2007
9/20/7- Parish South, Epilogue
Mike Coyle took another commanding win, showing that he will be a force in the Cat 4's in 2008. Thanks to all the riders who showed up and made it a fun season of racing. Congrats to everyone! Races are won in the off season, so plan your training carefully and you'll have a great 2008. Remember, the first Spring Giro is only 21 weeks away!!! ;-)
See y'all on the fixed gear in a few weeks - MM
9/13/7 - Chili (long course) - boom! boom! boom! The art of the counter attack...
Some fun and fast racing got under way in the second to the last race of the year. Some of the most exciting racing we've seen happened with the six man lead group in the closing two miles. Attack! catch... Attack! Counter attack! Attack again! Everyone was on the limit and gasping for air. The constant attacking popped Paul off the front and he was sooooo close to taking the win, but big Mike Coyle had too much horse power and he caught Paul just before the line and took his 3rd win of the year. After the race, once everyone caught their breath - there were lots of smiles. I think everyone is starting to get it. Nice job everyone! Was awesome to watch!
Sprinting for primes in a breakaway group: A lot of riders like to not contest the prime sprints within a race. Remember - these are training races. One thing that many riders do not practice properly is their sprint. It is hard to recreate the conditons of a sprint during your training rides... the speed, the group competition, the tactics, and the effort exerted leading up to the sprint. Primes are there to shake up the race as well as provide a great opportunity to practice your sprinting technique.
9/5/7 - Victor - lots of yelling tonight. "TWO THINGS!!!"
Everyone repeat after me: 1. I will attack. 2. I will not aimlessly pull the group. If everyone does these two things, a basic race will materialize. Sorry for all the extra yelling tonight - but there are only a few races left and I want everyone to go into the off season with a basic understanding of race tactics. An important component of racing is energy management. Races are won when maximum energy is used at key moments. In order to be able to do a max effort and attack and drop the group, or win a field sprint - you cannot waste any energy by pulling the group around aimlessly.Every effort should have a purpose towards your goal of winning.
The race is not a team time trial. The race is not timed or judged on average speed. It is OK if the group slows down. Just be sure to attack when it does.
You have to be selfish. Stay out of the wind. Suck wheel. When the right moment comes, you will be fresh enough to make the winning move. Conversely if you have been dragging the group around for 2 miles at 90% effort- what will you have in your energy reserves?
OK, back to the race. Despite some pack pulling, there were lots of good attacks and acclerations to bridge to breaks.Good job to those who were doing that.
In the closing lap I was yelling at the guys who were drilling it at the front of the 8 man lead group to stop hammering up there. Why? The group had enough of a buffer over the rest of the peloton that there was time to horse around and try some tactics. Most importantly, Steve P was in the group and he is by far the best sprinter in the cat 5s right now. Besides scrubbing off energy that is needed for your attacks and sprint, drilling it at the front just plays to Steve's favor b/c it keeps riders from attacking, giving Steve the opportunity to ride the train to the finish and uncork his sprint.
If you find yourself with a rider who has a known sprint, attack, and counter attack him constantly. You can't wait till the end b/c he will have enough energy to counter your moves. There is no point being the first loser. Be in it to win it!
Do this (click on video links):
Match sprint Boiled down, racing comes down to this. Energy managment, tactics, drafting and max efforts. Note how slow most of the race is and then how fast it is when it really matters.
Attacking Take a look at Contador... out of the saddle and multiple attacks and counter attacks. Ouch.
Attacking the group This guy is sitting on at the back of the group drafting, resting , getting ready... he is not attaacking from the very front of the group where everyone will see him. He starts his attack form the back.
Out of the saddle The climbs around here arre short power climbs. You should be going over them hard and out of the saddle... look at these guys... when they are on the attack and accelerating, they are out of the saddle.
8/30/7 - Riga - Wheatland- CHILI
A little bit of mess finding a course without chip seal, but some fast racing finally got underway at Chili. Mike Coyle took his second win this year, timing his effort perfectly to catch a solid two man break that snuck off the front in the last half lap.
I am seeing riders still pull aimlessly at the front...dragging the entire group on thier wheel and wasting tons of energy. See the eariler B-log entries for reasons not to do this. You should only be up front when it counts. If you find yourself at the head of the peloton, just pull thru and move back into the draft. You have no responsibility to do any work in the main peloton. Coyle was a great example last night... most of the race I didnt see him... he was in the back hiding out. But when I did see him, he was attacking the group and in the breaks. And of course he was up front when it really counted - at the finish line!
