Petaluma Criterium - Pro/1/2/3

Course: Flat 4 corner wide open course, but with pretty bad pavement my hands were pretty tired/sore by the end of 90min of fun.

Coming off Mt. Whitney Stage Race (no tactics since all climbing so not sure if anyone wants to hear the report) my legs seemed to be coming around, but I decided to opt for the much closer and much shorter race this Saturday, Petaluma Crit instead of ChallengeRR.

We're Off: With a bigger than expected field of ~35 starters, there were several guys to watch. I drove up w/ Rainer S. & Steve P. (Mikes Bikes), but at the start line several other teams had representation. Most notably were (2) Cal Giant, several Stage17, several Ritte Dev., (2) Cliff Bar, (2) Specialized Masters and a few other teams with 2-3 riders. Rolling solo today, I basically planned to stay near the front and simply follow any move with 3 or more riders containing any of the bike guns. As expected the first 15min had some attacks but ALL were marked quickly, I focused on staying in good position, but not making any big efforts since many other were eager to chase the attacks down. But as usual the chasers lost their steam and attacks were given longer leashes. About 20min in to the 90min race, Jared B. (Cal Giant) way off the front solo and a dangerous move started to establish behind. I jumped across to it and added some hard pulls at the front to increase the gap. The small gap held with Steve (MikesBikes), Blake (Cliff), Pat Briggs, Ben (Stage17), a SJBC rider, and one more rider.

Break: The break rode well together, everyone pulled through with only a few surges and a few skipped pulls. Eventually we caught Jared (CalGiant) and our gap was up to 40seconds. At this point it was clear we were not getting caught, but everyone kept on chugging along. After 45min or so we caught the field. Jared now had Rand to help him out. So Jared could either attack the group again or assume position on Rands wheel for the field sprint. I stayed near the front as the first counters started flying and I attempted to lure Jared into some moves as well but it seemed the others in the break were willing to chase, but not really go for another break attempt.

The Finale: With ~10 laps to go Rand set tempo for Jared and I fought my way onto Jared's wheel. On the bell lap just before the 2nd to last turn, Rand didn't have it fast enough to keep the attacks from coming so Ben (Stage17) attacked on the outside and I followed Jared. I made it through the 2nd to last corner in 6th or so, then there was a bit of who has the racing line debate between Jared & Pat into the last corner so a few of us had to hit the brake. I made it through in 5th, comfortably in the draft for 100m as everyone opened up the sprint. I gave it a go with 50-75m to go, dropping it a gear or two and went out into the wind to try overtake, but grabbed a little too much gear forgetting that I am enduro trackie sprinter and need to spin up a gear rather than just mash away. So I only moved up (or held) to 4th Place by the line about a wheel from 3rd and a half a bike from 2nd. The sprint was pretty wide open and had a long straight, so I was happy to just hold my own in a P12 field sprint.

Result: 4th Place

Cat 1 Upgrade Approved!

It is official, my Cat 1 upgrade was approved by USAC this week. After a slow start to the season I started gaining more and more confidence and racing smarter. Looks like all the hard-work this winter paid off. Never really thought getting the Cat 1 upgrade was possibly until the last month or so. My original goals for the season were to be fit enough to have fun racing in the NCNCA Pro/1/2 field. Focusing on technical/challenging crits and circuit races and also testing my legs in Pro/1/2 level road races which I steered clear of in 2011 due to their length. So far the season has been great. I raced a few collegiate races with SFSU, my fitness was good but admittedly I was not racing smart or racing for the win. I gained confidence in my fitness throughout the early season and slowly began to race smarter and the results slowly edged their way into the top 10. After just missing the podium at the  Chico Stage Race Crit, my head was back in the game for the first time since early 2011 when I got my Cat 2 upgrade. After Chico I stayed focused while training and on game day.

