Race Report OTH #7, week 1 second set

Alright already....details, details, details, pics...anything for us working stiffs!

 

I have a few pictures uploading. Not on smugmug. It was fun today!



Always smiling!

 

Jealousy!!!!!

 

http://s770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/thomswildchild/Over The Hump/

They should finish uploading soon!

 

Good times out there tonight. Seemed the attendance was a little lighter this week. Thanks Thomas, and Melody (dandilionsformelo), and Dino w/ the Oldies (I caught him doing the Twist a few laps), for all the cheers/encouragement!!:clap: I had a pretty good race: no falls, no angry dudes yelling out obscenities, better time, better placement, and lots of smiles. Great seeing all of you again tonight!

 

Another great night at OTH! Thanks for all the good photos Thomas!

 

First and probably only race of the year for me and it was great. Ended up nearly last but I rode the course 2 minutes faster than I wanted to so that rocks. +1 on the thanks to Dino. I got a high five from him as I raced by and it was just cool to have someone out there cheering complete with cowbell. Great race everyone. I ride 99% of my rides solo so it is always awesome to be out riding with all of those riders and to gaze longingly at all of those high end crazy expensive bikes. Way to go everyone.

 

It was a fun race for me this afternoon. I got there not as early as I would like and by the time I checked in, it was already 5:15. I only had time to do half of a pre-ride as they were going to start the kids race so I only seen half of the course. I spent the time while waiting for the start to chill at the STR tent and saw some familiar faces like Dino, Thomas, Hotchkiss, Brownie and Krunner. Since I am in the beginner 40-49 group, we were pretty much way back in the line up. By the time our group started, the Pro/Expert group had already rolled by and that was roughly 8 minutes after 6. I pretty much started off at the end of my group. I tried to keep a good pace as I didn't want to fall behind too much. The first climb on that messed up paved road was rough to me as there were potholes left and right along the way. However, I did managed to pass a few of my fellow group racers. There was a short descent right after the climb and then a longer descent soon after. I have heard people crashed and wished out on the longer descent when trying to make that sharp right at the bottom near the lake. I kept my focus and watched my speed while corning as one of my goals is not to crash. After that we went through a route that took us close to where people climb up on the same paved road and then we were sent back to the main road and onto the crossing the lake.

I saw Dino on top of the little hill after crossing the lake as he rang his signature cow bell. Dino is a cool dude and he kept checking with me to make sure I am doing okay when I rolled by. The back side of the lake is just a big piece of flat that takes you to the gradual climb at the end. I used that flat to recover and get myself ready for the climb. I went through the gradual climb with a few of my fellow group racers. The climb takes us back to the top and then we rolled all the way down to the bottom with a couple of drops in between. I really don't know how to describe the next part afterward but it basically is a doubletrack with some fast turns and a surplus little climb in the middle of it. I actually made that little climb while rolling through the track since I was already on low gear.

The last part of the course is the infamous sandpit where it used to be the swamp/meadow area. I have heard story about the sandpit but still do not know what to expect and ended up had to walk the sandpit area. After the swamp area we were back on the main road and on our way back to start/finish area. I looked down on my Garmin and I took me 26 mins just to finish my first lap.

On my second lap, I felt better and more confident since I have now seen and rode through the course once. This was also my very first time doing multiple laps in a race so I felt weird that I am doing it all over again. Overall, I had a great time out there. My Garmin told me I finished it in 55mins and 24 sec with a total of 9.5 miles. I am happy that I finished it and made it with no crash. Dino made me smile and encouraged me along the way. I think I will do it again at least one more before the series ends in August.

Cheers,

 

Great night of racing as usual, but owe it Dino today.
Just came off a stomach bug over the weekend and felt pretty crappy after the 1st lap. I really wanted to called it a day, but after soaking in some of the vibes coming from Dino's corner, I was able to get over the funk and felt pretty good until the end. Might have been all in the head, but you know what, whatever Dino is putting out helped for sure! Thanks Dino! :beer:

Now a question for all you fast folks.
I've been riding pretty regularly for the past year for fitness, basically so I can 'enjoy' rides (rather than having to suffer). However I don't really follow any structured training. Usually I just go out and ride, but generally try to push hard up climbs. I'm racing Sport 3 now, and generally finish in the same area every week (mid-pack between 20th and 30th-ish). I seem to do okay up the climbs but I can really tell that I lack the power and speed of the faster guys in my group. Any training recommendations to improve this?

