Seasons over

Well, races are done for the year.

30 races

3 time trials
2 stage races
2 mountain bike races
4 track days

2 wins!
2 more helping Larry
3 more podiums

I probably went a little far with the number of races. I'd like to it be closer to 20, but track racing and stage racing kept things interesting.

My sprint was pretty good and I could put down power where I needed to. My TT definitely needs to improve, and entering more TTs would probably help. My climbing was just good enough that I wasn't in trouble, but that may change in cat 3 races.

The races that really stand out to me are Tour de Parc (duh), Giro di Jersey and Fitchburg (stage racing is fun), and Naugatuck (2 hours of criteriums, 120 miles total). I like the criteriums and I think I'd like to do more next year. Next year I want to use races for training more, too, specifically the 1/2/3 Prospect Park races and the weekday track races.

For now I've been doing a lot of running. 24 miles this week (which, for me, is a lot). More on that later.


OK I lied, there might be one more race this year: anyone interested?

Womens world champs.

Big news in the world champs today.

No, not that (Kristin) Armstrong won, though that is pretty cool. No, its that the tiny country of St Kitts and Nevis, with its population of 40,000 (about the same as my hometown) was able to field two riders. 'So what' you may say. And true, they did finish dead last and fourth from last in the TT, but that this tiny country even fields a team is amazing. Each country needs a certain number of UCI points, from UCI races, to qualify to send two riders to world champs. To get these kind of results from a limited gene pool shows certain dedication to the sport which is hard not to admire.

If all this sounds a little familiar, its because I wrote about Bertine's crazy journey last year. Its good to see a dream coming true.

In other news, Kristin Armstrong never looks so good during a TT. It looks like she's about to die here:

Weight

In January, I was (Don't round up!)
All summer, I was
I'd like to be
(cuz then I could climb)

And if anyone is wondering if its strange for a guy with a BMI of 22 to be this concerned with his weight: I assure you, its a perfectly reasonable level of obsession.

Track Bike

Isn't it pretty?



Custom Serotta titanium frame, D/A drivetrain, too bad its not mine. Greg loaned me his old track bike for the Labor Day meet. 175mm cranks and a good fit combined with some off the track training should leave me with no excuses. It fits just like my road bike, which makes sprinting more natural. Now I just need to figure out how to get Greg to forget I have it...

I always, without failure, chose the slowest cashier at the grocery store. I'm also pretty good at chosing the slowest lane of traffic. All this despite a combined 5 years working at a grocery store and pizza delivery.

Finally!

Shimano started making 11-25 cassettes! I ran an 11-23 all this year and I couldn't tell you how the extra 16 tooth cog felt different than the old 16t-less nine speed. It could just be that I spent all those years mountain biking (or that I still ride a single to work every day), but I've never felt the need for a corn cob cassette. I have, on occasion (Bear Mtn comes to mind), wished for a lower gear. Also, with an 11-25 and a 42 tooth, you can spend a lot less time shifting and have cleaner shifts up front when you need to.

How to win a sprint, by Tom Boonen

Or, How to come in second, despite having better fitness, by Tyler Farrar.

I've been waiting for an American sprinter to show some form for a while now, so watching Farrar these last few months has been a real treat. He's got a lot of potential but still a little rough around the edges, as Tom Boonen shows here.



From the beginning of the of the last turn, it begins to unravel for Farrar. Follow Boonen's Red, Yellow and Black through the video to see whats going on.

2:01 The peleton enters the last turn; Boonen is just inside and behind Farrar.
2:02 Boonen takes a tight inside line while Farrar takes a wobbly outside line
2:04 The group comes out of the turn and Boonen and Farrar bump, Farrar cedes the better line.
2:06 Behind Boonen, Farrar fights with Chicchi for Boonen's wheel and eventually wins it.
2:10 Farrar is forced to close the gap that opened while he was fighting for Boonen's wheel. All this while Boonen has had a clean, steady wheel to follow
2:18 Farrar is still in good position, on Boonen's wheel inside of 500 meters. Boonen has a slightly better position behind Mark Renshaw (aka the reason Cav won all those tour stages), but Farrar should have a good enough sprint to make up the difference.
2:20 Boonen starts his acceleration and moves right, Farrar slides to Boonen's right. This is the key point in the sprint, Tyler needs to make use of the open space to the right and accelerate past Boonen or back off and wait for a differnt line, but instead hesistates.
2:21 Farrar starts his acceleration, but it is too late.
2:23 Boonen has moved right and closed the hole Farrar was trying to use.
2:24 Farrar has to stop and restart his sprint to the left.
2:26 Farrar is boxed in by Renshaw and has to wait to come around Boonen.
2:28 Enough of a gap opens that Farrar can accelerate, but he's within 50 meters now and doesn't have the space to get around Boonen.

All of this happens in less than 30 seconds and its never a bad thing to be runner up to a guy with Tom's resume, but if Tyler had made just a single decision differently, he would have had an easy win. Tom illustrates how the right moves can make up a big difference in fitness at the end of a race. Nevertheless, Tyler has shown to be in the top level of Euro sprinters which is the first time an American has been there.

First Try at Track Racing

Yesterday I picked up Mark and headed down to the Kissena velodrome to give track racing a try. I borrowed a bike (a Gitane!) and entered the cat 5 race. Mark was nice enough to give me a few tips as we warmed up. Apparently it worked, cuz I won the three races I entered, the Win and Out, Points and Scratch races. Hopefully I can make it back next week to race on the track some more.

During the racing I got to meet no one line and some other cool trackies. I like small events, people are a little more friendly when there aren't 150 people in a race. Kind of reminded me of ski jumping.

Hurrah!

Dear Karl Nelson, The following request to change your USCF category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:knelson3111 - 2009-07-21 9:14Member: Karl NelsonLicense: Road RacerRequest to change category from Cat 4 to Cat 3

Short Thoughts

If you scroll down and listen, Jens Voigt reluctently says he won't ride this years Tour of Denmark, which I guess implies he was planning on riding it before his horrific crash. I didn't realize it until now, but the Tour of Denmark starts only 2 days after the other Tour finished. Thats 26 days of racing over one month. Wow.

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Giant is releasing some light mountain bikes next year. They're offering a Reign X frame with almost 7" of travel that comes in just over 6 pounds. For comparison, the '06 BMC Fourstroke I sometimes race on weighs about the same.

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If you like watching the Classics (races, that is) you need to be watching Cyclocosm's How the Race Was Won. His blog is alright, but these 3 minute highlight reels break down the race in frightening detail. He's at his best covering one day races, where skill and guile can make up for brute strength and every little tactical move is important.

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I've added a link to the side to search my blog. Everyone should have one of these in their blogs, since blogs are a sort of personal history.