No one else is writing a report, so I might as well write my "humility report". I started my first Cat 3 race with Chris P, PJ, and Rich Batten. I felt really good for a while and told Chris at some point, "at least I don't feel like I don't belong here." (Yes, I know it's a double-negative.) I had burned a few matches in the first few laps, in what I perceived to be efforts to help my teammates; nothing really notable, though. I had climbed up Meetinghouse near the front for the first 3 laps, and had been hovering between the top 10 and top 30 for most of the race. Eventually, top 30 meant "near the back", though. I made a few digs to get back toward the front to stay out of trouble, although the 3's were as expected...less sketchy and more trouble-free.
On the 4th lap, around the Dunkin Donuts, I felt the energy drain out of my legs as though someone had pulled the plug in the bathtub and all I could do was watch the water run out. I knew it and I told Chris, "I'm coming off the back the next time up the climb". We were very near the front at this point, so when we turned onto Meetinghouse at least I was able to pack slide from very near the front. I hoped that I could hang on, recover and maybe feel better by the next time around. By the top, though, I was off the back and I was struggling to breathe and struggling to pedal efficiently. I have no idea what happened, or why I saw it coming...but I had nothing left.
The follow car passed me at some point around the hill under I-190, and then I was alone. I tried to convince myself that I could get back on during the decent, but by the time I got onto Rt 12...I couldn't even see the peleton. I finished the lap, soft pedaling up to the finish line so that I could declare defeat.
Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. Yesterday, I was bear food. C'est la vie.
Sterling
-
onegeardoug
- Chasseur
- Posts: 973
- Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:01 am
- Location: Marlboro, MA
Re: Sterling
My legs were OK, but felt a little blocked. It occured to me that MRC riders often have a mediocre day at Sterling. I think that the energy we put into making this race work makes it hard to do well.
The Cat4 race was hard this year: it was full of fast college kids, eager to attack the hell out of the race. The first 2 laps were brutal, and at times I mostly wanted to curl up in a fetal position. But I managed to stay near the front, and did some minor blocking when Chris Busick took a 1/2 lap solo flyer. Once again, big credit to Chris for being a team player. His effort was destined to fail, but it settled the attacking down. When he was caught, I was expecting the counter, and when it came from two really strong guys, I decided to take Chris' lead and bridged. We worked a little dysfunctionally, and I honored Mother's Day by wanting to cry to my mommy every time I finished my pull and had to latch onto the back. In the end, we stayed away for a bit less than 1/2 lap.
After that effort, I was totally cracked, but everyone else must've been hurting too, as there weren't really any attacks. So I sat in the back for 2 laps, with the plan to move up on Rt. 12 on the final lap to drive the pace for Rob or Chris, who were hanging out near the front.
When we made the turn from North Row onto 12, one guy attacked off the front, so I moved to the front earlier than I planned and helped haul the guy back in. So now I was on the front with 2 miles to go and Chris and Rob both sitting nicely in the first 10 wheels. In an effort to keep them from being swamped on the usual Rt 12 shuffle, I drilled it, figuring I could get them to the bottom of the climb before Rt. 62. This was too ambitious. In hindsight, I should have paced myself a bit better.
At that point, I was cooked, so when the final surge came going through Sterling center, I didn't try too hard to follow, figuring I had no chance for a result and would avoid the standard cat4 crash on the Meetinghouse hill.
Sure enough, there was a crash, and Rob got caught in it.
I would've liked a better result, but at least I feel like I tried some things on a course not best suited for me. In the long view, I finished 28th here last year in a race that was much easier, and I was thrilled because it was the first time I'd ever managed to actually finish with the pack. This year, I finished 35th - not that different really - and I'm a little disappointed. One year makes a big difference.
The Cat4 race was hard this year: it was full of fast college kids, eager to attack the hell out of the race. The first 2 laps were brutal, and at times I mostly wanted to curl up in a fetal position. But I managed to stay near the front, and did some minor blocking when Chris Busick took a 1/2 lap solo flyer. Once again, big credit to Chris for being a team player. His effort was destined to fail, but it settled the attacking down. When he was caught, I was expecting the counter, and when it came from two really strong guys, I decided to take Chris' lead and bridged. We worked a little dysfunctionally, and I honored Mother's Day by wanting to cry to my mommy every time I finished my pull and had to latch onto the back. In the end, we stayed away for a bit less than 1/2 lap.
After that effort, I was totally cracked, but everyone else must've been hurting too, as there weren't really any attacks. So I sat in the back for 2 laps, with the plan to move up on Rt. 12 on the final lap to drive the pace for Rob or Chris, who were hanging out near the front.
When we made the turn from North Row onto 12, one guy attacked off the front, so I moved to the front earlier than I planned and helped haul the guy back in. So now I was on the front with 2 miles to go and Chris and Rob both sitting nicely in the first 10 wheels. In an effort to keep them from being swamped on the usual Rt 12 shuffle, I drilled it, figuring I could get them to the bottom of the climb before Rt. 62. This was too ambitious. In hindsight, I should have paced myself a bit better.
At that point, I was cooked, so when the final surge came going through Sterling center, I didn't try too hard to follow, figuring I had no chance for a result and would avoid the standard cat4 crash on the Meetinghouse hill.
Sure enough, there was a crash, and Rob got caught in it.
I would've liked a better result, but at least I feel like I tried some things on a course not best suited for me. In the long view, I finished 28th here last year in a race that was much easier, and I was thrilled because it was the first time I'd ever managed to actually finish with the pack. This year, I finished 35th - not that different really - and I'm a little disappointed. One year makes a big difference.
Re: Sterling
One-beer-drunk yesterday and Mother's Day today kind of got in the way of doing this until now.
What can I say? It was a dreamlike and amazing day for me yesterday.
Got a really good night's rest Friday (unlike last week's sleepover party debacle). Arrive on site and after checking in did 10 min spin on the trainer before lining up.