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Cat 1 Upgrade/Top Ten Results:
5/27/12 Mt. Hamilton Classic RR E2 - 1st Place
6/3/12  Central Coast Circuit Race #3 Pro/1/2/3  - 1st Place
5/19/12 County Center Crit #2 E2- 1st Place
5/12/12 County Center Crit #2 P1/2/3 - 2nd Place
5/12/12 Team Swift Crit E2/3 - 2nd Place
4/14/12 Chico Stage Race Pro/1/2: GC - 8th, Crit - 4th
9/3/11 Central Coast Circuit Race #8 Pro/1/2/3 - 5th
7/24/11 SOMO 2 Wheel Crit Pro/1/2 - 8th
9/3/11 Central Coast Circuit Race #8 Pro/1/2/3 - 5th
5/13/12 Berkeley Hills RR Pro/1/2 - 15th (1st of Cat 2s)
2011 Tuscon Bicycle Classic E2: GC - 8th, Circuit Race - 7th

Central Coast Circuit Race #3 - Pro/1/2/3

Kurt, Scott, Mike (off a long solo effort for the win in 35+), and myself rolled up to the startline for the P123 which ended up having 37 starters. Weather was perfect, 60s, and a strong onshore wind.

The race began pretty mellow. I did not recognized too many riders except for Ethan (Metromint) and Art (Marc-Pro), but there were several other Metromint riders and a half-dozen Ritte Dev. JRs. After a lap or two we hit the front side climb pretty hard. After Art did the damage he pulled off and I came through to keep the momentum but find everyone was simply marking him, but fine to let me waste energy off the front. 
Break of two-1: I decide to just keep cruising at a tempo pace and let them catch back up or have some riders bridge, but they shut down and my gap grows. So I pick it up to a hard tempo, but still being careful to not go over threshold for any extended period of time. One Metromint rider bridges and we work together for a lap or two. I paced it pretty conservative hoping more would bridge, not wanting to do a 2-man TT for 1hr. Rob (McGuire) bridges, but the pack decides 3 is too many and reels us back in.
Break of two-2: As expected there is counter attack. Ethan (Metromint) jumps, Kurt anticipated this (perfect play Kurt) and hops right on and a new break of two forms. Their gap holds steady for a lap and then they disappear growing to over 1min, then shrinks as the laps tick by 50sec, 45sec, and finally 30seconds. With 2 laps to go the gap was close-able but the pack seemed to have lost motivation once again. When we hit the bell lap Kurt decides to leave his break companion and go on alone. Ethan throws in the towel and the atatcks start coming again, nothing sticking but shedding riders every so often.

Finish: As we hit the final rollers several riders attacked, but were quickly marked, this caused the gap to close down almost all the way then again the pack sat up, Kurt continued on and the gap grew. I thought this might be it, "he's gonna do it." About that time a Cal Poly rider and a Ritte rider put in a solid attack/flyer attempt over the last roller. I jump on it, they look back asking for help, see my jersey and continue on realizing I my teammate is still up the road. Halfway down the decent the majority of the pack is with us and Kurt is not too far off.  I am on the outside near the bad section of road at the bottom of the decent and see Art (Marc-Pro) drill it on the inside gutter, I accelerate into the wind to get over to the inside and muscle my way onto 3rd wheel. Art continues to drill pulling off just before the corner. I was expecting him to just go for the line since he didn't have any teammates today, but maybe he just wanted to bring back Kurt and not mess with the sprint? Kurt is making the turn and we are right behind coming at full speed. I sense some hesitation by the rider in front of me and the swarm behind so I jump to take the hole shot on the corner passing around the outside of Kurt and open up the sprint. That little rise just gets steeper and steeper ouch the last 30m almost killed me but luckily I got a solid gap at the corner and was able to take the WIN with room to spare. 

Strava File
Placings:
1st - James (me)
17th - Kurt swarmed at the final turn. Mike and Scott were a little taxed from earlier races.

2012 Mt. Hamilton Classic - E2

Matt and I from SquadraSF headed down for the Cat2 race which had about 40 starters, plenty of strong guys to watch including about 6 Metromint riders.

Course & Profile: A true nor-cal classic attracts SoCal cyclists as well, starts with a 18mile climb from the gun with 4000ft elevation gain in basically 3 even sections. Then a sharp decent followed by 40miles flat/rolling terrain with about 3 5min climbs sprinkled throughout.

