Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Just Quick
So we are now officially in countdown mode...Saturday is the last day of fun in the sun. Nick and I are off to go ride, pretty much right this second, but before we go I leave you with a parting image. I hope to do a whole series ranging from cycling to soccer. I will keep you posted.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Stage 2=80 miles
A few words from Clayville about yesterday's stage.
Stage 2 interview from Christopher Wingfield on Vimeo.
Stage 2 interview from Christopher Wingfield on Vimeo.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A little bit'a taste o'da glory
Well it's about time I get'r dun, and by that I mean race my bike. This weekend was the Tucson Bicycle Classic (TBC) and my first race of the year. Well kind of the first race of the year, I'd done the shootout down here a couple weekends and got totally powned. I didn't even make it half way through the "race" before getting dropped. So I was a little unsure how the weekend would go. I'll save you the boredom of the first 2 stages, basically I went really hard in the TT, but not really fast. I missed the move in the road race on day 2 but made it into the second move and finished over 7 minutes off the pace. I did glean a few gems from the second stage, namely don't listen to Wingerz and look at the lame race bible they put out for the start times. Oh and don't neglect to warm up, oops. Now for the cherry on top, stage three. I was given the green light by TH to "ride myself sideways" and I wasn't about to miss an opportunity for good ol' fashion flogging. I played it a little conservative for the first couple laps because I'm still searching for fitness and I didn't want to ala Sammy J, swing the battle axe right out of my hands. In the mean while there were a couple moves that went up the road and then got dragged back. Finally on lap 4 a move got away and the group was seeming complacent to let it go. I moved up near the front and Daniel from Colavita turned to me and asked if I wanted to go to the break, uh no thanks I'll just stay back here and circle jerk with the rest of the peleton. Of COURSE I want to get to the break. So he gives me a lead out and I bridge to the break on the hilly section of the circuit. Once in the break I go to work immediately. We roll like this for 4 laps and on the final lap with a gap of about 2 minutes to the pack the break starts to fall apart and people start sitting on and attacking. I keep rolling through trying not to let any gaps open. With about 2K to go I pull through when I turn around everyone has sat up and let a small gap open to me and the guy who just pulled in front of me. This is it, time to get out of dodge. I stomped on the pedals and gave it everything. They started chasing immediately but I created enough of a gap that to close it would have taken the person out of the sprint and they were working as cohesively as a pack of seaguls fighting over a happy meal. I was able to hold it to the finish for the win. I moved up to 8th overall and made enough to afford a victory meal at In'n'out burger. I'll have a Double double animal style without special sauce. Oh and don't forget copious amounts of ketchup, lycopene please.
Racing in the sun!!!
Hello everyone, figured I would send out a race report for my first race of the year. Nick was in the Pro/1 field so you should see his report soon.
So the Tucson Bicycle Classic began on Friday, with a ridiculously shot TT. The 3 miles, consisted of a downhill section to the halfway point, (which took only about 2 minutes to complete) the 2nd half had an uphill section at about 6%. Just before the finish came the last little kicker of a climb, which hurt like hell, especially cause you had to make it a few hundred more meters to the finish once you were to the top. If you had spent to much energy before the last kick you could certainly loose a good amount of time. Oh, it was also really windy, which made it a little more tricky. Anyway I finished 14th in my group of 40 or so riders with a time of 7:55. For the first time in the TT bike in 6 months I was not expecting a great TT, so I wasn't to unhappy with my result, but we always want to do better right!? Also I should not that pacing yourself for 3 miles is really freakin difficult.
Saturday was the 80 mile RR, the course was a 20 mile loop featuring a long false flat section which was into the wind, and a very hilly back section, into a false flat downhill, and finally a right hand turn into a section of new flat pave before the finish. Breaks went off the front periodically but nothing stuck for too long. I sat in, and didnt do any work, pretty much traditional me. However with about a K to go I took a flyer off the front, and made a pretty good gap, with only one rider on my wheel, with about 400m to go I looked back expecting to see the sprint quickly swallowing me up, but my gap was still there, but I was quickly loosing steam. Not wanting to give up, I charged ahead one last time. But it was no good, the sprint blew past me, putting me in 18th place for the day, and 13th in GC.
Today was a much shorter 45mile circuit race. It was a decently hilly course, in which we were to do 8 laps. Having done squat yesterday, and eager to break bad habits, I rode on the front of the pack. On the 3rd lap there was a sprint bonus of 15 and 10 seconds for 1st and 2nd, I began to pull on the front only to find I had made a gap of a 100m or so and 2 other riders were bridging to me. Once we were together we alternated time in the wind, but it became quickly evident that this was not going to work out. We got caught. Hmmmm, this did not come at a good time, especially because I didn't have long to recover before the sprint. I had hoped to attack after the line, thinking that the field would be wanting to sit up afterword. But my legs were not there and neither was my position. Apparently some guys had the same idea that I did, and a break went off, and quickly made a good sized gap. However once we hit the hill, I saw we were quickly bringing them back. But I knew it was time to do some hard work. Especially because Waste Management (the largest team there) had a man in the break, and they just oh so loved to get into the rotation just so the could sit up, and screw it all up. Actually come to think of it, there were only about half a dozen guys wanting to chase back the break, and the rest were content not pulling when it was there turn. This only increased my frustration and fury, so I focused my attention to one thing...bringing back that damn break in which I missed. I figured if I wasn't up the road then neither would they. Riders started popping off one by one from the break, until there was only 2 of them left, and only 2 laps to go. I could see two riders up the road, and the field was happy to sit, I saw this as my one and only chance to try and bridge the gap. I shifted down and went for it. A couple of guys went with me. If I wasn't going to make it then I certainly wanted to reel in the break as much as possible. But the field caught us before we caught the break. But our effort took its toll, and the gap was continuing to diminish. One lap left, and the break was still up the road, I had been in the wind for most of the day, either initiating a rotation (trying to) or finding myself in breaks. And now it seemed as though the break would stick, so with little left in my legs I was content on sitting near the front, out of the wind, and hope for a good sprint. But another WM guy decided it would be a great idea, to attack not one but twice!! What the hell, I wasn't going to let him go up the road, especially because his teammate was such a natural at blocking. So I chased him down both times, buhwahaha, I got him back. But now I was really tired, but I felt my efforts were well worth it. We were now nearing the finish, so I cobbled up some gels, and cranked down on my shoes. It was time to SPRINT! Ha if that's what you want to call it, I had poor position, tired legs and an up hill sprint to the finish. So needless to say I was sprinting for not a whole lot. I was 11th for the day, and now 12th in GC. Nothing at all that great but I felt good about my performance, and so I was not to worried about my final result. This weekend all said and done was a great way to get in some good training in the sun and warmth of AZ.
