Getting too comfortable can be a bad thing. It turned pretty sour for me at the end of last week as my shoulder pulled a nice pile drive right into the ground. No broken bones, but awaiting the verdict on the rotator cuff. Needless to say, no riding for quite a while. Extreme bummer considering I'd just got healthy after nearly three weeks of random colds/bronchitis.
On the positive side, at least I shouldn't be burned out come 'cross season. Maybe this year I'll make beyond Charm City Cross riding strong.
Here's a little bit I put together from Hop Brook during the Cat 2 race.
Hop Brook Cat 2 Opening Lap from Scott Frison on Vimeo.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Lessons on the holeshot
I'm not going to say that getting the hole shot would have done me much good at the Hop Brook race on Saturday, BUT I think there is a lesson to be learned here. If you plan to be competitive with the front of the field on a course that involves narrow sections (read single track), you best get to the front at the start and not get stuck behind someone in the first tight section. This especially holds true if that section will be difficult to ride due to technical features and/or slippery mud.
Notice the group come through, then a gap, then the guy struggling to gain traction right in front of me.
Notice the group come through, then a gap, then the guy struggling to gain traction right in front of me.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Opening weekend, 2009
This was the first big weekend of racing for the 2009 season. I'm still just getting the riding going so there wasn't much to be expected for results. Mostly, I knew I'd get some good saddle time on the bikes.
Saturday was the first Root 66 series race at Hop Brook Dam. It was also my first race in the Cat 1 field, formerly known as expert. Right off the start I was somewhere near the back. A little way into the first lap I found myself riding closely with two other guys. Shortly into the second lap, one of them found some strength and pulled away. The other got a small gap on me shortly there after. Every time I closed most of the gap I started to make silly mistakes in technical sections of trail. Finally I caught and passed him. Now, as far as I could figure, this might have been the race to not be DFL. I did not want to be last. Starting the third and final lap, I dug deep and tried to prevent my competitor from passing, and to my pleasure, I found that I was pulling away. I dug deeper. Success ensued, I managed to completely lose him and finish relatively strong.
Did I mention that the race was just that much tougher because of the rain that fell during our entire bout on course? Well it was, rear tires were sliding around going up some of the hills. There was actually more traction in the wet leaves then in the clear line that people were following up the hills.
Upon just checking the results, I found that I actually placed 15th in a deep field of 19 guys.
After my race, I stuck around to watch Taylor in the Cat 2 race. It continued to rain throughout their race as well. Our friend John was also racing in Cat 2, so I got to cheer for a few guys. It was rather fun to watch despite the significant moisture. I jumped around the course and tried to grab some good photos. You can be the judge by looking at them here.
Saturday was the first Root 66 series race at Hop Brook Dam. It was also my first race in the Cat 1 field, formerly known as expert. Right off the start I was somewhere near the back. A little way into the first lap I found myself riding closely with two other guys. Shortly into the second lap, one of them found some strength and pulled away. The other got a small gap on me shortly there after. Every time I closed most of the gap I started to make silly mistakes in technical sections of trail. Finally I caught and passed him. Now, as far as I could figure, this might have been the race to not be DFL. I did not want to be last. Starting the third and final lap, I dug deep and tried to prevent my competitor from passing, and to my pleasure, I found that I was pulling away. I dug deeper. Success ensued, I managed to completely lose him and finish relatively strong.
Did I mention that the race was just that much tougher because of the rain that fell during our entire bout on course? Well it was, rear tires were sliding around going up some of the hills. There was actually more traction in the wet leaves then in the clear line that people were following up the hills.
Upon just checking the results, I found that I actually placed 15th in a deep field of 19 guys.
After my race, I stuck around to watch Taylor in the Cat 2 race. It continued to rain throughout their race as well. Our friend John was also racing in Cat 2, so I got to cheer for a few guys. It was rather fun to watch despite the significant moisture. I jumped around the course and tried to grab some good photos. You can be the judge by looking at them here.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Battle of the Bronchitis
The sore throat and cold that was mentioned last post turned into bronchitis. This was not diagnosed by a medical doctor, rather by logical reasoning that I was around someone that had it, and after a little reading at an online medical site, it seemed pretty clear to me.
Despite dealing with a bit of the effects on the lungs, I felt pretty good and mostly normal I headed for the Plainville Spring Series on Saturday. I felt good at first, I even bridged a gap to a potential breakaway on lap two. We got caught though, and no one wanted to pull at the front as we headed into the strong headwind. Seeing as I was there for the work out, I decided the heck with it, I'll just stay here at the front then and they can go the measly slow pace that was all that I could muster into the headwind. Finally a few riders capable of more speed into the wind decided to pull up through, increasing the speed of the peloton a notch or two.
It was disaster for me. Just tired from the pull at the front, and beginning to feel that I didn't have much left I couldn't hang on to the peleton and promptly got dropped. Each time they came around to lap me, I tried to catch onto them but I just couldn't hold the speed for long. The headwind was really taking a toll on me while I was alone.
Sunday it was off to Rhode Island with Jake for the King of Burlingame mountain bike time trial. The course is quite fun, which was a bonus this year. It was the first race as an expert for me. Considering I haven't really started 'training' yet, I was still suffering from a bit of bronchitis, and the competition was going to be a step up, I wasn't expecting much for results. Riding a fun course was going to bring a lot more joy to the whole event. My legs felt like bricks the whole time and I figured I was slow.
