Walker Texas Ranger

So it’s been a while since I’ve written any race summaries or news about rides but since my last post I started a new job and haven’t had much time to update anything.   So here’s a brief summary of the last 6 months:  I finished out the road season as a Cat 3 in July, took 6 weeks off from riding in August/ September due to work; catted up to the 2’s in CX and got my tail handed to me repeated by the same guys as last year plus some even faster ones; built up 2 bikes- a sscx and a 29er ss; came to Texas at Thanksgiving for work and have done 5 cx races while here, got picked up by MG&G Racing for MTB and CX for 2013 and Fairhope Cycling Project for Road.  Really looking forward to racing as much as possible this year and even more with a great group of people.  Fairhope Cycling Project is based out of Fairhope, AL and is a 2/3 road team headed up by several Fairhope guys in collaboration with Pro Cycle and Tri .  MG&G is a new team on the scene this year and has a well-rounded roster of guys and girls with a variety of experiences and cycling history, and some of the best food you’ll find at any of the Bamacross races.  So that takes care of the last 6 months and now here I am today, a new year and why not a write up about a new bike and new trail, seem appropriate right?

 

So this morning I woke 30 minutes prior to my alarm clock with that excitement I haven’t had in over 2 months, that “I get to go ride my mountain bike today” realization as soon as I started to wake up.  No work today for this guy, 70hr weeks can’t hold me down but I was fortunate enough to have today off and rain or shine I was going to get a ride in. 

 

Well the weather was meh, cold.  Mid 30’s and misty but hey that’s what embro is for.  I recently bought and built/ in the process of building up a Niner One9 single speed and am rocking it rigid.  Oh yeah, fully rigid, (inside joke if you’re a mtbr forums guy).

 

I traveled to Glen Rose, TX and rode the Solavaca Trail, www.solavaca.com, follow the link to find out about all you want to know on it.  It is an 8+ mile loop of smooth single track with tons of limestone mixed in.  Most of the climbs were small kickers with rocky ledges and loose limestone deposits that made it more difficult than it should have been, I’ll admit I stumbled a couple times and lost my traction and had to walk a hill or two but no defeat here.  Today was about enjoying a new part of the country and riding somewhere unknown.  Overall the trail was in great shape and is worth the trip if you ever are in the DFW area.  Here is a link to my strava from today.  Also here are some pictures from today’s ride. 

 

 

Here is some limestone covered single track lined with Cati

 

 

I think this is called a prairie?  That's Texan for big field

Top of a wicked climb but worth it for the view 

As for my new steed, uh um…. May I present, Walker Texas Ranger (WTR)

 

I found this ride and have been teetering on the 29er verse 650b for a while but in the end decided on bigger is better, I mean hey, I’m in Texas after all.  I was not disappointed with it at all.  I’ve order some parts to make it fit better and ride nicer but as it sits she’s got Chris King SS hub laced to Stans 355’s, BB7 brakes, stylo crankset, Niner rigid fork, and ebb bottom bracket.  Overall I think it’s at about 19+lbs as it sits but with better cranks/ brakes/ pedals/ stem/ bar I should have it down around 18 once it’s all said and done.

 

Ride quality was phenomenal, I was worried about the slow flickability of the big wheels but with the rigid front end, this thing corners on rails with no side flex or wondering.  Steering compliance is very stiff and sensitive so laying the bike over in turns at speed is a dream.  Once I got the tire psi dialed in at 20-21ish they gripped great and I had no issues with sliding out or drifting.  I’m running the Geax Saguaro 2.2’s f/r.  Great tire as I’d put it against the Racing Ralph any day of the week for cornering, but not as fast on the flats as it’s slightly more tread and bulkier but I’m willing to sacrifice it for the added cushion effect.

 

I can’t wait to get this thing home and hit up OMSP for a loop to see how it compares to my old WUSS but I can tell you today I did 2 ½hrs on it without any back, neck, or arm pain and I haven’t been on a mtb in over 2 months.  Did not expect that kind of result on a rigid bike for the first time but I would say given the trail today, 2 ½hrs on my WUSS and I would have started feeling it towards the end. 

