Roller Races

I haven't posted since my car accident a year ago but I've been racing.  I'm fine but my car was totaled.  I couldn't post due to ongoing issues with the case.

But now I'm back and here is a photo from the roller races last weekend.  I'm getting my legspeed up for track racing.

Here is a link to the video:
http://vimeo.com/62586288

Cross Racing

I did the single speed cross race last Sunday at Marymoor! You can now callme a cross racer!

I did some cross racing about 15 years ago but it was on a mountain bike. This was my first time racing on a cross bike.

One of my teammates helped me after the warm up lap and told me how not to cornerlike a road rider. He said to keep some bend in the outside leg so you can have some control if the rear tire starts slipping. Also there is no need to point your inside leg inward (motorcycle style). And it is better to keep the bike more upright and lean your body instead so you keep the tread on your tire in contact with the mud. These last minute tips really helped. I had to consciously try to remember on each corner to and try and not use road technique.

I also went to the cyclocross practice at Marymoor last Wednesday with Sharon and learned that I had way too much pressure in my tires. Ihad 60 lbs in because that is what the side of the tire said. I took it way down to 32 psi in the front and about 35 in the back. That was much better. They also taught me to use just the right brake (not left) when going down hill or in a turn to keep from going over the bars.

The course was fast and fun. I was a bit scared having themen's category 3's and the men's single speeders pass me. I found myself hyperventilating a few times. But they were all very polite when they passed and many offered words of encouragment. Jodi passed me on my last lap and she looked very fast. It was impressive because at that point I was very tired.

It was a fun day. It was fun hanging out with the mud roosters today!

I also got my picture on the MFG cross site! http://www.mfgcyclocross.com/photos/detail/6281181563/

Friday Night Racing

Racing was really fun last night! The gals were fast so I was just trying to hang onto the wheels but on the last sprint I think I got 4th. I was happy to keep pace in the final sprint.

Last week a couple came up to me after racing and asked if I recognized them. I did - it turned out it was a couple that we had met while on vacation in Europe. They just happened to be in Seattle and recognized me. It was cool to have them cheer for me!

Friday Night

Friday night was pretty hard - this picture shows pretty much how I was feeling.




I had fun racing with Jessica in the Madison. We moved up to second on the last lap but we were third for the race on points. Jessica was really strong. It was really fun racing as partners.

Monday Night Madison

It rained last Friday but here is a photo from a couple of weeks ago showing me faking an attack. It worked just as good as the real thing - got the group up to full speed quickly.

http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2011/MVA/617/pages/903C3768jpgmva6.htm





Last Monday Mark and I raced the Madison together. It was fun to be partners in a race. I felt like our slings were nice and close. I hope it works out for us to be partners again. It is hard because there are usually other riders wanting to partner with both of us.

Friday Night Racing

My first race went pretty bad. I ended up last, blowing up 1/2 way through. It was a tempo race which means there are sprints every lap. Very hard.

Then a miss and out which was fun. I made it about 1/2 way before being eliminated.

The last race was the points race. Going into the first set of points the group slowed down so I went up high on the bank. I always do this so when the acceleration happens all I have to do is drop down the bank. I was the only one on the bank though. No one was paying attention to me either. I casually pick up the pace. I tried to be as smooth as possible so no one would realize what I had in mind. We came around corner 4 and I attacked hard down the banking. I quickly got a large gap. At that point no one wanted to chase because they would be leading out the others for the points. Perfect for me. I held the gap and was able to ease up before the line and still get the 5 points. I quickly rolled up the bank and dropped back on the back of the group and held on through the counter attacks. I didn't want to attack that early in the race but the opportunity was too good to pass up. I sat in for the rest of the sprints but I might have gotten one more point on the last one. I got fifth in that race and was pretty happy. The group this year is very strong so fifth is a good place for me.

Here are a couple of photos -

http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2011/MVA/63/pages/903C9237jpgmva6.htm


http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2011/MVA/63/pages/903C9156jpgmva6.htm

I also had a fun track practice today. Got in some good sling-shot practice.

