4/10/99
The new bike racing season is off to a start...
The first race I did this season was the second of the three early season Mason Lake races. The course was pretty flat. Really flat for most of it, and the last third with some rolling hills. I saw Chris Dobrick (now racing for Seattle Massage School), Chris, John, and another guy (new guys on the team), Brian, and Lora.
I sucked really bad. I don't think I did as much riding as I did last winter this year, probably because of the rougher weather we had. Nevertheless, I feel stronger, it's just the endurance. I got dropped near the end of the first lap, and I finished the next two as a nice training ride with another slow rider.
The second race I did was the last Mason Lake series. Since it was the last, it was four laps (48 miles) instead of the three laps we did last week. The weather was better. One of the things I felt I did wrong the week before was that I dressed too warmly. This time, the weather was good enough so that I could just wear shorts, leg warmers and a jersey.
I felt a lot better for this race. On the back side of each lap, there was a stretch of really smooth pavement, which was either slightly downhill or had a tailwind, because I really felt fast there. On the first lap, I took a little flyer off the front of the pack. Some guy quickly caught me and tried to get me to work with him and two others to break away. I was temporarily wasted, so I couldn't do much to help them. The pack quickly caught us, but I managed to hook up to the end of the pack. I was able to finish lap one with no problems. On the second lap, again at the same place, I felt really strong again. So I did the same thing - and this time, I got a pretty good lead. I think I was ahead of the pack for a good three minutes. I took a look back, and the pack looked like it was about 150 yards back. But a few seconds after looking back, the pack caught me and blasted right by. I talked to Chris Dobrick (one of the Seward Park regulars) after the race, and he told me that he was near the front, and was telling people that they didn't need to bother chasing me (since Chris knows my lack of speed and/or endurance from last year), but the racers from the Armondo's team didn't want to risk me getting away, so they chased.
I was able to get on the pack again, but this time, I was dropped going through the hilly parts. For the next two laps, Chris (I think - he's a new guy on the team), a bunch of others, and I tried to work together to at least keep up with the pack that was now out of sight. It was alright for me until I started getting cramps and had to ease up. Chris told me later that his back was acting up, so he also had to slow up. Lan told me later that I only came a few minutes behind that group, which wasn't too far back from the rest of the pack. I felt pretty good after this race.
The next race was Snohomish. This was a very hilly cold race. I only lasted about 3/4 of one lap (out of three I think). When it's cold, I can't decide how much to wear. I think I was a little over dressed again.
The next race was Volunteer Park. Once again, the bumpy straight for the finish. Quite a few turned out. Chris, John, Max, Marshall, and Brian were racing the 4/5 with me. Gordo was sick. Erik and Richard raced the threes (Richard got 4th place). Some guys showed up for the masters, but I didn't stick around to see that race (I believe we did quite well. I think Michael Petty did real well).
I think I didn't wear enough clothes this time. It was real cold. I felt better coming up the hill than I remembered last year, but I still got shaken to pieces on the rough section, and I couldn't go fast when I needed to. I think I lasted about 7 or 8 laps. John and Chris also dropped out on the same lap I did.
The last race I did was last Thursday, the first Seward Park Thursday race. It was weird weather. It was hailing pretty hard about 30 minutes before I left for the race, but it didn't rain after that. It was alternately sunny and cloudy, with some cold wind. It was good to see everybody again, but there were a few differences. Chris and Alan were now racing in the 6pm race, and Mike Cross is out for the season after a ski injury. From the team, Chris, John, Don P., Jamie, Brian, another new guy whom I do not remember a name for showed up for the 5:30pm race. Another guy, a fast guy whom I also do not remember, showed up for the 6pm, as did Jessie.
For the beginning part of the race, I stayed near the front. This time, I tried to make use of my rapid downhill speed and coasted most of the lower part of the course. I felt pretty good climbing up the hill (we went counter clock-wise that day), and actually passed some people on the way up. I stayed near the front for about 5 laps... just about until people started predicting the primes and pushed the pace. Sure enough, the prime came when I was pooped and trying to recover in the back. I was able to stay on the pack, however, and using my new strategy of rapid descent, was able to stay in the pack. The problem with this descending strategy is that I really can't draft anybody for most of the course. But it seemed better than what I was doing last year.
The second prime was making me really hurt, although I hung on again. I didn't think I could spring up the hill to contest the finish on the last lap, so when I came up to Don at the top of the hill, I told him to draft me, and I think I did a reasonable job of pulling him to the front of the pack by the time we got to the bottom of the hill. I probably would have helped him more if I could have helped him get up part way up the hill, but I was totally dead. I took it easy up the hill, where some guys thought they were doing something by passing me, but I let them enjoy themselves. I felt that I was really close to being competitive, and only a short climb away from being able to finish in the pack.
There are some other races this weekend, but I am really tired, so I won't be doing them.