The Suitcase of Courage

Memorial Day Crits:The Best of Times,The Worst of Times

I came back from Louisville pumped for riding and racing, actually looking forward to making up the training days I'd lost.  I figured I'd rest Monday, do the Sleeping Giant ride/race Tuesday, ride into work Wednesday, rest Thursday and then do an easy spin Friday in prep for the Memorial Day Weekend races in Stafford Springs and Hartford.  A strange omen of how the weekend would end, I missed the Sleeping Giant Ride and got two flat tires in two other rides on consecutive days.  Friday night's spin was the first time I'd ridden that week when I didn't get a flat.

But Saturday dawned beautifully - a great way to kick off the first "official" weekend of summer.  My first and second races ever were Hartford and Stafford Springs, so it was neat to have a chance to race them back-to-back.  Bike and gear packed, we headed for Stafford Springs Motor Speedway - a great track in northeastern Connecticut.  It's just what you think it is - we race on the racetrack, with only a chicane after the start/finish to break up the loop.

 

It was great to see some friends, new and old, during the warmup - Esteban & Gil, and even Victor who I'd met at this same race 2 yrs ago.  And as you can see, I even got to toe the line at the start.  That's JoeP from our team behind me and to my right.

The best though was seeing friends Mickey and Dave again.  They're both getting back into racing after a LONG hiatus and had raced that morning.  I hadn't raced with them since Plainville so it was great to be on a track with them again.  That's Mickey at the start of our race.

And Dave's third from the right, during the race.

The Cyclonaut's Stafford Springs Crit is one of the safer races around - no curbs, lots of places to bail out and mostly just beautiful paved oval.  The race was as about as typical a crit as you could describe.  It was here I got my first ever placing 2 yrs ago - coming in 3rd winning the pack sprint.

I had good luck here again Saturday - "luck" in the form of new-friend Guido who kindly offered to lead me out.  It had been a fairly uneventful race, but I was still a bit tired not being at quite the form I'd hoped.  And I heard later there was a crash in our race, but I didn't notice it from where I was.  By the time we got to the bell lap and Guido yelled at me to take his wheel, I didn't know if I could hold it.  He's a very strong rider - even after having raced another race earlier in the day - but I was able to keep up (barely).  What was a little tougher - and a new experience for me - was actually holding the wheel.  Seemed like everybody we passed wanted to be where I was and I actually had to lean back into some guys and hold my elbows out to hold my position.

We got to the front of the field and with about 100 meters left I tried to come around, but didn't have much snap left.  I guess a few other guys had either been on my wheel - or had a little leadout train of their own - because at the line there were 5 of us pretty close together. Three guys hit the line ahead of me, but I got 4th - and, with 65 starters, some much-needed upgrade points.  Thanks Guido!

Here's a video of the finish - courtesy Mrs. Suitcase:

After the race, I went home to recover and prepare for the Hartford Crit the next day.  That is if you think "recovery" includes loading up two truckloads of stuff for the dump, chainsawing a juniper down, and chopping up the stump with an axe.  Unfortunately, I don't have any domestiques domestics to help with such things.  Fortunately, Mrs. Suitcase stopped me shortly after I'd started with the ax reminding me that I needed to "save something for tomorrow."

Who was I to argue? :^)

The next day was even more beautiful than Saturday - and better still that the race wasn't until the afternoon.  So we spent a leisurely morning around the house and moseyed on up to Hartford, really looking forward to the race being over so we could get to visiting and dinner with SDC and his lovely wife.

Here's me and SDC.  I should have paid attention to the sign . . .

One of my favorite things about the races are the guys you meet.  I finally got to meet Hobgoblin in person and it was nice to see ShawnW again, upgraded to Cat4 in this year's edition of Hartford.  JoeK, ChrisB and Dillon from our team were there along with JoeP and me.  Esteban had also made a weekend of it, racing with the 5s right before us.

My race was the last one of the day.  Hartford is always a great race - very competitive and many racers target it.  It's a short race, but its technical and often has some of the largest fields of the season.  As I mentioned before here, it was also my first race ever and the track goes right past my office window.  So it has some sentimental value too.

The race started fast - or so my body, tired from the previous day's events, thought - and then settled in.  I actually felt better than I thought I would and, while I didn't have any expectation of winning the race or even getting on the podium, I thought I might have a chance to get some more upgrade points.

Things were a little sketchy, especially in the downhill second corner.  Too much hitting of the brakes.  Then I noticed even corner 1 was getting a little nutty - more brakes, even though it was uphill.  But that's all not too uncommon in crit racing.  Unfortunately, the Cat4 races here in 2006 and 2007 had the dubious distinction of having the only crashes of the entire day.

This year's edition continued the record.  And worst of all, this time I was in it.

