Seward Park 7/10/09 - The Opposite of Smart Racing

What's the opposite of smart racing? Me at Seward Park yesterday. Too much work with nothing to show for it. But I guess it was a training race so that's what it's for right?

Pulled the peloton around for the first lap, stayed up front until the first prime, went too early for it. I was fourth wheel and saw the three ahead soft-pedaling and coasting, playing cat-and-mouse so I attacked hard from the back. I had a gap but ran out of gas on the uphill towards the line.

Then it took me just about the rest of the race (10 more laps) to recover, and I slowly slid backwards in the pack, ending up in the middle. Moved up for the last lap, and ended up stuck in the wind on the front with two up the road. Had nothing for the (uphill) sprint..

When I got 3rd in this race I sat in until the final sprint - I'm thinking this means I need to get smarter. Or stronger. Or both.

Photos

Early in the race I think, here I am 3rd-wheel. A strong junior (Max?) was pulling the field, and look who made a guest appearance in 2nd wheel? Mr. Elbows. He kept them to himself this time it seemed.
The pack coming up to the peak/turn:

The peloton coming up the 4% hill - this is what you get to sprint up at the end!

Here's Chad going for one of the primes.

And then coming in for the win, a First Rate Mortgage rider. If I'm not mistaken he also raced the Masters 35+ at the Joe Matava Crit last week, and looked strong there.

Thanks to Beki for taking these shots!

In other news, the STP is happening this Saturday. But instead of doing it like I've done for the last few years, I'm doing a race in Redmond instead. Looks like it's going to be a great weekend of riding!

Joe Matava Crit Pictures

Got a few pictures from the crit this weekend that Jordan's wife (whose name I've forgotten!) took. Always nice to get a glimpse of how you looked when suffering.

The 4/5 field lineup, 55 riders in total.
More words from the race official:

And they're off!

There we go!

On our post-race cool-down lap.
Post-race smile from Jordan, with me in the background comtemplating my weak sprint:

Chatting with Mark after the race. He won at least one of the primes, not sure how he placed though. The guy is strong!

Thanks for sharing the photos, Jordan!

Cat 4 Upgrade Request: Denied

So I built up a "race resume" and applied for the upgrade to Category 4 based on the 12 races I've done so far: Ballard Crit, Joe Matava Crit, and 10 Seward Park races. All you need is 10 mass-starts to move up to the 4's, though I wasn't sure if the Seward races would count or not.

Looks like they officially don't count for upgrades any more:

"Sorry, Matt, USAC simply does not recognize events it doesn't sanction (like Seward Park and Pacific Raceways). It's as if those races never happened. I know they give you pack-riding experience, but I have to process upgrades by the standards that USAC puts into place. You'll need to do more weekend racing to qualify for the cat 4 upgrade."

WSBA says as much here, so I'm not too surprised. And the request was processed within hours, so at least I found the answer quickly.

Oh well, for the most part it won't change anything for me - most of the races seem to combine 4's and 5's. I might be able to squeeze in eight more races this year, but some of these require a bit of a commute to get to:

• Redmond Derby Days Men's 4/5
• Juniors/Masters Championships (bellingham) (Road Race, Criterium, Time Trial)
  
• Gig Harbor Circuit Race
• Kirkland Criterium (cat 4 and down)
• Volunteer Park Summer Crit (I've only heard rumors of this one, it's not on the race calendars last I checked)
  
• Brad Lewis Crit II (aka Boat Street)
  
• Carnation Circuit
• Seward Park Season End
  

Overlay the SIR brevet series and there are bound to be conflicts.. too many cycling events, too little time! Could be worse I guess.

Joe Matava Memorial Criterium 2009

Now that I've been looking at the WSBA race calendar, the 34th Annual Joe Matava Memorial Classic criterium had been on my radar for a while. Down in Burien, Wa, it was only about 20 km (12 mi) away from Capitol Hill. It didn't conflict with any brevets or other rides, so how could I turn it down?

It would be another race that would count towards the upgrade to Category 4, which would give me two total. Just need 10 to get to 4.. Then just 10 top 10 results to get to Category 3. I'd like to do that by the end of next year, but not sure if there are enough local races (or if I have enough skill) to do so. Well that's the plan anyway.