The Plan: I knew there would be plenty of climbers showing up so my strategy was simple. SIT IN and follow the big moves or splits! In the valley/middle section of the race focus on recovery and nutrition. Then attack or make final selections on the last 2 climbs with 20miles to the finish.

To the Observatory and KOM: As planned I sat in the top 5-15 riders staying in the draft about 98% of the climb. Metromint decided to set the pace from the start. They had 5 or 6 riders with a few strong climbers including Keith Wong who has some crazy time OLH, so they were obviously trying to set it up for him. Fine by me, so they set the pace on the first two sections, Keith attacking at the beginning of the 3rd section. I expected this and again focused on saving energy letting the others chase. The pace picks up a lot due to Keith's move. The group catches Keith about the time you start to see the observatory. With about 10min to the KOM, there are only about 15 guys left. With a few KM to the KOM some accelerations start happening but no all out attacks. When we make the last hairpin there are about 5 of us up front and a JR obviously going for the KOM puts in a real attack. After some hesitation a Helens rider and myself start to bridge up to him. There is actually more climbing after the KOM so I am careful not to bridge it too fast. We catch him 100m before the KOM. The JR attacks again, the Helens guy throws in the towel and I decide to not burn a match here but continue to  motor over through the KOM as the JR sits up after getting the KOM. I hit the decent first with a solid gap and conservatively descend. At the bottom I am at the back of a lead group of about 7.

The Valley: The lead group keeps the pace relatively high, since the Helens rider is off solo after a impressive decent. But the cross-headwind causes the group to swell to about 20 by 2nd feed zone. The climbs after the feedzone split the group again. At the top of the last climb of the race It was just me and 4 others. We were all committed to working and staying away, but again it was not to be after about 5miles we were caught by a group of ~10.

Finish: The finish comes about 1 mile after a long fast decent. We hit the base with about 12 riders. Everyone was anxious, there was a strong headwind, roads very narrow, and the finish is hard to see since it it after a little rise. At the 1KM sign everyone was stacking up near the centerline or gutter trying to find an open lane. I was kinda stuck in the middle but only a rider or two back from the guys in on the front, so I figured it was better than fighting for a spot on the outside which was in the wind. I waited patiently. One rider jumped from the front near the 200m sign and the rider to my left hestiated. Seeing the lane open I jumped immediately sneaking through and claiming my 1/3 of the road up against the centerline. I couldn't see the line over the small rise and just tried to keep my gear spinning up and over the hump. I gained ground on the rise and crossed the line first with enough room to throw an arm up, but still in shock that that gap opened up for me and that I just Won Mt. Hamilton Classic! 
Strava File

Placing: 1st 

County Center Crit #2 - Pro/1/2

At just over 30 starters, it wasn't the largest field ever, but Mike's Bikes, Metromint, and SquadraSF were well represented. 

About 30min into the 90 minute crit, the field was effectively cut in half. One minute the pace was all cool with the occasional attack and then all of a sudden it seemed like the attacks were coming non stop. When the pace finally slowed, the pack was cut in half. Soon after my teammate Kurt goes up the road. Pablo and I try to recover and just sit in since Kurt was in a promising break. 

After 20min, Pablo sees Kurt is coming back and we look at each other like what the **** are we going to do. Pablo takes initiative goes straight to the front and drills it, I jump on his wheel as Pablo pegs it at about 30mph. Pablo pulls off and I hit the front, giving it some more gas, I look behind shortly after to see what kind of help we will get in the chase effort. Answer...none, the group lets me ride off the front. I look up the road and can see the two leaders 200-300m up the road and the remaining pack back to their coffee ride pace. 

I decide it is now or never and somehow bridge the ~16second gap. It took a little less than 2 laps at 29mph vs. the break's speed of about ~26mph. Probably the hardest 3min effort I can remember on the bike, if the gap was 5m further I probably would not have made it. After getting a full lap of recovery it was pretty standard break effort. Dana from Mike's Bikes owes us some good karma since we let him jump ahead and swap bikes with 5 laps to go after realizing he had a soft rear wheel. Dana jumped first with about 1/3 of a lap left, I remain on Ethan's (Metromint) wheel as he attempts to close the gap, he doesn't quite make it as we hit the last turn, at the exit of the turn I give it all I got sealing 2nd, but still a ways off the win. Kurt proceeds to ride off the front of the chase group with several laps to go grabbing a impressive 4th.