We went through the start/finish with 6 laps to go and I was feeling better than I thought I would at that point.  When we got to the corner at the top of the hill (more of a "rise") I was in the middle of the pack, about 3-4 guys from the inside.  I don't know if someone hit the curb, got nervous and overcorrected or what, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw guys moving left pretty hard (through a right turn).  Then the guy to the right and in front of my went HARD left, taking out my front wheel.  I had nowhere to go and no time to correct.  I went down hard on my left shoulder.  Then my head.  Then my left hip.  Then everything else.

About 5 of us went down.  When I got up, I saw some guy tangled up in my bike about 7 meters down the road and I immediately felt a sharp pain in my shoulder.  I cradled my left arm, thinking I might have dislocated it.  I somehow carried my bike over to one of the barricades and we all got out of the way before the pack made it back through.  We were all relatively ok - we could all get up.  3 of the guys limped off, but me and one other Cyclonauts guy got under a shade tree waiting to be checked out.

When the ambulance got there, the EMTs didn't think anything major was wrong - nothing seemed dislocated or broken, but thought it best to be checked out.  So I got a ride in the ambulance to Hartford Hospital.  Major thanks to all who hung out with me while I waited - especially to Mr. & Mrs. SDC who traded an early dinner for emergency-room conversation and a later dinner.  It was priceless to have a fellow racer pack my bike and gear just so in our not-so-big trunk and keep us company at the hospital.

The hospital was a story in itself - and I won't bore you with all the gory details.  But suffice it to say that we were all expecting I would get my road rash treated and be sent on my way.  Despite the fact that the doctor on duty didn't see any outward evidence of any fracture or dislocation, he wanted me x-rayed to be certain.  I figured at worse, I'd have a fairly painful GYGIG ride next week - but at least a good story to share.

When the xray came back, the doctor said - "Well you fooled me."  I'd actually joined The Club that so many racers have joined before me.

I'd broken my collarbone.

What this is going to mean for my racing season - much less my ambition (as stated at the top of my blog) to advance from "wheelsucker to Cat3 racer" - remains to be seen.  Obviously I'm MAJORLY bummed - I'd gotten a total of 7 upgrade points in my last two races - and need "only" 20 to upgrade.

But even worse is what this already means for my MAJOR fundraiser and one of the primary reasons I started this blog in the first place.  As any long-time reader knows, I have a passion for raising awareness - as well as funds - for Crohns disease research and a cure.  Having Crohns myself - and loving my bike - the Get Your Guts in Gear charity ride has become an annual highlight.  And it takes place at the end of next week.  Thanks to many of you, I've already raised much-needed funds and was looking forward to sharing my ride with you all again this year.  But with the doctor's advice to not ride for 6 weeks (I'm getting a second opinion from an orthopedist this Thursday morning :^) I won't be able to ride.

I can't not participate though.  So I hope I can be part of the crew that supports the riders.  Not only will it give me a chance to still be part of a cause I feel strongly about, but it'll give me a chance to see the ride - and the riders - from the "other side of the table."  Strangely, and thankfully, I'm already looking forward to next weekend at least as much as I was before this setback.

And if Mrs. Suitcase's review of my race schedule is correct, I'll only end up missing my two June races. So, as Le Tour starts in July, I may be back on the starting line myself...

Plainville Finale 4/19/2008:Sun, not worms

(There's lots to report, so beware, this is a LONG post.  If you're only interested in the Cat 3/4 race and/or pictures and video, scroll down.  There's nothing but text of the Cat 4/5 race...)

The final week of the Plainville Spring Series couldn't have been better, in more ways than one.  This was my second season racing at Plainville, and the first year I actually finished the series (having come to grief part way through last year).  Running from March 8 to April 19, conditions vary from snow and cold to warm and balmy, all over the course of a few weeks.  And it's a great way to kick off the season, getting the rust out of the joints and the adrenaline pumping again.

While I didn't race all 7 races of the series (the first day was actually canceled due to weather, and I skipped the 5th weekend due to illness), I made up for what I missed by racing back-to-back races a couple of times, and Bethel once.  So I still got 7 races in.

Going into the final week, our team had been bumped out of the bridesmaid position on team points in the Cat4/5 9am race and our newest teammate, JoeP, had lost the leader's jersey.  Things looked grim.  I had only scored one point in the series - during my first race of the season - also in the Cat4/5.  Under Series rules, only the top three points scorers can earn points toward team placing.  I was one of those three, along with Dillon and JoeP, so I decided to skip the Cat3/4 race this week and focus on the 4/5.

The day was absolutely stunning.  Forecast for sun and highs near 70.  A big contrast to last week where the 9am race was a haze of rooster tails and worms.  37 of us Cat4s/5s started off at a pretty decent pace and for the first bunch of laps, it was actually a little docile.  That is until the race promoter - who was also in the peleton - started chiding the guys in front and they, almost too predictably, responded by picking up the pace.