On Friday I stopped by REI to check out some new shoes/cleats/pedals, as I think the current SPDs I'm using are finally starting to hold back my racing. Or maybe they always have been, and I haven't noticed it. It's not that I pull my shoe out of the pedal, just that the cleat starts to give/move at about 800 watts.. Meaning the power transfer just isn't that great. I used to ride Speedplays, and I think it's time to switch the Ciocc back to something more efficient. The tradeoff is less walkability, but I can live with that.

Didn't end up picking out any shoes, but it's something I want to change soon. Another race on SPDs...

Ride To The Ride

It was the perfect day for a ride, clear and 75 degrees or so when I headed out at 6:15. The race started at 8 AM, and I was happy it was early so it wouldn't be too hot yet. Only 20km to the start so it was a good warm-up. I took Delridge all the way down to where it turns into Ambaum, and then just kept going until I hit 153rd. Traffic was really light and it wasn't as bad of a route as I thought it might be.

At around 153rd the road was blocked off in "downtown" Burien, and from there it was easy to find the sign-up table (day-of registration only). After signing up I stashed my frame pump, arm warmers, rear light, and extra water bottle in some bushes on a side street. I figured nobody would really notice the stuff if they weren't looking for it, and even if they saw the stuff would they really take it? Luckily nobody took my stuff.

The Course

I got a chance to take a few warm-up laps, which was nice since it was an opportunity to see the course from the bike, and more importantly the turns. From the start line the course was on a slight downhill, turning left at 90-degrees, over a brick crosswalk, go a few meters and turn left again, onto the back straight.

The back straight was a slight uphill, maybe at 2-3%. A narrow-ish section only maybe 10m across. After the crest you took two more quick lefts, and headed down the main straight, with a roughly 200-meter downhill sprint to the finish line. A great setup for a race!

The course was a lot like Ballard, 4 90-degree corners in a rectangle - but unlike Ballard, it was smooth pavement all the way around, and it was on more of a hill, though a slight one. And although it was smooth, there was a lot of stuff in the road like reflectors and manhole covers. The reflectors seemed really new, with high hard edges, not yet worn down by traffic. In a turn if you hit one just wrong you could easily go down due to it.. I never did though.

After a few warm-up laps I realized I had my rental number pinned on the wrong side, as the judges' camera was on the left and my number was pinned on the right. With 15 minutes to go I had plenty of time to switch it, but it's one of those thing I didn't want to change since I had it "dialed in" pretty well. After the switch I had just enough time to line up, on the front line on the way left of the pack.

The race official went throuh and inspected our numbers, and gave the pre-race announcement. Four primes, 30 minutes of racing. 55 entrants he said, for this Category 4/5 field. Soon he said "race starts in 30 seconds," and there was a silent countdown on.

The Race

"Race starts in 10 seconds" and I just wanted it to start.. Whistle blew and we were off, I hit my max 10-second power of the whole race just in the initial surge, which in a race like this is a serious one. Everyone wants to be up front, and if you start out in back and try to work your way up, it takes more energy than just sprinting there in the first place.

We were off and I was excited to be doing a different race than Seward, and especially one that actually "counted." We were going fast of course, but I felt comfortable and was in about 10th wheel for quite a while. I had no real intention of getting on the front, or even off the front - the plan was just to "sit in" and see what happened for the field sprint at the end.

The first prime lap came up, and a familiar face from Seward, Mark, was moving up front just before the last two turns. He's a really good sprinter, and I was tempted to challenge him but didnt want to be spent too early, it was only 5 minutes in or so. Mark won the sprint, edging out another guy at the last second he said.

There were a few more primes, and I just held on for the surges in speed, and watched the sprints. The pack would string out on the main stretch, never really grouping up as much as I'd like to easily stay out of the wind. On the back stretch, we'd bunch up a little more since it was uphill, but it was also tighter there.

After about 22 minutes of racing they turned off the clock and switched to a lap counter, 5 to go. It actually went really quick, and I'm starting to find I wish the races were a bit longer. I think seeing that switch makes the pack speed up a little, and everyone of course wants to start moving up. I too wanted to be up front, just not all the way up there.