Line up: With Jeremy's words "stay off the front" echoing in my mind, I looked down at my computer and saw my HR was below 100 BPM. Astounding: usually it goes way up right before a race.
Leadout to course: This part is a good add-on to the warm up and helps dispel lingering pre-race jitters. I think I reminded Marc C that we didn't HAVE to ride as fast as the lead car (Jeremy driving, lead foot
)
Lap 1: That first time up Meetinghouse and beyond always jolts one fully awake even if you take it nice and slow. That home team placement at the front makes it imperative to do SOMETHING to get someone else doing the work ASAP. So, I punched it on the first descent down Heywood then eased up on the incline - this worked perfectly as the anxious field partially swarmed around me and I found a wheel to follow for a while.
Now I had a chance to look for the guys the race predictor said should be the ones to beat. One guy in a Peak kit seemed to stand out as strong and stable (I actually though he was the one the RP said should win, but wrongly ID'd him) - I kept my eye on him and pointed him out to Eric Friberg as we rode along side-by-side for a moment. There were also guys from NEBC, NHCC and Bike Barn Racing that bore paying attention to.
At some point (on North Row?) the Peak guy (Stefano Zimei) made a little "test" break that made everybody pay attention to and drill it for a little while. Marc Cedrone made his own little move somewhere along there as well.
Then once we got onto Rte. 12 and passed over that first hump, it seemed like Eric, Stefano, myself and a coupla other guys had begun to fall into a rotating paceline, though we weren't really doing any damage on the guys behind us. My hope was that we'd start to pick up the pace once our little group seemed comfortable with the idea.
This looked promising for about two rotations and then, when the other two guys took their last pull, I noticed, all at once, that a) they weren't going to really work this into a break b) one of them had his number on upside down. I let Stefano know this was going nowhere as he came off the front and he agreed, I thought he and I had made a connection that lead to working together later for the benefit of both of us. Turns out, we each pretty much raced our own race from that point forward.
The rest of the first lap was uneventful.
Lap 2: 2nd time up the hill, I felt fully powered up and while winded as we went under 190, I wasn't tapped out. Good. I think it was here that I poured it on a little bit a hundred yards or so from the top using a technique my brother-in-law (a coach) clued me into: already spinning a bit, I spun it up even more for the push - I could hear those people who were mashing up to this point frantically finding a new gear to use to finish the climb. Someone behind me said something like, "Good, we've strung them out a bit."
Over the rollers leading to Heywood and though I drifted back to 15th wheel or so, I was comfortable where I was. I snuck a look behind me and saw that I was part of a group of about 20 that had separated from the rest who must have faltered as we passed under 190. Could not see anyone behind us.
I sat tight in the back 1/3 of the group and at one point had to play a little roller derby with somebody who surged forward and thought he could drift left onto the wheel I was following. I didn't budge, which surprised him, but luckily did not unnerve him as he only wobbled slightly and drifted back again. Never heard a complaint.
Once again up that last ramp on 12 then turn onto Meetinghouse with vague thoughts that this could be where I crack but again, I felt ok and was able to maintain position with the group.
Lap 3: Up and up we went, then under 190 for the last time, my legs feeling the burn and my lungs a little hot too as we crested. Kept my legs moving over the top but was behind two other guys with a 3-4 bike gap in front of them. I urged them to close it but it took no time to see they would/could not. So I rested for just a few seconds more then made my way around them and reattached to the group on the first roller after the 190 underpass climb. One solid match burned there.
The rest of the final lap had me knowing that I had to be REALLY conservative with my power output if I had any hopes of, if anything, beating the Race Predictor, which had me slotted 23rd after my dismal Blue Hills performance. Welp, I thought, if I stay with this group, I'll achieve that goal.
I also had in mind giving Eric a lead out somewhere on the way to, or up, Meetinghouse as he appeared to be riding very strong.
All the way from the 1st hump on 12 to the 12/62 intersection, the group dynamics consisted of repeated surges then BRAKING (or so it seemed from the back). I got a nice pull toward the front from Christian (BikeBarn) on the outside but then we got swallowed up by another surge from the outside. Then, for the first time all day, I went INSIDE and started moving forward. By the time we were at the final ramp up on 12, I was mid pack both front-to-back and left-to-right. Pretty sure Eric was just ahead of me and to the right.
Stefano (Peak) was well placed at 2nd wheel in front of our group as we approached the 2nd to last turn towards the finish. I made the decision to go small ring there rather than have to deal with that shift under the load of the final climb. I also got down into my drops at this point.
From there to the finish is a truly a blur, but I do remember getting to the left (outside) and starting to move forward, hoping that Eric would see me and follow. I realized I had to go farther than the guys on the inside but I also had the advantage of making that turn a wider, faster one than to have to take a sharp right onto the steeper grade of Meetinghouse.
I got onto MH and just started pedaling like a madman. Amazingly, I was passing people all the way up - I wanted to look down and make sure I really had my own legs, I could not believe I was getting them to do this!
I labored on up until about 15-20 feet from the finish and that last bit suddenly seemed like a MILE. I could hear people yelling, I was gasping deeper than I ever have before, I could SEE the finish line and two guys ahead of me.
I began to feel my legs start to turn to mulch, so I shifted and suddenly noticed one guy on either side of me coming on fast. CRAP! My gasping turned into some kind of yelling/yowling/gasping combination as I cranked those last feet. As I started to throw my bike forward across the line, it felt like I was pushing my CAR up that hill.
The next instant was total exhaustion and disbelief, did I REALLY come in THIRD? Surely, I didn't just pass 10-12 people on that hill, but apparently I did.
Credit where it's due:
•Chris Pare took the time to help me work out a training plan way back in February and kept one eye on what I was doing via Strava, so grateful for that help, Chris!
•Jeremy Cratty's repeated admonishments to stay off the front along with Bruce Thompson's encouragement to be more comfortable in the middle of the pack surely made an impact on my ability to keep a 1/4 tank of gas in reserve for the final effort.