Placings:
2nd - James
4th - Kurt

Santa Rosa County Center Crit #2 - Cat 2

Red Peleton was the only other team with significant numbers. SquadraSF had several riders representing the team, Jesse, Neil, Brian , Daniel, JR, Kurt, Angelo, Emory, and myself. So yes I admit we were a force to be dealt with making up 1/3 of the field. After about 10min of attacks, the pack starts giving some moves a longer leash. Emory gets up the road with a Red Peloton guy and another rider. They get a small gap, but it holds for some time. The pack continues to soft pedal not worried about the early break so I decide to jump across. I jump hard to ensure I don't bring anyone with me. After a few rotations Emory is feeling the effects of initiating the break and falls off the pace.


Break of 3: So now 3 of us have a small gap that is holding. I decide to hit it for a few laps then reevaluate the situation. The gap grows to ~20seconds so I start taking shorter/easier pulls to see what happens to the gap. It stays constant so obviously my teammates are doing a great job covering any bridge attempts and making an organized chase almost impossible. So I decide the odds are likely in our favor, break companions are still pulling hard, and my teammates will have an armchair ride while all other riders get worn out chasing or trying to bridge. Since we had a very strong E2 team in this race, the pressure on since two in the top 5 is not the same as two in the top 5, one being the WIN. So I am careful to monitor my effort.

Bell Lap: Everyone is anxious, the finish looks deceivingly long because there is a slight bend which blocks the officials tent and finish line from sight when you exit turn 4, but I looked at my Power Data from the Team Swift Crit (same course) and it only takes 20sec to hit the line from the last corner. I move up into pole position in turn three and jump first after exiting the corner, take the shortest possible line to the finish and take the win comfortably.

Field Finish: The team took control the front last few laps. In the end Kurt drilled it to the last corner, Neil jumping off his wheel winning the field sprint with room to spare.

Placings:
1st - James
4th - Neil

Berkeley Hills RR - Pro/1/2

In the P1/2 race there were about 50 starters and, I was the only rider from SquadraSF and just about everyone was a threat, 7 Mikes Bikes, 8 Marc-Pro Strava, 6 Freemont Bank, 3 Cal Giant, 4 Metromint, Wonderful Pistachios, oh and local Nate English (Kenda/5hr-Energy). So with 6hrs of sleep (5am alarm) and racing a Crit on Saturday, I was wondering how the legs would be. I knew the race would be stacked, but mostly wanted to test myself in my first P1/2 race with a lot of climbing.

Course & Profile: Classic course w/ the P1/2's doing 90 miles with 7500ft of climbing rolling around San Pablo Dam/Reservoir. Climbing the "three bears".

Report: As expected: Attacks were constant for the first two laps. On lap two fewer people began to respond to the attacks and Nate kept putting in small attacks on the climbs or simply up the pace like crazy. Admittedly during this stage in the race so I jumped on more moves than I should have, but was worried more about missing the move than finishing at this point. At some point two got away and to be honest I did not even see them go, but with only Freemont and Marc-Pro represented I assumed it would be brought back, wrong, Mikes Bikes guys were suffering they actually used this time to let the pace slow so some of their guys could catch back on and Nate was not willing to do it on his own. Coming into the last lap there was another big split in the front group of 20 on Papa Bear, I was in the 2nd group of 10 or more. As we hit the boat launch area rollers the gap was coming down. Two riders attempted to bridge, I would have jumped on it but had just pulled through and was at the very back. I decided to roll the dice and hope this would cause our group as a whole to pick up the pace and close the gap. Wrong, I ended up stuck in a group of 10+ guys who just lost their shot at a top ten just 14 miles from the finish.
Since when did I enjoy solo TT efforts: Often when I realize I just let the race slip away from me I get bummed and then really annoyed by the negative racing in the shattered group that I am in. So what do I do, turn it into a training ride and try to get back home sooner than later. When we reach the valley it was very clear we were not catching the lead group again. After taking a hard pull to get things moving, I pull off to find they have just let me ride off. Now really annoyed I keep cruising and make the call to give it a go make the legs pay for not making the final selection and see if I can make it home before the group of 10 just behind me. At mile 82 I must have been really annoyed because a 9mile solo TT with strong winds included headwinds on the final climb is not my idea of fun and does not suit me either. So I made this my race within a race. I catch a Mike's Bikes rider a few miles into my solo effort and am excited to get some help, but quickly realize that he had blown so I continue on solo. The group behind is closing again so I get on it through the meandering valley until I am out of sight again. Coming into Mama Bear I have a pretty good gap, can see the lead group nearing the top, but I can feel my legs and body starting to shut down. I reach the base of Papa Bear with one rider attempting to bridge about 100m back and the group of 10 maybe 300m behind. I fight my bike and legs as much as I can trying to squeeze the last bit of power(lets call it energy because the power numbers at this point were pretty pathetic) out to just get through this hellish headwind climb. I do just enough to finish a few seconds ahead of the Stage17 race bridging and about 10 seconds ahead of the group of 10 chasers. Small success and good mental strength training.

