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Cats Hill Crit – From the Skipper

May 7, 2012 Criterium, Events

Its not the crash that hurts, it’s the sudden deceleration. Just ask Thomas, who involuntarily dismounted at Cat’s hill Criterium while descending the hill at about 32 mph. The tree he hit will never be the same. The good news is that apart from road rash in huge amounts and aching all over he is good to go. and his new Leopard DC1 survived, along with the Williams carbon wheel set. I have spoken to Tom and Bryan a few times and he is considering racing at States next Saturday. As they say on the other side of the pond, “well ‘ard”.
Team Results
E3 – Rory DNP. only 42 finished out of 72 starters
E4/5 35+ Phil Mai (Phil rides with us at TNT) 7 o/o 37
E5 – Geno 6th, Darryl Lueng 19th, Mike Lueng 20th o/o 28
J15/16 – Brandon 9th, Thomas DNP, Olly Barajas 6th o/o 17
J17/18 – Ram 15th, Arthur 18th o/o 22
P/1/2 – Ziggy DNP (pulled out with 8 laps with go in the 75 minute slug fest)

Cats Hill Criterium

May 6, 2012 Criterium, Race report

Cats hill criterium
Category 5
Teammates Mike, Darryl
Field size 28
Result 6

Fun crit! I arrived with plenty of time to warm up and so I hopped on the trainer for about 5 minutes. (Not a big fan of warming up) Race time! I started out near the back like I always do but once we hit the climb I made up some ground dispite being in a massive gear. After the first lap I was able to settle in and I was able to position myself within the top five riders for most of the race. With about five laps to go I did not want to pull and so I moved back a few spots. Once I hit the climb, I looked back I found that there were only 4 guys behind me. I believe the field was down to around 12-15 guys at that point. I found myself in the middle of the pack with two laps to go and once we hit the climb three riders went off the front. At first I was reluctant to chase because I didnt want to be the one pulling the three riders back. No one was giving it a good enough effort and so I ended up dragging the group within 20 feet of the three riders. They realized the gap was closing and hamered away. I then got passed by a few guys. Once i was back on the hill i made up some ground on the riders in front of me. I was able to pass up one rider on the descent and had a lonely but satisfying sprint for sixth place. There wasnt anything super sketchy in the race and I think this is an excellent race! If you havent done it do it!

Geno Uliana

Not So Early Bird Crit

Feb 15, 2012 Criterium, Race report

Races: 4s and Jrs.

Team mates: 4s Mike Baxter, Jrs. Brandon, Ram, Arthor

My first race was the E 4′s. As this was my first 4′s race ever I was very exited. When I got to the early bird corse I registered and then went back to the car to warm-up. I got a good warm up and headed to the line. The race started quickly, but soon we developed into a consistent rhythm. As we continued to go around I new lap cards were out but I could not see them and no one near me knew the number of laps to go. Then I finally found out that we were on two to go, I tried to move up, but I did not get very far. Mike is right when he says I need to work on my pack movement skills. I finished the race in 20th. I would like to thank Mike for keeping an eye out for me, and for the occasional “You need to move up”.

After the 4s I had about 15min before my Jrs race. So I used this time to ride around. Then I made my way back to the start for role out. The race started straight away with an attack, which I responded well to, despite just finishing a race. The race had two speeds for most of the time. One was slow, and the other was fast chasing down one of many attacks.With one to go I was in the perfect position following wheels of a lead out train. Then going into the sweeper the lead out train blew up, and I found my self boxed in. I finally found a hole, but by that time there was only about 150m left and two of  riders who were not box in had started there sprint well before me and now had a big gap. I sprinted hard and was rapidly closing the gap to one of the riders but unfortunately I ran out of road. I finished the race in 3rd. Behind me Brandon in 6th and Arthur in 11th, Ram worked hard to nail back a break way, but in the process destroyed his legs. All in all it was a good day of racing!