Attack - definition: A sudden acceleration to move ahead of another rider or group of riders. One reason we have pack pulling in our group is the lack of true attacking. An attack has to have that sudden acceleration plus a surprise element that puts a big gap between you and the riders behind. If you just pass by a few miles an hr faster - the other riders will just fill in behind you. You will be riding your a** off and everyone will be coasting behind you. See previous posts below about attacking - its an out of the saddle - sprint like effort. Surprise 'em and put in a big gap right away. Even when we have a good attack - we have riders that drag the enitre pack up to break. If you are doing this - stop. It is pointless and serves no purpose tactically. Be selfish. Attack the group and try and bridge up with out doing any favors for others - ie: no one on your wheel.
8/9/7 - Game on!
The race was heated up just 2 miles into the race with Steve P and Mike Bohn attacking the group on the back stretch. It took a full lap for two more riders to bridge up to the original break and the quartet worked together smoothly to distance the field. Bohn was in it to win it, and knowing the speed of Steve's sprint, he knew he couldn't go to the line with him - so he dropped them all on the big hill with two laps to go and soloed in for a well deserved win (with a few minutes to spare!) Nice job!
Tips: Famous last words... There was some good chatting going on in the beginning of the race, and when the winning move went up the road at mile 2- there were lots of comments in the peloton like "Oh, they'll come back" and "I am waiting to make my move on lap 4" etc. Ha ha! Remember that the winning move can happen at any time... so when the green flag goes down - it's game on! If you see riders going up the road that are strong.. you have to react and try to jump across to join them. If you wait too long - you may not see them again until the parking lot.
7/27/7 - Hot and Hilly
Everyone's favorite course- Parish Hill! Some good hard racing saw a decent break of three snap off on the last lap. Unfortunately for them, they didn't quite put the hammer down hard enough and the eventually winner - a new rider from Full Moon Vista was able to bridge on Boughton and then take the win (nice job!). Lesson learned...It is always easier to catch a break (since you have a carrot in front of you) than it is to try and ride away from a chase. So if you've speant the energy to create the break - you have to drill it make it work.
Bullets in the gun... I'm seeing a lot of riders sitting in 1st or 2nd wheel and dragging the group. Then they have a hard time reacting to attacks and accelerations. You can't do it all out there - you have to dose your energy wisely. Many riders make the anology of 'bullets in the gun'. Dont waste any bullets dragging the group or riding up front when you could be coasting/resting in the back. If you waste your shots, you'll be shooting blanks when the winning move goes up the road.
7/20/7 - Soggy Wheatland
Where'd everyone go? With lots of rain and lots of upgrades, the 5 field was the the smallest of the year, but those who showed rode hard and aggressive. Lots of attacking allowed a break of 3 to ride away to the finish with Mike Coyle taking the win over teammate Hansen.
Great to see all the recent upgrades duking it out in the cat 4s - and at the head of the race! Great job!
Why the yellow line matters:
Cyclist killed in midwest road race
By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor
A 24 year-old first-year racer was killed Saturday when a passing truck struck her while competing in the Proctor Cycling Classic in Brimfield, Illinois near Peoria....Witnesses of the accident reported that riders had crossed the middle yellow line as the pack of about 25 to 30 crested a small hill four miles from the race finish along Brimfield-Jubilee road. The truck was headed in the opposite direction legally as the race was operating under the 'yellow line rule.' The police report said that Kobeszka was bumped into the path of the truck by another racer. Full Story >>
7/5/7 - Rush - Divide and Conquer
Racing started with some rough thundering weather (and a reported bear sighting), but within a lap, the skies opened up to an awesome full rainbow with Jeff Swing finding the prize at the end of 9 laps.
Racing was great with lots of pressure on the hills that caused the group to splinter and solid six man break getting away by the half way mark. With 2 to go, and only 4 guys left in the break, Swing and Mark Thompson put the hammer down on the prime hill to split the group into two*. One lap later, in the same spot, Swing spotted some weakness in his breakaway companion and attacked him* on the false flat -- soloing in for a well deserved win. Great racing all around!