 

Just to be clear, I'm not fast but I've learned a thing or two over the years. Rides with a specific purpose. Intervals and/or hill repeats on a ride or two a week. Probably 3 rides a week if not more. One of those rides could be intervals and the another ride with race like distance and the third ride being an easier spin. (Maybe even make the middle ride of the week the easy spin ride so you have time to recover) Nutrition can also help out especially if you're doing the 3 laps. Gels & Electrolite (sp?) will help keep the engine stoked throughout the laps.(use the training rides, especially the race distance one to test out what works best for you) I'm no expert though and I'm sure others with far more racing experience than I will have better suggestions but I know from reading and listening that this is a decent place to start.

 

Not my best night ever....had some equipment issues. I didn't want to DNF so I made it work and kind of kept going more for the workout rather than to compete....ended up 4th so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

I was very upset after the race though, I'll say that. I didn't know what place in came in until I checked the results a few minutes ago, I though I would be further back in the field. First I was mad, then I was just sad, then I had beer and margaritas and felt better. My night ended up pretty darn good afterall lol...it was great seeing everyone again after the break.

 

I totally forgot about this one 8-[

 

I'm working on the photos today. My goal is to have them up by Wednesday morning since I'm working the X-Games the rest of the week. I will post an update as soon as they are ready.

 

I ride on the road 3 days a week, using the heart rate monitor to work on pacing and speed work. My mountain rides normally consist of a hill repeat day which basically makes you wanna puke, a fast ride on sundays and then an easy peters loop on monday's. I use OTH as a training ride for State, Nationals, and anything else i'll be attacking. Have fun with it. Try and use a heart rate monitor, if youre interested in someone setting up structured work outs for you aka a coach, i can recommend mine. Craig at Efficiency Coaching is AMAZING and he's not super pricy.

 

Looks like you folks had a great time. Bummed I missed out. Congrats to everyone who raced. See you all next week!

 

+1 on everything here. I'm not anywhere near "fast" (wraschke definitely is though), I'm doing this stuff to try to get there someday.

 

with a few bikes problems you still got 4th! good job.. Next week you and manny 1-2 punch

 

Look at this photo.. Look at the face of this hard core racer! wow he means some serious business! Let's not forget to thank Steve for the awesome photo too!

 

Fun race last night. There definitely didn't seem to be as many racers though. I will be honest...I sometimes dread these races as I feel like a lot of my week gets consumed with it. Whether it's not riding mon/tues morning to save the legs and/or not riding wed morning because the legs are tired. Maybe I just need to suck it up and ride more either way but after the fact I'm always glad that I raced.

Started out feeling really slow last night and then began to work my way up and catch a few guys. Somehow I always end up near the top singlespeeder and try to pull through the flats. I think last night it was Jeff Resnick from Team Troupe. Jeff, myself, and the two Dans (Eitman & Acosta) were duking it out near the end...good times.

Thanks a bunch to Dino and crew for the cheers up on the corner. I still need to drop by the STR tent to meet you guys.

#502

 

Was dreading this one since I hadn't been on the bike since last Wednesday, but managed to knock 1.5 minutes off my time and get into the top half of the B3 field. Only real problem I had was in the sand the first lap... Guy went down in front of me, forcing me to stop. I pushed through the deep stuff, but for some reason just couldn't get going again even in the less-deep sand. Next thing I know one of the faster guys is giving me a push in the back to help me. Didn't see who it was, and was so out of breath and fuzzy-brained that I didn't offer thanks. I know it was a purely selfish move on his part - he didn't want me slowing him down - but it probably would have been easier to shove me out of the way. Thanks, anonymous rider.

Had fun last night, passed quite a few people. Now I need to start further up and push harder out of the gate so I don't have to make up as many positions. And, as always, thanks Dino, TWC etc. for the encouragement!