P.E. Exam

Well one of the main reasons I have not posted anything for several months is because I have been preparing for the CA Professional Engineering Exam. Well it is over and now I wait 4 months for the results. If I pass I will be a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of California. After two days and 13 hours of testing it is over! Although the pass rate is about 38% I feel confident I passed and am glad to have my life back.

Update January 12th, 2011:
I PASSED! Glad I don't have to study or take a 16 hour exam again next year. Now I can focus on other things I enjoy.

7/26 USCF Upgrade Race @ ADT

Photo By Pat Benson

RACE #1 – 20 Lap Scratch: The race started out pretty smooth, riders taking ½ lap pulls at the front. Then one rider let a gap open on purpose so he would not have to rotate through and could watch for any attacks. I was behind this rider so I ended up skipping a few pulls as well. Then the attacks started and let the guy who created the gaps bring us back to the group. After it was all back together the pack started rotating again and then with 2-to-go everyone was jockeying for position. With 1.5-to-go I was third wheel and the guy at the front went for it. It was fast enough that no one was going to try to come around early so I was sitting pretty. I jumped out of turn 2 on the bell lap taking the pole just before turn 3 and giving it all I had to take the win by a few bike lengths. 1st place (7 omnium points).

Photo By Pat Benson

RACE #2 – 32 Lap Points (sprints every 8): Unlike last month’s Points Race the field stayed together. I was in bad position for the first sprint so I aimed for the next but only managed 3rd (2 points). Then I ended up on the front with a 1.5 to go for the third sprint so I soft pedaled as long as I could before winding it up and taking the win. (5 points). Again I was not in ideal position for the final spring but hung on for 3rd again (2 points). This was a pretty tough race and I really had to dig deep to get those points. Not my best points race, need to work on timing and positioning for the upcoming sprints. I ended up 3rd Place (3 omnium points) 3 points off the winner and 1 point off second, but most importantly I was still holding onto the omnium lead by 1 omnium point.

Photo By Pat Benson

RACE #3 - Miss-N-Out (last rider pulled from race every other lap until only 1 remains): Like the last upgrade race we had a small field so I rode the miss-n-out from the front until it was down to a few riders. Everett and I kept the pace just high enough so riders did not want to come over the top and box us in. With four riders left there was some confusion with the bell/lap cards and Everett got pulled. It was down to the top 3 riders in the omnium. I was in the pole watching the third rider and gave it just enough gas so that he stayed back there and got pulled. I eased off the gas and tried to recover for the final sprint and with 1 lap to go I swung high up track in turn 1. The other rider jumped hard coming out of turn 2, I saw it coming and jumped on his wheel. I sat on his wheel a little too long and jumping just before turn 3 missing the win by a few inches. 2nd Place (5 omnium points).

OVERALL: 1st in Cat 3 Omnium and got some more upgrade points. The field was stronger than the last event, but I was more consistent than everyone else and managed to take the omnium by 1 point. The next upgrade race is Aug 14th.

Back In The Water

IMAG0432, originally uploaded by jtenright.

After almost 2 years I actually got off my bike and on my surfboard. Ten years ago I was spending all my free time at the beach surfing at least 5 days a week. For the past 4 years I have probably only surfed a handful of times. Now I am training on the bike five to seven days per week. I have been talking about getting back on my surfboard for about 6 months but finally after racing a ridiculously hot criterium up in Ontario, CA I decided to rush home and dust off the surfboard. I have one word to describe the experience of surfing 11th St. Del Mar for the first time in several years, Amazing! It was like riding my bike (no pun intended), I was a little less consistent but if anything my added leg strength has helped my surfing. After a few more sessions I am sure I can get all the cobwebs out. Natalie was so impressed that she too has committed to getting back on her longboard for the first time on years. I can’t wait to get out in the water again, but the surf report is not looking so good for the next few days…good thing I have my bike :).