•My final hard effort workout, this past Wednesday was kind of a shot in the dark. I was really worried that my "taper" had turned into a "full stop" with several missed workouts due to work and family stuff. I also had Blue Hills on my mind all week as well. I realized that one workout would not make a dent on my overall fitness but I did know I could use it to really gauge how much pain I could take. So, I planned to make it REALLY REALLY hurt: a trio of FREAK OUT hill repeats plus that Taylor Road Return Trip segment were what I needed to approach that limit.
It was great to introduce myself to Stefano (who came in 1st) and Christian (2nd), pretty sure it was first podiums for the two of them as well. Bummed that I can't do Sunapee so I'm setting my sights on Purgatory next.
What can I say? It was a dreamlike and amazing day for me yesterday.
Got a really good night's rest Friday (unlike last week's sleepover party debacle). Arrive on site and after checking in did 10 min spin on the trainer before lining up.
Line up: With Jeremy's words "stay off the front" echoing in my mind, I looked down at my computer and saw my HR was below 100 BPM. Astounding: usually it goes way up right before a race.
Leadout to course: This part is a good add-on to the warm up and helps dispel lingering pre-race jitters. I think I reminded Marc C that we didn't HAVE to ride as fast as the lead car (Jeremy driving, lead foot
)Lap 1: That first time up Meetinghouse and beyond always jolts one fully awake even if you take it nice and slow. That home team placement at the front makes it imperative to do SOMETHING to get someone else doing the work ASAP. So, I punched it on the first descent down Heywood then eased up on the incline - this worked perfectly as the anxious field partially swarmed around me and I found a wheel to follow for a while.
Now I had a chance to look for the guys the race predictor said should be the ones to beat. One guy in a Peak kit seemed to stand out as strong and stable (I actually though he was the one the RP said should win, but wrongly ID'd him) - I kept my eye on him and pointed him out to Eric Friberg as we rode along side-by-side for a moment. There were also guys from NEBC, NHCC and Bike Barn Racing that bore paying attention to.
At some point (on North Row?) the Peak guy (Stefano Zimei) made a little "test" break that made everybody pay attention to and drill it for a little while. Marc Cedrone made his own little move somewhere along there as well.
Then once we got onto Rte. 12 and passed over that first hump, it seemed like Eric, Stefano, myself and a coupla other guys had begun to fall into a rotating paceline, though we weren't really doing any damage on the guys behind us. My hope was that we'd start to pick up the pace once our little group seemed comfortable with the idea.
This looked promising for about two rotations and then, when the other two guys took their last pull, I noticed, all at once, that a) they weren't going to really work this into a break b) one of them had his number on upside down. I let Stefano know this was going nowhere as he came off the front and he agreed, I thought he and I had made a connection that lead to working together later for the benefit of both of us. Turns out, we each pretty much raced our own race from that point forward.
The rest of the first lap was uneventful.
Lap 2: 2nd time up the hill, I felt fully powered up and while winded as we went under 190, I wasn't tapped out. Good. I think it was here that I poured it on a little bit a hundred yards or so from the top using a technique my brother-in-law (a coach) clued me into: already spinning a bit, I spun it up even more for the push - I could hear those people who were mashing up to this point frantically finding a new gear to use to finish the climb. Someone behind me said something like, "Good, we've strung them out a bit."
Over the rollers leading to Heywood and though I drifted back to 15th wheel or so, I was comfortable where I was. I snuck a look behind me and saw that I was part of a group of about 20 that had separated from the rest who must have faltered as we passed under 190. Could not see anyone behind us.
I sat tight in the back 1/3 of the group and at one point had to play a little roller derby with somebody who surged forward and thought he could drift left onto the wheel I was following. I didn't budge, which surprised him, but luckily did not unnerve him as he only wobbled slightly and drifted back again. Never heard a complaint.
Once again up that last ramp on 12 then turn onto Meetinghouse with vague thoughts that this could be where I crack but again, I felt ok and was able to maintain position with the group.
Lap 3: Up and up we went, then under 190 for the last time, my legs feeling the burn and my lungs a little hot too as we crested. Kept my legs moving over the top but was behind two other guys with a 3-4 bike gap in front of them. I urged them to close it but it took no time to see they would/could not. So I rested for just a few seconds more then made my way around them and reattached to the group on the first roller after the 190 underpass climb. One solid match burned there.
The rest of the final lap had me knowing that I had to be REALLY conservative with my power output if I had any hopes of, if anything, beating the Race Predictor, which had me slotted 23rd after my dismal Blue Hills performance. Welp, I thought, if I stay with this group, I'll achieve that goal.
I also had in mind giving Eric a lead out somewhere on the way to, or up, Meetinghouse as he appeared to be riding very strong.
All the way from the 1st hump on 12 to the 12/62 intersection, the group dynamics consisted of repeated surges then BRAKING (or so it seemed from the back). I got a nice pull toward the front from Christian (BikeBarn) on the outside but then we got swallowed up by another surge from the outside. Then, for the first time all day, I went INSIDE and started moving forward. By the time we were at the final ramp up on 12, I was mid pack both front-to-back and left-to-right. Pretty sure Eric was just ahead of me and to the right.
Stefano (Peak) was well placed at 2nd wheel in front of our group as we approached the 2nd to last turn towards the finish. I made the decision to go small ring there rather than have to deal with that shift under the load of the final climb. I also got down into my drops at this point.
From there to the finish is a truly a blur, but I do remember getting to the left (outside) and starting to move forward, hoping that Eric would see me and follow. I realized I had to go farther than the guys on the inside but I also had the advantage of making that turn a wider, faster one than to have to take a sharp right onto the steeper grade of Meetinghouse.
I got onto MH and just started pedaling like a madman. Amazingly, I was passing people all the way up - I wanted to look down and make sure I really had my own legs, I could not believe I was getting them to do this!
I labored on up until about 15-20 feet from the finish and that last bit suddenly seemed like a MILE. I could hear people yelling, I was gasping deeper than I ever have before, I could SEE the finish line and two guys ahead of me.