Suprisingly, my bike computer said I was about a minute and a half faster than last year. The 'official' results, listed me as a minute slower. After finally getting to see the results I realized that something just didn't make sense, as I had suspected after hearing my time on Sunday. The way the start order worked with bib numbers, the start intervals, and the finishing time I was 3 seconds behind bib 103 at the finish, real time. He would have started exactly two minutes ahead of me. This simply wasn't the case. There was no one that close in front of me as I crossed the line. There were two guys not far behind me as I crossed the line, but not at a 3 second difference. I did catch bib 106, who started 30 seconds before me, we finished not too far apart. I figure I had about 40 seconds on him, race time. That would place me at 36 minutes 5 seconds, which is nearly identical to the time on my bike computer. I'm pretty sure I should be listed at 17th with a time just over 36 minutes instead of 20th. I could go on about how my time just doesn't make complete sense, but the reality of it is, I wouldn't have won anything anyway.
Ah well, onto the first Root 66 race of the season and Easter weekend.
Despite dealing with a bit of the effects on the lungs, I felt pretty good and mostly normal I headed for the Plainville Spring Series on Saturday. I felt good at first, I even bridged a gap to a potential breakaway on lap two. We got caught though, and no one wanted to pull at the front as we headed into the strong headwind. Seeing as I was there for the work out, I decided the heck with it, I'll just stay here at the front then and they can go the measly slow pace that was all that I could muster into the headwind. Finally a few riders capable of more speed into the wind decided to pull up through, increasing the speed of the peloton a notch or two.
It was disaster for me. Just tired from the pull at the front, and beginning to feel that I didn't have much left I couldn't hang on to the peleton and promptly got dropped. Each time they came around to lap me, I tried to catch onto them but I just couldn't hold the speed for long. The headwind was really taking a toll on me while I was alone.
Sunday it was off to Rhode Island with Jake for the King of Burlingame mountain bike time trial. The course is quite fun, which was a bonus this year. It was the first race as an expert for me. Considering I haven't really started 'training' yet, I was still suffering from a bit of bronchitis, and the competition was going to be a step up, I wasn't expecting much for results. Riding a fun course was going to bring a lot more joy to the whole event. My legs felt like bricks the whole time and I figured I was slow.
Suprisingly, my bike computer said I was about a minute and a half faster than last year. The 'official' results, listed me as a minute slower. After finally getting to see the results I realized that something just didn't make sense, as I had suspected after hearing my time on Sunday. The way the start order worked with bib numbers, the start intervals, and the finishing time I was 3 seconds behind bib 103 at the finish, real time. He would have started exactly two minutes ahead of me. This simply wasn't the case. There was no one that close in front of me as I crossed the line. There were two guys not far behind me as I crossed the line, but not at a 3 second difference. I did catch bib 106, who started 30 seconds before me, we finished not too far apart. I figure I had about 40 seconds on him, race time. That would place me at 36 minutes 5 seconds, which is nearly identical to the time on my bike computer. I'm pretty sure I should be listed at 17th with a time just over 36 minutes instead of 20th. I could go on about how my time just doesn't make complete sense, but the reality of it is, I wouldn't have won anything anyway.
Ah well, onto the first Root 66 race of the season and Easter weekend.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
This Spring seems to have a high K constant
Spring is suddenly approaching rather quickly, I feel like I've barely done much riding to speak of and the important races are drawing close. So far I ventured to Bethel for a short criterium, mostly for the workout, not really the results. Though I finished mid-pack without contesting the sprint. Last Thursday, a whole week ago now, was my last ride. I stopped at the velodrome in Trexlertown, PA on my way to Washington D.C. After going in ovals for an hour I continued my car ride. Upon returning from D.C. I immediately wound up with the second sore throat and head cold in less than three weeks. Riding was a thought, but with a nice chest cough it seems I'll be holdng off for maybe a day longer.
I'll get to see just how poorly prepared I am soon enough. For another work out, I'll be at the Plainville Spring Series for another criterium, then the King of Burlingame mountain bike time trial. I fully expect to get womped in my first race as an expert. I finished midway in the results last year as a sport rider. A week later is the first Root 66 race of the season, Hop Brook Dam. This is the first 'important' race, and at 21 miles, I fully expect to be somewhere way behind the leaders. My primary goal at all of these, not to be DFL. I figure Hop Brook will be my wake up call to start putting some hours in.
My big excuse? I'm claiming that I don't want to burn out a third of the way into 'cross season this year and I'm only racing expert so that I can get a chance to ride longer races. We'll see how it all works out.
In the mean time, here is a video of riding at the velodrome. 25mph doesn't look as fast on video.
Velodrome Riding from Scott Frison on Vimeo.
I'll get to see just how poorly prepared I am soon enough. For another work out, I'll be at the Plainville Spring Series for another criterium, then the King of Burlingame mountain bike time trial. I fully expect to get womped in my first race as an expert. I finished midway in the results last year as a sport rider. A week later is the first Root 66 race of the season, Hop Brook Dam. This is the first 'important' race, and at 21 miles, I fully expect to be somewhere way behind the leaders. My primary goal at all of these, not to be DFL. I figure Hop Brook will be my wake up call to start putting some hours in.
My big excuse? I'm claiming that I don't want to burn out a third of the way into 'cross season this year and I'm only racing expert so that I can get a chance to ride longer races. We'll see how it all works out.
In the mean time, here is a video of riding at the velodrome. 25mph doesn't look as fast on video.
Velodrome Riding from Scott Frison on Vimeo.
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