Mutual of Enumclaw Stage Race!

My team put on the Mutual of Enumclaw stage race last weekend. I raced at the track Friday night and then got up at 5am and spent the entire weekend at the race. It was exhausting. I helped organize all of the volunteers and helped cover any jobs that needed doing at the last minute.

I also got to hand out some of the yellow leader's jerseys and shake the hands of the winners. It was fun and very gratifying to see so many racers have a good time. There was one racer who chewed me out because he couldn't read the map in the technical guide, but aside from him everybody was really great.

We had a lot of racers come in from out of town, as far as Quebec, Canada, and California. I enjoyed getting to watch the high level of competition, right in our own back yard.

70% chance of rain with thuderstorms

We got to race friday night at the track! It was the last night of the pre-season and I thought for sure it would be rained out. In fact I wasn't even planing to go until Evan, one of the announcers asked me for a ride - that meant I had to go. When I left Seattle it was raining so I was really surprised when we got to Redmond and there were sunny skies!

They started off with a 200 for time. It was not a very fast time for me but it might have been due to the cold weather.

My next race was a keirin - the race where the motor cycle paces the group (5-8 riders) up to speed. The moto is supposed to pace you up to 30 mph - then you race for 1-1/2 laps. It takes 5 laps to reach 30 mph when it is done the way it is supposed to. It was the first night for the moto and we got up to speed really fast. I think they might need to work on the pacing. I was in the back and when the moto pulled off some of the riders were already gassed. I followed one of the other women as she closed the gap but it was too late to be in contention for the 2 spots that got to advance. I felt pretty good though.

The next race was the miss-and-out. My goal was to ride smart and not waste energy. We had 17 women and the miss-and-out works like musical chairs. The last person across the line each lap is out. So the key is to go just hard enough to beat one person without wasting energy by accelerating too much and burning matches. We ride a neutral lap before the race is started so everybody is clipped in and ready to go. On the neutral lap I spotted Rosalyn high up on the banking. The perfect wheel! She was off the front for quite a while on the Enumclaw road race so I knew she was going to be the strongest. I locked on to her wheel and sure enough, she accelerated to the front and started drilling it. We were single file and I was in second position - perfect! My luck lasted at least 4-5 laps before other riders got smart and I had left just enough room for someone to take the wheel from me. I was in 4th position which was still OK, I had to start accelerating towards the finish each time though to avoid being last. There was one lap where it was really close and I thought - that is it. I eased off - just to hear them call someone else's number! Woops! Too late to get back on the back. Aside from that I was pretty happy - I think I got 7th.

I was watching the radar and felt a raindrop or two before the final points race so I opted not to start. The race was really fast and agressive and I was starting to regret not racing when the skies opened up and they had to quickly call the racers off the track. That was it for the night.

I can't wait for next friday!

Pedal Driven

I saw a film last night it was a documentary called "Pedal Driven". It was about the confrontation between mountain bikers and federal land management agencies. It featured some local Mt Bike riders including a guy named Matt who works at Counterbalance. There was some pretty awesome riding footage. http://pedaldriven.howellatthemoon.com/videostrailers You can buy the DVD or watch movie trailers at the pedal driven link. The room was packed with mountain bikers. Boy did I feel like I was in different world!

So I learned a lot about mountain bike trails and thought I'd share since all my mountain bike teammates were actually mountain biking this weekend. Apparently there have been a lot of "illegal" trails build due to a lack of good places to ride. The problem is that the trails, if not designed well can increase erosion and be harmful to the environment. The documentary was about the success stories of the Mt bike community working together with forest resource people to get well designed Mountain bike courses that are also sustainable. According to the film a well designed course can last forever. One of the groups that is working to get new trails built is the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. This group is responsible for the I-5 Colonnade, Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park and others. The I-5 Colonnade and Duthie were featured in the film. It seemed like a very good organization www.evergreenMTB.org They are currently building a bike park in redmond and are looking for builders: http://redmondbikepark.com

Overall the film was great and it was fun to feel the energy in the group. I used to mt bike in the old Redmond watershed before I converted to a track rider.