I began to feel my legs start to turn to mulch, so I shifted and suddenly noticed one guy on either side of me coming on fast. CRAP! My gasping turned into some kind of yelling/yowling/gasping combination as I cranked those last feet. As I started to throw my bike forward across the line, it felt like I was pushing my CAR up that hill.
The next instant was total exhaustion and disbelief, did I REALLY come in THIRD? Surely, I didn't just pass 10-12 people on that hill, but apparently I did.
Credit where it's due:
•Chris Pare took the time to help me work out a training plan way back in February and kept one eye on what I was doing via Strava, so grateful for that help, Chris!
•Jeremy Cratty's repeated admonishments to stay off the front along with Bruce Thompson's encouragement to be more comfortable in the middle of the pack surely made an impact on my ability to keep a 1/4 tank of gas in reserve for the final effort.
•My final hard effort workout, this past Wednesday was kind of a shot in the dark. I was really worried that my "taper" had turned into a "full stop" with several missed workouts due to work and family stuff. I also had Blue Hills on my mind all week as well. I realized that one workout would not make a dent on my overall fitness but I did know I could use it to really gauge how much pain I could take. So, I planned to make it REALLY REALLY hurt: a trio of FREAK OUT hill repeats plus that Taylor Road Return Trip segment were what I needed to approach that limit.
It was great to introduce myself to Stefano (who came in 1st) and Christian (2nd), pretty sure it was first podiums for the two of them as well. Bummed that I can't do Sunapee so I'm setting my sights on Purgatory next.
Re: Sterling
Congrats Russ!
Coming into the race with a lack of experiences, I wasn't sure if I felt fresh or not. Got a short warm-up in, with a short hill-climb off of Bean. Lined up... took it easy through the neutral and once we got to Meetinghouse I settled in with Doug's advice for me and used front position to take the hill mildly and let others pass. Sat about 2/3 back the rest of the lap, which was uneventful and my HR was below 150 save for the couple short climbs. Feelin pretty good.
Second lap came and went about the same as the first, except that sometime on Rt 12 some guy who looked like he had about 30 lbs on me kept trying to take my wheel and went so far as a bump until he realized I wasn't letting him have it.
Before the third lap started up meetinghouse I decided to make a quick advance to near front. Good thing, as the third time around I could tell folks were trying to press the pace up the climb, and I wanted to keep conservering. By the time we got to Heywood, there were about 20 riders who had pulled away. But, since no one really wanted to work, sometime on N Row the rest of the pack had caught up and they were very excited to have done so. But at least I didn't have to burn matches with them. When we got to rt12 pace jumped slightly, but I was still waiting. I could tell a lot of guys were getting impatient. I knew we still had a ways to go, so continued staying out of the wind... until my sixth sense told me someone was about to gun it. I started up the right side, and about five seconds after I did was when two things happened - A couple guys in front started making an intense jump, and as everyone started in with them, I heard the loud bang and ensuing crack of a crash to my left. I didn't look.
Made my way up to somewhere 10-15 (again, Doug's plan). Here's what I didn't have in my plan - drilling it up into town. I was saving for meetinghouse, and when the 2 guys in front took off they were too far ahead to do anything about it. But, going into town I was in the front 10, and took the left side easily and took the fastest pace I knew I could hold. I don't remember who was around the first half of the hill, but furter up I knew we were fighting for third. As we got close to finish, I saw I couldn't catch him, and then wanted to snag fourth. I gained a lot of ground on him, but still missed it by about 1/4 wheel and took 5th.
Being a second race, I'll take it happily. Also happy I was able to execute a good plan and not fall off the back while 'taking it easy'.
Coming into the race with a lack of experiences, I wasn't sure if I felt fresh or not. Got a short warm-up in, with a short hill-climb off of Bean. Lined up... took it easy through the neutral and once we got to Meetinghouse I settled in with Doug's advice for me and used front position to take the hill mildly and let others pass. Sat about 2/3 back the rest of the lap, which was uneventful and my HR was below 150 save for the couple short climbs. Feelin pretty good.
Second lap came and went about the same as the first, except that sometime on Rt 12 some guy who looked like he had about 30 lbs on me kept trying to take my wheel and went so far as a bump until he realized I wasn't letting him have it.
Before the third lap started up meetinghouse I decided to make a quick advance to near front. Good thing, as the third time around I could tell folks were trying to press the pace up the climb, and I wanted to keep conservering. By the time we got to Heywood, there were about 20 riders who had pulled away. But, since no one really wanted to work, sometime on N Row the rest of the pack had caught up and they were very excited to have done so. But at least I didn't have to burn matches with them. When we got to rt12 pace jumped slightly, but I was still waiting. I could tell a lot of guys were getting impatient. I knew we still had a ways to go, so continued staying out of the wind... until my sixth sense told me someone was about to gun it. I started up the right side, and about five seconds after I did was when two things happened - A couple guys in front started making an intense jump, and as everyone started in with them, I heard the loud bang and ensuing crack of a crash to my left. I didn't look.
Made my way up to somewhere 10-15 (again, Doug's plan). Here's what I didn't have in my plan - drilling it up into town. I was saving for meetinghouse, and when the 2 guys in front took off they were too far ahead to do anything about it. But, going into town I was in the front 10, and took the left side easily and took the fastest pace I knew I could hold. I don't remember who was around the first half of the hill, but furter up I knew we were fighting for third. As we got close to finish, I saw I couldn't catch him, and then wanted to snag fourth. I gained a lot of ground on him, but still missed it by about 1/4 wheel and took 5th.
Being a second race, I'll take it happily. Also happy I was able to execute a good plan and not fall off the back while 'taking it easy'.
Re: Sterling
Great job Russ! As someone said to me, podiuming in any bike race is really really hard. Enjoy!!! I am glad to see you wrote a long race report.
Mike, fantastic result! Good job being patient. That is definitely something that takes practice and you are learning quickly.
