Ricola Twilight

Tonight was the Ricola Pro 1/2 race. Perfect night...and even better that I could do a little recovery ride over to the race as its only about 10 miles (by bike) from where I work. My pictures kind of suck...but these guys were flying! Its a super fast big-ring course so trying to capture the action with my point-and-shoot digital was a tough task.

I got there about 15 minutes after the start and the race was already split into 3 groups! Pretty cool to always see a Navigator or Colavita pro in the moves...they never miss a beat. I guess it was inevitable that a rider from that team would take it. And...they did. With about 8 laps remaining a small group of about 7 rides came off the front. Two Navigators, Colavita, Kelley...hmm, a few others. With 1 lapt to go...a Navigator rider attacked that group...and barely stayed away to take the sprint. A fun night altogether.

Navigators controlling things early on...


Ken Harris didn't make the selection...


Colavita solo move about mid-way in...


Winner of Bear Mountain in the orange and Jared Bunde of GS Mengoni in the second group on the road...


Navigators put in a final move to cause a split...and take the win (although I don't know which Navigator rider specifically)

Flat, fast, and 4 corners...

A week without an update...boohoo. What did I learn this week? I hate crits. Why? Because I SUCK at them. I'm just not a crit guy...I need to admit that. Road Racing is my thing and I need to stick with it. The Great Neck Crit sucked, the Manville Crit sucked, and the USBHOF crit on Saturday sucked.

I realize I'm not the most risky rider in the corners...which doesn't help...but I just can't understand why I'm not good at riding a crit. I'm in shape, have a decent sprint, and usually stay near the front.

Of course it didn't help my chances on both Fri and Sat when my left leg started acting up and giving me pain...

Saturday I finished in the top 20 (maybe 15)...but literally lap after lap was just filled with pain from my left thigh. Short of seeing a doctor I'm not sure what to do. I stretch...I warm-up...I rest it. Its not like I'm putting in 4+ hours each day on the bike to constantly agitate it. What sucks is my right leg is fresh as can be...if only my left leg was that way I'd be golden!

This week I'm going SUUUUUPER easy in the hopes that my leg can regenerate for next Saturday. Mount Penn RR on Saturday should be good. Some climbing...some rolling hills...count me in!

Stick to the climbing buddy...


Contemplating the discipline I hate...

Great Neck and beyond...

Saturday gave me a chance to help out with the Cam-Am challenge hosted by Skylands. A great event for the juniors...and I had a great time helping out. If anyone is interested in the results...you can check them out here.

Sunday was a crit in Great Neck, Long Island. I signed up for it last minute thinking it would be a good place to score some upgrade points. Beautiful day...and the course wasn't too bad...although not really suited for me. Altogether about .6 of a mile...4 corners...a slight downhill, and slight uphill. My race was about 40 guys or so...decent turnout.

It started off quickly right from the gun...with a front group including myself forming. The remaining 25+ riders got blown out the back. Like clockwork, about 5 laps into the race my left leg starts bothering me. I'm able to sort of shake it off...but it still persists for the remainder of the race. On about lap 10 three guys crash in front of me on turn 3. One rider's bike kicks up and breaks on of my back spokes (I didn't realize this till after the race). So, for the whole race I keep hearing a "clicking" noise coming from the rear...

The course was pretty tight to move ahead...and I was lacking a little on the agression that day. Final lap comes up and I'm about 12th in line...which is where I stayed. Tried to make a move on turn 2 and 3...but to no avail. A few of the riders were taking some sketchy turns...and I think subconsiously that kept me at bay. Oh well...no top 10 result.

Yesterday I fitted my new Fizik Arione saddle and went out for a nice 25 mile spin. Felt good...initially more comfortable than my Aspide. Weight is 243g vs 188 for the Aspide...so I gained a little weight, hehe. Not sure if this will help with my leg...but the overall color scheme looks better now :-)

Warm temps...

Nothing really new to report on. I missed the Bear Mountain registration this past weekend...so unfortunately I could not attend. Definitely think I could have been competitive with the climbing involved...but I guess I'll have to wait till the Fall edition.

My form has been coming along...slowly. Last weekend I went for a longer training ride on Saturday...and felt like shit on Sunday and Monday. My legs basically felt poisoned. Kept trying to stretch and massage them for some better circulation.

Tonight I couldn't make it to the Augusta series race...so I opted for the Tuesday night ride with Watchung. Felt great overall. Pretty uneventful except for the old woman crashing her Subaru. I was about last man in the group when she drove past. "POP" (her front wheel hitting a ditch...then, "WHAM!"...head-on into a telephone pole. We all turned around to check on her and luckily she was fine. Not a scratch...can't say the same for the car though...

Anyway...possible rain tomorrow but maybe I can fit in a short ride. Probably no training on Thurs or Fri. Helping with the Can-Am on Saturday...and *hopefully* I can fit in a race on Sunday! Some shots from a nice cruise last weekend...