First night of track

Yea! The first night of track!

It has been so rainy that I haven't spent much time at the track yet - just one training session. So I didn't have my track legs yet.

I tried a 82" gear in the first race. I did not have the leg speed to spin in and got gaped at the first surge. Then I switched to the 88" and felt much better in the miss-and-out. I tried to ride from the outside and commit to my position before the last turn. It was working pretty good but I got tired. The last race was the points - I raced more conservatively but had to bridge a few gaps. I did feel some good speed in bridging. It was all fun again.

first ride up Cougar Moutain for the year

Yesterday my teammates and I rode up Cougar Mountain for the first time since the new year. It was cold and there was snow at the top . There was also light rain that felt like part snow but we weren't talking about it since we had agreed to turn around if it started snowing.

Today I'm blogging while riding trainer. I've been too busy to blog! Time to start my interval now.

North End

Today I rode with our track riders. It was nice to ride with track riders because they are so smooth.

It was a cold day and we were a bit worried about slick spots as we went through the turns of Mercer Island but we didn't have any problems.

North End shore route

http://www.bikely.com/

Edmonds a new way

I've been doing a lot of Edmonds rides again! The roads are so nice and it is right about 30 miles. It is hard to do a 30 mile ride that isn't boring from my location so Edmonds is perfect. I rode up there yesterday with our women's group. Then today when I went to meet my teammate at the coffee shop and another team was already there and invited us to ride with them. They ended up going to Edmonds but a different route. So now I know some more cool roads. The other team was actually going all the way to Everett but that was longer than I wanted to ride today. It was fun to ride in a big group again though.

I have started doing some power 5 minute power builder intervals during the week but my average power is low - around 220 watts. I will try to gradually build it up over the winter.

Edmonds rolling hills

http://www.bikely.com/

Vacation to France

We took a vacation and did some riding in France. Not training just touring around for fun.

Here we are on some back roads on the way from Montpellier to Sommier

We stopped for lunch and admired the view

After Sommier we rode to Nimes. About 1/2 of the route was on a trail which made the navigation easy.

We did some sight seeing in Nimes and explored the old Roman ruins.

The arena is still in use today. It is more than 2000 years old.

We are heading towards the water now down to Aigues-Mortes where they make salt from ocean water. The weather was sunny and I got sunburnt!

Part of the ride was on tow-paths along the canal. The path was bumpy but our bikes had front and rear shocks so it was fun to ride.

This is the entrance to Aigues-Mortes. The entire town is surrounded by a wall.

After Aigues-Mortes we rode along the Mediterian back to our starting point at Montpellier.

From Montpellier we returned the bikes and took a high speed train back to Pairs.

Meet the Team Ride this Saturday for Potential New Members

The Blue Rooster/Sports Medicine Clinic "Meet the Team Ride" is this Saturday!

Interested in our team? Come ride with us on Saturday October 9 and get to know us! This is one of the 'Meet the team' series. Please be at Pert's (120 Lakeside Ave, Seattle, WA 98122) by 9:20 for a 9:30 AM departure.

We have slots open in all categories, road, track, cyclocross and mountain. Come ride with us!

Check out our website for more about the team and our sponsors:
www.blueroostercycling.com

Avanti Racing (Blue Rooster/Sports Medicine Clinic) has been active in the Northwest peloton since 1988, competing in road, track, mountain, and cyclocross events. We focus on racing and providing the training and support necessary to compete effectively while maintaining balance in our busy lives. For 2011 Blue Rooster/Sports Medicine Clinic is
looking to add depth in all categories and disciplines. If you are looking to race and develop team-centric racing skills by being a part of a competitive yet fun racing team, please join us on our Meet the Team Ride.

Send us an email if you have questions - avantiracing@gmail.com

End of the Track Season - International Omnium

I did my last three races of the season.

