Ronald Reagan Criterium 2010

Dixon, IL

I remember the 80s as a mostly dismal decade of Greyness, unemployment, blue eyeshadow, perms and shoulder pads. Musically, there was a golden age from 1978-83, then it all started to go horribly wrong. The charms of the Linn drum machine waned, to be replaced by hollow formula music and computerised farting.

Amongst those memories, Ronald Reagan stands prominent. In my opinion he was one of America's worst presidents. In foreign relations he did great harm to America's reputation in the world. Before Ronnie most of the world actually liked America. After Ronnie and his innovative policies, America's name was dirt. By effectively codifying the Fifth Freedom - the right to screw over your fellow man unimpeded - he initiated an era of naked Capitalism that made us feel good about ourselves for being selfish and greedy. We're still paying the price, both politically and economically, for his presidency.

That said, Ronnie was certainly no elitist. From a humble upbringing, he is probably the last American President not to graduate from Yale or Harvard, was president of a union, and certainly didn't care about your background as long as you could screw people over better than the next guy; and make money doing it. He also was The Great Communicator - he could tap into a place in the hearts and minds of the American people that no other post-war president could find and sell his city-on-the-hill hokum to great effect.

What's this got to do with bike racing? Not much, but it wasn't enough to put me off participating in the Ronald Reagan Memorial Crit in Dixon, IL (his hometown) last Saturday. I already had done the Hooverfest race (commemorating an underrated President) so I might as well do this one. Smalltown races are the best anyway.

The race was well-organized, reasonable entry fees (with a nominal $10 for a second race), safe, with plenty of volunteers and top notch race commentary. It received a deserved boost in attendance. Due to downtown reconstruction the 0.8 mile course was somewhat changed, L-shaped, it was faster and eliminated a couple of sketchy corners. Running it clockwise and moving the start/finish line meant that the roughest portions were uphill and the finish was safer. The main feature was a bumpy rise into a headwind, good to launch an attack, followed by two corners and a long tailwind section to a slight rise to the finish, all the corners were wide, so accordeons were not played much today.

Masters 4/5: About 30 starters. Cat 4s don't really start to tire until 25-30 minutes, so a 30 minute race is always going to be difficult for a non-sprinter like me. The first 10 minutes were the usual over enthusiastic surges at the back, so much so that I chose to tailgun it for several laps, moving up to the middle when the panic had died down and everyone was a bit more used to the course. After 15 minutes nothing much had happened, I sensed the pack start to slow a bit and started to move to the front to see what was going on. Just then the announcer announced a prime for a 20-pack of something or other. It had to be beer! So I hammered it off the front, got a gap, maintained it for the lap and sprinted for all I was worth for the last couple of hundred yards, just to ensure that no-one surprised me at the line. Noone did and I won my first ever prime.

Had a big gap with noone chasing. Might as well go for it. Stayed out there for 6 laps but needed 7. They let me hang as I expected them to. The time gap decreased then increased, but never more than about 12 seconds. I put myself in too deep a hole going for the prime, never properly recovered, and it was controlled pain management and oxygen deficit disorder until I succumbed. I did manage to pick up a second prime for my trouble though. Being in front meant that I could choose the best lines and pedal through all the corners, which was a lot of fun, but only prolonged the agony. Meanwhile, the Cat 4s did what Cat 4s do best - nothing - and they caught me coming up to the bell. I retired to mid-pack which is where I finished.

Had I measured out my effort a bit better, I could maybe have surprised them, or at least forced them to work, but it was another Cat 4 criterium condensed to a 20 second effort.

Zero attacks, initiative or willingness to work.

1st half of race 24.5 mph, 2nd half 25.3 mph.

Open 4/5: More of the same. Several solo OTF efforts left to dangle. At least 3 or 4 people turned up to race anyway. I made several abortive efforts that didn't get anywhere. One half lap effort getting hauled back by an unattached rider who then sat up. Found that a bit strange.

With 5 laps to go they announced a prime for a Ronald Reagan T-shirt. Nothing, not even the guy 15 seconds off the front, was going to stop me from getting that T-shirt. I just wanted to see the look on Mrs F's face when I presented her with the special prize I won for her.

I launched up the hill, railed the corners and put it in the 53*12 for the last 300 meters. Caught the leader with yards to spare and snagged my prize. Ok, that done, time to work together and set up a break.