Back On The Boards

6/26 USCF Upgrade Race @ ADT
RACE #1 – 20 Lap Scratch: The race started out pretty smooth riders just taking ½ lap pulls at decent tempo. I few riders attacked including myself, but no one was 100% committed. Everyone was too busy eyeing each other to figure who was who. With a few laps to go it really slowed, with 1.5 laps to go it was down to a snail’s pace. I was up top towards the rail and decided to jump over the top of the group...I knew the track at ADT is shorter than SD so you have to make your move sooner, but I went a little too early. I faded in turn 4 and hung on for 4th place (2 omnium points).

Photo By Pat Benson

RACE #2 – 32 Lap Points (sprints every 8): Again we started off smooth and riders we willing to rotate evenly but the pulls got shorter as we got closer to the first sprint. I was a little too far back for the first sprint and as expected EVERYONE went hard to grab points early. Not being in the ideal spot I decided not to go all out here but managed to grab 4th (1 point). I kept my momentum and rolled on through adding some pace as I hit the pole lane while some of the other riders were gassed from their sprint. A few riders went with me and when I pulled off I saw there was just four of us. I encouraged my break companions saying to just keep rolling and we will all grab points. We upped the pace even more taking hard 1/2 lap pulls. As we got closer to the second sprint the pulls remains strong, but just shorter so we were not slowing too much. I grabbed the second sprint and we just kept rolling. As we got close to the third sprint we were 3/4 of a lap up on the chasers. The pace slowed a bit because we were content to sprint amongst ourselves rather than the entire field. I ended up on the front just before the bell of the third lap and I tried to soft pedal as long as possible so we wouldn't catch the chase group. Luckily everyone else was thinking the same thing so I started the sprint out of turn 2 and was able to win that sprint just as we caught the chasers. Now it was all back together so the pace again slowed with a few of us rolling through just to keep it going. With two laps to go one rider attacked over the top and broke up the group again, I slotted in a few wheels back of the chasing riders knowing it was still a ways before the final sprint. We caught him with one to go and then I was second wheel...perfect...I jumped out of turn 2 and was able to get back in the pole lane just as we hit turn 3, now I had the shortest distance to the line and finished it off. I ended up with 16 points winning the points race over the second place rider who had 6 points.

Photo By Pat Benson

RACE #3 - Miss-N-Out (last rider pulled from race every other lap until only 1 remains): The pressure was on because the rider that won the Scratch race got 2nd in the Points so he was winning the Omnium and I was sitting in second. The Miss-N-Out is highly tactical so it was anyone’s race. I have been getting schooled in the Miss-N-Out at TNR with all the fast guys so I was hoping that I actually have taken note and learned something. I knew with a small field that I could probably ride from the front (either in the pole lane or preferably on the red line so I am not boxed in) until it was down to a few riders. So I did just that, keeping the pace just high enough so riders did not want to come over the top and box me in. With four riders left I they started to come over the top and box me in so eased off the gas and went all the way around and over the top at the last second to insure I didn't get called out. I heard one rider yell **** and looked back and it was the guy leading the overall Omnium. He knew if I got 1st or second I would take the overall. I made it to the final sprint and with 1 lap to go I pulled off the front slowing as I swung high up track in turn 1. The other rider came with me but I made sure he stayed below me as I went higher. He jumped coming out of turn 2, I saw it coming and jumped on his wheel. I waited just a tad before jumping and took the final sprint and winning the Miss-N-Out and taking the overall just by 2 omnium points.

Overall: 1st in Cat 3 Omnium and got some upgrade points. Everyone was having a great time and the racing was pretty friendly compared to your typical 4 corner criterium. Although TNR at the SD velodrome is pretty hard to beat It was awesome to get back on the boards for the first time in a few years.