Two weeks ago was a pretty bad night for me. I was running a bigger gear and it didn't work out. I thought it was the wheels I was using and I raced the same gear last friday with my fast wheels and I decided it wasn't the wheels it was the gear.

I didn't place well in my first two races on Friday but I raced the madison which is always fun and won $5!

There was a bad crash in the men's 3's keirin and Annette went down with one guy from the Garage. The guy got up but they ended up taking Annette to the hospital via backboard in the ambulance. That put a damper on things. I found out later that Annette was mostly OK - some bruised and cracked ribs but not too bad considering she hit the track pretty hard.

Yesterday I did the inaugural "international style omnium" at Marymoor. It was a daytime event for a change. I'm used to racing under the lights so it was weird to have the sun out. The event consisted of 5 separate races with placing determined by overall score. For each race the winner got one point, second place got two points, third got three and so on. The lowest point total won. So you couldn't blow any of the events without getting punished in the scoring system.

I stripped out one of the bolts on my chainring so I ended up doing all of the events in the same gear. I chose a smaller gear (88) to save my legs. We did a flying 200 time trial, a 5 mile scratch race, a pursuit (5 laps), a 24 lap points race, and a 500 meter time trial. It was grueling and torturous.

I didn't do that good on the timed events, but I was happy with how I did in the mass start races. In the scratch race a group of three got off the front and the rest of us were all working together to chase. On the final lap I found myself in second position and I used the slingshot method to take the field sprint for 4th. Then we did a pursuit - my time was 3:13 for 5 laps. This was the first time I've ever done that distance for time.

Next was the points race. I was in a lower gear so I was better able to respond to the accelerations. I was happy to make the first selection and was in a group of 5. I misjudged the second sprint, which started very early and found myself gaped off in no-man's land. I rolled up track and waited for the chase group and worked with them to try and catch up. It was more like a team pursuit than a points race. I was in first position on the last lap this time. On the back stretch I rode out of the saddle to discourage passing. On the corner a rider tried to come around me and I accelerated it to force her to stay outside and ride the longer route through the corner. I maintained posotion to take 5th for that race. Overall for the omnium I was 6th, winning $10! So $15 total for the weekend.

The race was well officated. Since Marymoor has never hosted an internation omnium before the officals were out to get experience as well as us. The event required a lot of coordination. All of the timed events needed to have the tape in the right place - so they had to do adjustements between each race. We were happy to have such a well-run event. It will be fun to do it again next year.





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Cold Friday Night

It was cold on Friday. I took my winter coat and wore three layers under my skinsuit. I wore my coat in between the races. Track is tricky because you get sweaty and then you stand around until your next race. You can get very chilled if it is under 60 and there is a breeze.

I raced a Keirin, a 10 lap scratch, and a points race. I did not make it through the kerin heats this time. I though I had it and I let up before the line - only to see two riders come shooting past. Ooops!

I took a chance on the scratch race. They called a prime on lap 7 and I did not go for it but was up at the front and there was a
separation. I tried to get the two girls up there to go with me and one did but the other was gassed. I didn't quite catch the wheel but tried to stay ahead of the pack. It didn't quite work and the pack came zooming by with 1/2 lap to go. I sat up and rolled in still ahead of 1 rider. My plan didn't work out but it felt good to take the chance.

The points race went much better. I tried to stay in good position and take points that weren't too hard to get. On the first set of
points I was pretty near the front and could have won but took second to save a little energy. I found that when I win the first set of points I'm gassed for the rest of the race. I was in the top 4 for a few more of the sprints and ended up 4th . Top 3 got medals since it was the state championships but I was happy with how I did.

I was happy it wasn't raining so we could race! If all goes well I still have 3 race days left.

Sprinklers and Track do not mix

I had 5 teammates and my madison partner out for track practice today. We had to deal with the sprinklers though which were watering the lower parts of the track. This was bad because you can't ride on the track if it is wet. It is banked enough that you don't have enough friction to keep your tires on the surface.