It actually turned out to be a fast race - especially after the first prime.  While our team had no formal plan or strategy (other than for the three points scorers to vacuum up as many points as possible in a Hail Mary bid for the team win), I had planned to contest both primes and the win.  I'm usually one to not bother too much with intermediate sprints and just sit in for the final sprint.  But I'd tested my legs - and my ability to work at the front and set pace - a few times in the Cat3/4 races, and since I wasn't doing the 3/4 race this day, I figured I'd leave everything I had on the track.  And see if the points would follow.

I had been staying as sheltered as possible, appreciating very much my other teammates chasing down breaks and setting pace at the front when needed, when we heard the bell for the first sprint.  Dillon was already near the front and I did my best during the lap to move up.  Of course, everybody else had the same idea so it was more difficult than I'd remembered.  Coming into the final corner, I was still about 8 guys back when I started my sprint.  I'd picked a wheel to follow, but he faded too fast for my liking so I came around and gassed it best I could into the wind (there always seems to be a headwind through the Start/Finish at Plainville).  I reached Dillon's wheel at the line, but lost out on the prime, coming in 3rd or 4th (prime points only go 2 deep).

But Dillon - sporting his new feather-light ride with the SRAMpy gruppo - won the sprint.  Score 2 more team points.

After that first prime, the pace seemed to pick up significantly.  There were the usual attacks and attempts to get a break going, but nothing came of them.  After last week, none of us were too interested in letting anyone slip away and we all worked to keep things together.  At one point, there was a crash in corner 1, just behind me and to the left.  One of my teammates (Gregg) actually rode over the guy's wheels after he was down - the pack was too tight to allow him to go around.

When the 2nd bell sounded, I was - unfortunately - in about the same lousy position I'd been in before: about 1/3 back and having to cover a lot of real estate before I could get to the front.  Fortunately, this time I had a true lead-out in Gregg.  He picked me up on his way up the left side of the pack and buried himself to get me as close to the front as quickly as possible.  His effort was heroic, but started to fade approching the final corner.  I came around and grabbed another wheel.  This sprint went better technically, but I still started too late.  I passed a lot of guys and was still accelerating at the line, but it wasn't enough.  I came in third.

Fortunately, the Prime win went to another teammate.  Dillon, for two more team points.

As happy as I was that our team was working so well together and getting much-needed points for the overall, I was getting a little frustrated that my sprint timing was off.  Since I'd ramped up slowly in this Series and had raced a few Cat3/4 races as well, I haven't been contesting any sprints - or getting much sprint practice.  Now that I discovered I actually DID retain a pretty good sprint from years past, I seemed to be waiting too long to launch.  I resolved to do better for the final sprint.

One thing I was VERY happy about, was that I was still upright.  There was another crash in turn 3 - fortunately behind me.  I've gone over a year now without crashing and am glad to keep that record going for as long as possible.

As is usually the case with crits, at least at my level, the pace did its predictable wind-up as we neared the end.  The race leader (also racing for the team leading in points) was near the front and while there were even more attacks, they fizzled quickly at the speed we were going.  MAJOR props go out to Gregg, Bruce, Dave and Gary (in his first race of the season - congratulations!) for making sure everything stayed together.

Counting down 5 laps to go, I started working my way back up through the field and with 1/2 a lap to go (and courtesy an unwitting pull up the outside by two unattached riders I know - thanks Esteban and Giberto!), I got inside the front 8-10 guys going into the final corner.  We were going insanely fast.

Though the Garmin - when I get around to uploading it - may tell me different, we HAD to be going crazy fast because when we all hit that corner the front guy - the series leader in individual and team points - went down.  I dunno what happened - whether his pedal or wheel got hit, but the Yellow Jersey was down and into the curb, taking a couple other guys down as well.

It was all I could do to carve an even tighter corner to avoid him - and hopefully not cut across anybody else's line.  The adrenaline rush of the speed and the crash helped me time my sprint much better and I passed three or four guys as I raced for the line.  With about 10 meters left, I caught the second-to-last guy and threw my bike at the line -  just edging him out for a second place finish - and JoeP came in 5th (points go 6 deep) for a total between the two of us of another 7 team points.

My runner-up finish qualified me for my first-ever podium ceremony.  I'd placed a couple times in other races, but never got on an actual podium before.  Ok, so there were no flowers, or champagne, or podium girls, but there were a nice couple of ladies doing interviews for ESPN Public Access Cable (or YouTube) and taking pictures.  But I got to share it with the winner of the race - Jess Kane - a great all-around guy and great racer.

The final result?  Team Cheshire Cycle Racing got 11 points to take the Team Overall prize by 2 points.  JoeP tied for second in the Individual Overall.

VERY cool!