* Note: The key thing that caused the split was a severe and decisive attack: a full-on-out-of-the-saddle-i'm-gonna-make-you-give-up surge. Practice it on your training rides and implement it during your races. Its the difference between a top 10 and a win!
6/23/07 - Riga - Park Ave Re-Pete
We had a tough week with the loss of Ben, but the B5's celebrated his life with some great hard racing that ended in a 4 man break with big Pete taking his second win in as many weeks.
The winning move was lanuched by Eric Hansen, countering his teammate's attack and timing it just before the climb to North Road. Unfortunately for Eric, he was gassed by the top of the climb,and the break of 3 rode off without him. Last man to join the break was Theo who did an awesome job resisting urge to pack weld, and lanched a sweet solo bridge to the break. The 4 man break made it to the line with Pete narrowly Taking Dan in the sprint. Nice job! -MM
6/15/07 - Parrish - Park Ave Pete
Kudos to Pete for a nice show of power on the finishing climb of the Parish Quarry course to take the win. It was also impressive that he recovered from his 1.5 lap break away attempt that ended just 1/2 a lap from the finish. Nice Job!
Overall, the racing was pretty good, but we still ended with a large group. In order to break it up more there has to be more attacking, more breaks, more riders getting dropped b/c they couldn't keep up with the surges. My advice is for everyone to take some chances out there. Use Thursday nights to test yourself and see what you've got. Take a chance and try to breakaway. Resist the comfort of sitting in the pack all night and try and jump across to the break. If you're not a sprinter, don't let it come down to a sprint. If your attempts fail - you always have next week to try again! That's the best part of GVCC - it only costs you a $1, and you do it week after week. You have nothing to lose by trying different tactics. See y'all next week.
6/8/07 - Friendship festival makes tour stop in Chili
 The Friendship festival made another stop in town after last week's Mendon race - another big group ride [sigh, yawn]. The group goes around fast - but its not fast enough to snap off any of the riders. In the front - riders are going hard - pulling the group around and wasting energy. In the back - the guys are just cruising and chit chatting.
The pack pulling has to stop. 1. there is no point in dragging around 35 riders behind you. You will never win that way. 2. it makes the race boring b/c the speed is so high, no one can attack and get a break going, yet its not fast enough to break apart the field. 3. all you're doing is scrubbing off energy that you could be saving up for a hard attack and then a hard ride in a break.
Pack pulling is fred, its JV, so don't do it. Use your head and tactics to try and win. Let's try and get the racing back on track like we had it going at Riga and the Parish South course. See ya all on the road. -MM
5/17/07 - TT week
All TT's are in Rush due to road construction in Webster until further notice.
Here is a good article on tactics from Pez:
- When you are trying to break away, never attack from the very front. If you do, you'll be accelerating directly into a headwind and everyone will see you shift gears, stand up and then jump. What you want to do is accelerate up the side so that by the time you are seen by the riders in the front, you're already going four to five mph faster than them. Then, if they want to follow, they will have to bridge the gap you've opened up. The first attack rarely works. After each attack gets caught, the next rider (of the three) needs to be ready to either launch another attack or follow the counter attack.
Read the full article on PezCycling News
5/10/07 - Ned's Ahead!
Junior rider, Ned, took a well desrved victory last night sprinting easily past his 5 breakway partners. The winning move was started mid way through the 8 lap race and then was joined by Ned a lap later. Eventhough he had a team mate in the break, Ned did the right thing by rocketing across to join the break - two teammates in a break is better than one! Nice Job!
Tips: Bridging to the break - you have to commit to the effort like Ned did... 100% effort. There were a few attempts to get across last night, but the effort was too light. If you're not going all out - you will get caught out in no man's land.
Final miles in the break - The break had a comfy lead on the last lap. Ned's teammate did a nice job attacking and trying to loosen things up, but the others should have tried some attacks as well. Why? On the 1st prime sprint Ned blew everyone away. Having seen that once, you have to try and not let it come down to a sprint.
Lap count - Remember that the neutral lap(s) always count in our total number of laps. Make it a habit to count the laps off in your head - especially on the shorter courses like last night.
