Lake Louisa Circuit Race #3 Recap

Ron and James showed up at the third installment of the 2008 Lake Louisa Circuit Race series this past Tuesday night  to test their training.  Both of us had only been on the bike seriously for about a week and a half.  My work schedule and Ron's injuries from the Deland crit kept us from doing any serious training in the weeks prior, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing us both a well needed rest from the early Florida racing schedule.  We are both ramping up for the State Road Race in Ocala in June, so we figured we'd try our legs on the rolling hills of Lake Louisa.

With only two Cycle-Logic teammates showing up, and about 6 Armada teammates present, we saw immediately we were outnumbered.  I gave Ron explicit instructions not to start any fights (he's bad about that sometimes J).  Seriously though, with that many of one team showing up, we figured they would ramp up the pace, and hopefully take some responsibility in pulling in any early breaks.  Although we watched them intently waiting for one of them to charge off the front, it never happened.  One unattached guy got away early, and two more joined him in the following laps. 

Ron and I both tried to share in the work, attempting to keep the pace high enough to wear out some of the other riders while diminishing the gap at the same time.  With the wind in our face on the final descent, Armada put their big guy on the front and he hammered his way down hill, reducing the gap to mere seconds.  After the turn around, Ron immediately got away from the group, and with no intentions of slowing down, immediately caught two of the three guys who had been in the wind off the front for nearly the entire race and expeditiously passing them on the first small hill.  Unfortunately, one of the Armada guys (Dave Perry, I believe - a lanky hill-climber-looking guy) was right on Ron's tail and stayed there until they were halfway up the final hill. 

I still being in the pack approaching the final ascent to the finish, attacked the field with the craze of a rabid mongoose.  Keeping an eye on my shadow to make sure nobody was following, and watching my heartrate steadily climb far past my comfort zone, I kept my head down, and stayed as aero as I knew how.  Although we did have an uphill tailwind, I pegged my HR at 185, and reached deep to keep my momentum as I approached Ron and Dave.  Once I reached them, they stood up and started accelerating again.  It took all I had to not give up at that point. 

 

I mean, I was dying!!  

 

The hopes of possibly getting a 10 second draft off of these guys was all that kept me from passing out!

 

 …and they stand up and accelerate?

 

Looking back, I could see the pack far enough away to tell that if I held my pace, I should be able to hold my current 4^th place spot, so I just pulled whatever motivation I had out of my burning legs, and aching lungs and kept it going.  Although I sounded like a steam engine with my huffing and puffing at the finish, I kept my 4^th place, with Ron coming in 3^rd.

 

We both came out to test our legs, and get a good workout, and came away with a 3^rd and 4^th. 

Congratulations Ron.

With three and a half weeks to go, I think we should be ready for the Ocala Road Race.

 

See you there.

 

JP/ CL

State Criterium Championships

Weekend Race Report - submitted by Scott Pfaff

Saturday, May 17th 2008
Scott's race
Saturday’s race was held in the parking lot across the street from the Lakeland Civic Center. When I first looked at the course on Friday night I thought “alright! this is going to be flat, no problem I can handle this..” well let me tell you this 6/10th of a mile 8 corner course was anything but easy. It seemed all you did was: pedal..corner, pedal..corner, sprint..corner and then you got to coast for about 10 seconds along the back stretch just before you slammed into a tight left hand turn that was about as wide as a sheet of plywood.

The first 7 or 8 laps were the worst then you finally got the rhythm of the course and then only thing you had to worry was when your heart was going to burst out of your chest. The pace of the Masters 35+ race claimed its fair share of victims, I was almost one. For some reason I stopped paying attention and drifted way too far back, you know like 20th place, the place where you watch breaks go away and there is nothing you can do about it. I was back there thinking about crocheting or needle point or something important when the next thing I knew there were giant gaps all around. It took about 4 laps to recover from that fiasco and get back on with the lead group, yeah I know it serves me right but when you only have 3 matches to burn in a race everyone is precious (yes I only have 3, I’m old remember). I held on to the bitter end and finished in the spot they hold for me in every race, 14th.

