Ouch! I finally depleted my fitness or GGP 07

Cycling is so chaotic, in so many ways. You train like a madman, and you feel great and you do great for a while. Then you hit a slump and you refuse to believe you are over-trained so you train harder. Which leads to a dowardspiral of sucking. Then you are forced to take a vacation and you don't do shit for a whole week, well nothing bike related. You sooth your soul with good food and booze. Then you come back and you have an incredible race.

Now a different but equally chaotic pattern develops...no enough time to train and to much recovery. You think to yourself, "my legs will surely atrophy," but you have another good race and then you trick yourself into thinking maybe I don't need to train as much as I thought.

So another week goes by and now you are stuffing yourself with turkey, pie, beer and really anything you can get your hands on. You haven't done any exercise and quite honestly it feels purty good ;-) But your wasteline is expanding and so part of you can't wait to get back on the bike. Although throwing training to the wind and staying up late watching a movie, then TV, all the while driniking beers is hard to contend with ;-)

To add insult to injury, you come home from the Turkey day holidays and your bike is half way disassembled. You tried to start the shimano to SRAM conversion a few weeks ago, but work and the holidays got in the way. So now you are motivated at 12am, your going the distance and not really for speed, but you'll be damned if you don't get the bike together in your time of need.

You finish it and things are good, new bar tape, new shifters, new brake cable stradles to make the braking better, purty much a recipe for disaster ;-) 730am comes around way to early ;-( I grumble, roll over and then pop out of bed. If I can get some coffee going and Meredith out the door in time for her race I'll count that as my first small success for the day. And she's off.

Next up, retreiving mom's car from wherever the hell I parked it 5 days ago. OK, OK tryptophan haze wearing off, oh yes, now I remember where it is.... It was nice to sit and chat with mom, over coffee and toast, before heading off to the race. As I'm getting ready to roll I get a text for help from my team mate Megan, she's lile "we've got not feeders!" I text back, I'm on my way and the world felt like a better place because I felt like a contributing team member.

Speaking of heading off to the race...it was really cool to ride there from home. Last year I was making the trek across from the east bay, but now i'm a City mouse and it felt really cool to be able to ride to the local venue ;-) God I love the Citay!


So I roll into GGP in time to see the women's C race coming around for their 2nd, maybe 3rd lap. I relieve JK of his feeding duties and take over feeding the A40 ladies: Courtney, Megan and MO. MO and Meg aren't looking to excited about racing, but they knew that going in and had a good time anyway. Courtney, I could see struggling, but I could also see the eye of the tiger behind the pain. She went on to finish 3rd with a decent gap on the points leader, Dana, but behind Marrisa, second in the point series.

So to my race. Let's just say that missing the start was just the beginning of the disaster for me that day. Jeremy is telling Lander and I that our race is about to start, being that we're all a bunch of jokers I can't tell if he's messing with us or not. We're like no, he's like ya "go take a look". Sure enough the entire field is lined up about 100yds away. I frantically throw helmet and gloves on while one of my teammates released my bike from the trainer. I begin to run towards the start area, but a large mass of men is charging my directions. I slip behind the passage way near the start finish and wait for the field to go by and the tuck in behind. Holy crap my HR is pegged now.

We go into the first turn off the pavement and into the sandpits and we're bunched up in no time. I quickly dismount and scramble around a few peeps. And the rest as they say is history or rather I was history. Chased the whole time, hurt a lot, enjoyed beers afterwards. Thanks to Murphy for the Speakeasy Prohibition Ale and Big Daddy IPA

My pain profile or "the way to succeed and the way to suck eggs"

CCCX4 - Manzanita Park or how not training sometimes helps recovery!

CCCX#4- Manzanita Park, Prunedale
11/11/2007
CAT A MEN
Score 31/36


After not riding much all week I was a bit worried about the race. I
was also worried cause I didn't have time all week to fix my broken
shifter. I thought saturday would be enough time to swap out the
shimano groupo for the sram groupo. Alas, I didn't have all the parts
nor the motivation. So I called up Geoff and said " hey buddy old pal,
old friend for life. Can I borrow your bike tomorrow ;-)" Although I
was a bit mentally and physically unprepared I still had a good race
minus a mechanical.