Staring off into Swartswood Lake:


My tour guide last weekend...

Sunrise Mountain RR

Tonight was a replacement for the usual Augusta Tuesday training series. There is a park road in Stokes State Forest that climbs to the top of Sunrise Mountain...4.6 miles. Elevation at the top is around 1500 ft...although you don't climb that much obviously. Turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day...super sunny...temps in the mid 70s'...beautiful! Managed to sneak out of work early to cruise home and change. The start of the race is about 12 miles from home so I was able to get a good warmup in on the way over.

The race is set up like this: 2 qualifier races...top half of each field is combined into a final race where the prize money is. My first race was maybe 25+ riders. Race starts and its a pretty good tempo up the climb. I'm managing to stay in the top 5-6 and away from getting caught out on the back. Most of the riders around are juniors...all of which are cat 2's and 3's. The first 3.5 miles are sort of rolling...with the last mile more of a true mountain switchback terrain. The race splits up on these switchbacks...with a hard tempo up to the line. A few attacks came about on the last ramp to the finish...none of them put in by me, lol. I finish in 5th...

Ride back down the mountain to do it again! The second qualifier race happens and its all set up for the final race. Surprisingly, the initial tempo of the last race wasn't as fast as the first. But I think I made a tactical error of leaving it in the big ring the whole way up. I should have been more fluidly spinning on the 39. So I'm still staying in the top 5 and as we approach the final switch backs the pace pics up. A few riders swarm by on either side and I'm getting pushed back a few places.

We start the final climb and my left leg starts to cramp. Uh oh...not this shit again. I'm dropping off the pace as I watch the group in front ride off. WTF!!!!! My stupid left leg always does this to me. I dunno if its fore-aft positioning, cleats, diet, I suck...or what...but my left leg cramps on 90% of the rides these days. Racing or not. So anyway...I just spin up to the line. No prize money for me.

If anyone has input on cramps...let me know. It only happens in my left quad...

Enjoy your night...

Jiminy Peak RR

Embarked Saturday morning around 6:30am for the trip to Jiminy Peak in Mass. I've been waiting for this race for the past month...in that I knew it had some climbing in it. Three hours later we arrived (thanks for the company!). Weather - great; registration, super fast; legs - feeling good. Did a quick warmup and then lined up for the cat4 race - 125 riders. Had one teammate in the race...so that was good to have Paul in there with me. The race consisted of 3 laps...30K each.

First two laps were pretty uneventful. Except for the officials stopping the race! LOL. One lap in a few riders were tossing water bottles into the grass. WTF...is that "really" necessary? So a few guys admit, they are DQ'ed...and we resume. A few breaks go off the front on the next two laps...but both are brought back. They never got out of sight...so they were always on the mind of the teams leading the chase. The race basically came down to the final climb...when everything came back together.

Before the final uphill...there is a fast right hand turn off of a downhill. I was told to stay in the top 10 around this turn...and then shit would go ballistic up the climb. It did...unfortunately I was about 30th guy in line. As the climb started I sprinted past a few riders trying desperately to reach the front of the race. The climb has an initial rise...flattens...and the pitches up to the finish. As I reached the flat section a group of about 17 had "just" nipped off the front. There was no one helping me pull, and I just could not close the gap up to those riders. Crossed the line in 20th. I keep thinking back: "If only I was in the top 10 around that turn..."

It was hard to move up the field the entire race...but I did have a few chances to pop out at the front on the final lap...but hung back thinking to conserve a bit more energy. When I get those chances next time...I'm taking them. Some pics from Saturday:

effin' old

While on the subject of teaching...I figured I'd post up some retro sketches that have been on the walls forever. The room I teach in is pretty old...its like a neglected room that isn't really part of the design department. So there is stuff in there that was probably left in the 80's...and well, just left there. These old foam-core mini models, some others made from thin acrylic, ancient magazines...etc. I wish I had the power (and time) to totally give the room a makeover. But, being an adjunct I don't really have that power.

Anyway...these three sketches were probably done by guys with mullets sometime in the mid-80's. The corvette sections may be the newest...perhaps the first two were done by someone in bell-bottoms. Last sketch was one of mine that has been lying around in that room for at least a year, lol. I seriously think that the design department does not know this room exists. It just appears on the course listing and on my contract...with myself and the students only knowing about it. The janitors come in everynight to empty the trash...but nothing else. Maybe next semester I'll propose a revamp!

Kean...ouuut

The spring semester has come to a close at Kean. Totally flew by...although it was a week longer than in the past. I experiemented with a few new ideas this semester...which definitely seemed to help out the interior designers. I'm glad...because I tend to weigh the course on my own background...product design. Below are some glimpses of the final photoshop renderings that were turned in...11x17 prints...and a digital file of course! A few students were rocking the textures...which was awesome to see: