Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Race: Patterson Road Race
Date: 1/24/04
Cat: 4
Field: 71
Teammates: None, but I did see Dana and Gary B. in the cat 5 race.
Distance: ~48 miles
Weather: 40s, fog/mist/drizzle, very little wind
Result: 35th
Course Profile (actually, this is half the course; the second half is just the opposite!)
I upgraded on Friday, so this was my first race as a cat 4. I was a little anxious the night before so I didn't really get much sleep (< 3 hrs), but I felt surprisingly good on race day. The course is a gradual climb for ~20 miles, a steep portion for about 1.5 miles, a quick 1/2-mile downhill then turn around and do it all again.
I drove out there with two other cat 4's: Ed (unattached), and Dominic (AV). I went in planning to stay with the main field as long as possible, and didn't really expect to finish highly.
The pace was pretty mellow for the first 20 miles, with only an occasional acceleration, but nothing too painful. There were a couple of breaks, but they didn't stay away, and I was hanging out in the back 25% anyway, conserving. I made an effort to get in the first half of the peloton enough before the climbing started to be a rested by then. We also caught the 3's about 15 miles in. They were a small group that day, which I'm sure was a factor.
As soon as it got a little steeper, it got painful. Someone had turned on the juice (I later found out that it was Dominic). It was difficult to adjust at first-- I think I had gotten too comfortable in the pack. I was going pretty hard just to say with the group, so when the really steeper part hit, the race blew up, and I'm sure I was quite near the back at that point. I was overgeared for the climb, too, using a 23 in back.
The 3's caught most of us on the climb. I eventually found my rhythm and picked off a few guys on the climb, and went over the top just behind a straggler from the 3s. After the turn around and the start of the descent, I got on his wheel.
At this point, I wanted to do a good effort down the hill while staying safe, and pull back as many people as I could. I absolutely love descending on my new TCR, so I was looking forward to this! The cat 3 rider and I caught Jeff of AV, and the three of us worked well together chasing the next rider, about 300-400m down the road. The rest of the race went that way, picking up strays all the way down the hill. I'd guess we caught or passed 10-12 people on the descent.
One scary moment happened when a female rider on her way up had crossed all the way over into our lane, presumably to find a good point to cross the cattle guard at that point. Jeff hit the brakes and almost avoided her, but they bumped slightly and she went down. I don't know what she was doing in our lane, and it certainly wasn't the smartest move, since there were riders constantly coming down the hill-- but I hope she is all right. We all survived, and carried on with the chase.
At one point, after having blown by two riders, Ed appeared next to me and told me that he was gonna slack off, but once he saw me, he couldn't let me pass him so easily. So, Ed joined our group, and that helped improved our organization for a little while. But it seemed overall that once the group got above about 6 people, our ability (or willingness?) to work together decreased as people joined. The groups that worked the best that day had 3-4 people in them.
Getting close to the finish, there was very little cooperation. A couple of us tried to lose the passengers, but a couple of them made our little break, so when they got to the front the pace slowed enough for everyone to come back together.
I knew we were near the finish, but I didn't know how far away it was, so on a little rise I decided to make an all or nothing break. I knew I was fighting for, like, 50th place, but I figured it was good practice for when it counted! My move almost worked, in that I got away, but I fried myself in doing it. My legs went to jello and I packed it in with about 500m to go as Ed and another rider whizzed past me. It looked like Ed might hang on, but the other rider pulled away. I think I ended up fourth of our little group. I have no idea what my overall placing was, but I had fun in spite of the sleep deprivation, chilly weather, and a constant shower of dirt, water, and probably manure from the road. And I got some good experience to boot.
Other Race Reports from this race:
Brian (AV)
Allan (AV)
Jason (AV)
Dominic (AV)
Rupert (AV)
Date: 1/24/04
Cat: 4
Field: 71
Teammates: None, but I did see Dana and Gary B. in the cat 5 race.