I zoomed around turn 1, ready to get organized .. and started retching violently. Ok, forget about the break. Time to recover. Apologies to Eric of BH for getting his hopes up.

The pack caught me, I tried to latch on but only managed to get on the very back. 3 primes in a row kept the pace high so no recovery for me. It was a full field, apart from the two guys who nearly killed themselves in a collision when sprinting for a pack of Jelly Bellys, that started the last lap together when the pace eventually ramped up. I managed to move up to halfway for the final corner, but the larger field meant more chances to hide for the sit-ins and too many fresh legs made it was a much faster sprint than the previous race.

These races were notable for the complete lack of aggression and willingness to work shown by the riders. Honestly, why do you race? If you weren't hanging on at the back for dear life it was easy to get to the front and make things happen. I race with the hope of getting better, going faster, trying to learn and enjoy. If I don't learn from a race I don't enjoy it, and I don't get better.

If you come in with complete lack of ambition, with the intention of feeling good about yourself by not getting dropped, staying anonymous mid-pack for the duration, laughing at those who give it a go and then handing the top spots to the three pure sprinters and the couple other strong 500m effort guys in the field - what's the point? Why not stay at home and wrestle with your granny for control of the remote? You may not have a greater chance of winning but at least it will fulfil that competitive edge that you fail to bring to a bike race. I have DFL'd more races than I can count, but I have never turned up to a race with the intention of not racing and not doing my best. How many of the Illinois Cat 4s can say that?

That said. Very enjoyable event. Great atmosphere. Can only get bigger.

That 20-pack? Laxatives, I think. Same effect as the Ronnie shirt.

My wife's reaction when I presented her my very special prize? Let's just say that I'm glad I built a very luxurious doghouse - that's where I'm writing this right now.

Iowa State Road Race 2010

{Insert smartass remarks about Herbert Hoover, Hooverfest, Hooverball, Great Depression etc and draw ludicrous analogies to bike racing}

Last year this was the hardest race I had ever done. 25 mph ave speed in 25 mph cross winds. I got dropped with a few miles to go. No-holds-barred survival of the fittest. The way a state road race should be.

I've always enjoyed racing in Iowa. Friendly folks who race hard. So I was really looking forward to the 2010 edition and a break from the lame Cat 4 groupthink that Chicago has brought to a fine art. Unfortunately, the virus has spread.

Nice course. Roads in superb condition. Lots of rollers but only 1 significant hill. 27 mile rectangular loop with every side exposed to a crosswind, it seemed.

Very poor turnout. For such a well-organised race, with low entry fee, wheel trucks, lead car, motos, and the support of the locals, only 20 Iowa cat 4s bothered to turn out to honour their State Championship. Throw in a few out-of-staters and the peloton started only 25 strong.

Neutral rollout out of town and my teammate breaks his right shifter - he's stuck in the 11T for the next 54 miles and a choice of either 39 or 53 to pair with it. This is a big blow, because he's very strong and is always up for an attack. Between the two of us we could really have made our mark on the race. Instead he's forced to go to the front and set tempo at a pace he can handle and make sure to get a clear shot at all the downhills to minimize the out of the saddle mashing on the ascent. Didn't stop several others from closing down any gaps he got, even though everyone knew his predicament.

Not a huge team presence, 6 from New Pi, 3 Dice and 3 Rasmussen plus a mish-mash of all the other Iowa teams. New Pi sent several riders on off-the-front efforts while the other two teams did nothing, not even chasing, until the last mile.

The rain came down with varying intensity over the duration. It was welcome, cooled us down and made me homesick. The wind was mild, maybe 10 mph, strong enough to make solo breaks too hard but not enough to make guttering worthwhile, or to have any wear and tear on the pack.

Not much noteworthy during the race. I tried several off the front efforts but got chased down. Also attempted several bridges to solo breaks - jump for 10 seconds, get a gap, strong 30 second effort to get on first guy's wheel, look behind, find the pack on my heels, pull off, pace immediately slows down. This happened several times, so I gave up and resolved to let any solo attacks ride away if they could.

Strange thing is that every roller and hill was hammered at a huge effort, then we would slow down again until the next hill. Given the lack of work being done, most legs were still fresh enough to do this, even after 50 miles. So much so that we succeeded in dropping exactly zero riders.

