSR Crit: Not to Be

Meant to write this last week: Sometimes we forget to complement as well as criticize when we critique, and it's always easier to criticize something than attempt to do it yourself. I think I am critical of myself - most hard-driving bike racers are their own harshest critics - but I got called on this blog giving some wrong information/unwarranted criticism and need to make a correction. PLEASE if I ever say something dumb or offensive on this let me know! First, TRIA had 4 riders not 6, and they did not race as non-aggressively as I reported in the circuit race. They got the sprint jersey too, which was a big objective. In cyclocross, I had a realization a few years ago that "this is a good course" basically means "this course suits me." Listen and you will see - the technically strong consider technical courses good, the horsepower riders consider power courses good - it's actually pretty funny. And so now I think this about my frustration with negative racing, because what it really means is that I am not a good enough bike racer to do well in all kinds of racing, aggressive and negative. And just as a good cross racer can race all kinds of courses in all kinds of weather, so too can a good road racer find ways to win on all types of courses and in all varieties of aggressive and non-aggressive racing. The crit: I did not have great legs, wanted a break but it wasn't happening and I wasn't doing much. Kristen made a great charge for the intermediate sprint that put her in the lead. Could have jumped to third on gc with win in a break. And why not try. Hiroko made an awesome attack with two-to-go, and I got across clear, but wish I hadn't, because this might have triggered a response from the field and there are few I would rather see win this stage than dear Hiroko (ok, so I wanted to win!). So I felt - good grief did I chase her down, which was a pretty awful feeling. But my effort with two-to-go was it, and I had nothing for the sprint. Megan Gaurnier had the finish dialed but got nipped by Nicky Wangsgard at the line. Kristen got the gc, Amy ended up second, and Mary Zider did a fantastic all-around race for 3rd. I ended up 5th on gc. Ok, I still need to check my Polish dictionary to reply to one comment on this blog!

GMSR Road Race: Better Day

This 64 mile road course is 18 miles of flat to the sprint line, then a selective climb, Middlebury Gap, at mile 35, then fast descending, flats, and a few kickers leading into the Baby Gap and the final steep and switchbacking climb, App Gap. TRIA raced with their numbers today, and in the first 20 miles pressured Kristen to defend the jersey by firing off one attack after another. It chilled out into the Middlebury climb though. I saved energy and positioned well, but came off at the QOM, maybe 15th over the climb. But the chase was not too tough and we regrouped. Alison Testerote in 2nd place had been dropped. I tried to motivate the group to rotate, to wear out the pure climbers and those with less endurance in their legs (and keep us moving). Bascially no one attacked (well, except for me, once on my favorite dirt section). TRIA attacked into Baby Gap. I guess it was supposed to be a two-rider attack, but instead one rider chased down the other. After Middlebury Gap I wasn't sure how I would climb, but just stuck to the plan of saving energy and racing that climb, no early attacking. Amy Dombrowski attacked at the base. Kristen rode her own climb, clawed her way back, but got second in the end. Mary Zider got 3rd. I rode my own climb too, stronger on the flatter sections and struggling relative to those around me on the steep stuff. I could have used a 34-27! Rebecca Much nipped me in the last few hundred meters, but I managed 6th, which I feel pretty good about. A spectacular crit can still move me up on GC and I love this crit. Kristen lost the leader's jersey by one point and you can bet she wants it back. Mary Zider is racing awesomely, in third place now. Back at the condo, we were elated to read online that Chris Jones, one of Hiroko and my fellow New Haven cyclists, finished 9th in the US Pro Road Race! WOW.

GMSR Circuit Race: Spending Energy Doing Nothing

I went into the circuit race trying not to be demoralized by the TT result and sticking to my plan of riding for gc in this points race, which meant no sprint jersey, no foolish attacking, and doing my best to win. Things went ok, 4th place, but I guess it was a small victory in my "race the race" campaign. With 20-20 hindsight, there are two risks I should have taken and did not. The course is a circuit race with a QOM hill and a flat finish, a loop we did 2 3/4 times. At one point we were going 12mph on a flat, that's how negative the race was. The one team in the race, TRIA, (6 riders to everyone else's 1 or 2) attacked maybe once the whole 50-mile race (even after getting the sprint jersey) and chased down the few attacks that went, even when the top two on gc were totally isolated without teammates. Most of the energy I spent today was in reigning in the desire to attack out of boredom and embarrassment. In spite of the horrendous TT I was still in the mix given points scoring so I just rode for the finish, because I can sprint ok these days and because I am marked in this field and because everyone is chasing even when it's not their job. With 5k to go, a TRIA rider launched a good attack - and this is the one I wish I gambled and went with - even more clearly than I wish I countered with 1.5k to go after Alison Testerote reeled her in. But I waited for the sprint. I know the left side is better, but Silke and Suz Weldon led it out way too early, so I was sprinting on the left way too long while there was still a fast-moving mob on the right that ended up launching the top three places. I went from 1st to 4th. Kristen got 3rd, which moves her into the lead. The rest of the standings are tight, with me in 8th. As we all know, today is the big day. Mad River is going to be epic!

GMSR Prologue: Decidedly Unspectacular

This stage has always been my worst in this stage race, but I thought and hoped I could do well this year, after climbing fine at Hilltowns. But once again, I did pretty badly. Not sure what place but after going through the Mad River Parking lot sitting comfortably in 4th wheel, I went backwards. Maybe I went into the red too soon. Maybe this week was too easy and my body started to rest. Not sure but not good. Amy Dombrowski, my new Velo Bella teammate who is only 19 won, followed by Kristen and Kathleen. The race is just beginning and I still have big goals.