Placing: 15th (1st of Cat 2s)

Strava File

ATOC Team Swift Crit - E2/3

In the E2/3 race there were about 55 starters and a few guys to watch. Jan (Gnar Lube) and Rainier (Mikes Bikes) were the guys I was really watching. SquadraSF had several riders representing the team, Jesse C., Neil B., Brian J., Daniel dM, JR, and myself.


We're Off: As planned we were active everyone moving around the bunch and taking turns going with moves that all seemed to be chased down by the entire field immediately. At this point I was getting sick of jumping of everything and wanted to pick my moves a little more carefully. I noticed Jan was with two other followed by 4 more that just a few bike lengths back. Still waiting attentively I notice the guys at the front of the field are letting the gap open and at the same time Jan appears to be drilling it at the front of his group, that is all I needed to see and jumped hard to bridge up to the lead group of three and pile on the pressure. After a few Hard rotations it ended up being 5 guys committed/making the move with a small gap.


Break: Composition was perfect 1 from each team that had several riders only problem was the race was not over for 40 MIN! Not much to say about the break except everyone worked evenly. My SquadraSF teammates assumed position near the front and helped the break stick by riding false tempo and quickly marking every move attempting to bridge. With 8-to-go we could see the pack about 1/4 of a lap in front of us. With 2-to-go the Cliff Bar guy attacked but was quickly marked, and riders began to shuffle around a bit.

Bell Lap: Halfway down the back straight I was 2nd wheel and shuffled back to 4th. I jumped hard on the inside just before corner (sweeper) #3 making sure I could take the inside line and then line up the best angle on turn 4. After exiting the the final turn I gave it a second kick and took the shortest line to the finish, Jan was able to get on my wheel before the final turn he took my early sprint as a perfect leadout, but I was able to gap everyone else so I crossed the line in a comfortable 2nd place for SquadraSF.


Placing: 2nd

Also pretty cool to see Team Rabobank riders Luis-Leon Sanchez and Laurens ten Dam cruising around the back of the E3/4 race. After getting yelled at by the announcer for joining in on the race they proceeded to do some motorpaced sprints and parade laps off the officials motorcycle. Pretty sweet.

Teaching

Spring 2012 I taught a Supplementary Instruction Course for Engineering Dynamics at SFSU.

Chico Stage Race - Pro/1/2

I was hesitant at first to register because a totally flat SR does not really suit me, but the chance to race a relatively low key stage race with Cat 2's picked separately was all the convincing I needed. I was the solo SquadraSF rider in a field of about 46.

Stage 1 - Paskenta Road Race: 90mi basically pancake flat, 2 x 45mile laps w/ 5mi gravel section and rollers towards the finish. Trying to learn from my experience missing the move at TopSport, I did my best to stay near the front. The field was a weird mix of riders. A few Elite teams with lots of riders then a few PRO riders, Kenda/5hr Energy, Jelly Belly, Wonderful Postaccios, Full Circle racing..... But ended up being a tea party until the gravel section each time around, with a few all out efforts as riders attacked and weer chased down in the cross wind. Oh yea and (2-3) full field nature breaks! So all the action was in the gravel section and the last few miles before the finish. 