But the revelry was tempered by the fact that we knew that there was an amount of luck involved too.  In this case - bad luck.  The points leader in individual AND team points crashed in the final corner and scored no points in the final race.  While there were other CCNS riders the 4/5 races, Jason C alone earned points for his team.  Even though he crashed and got no points on the final day, he STILL won the individual overall.  The fact that he could have won the individual AND team prizes (almost) single-handedly is a testament to how good and strong a rider he is.    Get well soon JC.

But crashing is part of racing and it could very well have been any of us.  So we'll take pride in having won the Team Overall in the Plainville Cat 4/5 race TWO years in a row!

Whew!  Sorry for the long race report - and I appreciate your indulgence while I savored Saturday's race.  It's already been a much better season than last year.

I'm just sorry Mrs. Suitcase couldn't be there to share in the victory.  She's been to almost every race, gamely shooting the pics and video that makes these posts more interesting, and I was disappointed that the time I do my best, she's not there to see it.

I played Mrs. Suitcase myself for the Cat 3/4 race.  Since I'd spent myself in the 9a race, I decided to shoot pics and videos of my teammates in the 10a race.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words (and I've spent my character limit on the the 4/5 race), we'll let them tell the story of the Cat 3/4 race.  For a detailed report, from another racer's perspective, click here.

Of course, if you want to weigh in with your own perspective on this race (or the 9a race too for that matter), leave a comment.

JoeK chasing down an attack.

JoeP attacking, with a CycloNaught in tow (and looking for more teammates?)

ChrisB and JoeK setting pace in the front, with CycloNaught on Joe's wheel (which became a very familiar sight).

Ditto - different lap.

Ditto - sans ChrisB, added another CycloNaught.

JoeK still pulling/towing - CycloNaughts still sitting in.

Ditto - JoeK is clearly the strongest of the bunch.  He was out front most of the race.

The all-too-familiar scene.  CycloNaught enjoying the ride behind JoeK's locomotive.

And it all came down to this:

Despite being WAY outgunned, JoeK - with support by ChrisB, JoeP, Dillon, and occasionally other team members - managed to get CCR third place in the Team Overall in the Cat 3/4 race.  Nothing to sneeze at since JoeK's the only Cat3 on our team - and clearly one of the strongest guys in the series.

Finally, the 11a Cat 4/5 race.  I'll leave the reporting to others that participated in and/or followed this race more closely.  My main interest was that my friend Mickey was using this race to return to racing.  He hadn't been satisfied with his efforts earlier in the series, but everything came together in this last race.  He stayed right in there with the pack up until the final few laps when a crash on the back stretch took him out.  Fortunately, he was ok - escaping with only some relatively minor scrapes and bumps, and his bike's ok.  "Relatively" minor only compared to one of the other guys in the pile-up.  He broke his collarbone and required the only ambulance of the series - evidence at how well-run and safe these races are.  Thoughts and prayers go out to him - fortunately, another racer who recently broke his collarbone was on-hand to offer consolation and encouragement.

What a day!  Hopefully you found the these reports interesting and informative.  Just the usual caveat - this is one man's perspective on how it all went down.  If you wanna weigh in with more detail - or a diverging point of view - post a comment.

So Plainville 2008 is over.  It almost feels like the end of the season, but the season is actually only just beginning.  There's lots of racing to do - I hope you'll continue to join me as I learn some new things, pass along some tips I've discovered and generally bumble my way to an eventual (if not at all inevitable) upgrade to Cat3.

Race Report:Plainville 4/12/2008

It should be race reportS, since I did back-to-back races again on Saturday.  But I didn't do Bethel Sunday as I'd planned.  You'll discover why if you read on . . .

Actually, I didn't know if I'd be racing at all this weekend.  The forecast all week was for rain.  Then, miraculously, Friday morning's forecast called for overnight showers & clearing up on Saturday - Sunday to be even nicer.  That's exactly what ended up happening last Saturday - I skipped Plainville since I woke up and it was wet out.  By 11a the sun was out and it was a top 5 day.  I determined to not let that happen again this weekend.  Racing was on!!

The weather gods had something up their sleeve though.  I planned on racing both the Cat 4/5 and Cat 3/4 races, so I had to wake up EARLY Saturday morning.  I checked weather.com and there was a Weather Advisory that said "Conditions as off 6:55 am: A severe thunderstorm with wind gusts of over 40 mph is centered over Plainville, CT"  I kid you not - it actually called out Plainville!

But I would not be deterred.  I loaded up the car.

While the roads were very wet, it wasn't raining and when we arrived at the track, it looked like things might actually clear up as forecast.  So I registered (tip: print out the release forms the night before and fill them out to save time at registration), Mrs. Suitcase pinned on my numbers (tip for back to back races: 2nd race number on first, 1st race number on second, have scissors to cut 1st number off between races), I got dressed and on the trainer.