5/3/07 - Rushing before sundown
Rush is never easy - and 9 laps is even harder. A good break got off right away after the 2 neutral laps, but it was reeled in after some mechanical trouble up front. The main group pretty much stayed together until the closing 2 laps with a small group splitting off the front. The Park Ave boys seemed to have it under control with 2 riders in the break, but they were out done in the final 150m. Nice racing everyone! - MM
Tips: Urination: Do it discretely. Not at the start line on someone's private property. All it takes is one annoyed neighbor to complain and we lose the course. Anyone peein' where they shouldn't will be DQ'd.
4/26/07 - Riga - Friendship Festival Shut Down
The rain held off for a GREAT night of racing in the B5 field. The night started with a lap of neutral with the 30-40 riders practicing big gear, out of the saddle riding on the hills. Once the race started for real - the 2 laps of racing was very aggressive. After some good accelerations on the hills, a five man breakaway was able to snap off. The break kept the pressure on and worked together to keep a three man chase at bay. The last 1/2 lap was no friendship festival. The breakaway - who had worked together just a few miles earlier - were now testing each other and attacking all the way to the finish line. That's the way to get it done! Great job out there everyone! - MM
Tips: Communication: If you get a flat tire in the peloton, raise your hand to alert riders behind you. Riders may be coming around you on both your left and right, so try and maintain your line until you are 100% sure it is safe to pull over to the shoulder.
When riding at the front of the group and you are ready to pull through, flick your elbow. This subtle flick of the elbow alerts riders that you are pulling through - just in case they are over lapping wheels, about to accelerate past you, etc.
4/23/07 - Bloomfield Views from the front and back...
First off, hats off to Todd and Carl for a well run, fun and safe race this weekend. Also to course designer Brian Cardona and all of the marshals and volunteers. They put in a lot of energy into it - so thank them next time you see them.
From the front: "Like Mike, I wanna be like Mike" (sing to tune of that Gatorade commercial with Michael Jordan) -- When I say "Mike", I am talking about Mike Matthis. In Sunday's CAT123 race, Mike got himself into a small, strong-men-only break with guys like Dan Staffo and Jay Joslin - AND THEN he showed them who's boss by attacking them in the finale and finishing alone for the victory. That's the way to do it! In contrast - when I was driving the motorcycle for the CAT4s, I was amazed how little attacking there was and how big the group was at the finish. Bloomfield offers plenty of sections to attack and make people suffer, yet - the pack was rolling over the last half lap as one happy group (ok, I know - not everyone was "happy", but still...). I bring this up b/c this is often the case for our B races (both 4s and 5s) - everyone sits in cuz they don't want to risk their top-10 placing. Riders have to attack...have to take some risks in order to reap the reward. Guys with teammates? You need be be attacking to set it up for your teammate. Isnt a team win better than 2 placings in the 5th thru 15th spots? Does anyone remember (or care) who was 5th in the Tour de France???
From the back: Sprint like its the end of the race -- I rode as follow vehicle in the CAT5 race and watched the action. For new racers, a course like Bloomfield is brutal and it is easy to lose contact off the back. If you slip off the back of the group and you are no longer in the draft - you have to get in the drops and start sprinting for the back of the group like its the end of your race - otherwise it will be! The group pace will always slowdown at some point - so keep fighting to stay in the group.
4/20/07 - "Racing is not a Friendship Festival "
A few years ago at ESG, I heard Adam Garlapow (Shikluna) say, "Racing is not a Friendship Festival". I love that! You have to keep this in mind when you're out there racing. You can all enjoy a beer and be friends after the race (this is all for fun anyways!), but on the road - in order for you to win - you have to make someone else lose. This means that there has to be constant attacking during your race. From you! There is no point in riding around in a big group, not to mention is it boresville. There are a few guys in the 4/5 peloton who are almost unbeatable in a field sprint (Steve P, Big Frank) - so why tow them to the line?
- Skinny guys - you must attack on any and every uphill and/or use your fast acceleration to make the bigger guys suffer.
- Roulers (big diesel dudes) - you must attack and try and get away so you can ride more evenly on a rolling course, outsmart the sprinters and drop those skinny guys.
- Sprinters - you need to attack to try and get a small break going. While a field sprint may suit you fine, chances of winning are much greater when sprinting from a small group.
When to attack? The best attacks are counter attacks... so when the peloton brings back a break, there is usually a lull in the action - boom! another attack has to be fired off right then. And if and when that break is reeled in, boom! another attack (repeat and repeat). Sucessful racers will attack multiple times, ofter countering their own attacks.