Fiesta Island 20km Time Trial 5/9

I have done the 20km FITT (Fiesta Island Time Trial) several times over the past few years. Although TTs have never been my strong point it is a great way to judge general fitness/form. My current PR (personal record) of 29:33 (25.3mph) was set the previous year on my old road Giant TCR road bike that had been fitted with TT bars and race wheels. This winter I got a new (to me) Javelin TT frameset and tried to train on it once every other week to get my position dialed in. On race day JT owner of Moment Cycle Sport let me borrow hit rear disk wheel to help slice through the wind. So with those factors in addition to all the training I had been doing on the bike with the guidance of coach Sean Burke, I knew I should set a new PR. I got to the race early and warmed up well. Off the line I eased into my effort making sure I found my pace quickly, but gradual enough to not send my heart rate through the roof. I was very comfortable in the TT position with my new frame and was able to just concentrate on pushing a good gear. It was pretty windy for FITT standards and in the end I clocked a 27:59 (26.65 mph ave) beating my old PR by 1:34 and winning the 19-29 age group. Under 28min is a pretty respectable time so I am very happy with that performance and hope I can continue to improve my time trialing.

San Dimas Stage Race

Stage 1: 3.8mi TT w/ 1300' of climbing up GMR.
Placing: 50th of 120
Time: 16:39 clocked but actually closer to 16:15
Report: I decided to use my open pro rear wheel and Power Tap for pacing. I finally showed up late to the line for a TT........ real smooth James...I have cut it close many times, but this time I actually did it. I ended up leaving the line about 20 seconds late. I tried to get my HR and thoughts in my head to calm down so I would not blow up like I did last year. I managed to stay pretty smooth for the first 10min, and my ave power was pretty good, but maybe a tad more than I could handle for ~15min. I caught my 30s (actually ~50s) man but I really started to slow over the last 5-6 min. HR and Breathing were giving me signs that the power numbers were not. In the end my time was respectable, but not as great as I had hoped for. My ave power for the entire TT was 270w (~4.6 w/kg). I held just over 300w (~5.1w/kg) for first 5min, then my ave dropped to 285w (~4.8w/kg) over the entire first 10min. Then I hit the wall and my power really dropped off.

Stage 2: 56mi RR (8) laps w/ KOM on even laps and Sprint time bonuses on odd laps.
Placing: 47th
Report: Hot and Fast! I started with the intent of going for the KOM jersey today, but the 1km kicker was killing me each lap, so I went into a defensive mode instead. The KOM and Sprint time bonuses made this race FAST every lap. With 2 to-go I got behind some bad wheels just before cresting the climb and we got gapped on the decent and had to chase the pack through the start finish for about one mile. I was doing my best to motivate the guys I was stuck with and ended up doing most of the chase myself, but we made in time. I obviously was well in the red during the chase and only had a few miles to recover before the last climb. I tried to move up through the pack so I could fall back on the climb and hang with the group, but the pace was again too fast and I just missed the tail end of the bunch going over the top. I ended up chasing with a few others and finished 53 seconds off the back of the lead bunch. The front group was down to only about 45 riders from 120 and only 64 made the time cut. So when ½ the pack doesn’t make the time cut you know the pace was moving.

Stage 3: 50min Crit.
Placing: 40th
Report: Really fun course, and the pace was a little more chill than the RR because I think we had a lot of tired legs. It was strung out pretty and if you were not in the top 8 or so into the last corner you didn’t have a chance. I left it too late to move up and just finished within the pack and didn’t contest the sprint. I had a blast @ SDSR this year, but after 2 hard days I was just kinda riding in cruise control for the crit. Last year I was out of shape I attempted to race Cat 3 @ SDSR and posted a horrible TT then got dropped on the second lap of the RR, so I was pretty happy with my performance overall this year.

Final GC: 43rd of 120

Tucson Bicycle Classic

12321_395781912111_672592111_4944379_5547448_n, originally uploaded by jtenright.