Stefan, as we all know from watching the race, it is a tough race to have 100 guys on. The Rte 12 stretch is far longer than anyone ever thinks and the swarming makes it really tough to get in position. I always seem to notice that you hit a headwind around the Rte 190 overpass, which causes even more bunching and makes it very tough on the front.
Sorry about that Doug. You definitely belong in the 3s, just a bad day.
John
Mike, fantastic result! Good job being patient. That is definitely something that takes practice and you are learning quickly.
Stefan, as we all know from watching the race, it is a tough race to have 100 guys on. The Rte 12 stretch is far longer than anyone ever thinks and the swarming makes it really tough to get in position. I always seem to notice that you hit a headwind around the Rte 190 overpass, which causes even more bunching and makes it very tough on the front.
Sorry about that Doug. You definitely belong in the 3s, just a bad day.
John
Re: Sterling
Nice Job Russ!
Second lap a guy was off the front on north row. People in front were discussing if they cared or not. Had an opening on the right side and Rob said something encouraging so I went for it. I was thinking at least I could bridge Rob up to the guy, but hoping that we could get a break going. I went by the guy like he was standing still and saw that I was alone and had a huge gap, so I just kept going. It was too early, and unless someone bridged up to me I knew it wouldn't last, so I just cruised along at threshold. The headwind on 12 sucked, and I was a little nervous about how high my HR was as I made the turn onto meetinghouse knowing that I was going to be caught on the hill somewhere. Happily, when they did catch me I manage to hang on a couple wheels back and try recovering.
Then Stefan when in a break. A chase group formed on Heyward street and I got onto the back of it and sat in, hoping that if we joined up we'd have two MRC guys in the break, but not doing anything to help the chase catch Stefan's group. This didn't amount to much, since as soon as the chase joined up with Stefan's group everyone sat up.
Stefan did string things out on route 12 for the last time, and I moved up to a good position on the wheel of AJ piper from M3 (Peak) (who would have won the CAT 5 Sterling last year if he hadn't insisted the other guy with him cross the line first). After Stefan's effort things got a a little twitchy with everyone fighting for position. I know that my first impulse when things get that way is to go early and I tried to resist that this time. I think I resisted it too much though. I would have been better off going semi-hard on the little rise to 62 to maintain a better position going into the turn. As it was I made the turn about 30 back. The crash happened right in front of me, but I managed to get around it and then started picking off people one by one to finish 19th.
Second lap a guy was off the front on north row. People in front were discussing if they cared or not. Had an opening on the right side and Rob said something encouraging so I went for it. I was thinking at least I could bridge Rob up to the guy, but hoping that we could get a break going. I went by the guy like he was standing still and saw that I was alone and had a huge gap, so I just kept going. It was too early, and unless someone bridged up to me I knew it wouldn't last, so I just cruised along at threshold. The headwind on 12 sucked, and I was a little nervous about how high my HR was as I made the turn onto meetinghouse knowing that I was going to be caught on the hill somewhere. Happily, when they did catch me I manage to hang on a couple wheels back and try recovering.
Then Stefan when in a break. A chase group formed on Heyward street and I got onto the back of it and sat in, hoping that if we joined up we'd have two MRC guys in the break, but not doing anything to help the chase catch Stefan's group. This didn't amount to much, since as soon as the chase joined up with Stefan's group everyone sat up.
Stefan did string things out on route 12 for the last time, and I moved up to a good position on the wheel of AJ piper from M3 (Peak) (who would have won the CAT 5 Sterling last year if he hadn't insisted the other guy with him cross the line first). After Stefan's effort things got a a little twitchy with everyone fighting for position. I know that my first impulse when things get that way is to go early and I tried to resist that this time. I think I resisted it too much though. I would have been better off going semi-hard on the little rise to 62 to maintain a better position going into the turn. As it was I made the turn about 30 back. The crash happened right in front of me, but I managed to get around it and then started picking off people one by one to finish 19th.
-Chris Busick
Re: Sterling
We thought we were caught. The same thing almost happened when my bridge effort caught the first two guys too, and I've seen it kill other breaks. It points out that it's a good idea when you bridge to let the break know that you're NOT the main pack. And if you're in the break, make sure you know whether you're really done before you sit up.cbusick wrote: Then Stefan when in a break. A chase group formed on Heyward street and I got onto the back of it and sat in, hoping that if we joined up we'd have two MRC guys in the break, but not doing anything to help the chase catch Stefan's group. This didn't amount to much, since as soon as the chase joined up with Stefan's group everyone sat up.
I went WAY too early. I keep thinking about how dumb that was, but I guess it's hard to think straight when you're near (or way above) threshold.After Stefan's effort things got a a little twitchy with everyone fighting for position.
Russ, two words: Up. Grade. You may not have your "official" 10 races, but you're close and your results are solid enough that you won't be denied.
Mike: I'm guessing you'll be racing in the 4's soon too. Nice job.
Re: Sterling
In retrospect it seems like a lot of cat 3 races have played out like Saturday. There’s generally 10 minutes or so in the middle of the race that everyone FREAKS OUT and goes ballistic. Then it settles in until a frantic last 5 minutes or so. It was bad timing for you Doug as you were out in the wind quite a bit on 12 before the ill-fated Meetinghouse debacle, which also happened to coincide with the field freak out. Except for the finish, that lap that you got popped was by far the hardest that we took Meetinghouse all day.