NotSo Early Bird Criterium Cat 5 U30

Feb 14, 2012 Criterium, Race report

Got to the course about an hour before my race. Went to register and saw Geno and Chris registering aswell. We agreed to do a warmup together after we got ready. Our warmup was pretty quick, we just spun around the backside. After that we went to the start to see the finish of the junior race. Thomas, Brandon, and Arthur were racing. Saw Brian, Mike, and Gonzo watching aswell. Thomas pulled out a third place.

We were up next so we rolled to the start. Whistle blew and we were off. In no time we were up to 25-27 coming out of turn 1. Had a feeling this was going to be a fast race. 2 laps in I got on the wheel of some guy making a move to the front. Got up to around the 10th spot but it was really hard to maintain as the field was strung out in the front. We were blazing 28 down the back stretch. I started to fade and a gap was building so i decided to pullup and fell back to the pack. Not worth the energy this early in the race. I saw chris go by me which was rare since he spent most of the race towards the front. I spent most of the time in the pack, rode Geno’s wheel for a few laps. Geno was having a lot of fun chating and making it look easy. Sometime in the middle of the race there was a crash on the front stretch. Two guys got together, one went off to the left the other to the right. I was about 4 riders back so i made it through the middle without any issues. The pace seemed to slow a bit after the crash but was back up the next lap. Guys were sprinting out of the saddle after every turn it seemed. The speed was up and down constantly, 27-28 out of the turns then back down to 22-23 towards the end of the straights. With 2 laps to go i did the same thing as i did earlier. Hooped on a wheel that was making a move to the front. Got up to around 10th, field was strung out again and the pace was just too much with still a lap to go. Started falling back. Not exactly what i wanted at this point but i was cooked. Just tried to hang on the rest of the way. Saw the guys go by me as they made their move for the finish. I ended in the back of the pack, Geno 5th, Chris 11th. Race was fun and fast,avg was 25.5 per my garmin. Still got a lot of training to do to build up fitness and work on timing my moves better. Till next time.

Not So Early Bird Crit 2012 35+4

Feb 14, 2012 Criterium, Race report

Race number two for the day. Had a 3 hour rest after the E4 race so I think I may have been way to relaxed. The field was about the same size as the E4 race, about 30. I usually like the master’s races a bit more as they tend to be safer. Not today. From the whistle the pack just felt nervous. That’s the best way to describe it.  Had Chris as a teamate but really didn’t see him much as he tends to stay on the outside while I prefer to be buried in the pack. SJBC was on the front for the first few laps setting the pace. It was a rather moderate pace so the field stayed bunched up for the most part. We had the typical elbow bumps and what not that happen every race but nobody was doing anything stupid. Well, except for one guy. From his bike position you could tell he wasn’t a regular on the crit circuit. Most of the time he’d be either up on the hoods or the tops with locked elbows. His bike handling could be described as vague at best. Guys were starting to grumble. So after he almost took out the guy right in front of me I decide enough is enough and move up to have a little chat with him.  I’m pretty sure it went in one ear and out the other but I felt I had to do it. Normally, I’d rather not single one person out but in this case I felt his sketchy riding posed an excessive risk to the rest of us. Anyways, back to the racing. I’m not sure what our average speed was but it seemed slow. This didn’t bode well for the last few laps. At 2 to go I was sitting midpack biding my time. It just didn’t feel safe so on the backside between 3 and 4 I decide to ramp it up. I hit the front and drill it. Take it up to about 30 or so and just hammer across the start finish for the bell. After about 800 meters of this my legs call uncle and i give an elbow wag for the guy on my wheel to pull through. Nothing! I move to the right and still the guy on my wheel just sits there. A quick glance under my arm and I see why. My inept friend from earlier is the one sitting there. Crap, I end up pulling into the gutter and letting off the gas.  Hopped back on the tail end of the pack. I was pretty cooked after the effort but was able to surf wheels and cross the line in 16th. In the end everyone stayed upright so my hard effort wasn’t a total waste.