 

Overall I love this bike and the rigid setup.  It’s fast, stiff in the right areas but still comfortable enough for a long ride, light, and best of all mine.  I’m hoping to do a 4hr endurance race this Saturday in Tyler, TX so I’ll see how I feel after that but once my new cockpit arrives Thursday and I get the fit correct, I doubt I’ll have any issues with it.

Huntsville Criterium Races- Cat 1,2,3,4 Crit

Sunday July 15, 2012

Huntsville Crit- Cat 1,2,3,4

Okay so when I woke up this morning I didn’t think I would be doing the afternoon crit with the 1,2,3’s but what the hell, why not.  It’s just 60 minutes with elite riders in 90+ degree heat at 2pm in the afternoon, sounds like a good idea?!?  Well I wanted to see if I had what it took to hang with those guys so I went for it.

To my surprise I actually felt really comfortable racing in this race.  The surges came fast and made me feel a level of pain and exertion I can’t say I have ever felt before but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.  I learned really fast that if you lose a wheel at these speeds you will not get it back.  I had to bridge a couple times when riders I was following began to fall off the pace line and I had to come around them to get back on the pace.  And it was as soon as you saw a bike length open you had to go or it was going bye bye.  We started with around 35 riders and only 23 finished.  I sat in most of the race and a couple times wound up on the front but just kept pedaling and maintained while waiting for the attack to come around me.  Brian Toone and Chris Brown had at it back and forth, attacking constantly until they finally got it to stick and then they were never seen again by the field.  For most of the race the group stayed in a strung out pace line and only when it slowed to bunch up did the speed drop to low 20’s only to have someone come out of the back like a bullet and then everyone scramble to get in line and chase. 

Start of the 1,2,3,4 Crit

This was a fast paced race but nothing I couldn’t handle being my goal was just to finish in the pack.  With 5 to go I was hurting but knew there was only 10 minutes left in the race so I gritted and stuck it out.  I got caught 3^rd wheel with 5 to go and stayed there until the last 400m.  Not the position I wanted to be in but then again I wasn’t about to give up a spot to a bunch of 1s and 2s, I needed all the advantage I could get. 

 Sitting on Andrew's wheel from Fairhope Cycling Project and letting him lead me around all day

Me and Mark were the only cat 4's that hung in until the finish and neither one wanted to give up a wheel

The sprint came in corner 3 and it went hard, turn 4 and 5 were railed at 30+ while pedaling the whole time and the last turn came at the bottom of the hill.  I was still 3^rd wheel and I stood to attack when several riders came roaring by.  By the time I grabbed a wheel I was now sitting 7^th wheel.  I was able to hold that position until the sprint at the top of the hill and then crossed the line 11^th overall.  I was really happy to compete at this level for the first time and be able to finish strong.  This gave me a lot of confidence in my training plan this year and now I know what it takes at the next level to compete. 

 Me leading out the group, haha, yeah right.  But if you notice that's Chris Brown and Brian Toone to my inside. 

Railing corner 3 and trying not to lose a wheel

With that said I sent in my Cat 3 upgrade request and it got approved this morning so now I can race with these guys from now on.  Really excited and grateful for the year I’ve had with ST3 Cycling and look forward to carrying it on into the fall with the 3 remaining road races. 

Here is a link to my Strava

Huntsville Criterium Races- Cat 4 Crit

Sunday July 15, 2012

Huntsville Crit- Cat 4

After a good night of sleep and Mike being nice enough to give me his entry for the crit, I was up and ready to go at it in the 4’s crit Sunday morning.  We got to the race early and setup and with a start time of 11am I had plenty of time for a big breakfast and a good warm up.  If Saturday was hot then Sunday was teadering on being close to the center of the earth hot.  It seemed like as soon as I drank a bottle of water I immediately sweat it out.  While I was on my trainer warming up the sweat coming off my forehead was like a leaky water spout, yeah it was hot.  So water and endurolite pills were my best friends today and they kept me feeling good enough that the sun and heat didn’t bother me. 

Me and Alan warming up on the trainer while Mike tells us it's really hot outside

For this race ST3 had 5 guys racing as Mick was able to make it up for the day and get some time in the saddle with us.  The race took off at 11am and went hard from the start for the first 2 laps.  It seems like whenever you race and one of the 3 tours is on TV, people all the sudden feel like they have to act like the pros, and today was no different.  People were attacking and jumping, coming around hot through corners, it was a sketchy race to say the least.  I think the field had to be around 35 deep. 