My race started with about a 3 minute warmup after hightailing it back from driving the morning races. No problem as the neutral start is good for warming up. The whole race went according to plan (save for OGD) and I felt great the whole day. The usual progression – early break goes and no one cares because everyone knows its doomed (unless your last name is Croteau). This one stayed away a while longer and it did have some good names in it, which I reckoned was good because they would be cooked after we caught them. Catch them we did a few laps later as a result of the aforementioned ascent of Meetinghouse. With 2 to go we were all together, then under 190 Chris Merola (a faster Green Line guy) solo attacked and no one really reacted. I thought about it but decided to stick to my 2013 goal of not racing stupid (more on that later). I little sketchy riding and some accordion-ing on the last 2 laps let Chris get out to about 45 seconds. Hmmm… On the last lap the field had had enough and the chase was on, with me doing some and Rich doing more on the run-in on 12. Total cluster at the Rt 62 intersection where we overtook the pro women’s field and it was a mess. Near the top of the “Route 12 Rise” the attacks starting coming and it strung out nicely. I was settled in to 8th or so through town and kept thinking that I should stick to my pre-race plan and attack and sprint from right there. I wussed out though since the pace was pretty high and waited until right by the common – I moved up on the wheel of and RSC dude and rounded the corner on to Meetinghouse in 4th spot or so and on the gas. I totally buried it and felt pretty good but got passed by at least 10 guys on the climb. I was a little surprised since I thought my position and plan were solid but I guess that’s bike racing.
My perception of the race was:
- A little easier (on the whole) than last year
- Climbs were (generally, except for that one lap) mellower than last year
- I did a lot of things smarter than last year – didn’t go with moves, stayed out of the wind, got in a good spot for the finish
I looked at the data to get the reality check and my perceptions were somewhat backed up. The race was 2.5 minutes slower than last year (although that’s not a huge indicator). Where the data really validated my perception was on the last climb. Last year: Top 15 at the base of Meetinghouse, boxed in, bobbled at the turn, 39 seconds to the top (according to Strava), 15th place finish. This year: Top 5 at the base, well positioned, carried speed, 33 seconds on the climb (6 seconds faster than last year!), higher avg power, and…… 16th place. Wow -- straight up got beat by a bunch of faster dudes. But of course – wait for it – that’s bike racing!
Did manage to keep rubber side down which was a big upgrade from Blue Hills.
In hindsight, and had I known about all the fast uphill finishers in the field I may have been more inclined to go with Chris Merola. In the end, we can sing the Ballad of Chris Merola, as he was caught like 50meters from the line. Legendary. Would a 2 man break have been successful? Don’t know. It wouldn’t have had MRC helping the chase, but it also may have been more scary to the field. We’ll never know, but next year that may be in the cards….
My race started with about a 3 minute warmup after hightailing it back from driving the morning races. No problem as the neutral start is good for warming up. The whole race went according to plan (save for OGD) and I felt great the whole day. The usual progression – early break goes and no one cares because everyone knows its doomed (unless your last name is Croteau). This one stayed away a while longer and it did have some good names in it, which I reckoned was good because they would be cooked after we caught them. Catch them we did a few laps later as a result of the aforementioned ascent of Meetinghouse. With 2 to go we were all together, then under 190 Chris Merola (a faster Green Line guy) solo attacked and no one really reacted. I thought about it but decided to stick to my 2013 goal of not racing stupid (more on that later). I little sketchy riding and some accordion-ing on the last 2 laps let Chris get out to about 45 seconds. Hmmm… On the last lap the field had had enough and the chase was on, with me doing some and Rich doing more on the run-in on 12. Total cluster at the Rt 62 intersection where we overtook the pro women’s field and it was a mess. Near the top of the “Route 12 Rise” the attacks starting coming and it strung out nicely. I was settled in to 8th or so through town and kept thinking that I should stick to my pre-race plan and attack and sprint from right there. I wussed out though since the pace was pretty high and waited until right by the common – I moved up on the wheel of and RSC dude and rounded the corner on to Meetinghouse in 4th spot or so and on the gas. I totally buried it and felt pretty good but got passed by at least 10 guys on the climb. I was a little surprised since I thought my position and plan were solid but I guess that’s bike racing.
My perception of the race was:
- A little easier (on the whole) than last year
- Climbs were (generally, except for that one lap) mellower than last year
- I did a lot of things smarter than last year – didn’t go with moves, stayed out of the wind, got in a good spot for the finish
I looked at the data to get the reality check and my perceptions were somewhat backed up. The race was 2.5 minutes slower than last year (although that’s not a huge indicator). Where the data really validated my perception was on the last climb. Last year: Top 15 at the base of Meetinghouse, boxed in, bobbled at the turn, 39 seconds to the top (according to Strava), 15th place finish. This year: Top 5 at the base, well positioned, carried speed, 33 seconds on the climb (6 seconds faster than last year!), higher avg power, and…… 16th place. Wow -- straight up got beat by a bunch of faster dudes. But of course – wait for it – that’s bike racing!
Did manage to keep rubber side down which was a big upgrade from Blue Hills.
In hindsight, and had I known about all the fast uphill finishers in the field I may have been more inclined to go with Chris Merola. In the end, we can sing the Ballad of Chris Merola, as he was caught like 50meters from the line. Legendary. Would a 2 man break have been successful? Don’t know. It wouldn’t have had MRC helping the chase, but it also may have been more scary to the field. We’ll never know, but next year that may be in the cards….
Re: Sterling
Sorry about that. My car doesn't like to go below 20mph... Congrats on the Podium, I knew you had it in you.rusto wrote: Leadout to course: This part is a good add-on to the warm up and helps dispel lingering pre-race jitters. I think I reminded Marc C that we didn't HAVE to ride as fast as the lead car (Jeremy driving, lead foot ;) )
Re: Sterling
What a weekend, Sterling, the Giro, the Tour of Cali, and let’s not forget mother’s day. Congrats boys on the good results, it gets addictive.
Doug, not sure if you had anything to eat before the race. Maybe with the early morning volunteering and the later racing you just ran out of fuel?
From my point of view I was having a good race in the 4’s most of the day. I had caught up with Jeremy (Johan) right before the race to talk strategy. The plan was to chill for most of the race and then attack on the climb after D&D during the last lap. The rest of the MRC 4s were all looking good. I loved the aggressive riding. I really think we need to do more of this.
