Crit and TT

Damn, I forgot how hard racing in a crit was.  Competing in my first crit of the season was both fun and hard as hell.  The constant bursts of acceleration combined with speeds of 30mph+ for 60 min. while your wheels are inches away from other wheels makes for some real action.

There is a local crit race every Tuesday night in Bend but I have not been able to attend any this season, so my crit skills were a little rusty so to speak.  However, I still had a good race and avoided any crashes...which fortunately there were none.  Here are the Results

Hold your line!

Leading the chase in the 2nd group. 

The TT this evening, as mentioned in my last post, was going to be used to gauge how hard to push it during the TT in the Cascade Cycling Classic.  The course is very similar, same course just shorter, and I DO NOT ever practice TT riding.  In fact, I do not have a TT bike.  I always feel like the outsider when I show up for a TT with my road bike and not even aero bars.  Yeah, I'm THAT guy.  Considering I only do 1-2 road races per year, there really is no reason for me to have a TT bike.  I mentioned earlier that the wind was minimal in teh morning, well that all changed for the TT.  It was blowing frickin' hard (~25-30mph) and it was kind of a cross wind; which I always think is the worst kind.  Even though I was only riding tempo, it still felt super hard with the wind.  I hope the legs feel better for tomorrow's road race, because they sure didn't feel that good during the TT tonight.

Racing on tap this weekend

This weekend Bend will play host to the annual High Dessert Omnium Stage Race.  It's not by any means a "big" race but it is a great tune up race for the Cascade Cycling Classic (CCC) Stage Race.  It's a mostly local race with a few Washington and Idaho rides makng the trip over as well.  The TT and Road Race courses are almost identical to what will be in the CCC, so I will be using the TT course in the HD Omnium race to gauge the power output/HR to use during the CCC.  I will be opting to use my power tap wheels vs. super light wheels even though the course consists of a 4.5 mile climb (3-6%) to begin and then 4.5 mile descent to the finish. 

Today consists of a criterium and TT race and Sunday will conclude with the 60-mile road race.  I may decide to wear the helmet cam during the crit today to get some sweet footage.  Could be risky, however.  Stay tuned to find out what I decide.  Should have today's results posted later this evening.

Weather looks great for racing with temps in the high 70's and lots of sun.  The wind seems to be minimal at the moment , but that could change quickly. 

Chasing shadows

I Joined in on the fun for the Tuesday night Hammerfest ride this week.  It's a weekly ride (aka: race) that leaves at 6pm from Sunnyside Sports Bicycle Shop.  Great group ride to mix it up and get in some good hard efforts.  The route is a mixture of rolling hills, windy flats, and a moderate 4-mile climb back into town.

Here's a short video from the ride last night.  You'll notice that the shadows of the riders are chasing us.

4th of July celebration

With the holiday this past weekend, there were many events happening in and around Bend.  As for cycling events, the Bend Super D was the highlight.  Decker continued his domination of Super D's with the win followed closely by local stud Timmy Evans and Portland native Matt Slaven.  The course utilized the Funner/Tiddlewinks trails(same as Pickett's Charge course) as well as some of the lower sections of Storm King (some of my favorites). 

Saturday's group ride was changed from it's normal route of Hwy 20 out to Horse Ridge and back.  Instead, Mike Larsen organized a ride up the roads to Mt. Bachelor and beyond to Elk Lake.  There was a select group of riders so the pace was relatively high.  My goal was to get in several hard efforts, and with Scotty Gray setting an early pace it weas perfect.  I chased him down and then we traded pulls before we were joined by Larsen towards the summit.  Over the 25 miles it takes to climb to the summit, I was able to get in 30 min of high tempo/LT efforts. 