Stage 1: 3mi TT
Placing: 15th
Report: The TT course started off with one mile of flat followed by some rollers and then 3-4% grade for about a mile then a 6% kicker for about 1km to the finish which was about 500m past the top of this kicker. The weather was great and I was slotted to go off in the late afternoon so I unfortunately did not have a chance to preview the course. I feel I paced myself well and may have been a tad conservative in places because I was not 100% sure what was coming next. I caught my 30second man about 2/3 the way through the course and at the finish I had a substantial gap on him. The rider starting just after me had lost time on me too, so that was a good sign. I was happy with my effort and it was my first time racing on my TT bike. My time was 8:44, good enough for 15th only 24seconds off the Cat 3 yellow jersey.

Stage 2: RR
Placing: 20th (in lead bunch)
Report: The 60mile Road Race was rather uneventful for most due to some rather gently climbs, wind, and very narrow roads on the 20 mile loop. My race on the other hand was pretty interesting. I was riding well and conserving energy, but with 2 laps to go I notice my front derailleur is not shift all that great. With 1 lap to go I could not even shift into my big ring. I reach down and check the cable tension and yup it is very loose when in my small ring and barely has any tension on it when I attempt to shift up. I begin to panic a little because the finish is after a FAST decent and then one small roller before the line. ALL categories were hitting about 40+mph with 400m to go. Luckily most of the race was a tea party so I went to the back and started to come up with some MacGyver ideas as fast as I could. After pulling on the cable housing at the shifter and at the downtube to see how much slop there was I realize I just need to get a spacer in there somehow. Well I have some Cliff Blocks, a ¼ of a PB&Honey sandwich, and my number with twist ties to my saddle. So the twist ties have a wire running through them… DING…OK quick take the twist tie off my number with the support vehicle and official thinking I am having a nervous fit. So twist tie off and in my teeth I start playing with the cable housing to see where this may work. At the downtube the C-Dale has a slot in the housing stop so I ball of the end of the twist tie, pull on the housing and stuff a small wire ball into the cable stop, then twist the tie around the housing just in case it comes loose. By this time we have finished the long gradual decent that made it possible for me to do this and were half way down flat windy section on the backside of the course. CLICK…it WORKED!!!! HELL YES….I jam on it and move up from the rear to mid pack. Now with 5mi to go I try to move up but this is the narrowest part of the course and everyone was content with the pace at the from so it was bunched up and I just was not making much progress. Some chose to go in the dirt shoulder and almost crash. Others took the easy rout and blatantly went over the yellow line and move up like 10 spots…The officials took down there numbers but no penalties were giving. So I ended up moving up but it was too little too late. I ended up 20th but was pretty satisfied that there was not a crash in the really sketchy final 1km and even more excited that I was able to fix my front derailleur on the fly.

Stage 3: Circuit Race
Placing: 9th
Report:This course was FUN..7 laps of a ~6mi loop and about 450’ of climbing per lap. The climb was not as tough as I would have liked, but it was significant and hurt many people’s legs. It was really windy so that neutralized the race a bit. I stretched my legs a few times on the climb about half way through the race to try to get something going. I tried to go off hard but not too hard that no one follow. Unfortunately no one followed and only one guy was trying to bridge. So I just ride tempo up the climb letting the guy catch me so hopefully we could get some more firepower. When he arrived we had about a 300m gap on the pack, but this guy looked like hell….So I let him come to the front and I let the pack catch us just before the decent. On the last lap I managed to stay near the front and tucked in 4th wheel around the last corner at full speed. With less than 1km to go I am sitting 4th and then the swarm comes from behind and I am stuck in the middle. I manage to get out of the left side finally, but am now about 20 back w/ 250m to go. So I open up the sprint from way back but have daylight ahead of me. I ended up 9th, it was a really close finish, getting boxed in sucks.

Overall GC: 13th Place
This was a great event and I can't wait for the 1011 edition. Congrats to by buddie BW for winning the Circuit Race and getting 2nd overall. He is in the center of the photo above.