Distance: ~48 miles
Weather: 40s, fog/mist/drizzle, very little wind
Result: 35th
Course Profile (actually, this is half the course; the second half is just the opposite!)
I upgraded on Friday, so this was my first race as a cat 4. I was a little anxious the night before so I didn't really get much sleep (< 3 hrs), but I felt surprisingly good on race day. The course is a gradual climb for ~20 miles, a steep portion for about 1.5 miles, a quick 1/2-mile downhill then turn around and do it all again.
I drove out there with two other cat 4's: Ed (unattached), and Dominic (AV). I went in planning to stay with the main field as long as possible, and didn't really expect to finish highly.
The pace was pretty mellow for the first 20 miles, with only an occasional acceleration, but nothing too painful. There were a couple of breaks, but they didn't stay away, and I was hanging out in the back 25% anyway, conserving. I made an effort to get in the first half of the peloton enough before the climbing started to be a rested by then. We also caught the 3's about 15 miles in. They were a small group that day, which I'm sure was a factor.
As soon as it got a little steeper, it got painful. Someone had turned on the juice (I later found out that it was Dominic). It was difficult to adjust at first-- I think I had gotten too comfortable in the pack. I was going pretty hard just to say with the group, so when the really steeper part hit, the race blew up, and I'm sure I was quite near the back at that point. I was overgeared for the climb, too, using a 23 in back.
The 3's caught most of us on the climb. I eventually found my rhythm and picked off a few guys on the climb, and went over the top just behind a straggler from the 3s. After the turn around and the start of the descent, I got on his wheel.
At this point, I wanted to do a good effort down the hill while staying safe, and pull back as many people as I could. I absolutely love descending on my new TCR, so I was looking forward to this! The cat 3 rider and I caught Jeff of AV, and the three of us worked well together chasing the next rider, about 300-400m down the road. The rest of the race went that way, picking up strays all the way down the hill. I'd guess we caught or passed 10-12 people on the descent.
One scary moment happened when a female rider on her way up had crossed all the way over into our lane, presumably to find a good point to cross the cattle guard at that point. Jeff hit the brakes and almost avoided her, but they bumped slightly and she went down. I don't know what she was doing in our lane, and it certainly wasn't the smartest move, since there were riders constantly coming down the hill-- but I hope she is all right. We all survived, and carried on with the chase.
At one point, after having blown by two riders, Ed appeared next to me and told me that he was gonna slack off, but once he saw me, he couldn't let me pass him so easily. So, Ed joined our group, and that helped improved our organization for a little while. But it seemed overall that once the group got above about 6 people, our ability (or willingness?) to work together decreased as people joined. The groups that worked the best that day had 3-4 people in them.
Getting close to the finish, there was very little cooperation. A couple of us tried to lose the passengers, but a couple of them made our little break, so when they got to the front the pace slowed enough for everyone to come back together.
I knew we were near the finish, but I didn't know how far away it was, so on a little rise I decided to make an all or nothing break. I knew I was fighting for, like, 50th place, but I figured it was good practice for when it counted! My move almost worked, in that I got away, but I fried myself in doing it. My legs went to jello and I packed it in with about 500m to go as Ed and another rider whizzed past me. It looked like Ed might hang on, but the other rider pulled away. I think I ended up fourth of our little group. I have no idea what my overall placing was, but I had fun in spite of the sleep deprivation, chilly weather, and a constant shower of dirt, water, and probably manure from the road. And I got some good experience to boot.
Other Race Reports from this race:
Brian (AV)
Allan (AV)
Jason (AV)
Dominic (AV)
Rupert (AV)
Friday, January 23, 2004
Upgrade request sent! and approved!
Sent in my request for an upgrade to cat 4 to the USCF. I had previously understood that one needed 10 USCF races, but it turned out that I can use SJBC club races to qualify for the upgrade.
And hey, I just checked the website, and it's approved. Greetings, Cat 4.
And hey, I just checked the website, and it's approved. Greetings, Cat 4.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
2TTT Results up
Monday, January 19, 2004
2-Person Time Trial
Race: SJBC Winter Series Race 8 - 2-Person Time Trial
Date: 1/18/04
Cat: 3
Field: unknown
Distance: 18.55 mi.
Weather: high 50s, light NW wind
Result: 49:54, 7th Overall, 8th after handicap
This race is #8 of 11 in the SJBC winter series.
Howie and I rode this one. We had practiced together the day before, mainly to get used to riding together and to remind ourselves where the course was hard, etc. I didn't have my TT bars for the practice, since I hadn't fit them onto the new bike yet. I got them on there for the race.
We got an early start position-- 9th-- which I think we both wanted, although our warmup as a result was pretty abbreviated. We hit the road heading south at a reasonably good pace. It could have been faster with a proper warmup.
After turning right onto Llagas, we started catching some teams on the pre-climb and then a few more on the climb. I knew it would hurt because it had hurt in practice, even though it's a short little thing. Fortunately, my heart rate monitor wasn't working right, so I didn't get a chance to freak out over how high my HR must have been.
Howie helped me get over the hill was some well-timed encouragement. There were also a few people out on the course cheering us on, which was really cool! We came down Llagas and there were some more fans in a pasture with a cowbell, and that was pretty neat, too.
As far as the riding was going, I was okay on the descent, but once we turned onto Oak Glen and started climbing up, the work I did on the Llagas climb caught up with me. On that stretch, my pulls got weaker and I think Howie started taking longer pulls. I wasn't feeling low energy, just spent. I had a clif shot.
I started to feel better near the top of Cinnabar Hill. We hit the top and took off down the other side, along the reservoir. I was feeling much better, but now Howie was paying for his heroism and was starting to flag. There was no traffic when we turned right onto Bailey, so I was able to take the turn at a pretty good speed and we charged up Bailey.
I had been looking forward to the descent, since I'm having so much fun on the TCR going downhill, so I didn't hold back. We hit the flat going pretty fast, but Howie had backed off me a little on the downhill, most likely to keep at a safe distance on the descent (smart man). I sat up for a second and we re-grouped and hammered down the interminable straightaway to the finish. I was feeling good and I think I was strong down the stretch (but I don't know how fast we were going), and Howie was still paying for pulling me on the backside of the course. I definitely felt better than I did in the individual a few months before. Our time according to Howie: 49:54.
It was nice to break the arbitrary 50-minute barrier, but neither of us had looked to see what times were good. I checked later, it seems last year that our time would have put us 7th out of 28 (overall, not counting handicap). I will link to the results when they are up. Bottom line is that it was a good experience and lotsa fun (in the demented way cyclists define fun). Howie picked me up when I was struggling, and I hope I was able to do the same later on. I also can confirm where I am in my training. Good base, but not a lot of top-end work. That will come...
Date: 1/18/04
Cat: 3
Field: unknown
Distance: 18.55 mi.
Weather: high 50s, light NW wind
Result: 49:54, 7th Overall, 8th after handicap
This race is #8 of 11 in the SJBC winter series.
Howie and I rode this one. We had practiced together the day before, mainly to get used to riding together and to remind ourselves where the course was hard, etc. I didn't have my TT bars for the practice, since I hadn't fit them onto the new bike yet. I got them on there for the race.
We got an early start position-- 9th-- which I think we both wanted, although our warmup as a result was pretty abbreviated. We hit the road heading south at a reasonably good pace. It could have been faster with a proper warmup.
After turning right onto Llagas, we started catching some teams on the pre-climb and then a few more on the climb. I knew it would hurt because it had hurt in practice, even though it's a short little thing. Fortunately, my heart rate monitor wasn't working right, so I didn't get a chance to freak out over how high my HR must have been.
Howie helped me get over the hill was some well-timed encouragement. There were also a few people out on the course cheering us on, which was really cool! We came down Llagas and there were some more fans in a pasture with a cowbell, and that was pretty neat, too.