As we waited for the other riders to regroup we then headed down the mountain towards Elk Lake (roughly 9 miles).  Once at Elk Lake we chilled out about 10 min grabbing some refreshments and food before heading back to Bachelor and back down into town.  There are many rollers on the way back from Elk Lake followed by a steady 4 mile climb from Sparks Lake up to Mt Bachelor.  I pulled the group along from Elk Lake to the base of the Sparks Lake climb at a good hard tempo.  Once we began to climb other riders moved to the front only to fade back again.  Larsen, Martin and Seguin (Team Bend Broadband) eventually led the group up the climb.  Around Todd Lake most turned around to do another repeat of the climb.  I, however, continued up to Bachelor and then back down into town.  I had the in-laws in town so I didn't want to be out for too long.

In the afternoon Jenny, myself and the in-laws drove out to Smith Rock to go for a hike.  Again, with the holiday the number of climbers, hikers, runners on the trails was immense. Just about every climbing route had a climber on it.  That made for some good sightseeing.  The weather was very warm and not much of a wind.  Once we got back to the car a nice cold refreshment (Deschutes Brewery - Twilight Summer Ale) was awaiting.  Ahhh, it never tasted so good.

Crooked River snaking it's way through Smith Rock

Challenge yourself!

I'm a big advocate of TRX (Total Resistance Exercise).  I've been using the TRX straps during my off-season training for the past 2 seasons now and believe anyone looking to take their performance to the next level (regardless of sport) needs to give it a try. 

If you want to challenge yourself and have access to the TRX straps, try this TRX metabolic workout (scroll down towards the bottom of page).  Trust me you will be exhausted by the time you are finished.  Nothing better than getting in a solid 30 min. workout. 

If you really weant to take your training to the next level, combine TRX training with a trip down to one of the Athletes' Performance facilities and work with one of the many excellent fitness specialists there.   I was hoping to get down there this past February but was unable to do so...maybe next year.

Pickett's Charge report and Video

Lots of people (over 250) showed up for the Pickett's Charge XC race on Sunday which also served as the RiverCity Oregon XC Series Final.   The trails on Sunday were quite dusty and dry which made it difficult at times to see the trail when riding behind someone.  By the end of the race everyone's face was covered in dust and it sounded like a hospital where everyone was caughing.  Good times!

Check out the race video.  This is on Funner Trail  during the first lap.  I was curretly in 4th at the time.
 
The race unfolded early with Sheppard attacking early during the start loop with myself, Ben T., Brig B., James W., and Brennan W. chasing.  Brig and Ben would each suffer a flat during the descent on the first lap.  At the bottom of the descent James, Brennan and I were joined by a charging Matt R.  We traded leads for the next 30-40  min.  before James eventually dropped back.  Matt and I continued to push the pace trying to catch Sheppard but it was too late.  We crossed the line 2.5 min behind Sheppard for 2nd and 3rd place followed by James W. a few minutes later.

Click here for full results

Next up on the calendar...

Pickett's Charge XC held in Bend, OR.  Last year this race changed courses and moved to the new trail system built by COTA (Funner and Tiddlewinks).  The new trails connect with the Wanoga Sno Park area and make for some really sweet riding.  I would have to say these two trails make for the perfect race course.  It a combination of steep technical climbs, mixed with some technical rocky descents that is all 100% singletrack.  There are also several section of "passing lanes" where riders can choose to go right or left depending on skill (one side is longer but less techy, and the other side is shorter but more techy).   Check out the Race Flyer for full details.

The weather is supposed to be perfect (high 70's).  And I'm guessing there will be an all-star lineup of local talent considering most are in town this weekend. 

I will have my helmet cam on during the race so I will have some good footage to share.  Check back on Tues as I will have updates.

Since we're on the topic of videos...

If you haven't already seen this, it's pretty entertaining and worth watching.  With the Marathon MTB World Championships this weekend in Italy, those who are attending will all be chasing rainbows (hence the colors of the World Champion stripes).
Can you name some of the famous riders who are included?  I could only name 2.

Riding trails near home - video

I haven't had the opportunity this season to ride many trails near home, so when I got the chance I chose to ride some of the local favorites; Storm King, Funner, Tiddlewinks, and COD.  Here's a taste of COD!

One more video from TSE

Here is some more video from my helmet cam during the Trans Sylvania Stage Race.
Click HERE to view it.