After Geoff's race he noticed that his saddle has slipped a bit. I
yanked on the saddle a bit and it seemed fine....alas it was not.
Unforunately I wouldn't find this out until about 3 laps to go. So im
JRD(just riding along) and just as I make my way down the u-turn bumpy
descent I heard a crack and suddenly feel saddle slide....oh crap. I
knew exactly what happened. Just as I was getting to the descending
sections the saddle decided to stand straight up, ready to sodomize me
should I make a wrong move. At any other time this might have even
been erotic, but not during a race ;-)



Anywho, I start losing spots. Up to that point, Grant and I had been
battling it out, swapping place. We were gaining ground on Lander and
Jay, who both got a call up. Bummer, Grant was making me push myself
to my very limits. I haven't breathed so hard all year. In anycase,
the remounts sucked cause I couldn't jump back on the bike due to the
lack of saddle. After the double barriers I near\start finish, I'm
cursing as I carefully remount. Then as I make the u-turn to come back
down the bumpy dirty section, clank, clank, and there goes Geoff's
saddle. Fortunately I'd already yelled out that I need a bike change
as I came up the run-up. Dave was waiting at the dirt\pavement
junction with his steed. Dave you rock. Team you all rock...the words
of encouragement, the feeds...it's awesome to have team support during
the race. Thank you!


I grab Dave's Campy powered steed and hammer in hopes of catching back
on to Grant. But there's no way. With the time lost on the bike due to
the saddle and the change I lost at least 40seconds. I decide to just
give it all I got till the end. With two to go I hear somebody coming
up on me after the double barriers, so I spin up to not let them pass.
Turns out it O'dell(or whoever the leader was) and somebody yells out
" Yea, way to outsprint the leader." Any how, being mentally
incapacitated due to lack of oxygen I decide to take a feed on the
paved section instead of sprinting to stay ahead of the leader, so as
not to get lapped...duuuh! In anycase, I come thru after the leader,
Rod says " your done." But I was so pissed at myself for not staying
ahead of the leader that I forced myself to do one more lap at race
pace. The cool thing is that nobody else came by me...which means
although I got lapped at the end the second place guys was way back!
And had I not had a mechanical I wouldn't have gotten lapped...which
was my orignal goal!

CCCX numero quatro....hmmm, this lack of training thing seems to be working for me ;-)

CCCX#4
Manzanita park
Elite Men


The timbukt2 party was fun, but no real craziness. I think mostly cause the kegs ran out to early. Murphy said "if I would known the would run out of beer I would brought a keg!" He's the guy that's been bringing the Speakeasy kegs to the Pilarcitos races!

The gold sprints were super cool....that was the most intensity I got all week...seriously...this week me and my bicycle were strangers as I played host and hostage to my japanese customers ;-) So many possiblities! I talked to Murphy about intra-competitions and inter-team competions(A40 vs Roaring Mouse, etc).

Timbuk2 office is a super cool space.

Race-

After not riding much all week I was a bit worried about the race. I was also worried cause I didn't have time all week to fix my broken shifter. I thought saturday would be enough time to swap out the shimano groupo for the sram groupo. Alas, I didn't have all the parts nor the motivation. So I called up Geoff and said " hey buddy old pal, old friend for life. Can I borrow your bike tomorrow ;-)" Although I was a bit mentally and physically unprepared I still had a good race minus a mechanical.

After Geoff's race he noticed that his saddle has slipped a bit. I yanked on the saddle a bit and it seemed fine....alas it was not. Unforunately I wouldn't find this out until about 3 laps to go. So im JRD(just riding along) and just as I make my way down the u-turn bumpy descent I heard a crack and suddenly feel saddle slide....oh crap. I knew exactly what happened. Just as I was getting to the descending sections the saddle decided to stand straight up, ready to sodomize me should I make a wrong move. At any other time this might have even been erotic, but not during a race ;-)

Anywho, I start losing spots. Up to that point, Grant and I had been battling it out, swapping place. We were gaining ground on Lander and Jay, who both got a call up. Bummer, Grant was making me push myself to my very limits. I haven't breathed so hard all year. In anycase, the remounts sucked cause I couldn't jump back on the bike due to the lack of saddle. After the double barriers I near\start finish, I'm cursing as I carefully remount. Then as I make the u-turn to come back down the bumpy dirty section, clank, clank, and there goes Geoff's saddle. Fortunately I'd already yelled out that I need a bike change as I came up the run-up. Dave was waiting at the dirt\pavement junction with his steed. Dave you rock. Team you all rock...the words of encouragement, the feeds...it's awesome to have team support during the race. Thank you!