As far as the riding was going, I was okay on the descent, but once we turned onto Oak Glen and started climbing up, the work I did on the Llagas climb caught up with me. On that stretch, my pulls got weaker and I think Howie started taking longer pulls. I wasn't feeling low energy, just spent. I had a clif shot.
I started to feel better near the top of Cinnabar Hill. We hit the top and took off down the other side, along the reservoir. I was feeling much better, but now Howie was paying for his heroism and was starting to flag. There was no traffic when we turned right onto Bailey, so I was able to take the turn at a pretty good speed and we charged up Bailey.
I had been looking forward to the descent, since I'm having so much fun on the TCR going downhill, so I didn't hold back. We hit the flat going pretty fast, but Howie had backed off me a little on the downhill, most likely to keep at a safe distance on the descent (smart man). I sat up for a second and we re-grouped and hammered down the interminable straightaway to the finish. I was feeling good and I think I was strong down the stretch (but I don't know how fast we were going), and Howie was still paying for pulling me on the backside of the course. I definitely felt better than I did in the individual a few months before. Our time according to Howie: 49:54.
It was nice to break the arbitrary 50-minute barrier, but neither of us had looked to see what times were good. I checked later, it seems last year that our time would have put us 7th out of 28 (overall, not counting handicap). I will link to the results when they are up. Bottom line is that it was a good experience and lotsa fun (in the demented way cyclists define fun). Howie picked me up when I was struggling, and I hope I was able to do the same later on. I also can confirm where I am in my training. Good base, but not a lot of top-end work. That will come...
Monday, January 12, 2004
El Día del Diablo
Dragged my ass outta bed at the butt-crack o' dawn, forewent the SJBC group ride to meet Ed for a challenging day climbing Mt. Diablo. My first big climb on the new bike. We met a Diablo Vista park and headed up.
We started climbing in overcastness, rode through the clouds to a warm-ish sun at the top. There is a 18% grade at the very top of the hill, and I struggled up it in my 39-23, while Ed danced his way up in his triple. He told me he was hoping I didn't know about the sharp tail in the climb so he could surprise me with it. Oh well, he got to dust me on it instead!
We descended North Gate Rd. The descent was tricky at first, since the roads were a little slick and I was feeling a overly cautious. Fortunately, Ed waited for me a few times, so I didn't get lost. I felt a little better on the lower part, despite the wet roads, and opened up a little more and managed to hang onto Ed-- he was probably taking it easy on me.
We turned around at the N. gate and headed back up. For a while we chased some guys who had passed us (while I was fixing my saddle bag). I kept taking time checks and we were gaining a little bit, but now I don't remember actually passing them. Because of our late start, we didn't go all the way up the second time, which suited me fine; I wasn't looking forward to the steep top section again!
The descent down South Gate Road was dry, and fast! Lotsa fun. The finally tally was about 35-40 miles and 5400' of climbing.
Capped off the day with a 90-minute ride with Naomi on Coyote Creek trail, after which, I have to confess, my ass was really sore. Next on my wish list: some non-cheap cycling shorts.
We started climbing in overcastness, rode through the clouds to a warm-ish sun at the top. There is a 18% grade at the very top of the hill, and I struggled up it in my 39-23, while Ed danced his way up in his triple. He told me he was hoping I didn't know about the sharp tail in the climb so he could surprise me with it. Oh well, he got to dust me on it instead!
We descended North Gate Rd. The descent was tricky at first, since the roads were a little slick and I was feeling a overly cautious. Fortunately, Ed waited for me a few times, so I didn't get lost. I felt a little better on the lower part, despite the wet roads, and opened up a little more and managed to hang onto Ed-- he was probably taking it easy on me.
We turned around at the N. gate and headed back up. For a while we chased some guys who had passed us (while I was fixing my saddle bag). I kept taking time checks and we were gaining a little bit, but now I don't remember actually passing them. Because of our late start, we didn't go all the way up the second time, which suited me fine; I wasn't looking forward to the steep top section again!
The descent down South Gate Road was dry, and fast! Lotsa fun. The finally tally was about 35-40 miles and 5400' of climbing.
Capped off the day with a 90-minute ride with Naomi on Coyote Creek trail, after which, I have to confess, my ass was really sore. Next on my wish list: some non-cheap cycling shorts.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Early Bird Crit #1 Race Report
Race: Early Bird Crit #1
Date: 1/4/04
Cat: 5 beginners (fewer than 5 races)
Field: 30? 50?
Teammates: None
Distance: 40 minutes
Weather: low 40s
Result: 8th/1st (read on!)
Interested in race credits towards an upgrade, I decided to ride the Early Bird Crit rather than the club road race.
I arrived and signed up for the early race, which was the cat 4s & 5s with 5 or more races experience. I've only got 2 USCF races, but plenty of club rides, so I figured this would be better. However, on the way to the start line, I had a blowout in my back tire. By the time I had it fixed, they were underway, so I went to registration and got into the later race, the cat 5s with fewer than 5 races experience, which I technically qualified for.
I attended the mentoring session, then the race. Our race was run at the same time as the Over 35's, which is important later. We started first, and I assume they started not too far behind us. The race was pretty uneventful for the first half: going 'round and 'round with the mentors imploring the group to "take the corner wide" and "pedal!" through the corners. About halfway through, I tried an attack, but no one came with me, and the pace was pretty high, so I packed it in after a few hundred meters.
Then the crashes started coming! With maybe 5 to go, I heard one behind me in Turn 3, kinda of a splat and a pop noise combined (2 riders taken out). There was one other one that happened about 20m in front of me that I was able to avoid. On to the racing...
They started showing us lap cards with 5 to go. They counted down normally, as you might expect... 4... 3... 2. About that time we were approaching and passing the bulk of the over-35 field. Then the thing got really f***'d up.
When we came around on what should have been the bell lap, the official-lady held up '2' again, and made a circling motion with her index finger in the air, as in "keep going around". To me this meant that she knew she was holding up the '2' card again and we were supposed to keep going for two more laps. And there was no bell.
However, when we came around on what should have been the NEW bell lap, a half-dozen or so people sprinted for the line. Let's call this "Finish #1." I was maintaining a spot near the front as we approached the finish, but I didn't sprint. Two people went down at the Finish #1, one looked like he sort of fell over on the line, and the other seemed to lose control and angle off into a curb before falling. Both appeared to be juniors. Again, no bell this lap either.
Anyway, we kept going around, everyone was asking what the hell was going on, why did those guys sprint, was this the last lap or was that it? We rode this lap like it was going to be the real finish ("Finish #2").
Coming around the final sweeping turn, I was in good position in the front 10. Onto the finishing straight, I was on the inside with two guys in front of me. However, I thought they were going a little too slow, and I didn't want to get caught behind any slackers, so I jumped... too early, I think, with about 400m to go. However, I got a good gap and kept hammering. Another rider had jumped just after me, but I had a few bike lengths. We passed another rider and I held him off for the apparent win. My heart rate hit 180, which for me is as high as I've ever recorded it (my LTHR is 159).
I rode a lap to catch my breath then went back to the finish and asked which finish counted, and they official with the notepad, said, "the second one." Cool! I heard someone mention that we did the extra lap so that we wouldn't finish too close to the over-35's. I asked when the results would be posted, and they said they had some sorting out to do and they weren't sure. I went for an hour ride in Coyote Hills Park and came back.
I checked the posted results and they had me at 8th. They said I should talk to the officials at the start/finish line.
I asked the woman there (same one who had held up the card), "Who do I talk to with questions about the results?" I told her that I was listed 8th but I was pretty sure I was 1st. She said, "The second finish didn't count. There were too many crashes on the course." Wha...? I asked about holding up the '2' card and how can they just change the number of laps, and she told me that it was our responsibility to know how many laps there were to go. I was disgusted, and rode a way, "What a joke," I muttered.