Fast forward to the last lap. Stefan pulls off after a massive pull on the back stretch then D&D’s comes up. As we roll into the base of the first rise I’m trying to defend an outside spot near the front for an attack as we start to climb. Unfortunately I got slightly boxed in, by the time I forced my way out a junior had attacked just where Jeremy and I had discussed. A number of riders followed and it was game on for everybody.
This is where it gets a little fuzzy for me. We took the turn onto Meetinghouse pretty fast with a number of riders swinging wide and then bodies started to fly. I wasn’t involved with the initial carnage but it was quickly approaching me. I thought I had a gap to squeeze through but somehow ended off the road, maybe pushed? I do remember the guy that went down was pretty big and was rolling across most of the left hand lane. Maybe some of the rest of you guys can fill in the crash details? It’s been a while since I’ve been caught up in a crash so I’ve been lucky. I walked away with just a couple of scratches.
Looking back I should have tried harder to make sure I could get off the front where we had planned. I really need to be more aggressive like this as I’m finishing these races with too much energy left.
Doug, not sure if you had anything to eat before the race. Maybe with the early morning volunteering and the later racing you just ran out of fuel?
From my point of view I was having a good race in the 4’s most of the day. I had caught up with Jeremy (Johan) right before the race to talk strategy. The plan was to chill for most of the race and then attack on the climb after D&D during the last lap. The rest of the MRC 4s were all looking good. I loved the aggressive riding. I really think we need to do more of this.
Fast forward to the last lap. Stefan pulls off after a massive pull on the back stretch then D&D’s comes up. As we roll into the base of the first rise I’m trying to defend an outside spot near the front for an attack as we start to climb. Unfortunately I got slightly boxed in, by the time I forced my way out a junior had attacked just where Jeremy and I had discussed. A number of riders followed and it was game on for everybody.
This is where it gets a little fuzzy for me. We took the turn onto Meetinghouse pretty fast with a number of riders swinging wide and then bodies started to fly. I wasn’t involved with the initial carnage but it was quickly approaching me. I thought I had a gap to squeeze through but somehow ended off the road, maybe pushed? I do remember the guy that went down was pretty big and was rolling across most of the left hand lane. Maybe some of the rest of you guys can fill in the crash details? It’s been a while since I’ve been caught up in a crash so I’ve been lucky. I walked away with just a couple of scratches.
Looking back I should have tried harder to make sure I could get off the front where we had planned. I really need to be more aggressive like this as I’m finishing these races with too much energy left.
-
Doran Abel
- Domestique
- Posts: 246
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:19 pm
- Location: north Natique, MA
Re: Sterling
Congrats to all - Rusto (3rd) and Mike W (5th) in the 5's - Chris P, PJ, and Rich B in the 3's (all within 15 secs) - Chris B, Stephan and Rob D in the 4's (all within 30 secs) - Len the Masters 45 (within 1 1/2 mins - no small feat). Doug - you will be in the 3's mix soon.
I entered the <35 5's due to my late "on the fence" reg. For a change (this is my 5th time doing Sterling), my legs felt great. Maybe it was because the showers washed the tree pollen out of the air (like 2010) or maybe because I tapered the week before (I don't train enough so it's hard to have confidence in tapering).
First time up MeetHouse and under I-90 - no problem - except I notice my chain almost comes off on i-90. I'm with the lead pack on the backside and Rt 12. Pace seems noticably tamer than 2012.
Second time up MeetHouse and I-90 - I notice that I can't get into my small ring under I-90. No big worries, I grind it out on my 53 but burn what few matches I have. I'm with the lead pack again on the backside and Rt 12. On Rt 12, I spend some time trying to kick my front derailer over without crashing. No luck.
Third time up MeetHouse, I have to grind it out on my 53. Bummer, can't recover inbetween MeetHouse and under I-90. Things get worse under I-90 and I lose more ground. A second trailing pack of 5-6 develops on the turn onto Heywood. I lose the second pack at the beginning of N.Row forcing me to ride virtually solo into the Rt 12 headwind.
I do the last grind up MeetHouse again on my 53. I finish with suffering - disappointed since I think I had the legs - yet encouraged with the first two laps (I had fun for awhile). Still better than 2009 (DNF) and 2012 (like 6 mins back). Worse than 2010 (same time) and 2011 (1 minute back).
I entered the <35 5's due to my late "on the fence" reg. For a change (this is my 5th time doing Sterling), my legs felt great. Maybe it was because the showers washed the tree pollen out of the air (like 2010) or maybe because I tapered the week before (I don't train enough so it's hard to have confidence in tapering).
First time up MeetHouse and under I-90 - no problem - except I notice my chain almost comes off on i-90. I'm with the lead pack on the backside and Rt 12. Pace seems noticably tamer than 2012.
Second time up MeetHouse and I-90 - I notice that I can't get into my small ring under I-90. No big worries, I grind it out on my 53 but burn what few matches I have. I'm with the lead pack again on the backside and Rt 12. On Rt 12, I spend some time trying to kick my front derailer over without crashing. No luck.
Third time up MeetHouse, I have to grind it out on my 53. Bummer, can't recover inbetween MeetHouse and under I-90. Things get worse under I-90 and I lose more ground. A second trailing pack of 5-6 develops on the turn onto Heywood. I lose the second pack at the beginning of N.Row forcing me to ride virtually solo into the Rt 12 headwind.
I do the last grind up MeetHouse again on my 53. I finish with suffering - disappointed since I think I had the legs - yet encouraged with the first two laps (I had fun for awhile). Still better than 2009 (DNF) and 2012 (like 6 mins back). Worse than 2010 (same time) and 2011 (1 minute back).
Re: Sterling
Russ -- really great to hear how everything gelled and you exceeded your own expectations (and fears). Sounds like you achieved a state of flow. You were due for some goodness given everything on your plate. I give you a lot of credit for taking a beating from Cat 3s on Friday mornings, etc.
I had a similar epiphanic performance soon after I started racing masters 35/45. My first impulse was to train even more/harder. But my coach at the time said NO! You should try to race as much as possible, during week and on weekend. It's really too bad the closest training race is Wompy.