The sprinklers were on when we got there so I took apart the garbage cans and blocked off the sprinkler heads. They were watering the north half of the lawn (and track). So we warmed up above the blue line (high) and then did 2x 3 high speed sprints off of corner 4 to the line.

Then the sprinklers switched and started watering the other half of the track so I had to move the garbage cans but they had already gotten the lower half of the other side wet. While I was out moving the garbage cans the heads came on for the infield and started watering my bag. One of the riders from the other team moved my bag and hung up my clothes to dry. (thanks!)

We then did one laps efforts with a partner where the second person practices timing the final sprint and coming around the first rider. The track finally dried out so we could use the sprinters lane.

Last Friday was another fast night. I realize that as our women's group gets larger I can't race from the back anymore so I am working on better positioning so I don't miss the moves. I think I figured out a few things during the race. It helps to watch the other riders and see what is working. I have the strength I just need to ride smarter!

It was really fun to watch the last race. Amara partnered with her brother for the men's cat 1/2 Madison and they won! It was so much more fun to watch than when the two strongest guys pair up and just crush the rest. This was a real race. They did great too. There was another mixed pair and then one pair of women racing as well. Mark and I were wishing we had singed up for it too.

Madisons

Last Monday I raced Madison night at the track. Just 4 teams and the other three were guys. My partner and I got last in every race but had lots of fun. I think each team had at least one cat 2 men's rider so the pace was blistering. Racing on Mondays is really fun though because there are three heats of juniors to watch. I like seeing the kids get stronger. I've seen several juniors get fast and pass me on their way up.

Wednesday I went out and did not race but watched the masters, women 4's and the men's 4's race. It was great to see that the women had a big field out there.

Friday night I went out to the track again and raced the national qualifier. Each race had a certain number of riders that would
qualify for Nationals. This meant our field was stacked with talent and everyone was ready to ride hard. We did a 20 lap scratch. You can usually bet the first half of that race will be easy. Not so, this time. The women were attacking every lap. It was very hard. I got dropped half way and this is the first track race this year I have been dropped at. Later I found that I was in a 83
inch gear. This is like trying to do a crit in the small ring. Not a good idea. I felt better when I figured this out yesterday!

I also raced the madison again on Friday but this time I wore the Wines of Washington jersey because the last two times my partner has worn the Blue Rooster jersey. The Madison is so much fun because you get to rest every other lap (when your
partner is "in") so you can ride much harder. The speeds are at least 5mph faster. It is really fun to be going that fast.

Yesterday I rested and then today I did 15 second intervals on the trainer. I was able to hit 570 watts on each one. The is 70 watts higher than a few weeks ago.

FSA day 1

I raced the evening of FSA day 1.

I raced the 5-mile scratch race and the points race. It was a long wait until my events. There was great racing to watch though. Some of the best riders in the united states + Canada and a few other countries like Australia and Tasmania.

I watched former World Champion Jennie Reed motor away from some of the best riders in the country in the women's Keirin. Then I saw the current men's national champion destroy his heat in the men's elite. It was really fast!

I lined up for the scratch with pros from Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Canada, etc. I knew I couldn't out sprint them so my idea was to try and get a prime. The problem is that if they call a prime it would already be to late. So I waited for a good moment and attacked hoping they would call one soon. I got maybe 1/2 lap up(?) and was out there for 3-4 laps. The announcer was really talking my break up as one of the "local riders". Then the bell rang! I need to stay out there for one lap to get $25. There were people all the way around the velodrome (400 meters worth) so it was loud with people cheering for me. I went as fast as I could but the Tasmanian champ and former Marymoor record holder burst out of the pack and caught me on the line to take the prime. I didn't get the money but it was worth it to have the crowd cheering me on! I then got dropped and pulled from the race but I had had my fun.

The points race was really fast too. 40 laps with about 40 super strong women. I hung in there and finished but no heroics this time.

Tonight is round 2. Come on out and watch! 7pm ant the Marymoor Velodrome in Redmond.