Justin's race
Justin’s race was for some reason very nerve racking, his mom and I talked about it after the race and we couldn’t quite put our finger on why we were both so nervous about this weekend. Maybe it was the word “Championship” attached to the weekend or maybe it was because it has been almost a month since his last race. What ever the reason we both had butterflies for Justin.

Justin started his race by attacking immediately and was able to get a gap of about 20 yards. We had talked before the race about doing this and seeing if he could get one of the older kids to go with him. If not he would hold it for one lap and then ease back into the group. Well he held for 1 lap and none of the older kids would bite so that was that. As he eased back into the group one of the older kids from Colavita attacked and stretched the group out in a straight line for about a half lap fortunately Justin was paying attention and was able to fold right into the group and stay with the leaders. Team Calovita had two riders in the 13-14 age group riding in support of their 10-12 year old points leader. It was allot of fun to watch the kids experimenting with team tactics at this age, it makes the race feel like a scaled down pro event. The points leader would attack while his teammates would block and Justin would have to cover with no help from the other team. It made me happy to see him pay attention to the race and understand the tactics that were being employed. He never let the break get too far before he would reel it back. This happened about 4 or 5 times before they gave up and decided to let it come down to a sprint.

The bad thing about our position on the course was that you could not see the last two corners before the final sprint. You could see the course up to 3rd to the last corner but that was it. Justin was 4th wheel going into that corner so I felt pretty good with his position in the group. But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him come around the final corner with about a 10 yard gap on the field. He was standing and sprinting out of the saddle like we had talked about so many times before but he never really seemed to know when to do it. This time he had it timed to perfection and was going for all he had. He just got nipped at the line by a 14 year old to get second in the overall group and first in his division. The kids in his division never made any ground up on Justin once he started his sprint. The best part of the win was the new handle bars Justin won for me, well okay, he’s not really going to give them to me but I can dream.


Sunday, May 18th 2008 “Championship Day”

Justin’s race was at 7:45 am and needless to say the butterflies started at 5:00, Jan and I both felt exactly as we had the day before. We have always felt a little nervous before Justin’s races I think that’s normal for parents but I’m beginning to think that because Justin is becoming more competitive in his racing we’re becoming more anxious for him.

Justin’s race started with an attack by the boy who leads the 13-14 age group points series and was the boy who nipped Justin at the line on Saturday. Justin went with him for awhile but came back to the group. When we talked after the race he said he was afraid he would blow up and not be able to sprint in the end. The group worked fairly well together with a few attacks on the hill leading up to the finish line. Justin was able to react well to all of them and was well placed going into the final laps. This race was not nearly as exciting as the day before as I think the older kids, while still riding in support of their points leader, were obviously thinking of their own podium position on that day.

The boy who broke away at the start was never really threatened by the group and won the overall race easily. The part that I did not expect was how the rest of the race would unfold. This course has a long incline leading up to the finish line, it’s not really steep but after going over it time after time after time it really hurts, I speak from experience on this one. The other feature of the incline is that you can’t see the corner or the lead up to the top of the hill from the finish line so it’s always a surprise as to who is going to be leading at the crest of the hill. Well to my surprise who comes blowing over the top first but Justin and he has about a 20 yard gap on the field. This time though there is nobody in the field to challenge him to the line and he wins riding away. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited as a pig in a mud bath! I was excited for the win but I was also excited because I think Justin maybe starting to realize how to finish a race, that’s something I still haven’t learned how to do!

My race started the way they all do, I look up and down the start line and say, "what am I doing here?" It seemed every pro that was 30+ years old had decided to have a go at winning the “State Championship” jersey. I know what you guys are thinking “that’s no way to start a race”! Well I still haven’t gotten over this feeling and I have been racing with these guys for 2 years now so I doubt it’s leaving anytime soon. I think it may stem back to this same race last year when I pre-rode the course in my car the night before and thought humph that hills not so bad! Well 10 minutes into last years race and 8 times over that D#$% hill and I was, how does James say it, “Attacking off the back”.

So we are sitting on the line and the official is going over all of the pre-race stuff and the guy next to me, who I have been racing with for awhile, leans over and says “what are we doing here with these guys”? Well immediately I feel this great weight lifted off my shoulders, I think at least I’m not the only one. About that time the whistle blows and the pain begins. The first fifteen minutes of a race are always the hardest for me, it seems like I always struggle to find that just right position in the field. The one where you only do the amount of work that is expected and not one bit more, remember I only have 3 matches.

