At the Races

I raced my first Criterium this weekend in Columbia. I did Saturday's race of the Blythewood and Forest Acres Spring Criteriums. I really didn't know what to expect and just planned on taking everything in and learning as much as I could.

Here are my take-aways: Use your brakes as little as possible on turns; above all else, stay with the pack; when warming up, really redline it a few times because a crit is fast from start to finish; ride the course and be ready for every turn and climb.

I learned these lessons the hard way, unfortunately. The weather was awful Saturday morning. Around 40 degrees and pouring rain. They almost cancelled the event, but just postponed the start times an hour or so until the rain stopped. Because I was feeling a little under the weather myself, I just sat in my car until time to start. So no warmup, no course evaluation.

When the race did start, I quickly found myself at the back of the pack because I would slip a few places each turn. The 1.4 mile loop course was a little technical in that it had 8 turns, and a nice little climb to the start/finish line. As soon as we started the climb I dropped back only a bike length or two, but lost contact with the pack. Before I realized what happened, they were gone. I pushed it up to 24-25 MPH for about 100 meters but it was pointless, I could not catch up. They were gone and I knew I had really screwed up. I dropped back down to 20MPH, rode hard the rest of the race, and finished solo, dead last except for a couple of guys who dropped out -- probably due to mechanical issues.

Oh well. It happens. I'll be more prepared next race. One cool thing I want to note is that the race director mentioned before the race that years ago, Columbia had a really strong racing scene but it had faded out in the past 20 years. He wants to bring it back and stage more races in the city. Good for him and I'll be happy to support that effort.

2009 Downtown Columbia Triathlon
The Downtown Columbia Triathlon will be held Saturday March 21, at the Blatt Center on the South Carolina campus. This is a 500 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike, and 5k run -- all downtown Columbia. Sounds really fun. I came very close to registering, just to check it out, but I need to get in some big miles this week.

If you're interested, there are still 118 spots available of the 400 allowed. Here is the race website.

Upcoming Cycling Races in South Carolina

I got the road bike. I got the 2009 USA Cycling License. I just need to find a race! And there are plenty to choose from in the coming weeks.

Greenville Races
Greenville has been hosting weekend races since mid-February as part of the 2009 Greenville Spring Series. On Saturday March 7, the River Falls Road Race will be held, and on Sunday March 8, a criterium will be held at the BMW Performance Center. For race information and directions, go to www.hincapie.com.

Columbia Race weekend March 14-15
The Blythewood and Forest Acres Spring Criteriums will be held in Columbia. Here's a link to the event flyer, which has all the start times and registration information.

Out Like a Lion Race Weekend, Charlotte March 21-22
The weekend starts with the Uwharrie Wheelmen Road Race on Saturday. A 6.6 mile loop with several challenging rolling hills that starts at Kendall Valley School. Registration is available on www.pre-reg.com. Day of registration opens at 7:30AM. For more information, maps and directions, contact Tracey at Middle Ring Cycles at 704-322-3559, or visit www.uwharriewheelmen.org and click on link for events calendar.

On Sunday there is the City Park Criterium. The race course is a .9 mile four corner loop around City Park with a small hill up to the finish line. For more information, visit www.charlottesportscycling.com, or email Neal at nealboyd@charlottesportscycling.com.

Rock Hill Race weekend April 4-5
Saturday is the Old Town Criterium on Main Street, downtown Rock Hill. The multi-lap course is 0.8 mile. Race organizers are anticipating 500 riders racing throughout the day.

Sunday is the Patriot’s Trail Road Race in Brattonsville, SC . This 45 mile, multi-loop race in southern York County allows riders to challenge themselves through rolling countryside.
Estimated Participation 550 riders. To register online, visit www.rockhillbicycleclub.com.

I’m going to try and race at least one day each of these weekends. If anyone has raced in these events, please let me know your thoughts.

And by the way, there are a number of cycling sites out there with local race info, but I’ve found the Carolinas Cycling Association site the most informative and actively updated with race information, and the road forum is very useful as well. I highly recommend using it if you’re looking around for cycling events in the North Carolina and South Carolina region.

And just a reminder to USA Cycling license holders. The Upcoming Events tab on your profile page pulls in all the road events in your area, complete with an active link to the race site and flyer. Nice touch, and very usable.

Levi wins Amgen Tour of California

So Levi Leipheimer of team Astana won the Amgen Tour of California, his third straight. I wrote in an earlier post that I thought Levi wasn't a good team leader and was lucky to be in that position. I still feel the same. I really can't argue that he's not a cycling talent, he's just not the talent he seems to think he is.