The order of the day was neutralize any bridge attempt, then slow the race to a manageable pace - manageable often being 19 mph or so. Don't know why this is considered a racing tactic, you're basically handing the race on a plate to the 2-3 real sprinters who are hiding mid-pack and laughing away at all the fools marking each other out, knowing full well that they'll come out to play when the finish line looms and their fresh legs will ride away from the rest.

It's a state championship - honour it. If you don't want to race then at least give those who came to race a chance. Tootling along at pedestrian pace and sprinting up the occasional hill does not make you a racer or the event a race.

After all the abortive solo attacks, bridging efforts and, out of boredom, keeping the pace up at the front - my legs were pretty much toasted. Heart Rate was remarkably low but power was either recovery/endurance effort or way anaerobic. Far too many matches burnt. Nothing much else happened. We had a few heavy rain showers and a few more abortive solo breaks left to dangle until we finally made the turn for home.

The last four miles is the best feature - a drawn-out drag race. Narrow road, gradual uphill, a few rollers and a crosswind, with the last 500 meters being about a 3% grade to the finish line. I fought hard to make my way up to the front and stay there. There were plenty of wheels jockeying to get into the 5 man paceline at the front. I opted to ride mostly parallel, soaking up more wind but better positioned for the inevitable swarm.

I managed to maintain about 6th position, with a good line of riders following my wheel, but none opting to try to come around. The pace was gradually upping the closer we got to the finish and plenty of digs were required on the mild rollers in order not to fall back.

With about 600 meters to go the shenanigans started. Too many fresh legs who had done no work. A few riders tried to bully their way past me, I was ready and jumped to counter. A junior who, several people noted, had problems riding a bike straight tried to sprint past but only managed to smash his bars into my hip (I have the bruise to prove it). No danger to me but I had to slow down a bit to steady him up and prevent him from crashing. A few riders got past me - now relegated to about 12th.

We hit the feed zone at the base of the hill, the riders in front fan out and the sprint is on. I do what I can on the uphill but it isn't much - the legs hurt like heck. I have to wait for those in front of me to blow up, which they do, and I pass them in the final yards to sneak into the top 10.

Top 10 in a state championship is nothing to be ashamed of, but I'd much rather be dropped from a hard race than get a respectable finish in a lame one.

In retrospect, I regret not trying harder in the last couple of miles, I should have worked harder to stay in the top 3 wheels. It wasn't as hard as I expected. I've learned that, when it's a relatively difficult approach to the finish, position is everything - it's difficult to get swarmed; the guys who work to stay at the front are the ones who finish on the podium. Try harder, finish higher.

If I had sat in the whole race and just some to the front for the last couple of miles I would easily have been in the money places and maybe top 3. But if you ever see me sitting in for the sprint... please shoot me.

One thing I have to note were the guys headbutting each other in the sprint Cavendish-Renshaw style and boasting about it afterwards. Moronic.

Anyway, great venue and organisation. Glad to be able to support it. Iowa City Cycling Club do a great job. Pity that a State Championship couldn't be raced a bit more positively, but my fault for expecting anything better. Oh well, riding in the rain was exhilarating and the last three miles were am enjoyable, intense headrush.

Of course the top finishers were the guys who did no work and made no contribution. That's Cat 4 racing - hand the win to a guy with a decent sprint and feel good about yourself because you didn't get dropped.

For the powergeeks: 2:17:45, 23.4 mph, Ave HR 140 bpm (very low). AP: 215W NP: 275W, 57% recovery/endurance/coasting, 27% supra max (too high). Very little time spent at threshold or race pace.

Last 3 miles, 27 mph, 302 W. Uphill Sprint: 460 m, 35 seconds, 31 mph, 510 W (low)

{Insert more smartass remarks about Herbert Hoover, potatoes and draw more ridiculous analogies to bike racing}

Mississippi Bluffs Road Race

Mississippi Bluffs road race is one of those goofy-charming events that ABR occasionally throws up. I like the loop a lot. 3 miles or so of narrow quiet roads with a bit of sand and gravel and quite a few twists. Onto a wide straight section that leads into a screaming safe downhill to a sharp right hander immediately followed by a long, two-tier 5% hill, a few minor rollers, a short steep hill and a long, exposed gradual descent to a narrower road with a couple of right handers and slight uphills. The finish is tricky; a steep 1/4 mile hill, descent and a 500m 2% grade to the finish line. Jump on or before the hill and try to hold the gap into the wind for a mile, hammer it as soon as you see the finish in the distance and risk giving a free leadout to the others or running out of gas, or wait until 200 m to go to sprint and risk getting caught out and starting too late. No perfect way to do it - depends on your own strengths and the dynamics of the group.