The pace was hard this year but I was able to hold my position throughout the race and while I’m not going to make any teams stand up and take notice, except maybe the ones in my dreams, I finished the race without getting dropped. Yes I know, I finished in one of those reserved spots for Scott J. Pfaff, 16th.

More Sugarloaf photos

by Gerry Bouchard

SugarLoaf recaps...

photo by Gerry Bouchard
Submitted by Roger Montes
Following a tough, painful, and feeling like a “Kentucky fried idiot” on a 5 times wall climb it was hard to get motivated for another chicken run…or was it? Sugarloaf Mountain had definitely taken its toll on all of us, but we were all craving that greasy, fast speed (Rocky II).

Rob “Rowdy”, Eric “Vegan-power” and myself “Primetime” came out on Sunday to represent the Orange and Grey. The race was set at 50 min +2 laps on a flat and fast 2.2 mile circuit thru a curvy tree lined road, with a short (thank God) uphill finish only ±200 meter from the last 90° right turn. From the gun, the race was fast with attacks from the never ending ninjas of Preferred Alliance…bring it! On a course not in favor of breakaways, except for going full throttle on the uphill, we did everything we could as a team to attack, cover attacks and set the pace high. Rob took that to heart, and the man nearly raced himself out of the race. At times, it felt overwhelming to have someone respond at:

Roger: Rob get up there.
Rob: “Okay”
Roger: Rob go
Rob: “Okay”
Roger: Rob squirrel!!! Rob killed squirrel.

Eric also did an impressive job covering and attacking the field. Before the race he mentioned to be somewhat tired from the previous day (finishing 8th on Sugarloaf Mt.), but half-way into the race he found a second wind and immediately came to the front to set the pace. He tried getting in a few breaks with Rob and I slowing the field down, but nothing was sticking.
We knew the race would end up on a full-on field sprint (like all the Cat 3 Races), so our plan was to set the pace high during the last lap to be in good placing at the last turn…we didn’t think everyone would have the same idea! Eric was able to fight his way up, but Rob and I were bunched up in the middle finishing 8th (Eric), 19th (Roger) and 29th (Rob).
The results don’t quite show it, but Cycle Logic rode extremely aggressive, and in my mind the three of us got podium that day….Great job guys!!!



Submitted by Kerry Duggan
Considering that us Cat 3 men were racing against girls, this Saturday's Sugarloaf road race was plenty hard. Once again, new teammate Eric Stubbs place the highest at 8th. Rob Robins was a few seconds behind him and this old dogg was (ahem) a few further seconds back in the final single-digit hill "sprint" finish.

The first two or three laps were fairly contained as people were more worried about surviving Das Loaf than breaking the elastic. Eventually a few small squads dangled off the front only to be reeled in with the assistance of all three of us.

At some point Roger apparently traded his race pass for a feed zone pass and Rachel eventually joined him. On the last lap three riders managed to maintain just enough of a gap to barely survive a large pack sprint up Das Loaf. I think if Eric had a little more hill he would have been top 3.

Eric, Rob and I had a fun time working together and perfecting our team skills by helping each other stay in position, ride efficiently and chase down escapes. I think Eric was bewilderd by this teammate excessively rotating pack position from extreme front to extreme rear several times during each lap - particularly on the big hills. This valid advance technique ensures maximum climbing efficiency. In unkind circles it is known as the "Fatman Fade" but allowed me to be more fresh toward the end - enabling me to soften up the pack by attacking off the front just before the last climb up Sugarloaf.
So what if I was chased down immediately by a girl and a fred!

I was also worried my recent lower back spasms would can the race for me but once again found my body prefers that position over all others nature had intended. Unless of course there is a beer in my hand and there was soon after.
Cheers!
K-Dogg

Cycle Logic ToG trip recap...

...Coming Soon



ToG updates and copious amounts of photos to be posted here...I know, it's going to be hard to wait, but you'll have to.

UPDATE:For a photo slideshow of the Tour of Georgia trip go here