Start of the 4's Crit

Once the field settled down Alan and myself started attacking and working the front to keep the pace high but didn’t work for too long at any one time as not to get caught with our pants down by some of the stronger riders waiting to launch their attacks.  Well eventually it came and Fisher went off the front and who would have guessed, it was immediately right after I had done a pull on the front.  I didn’t have the legs to chase so I sat up waiting but no one went.  Whatever, I said to myself, I can bridge once they get out there later in the race and plus it was early so maybe someone else would do work to pull it back and I could save my legs for the sprint.  A couple laps went by with no one wanting to do work, speeds crept to high teens and I knew the break wasn’t going that slow so I waited for my mark and hit it off the front with about 20 mins left in the race.  I hammered and pedaled through 3 turns and looked to see if anyone was coming and they weren’t, I was on my own.  Deep breath, I can do this, now let’s go! And I was off to chasing.  I hit my tempo and focused on breathing and keeping my speed up above 25.  About a lap later I heard a free hub spinning behind me and I never looked back to see if it was the pack or an individual, well it was 2 riders bridging to me, Jamie and some other guy that only stayed for about 30 seconds then he fell off. 

I knew Jamie was strong and we could work to bridge so we started taking 20-30 second pulls and trying to get the group of 3 back.  We chased for 3 laps and got within about 5 seconds but just couldn’t get that last 75m, Jamie fell off and dropped back to the pack and I stayed chasing for another 2 laps solo.  I wasn’t gaining any time and I looked to see there was only 8 minutes left in the race.  I knew I would not be able to hold that pace til the end so I began to rest my legs and ease back into the pack. 

ST3 Cycling riding strong at the front (Alan, Stewart, and David)

I was absorbed by the pack and fell in about 5^th wheel with 3 laps to go.  I sat there until the final sprint and was able to go hard the last 300m and take 3^rd in the field sprint and 6^th overall.  Overall I was pleased with my courage and ability to go after the break and try to bridge when I knew it would be tough as hell but I did it.

Here is my link to my Strava

Huntsville Criterium Races- Road Race

July 14^th, 2012

Huntsville, AL

So yeah it’s been a while since I’ve raced and haven’t really updated my blog since Bump N’ Grind this year but over the last month I have taken some time to rest and recover and work on getting some base miles back in my legs.  I did go over to South Carolina for their State Championship Road Race last month and despite having my first road crash ever in a race I was able to pull out a 2^nd place with a hell of a sprint finish jumping from 25+ places back to the front over about 250m.  Here is a link to my Strava from the race.

South Carolina State Road Race Championship

This last weekend I went to Huntsville to do the Huntsville Criterium Races and raced the Cat 4 road race on Saturday.  It was a 4 lap, 40 mile race over really flat terrain with rough roads and a little bit of wind.  To say it was hot was only a minor understatement.  We went off at 8am and over the next 100 minutes I went through 3 bottles of water and still ran out, so yeah, it was hot. 

For this race ST3 wanted to work to get John Soto and David Gotlieb on the podium so they were the protected riders on the day, there job was to sit in a look pretty, well sit in at least.  Alan and I were to work and dicate the pace while not letting anything go.  With a handful of strong riders lining up for this race we both knew that it was going to be a busy day to keep anything from going off the front but we felt up to it. 

The first lap came in fast with a 24+ avg mph with Alan and myself doing a lot of work up front to keep it high and dissuade anyone from trying to attack early.  After mid 2^nd lap things began to slow a bit and the attacks started coming.  Alan would work to control the front and I would jump at anything that moved, we had a good system and John and David were able to sit in the pack and keep sharp for the finish.  Laps 2 and 3 were attack to slow slow pace, to attack to slow again.  Very frustrating so on the start of the 3rd lap I got a gap and a rider bridged to me, I looked back to see we had 150m on the field and they weren’t chasing so I said “you wanna do this?” and dude just smiled so I hit it, 30mph head down and legs pumping at 100 rpms.  I pulled through to let him go and just then the field came up on us, WTF!  I was a little upset but whatever, after that it got a little lively and more people started attacking and finally people were starting to hurt a little. 