I should have figured the worms that I saw all over the pavement as I was warming up wouldn't be confined to the parking lot . . .

We had a good team turnout for the first race.  Our newest member, (another) Joe (JoeP), was wearing the yellow jersey of the Series Leader and Dave, Bruce and Dillon were on-hand to help him keep it.

As you can see, it was pretty wet and foggy.  You can also see that we were on the front a lot.  Too much as it turned out.  We chased everything and the resulting pace was the fastest for a 4/5 race so far at Plainville - about 25mph average.

Fortunately, despite the pace and the fact that we were all burning too many matches, Dillon was able to collect a couple of points for the team by winning one of the primes.

The only thing I was able to collect was worms.  Lots of worms.  I was prepared for rain and racing in wet conditions.  Even though my rear wheel threatened to break free just about every time I hit corner #1, I was prepared.  A guy crashed in that corner early in the race - tire blew out and the slick pavement kept him from keeping it together.  Still, I was unfazed.

Until I swore somebody blew their nose and it hit my hand.  It took me a couple of laps to get up enough nerve to assess the damage.  You guessed it.  Not a boogie - a worm.  At least it was easy to shake off.

Part of the reason the pace was so fast was that a guy took off up the road fairly early on.  I later learned that a German time trial specialist had run away with our race an unattached guy with a cool accent had snuck away and we just couldn't seem to chase him down.  But we tried.  By the time we got to the finish though, our team was pretty well toast.  I think we caught the break near the end, so it was a field sprint.  Joe wasn't feeling well so I came around him, appreciative for the lead out, but it wasn't enough.  I came in 7th - just outside of points.  Good thing Dillon had legs early on.  Dave and Bruce, their admirable and hard work done, came in with the rest of the pack.

At least it had really cleared up - and the sun was out.  No time to appreciate the weather though.  I was burning up, having overdressed.  Time to take off the base later shirt, get one of my numbers cut off, and line up for the next race.

All the CCR guys from the first race lined up to help out JoeK in the Cat 3/4 race.  ChrisB (yes, another Chris) was there too bringing our team numbers up to 7 - close to record participation.

It wouldn't last for long.

Not surprisingly, the Cat3/4 race was even more difficult and faster than the 4/5 race.  As has been the case with just about all the Plainville 3/4 races this season, there was an early break.  And also true to form, Joe was in it.

But that's where the plot twisted.

The pack caught the break and at some point (I wasn't sure, since it was all I could do to just hold wheels at that point), another break got up the road.  Joe didn't make that one, and all the CCR guys tried to chase it down to give Joe a chance.

But apparently, most of the rest of the pack either had a guy in the break, or didn't care to bring it back.  Clearly, the series leader in this race wasn't interested in working.  He's third wheel in the pic above.  I'm in front (sans base layer - note bare arms) trying to give Joe a much-needed break.  If another CCR guy wasn't leading, Joe was.  The whole time.

Unfortunately, CCR guys were getting shelled.  Having raced the first race and worked so hard, the numbers eventually dwindled down to Joe, ChrisB and me.  While Joe did the lion's share of the pulling, some others did share the work. Special mention goes to Sebastian from the CVC team for helping too when he could.

For some insane reason, I've been in the front a lot lately.  I'm usually more than happy to stay sheltered, but as you can see, with it all strung out there's not much shelter anyway.

I could only give Joe temporary relief though.  I was fading pretty fast, only able to pull for about a half lap at a time.  I'd been able to catch the back of the line each time, but after an especially long pull (for me), my legs just didn't have anything left.

I watched as the line pulled away.  I'd been dropped.

This, I am happy to say, was a first for me in a race.  Because I've gotten so adept at holding wheels, I can usually finish with the pack.  Not always a great result, but a finish.  This time I was committed to burying myself for a teammate - something you don't get to do when you're unattached.  It was a good feeling, if not such a great result.

But I should have noted the lap cards.  If I had known there were only a few laps left, I might have tried a little harder to catch back on.  But I didn't see the cards.  Consequently, as the break lapped me, I dutifully made note of the timegap and - I thought helpfully - yelled it to Joe as he (still leading the pack) passed me.

What I didn't know is that they were heading into the finish.  You can't make up 16 seconds in 250 meters.  I thought they were going faster than before.

But I didn't realize that until I got to the finish line.  Actually, I was going to drop my bike on the sidelines and watch (what I thought was) the finish when I heard Dillon and Mrs. Suitcase yelling that I should at least cross the line.  What I thought was the finishing lap, was actually the cool down.  I could still cross the line and at least finish.  The stupid comical result is in the video below.

The break never got caught and, surprise!, was a break of only 5 guys.  So there was one point up for grabs in the field sprint (the "field" consisting of only about 7-8 guys by then - everybody else had cracked).  As usually happens, the guy that did the least work conserved the most energy won the field sprint.  And, in this case, the last point.