So the Tucson Bicycle Classic began on Friday, with a ridiculously shot TT. The 3 miles, consisted of a downhill section to the halfway point, (which took only about 2 minutes to complete) the 2nd half had an uphill section at about 6%. Just before the finish came the last little kicker of a climb, which hurt like hell, especially cause you had to make it a few hundred more meters to the finish once you were to the top. If you had spent to much energy before the last kick you could certainly loose a good amount of time. Oh, it was also really windy, which made it a little more tricky. Anyway I finished 14th in my group of 40 or so riders with a time of 7:55. For the first time in the TT bike in 6 months I was not expecting a great TT, so I wasn't to unhappy with my result, but we always want to do better right!? Also I should not that pacing yourself for 3 miles is really freakin difficult.
Saturday was the 80 mile RR, the course was a 20 mile loop featuring a long false flat section which was into the wind, and a very hilly back section, into a false flat downhill, and finally a right hand turn into a section of new flat pave before the finish. Breaks went off the front periodically but nothing stuck for too long. I sat in, and didnt do any work, pretty much traditional me. However with about a K to go I took a flyer off the front, and made a pretty good gap, with only one rider on my wheel, with about 400m to go I looked back expecting to see the sprint quickly swallowing me up, but my gap was still there, but I was quickly loosing steam. Not wanting to give up, I charged ahead one last time. But it was no good, the sprint blew past me, putting me in 18th place for the day, and 13th in GC.
Today was a much shorter 45mile circuit race. It was a decently hilly course, in which we were to do 8 laps. Having done squat yesterday, and eager to break bad habits, I rode on the front of the pack. On the 3rd lap there was a sprint bonus of 15 and 10 seconds for 1st and 2nd, I began to pull on the front only to find I had made a gap of a 100m or so and 2 other riders were bridging to me. Once we were together we alternated time in the wind, but it became quickly evident that this was not going to work out. We got caught. Hmmmm, this did not come at a good time, especially because I didn't have long to recover before the sprint. I had hoped to attack after the line, thinking that the field would be wanting to sit up afterword. But my legs were not there and neither was my position. Apparently some guys had the same idea that I did, and a break went off, and quickly made a good sized gap. However once we hit the hill, I saw we were quickly bringing them back. But I knew it was time to do some hard work. Especially because Waste Management (the largest team there) had a man in the break, and they just oh so loved to get into the rotation just so the could sit up, and screw it all up. Actually come to think of it, there were only about half a dozen guys wanting to chase back the break, and the rest were content not pulling when it was there turn. This only increased my frustration and fury, so I focused my attention to one thing...bringing back that damn break in which I missed. I figured if I wasn't up the road then neither would they. Riders started popping off one by one from the break, until there was only 2 of them left, and only 2 laps to go. I could see two riders up the road, and the field was happy to sit, I saw this as my one and only chance to try and bridge the gap. I shifted down and went for it. A couple of guys went with me. If I wasn't going to make it then I certainly wanted to reel in the break as much as possible. But the field caught us before we caught the break. But our effort took its toll, and the gap was continuing to diminish. One lap left, and the break was still up the road, I had been in the wind for most of the day, either initiating a rotation (trying to) or finding myself in breaks. And now it seemed as though the break would stick, so with little left in my legs I was content on sitting near the front, out of the wind, and hope for a good sprint. But another WM guy decided it would be a great idea, to attack not one but twice!! What the hell, I wasn't going to let him go up the road, especially because his teammate was such a natural at blocking. So I chased him down both times, buhwahaha, I got him back. But now I was really tired, but I felt my efforts were well worth it. We were now nearing the finish, so I cobbled up some gels, and cranked down on my shoes. It was time to SPRINT! Ha if that's what you want to call it, I had poor position, tired legs and an up hill sprint to the finish. So needless to say I was sprinting for not a whole lot. I was 11th for the day, and now 12th in GC. Nothing at all that great but I felt good about my performance, and so I was not to worried about my final result. This weekend all said and done was a great way to get in some good training in the sun and warmth of AZ.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Well today was Nick and I's first race of the 2009 season. And what a better way to do that than with a 3 mile TT. How I am supposed to pace myself for that distance, I have know idea, then throw in some hills, and I am waaayyy lost. Oh well, it is the first of many races in the 2009 season, so there is no point to worry about 3 miles. We are still waiting for the results to be posted, but we know we were right around 8 minutes, but who knows where that puts us in the rest of the field. We will let you all know what turned out as soon as we know.
Now here is Nick in a post race interview.
Post TT from Christopher Wingfield on Vimeo.
Now here is Nick in a post race interview.
Post TT from Christopher Wingfield on Vimeo.
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