With about 6 miles to go the pace slowed to sub 20 and everyone was saving their legs for the sprint which was a long 1 mile open road with a head wind and slight uphill finish 200m past the bottom of a slight downhill.  Mark Fisher decided to go with about 2.5 miles out so David chased his wheel and I went on David’s wheel.  Awesome, Fisher is strong enough to pull us to the finish and with 2 of us there it’s a no brainer, well….no.  I fell asleep at the wheel and forgot I was racing.  Fisher kept the pace high 25-30 for the last 2 miles with Jamie to his side at the 300m line Jamie jumped to go, for whatever reason I didn’t and Fisher sat up as the field came by, I scrambled to get off David’s wheel and around him and was able to launch my sprint but never even got up to speed for it, man was I pissed off.  Yes I yelled profanity and apologized to everyone but I mean really, I’ve never blanked like that before so maybe it was just a fluke but for whatever reason it happened and I’m not proud of it. 

Still wound up 10^th place and felt good about my chances for the following days crit.  Didn’t really feel like doing the time trial so I skipped that Saturday afternoon and drank beer in the parking lot with Mike but we had some good results from the ST3 guys and everyone raced hard.

Here is a link to my Strava of the race.

Bump n Grind 2012

Sunday June, 2^nd 2012

Oak Mountain State Park

Pelham, AL

This past weekend marked the 18^th annual BnG race at OMSP and with 4 races on tap, it provided to be an excellent weekend to get all the mtb action anyone could want.  The weekend started off Friday night with Beer and Brats at Cahaba Cycles parking lot off hwy 31 in Pelham with registration, packet pickup, and all the beer and hot dogs you could want. 

Also on Friday night was the first annual Drop, Tuck, and Roll air downhill mtb race on the newest trail to become part of the BUMP trail system at OMSP, Lightening.  For those of you who haven’t had the chance to give this a ride yet, you are seriously lacking in life experiences.  This short, but fast course is a combination of a flow trail with downhill speed.  It has everything from table tops, to step ups, to box drops, all contained in a 4500 ft hard packed heavily burmed serpentine course that begins at the top of Boy Scout Camp Road. 

The field for the DTR race was fairly large at 15 or 16 with all riders given 2 official runs to get their best time.  ST3 Cycling helped out with course marshalling and for a bunch of roadies and xc mtber’s we were given a great display of a different type of speed than we are used to.  These guys and girls, looked to be literally gliding down the course with the occasional brake drag, but always seemed to be sailing through the air whenever the chance was given.  The race went off great with no injuries and everyone walking away with smiles on their faces, even from all the spectators.  Don’t discount coming out to watch this race next year even if you aren’t into the downhill stuff, this race is fast, has big air, and really exciting to watch.  Here is a link to a video by Heath Vaughn.  

Saturday came early and I was at the park by 7am to get my pre-race workout in.  A good 75 minutes with some openers and hill sprints and I felt good to go.  Got a pre-ride in of Jekyll and Hyde and the race course finish before I changed clothes and went to help out volunteer for BUMP.  By the time I got to the South Trail Head they were well on their way to having the finish and courses set up but I offered help where I could and by 2pm I was cooked.  I’ve really got to hand it to all the great people who were there all 3 days from way early in the morning until late at night to get everything set up and broken down.  BUMP can always use help with these events and even if you know nothing about cycling or are looking to get into it, you won’t be treated differently.  They are a very welcoming group of people who will treat you like family. 

Saturday’s events included a Short Track XC event and a Super D race, these two events along with Sunday’s XC race compiled the Ominium for the weekend and are a part of the US Triple Crown Cup Series. The STXC event was a 1+ mile course that was very spectator friendly that lasted 20 mins for the Cat 1/2 Race and 30 mins for the Pro Race.  It began in the parking lot with the finish line, looped around the STH then up the steep climb by the bathrooms, then into the woods for a short loop then back into the parking lot near the swing sets and onto the finish. 