So, no points in the second race either.  But I did get SOMEthing out of the race.  A nasty sunburn on my arms.  I never imagined when I put on my tights and baselayer LS shirt that morning that NOT ONLY would the sun come out, but that it would be so strong.

But even if I had known, there was no way I would have had time to put on sunscreen between back-to-back races.  Yet another learning experience.  Just what these "training" races are for (admitting they're only "training races" when you don't do well in them LOL).

Despite the results, I was happy to be able to race so much - and stay upright.  Celebrating a year crash-free, especially racing on wet pavement for the first time, was a personal accomplishment.  The fact that I got to do it with a lot of my teammates just made it that much better.

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I was stoked to do Bethel the next day.  One of the best things about doing a race the following day is that you can leave your bike/wheels in your car and not have to repack the following morning.  But after a very restless and uncomfortable night, I woke up Sunday morning feeling pretty lousy.  My arms were on fire and the thought of having ANYthing on them, baselayer or otherwise, was anathema.

So I decided two races in a weekend was enough.  Bethel will now, unfortunately, have to wait until next year.

Now I gotta figure out how best to get hundreds of caked-on worms off my bike . . .

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As threatened promised, here are the finish-line videos of the two races:

Video of the finish of the Cat 4/5 race:

Video of the finish of the Cat 3/4 race:

In Recognition of Roubaix . . .

Whether you're planning on doing the Battenkill-Roubaix next weekend, or just watching the Paris-Roubaix this weekend, you'll enjoy this video.

Props to Liz Hatch over at Vanderkitten for linking to it.

In other news... two races back to back today - wicked fast both of them and legs are fried (not to mention, my skin - but more on that later)  Dunno if they'll be up for another race tomorrow, or if the body's going to make me get some sleep - or make me sick out of spite.

Will check in with it in the morning...

Weekend Racing:Plainville & Criterium de Bethel

First off, I'm happy to say that this week I broke the 1000 mile threshold for the year (see 2008 Totals).  My first coach/encourager Mickey always said that once you have 1000 miles in your legs you'll start to notice improvements in your training and racing.  Last year, I didn't break 1000 until mid-April.  And that's when I was doing regular group rides on Sat/Sun all winter.  This year's effort is all the more impressive (to me anyway) when you realize that all of these miles - except for races and a few group rides - are on the indoor trainer or rollers.

Ok, on to racing news.  I must admit I wimped out and didn't race Plainville on Saturday.  The forecast as of Friday night was lousy and (seemed to be) confirmed when I woke up the next morning.  Everything was wet and threatening more rain.  You guessed it (or, if you're local, you actually experienced it).  We got no more rain and AAMOF the sun was out by 11a and Saturday turned into one of the top 5 days of the year so far.

Oh well.

Despite my absence (I'd like not to think because of it), Cheshire Cycle Racing posted some good results.  No race reports (if you have any, please let me know), but the numbers tell at least part of the story.  JoeK did his now-usual great performance in the Cat 3/4 race, coming in 2nd in the first prime and taking 4th place overall out of 26 racers, and ChrisB - in perhaps his first appearance this season - posted a top 10 finish in the 3/4s as well.

But the main story was the Cat 4/5 race.  New team member JoeP (we seem to have a lot of Joes and Chrises on the team) WON the Cat 4/5 race, and was ably assisted in points collection by Dillon, who won the first prime of the race (his  first prime of the season?).  The resulting points catapulted CCR  to second place in the overall team standings in the Cat 4/5 race, the only other point being the one I scored back on Mar. 22.

Only two Plainville races left . . .

After missing out on the fun & games on Saturday, I figured some self-flagellation was in order.  And I didn't want to let the weekend go by with no racing.  I decided an appropriate "punishment" would be to finally try racing Bethel. 

This is apparently what I look like when anticipating a good beating.

You may find it hard to believe, but I'd never raced the Bethel Spring Series before.  It's always been too tough schedule-wise to try to get to it.  And besides, I'd pretty much psyched myself out about it's being too tough a race for me.  I'd heard it had large, fast fields of racers - and a hill right before the start finish.  I hate hills any time, but in a race - in a crit?!  Ugh.  But I needed a beating - and I needed a race.  And - by changing in the car on the way (Mrs. Suitcase driving of course) and doing the Cat 3/4 race later in the day (even though the Cat 4 race at 930a would have been more appropriate) - I was able to finally do it.  I figured if I could just sit in and finish with the pack that'd be a major accomplishment.

I'm afraid if you want a detailed account of this race, you won't find it here.  My view of the race - literally and figuratively - was pretty much limited to whatever wheel I was on at the time.  Fortunately, SDC paid closer attention - and has the experience to write about it and capture the nuances.