Anyway, of the 15 miles in the loop about 2/3rd is good quality roads with a hard shoulder, 5 miles or so are 2 lane blacktop with no shoulder and occasional sand and gravel. A few hundred feet of climbing per lap is enough to sap the legs after a few laps, combined with the ample heat, tail and crosswinds there are plenty of chances to attack; and once a well-organised break gets away - it's not coming back.

Previous years the race had only been two laps, not long enough to drop anyone - and it had all been decided in a mile-long drag race to the finish. So when I saw that this year's race would have 4 laps for the open and 3 for the masters I was excited. That extra length, combined with the course, would make it a lot more testing and should provide for a challenging and enjoyable race.

Being ABR, things like the centerline rule, littering and other such inconsequential rules are pretty much left up to the honor of the riders. As long as they're not too grossly violated don't expect anyone to care. Oh, and expect a two week wait for results.

Donnie and his Dicecyling crew had put a lot of work into the race over the past few years, combine that with a bargain $20 entry fee (half that of superweek) and the lack of available Road Races - this event was one that I was determined to support.

By some unfortunate scheduling, there was also a MTB event taking place nearby that drew away riders and volunteers. The DOT also decided to carry out some last minute roadworks on two sections of the course. Full credit to Donnie for taking this in his stride and sweet-talking the DOT and Police forces to cooperate. It all ran smoothly and the road crews very graciously gave us right of way when safe - it never proved to be an issue.

The race itself tends to attract mainly older masters. It's one of the few that attracts appreciable turnout for 50+, and 60+ and even a few 70+. Numbers vary a lot. Very few Iowa riders are familiar with ABR and the level of open, junior and Women riders tends to vary in some weird random fashion. Last year there were a fair number of juniors and ladies, this year only one lady. Numbers were down a bit - partly due to the crazy MTB conflict, but mainly because of the weather - many didn't fancy a 60 mile race in a heat index of 100F+. Neither did I, but it's not enough to stop me from racing.

Although I would have been better suited to the masters, I registered for the 1/2/3/4 opens because some teammates were going to come along and we were all going to race together. They never showed, so when the open cat assembled we were 13 strong - three Cat 1/2s, eight Cat 3s and just two 4s. Had I known this I would have registered as a 3 in order to make it a better race.

First lap was pretty chill. Everybody was aware of the heat and rode sensibly. I, along with several other, started with 4 full bottles. The pace was moderate bar a few crazy-fast accelerations injected by the 1/2 guys. I've never encountered this in a cat 4 or master's race. I guess this is how the fast guys race. Everybody held on, bar James from ABD who flatted, and almost everybody (with one dishonorable exception) took their fair share of pulls.

Second lap was the same, easy with a couple of scary pace changes thrown in. Mid way through I had a bit of luck, we had come over the longish two-tier hill and hit a sharp 1/4 mile kicker into a headwind. I was first wheel and hit it at a fair, but non-blow up pace. Halfway up a train of 5 riders come past me, the pace was high and I was hurting, so was tempted to save some energy and sag to the back. I thought better of it, swallowed the pain and jumped on. Lucky I did. We hit a wild 30+mph over the top and kept it up for several minutes. I hung on. When things calmed down I looked back and we had shed maybe a third of the group.

Just before the start of Lap 3 two riders jumped on the hill, a third bridged, and they were away. After we figured out that they were the three 1/2 guys everyone else was content to fight out the cat 3s amongst themselves. It would have been tempting to try to bridge, but I doubt if the others would let me go.

Lap 3 we kept up a reasonable pace in the heat and rotated through smoothly - no more crazy pace changes. At this stage it became clear that one rider from PACT was not working and ticking everyone off. Everytime he'd get to second wheel he'd languidly drop off and fall to the back - usually over the yellow line if it kept him out of the wind. In a group of half a dozen those shenanigans become embarrassingly obvious. A number of people spoke to him but it was a waste of time. He'd feign lack of understanding and start rubbing his calves in fake-cramp mode.

James who flatted was still out there two laps later. A teammate, the only lady rider, stopped and gave him a tube, I believe.

Mindful of the possibility of being caught by dropped riders, I kept the pace high the couple of times it flagged. The smaller the group the better for me. Turning the corner in to the wind another rider dropped off from heat/exhaustion. We were down to 5.