This was the closest to an off road crit as you will see.  Everyone I talked to about the race said they were full bore the whole time and mostly anaerobic whenever they were able to take a glance at their heart rate.  This was an extremely fun race to watch and next year I will definitely have to participate because I love to suffer and from the looks of those who raced, I would say there was a lot of it going on.

The Super D came next Saturday afternoon and although I was not there to watch it, I heard people who hung out around blood rock say nothing but great things.  This is another spectator friendly race where riders race a short 20-30 min point to point race in a time trial format.  Spectators who were willing to make the hike to Blood Rock were treated to rider after rider blasting full steam through the technical rocky section without any fear.  Those that have been there before know that even walking down this section of the trail can be dangerous so you can only image the possibility of the carnage that could ensure from riders blasting through it who weren’t 100% focused and on their game mentally.  Luckily I didn’t hear of anyone getting hurt there this year but I can tell you personally they don’t call it Blood Rock for nothing!

 Here is a pic of Jacob Tubbs at Blood Rock during the Super D.  Photo courtesy of mtbmike.com

Now on to Sunday’s XC race.  Believe it or not this was my first time racing BnG, last year was sick in the bed and the year before that I had just moved to Birmingham and was working 50-60hrs/ week at a new job so no riding much that summer.  But this year I was really excited, coming off a good season of cycle cross and a big base this winter I came into the spring in good shape.  Being on ST3 has introduced me into the world of road racing and given me even more fitness with their training rides and races this year as well.  I have only been able to make it to one mtb race this year about a month ago and was really looking forward to racing BnG this time around.  

 Here is a pic of Mick getting started in his first mtb race of the year

 Here is Pete taking the hole shot for his race in his new Birmingham Bike Company kit

 Here's Holly in her first mtb race

 Mick posing for the camera

Race Report

Sunday morning as I was warming up for the race I felt a calmness come over me and knew all I had to do now was race.  I knew I had put in the work to accomplish my pre-race goals and knew that it would be a tough race but somehow knew everything would be okay, almost like the first time you jump off a high cliff into a lake, your nervous until you do it but that second you decide to go you feel very relaxed. 

I lined up in the Cat 2 30-34 age group this time to race with the geared guys for a change even though I was sporting my single speed.  I haven’t raced any geared races since I first started racing 5 years ago so I didn’t know what to expect but I was ready.  I chose to run 55 gear inches (34:16) on my single speed for this race as not to lose too much time on the top section between the fire road climb and start of J&H, although I did get passed by 3 guys here I was able to make that space back up eventually. 

Little smack talk before the race is always fun

The race started out hard as the 30-34 field and 35-39 fields were combined making a field size of about 30 or so.  I lined up in the front and knew that I could possibly lose a lot of time on Lake Trail if I got stuck behind some of the slower guys so I hit it hard and managed to get 4^th wheel into the woods behind Jacob Tubbs and Jimmy Prentice.  I was able hold Jimmy’s wheel until the levy crossing and then I dropped to 7^th or 8^th wheel really fast when everyone shifted into their big rings while I hamster wheeled it at 200 rpm’s.  This is where the field began to spread out but still, I was only 50m behind the leader when we crossed the road.  I managed to hang back around 50-100m behind the lead group of 8 or so until boy scout camp road and then once again, big ring for them, hamster wheeling for me.  By the time I got to the top of the climb I was in no man’s land with no one in sight in front of me nor behind me so I settled into a good cadence and began to focus on my pre-race time goals, sub 40 mins to the NTH, that’s all I cared about.  I was able to gain a couple spots back and make it to the NTH in under 38 minutes, awesome.  I felt great and now time for me to launch my attack and put some people in the red.

My second pre-race goal was to make up as many spots on the climb as possible.  The fire road climb is the only place where I would have an ability to contest others and push them so I knew if I could make other’s hurt they might give up on top of the mountain and not chase me.  I was able to make up a couple more spots here and was right on a group of 2 at the top of the climb, don’t know their names but they ended up 2^nd and 3^rd in the Cat 2 35-39 group.  This climb about did me in, at the mid way point I grabbed a water from the aid station and dumped all 20 oz on my head and back.  That was all that kept me going at this point, looking at my garmin I pretty much stayed anaerobic the whole climb except for once or twice where I dropped to high Z4. 