His demeanor, his interviews - it all feels like he's trying to be the next Lance, and it comes off really contrived. Like when he held up three fingers as he crossed the finish line in the final time trial on Saturday (and again on the podium). I mean come on, that image of Lance holding up his fingers to represent the number of Tour wins he had is iconic. To rip that off as you cross the finish line of the Tour of California is weak. Settle down Levi. It's contrived, it's a blatant Lance ripoff, and it's a small race. Do something in the Tour de France and you'll make me a believer.

Honestly, he sort of reminds me of Danica Patrick, but that's a whole other story.

Other thoughts from the race
Team Astana is very, very strong. With Contador in the lineup, they will be a force. Team director Johan Bruyneel has his hands full though. He's got big egos and loads of talent to direct. I don't see Contador riding for anyone, and he's said as much. Lance might give him the nod if the reality of his age is too much to overcome, but that is yet to be seen. And Levi is going to be another issue. Very interesting team dynamics.

Floyd Landis of the Ouch team looked fairly solid after spending two years away from racing. He showed flashes of great form, but never could keep up with the lead group at the end of the day.

American teams Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia Highroad looked really strong. Dave Zabriskie (Slipstream) took second overall, while Michael Rogers (Columbia) took third. And Mark Cavendish is officially the best sprinter in all of cycling at the moment. He's a lock to win several sprint stages in any race.

And it's great of course to see Hincapie still doing his thing, riding strong in every stage, and even placing third in the final stage.

All in all it was a fun race to watch and it seemed to generate lots of fan support. Huge crowds, in fact, record crowds at Sunday's finish in San Diego. That's good news for American cycling.

This is the country's biggest stage race, but not the only one. I called it the only major stage race in an earlier post and was corrected. The Tour of Missouri is in its third year. Last year, American Christian Vande Valde of Garmin won.

I'm not sure which Pro teams this race attracts, or if it's televised, but this year's race is September 7-13. Check out the official Tour of Missouri website for all the details.

The Amgen Tour of California

We are midway through the 2009 Tour of California and I’m hoping things shake up today and tomorrow as they ride into the Sierra mountains. Why? Because Levi Leipheimer is leading. I’ll explain, but first let me give you a few reasons to watch this race (that is, if you have Versus and can stay up until 11 pm – once the NHL and Bull Riding telecasts are over).

1. The Tour of Georgia was cancelled this year because it couldn’t find a title sponsor. The Tour of California is the only major stage race in the US.

2. Have you seen the team rosters? They are loaded with talent, both American and European. Each of these teams, save for one or two I think, will be riding in the Tour de France. So the quality is there.

3. Guess whose back? The Operation Puerto guys!! All the guys, most notably Ivan Basso, have served their two year suspensions and are racing again. Speaking of which…

4. Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton are back after their two year bans. Tyler is racing for US-based Rock Racing, which is a new team that has an interesting vibe. They sport an anarchy symbol on their jerseys and team car, which happens to be a Cadillac. I’m not crazy about either guy, but they are old postal riders who jumped ship early in the game to lead their own teams. Both failed, and whether it was due to injury or testing positive for EPO or testosterone, I’ll let you decide. But it’s interesting to me to have these guys back in the mix.

5. There are some other shakeups in the cycling scene as well this year, which are on full display in this race: Cancellara and the Schleck brothers on the Saxo Bank team (Fabian dropped day two with illness); a stacked Astana team proving to be the premiere stage race team (and that’s with Contador not riding); new faces and upgrades on US-based Columbia and Garmin-Slipstream teams; Tom Boonen and Quickstep; Sastre and Thor Hurshovd on Cervelo; etc. Check out the rosters here.

6. And of course, Lance is back. He’s preaching his message of cancer survival at every stop and is pulling and working for Levi as he promised. He calls himself an old man and seems to have no desire to drive his competitors into the ground. However, he is 30 seconds or so off the lead, and seems to always be in the right place with the right group, and he’s shown flashes of power that prove he’s still got something in the legs. Will he be able to sit back in the mountains and bring water bottles to Levi? Maybe, but I hope not. Regardless, it certainly won’t happen in France.

And here’s the thing with Levi. He’s not a team leader and, in my opinion, has gotten very lucky to be in this position. Yes, he’s talented. He rode for postal and was great – he was an all star domestique. When he went to his own team, his stock dropped and he proved he didn’t have what it takes to win a grand Tour. Maybe he didn’t have a strong team, but maybe his teammates didn’t want to ride for him. What European rider wants to ride for an American with no chance? Levi sucks wheels and lacks any explosiveness. He sits back and follows guys up the mountain. He is a lock for a top 10 Tour de France finish, but cannot win, regardless of team. He hangs on by a thread, then ekes out a good time trial to jump a few spots.