Then, I decided to go back, and I asked whose decision it was that the first finish counted, and not the second. Hers. Why did she hold up the '2' card twice? Because they were waiting for the over-35s to come around again. I said, "That's not right... you're supposed to run the laps off the lead group!" She told me they were the lead group, and "you need to go read your rule book."
I told her I didn't think it was fair-- we were going on the latest information they gave us, which was the second '2' card. She said, "that's why we have these practice races, so you learn that this sort of thing can happen." I asked her in that case why the mentors didn't know when the real finish was, and she said they didn't have time to yell it out them what was going on.
I eventually gave up, since she was giving me a lot of attitude and obviously she wasn't going to give me a satisfactory explanation or reconsider.
To sum up, she gave me 4 different and inconsistent reasons for why the second finish didn't count:
1. Too many crashes on the course [ok, obviously an official's discretion thing, I can live with it, even if I'm not happy.]
2. The second '2' card was not for us, it was for the other group. [Doesn't make sense-- assuming a staggered start, after we passed them we would have been the lead group, and the lap count would be on US. Our lap count should not stay the same then jump down by 2. Also, this is in contradiction to reason #1.]
3. I need to know what lap we're on and read my rule book. [OK, but then if this is something experienced riders should know, then why didn't they mentors know?]
4. They didn't have time to tell the mentors when the real finish was after they held up the second '2' card in a row. [OK, but then how will reading my rule book help me? And why not stay consistent with the "2" they just held up?]
---------------
OK, done venting. To sum up, on the first finish, only a few people sprinted... I know this because I was 8th without sprinting at all. I assume most of us thought the second finish was real, but I don't know for sure since most of the field was behind me. Then I finished 1st in the bunch sprint that I contested.
My conclusion based on all the contradicting reasons is that they screwed up by holding the second '2' up instead of giving us a bell lap. Then the female race official with the 'tude made up a bunch of reasons why this was SOP, including trying to make me believe it was my fault for not knowing the rules. Anyone who knows me knows that I did in fact go home and read the rules, and found nothing describing lap counts when one group catches another group that had a staggered start. I did find a bunch of things *they* did wrong, such as:
and
and
and some other interesting tidbits...
However...
And that was my new friend, the lame-ass referee.
So, upshot is that next time I won't wait to be screwed by Velo Promo-- I'll be riding the club ride, upgrade points be damned.
-Arik
Date: 1/4/04
Cat: 5 beginners (fewer than 5 races)
Field: 30? 50?
Teammates: None
Distance: 40 minutes
Weather: low 40s
Result: 8th/1st (read on!)
Interested in race credits towards an upgrade, I decided to ride the Early Bird Crit rather than the club road race.
I arrived and signed up for the early race, which was the cat 4s & 5s with 5 or more races experience. I've only got 2 USCF races, but plenty of club rides, so I figured this would be better. However, on the way to the start line, I had a blowout in my back tire. By the time I had it fixed, they were underway, so I went to registration and got into the later race, the cat 5s with fewer than 5 races experience, which I technically qualified for.
I attended the mentoring session, then the race. Our race was run at the same time as the Over 35's, which is important later. We started first, and I assume they started not too far behind us. The race was pretty uneventful for the first half: going 'round and 'round with the mentors imploring the group to "take the corner wide" and "pedal!" through the corners. About halfway through, I tried an attack, but no one came with me, and the pace was pretty high, so I packed it in after a few hundred meters.
Then the crashes started coming! With maybe 5 to go, I heard one behind me in Turn 3, kinda of a splat and a pop noise combined (2 riders taken out). There was one other one that happened about 20m in front of me that I was able to avoid. On to the racing...
They started showing us lap cards with 5 to go. They counted down normally, as you might expect... 4... 3... 2. About that time we were approaching and passing the bulk of the over-35 field. Then the thing got really f***'d up.
When we came around on what should have been the bell lap, the official-lady held up '2' again, and made a circling motion with her index finger in the air, as in "keep going around". To me this meant that she knew she was holding up the '2' card again and we were supposed to keep going for two more laps. And there was no bell.
However, when we came around on what should have been the NEW bell lap, a half-dozen or so people sprinted for the line. Let's call this "Finish #1." I was maintaining a spot near the front as we approached the finish, but I didn't sprint. Two people went down at the Finish #1, one looked like he sort of fell over on the line, and the other seemed to lose control and angle off into a curb before falling. Both appeared to be juniors. Again, no bell this lap either.
Anyway, we kept going around, everyone was asking what the hell was going on, why did those guys sprint, was this the last lap or was that it? We rode this lap like it was going to be the real finish ("Finish #2").
Coming around the final sweeping turn, I was in good position in the front 10. Onto the finishing straight, I was on the inside with two guys in front of me. However, I thought they were going a little too slow, and I didn't want to get caught behind any slackers, so I jumped... too early, I think, with about 400m to go. However, I got a good gap and kept hammering. Another rider had jumped just after me, but I had a few bike lengths. We passed another rider and I held him off for the apparent win. My heart rate hit 180, which for me is as high as I've ever recorded it (my LTHR is 159).
I rode a lap to catch my breath then went back to the finish and asked which finish counted, and they official with the notepad, said, "the second one." Cool! I heard someone mention that we did the extra lap so that we wouldn't finish too close to the over-35's. I asked when the results would be posted, and they said they had some sorting out to do and they weren't sure. I went for an hour ride in Coyote Hills Park and came back.
I checked the posted results and they had me at 8th. They said I should talk to the officials at the start/finish line.
I asked the woman there (same one who had held up the card), "Who do I talk to with questions about the results?" I told her that I was listed 8th but I was pretty sure I was 1st. She said, "The second finish didn't count. There were too many crashes on the course." Wha...? I asked about holding up the '2' card and how can they just change the number of laps, and she told me that it was our responsibility to know how many laps there were to go. I was disgusted, and rode a way, "What a joke," I muttered.
Then, I decided to go back, and I asked whose decision it was that the first finish counted, and not the second. Hers. Why did she hold up the '2' card twice? Because they were waiting for the over-35s to come around again. I said, "That's not right... you're supposed to run the laps off the lead group!" She told me they were the lead group, and "you need to go read your rule book."
I told her I didn't think it was fair-- we were going on the latest information they gave us, which was the second '2' card. She said, "that's why we have these practice races, so you learn that this sort of thing can happen." I asked her in that case why the mentors didn't know when the real finish was, and she said they didn't have time to yell it out them what was going on.
I eventually gave up, since she was giving me a lot of attitude and obviously she wasn't going to give me a satisfactory explanation or reconsider.
To sum up, she gave me 4 different and inconsistent reasons for why the second finish didn't count:
1. Too many crashes on the course [ok, obviously an official's discretion thing, I can live with it, even if I'm not happy.]
2. The second '2' card was not for us, it was for the other group. [Doesn't make sense-- assuming a staggered start, after we passed them we would have been the lead group, and the lap count would be on US. Our lap count should not stay the same then jump down by 2. Also, this is in contradiction to reason #1.]
3. I need to know what lap we're on and read my rule book. [OK, but then if this is something experienced riders should know, then why didn't they mentors know?]
4. They didn't have time to tell the mentors when the real finish was after they held up the second '2' card in a row. [OK, but then how will reading my rule book help me? And why not stay consistent with the "2" they just held up?]
---------------
OK, done venting. To sum up, on the first finish, only a few people sprinted... I know this because I was 8th without sprinting at all. I assume most of us thought the second finish was real, but I don't know for sure since most of the field was behind me. Then I finished 1st in the bunch sprint that I contested.