Once the group of 2 I was chasing hit the top of the climb and were on the flat, they began to open a gap on me.  I never let up but kept to my plan as to get to the top of J&H in under 8 mins.  I was at the top of the fire road climb in 53ish mins and was happy with that so now began the calculations in my head.  If I can get to J&H in 8mins, then to Peavine Road in another 22 mins, I can be done in sub 1:30.  I had a feeling it would take that kind of time to podium before the race but knowing there were several riders ahead of me and not knowing what age group they were in, I just put my head down and hammered. 

Going down the fire road on my way to the BUMP trail, Timo Stark came roaring past me like I was standing still, great.  He was out of sight within a minute.  That was pretty tough on me mentally because I knew everyone behind him would be carrying that same kind of speed and I had to get to J&H before too many more people passed me or I was going to be out of the running for a podium for sure.  I managed to get there without losing anymore spots and eventually caught Timo on the hand built section of J&H and he was nice enough to pull off to let me by.  As soon as I went by it was no more brakes.  I just took my fingers off the brakes and let the bike go, white knuckles and wide eyes I was movin.  I managed to get through J&H safely, although I was drifting a bunch and almost just gliding over the table tops I was pushing to catch the group ahead of me.  As I came to the end of J&H I began to see the now 2 guys ahead of me, still not knowing what age group they were in I gave it all.  I cross the road to Mr. Toad’s and Family and had to be cranking 120 rpms.  I was on the verge of riding out of control but didn’t worry about my lines and just went where the bike took me.  Luckily that was always in the right direction. 

 Me working my way through the rocky hand built section of J&H

 More of me on J&H

 Getting aero on my way to the finish line

As I came out of the woods onto the pavement the 2 riders I was chasing were only 10m in front of me.  I put my head down and spun like there was no tomorrow.  I was able to hold their wheel for a bit then when we hit the downhill part they began to attack each other and walk away from me putting 7 seconds on me in the overall time.  Good news for me they were both in the age group above me so this ended up giving me 2^nd Place in my group, behind Jimmy Prentice who threw down a great time beating me by over 3 minutes.  Timo was able to grab 3^rd place shortly behind me. 

Here is a link to my Strava of the race.

Race results can be found here

Overall I was really happy with my results and how fun of a race this was to do.  BUMP have really done a great job with the trails systems they have developed over the last several years and the support the club offers is first class.  A big thanks to all the ST3 Cycling guys who came out to race and support me as well as everyone who helped make this weekend of racing possible.  Definitely created some great memories for this guy!

 A very tired and hungry me after my race

 Cat 2 30-34 Podium with Jacob standing in for his teammate Timo in 3rd and Jimmy in 1st

MOAB Downtown Crit

Sunday, May 27^th, 2012

Murfreesboro, TN

Sunday I traveled up Murfreesboro, TN to race in the MOAB Downtown Crit.  MOAB is the local cycling shop in downtown Murfreesboro and I must say they put on a great race.  The hospitality and amenities were great and this is a fun course to say the least. 

My strava of the course can be found here.  The course was a 5 turn up and down course with a 150 degree hairpin at the far end of the course.  The first .5 miles of the course involved 4 turns and was all downhill with swooping wide turns.  After the hairpin, it was a .25 mile long uphill that provided a brutal serving of punishment to anyone brave enough to launch an attack there.  One last turn at the top of the climb and 250m to a downhill finish.

The weather was hot, I saw a bank sign thermometer reading 101 degrees so give or take a few, it was pretty hot.  I went through 2 bottles of water for a 40 minute race, that’s how humid and hot it was.  Luckily Cahaba Cycles provided us with their shop vehicle and tent to keep us cool and out of the sun so we did have some respite on the day but it only added to my otherwise pronounced cycling tan lines. 

The race started at 12:30 and after a good 45 minute warm-up I was ready to go.  The field was in the mid 30’s and the roads were fairly wide so I wasn’t that concerned with getting a good starting position.  With the course having a good uphill on the back side, I didn’t expect any breaks to stick so I went in with the mentality of sitting in top 10 and not chasing anything all day.  What a difference it made, when your not up front chasing or attacking, it is a lot easier to just ride along with the group.  It was really hard for me not to launch an attack but in retrospect I should have when I felt it.  The problem was, Harpeth Cycles had 3 guys sitting and BPC was chasing everything that moved, as well as the Tree House Cycling guys who were well represented.  I knew if I went, I would have to do it alone and I didn’t want to go that hard when I knew I was one of the stronger sprinters in the group so I just sat in and waited patiently. 