On the 2nd to last lap or so, heading for the first turn, I heard that "plastic/metal scraping on pavement" sound and two riders went down. When it happens I feel bad for them, but can't lose focus on the task at hand and just have to keep going. I've been lucky in my 12-race history that I haven't crashed yet, but I know it will happen eventually.

In fact on the last lap I ever-so-slightly struck a pedal on the ground in the 2nd turn.. it was enough I could feel it, but luckily not enough to bounce me or make me skid out. Guess I was lucky, as I'd been somewhat pedaling through the turns all day to make up positions or keep mine.

On the 2nd to last corner on the last lap I'm in good position, probably top 10. Guy in front of me touches a wheel and drifts sideways, but somehow he stayed upright! I had to brake slightly to avoid hitting him as he slowed, and that slight braking going into the last turn of course cost me some spots I'm sure.

We came around the final turn, and I emptied what little I had left in the tank, but it wasn't much. I don't think I really geared up enough to put much into the sprint.. Even so, I ended up 11th! I'm really happy with that, given many of the riders in the field were Category 4 (more experienced).

Now I just need to work on that final sprint, and when I might be able to report a "w" one of these days.. Still, it was more good training, practice, and experience.

Data

Entire workout (254 watts):
Duration: 29:00
Work: 441 kJ
TSS: 50.3 (intensity factor 1.02)
Norm Power: 291
VI: 1.15
Distance: 20.524 km
Elevation Gain: 245 m
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 927 254 watts
Heart Rate: 126 192 177 bpm
Cadence: 15 119 84 rpm
Speed: 0 62 42.3 kph
Crank Torque: 0 199.5 27.2 N-m

If anything I think this data shows I didn't really sprint all that well (only 119 max rpm), and that I probably need to raise my FTP-estimate (currently at 285 watts). And the fact that the max 10-seconds was at the beginning of the race, I'd rather that be at the end.

The data also shows that this was a faster race than Ballard (40.1 km/h), we averaged 42.3 km/h (~ 26 mph) for this race! My fastest ride on a bicycle, ever. And the funny thing is the Cat 1/2's are definitely going faster than that.

Next weekend is the Redmond Derby Days Crit (I'm somehow not doing STP this year), so that will be another big one. And the weekend after that there's either the S2S or a two-day "stage" race in Bellingham (Juniors/Masters Omnium State Championships).. oh decisions decisions.

And on the 25th is a 200k brevet, another series is starting up. I've got a lot of riding to do!

Attacking At Seward Park

Another weekly training race, and I've got the ride-to-the-ride part down pretty well. Got there with plenty of time to sign up, lined up mid pack. The weather was nice, but hot. From the ride down I already had sweat running down my back, but I was nice and warmed up.

On the first lap I got up front on the climb, and stayed there for a lap or two. Some decent work pulling the field around for a lap or two, but good training. It is a training race after all! Eventually sat in the middle of the pack for a few laps, then with five to go started thinking about the finish.

For the two primes ($10 & a water bottle I think) I just sat and watched Mark take at least one of them, if not both. Guy's a monster!

I had a plan, and wanted to save energy for the end of the race, not the intermediate sprint laps.

The Attack

So on the lap after the last prime lap, there were two to go. I figured everyone was tired from the speed-up that is a prime lap (as I was), so as the first rider in the pack going up the steep section of the hill, I launched an attack. Didn't need to look back to see if anyone was on my wheel, I could tell it was silent behind me after the initial effort. So far, so good. It might not be all that hard to get away from the pack, but the question is always "can you hold it?"

For the first time, I crossed the line solo off the front, but there were still two laps to go. A few minutes can seem like an eternity at 190 bpm, this much I know.

After taking the 140-degree turn at speed since I was solo, I kicked a little to get down the hill as fast as possible. The pack was going to make up time on the downhill if anything. Got in an aero-ish tuck and tried to get low. 1/2 lap after I'd broken off, I was still solo, nothing but silence behind me.

I finally glanced back at the bottom of the hill, and was surprised to see some pavement between me and the pack which was maybe 15 meters back. It was time to haul on the flat, then see what happens on the uphill which was soon approaching.

