Race report

Date: 6/24/07
Race: Owasco Flyer
Distance: 36 Miles

The Owasco Flyer is one of my favorite races. I can’t really put my finger on what I like so much about it. Maybe it’s screaming down the road at 30 miles an hour with a group of 200 people. Perhaps it’s the terrain that doesn’t really favor someone who is strong in any one area. In any case I was super stoked about this year’s flyer.

I was worried, sure, but for the first time I was going to be doing the flyer with my hombres. People have been sharing knowledge of every aspect of racing with me since I started cycling. I was excited, for the first time we were going to a race that none of the other guys had ever done. This gave me a chance to be the one sharing a little knowledge.

I have been dropped on this course a couple of times and knew where to pay attention and where to work. I also know who the fast guys are. My goal was to keep them in sight as long as possible. I succeeded in one respect; I kept the leaders in sight for the whole race. Unfortunately that was after they dropped me and I dug deep to catch back on. Alas, I had forgotten to pack my suitcase of courage. I kept the leaders in sight for several miles and I kept everyone else out of sight up to the very end. I was in the unhappy place called no mans land. I don’t remember much about the ride from the time I got dropped to the time I finished. All I remember was looking back at the top of each hill to see if I could spot any chasers. I only spotted them on the last hill before the finish.

I was very happy to have finished 8^th with a time of 1:29:56 (a 24 mph average) up one spot from last year and three minutes faster, and up 12 spots from the year before. The other boys did well with Jared finishing 34 with a time of 1:32:34, Tom finished 62^nd with a time of 1:35:37, and Eric finished 77^th with a time of 1:38:33.

12 Hours of Roundtop

Saturday June 23rd was the 12 Hours of Roundtop race in Athens,PA. I went down on Friday night to set up my pit canopy and pre ride the course. The course was a nice mix of flowy singletrack and short steep ascents. I rode it in 37 minutes while scoping out things and picking lines, So I felt pretty confident I could do 16 laps. The race starts with a 1/2 mile run which is to my disadvantage thanks to a bundle of sprained ankles in my day. Despite having a disadvantage I ran about mid pack and came back to the bike in decent position. The first lap went well and the pace was pretty fast but I felt strong so I pushed it to catch Dave Perry who went aroound me like I was sitting still on the single track. Dave later was having some major flatting issues so i was able to reel him in and go a lap up. I kept the cadence high and spun to victory with 18 laps in 11:30 something. Congrats to Jim,TJ,Matt and Fletch( Team Twisted Spokes) for an outstanding performance in the 4 person male category cranking out 23 laps and having the fastest lap of 28 min. More info here and pics.

Century

Hey,
Don't forget about the second annual Oswald Cycle Works Century! It will be on Sunday July 8th with refreshments and starting time to be announced soon. There will also be a shorter ride leaving at the same time and following the same course as the century for awhile.

Race Report

Date: 6/9/07
Race: Laurel Flyer Road Race
Distance: 24 Miles

The Laurel flyer is a course that has the effect of making everyone slow. It is hilly but not a climber’s course. It has a some good flats and downhills that don’t help the good descenders or flats riders. The race usually ends in a sprint finish but that doesn’t mean the sprinters are even going to have a chance. If you want to do well you have to be able to do a little bit of everything well. More importantly you have to do it well at the right time. On the other hand, you could be terrible at everything and still do well. It is for this reason that I love this race, that and it’s on my home turf.

This was my first bike race two years ago and I got third overall. I thought for sure that this would be my year. After all, I am stronger, lighter, a little smarter, and I have better equipment then I did before. My buddies had been egging me on for the last week and by Friday I was frothing at the mouth to get out there and dominate. Not only that Tom placed the trophies (strategically, I think) right in front of me at work. So, for two hours on Friday I tried to keep my eyes of them as I wrenched.

The turnout was good with a lot of familiar faces and in some cases “marks”. I knew there were some fast guys in the group and I wanted to be towards the front to avoid any wrecks early on. Unfortunately I had trouble clipping in and got pushed to the back. It’s at times like this when I think there just might be something to that Karma stuff. I say this because my buddy Jimmy worked like a mule to get me back up front. As I passed him and took my place with the leaders I heard a tire blow behind us. I was thanking my lucky stars that I didn’t get caught up in the crash like two years ago.

I have to digress for a moment and try to illustrate just what exactly happened when Jimmy pulled me to the front. First you have to understand that Jimmy has a good background in criterium racing, which is to say he can take insane chances in a pack and come out smelling like roses. That is exactly what happened. When he saw I had fallen back he slowed enough to let me get on his wheel then he accelerated. The next five minutes were the most poignant and exhilarating of the entire race. On the way out of the airport I saw Jimmy approaching the corner and I was thinking we are going to run out of pavement… we are going to fast… I am too young to die. Once we got out of the airport all I saw was Jimmy’s arse and people zipping by us as if the pack was frozen in time and we were zigzagging through them in extremely fast slow motion. Jimmy looking back and then gave me the thumbs up. I thought that was my cue to get out there and rip off some legs. Really, Jimmy was just telling me he had burned all his matches. In any case I said good-bye and rode my race and left him to his. Still, I think those few minutes were the best part of the race. You have to really trust someone to follow them blindly through the minefield like obstacle course of a peloton under full steam.

From that point on I just hung in until dibble hill when I moved to the second or third position. I turned the screws a little on the climb but everyone was climbing well so I didn’t push it. Then came the descent down Draper hill, I was doing fifty something dodging potholes and what not. I descend on my road bike well and am use to the poor conditions of the local roads so I was not at all surprised or worried about the sketchiness of the descent. We then made the turn in Stony Fork with a fairly large group. I believe we shelled a few on the climb to the Yellow Basket Shop. The second time around was pretty lame with little or no action. I did get sworn at a bit when I came to the front and soft-pedaled, I don’t think the dude understood that 1) this is not the Tour de France and 2) I wasn’t racing for him. Then it was just a matter of some serious suffering from the Yellow Basket Shop to the finish. Finally it came down to a sprint finish.

I ended up getting fifth overall and fourth in my age group with a time of 1:07:26, a result I was not at all satisfied with. I have to accept the fact that there were four faster guys out there but I certainly don’t like it. On the other hand, I can’t do anything about it. Some other notable results from the Oswald boys include 1. Jimmy with 1:19:54 2. Eric with 1:15:48

Pics

Hey,
Pics from the race are up so check them out. If you have any pics to add let me know.