With 2 to go the pace kicked up and finally the field got a little stretched out.  I moved from back 20 up to top 8 through turns 2 and 3 and coming up the back stretch I sat second wheel on 5 guys spread out across the road, just waiting for the jump.  BPC went mid way up the hill, I swung wide in turn 5 to keep my speed and stayed top 10.  We were pacelining it and we hit the finish with 1 to go.  Turns 1,2, and 3 came fast and hard and we got a gap on the back part of the field.  On turn 4, the hairpin, I went to the inside as not to have anyone come under me and my rider to the outside almost lost his front wheel but recovered, this gave me just enough to come hard out  of the turn and take 7^th wheel in the paceline.  BPC was still hammering hard and we started to ascend the hill.  Now came the counter attacks, 4 guys came to the outside hard and I jumped on their wheel and weaved my way up the hill as hard as I could go.  I railed turn 5 into the uphill and came down hard to close off the inside line then stood to sprint to the finish.  I managed to get 2 spots and was gaining on 2 more when 3^rd and 4^th place hooked bars and both went down, sliding across the finish line.  Luckily I was able to pull up and went off the course as I went through the finish line, while the rider I was chasing I believed ran over one of the guys who fell. 

Overall I ended up 6^th place and had a good time racing with everyone and watching some of the faster races.  I ended up with the fastest average speed for a crit so far this year so I can only image what the 123 race was doing but it looked fast.  

 Thanks to Cahaba Cycles for their shop vehicle and tent!  What a great sponsor to work with.

Huntsville, AL- Rocket City Omnium

Saturday/ Sunday May 19/20, 2012

This past weekend ST3 Cycling showed up in force to race in Huntsville, AL at the Rocket City Omnium sponsored by Spring City Cycling Club.  We had 6 guys racing in the 4s, 2 in the 5s with this being Mike Soto’s first time racing road, and 1 in the women with Lynn racing in her first time trial.  The weather was hot and sunny all weekend with not much wind either day.  Here is a link to our facebook page with all the pictures from this weekend.  This was my first time racing on tubular tires and I've got to thank Joseph from Pro Cyce and Tri for doing a great job re-spoking and gluing up this set for me.

Time Trial- Monte Sano State Park

The course was an 1.8 mile uphill with an average gradient of 5% for the first 1.3 miles, then it flatten out with several rollers for the last half mile.  I was looking for some redemption from my last time trial at MSGP where I lost 45 seconds and took myself out of the overall so needless to say it was go time.  I got a quick warm up in then lined up to go.  No pre-ride left me with the mentality of just going full throttle for the first 4 minutes then holding until the finish.  I was shooting for a sub 6 minute time so I knew I could push for 2 minutes if I could just get through the first 4 minutes.  I was able to put up a time of 6:08 for 4^th place, although I lost almost 20 seconds to the leader, this was an omnium and based on points, not time so I was able to stay in contention in the points overall, which was more important than anything.  Here is a link to my strava.

 Me grinding it out going over the last roller before the finish of the 1.8 mile time trial

Crit- Downtown Huntsville (State Championship)

The course was a 6 turn .8 mile loop with 5 right turns and one swooping left at the bottom of a one block long downhill and a finish with a slight downhill.  The field was in the low 30’s with BPC and ST3 Cycling being the two most represented teams.  Here is my strava.

ST3 was able to keep several riders up front, keeping the pace high and chasing attacks back for the most part.  We let one rider go on the second prem thinking he was just chasing it down but he was able to keep the pace high and eventually able to hold off for the win. 