Mike

Not So Early Bird Crit 2012 E4

Feb 14, 2012 Criterium, Race report

Here we go again. First race report for 2012. Different format this year for the last Early Bird. More categories and no clinics. So the E4 race was the first one of the day at 8:00am (to friggin early for a crit btw). Did the normal prerace ritual: reg – pee – kit up – pee – warm up – pee. Sorry, I know, to much information. Only had Thomas as a team mate for this race but it was his first race as a 4. So I tried to keep an eye on him.

Got to the line in time only to see a rather small field of 30 or so.  The started us pretty much on schedule. I had been sick all week and hadn’t touched the bike since the previous weekend. So, I wasn’t expecting to be ripping anyone’s legs off. Pretty uneventful race. I just settled in somewhere in the middle. Surprisingly, I wasn’t feeling to bad and was really enjoying myself. Started bs’ing and wasn’t at all paying attention to time or lap cards. Happened to look up as we crossed the start/finish and see the 2 to go sign. Oops,  time to go to work. Took about half a lap for me to find my happy place in the bunch.  On the bell lap I found the wheel I wanted in a quick moving line of about 5 guys. We were moving up steadily till turn 3. There a Tri Valley Velo guy pooched the turn and came back through the pack like a cannonball.  Everyone did a good job in avoiding him but there went my leadout. Nuts!  Had to put in a hard dig to get back on a wheel by the final sweeper. Found myself on Eric’s (SJBC) wheel on the outside at about 300m out. Wanted to wait till 100m out before I came around him. Never got the chance. The field just ballooned at the front and we had nowhere to go.  I was actually worried that we would get forced into the official’s tent. Rolled in on Eric’s wheel for a pack finish. He got 10th and I got 26th. Figure that one out.  Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things.  Overall, a pretty safe race till the last couple of laps. Thomas did well in his first race as a 4 but, needs to get a bit more comfortable moving around inside the pack.

Mike

Early Bird Crit 2/12/12

Feb 13, 2012 Criterium

Early Bird Crit #5

I was thinking about doing two races today, the 35-44 Cat 5 and the 45+ Cat 5.

Got there at 1:20, plenty of time to warm up for the 2pm race, went to register and they told me the Cat 5 races are done.

They told me they’ve moved the time up.

Luckily, the last Cat 5 race started at 1:30, I paid and got my number.

I had less then 10 minutes to get ready and put the number on the jersey, rolled to the start line and I was almost there when they blew the whistle.

I had to make a quick U-turn to get on the back of the pack.

The race started very slow, lucky me, I used that time to try to warm up.

Found Ken & Roy in the group, rode by them and said “Hi”, they had the look like “where did you came from” when I wasn’t there at the start line. J

The race was very interesting, the group headed into the first turn fast, but then, slow down to a halt. They did this on all of the turns, very strange.

I rode up to 5^th-6^th from the front then the pack pulled up to us after we came through a turn.

After hearing the bell lap, the pace picked up a little bit, the last turn was fast and the sprint was on for the line. I was caught in the middle and didn’t have anything left to sprint anyway, finished 27th.

After the race, I looked at my Garmin and found out my heart rate went through the roof on the sprint. Need to get in shape for the next race.

Notso Early Bird Criterium

Feb 12, 2012 Criterium, Events, Race report

I arrived early and saw several team mates, conditions looked good – warm, sunny and dry. Ken and I headed out for a warm-up ride and a few practice sprints. By the time the race started the wind had picked up. The pace was slower than at the same race 2 weeks ago, for the first few laps I stayed in the middle of the pack to try and get some protection from the wind. On the last lap I got boxed in on corner 3 (not sure why Cat 5′s like to ride 12 riders wide), and right after the corner there was an all out frenzy to get to the front. The sprint started really early and by corner 4 I was too far back to get up to the front. I’m pretty sure I finished higher than the official placing (29th) as there were at least 5-6 riders behind me. Not complaining though, happy to finish with all my skin. Next stop: Warnerville.