Hey, that’s fine with me, but don’t position yourself as a great rider. He tried to sneak past Contador a few years ago and they were on the same team. He never pulled for him (because he couldn’t), and Contador finally had to take off and do his thing. Thankfully, Levi was so slow in the mountains, he couldn’t sneak past him in the time trial, but he almost did. And while this was happening, he complained to the media that he was supposed to be the team leader. Boo hoo. Again, same team and he offered zero help to a more talented rider. He gave Basso a rather lukewarm reception when he joined Disco a few years ago, and again with Lance this year. Having Lance pull for this guy is a travesty.

And where are the style points? How can anyone be inspired by this dude when it’s like watching paint dry. Boring rider with a seeming disrespect for the great riders and strong sense of entitlement. Listen to the guy’s interviews. Read his quotes. Watch him ride. You tell me if he’s a good leader for a team. Astana will give Levi this race because it’s meaningless on the grand scale, but come Giro and Tour time, he’s going to be told the deal, and I can already hear him pouting to the media and complaining. Mark my words. And the cherry on top – his seat is too low!!!

Looking back on 2008

I raced in 13 events last year. I did the Cooper River Bridge Run (10k) and Lowcountry Splash (2.4 Harbor swim) so I could compete in the “Get Over it, Get Under it” challenge (combined time). I ended up getting second in my age group to John Glover, owner of Charleston Bicycle Company. Congrats John, and please hurry and move up an age group already.

I also did the AB&T Duathlon on John’s Island, placing second overall. Otherwise, it was all triathlon, and mostly sprints. Here are a few things I learned this year:

Race Fueling
When it comes to race nutrition and fueling, the old mantra “less is best” is key. You can get into a lot of trouble if you overdo it. The body starts working too hard trying to process those fuels and things start going in the wrong direction. I over-fueled at the Parris Island triathlon. Without really meaning to, I had always followed the less is best philosophy. For whatever reason, I decided I would go faster if I ate an extra bar; had an extra gel; and upped my mix ratio for fluids. Problem is that this was a sprint, not an ironman. I ran the slowest 5k I’ve ran in over 5 years. I simply didn’t need those fuels. My tank was fine. Lesson learned.

At the Races
The Cooper River Bridge run is a great event, perhaps one of the premiere 10ks in the country, but it’s a pain trying to get back to Mt. Pleasant after the race. I tried running back over the bridge and was stopped by police. Even the walking lane is closed until noon. That’s ridiculous. Waiting in lines for buses is a pain. I was also trying to get a good time to compete in the “Get Over it, Get Under it” challenge, but there are just too many people. This race is more about having a good time with friends than posting PRs. And actually, I learned this lesson years ago, so let’s just say it was again verified in 2008.

I love duathlons. Perhaps more than triathlon. My swim times are fine, so it’s not that hate swimming. I don’t know why, but run bike run really appeals to me. I think if I could do one race, it would be a 5 mile road race, 25 mile road bike, 5 mile trail run. Alas, I will settle for one or two duathlons I can find each year, regardless of distance.

Getting up at 3:30 to travel to a race affects your performance. You always have to wake up early for races, but anything before 4:30 and you will notice a performance drop. I traveled to several of the SCTS events (Florence, Columbia 2x, and Parris Island). Waking up that early just cuts into those extra hours of sleep. I had decent races, but my body wasn’t as rested as it should be.

The Harbor swim is easy. It’s a 2.4 mile swim (ironman distance) with the current. That means you go an extra mile per hour, or more, faster than you would in a pool. I finished in around 50 minutes. If you can swim a mile and a half, you can do this event. Not really challenging. But it is a fun event, for a great cause, and I do recommend it.

The sprint series at James Island is fun, competitive and humbling. Even though I ended up with a second and third place finish in my age group, I placed 5th in the final race. And that’s with a top 30 time of 1.05. Everybody peaked and came ready to race that final event. After the race, some friends from my age group (who placed 1-4, we all know each other now) ran a cool down mile and talked about how the race unfolded. We’ve all been racing this event 10 or more years and we each got a course PR in that race, so it was fun breaking down tactics. I don’t know why that memory sticks in my head, but it’s definitely one of the things I enjoy about racing. And I like that one of my favorite memories of the season isn’t based on a time or what place I got.

The Kiawah triathlon is still the best end of season race out there. An Olympic distance with everyone in great form. Always competitive and always fun.

I think mostly I learned that I need a little change of scenery. The sprint scene isn’t exciting me as much these days, and race expenses are creeping upwards. This year I picked only a couple long distance races and skipped planning the normal 15-race season. I’m doing a half ironman in May, then a full in November. My focus will be on long distance training, with little cost, and no stress. I picked up a road bike last fall and I’m looking forward to long rides without worrying about MPH and intensity levels.

Even though I'm sure to log more hours training this year, I feel like I’m taking a year off, so to speak. The race fast mentality is gone, and I hope it clears my head.