I had a similar epiphanic performance soon after I started racing masters 35/45. My first impulse was to train even more/harder. But my coach at the time said NO! You should try to race as much as possible, during week and on weekend. It's really too bad the closest training race is Wompy.
Re: Sterling
Russ -- really great to hear how everything gelled and you exceeded your own expectations (and fears). Sounds like you achieved a state of flow. You were due for some goodness given everything on your plate. I give you a lot of credit for taking a beating from Cat 3s on Friday mornings, etc.
I had a similar epiphanic performance soon after I started racing masters 35/45. My first impulse was to train even more/harder. But my coach at the time said NO! You should try to race as much as possible, during week and on weekend. It's really too bad the closest training race is Wompy.
I had a similar epiphanic performance soon after I started racing masters 35/45. My first impulse was to train even more/harder. But my coach at the time said NO! You should try to race as much as possible, during week and on weekend. It's really too bad the closest training race is Wompy.
Re: Sterling
My photos from the mid-morning and afternoon fields are up:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 431&type=3
Full gallery: http://russcam.com/cycling/130511_sterl ... index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 431&type=3
Full gallery: http://russcam.com/cycling/130511_sterl ... index.html
Re: Sterling
Was scheming/lurking on the WNR thread and then my ride plans were squashed (seems others too) but I noticed this Sterling thread so thought I'd post.
Kudos to your club putting on another fine edition of the Sterling Classic.
Thanks to Doug, Chris, Matt, Smudger (?) and whomever else supplied the post-race beverages, couple cold ones always liven up the post race war stories.
Finally, a pseudo report:
1st 3 race for me, usually do the masters. I looked at it as kind of a B race, wanted to do well but didn't know the field (well except for you guys) and was more concerned with keeping the rubber on the road. Race was pretty solid I thought, only got a little sketchy on the last run in on Rt. 12, even though we had the breakdown lane and whole right lane guys were creating contact getting sort of stupidly aggressive. Took a dig leading up to the ramp before the R turn onto Meetinghouse and got a little separation from the field (we were racing for 2nd) but then hesitated when I looked up to see lead/follow vehicles, the women's pro field and our solo break all bunched up ahead. My screaming quads and calves made it easy to forget about persisting with my effort. As it flattened out before R turn onto Meetinghouse was then swarmed by lots of guys, got a few back on the charge up to the line.
Reflection/Revelation:
Looked back on it and I felt the 3 race was solid (hard on the hills, some breaks, guys working hard etc.) though it felt slightly easier than a typical masters race. Couldn't figure out why until tonite, thinking about it while eating dinner in my car on the way home from work... Here's the difference. In the 3s on this Saturday past, when we went over meetinghouse and up under Rt190 each time there was a strain on the field, particularly that 3rd-4th (?) time up when we hit it hahd!, gaps opened up and the string was stretched real tight but when we crested and then continued on guys would sit up, take a breather/roll easier etc. and most everyone would catch back on. In the masters races, the foot does not come off the gas after a decision point like that, the guys up front make sure that the effort that was just put in is not wasted and that a selection is made. I know this since generally my strategy in a tough masters field is to just keep making these type of selections and they happen several to many times per race. As a result the masters races are just a little smoother and just a little harder. The payoff in the masters is that usually, on a hilly course, if you make the selections, in the end you are left racing for a top 5-10 finish with a small peloton instead of 40-50 guys. Of course you may be left racing 1s, 2s and former pros for your top finish but hey, every dog has his day right?
Anywho, no knock on racing the 3s, I'd race another 3 race. Of course next time Chris P. or PJ, you guys gotta help me out and point out the heavy hitters so I know who the threats are. Or not. G'night. -JD
Kudos to your club putting on another fine edition of the Sterling Classic.
Thanks to Doug, Chris, Matt, Smudger (?) and whomever else supplied the post-race beverages, couple cold ones always liven up the post race war stories.
Finally, a pseudo report:
1st 3 race for me, usually do the masters. I looked at it as kind of a B race, wanted to do well but didn't know the field (well except for you guys) and was more concerned with keeping the rubber on the road. Race was pretty solid I thought, only got a little sketchy on the last run in on Rt. 12, even though we had the breakdown lane and whole right lane guys were creating contact getting sort of stupidly aggressive. Took a dig leading up to the ramp before the R turn onto Meetinghouse and got a little separation from the field (we were racing for 2nd) but then hesitated when I looked up to see lead/follow vehicles, the women's pro field and our solo break all bunched up ahead. My screaming quads and calves made it easy to forget about persisting with my effort. As it flattened out before R turn onto Meetinghouse was then swarmed by lots of guys, got a few back on the charge up to the line.
Reflection/Revelation:
Looked back on it and I felt the 3 race was solid (hard on the hills, some breaks, guys working hard etc.) though it felt slightly easier than a typical masters race. Couldn't figure out why until tonite, thinking about it while eating dinner in my car on the way home from work... Here's the difference. In the 3s on this Saturday past, when we went over meetinghouse and up under Rt190 each time there was a strain on the field, particularly that 3rd-4th (?) time up when we hit it hahd!, gaps opened up and the string was stretched real tight but when we crested and then continued on guys would sit up, take a breather/roll easier etc. and most everyone would catch back on. In the masters races, the foot does not come off the gas after a decision point like that, the guys up front make sure that the effort that was just put in is not wasted and that a selection is made. I know this since generally my strategy in a tough masters field is to just keep making these type of selections and they happen several to many times per race. As a result the masters races are just a little smoother and just a little harder. The payoff in the masters is that usually, on a hilly course, if you make the selections, in the end you are left racing for a top 5-10 finish with a small peloton instead of 40-50 guys. Of course you may be left racing 1s, 2s and former pros for your top finish but hey, every dog has his day right?
Anywho, no knock on racing the 3s, I'd race another 3 race. Of course next time Chris P. or PJ, you guys gotta help me out and point out the heavy hitters so I know who the threats are. Or not. G'night. -JD