Lap 1: Everyone was getting really anxious for the gravel section so the pace just kept increasing as we got closer and closer. I played it safe and fought my way to the very front just before we hit the gravel. Being able to pick my line and stay on the hard-pack sections really helped. I stayed top five through the entire gravel section, trying to sit on the biggest and best wheels of Roman (Kenda/5hr Energy) or Menso (Jelly Belly). The pace through the gravel was pretty aggressive, I recall towards the end of gravel section Roman, then Menso, then myself (why now right) attacking (or simply picking up the pace) in the final rollers. We entered the gravel with 40+ riders and by the end of the first lap we had about 15 riders.
Lap 2: Unfortunately the laps were LONG and all the represented teams had several riders that were dropped in the gravel section so no one rode. The single pro riders could have towed everyone around if they wanted but didn't out of principle. By the time we hit the gravel section for the final time the group had more than doubled in size. We exited the gravel in a group of about 30. Several attempts by riders to sneak off in the final few rolling miles were shut down. I followed one promising move which may have been my last match. As we hit the final stair step section before the finish, riders were popping all over the place and I was on the limit as well, getting gapped at one point and used all of whatever pathetic sprint was left in my legs to get back onto the group. The uphill sprint began and I was basically sprinting for the back wheels of the group to make sure no time gaps formed. Small success, I finished 18th of a shattered lead group of 22. 
http://app.strava.com/rides/6743453
Placing: 18th  


Stage 2 - TT (9.9 miles FLAT point to point TT): So not much to say except the course was totally flat without too much wind. Not my specialty here, was flying for the first 5min then faded in for the middle portion and tried to pick it back up as much as I could for the final 5min. Crossed the line in a time of 22:35 respectable, but was hoping for a little better. 
http://app.strava.com/rides/6836126
Placing: 29th  


Stage 3 - Downtown Chico Crit (70min): 
Started at the front followed a few moves, and grabbed the first prime through short 6 corner crit course. After my 10-15min of glory riding near the front. I setteled back in the group and was just focusing on recovering for our 70min race. It was strung out 40 riders long for the first 30min. Finally the pace started to ease every now and again. Breaks were given more leway at this point and two riders snuck off and had a solid gap. A few laps later another group of two snuck off. As we hit the wide open start finish the back bollooned again I used the momentum to attack/bridge to the group of two. Everyone in our group of three was committed, and the odds were in our favor, Mikes Bikes and Freemont Bank were up the road and I was with a Red Peleton and Stage 17 rider. Within a few minutes we are already one corner ahead of the pack (thank you short technical course). After 15min we could see the peleton about a 2/3 a lap down and we were closing on the two leaders. After some motivational conversation, and 5 more minutes of drilling it we made it to the front two with 9 laps to go. At this point we were withing lapping range of the field, but took a little breather instead of lapping the field. Everyone was most concerned about moving up on GC so we shared the work equally keeping the same high pace.
Bell Lap: Coming into the final few corners I fought for good position and hit the final 150m second wheel (perfect), I began my sprint in the draft, but it was clear that I had no snap left after bridging then doing a 30min team TTT. With my unfortunate sprint I crossed the line in 4th of 5 (1st of the Cat 2's) 1min ahead of the chasing bunch. By far the most enjoyable day of racing in the P/1/2s yet. Moving me from around 23rd on GC to 8th overall! Being able to taste my first bit of success in the P/1/2 is motivating. 
http://app.strava.com/rides/6836128
Placing: 4th (1st of Cat 2's)

Overall GC: 8th  (3rd of Cat2's) 

SquadraSF - New Team for me & the NCNCA

in 2012 I will be riding with the newest team in the NCNCA, SquadraSF a Cat 1-4 team based in San Francisco as the name suggests. Check out the roster here.

Here are a few photos from our January Training Camp in my old stomping grounds, San Luis Obispo.

SquadraSF - Photo By Frank Schott frankschott.com

Kurt & James - Photo By Frank Schott frankschott.com

Let the games begin - Photo By Frank Schott frankschott.com