I grab Dave's Campy powered steed and hammer in hopes of catching back on to Grant. But there's no way. With the time lost on the bike due to the saddle and the change I lost at least 40seconds. I decide to just give it all I got till the end. With two to go I hear somebody coming up on me after the double barriers, so I spin up to not let them pass. Turns out it O'dell(or whoever the leader was) and somebody yells out " Yea, way to outsprint the leader." Any how, being mentally incapacitated due to lack of oxygen I decide to take a feed on the paved section instead of sprinting to stay ahead of the leader, so as not to get lapped...duuuh! In anycase, I come thru after the leader, Rod says " your done." But I was so pissed at myself for not staying ahead of the leader that I forced myself to do one more lap at race pace. The cool thing is that nobody else came by me...which means although I got lapped at the end the second place guys was way back! And had I not had a mechanical I wouldn't have gotten lapped...which was my orignal goal!

Okay, so this was just to be a one paragraph updated, but I got so frick'n excited recalling the race that I couldn't help myself ;-)

Cheers
Isaias

Daymn! I'm sore...or Pilarcitos #3

Pilarcitos#3
McClaren park
11/4/2007
CAT A men -24/34

http://www.pilarcitos.com/results/CrossResults/2007/McLaren.html
It was a gorgeous day for racing! We rolled up at about 8am and it was warm enough to walk around in a t-shirt! Dave had dropped off the team tent the day before, so I rolled up and finished popping up the tent. MO got reg'd and I finished up my coffee and chatted up the roaring mouse folks in the tent next to us.

As Dave said, this is no really a 'cross race in the traditional euro style, but more of what's been labeled "NorCal" 'cross. In other words, it's very technical and more like a mountain bike race. One of our friends, Erik the German guy, was there and raced his carbon hardtail and did really well. He said it was easy to pass people as he maintained traction due to having front suspension. And man oh man was this course bumpy! However I disagree with Dave's sentiments about it being over and done with. I love this type of course, but yes it's a mtb course not a traditional 'cross course ;-)

Personally I had a fantastic race despite being stuck in my larger chaining for this first 5 laps! Thanks to Geoff for finally convincing me to take his bike. I was so anaerobic that I couldn't comprehend that he was giving me his geared bike and not his singlespeed. At one point I yelled I need gears and he was like "it's got gears damn it!" So as I rolled up to the bike pit before the double barriers leading into the run up, I ditched my bike, ala ghost riding it, and grabbed Geoff's bike, shoulder it and went bounding up the run-up. Sweet hand off thanks! An aside...man oh man, Geoff's bike handled like a dream with the Flexus tubulars, SRAM shifters and Paul brakes! I'm in need of upgrading my bike!




So by now I'm like sweet, I'll stop losing times on the hills because I can spin now. Doooh! I've never used SRAM and I can't shift into an easy gear. At this point I'm yelling at people, "Hey how do you use SRAM double tap shifter?" Nobody new. Finally Meredith, who was feeding me out on the course, took my question and did some reconnaissance and found out. On the next lap she rode along side me and explained to me how to use it! Not only do I have a hot, cycling girlfriend, but she's also a great team mate!

That's not the end of Meredith's support. Before the race I'd decide to carry a GU with me, so that I wouldn't fade near the end. Well, with such a bumpy course the little GU packet shook its way right out of my pants ;-) So I was like crap I need a GU. I yelled out to Meredith, “I need a GU." I missed our first handoff and said meet me on the other side of the course. Sure enough, when I got to the paved climb, before the descent to the other long paved section, there she was! I grabbed the GU, grabbed the water bottle and swallowed it all. Yuck, Cliff Shots are too thick for racing! All the while MO is yelling at me..."Nick is only 10 seconds up on you." I focused and applied more power to the pedals.