My conclusion based on all the contradicting reasons is that they screwed up by holding the second '2' up instead of giving us a bell lap. Then the female race official with the 'tude made up a bunch of reasons why this was SOP, including trying to make me believe it was my fault for not knowing the rules. Anyone who knows me knows that I did in fact go home and read the rules, and found nothing describing lap counts when one group catches another group that had a staggered start. I did find a bunch of things *they* did wrong, such as:
1I. Officials
1I6. Starter. (a) It is the starter's responsibility to see that riders are called at the appropriate time and to inform them of the distance they will ride and of any special rules governing the race. If the finish line is at a different place than the start, the riders must be informed of its exact location.
and
1M. Start of a Race
1M6. Start Intervals. If more than one massed start race is to be on the course simultaneously, starting intervals should be chosen so as to insure that different groups would not overlap.
and
1N. Finish of a Race
1N2. The beginning of the last lap of a race will be announced by ringing a bell and display of the number 1 on the lap card. In a road race, if the finish line is off the immediate course, the bell shall be sounded at the point of departure on the preceding lap.
and some other interesting tidbits...
1N3. Should the bell be rung by error at the wrong lap, the judges shall record the order of the finish at the end of that lap. The Chief Referee shall decide whether to declare these results final or rerun some or all of the race. The Chief Referee may bar from the rerun any rider who appeared to have no chance to win a prize had the bell been rung on the proper lap.
However...
1P. Protests
1P1. All protests concerning the order of finish shall be examined and resolved by the Chief Judge, whose decision is final and without appeal.
And that was my new friend, the lame-ass referee.
So, upshot is that next time I won't wait to be screwed by Velo Promo-- I'll be riding the club ride, upgrade points be damned.
-Arik
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Conceded...
...that I am a total nerd.
Saturday, January 03, 2004
2003 Year-end recap
188 Rides
5206.7 Miles
18,876 minutes riding time (13d, 2h, 36m)
18 Races
Longest ride: 70.9 mi., Santa Cruz to San Gregorio RT, 11/4
Highest volume week: 219.7 mi., 4/27-5/3
Highest volume month: May, 676.2 mi.
5206.7 Miles
18,876 minutes riding time (13d, 2h, 36m)
18 Races
Longest ride: 70.9 mi., Santa Cruz to San Gregorio RT, 11/4
Highest volume week: 219.7 mi., 4/27-5/3
Highest volume month: May, 676.2 mi.
Thursday, January 01, 2004
No Mt. Hamilton; Revisiting the OCR; and a Crash!
Since we didn't get home until 4am on NYE, I didn't so much make it to the annual NYD Mt. Hamilton ride at 9am the next morning. I don't know if anyone did, because it was pissing it down all night, or so I heard. In fact, by the time I woke up it was no longer raining, so...
...I took the OCR out, since it was still pretty wet out and I it might might rain some more. It didn't, and the ride went fine, about 1:45 altogether.
And then I went running afterwards with Naomi, who is slowly breaking in her new orthotics. [Note: I have to call them orthotics, even though technically they are orthoses, because Naomi is a descripitive, rather than prescriptive, linguist. ] We were literally just running around the block when I totally biffed it on some slick wet concrete. I planted my foot as I was going around a truck protruding into the sidewalk, and my foot just totally flew out from under me.
Over 5000 miles on the bike last year, and this running "crash" was worse than anything I suffered.
...I took the OCR out, since it was still pretty wet out and I it might might rain some more. It didn't, and the ride went fine, about 1:45 altogether.
And then I went running afterwards with Naomi, who is slowly breaking in her new orthotics. [Note: I have to call them orthotics, even though technically they are orthoses, because Naomi is a descripitive, rather than prescriptive, linguist. ] We were literally just running around the block when I totally biffed it on some slick wet concrete. I planted my foot as I was going around a truck protruding into the sidewalk, and my foot just totally flew out from under me.
Over 5000 miles on the bike last year, and this running "crash" was worse than anything I suffered.