A mile into lap 4 we came upon one of the cat 1/2 guys with a flat. The XXX rider, who had been riding strongly, then dropped out and told us to continue on - down to 4. At this stage I knew I'd be able to make it to the finish and wasn't worried about being dropped or not. Two of the others started laying down sudden jumps to try and drop the wheelsucker. Didn't do it very well though. The first guy would get a gap, I wouldn't react, the 2nd guy would then lay down some power to bridge up with the wheelsucker on his wheel. This happened several times, the other two taking turns jumping but then dragging the wheelsucker back up with them each time. Seemed like a good way to wear yourself out. Not once did they succeed in forcing him to expend any extra energy. I told them that it would be much better if they both jumped simultaneously while the wheelsucker was on my wheel, thereby forcing him to chase, but they didn't seem to get it.

This went on for a few miles until a rider joined us from behind. It was the Cat 1 with the flat, XXX had sportingly given him his wheel and he had buried himself to catch us. We started rotating smoothly, minus any help from our PACT friend of course. As he was clearly a musclebound sprinter type the best chance to put some hurt on him was on a hill. I went to the front and killed it up the sharp hill where we had dropped a few riders two laps previously. Got a gap on him, crested the hill and yelled at the next guy to pull through to hammer it - he promptly eased off and it was gruppo compatto again. That was the end of that. I then got an earful from the Cat 1 for not rotating smoothly. Sorry man! I guess you know better - not your personal leadout train quite yet.

Nothing much happened on the rest of the lap. We had some fun trying to get the sprinter dude to go to the front - at one stage he ended up there by accident and we all eased off to leave a gap. He slowed down and started to rub his calves somewhat worriedly. Nearly fell off our bikes laughing.

Curiously dysfunctional group - wheelsucking got to a couple, I was mad about littering, another guy mad about a flat and a missed win and everyone put in bad temper by the heat. We didn't work together well.

It was clear that the cat 1 guy was much stronger than anyone else, but I'd fancy my chances one-on-one against any of the other three riders. In a group though my function is usually to come second last in any sprint situation - much like CBR Luke in that respect. It would be fun to be in a break with him to see who would come last or who would try to break off the front the earliest.

I thought there would be a chance that the others might mark each other out, so I jumped about 1/2 a mile before the last steep hill. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that there was still $30 on the line for 3rd place. The Cat 1 wasn't having any of it and he chased me down, dragging the others back up.

We hit the hill with a mile to go. Last year I got jumped and gapped on this hill, so I kept a strong pace up the ascent. Nobody came around. Kept the speed up on the downhill without straining myself - nobody came around. Hit the uphill with 500 meters to go and I punched it. After 60 miles in sweltering heat I had only 10 good seconds in me when I needed 40. They came around me with 350 m to go. Cat 1 winning the sprint easily for 3rd, with the PACT guy, whose cramps had mysteriously vanished, sucking his wheel all the way for the Cat 3 win. Then a big gap to the Cat 3 junior, another gap to me, and an even bigger gap to the last Cat 3 of our bunch who blew up even worse than I did. Second last in the group again!

6th overall. Three 1/2s and two Cat 3s ahead of me. 12 or 13 starters, 8 finishers.

Didn't really feel the heat until the last couple of miles - then was quite overcome - couldn't even talk. Stripped off as much as I could dare and headed for the pump for an improvised standing shower. Cooled down after a while, exchanged a few war stories, thanked the organizer for all his good work and hightailed it for home.

For powergeeks - time 2:43:24, 61.17 miles, 22.5 mph, AP 214 W, NP 261 W. HR 157 bpm. IF .886 - fairly mellow race with some strong surges, indicative of the heat and riding in a chase group with no incentive to really push it.

There were some problems with the results, but they got changed after a couple of emails. Fun race, great course, deserves support, roll on next year.

What I am going to get worked up about is this - Littering! There were two riders in my group who had no problem with throwing their gel wrappers into the ditch and launching water bottles into a hedge. I know who you are, you know who you are. You got some abuse from more than one rider because of it but ignored everything. I can give you all the cliches about coming over and dumping all my trash on your lawn, or how you are doing your best to destroy the few road races we have. The cliches are still true. Just because it's ABR and you would probably have to shoot an official to get DQ'd does not make it alright. Any rider who litters is contemptible and does not have my respect as a rider or a human being. Sound harsh? It's supposed to!