New Cognition Site

Hi! I know I don't post much here anymore. Mostly that's because my time is 100% accounted for with training, the new job, and working on Cognition. On that note, check out the new site! We're pretty pleased with it, our buddy and mountain biking machine Cory Gwin did a great job on it with some special design work by Jesse Lalonde. Thanks, guys!


Coming up next on the calendar: the H8TER 100. Check the kittenfactory for details.

Baraboo RR

It was drizzling before the race and pretty chilly. Maybe that explained the comparatively low turnout of about 19. It felt like the race was not as hard as last year since nobody was really interested in driving the pace. Instead, the course did its own selection. Despite the modest pace most of the race, the hills would pop a few people as we went along. By the second lap we were down to about 12, and on the last lap we were at 6 at one point until some chasers caught back on.

The final selection was Jason Boynton (Endeavor), Brian Kaker (Beans & Barley), Luke Seemann and John Tomlinson (xXx), Jordan Heimer (Geargrinder), and myself. On the last lap the xXx guys started attacking, but it seemed to me that JT wasn't feeling very good so Luke did a bunch of attacking while he sat on. It looked like Luke was testing people and trying to wear us down more than he was actually attempting to get away, and the Geargrinder rider did the work of closing the gaps nearly every time so I wasn't worried. In fact, I mostly sat in despite some protestations that the chasers were catching us. After we got over the last climb I was feeling really good and felt good about my chances even with the addition of a few chasers. It doesn't make for epic racing and proud storytelling to sit in and wait for the sprint, but sometimes you do what you need to do given the situation.

The chasers caught us on the finishing stretch and nobody wanted to start winding things up. I waited very patiently near the back and positioned myself on the right side, out of the wind. After a couple of false starts, we got pretty close to the line and things opened up. I was on Tomlinson's wheel as he charged up the middle but he ran out of gas and I squeezed through on the right. It's an odd feeling for me to be flying past people in the sprint, but I had a good jump and got past everyone except Kaker, who was a couple of lengths ahead. It was a short, quick sprint and I felt great, like the win was well within my reach. Instead, 2nd is a pretty good result for a race like this.

Love to H8

The H8TER 100 is in the books. The weather was perfect with just a bit of rain/snow/sleet and just cold enough to make you really think about your clothing choice.

For the most part the race went exactly as I had visualized it. After a neutral leadout by Djonn followed by a not-so neutral leadout by Nine, the lead group quickly established itself with myself, Cory, LBC, Maciej, and Scot V. After Cory led through the unfinished trail sections the group was a little spread out so LBC hit the gas to test reactions. Things came together and we rotated smoothly down to the turnaround.

The pace slowed a bit, and even Olson's "not really racing" was still fast enough to be visible behind so Maciej spurred us faster. Soon Cory attacked, I jumped with him, and after evasive maneuvering around a truck at a road crossing we all came back together.

Once the trail turned gradually uphill I got on front and went fairly hard all the way back to Seminole. These guys are strong riders but I was feeling great and wanted to see if I could wear on them a bit, and it felt good to take things into my own hands. LBC dropped off and when we got onto the road we called a truce until the finishing circuit; nobody wanted to play any games in traffic after we've all worked hard thus far.

Unfortunately I must have picked up some glass on the southwest path and flatted around Regent & Park. Deeply disappointed since I was pretty personally invested in this race, I fixed my flat and continued solo to hopefully at least lock up 4th place. I flatted a second time around the Caribou on Johnson St. (I had hastily checked the tire for debris, but apparently not well enough). At this point I refused to DNF so I shouldered the bike and ran the mile or two back to the start/finish. DP's cruiser bike was leaning on a wall inside so I grabbed that and slogged out the final loop.



No sweet hardware for my efforts, but I felt really good and thought the race was amazing. It wouldn't be the H8TER without a little H8.

Results:
Women:
1st - Angie T.
2nd - Patti K.
3rd - Katy S.

Men:
1st - Scot V.
2nd - Maciej N.
3rd - Cory G.

Congrats!

Pics from Robin.

Spring Super Crit

The Sheboygan crit for Saturday was cancelled due to snow and ice on the course, so I took the opportunity to stack some more miles on with a few teammates. The weather was beautiful and there were climbs and town signs to be attacked. Somewhere between five and six hard hours in the saddle with Blue Mounds thrown in for good measure isn't a great recipe for race results the next day, but it's early in the year and I'm not stressing about results just yet so I'll go with training opportunities when I can get them.

Sunday: Frank and my teammate Robert piled into the ol' LeSabre and headed to South Beloit for the Burnham Racing Spring Super Crit. After my usual navigational mishaps, we found ourselves at the Blackhawk Farms Raceway. The facilities were amazing by normal crit standards. Smooth pavement, flat-yet-twisty racetrack with some killer wind, indoor bathrooms, viewing platform over the start/finish of the track. I quickly helped Robert get pinned and set up for his first race and the 4/5s were off. Unfortunately they both fell victim to the mishaps that are inevitable in a 75-rider 4/5s race.

The 3/4 race started as usual, people getting a read on the course and the crosswinds. Attacks went off and were reassimilated. I chased a couple of moves but nothing stuck for a bit. Eventually three or four riders got a gap that seemed to hover for a lap or two, and when I saw John Tomlinson (xXx) move to bridge I was positioned perfectly to grab his wheel. Three or four riders got on my wheel and Tomlinson pulled us all up over the course of the next lap with an impressive display of power. As we approached the break it looked like they were starting to disintigrate a bit so we provided welcome reinforcement. We kept riding hard and worked pretty well together to grow the gap. The break consisted of two Trek/Vitaminwater riders (Julian Baumgartner and Jeff Wat) and one xXx, so I think we probably had the benefit of some solid blocking in the pack. There were also single riders from Vision Quest, Turin, Gear Grinders, and probably one more.