For me, it was all about staying sheltered when I could, conserving as much energy up the hill as possible, and doing my best to keep large gaps from forming in front of me.  At 27 miles, this would be my longest crit and, with the hill, one of the toughest.  So I did what I could to make sure I'd at least finish.

I was mostly successful.

My first mistake was in getting a little too anxious up the climb one lap near the end.  All-of-a-sudden, I'm out in front.  Ok - after the "summit" there's a right corner and then a descent.  I can pedal down hill fine - and in a large gear even.  Problem was, as I rounded turn 2 I was still in front.  I swear I heard snickers behind me as the rest of the pack just let me dangle out there to see what I'd do.  They needn't have worried - no way was I going to try to stay out there, especially with the headwind on the back stretch.

I sat up.

Second mistake was taking the outside line in the final sprint.  I'd heard about how everybody moves left going up the hill and creates a pinch point there.  I've been crash free for a year now and didn't want to risk getting caught there in a sprint for the finish.  So I sprinted up the right side.  Longest line.  Without a leadout guy.  No wheel.  Into the wind.

Won't do THAT again if I can help it.

The pictures will tell the rest of the story.  I chose these 1) because you may find yourself in them, and 2) because I'm in every one of them.  Like Waldo, you'll have to look though (click on pics for a larger view).

Coming up the hill.  I think that's the start/finish line in the foreground.  New-friend and chief Bethel race encourager DaveB is to the left of the yellow jersey.  Sporting his stealth kit.

The "good" hill - descending after turn #1. 

Strung out coming into the back stretch.  I think this may be a shot of the pack exploding that SDC describes.  I'm making (what at least *I* think is) a valiant effort to keep things together.  I'm below the big evergreen tree.

Not sure who the rider is (comment below if you know), but he's created a significant gap.

Coming around (I think it's) turn 2?

Funny story about this pic.  I'd seen this guy take off and I happened to be near the front so I figured I'd try to catch him.  I thought I had a pretty good jump and gapped the field on my way to bridging up to this guy.  I thought I was all alone, so when I saw Mickey taking pics here I figured it'd make a great new blog banner ("Mr. Suitcase Breaks Away at Bethel Crit!")

Well, as you can see, I just succeeded in pulling the field up.  So much for the gap I thought was behind me.  But at least this is proof that, yes, I CAN pull at the front sometimes (even if unintentionally).  My favorite shot of the day (of course).

Here's a better shot of the pack coming up the hill.

And another one, just in case you didn't find yourself in the previous ones...

So as we came down to less than 5 laps to go (or thereabouts), I quit noticing reports of time gaps to the break.  I wasn't sure whether we'd caught them, but wasn't really in a position to care.  I'd hung in for over 20 miles - and up the hill over 20 times - and I was beginning to run out of gears.  (TIP: do not adjust your rear derailleur the night before a race, no matter how much better you'll think it'll be.  And esp. if it's Campy).  As the pace inevitably went up, I did my best to stay near the front and keep up with whatever group might take off.

As we hit the bell lap and over the top of the climb, I had enough momentum to gain a bunch of spots on the descent, and tucked back in to shelter for the windy back stretch.  I heard later that SDC was on my wheel and I didn't even notice as he slipped by me - tucking in within the top ten.

Miracle of miracles, I still had a bit left in the tank for the final climb up the hill.  I knew it'd be my final effort until the next weekend, so I gave it all I had.  Unfortunately, I chose one gear heavier than I should have, and - thankfully - the chain didn't drop down the cogs for once (refer to TIP above).  I stood on the pedals and my legs screamed in protest as I looked for the finish line.

I swear, the closer I got to it, the longer it took to come to me.

When it was all over, I'd passed enough guys in the sprint to secure a top 20 spot.  The officials weren't sure at first since I was on the opposite side of the road and mostly obscured, but thankfully the finish line camera confirmed it.  19th place.  As a Cat 4 in my first Bethel race, and among Cat 3s as well, I'll take it and be proud.

But the guy who took the win was SDC, in his first win of the season.  Much deserved.  And, fortunately, Mrs. Suitcase caught it on video, which I post below for your enjoyment.  Of all the finish line videos we've shot, this is probably the best.

And thanks to Mickey for the great pics.

If you're interested, the Garmin data for this race, including map & profile, can be located here.  My HR data -surprisingly - shows that I didn't work as hard as last week's Plainville race, but my legs tell a different story.  That hill makes a big difference, rewarding strength/power rather than speed.