I was able to stay top 5-10 for the entire race and lead out several attacks but no one was willing to work and we were eventually caught every time.  Every one of the ST3 riders made attacks at one point or another during the race and kept the tempo high for the rest of the field.  On the last lap the field began to set up and Alan gave an attack going into turn one to get the speed back up for a brief moment but then it sat up again with the field spread across all lanes of traffic.  Turn 2 came slow with me sitting on the front anticipating a jump, then spread back out across all lanes.  About 200m before turn 3 an attack went and I jumped to get 7^th wheel, we hit turn 3 to the downhill and rolled turns 4 and 5 at 30+, I saw a gap open at 3^rd wheel so I shot hard to the inside on the straight away and got the spot just before the last turn.  I was able to pedal through the turn without losing any speed and came out hard.  By this time first and second had opened a gap of 10m and I was out of the saddle chasing as hard as I could go.  300m to the finish and it was all out and in the end I was able to hold off the chase and lock down 3^rd place. 

Although I got 3^rd overall, since the first place rider was from out of state I was awarded the silver for the State Championship.  This finish put me in 4^th place for the overall, 1 point behind Kyle (NSAT) and Kyle (Snapple) and 2 points behind Kevin (Steel City).  This put me in a little on edge for the circuit race Sunday knowing to get the overall win I needed to make up these points by beating these other riders.  

 Alan keeping the pace up on the front

 Taking the turn 6 on rails with my new tubulars

 Stalking Kyle (Snapple) who ended up taking home 1st place

 Taking my turn up front to do work

Sitting in nicely

 Alan setting the pace again

 Taking home 3rd place after a vicious chase

Circuit- Research Park

After carefully reviewing and re-reviewing the results and points from yesterday’s tt and crit, I felt comfortable with my position in the overall in 4^th.  I was able to get a good night rest and a good warm up ride in before the race so I was looking forward to getting the race going.  The legs felt great and I was ready to go get a win for the team.  Here is my strava.

We had a team meeting before the race and everyone was excited and ready to help do work and protect me on the day.  We had a great showing by Mick, Mike, and Mike, leading out attacks from the first lap and keeping the pace high.  This kept the attacks from other teams limited and the pace high.  Once we got through the first couple laps and everyone got settled in Alan came up front and began doing work.  Alan kept the pace high and took several long pulls while the rest of the field wanted to sit in without working.  Every time ST3 would come off the front the pace would slow to sub 20 and everyone would just sit in waiting for someone to attack.  John Soto was able to get away once and get a chase to go, Kyle (Snapple) attacked and got away solo once but Soto was able to bridge the group back to him, and several others made some attacks but Alan was always quick to jump on their wheel and bring the group up to them.  This kept me out of the wind for the most part and left me with only a couple attacks to chase down, thereby keeping my legs feeling great and saving them for the end. 

The team was able to work great together and keep the race in control for most of the day with attacks coming from all team members, Alan stepped up with 2 to go and pulled me until ¾ of a lap to go.  As he pulled off I was stuck on the front and launch a ghost attack to get someone else to pull through but no one wanted to work this close to the end.  I started to get the pace up while still looking around when I noticed Soto coming up on the outside to position himself to lead me out.  However an unfortunate wreck by Soto with less than 2 miles to go left me on my own.  I moved to the front of the pack going in to turn 1 to keep a safe position and kick the pace up to low 20’s but still waiting for the attack to come.  About half way up the hill BPC took off with a lead out of 4 guys, I was able to move in about 6^th wheel and we began hammering.  We crested the hill and the speeds crept into the low 30’s.  Hit turn 2 and the paceline was getting pretty strung out in single file.  There was about 1km until the last turn and BPC was hammering hard, no one was able to come out and counter so I prepared for the last turn and sprint.  I marked the BPC rider who was being lead out and looked for his wheel coming through the last turn.  The two lead out riders pulled off over the last 500m and left two more BPC riders for the sprint.  I came through the last turn and jumped Kyle (Snapple) and two other riders and was chasing Kevin (Steel City) but just couldn’t come around him.  I ended up 4^th on the day but was able to lock down 2^nd place in the overall omnium. 

I was extremely proud of all my teammates and their willingness to work for me all weekend to keep me fresh and protected.  Great weekend all around and look forward to getting back into training this week to keep this momentum going.  

 Sitting in while Alan pulls me around

 Sitting in on the front with 1 to go, Alan again pulling me around

 Pulling though after Soto took a long pull to bring back the BBC rider who got a 300m gap early

 Sprinting it out for a 4th place finish