My legs weren't feeling particularly good since I absolutely destroyed them less than 24 hours ago, but I'd rather bury myself in a hard-working break than suffer another pack finish so I took my turns gratefully. Turn, turn, move left to get a draft in the crosswind, turn, turn, move right to find a draft, hammer into the wind, spin out a big gear on the long tailwind section. We flew along for quite a while like that, gaining a solid enough gap on the pack that there was little question this would be the winning move. When it came time for a prime lap (a case of Powerade or the like) there was little need for discussion; the need to keep working together superseded some free energy drinks.

Unfortunately I started to suffer a bit more and started to really feel the fatigue in my legs. I was registered to do the following 1/2/3 race, but I told myself I'd call it a day and just head home if I did everything I could in this break. The 1.9 mile laps started to wear on me and I skipped a couple of turns at the front. I was fading physically with 3 to go but I think at some point it was mental fatigue that caused me to pull the plug. Maybe I could have dug deeper for one or two more laps until the pace possibly slowed to set up for the finish; maybe all I needed was a bit more mental toughness to push through it. Maybe I should have done less work, but I didn't want to be that guy. In any case, I was cooked and lost contact with the break. One feeble lap later I was back in the pack, resenting the churning and unorganized group. This is not the company I wanted to finish the race with.

I can't feel too badly overall, since my primary objective for the weekend was to get some good training in. On that front it was stellar. It's just too bad that I couldn't seal the deal and nab some upgrade points for my efforts. Next Saturday might well be the high point of my spring: the H8TER 100. Sunday is the first GDVC crit, so I hope to see some of you there as well. Whether I'm racing Sunday might depend on how Saturday goes.

Mother nature loves Dio

photo by Djonn

Spring is making its first few attacks, testing so see if winter will let it up the road, and winter is losing the strength to respond. The birds are returning from their training camps down south; fat robins are hopping around, and I saw five or six cranes stretching their legs while I was on a morning ride. The ice fishermen have left the lakes and the muskrats have returned, loitering around their own holes in the ice. Somebody needs to tell the H8TER trail that winter is over. By all accounts it's still early March on the trail. A week and a half left to prepare as thoughts of tire selection and pressure come to the fore. It should be fun to have so many great people and strong riders assembled for a mutual hurtfest.

The Seminole Superhighway is back in full effect; I can't find a moment's solitude to suffer in peace anymore without encountering a rider I haven't seen since last fall, and the bike paths are already glutted with strollers, dogs, and walkers. My winter training grounds have been taken over and it's time to head back out into the rolling countryside.

The WCA opener is this weekend and on Sunday there's a crit at a racetrack in South Beloit. It seems like I'm more fit and focused that I was last year and the fun of racing is amplified by the more simple fun of going fast and riding with a group again.

Breakaway

Kenosha training crit #3 yesterday. It was quite windy this time around, but less cold and it was dry. My legs felt pretty fried from a team ride the day before so I planned on hanging back for the first couple of moves (since last week there were quite a few futile ones that didn't get free), let the legs settle in, and then go with one that looked good. It's only a training race and I wasn't feeling great, but riding smart can often make up for that.

A few uneventful laps went by and at one point I happened to be moving up on the outside of the pack. A couple of guys got maybe a 50 meter gap heading into the stiff headwind, with the pack lined out on the other side of the road, mostly trying to hide and not eager to do the work into the wind. I was in good position on the outside of the pack and decided I didn't want to be left out of this one if it went somewhere. I jumped, and when I looked back there was no reaction from the pack. Over the next lap or so the small gap stretched back and forth with a few more riders getting across eventually, and a group of about 6 of us soon solidified the gap and settled into a rhythm. The gap stayed within about ten seconds for a while, then grew as the pack settled down and apparently lost motivation to chase. After a while, a few more riders made it across, and then Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks, last weekend's winner) bridged up solo.

Looking around at the composition of the break, I was pretty sure it would stick. There was a good representation of teams; WDT, ABD, Flatlandia, Baraboo Sharks... I can't remember who else. There were a couple of guys who were clearly looking strong, and a few like myself who weren't feeling great but were still working hard.

Eventually we got about a minute on the field and settled in for the last few laps. Coming into the last corner on the bell lap I thought had a good wheel, but the two guys who had been going hard sat up in front of me and I got boxed in when Ted Burger (Flatlandia) and Tomasz Boba (WDT) jumped on the right side. Chris Hurst was boxed in near me but pushed his way out to follow. I got around the roadblock and jumped past two other guys with a little shoulder bumping but went too early and died on the long, slightly uphill finish with a strong headwind. Having missed the winning jump, I should have stayed on those two guys until closer to the line to have a chance at 4th, but I'd rather botch a sprint from a break than sit around in the pack all day and botch the field sprint.

Overall a really good race, I rode smart and worked hard and was happy to get into the winning break. My fitness seems pretty much on track for this time of year and it's time to start ramping up the intensity. The next race for me will be in two weekends for the WCA opener at Evergreen Park in Sheboygan.

Bring the H8

100k of asphalt, overgrown railroad bed, crushed limestone, train tunnel, and broken dreams. Unleash your inner H8TER in the 2.0 version of last year's Madison-Basco-Madison spring classic brought to you once again by Djonnymac. See the Kittenfactory for details.

Flyer by Jesse.