But as I finally made it to the climb, one full lap from where I'd broken off, I was cooked. Not so much that I had to quit, just that my "flyer" was over. A few seconds later the clicks, whirs, and whoosh of the pack was upon me, and I sprinted to stay up at their speed. It was a great workout though:

Failed break (~1 lap):
Duration: 2:09
Work: 43 kJ
TSS: 4.7 (intensity factor 1.151)
Distance: 1.344 km
Elevation Gain: 34 m
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 837 331 watts
Heart Rate: 186 195 192 bpm! (max = 195)
Cadence: 33 114 80 rpm
Speed: 2.7 95.1 37.5 kph
Crank Torque: 0 173.4 39.3 N-m

So now I was cooked, but in the pack for the last lap. Was situated about mid pack, and stayed there for the final surge. I went, but didn't have much left. Ended up somewhere in the 15-20 range, at least not in the back and not lapped. Another fun race.

Seward Park 4/5 race 7/2/2009:
Duration: 29:23
Work: 426 kJ
TSS: 56.6 (intensity factor 1.075)
Norm Power: 306
VI: 1.27
Distance: 18.543 km
Elevation Gain: 365 m
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 909 242 watts
Heart Rate: 136 195 183 bpm
Cadence: 29 139 83 rpm
Speed: 0 98.7 37.8 kph
Crank Torque: 0 187.5 26.5 N-m

A Ride From the Other Side

For the first time this past Saturday, I volunteered on a ride instead of just showing up to one - the Summer 100k, this time around called The Sound and the Fury. Rather than handing my bottle to a (sometimes anonymous, I must admit) volunteer for a water refill, I was juggling others' bottles refilling them. As opposed to handing off my brevet card, proud to have made it this far in the ride, I was checking my watch and scribbling down the time and my initials.

It's actually quite a good feeling to give back to Seattle Rando, which is made up of many volunteers. Seattle Randonneurs hold some of the biggest brevets in the nation, and we probably have more volunteers than any other club as well.

While randonneuring is of course "unsupported long distance riding", the rules stipulate that you can receive outside assistance at controls. This opens up the opportunity for one or more volunteers to drive or ride to a control location, either to hand out water/snacks, sign brevet cards, or both.

Pedaled down to South Park, riding in jeans which I rarely do these days. Construction downtown meant for a confusing path on sidewalks, and I realized I should have taken 12th down to Jackson, and just skipped it altogether. Oh well, I made it down to South Park eventually, though a little later than planned. Lucky for me, I wasn't running the show, Robert was taking the reigns along with Chris G. and Emily.

At the start on the Duwamish River in South Park, lots of SIR blue in sight:

Chris and Emily were taking on what looked to be a confusing process: signing in riders. An extra form if you're not a SIR member, different process if you are but not registered, etc. They made quick work of it, and I was glad not to have to deal with it.

What started as a small group of people soon grew to 60+, and soon before 9 AM Robert was preparing to give his first "pre-ride speech." It's when you get to joke about how easy the route ahead will be, and remind everyone to have fun out there. I didn't get to hear it since John W. and I left a few minutes before to get to the first control, only eight or nine miles into the ride. (The route needed a control early on, lest anyone wanted to skip the great hills Robert found!)

We set up shop, and were joined by Vincent M., an experienced rando even though last year was his first year too. He's ridden more kilometers than I can shake a Zefal Hpx at. And he's got smiles for days, which must make for a nice greeting to the control.

Before too long a small group of riders showed up, already split from the main pack even on the mostly flat terrain leading up to it. But not too long after them a big wave of 30 or so riders came up us at once, breaking into three lines so each of us could sign cards at the same time. (When a group of riders show up they all get the same time, if I recall the rules correctly)

We waited until a few minutes after the control closing time, not sure of the exact count of riders on the course or how many we'd seen. We left the control and headed down to Dash Point, the halfway point of the ride and our next assignment.

On the way down, we realized the SIR sign was forgotten at the last control. Lucky for us Vincent was nice enough to lend some supplies and a hand in fashioning a sign out of cardboard, a few small planks of wood, and some tape. John applied some marker and we had a new control sign - not to be deterred by the situation, we randonneurs figured out a fix and kept on truckin.

We quickly scooted down to Dash Point, and set up shop there. Two big jugs of water, a bunch of Payday bars (a rando favorite, must be the peanuts), chips, and Rice Crispy Treats. Though the control was about to open (there is actually a max average speed limit in a brevet, around 25 mph), nobody showed up for a good 15 or 20 minutes.