So keep this in mind as you head into this weekend's Bloomfield race. Instead of one fat, slow riding, happy group (yawn!) - you want to finish in a small and competition-crushing breakaway that makes the race a suffer-fest (yeah!).
Q&A
Q: When some of the teams have a rider up the road, their teammates will block and not pull though in the paceline. It stalls the chase. Shouldnt they at least pull through?
A: Good question. They have no obligation to pull thru and do you any favors. See? Its not a friendship festival :-).
The answer is: dont stack up behind them. @#$% them and just go around and drill it... encourage the others do do the same. The more effective answer - Why stick around in the big group in the first place. Jump them and leave them behind. Hopefully you and a few others will be able to bridge to the break.
See ya on the road, good luck to y'all this weekend! - MM
4/19/07 Mendon - Take the killer B oath!
I cannot make it to tonight's B5 race -- so for tonight and moving forward throughout the season.. here's the rules to race by:
- I will not pull aimlessly at the front of the group.
Unless you are pulling a break back for a teammate, or drilling it on a long climb or cross wind to try and shatter the group, there is no point in hammering at the front with 20-30 guys are on your wheel. Chances are - you will be working hard - but everyone behind you will not even be breathing. Racers in the cat 5 group tend to do this since most come from a TT background: MTB, Tri, running, or even the Latte Ride. If you want to put your TT skills to use - attack first and create a gap between yourself and the peloton. Start a few riders back, put in a big gear, hands in the drops (check for traffic) and sprint past the head of the group.
- If I am in a break - I will commit to it.
If you are successful in getting a break going - awesome! Don't lose the opportunity - commit to it and start hammering - either alone or with your breakaway partners. If you are not breathing hard and on the rivet (on the tip of the saddle) you are not going fast enough and you will be caught. Encourage your breakaway partners to ride hard(er) by communicating and getting organized.
- If I want to join a break up the road, I will jump across to it.
If a break is up the road - don't panic and feel like you missed it. Instead of hammering at the front of the peloton to pack weld, see the break up the road as an opportunity and make an attempt to jump across and join it. Start a few riders back, put in a big gear, hands in the drops (check for traffic). Sprint past the head of the group and give it 110% to make contact with the break.
- I will not pre-meditate the race.
Some riders like to have a game plan before the race... "I am going to attack at mile 25, etc". There are too many variables in a race. What if the series leader takes off at mile 2 instead of mile 25? Instead of pre-meditating a race, learn to react to the conditions and the riders. Know what skills each of your opponents has, see who is attacking and make decisions on the road. your game plan should be the same every week - be in it to win it! Use the training races to hone your instincts.
Safety-wise, the same advice as always:
- Watch out for overlapping wheels
- If the marshal has the flag up - you must stop
- Keep your head up at all times - it is easy to look down at your bottle, gears, or just drop your head during a hard effort. Look where you are going at all times.
See ya on the road next week. - MM
4/12/07 Chilly in Chili!
About a dozen 'n a half riders braved the wind and wet elements for the first B5 road race of the year. A lap of neutral showed that riders were raring to go as the double paceline was a quick one. Breaks got off right away, but the theme for the night was flats - as at least a 1/3 of the field flatted. With all the breaks reeled in by the final lap, the sprint to victory was won by a newcomer (sorry - I need to learn everyone's name!), followed by Jeff Goodrich and Fernando Galiana.
Tips: Wind was a huge factor this week - especially cross winds. If you are in the paceline - either in the peloton or in a break, you need to be in an echelon. For ex. if the wind is blowing from the left, you need to be on the right side of the rider in front of you - so your handlebars are approx lined up with the riders hip (give or take based on the angle of the wind)
Conversely, if you want to attack, or the final sprint involves a cross wind - you want to force the riders into the wind... so this means, if the wind is from the left, you want to attack all the way as far to the right side of the road as possible. Since you are already in the "gutter" there will be no room on your right side for the riders to be sheltered from the wind.
As far as flats go - I usually run a Mr. Tuffy in my tires throughout the spring. A few ounces won't hurt you, and I'd rather get my training race miles in vs. missing a night due to a flat tire.
See ya'll out on the road. (note that I may have to miss mendon)
MM
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