It's crazy, I felt so good for this race. My legs felt great and my cardio wasn't too bad either. I worked really hard and was actually hanging with the leader for the first lap. Some of the fast guys like Jason Rawles and other fast dudes didn't catch me till the second lap! I would attack all the flat and I had power. I would attack the hills, mostly because I had too for most of the race since I was stuck in the big ring! Maybe being stuck in the big ring made me push hard an have a better race? In any case, every lap I kept getting smoother and smoother thru the technical sections. My legs started to feel like they might cramp, but they never did.

In the end I put in a hard sprint finish and while aerobically I felt like throwing up, I could have done a few more laps because my legs didn't feel that bad!

I felt like I’ve recovered and am making a come back! I had a blast with the team. Watching the women’s race unfold was so exciting. It was especially cool to see both Megan and Courtney shooting up the run-up just ahead of the one-two combo of mouse girls, Dana and Marissa, followed by hot little green Jersey of Meredith about 5-6 back. Meredith had a tough race ahead of her because she had totally roadie gearing, as in 39 front ring, 26 biggest rear cog! She could’ve used a nice 34 or 36 in the front. Fortunately, no other races have this much climbing! Congrats to Courtney for a decisive victory!

Gary went off next and didn’t seem to be suffering to bad, or at least he didn’t show it. Unfortunately Gary had to bounce off to work and missed out on the festivities and Sausage roast. We also missed Gary’s delicious food ;-(

Next up was Glen, JK, and Geoff in the 35+ A cat. JK and Geoff to be having a great race, but Glen seemed to be suffering a bit. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to catch of before you bounced. You missed out on some tasty sausages.

Next up was Lander and myself in the A’s. You already know how my race unfolded and I’ll let Lander tell you his side of the story.

Then our biggest field, men’s open Bs: Matt T, Dave, Ty, Nick, and Anthony. The race started of by a spectacular lead out by Anthony. Seriously he opened his gap to like 10 seconds on the field. Just a few seconds off was the rest of the A40 crew! There are some cool starting shots that I’ll post later. A bunch green in the front line! Anthony was having an awesome race, maintaining a sizeable gap on the field. Ty was next followed by Nick and Dave. By about the 3rd lap or so all of a sudden Ty was gone. Fortunately, Geoff and I had already talked about heading out on the course in support of the team.

As soon as Ty didn’t come around I was like oh know, I bolted up hill so see how I could help. Sure enough Ty had snapped his carbon seat post in two Geoff got him his bike and was swapped my seatpost\saddle on to Ty’s bike. But it was not Ty’s day. According to him “mercury is retrograde,” whatever the hell that means. Ty you are such a hippy ;-) In anycase, a flat took Ty out the next lap and he was done for the day. I guess mercury affected Anthony too, because he flatted twice and lost his impressive lead!

In the end we had our German friend Erik in 3rd place, our other mountain bike friend, Jeremy, in 5th and then the green: Matt T, Nick S., Anthony battling back to 16hth, and then Dave, with poor Ty dnf, due to “mercury in retrograde.”

Was also cool to see some of my roadie team mates from the Mouse throwing down on the dirt. Dave Parrish, Ammon Skidmoore and Darren Leva!

The party afterwards was a blast. German Sausages, kraut and spicy mustard. Murphy Mack had the Speakeasy Prohibition Ale flowing. An then for some after racing entertainment, Timmy and I had a little wrestling match. I’m not sure what happened, but I turned around and Timmy is putting Geoff in a crazy wrestling move called the “honey mooner.” Knowing Geoff wasn’t a wrestler and wanting to defend our team honor I challenged Timmy to a duel. I took him down, put him in the “honey mooner” and said how you like A40 know beeeeatch! Not to be defeated so easily, Timmy and I went another few rounds on the hard grass. I’m so sore today and honestly not sure if I’m sore from the race or wrestling. I do know that all the bruises and scrapes are from wrestling as I didn’t go down during the race. Pure comedy!

Good time once again! A40 rocks! Pictures to be posted shortely.

Thanks for Reading…Isaias