A few of the speedy riders came through first, of course looking fresh and in great spirits. Reactions to the question "so ya like those hills?" got varying responses throughout the day, and these riders seemed like they truly enjoyed them. Further on in the day some met the question with a wry smile, others a laugh or a shake of the head.

It was great to see all of the different bikes ridden on this ride. This one was really interesting, the "top tube/down tube" part were made of some kind of horizontal lattice - just when you thought you'd seen all the bikes, even the folders. It goes to show that randonneuring really is a big tent!

More riders taking a short break on a hot day. The Payday bars and water went quick, we made a lot of trips to the nearby convenience store to resupply.

The riders had been split up by the hills by this point, as is always the case on our rides. Even so, they come in waves, grouping together based on friendships but sometimes just plain pace.

A few riders came in 10 or so minutes before control closing time, but lucky for us (I'd hate to break the news) nobody came in too late. We waited until about 10 minutes after the closing time just to see if anyone was coming through and could use some more water anyway. At that point they might as well continue, even if they wouldn't get the little medal at the end.

Here's a great shot of the finish at Loretta's in downtown South Park. This just might be the only time there will be cigarette smoking at the finish of a populaire..
Thanks to John W. for taking these pictures - more posted on flickr.

We sat around and heard tales of the day and caught up with old and new friends. Robert was around back, welcoming riders at the final end point. He did a great job setting up the route, and figuring out all the crazy logistics.

Unfortunately the ride didn't go off without a hitch though; one rider was hit by a car, only a few miles from the finish. He was luckily OK from what I heard, but his (new) bike had been apparently totalled. Every organizer's nightmare would be for a rider to get injured while on the ride, but of course there's nothing you can do to prevent it.

After it was all said and done, I got home but realized that I never saw a few of the late-arrivers at the end, even though we left Loretta's probably 30 minutes after the control time was expired. So I checked with Robert and got the name of one guy who was missing, and he gave me the name of two others who's status was unknown. After a few calls they were all accounted for, all healthy but admitting they'd just ran out of time.

I was relieved to hear that everyone made it to the finish, so we could finally rest. Though at that point Robert was just beginning to dive into what sounds like a swirl of paperwork around preparing the results. Thanks, Robert! You and the rest of the volunteers did a great job in putting this together. And if we ever organize a brevet, maybe they'll really let us pile on the hills?

Robert wrote a great account of the ride, and all that went into it, here. Mark Thomas took some great shots along the route, which can be found in his flickr set. (This one in particular is great, I love the walking riders! Granted I think that was the 16% section)

While I was initially jealous of the riders getting to do such a great ride on a beautiful day, I'm glad I volunteered. I think every rando should do it at least once, and see what it's like from the other side of the water bottle. Thanks to everyone for coming out, and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming 200k!

Come Do 100km With SiR

Ever wanted to give the whole rando thing a try, without having to sign away a whole weekend?

Perhaps you'd like to ride with us, but aren't sure if you "can hang."

Well now's your chance - behold the 100km Populaire being put on by Dr. Codfish, Robert, Chris G., me, and Seattle Rando:





Well I can't take much credit for doing anything in preparation for the ride, Dr. C & Robert have done the lion's share of the work - I'm just tagging along on their coat tails.

Pre-ride registration has ended, but you can still show up tomorrow and get a brevet card and a cue sheet. What's a brevet card? Well that's the funny little piece of paper you carry around and have signed at each "control" - and there will even be a few "info controls" where you have to write down something you see. This is the "paperwork" of randonneuring that some love, some hate.

As for the course, it's a darn good one. SiR elders wouldn't let us make this a "killer hills" route, but being SiR they of course allowed for some good old climbs. Randos love climbing, this is one thing I know. (Well, at least brevet course organizers like them!) There are a few memorable hills for sure - I remember seeing 16% grade on one of them - but hopefully nothing that will turn people away from riding with us.

There will certainly be some grunts of "who created this course?!" but once you crest that hill and look back a great view of the sound, the fury will soon leave your body.

Come out and see what you think of it tomorrow! I won't be riding, just helping out along the course. The weather looks great, so you realy have no excuse not to show up.