Bethel Cat 3/4 Race 4/6/2008

19th place (?? entrants)

23.8 mph average

.3 min @ <126 bpm

.5 min @ 127-145 bpm

32.6 min @ 146-162 (Tempo)

26.7 min @ 163-180 (Threshold)

159 HR average (176 max)

Last week's Plainville Cat 3/4 race:

10th place (36 entrants)

22.8 mph average (slower due to wind and, maybe, blocking)

0 min @ <126 bpm

0 min @ 127-145 bpm

2.6 min @ 146-162 (Tempo)

49.8 min @ 163-180 (Threshold)

169 HR average (182 max)

Now that I've got one Bethel under my belt, (much of) the intimidating mystery is gone.  Have to see if I can make it again next weekend.  It's the last race of the series and I'm hoping I can put what I learned to good use - and maybe even place better.  Guess we'll see . . .

Plainville Race #3Photo Finish

In training crits, things are more low-key and informal.  Consequently, there isn't much in the way of amenities - the pit is supplied with your own wheels and tools, the roads aren't closed off so you have to dodge every truck entering the industrial park, and there's no photo finish camera.  This is all fine - keeps the prices down and provides lots of inexpensive racing.

But sometimes the perks are helpful.  Like today - a photo finish camera would have been nice.  Fortunately, Mrs. Suitcase learned how to use the video function on the *new* camera.  And fortunately for the top 6 placers (Plainville points go 6 deep), the video came out pretty good and the officials were able to use it.

See if you can figure out who placed and in what order.  Just to make it a challenge, she shot on the the side WITHOUT the numbers (no going to the website to check standings . . .)

No, there's no prize for being right (Suitcase of Courage blog pays O deep...)

Full race report coming soon.

Plainville Race #2

Last week's race was canceled due to snow, so there was a lot of pent-up anticipation for yesterday's race.  Fortunately, it was BEAUTIFUL.

I came in 6th in the first of this spring series of training crits, and I'm not sure how my new coach might change my routine (I fear - due to the mild winter and lots of hard riding - I may not have enough base), so I figured I'd go harder this week.

No problem having it be harder - It was MUCH faster than last time - and there was a bigger field too.  So that - along with not wanting to sit in this time - made it a pretty tough race for my second one of the season.

Like last time, there were a few attacks and breaks early on, but I knew I wouldn't have enough to stay with any of them for the whole race.  Fortunately, they were all brought back.  I felt pretty good for the prime lap and started to go for it, but coming down to the line, the guys at front were BLAZING, so I figured - "no way" - didn't wanna burn out for a prime, so I let the pack catch me and sat in for a while.

I'm still very new to this whole race thing, and while I've read a lot about it, much of the strategy still eludes me.  For whatever reason (luck I figure), I got on the wheel of what looked like a pretty strong guy who attacked to bridge up to the first break after the prime.  I let him tow me up to the break and - seeing the series leader there - I figured this break had a future.

But did I?  The pace in the break was even faster and I have to admit, a couple of times I thought "This is NUTS!" and wanted to just ease back to the pack and hope we'd catch back up later.  There were 7 of us in the break and points go 6 deep, so I figured only one of us would finish empty handed and it wasn't gonna be me.  We worked pretty well together, trading pulls, and got so far ahead of the peleton at one point we couldn't even see them.  I suspect this was in NO small measure due to my two teammates - Dillon and Gregg (pictured at left) - who were back in the pack doing some helpful blocking and false pacing.

Five laps to go and we kicked it up a little more, trying to force a selection among us.  But we all stuck together - though I suspect, while we were all trading pulls, we were each trying to time it so we weren't on the front for the last lap!

Coming into the final corner, it was me, the series leader (pictured at left - this guy is FAST! - and he's a junior!), and a Cog Wild guy near the front, with the other 4 guys right behind.  We all stepped on the gas and - contrary to my usual instinct - I held back behind the Cog Wild guy for a second or two, then came around. . .

The pic at the top of this post was the result.  Taking a tip from Aki, I threw my bike at the line and WON!

Or so I thought.  We didn't find out until we went to collect our prizes that I actually got second(!)  Apparently, there was a guy up the road that none of us knew about.  In our race, they don't pull lapped riders and I guess he just got lost in the shuffle.  Good for him - maybe he likes riding alone.  I, for one, enjoyed being in what turned out to be a winning break, working with the other guys and then having enough juice at the end - and enough wits for a change to take a leadout.

Dillon and Gregg (left) did great in the pack even after doing so much to guarantee our break's success - Gregg winning the field sprint after a heroic leadout by Dillon!  All in all, a great day for Team Epic Velo!

Stats: Distance - 50 min. plus 5 laps
20.9 miles (38 laps)
Avg. Speed 24.2
Sprint Speed 35.4

For the full GARMIN detail - including a cool new LAPS function - check the right hand column under "Races" or click here.

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A big THANK YOU and shout out to Trish for the FANTASTIC finish photo and to my lovely wife for the video of the finish (her first one! - though we gotta get a better camera).  For another (and MUCH less wordy) race report, click here.