Thater: Did I Race Enough?

Thater leaves me with the rare question of wondering if I raced hard enough and wishing I had that last lap back. Riding alone in a race with a few teams (well, mainly Cheerwine), my plan, designed by a veteran Thater expert, was to ride in the top 5 the whole time, follow moves and work in any breaks but make no attacks, be in any break with Laura van Guilder, and not attack early coming into the sprint. I was pretty good with field positioning, followed a few things (and missed many others, but they came back), watched as Cheerwine snatched up the $100 primes uncontested (and generally dominated the race), and caught Cheerwine off-guard to win one prime. The break just didn't seem like it was going to happen this year, and I decided I was going to sprint. But the last lap, ay. First, I tried to pass Erica Allar on the outside into the downhill corners - bad move because she at least will give the impression that she has no qualms about running you into a curb and/or telephone pole. She does get in a lot of crashes, but she also gets some great results. Some sprinters definitely capitalize on reputations as crash-prone even dangerous to make people back off. Next, when Kathleen Billington jumped on the hill on 1-to-go, I needed to surge harder and be further up than I was, which was maybe 7th wheel. Just as Cheerwine caught Kathleen, Erica Allar went, early, before that final left corner. Maybe it was LVG who jumped on her wheel, anyway it wasn't me, and I ended up with a stupid gap to close into the final corner (messing up Heather too). I finished where I started basically: 7th. Teresa Cliff-Ryan won, then Kelly Benjamin, then Erica. Before the race Jamie Carney had said something interesting to Erica "This race is way too long for how hard it is." I think this might have inspired some conservatism on my part, and I can't single-handedly try to make a race hard, cook myself in an effort to drop the sprinters, but a harder race or a break certainly would have been nice. Rebecca Much rode really well which was exciting. During Thater I stayed with my friend Shelley Reynolds, who started and runs the Mission in Motion team, which donates prize winnings to a mobile health screening unit. She shared her experiences in the enormous endeavor of running a team, fodder for my secret scheme to start one a few years down the road, crazy person that I am.

Mengoni: "That's Racing"

Saturday morning I raced Mengoni, World Championships of Central Park. I was psyched because we were racing with the junior boys, which meant that the race would be hard (perhaps hard enough to drop the sprinters) without my doing one lick of work to make it hard. I knew the strongest rider - the Polska kid whose entourage had been excited about my last name earlier this year - and planned to just sit on his wheel and go in any break that had him in it. Targetraining, Comedy Central, and Radical Media were there but again, having the juniors in the race made it easier for me to compete against full teams. 8 miles in and things were going well - no impulsivity and we'd just gone up Harlem Hill for the second time, me sitting second wheel on the Polish kid, gaps forming behind us, when I flatted. And that was it, because there are no spare wheels in park racing. I was pretty bummed, had wanted to win and believed I could which is half the battle. At times like this you call on our sport's catch-all phrase for disappointment and bad luck: "That's racing." Mike Sherry, who had directed my team at Altoona in 2005, came along and rescued me with a tube and pump. Targetraining played their cards right (with three riders in the final break), with Robin Farina soloing in for the win. New York City racer Carole Gale took second, with Rebecca Wellons charging hard for third. Hiroko had a strong 4th, which was good to see. Hiroko and I went back to the apartment of some dear family friends, had a good breakfast and interesting conversation that put race disappointment in context, and made a Zabar's run prior to hitting the road for Thater.

Freelancing

When I was maybe 13 my soccer team was playing in the finals of a summer tournament where as underdogs from a small town we were pulling off a thrilling fairy tale run. The game was tied, we were in something ridiculous like the second overtime before it went to penalty kicks. It was close to 100 degrees and we were dragging ourselves around the field, wondering if this game would ever end. I still remember the view from left midfield as our sometimes-star forward Joanelle, who was a bit of a primadonna and a ballhog, took the ball all the way from midfield, dribbled around every last defender, and scored, winning the tournament. How to describe my gratitude, elation, and desire for forgiveness for every past criticism! Joanelle had delivered. I think of this now in relation to my bad habit of animating races at the expense of results. In a team situation it can be easy to pass off the responsibility to get a result to someone else, much harder to deliver yourself. Even though it was not the plan to finish up this season racing alone, racing alone is forcing me to try to deliver, which is probably the best thing for me. And if I do it right, it will make me a better team racer.

Holy Cow I Love Cross

Future Bike Tour and A Cross Rumor

Missing out on family events and travel adventures are some of the opportunity costs of bike racing. I am trying to get up to Alaska to visit my brother, who covers state politics/energy policy/climate change for the Fairbanks paper and who's falling deeper and deeper into a world of salmon fishing and backcountry snowboarding to the point he might never come back. He doesn't have running water and doesn't seem to miss it, worries about the moose eating the cabbage he planted in his garden. This photo is of the Dalton Highway, which he drove a few weeks ago up to the North Slope, where he went swimming in the Arctic Ocean, which he reported wasn't too cold. Might make for a great bike tour some day! In biking news, I heard yesterday from my friend Dave Drumm (who conducted an emergency repair on my severed shift cable - thank goodness I had a 34 to go with my 11 - 22 rpms on a few steep pitches was bad enough) that three women cross racers from the UK are coming this fall to race in the US because they hear there are easy UCI points to be had. The stronger the field the better, but let's show them!