Callville Bay Classic SR

Stage 1: TT
3.5 mile course with about 550 ft of gain with a kicker towards the end. I felt pretty good but my pacing may have been just a tad bit too high out of the gate as I lost my legs a bit on the final climb and was not climbing the 6-7% grade like I should. 10:25 - 19th Place 48 seconds off 1st.

Stage 2: ~62 mile RR
The Cat 3 race started just as the rain began to fall from the sky. A lot of early attacks on the rollers but nothing really stuck. At the 1st turnaround we had already dropped about 20 riders due to a pretty high pace and a few attacks up a 4mi ~4% climb. The pack was just cruising to the last turnaround which is located about 10mi from the finish. The last turnaround is on a 1km climb so the pack hit that short climb pretty hard and really strung out the group. That climb was immediately followed by another 1km climb which the lead group kept the pace very high. After those (2) climbs the lead pack was down to 30. There were (2) climbs left and I was a little discourages that the pack was still so large. These climbs were just not long enough to really break it up. I was still hoping to move up on GC so I put in a big attack on the second to last climb, but the people who could go with me were more interested in nullifying it than keeping it rolling. At that point one guy counterattacked and everyone was content to let it go. I rode the entire last 10mi near the front in good position staying out of trouble and with 1mi to go we hear ambulances and someone in a car yells at us to be careful because there is a crash at the finish. I decided to go for it on the last climb coming into the right before the finish. I thought it would be a better idea to be at the front if there truly was a lot of chaos at the finish due to an earlier crash. I died just before the turn and had to jump again onto another wheel and hope that person would drag me across the line. I got 10th in the bunch while the riders off the front stayed away by 25 seconds and 5 seconds. At the finish there were cones setup so that the riders would not run over the paramedics and women who crashed 15min earlier, So we had about a 3ft gap between the cones and the double yellow line so there was a bit of chaos on where to go and if the race was actually neutralized. Overall I was happy with the race, I raced smart early and put in some good digs to try to get something going. 12th Place

Stage 3: 50min Crit
Fun course for a modified parking lot Crit. The wind really picked up for our race so the climb was pretty brutal if you were on the inside line so everyone kept shifting over to get an echelon going and many ended up getting pinched at the narrow right had turn at the top of the climb. I found myself mid-pack with 4 laps to go so I started to move up on the climb and the back straight, but everyone at the front was fanning out and it was much harder to move up the earlier in the race. On the last lap I also managed to move up a bit, but just not enough. I was maybe 20th wheel going into the slightly off camber sweeper final turn to the finish when I hear pedals clipping and a riders going down, I took the turn really wide and scrubbed a little speed off in order to miss the crash. I managed to open up a decent sprint around the mess and grab 12th place again.

Overall GC:
17th place, 1min off 1st

Dolan w/ New Race wheels

Dolan w/ race wheels, originally uploaded by jtenright.

Track season is still a little ways off here in SD and my focus is still road racing right now, but picked up some new race wheels my track bike. Later in the 2010 season when road racing slows down a bit I may focus a little more on the track and getting my Cat 2 track upgrade. It will be fun to try these 50mm carbon tubulars out and compare to my 2000g non-aero wheels I have been racing on over the past few years. Lets also hope I get accepted to a graduate program near a velodrome. So UW, PSU, & UCLA would all be reasonably close.

Winter Training & Preparation Is Over!

Winter Training, originally uploaded by jtenright.

After a few dark months spent on the trainer and logging solid hours on the weekends, finally my 2010 race season is about to be kicked off w/ the BLVD road race. The weather report calls for rain all day tomorrow with 44-55 deg temps, and 15mph winds. I will be testing how well I have prepared for my Cat 3 season. The 68 mile course has 6,000' of climbing so this race should be a great indicator of my fitness.

February will also tell how I compare to the other graduate school applicants of (6) universities. This week I was accepted to both Colorado State and Oregon State. Let's hope the other (4) schools feel the same way.