Omaha Race Weekend

Just a short 3 hour drive from KC, it was hard to pass up the Omaha cycling weekend. Matt P. and I left Saturday morning and picked up fellow teammate David N. in St. Joe on the way up. I spent much of the previous week not riding as I attempted a bit of recovery from Lawrence. I did however, join up for a lovely 50 mile scorcher wednesday night in lawrence known as the wescoe ride. I was interested to see how I'd rebound after blowing up after the KU circuit race the previous Sunday.

Made it to Omaha with plenty of time to warm up for saturday's Papillion Twilight Criterium. There was a time trial that morning but we opted out and slept in instead. The course was alright...lots of turns, with a few slight uphills, small downhill, back up a steep but short section, into a long fast descent, sweeping turn and 90 degree into the finish. Thought maybe beforehand I had a good chance on this course with the climbing.
Lined up near the back with teammate David and we were off. Pace got hot fairly quick and struggled through traffic. The turns combined with quick accelerations ate me up. I was suffering and being stuck midpack couldn't recover. David meanwhile was able to move through the garbage and settle near the front. Racers were all over the place and although I fell from the front group and got passed by more in the last 7 laps they still scored me as 16th out of 40 something. Not sure that was entirely correct....maybe 20th - who knows. Either way I felt like crap and I was trying to comprehend why I couldn't stick it. Fatigued?...race just too fast?..do I need more rest? During those last few laps I rode solo every thought went through my mind and I was settling on the idea that I shouldn't race the road race on sunday. However, after talking with David and Matt after the race I snapped out of it and got my shit together. David ended up taking 4th in the crit. there were lots of strong riders and it was a great result.

Sunday we had the Babcook Road Race. 52 miles, 7 laps, one moderate climb per lap. Was just lining up and going to see what I could do to not get shelled off the back like yesterday. Had a nice 3 mile neutral rollout came upon the first climb. first time up was tough, seemed like some were attacking but it does take me awhile to get the legs proper. I was struggling to recover and doing everything to maintain a top ten spot out of the wind...(I'm great at not riding in the wind). Got in the groove and the rest of the climbs came and went fairly easy. People attacked but nothing ever stuck, bridged a few small gaps that formed, riding well....started to get really windy, and the rain began to move in. On the second to last lap David and another rider who ended up winning shot off the front. I thought david was attacking so I didn't follow. As a train of riders blew by me to catch I couldn't jump on the back. Luckily got back on a few minutes later with a group of 4 - that was almost the end of my day though. Turned out the one rider thought it was last lap so he was attacking hard for the win.
Last lap was slow up the climb and as we got in the final 3 miles speeds slowly ramped up. there were about 15 of us riding into the finish looking for the win. A rider launched off the front on a downhill with 700 to go, I jumped david's wheel in 4th position. The 4 of us on the front cranked it the following hill up and crested with 500 to go. All 4 of us were sprinting in a single file line. 50 meters to go I looked back and saw a mass of riders getting ready to pass us. Stood on the pedals one last time and one person jumped me for 4th. Actually got passed for 6th place but threw my bike ahead to take back 5th. David wound up 3rd. Good day overall. Money in the bank.

Tour of Lawrence

Was looking forward to this race weekend for a long time. I had it in the books as an "A" priority race so much of my last month was spent towards this race series. Saturday had the downtown crit. My parents came up to visit and got their first dose of bike racing watching this race. Was feeling good prior to the race - until I realized I forgot my road shoes at home in KC. Drove back to get them and made it in time to see part of Jane's race in the 3/4 women.
Jane did well. Hung with the group and finished 5th of all the cat 4 women. Her first payout ever! $25.

Got a decent warm up in, and made sure I had good position on the line for the start. Big field, over 50 riders with a lot of teammates. My plan was to keep it near front and watch for certain riders attempting breaks - something I was prepared to do if the right people went. The team did a great job putting in a bunch of attacks - Thomas got in on some after recently finding some long lost fitness. David grabbed a prime and Dan hammered on the front for awhile. I stayed out of trouble and was waiting for the laps to wind down - felt good for the majority of the race. With about 3 laps to go, people started getting jumpy and attempted to move up. Saw some strong riders make their way to the front, I followed and settled in at about 4th-5th wheel. Last lap and some young looking guy jumped. I hadn't seen him the whole race and didn't follow. Finally a SKC rider launched on the downhill and I worked my way to his wheel, took the last 2 turns with some good speed and it was a sprint for 2nd place. That kid who attacked early had the juice and was far enough away for 1st. I was closing on the SKC guy but came up short and took 3rd. I'm not sure but I think there was some space before the 4th place rider.

My first podium in the 4's and in a good race too. Was really happy with the result and felt that I raced a smart race and for the most part did everything I could do (except jump the wheel of the 1st place finisher) - the $130 wasn't too bad either.


Sunday was a different story. The KU campus circuit race was a really hilly 4.5 mile loop. 5 laps and nearly 2500 feet of climbing. Prior to the race I was alright. Legs were definetly stiff - a few hours on my feet after the race on saturday didn't help either. Rolled out and settled in near the front. First lap was tough, took a few hills before I really found my legs. On the second lap near the last climb, the road narrows to a driveway entry and some boulevard racer a few bikes in front of me rode straight into a haybale and held up the rest of the field. After a brief pause, we made our way through, riding between the gates, his bike, and him. This caused a bit of a gap to form. I began to bridge and made it about halfway before my teammate David N. picked me up and dragged me and a few other riders back up. So on this 3rd lap we started hitting the hills again and I just couldn't recover. Didn't have power I had on the first two laps and was breathing hard. right there I knew I was done. Mentally I was fading too.
So with some tired legs, a bridge attempt that I couldn't recover from and just a tough course I was OTB. Crap. Just blew up right there. Took me nearly the whole next lap to recover fully and got passed by about 7-8 riders including all my teammates except david N. who was still hanging in on the front (he took 4th in the race). Each time a teammate rode by they offered a wheel and I couldn't hang it. Last 2 laps or so and began to collect myself and rode the rest of the race by myself. For the majority of that time Eric Schaumberg and Steve V. were 100 meters in front of me. Eric Schaumberg, Steve V, and I took 22, 23, 24.

Overall the weekend was great. Amazing courses with good money and good turnout. This was a first year event and hope it sticks around.

So coming up it's back to some hard workouts. I've gotten away from riding bigger miles. The last several weeks have been short workouts but high intensity. Not sure if that's put me in some hole or not. But I'm planning on a 55 mile group ride on Wednesday in Lawrence with some teammates. Hopefully heading to Omaha next weekend to race. Car pool up and split the hotel with 3-4 guys. Racing on a budget.


Photos are from the Tour of KC weekend, and courtesy of Kim Morris.

Tour of KC - Power and Light Crit

Sunday 6/28/09:
Power and light crit. short, rectangle, half uphill, half down.
This course suited me well. The climbs broke up the field quick, if you don't climb you'll likely get pulled on such a short course - easy as that. I had great position from the start which allowed me to get in the groove before I put in any big efforts. Turned out I really didn't need to put in any effort until they called last lap. Heading up the first hill I saw a bike shack racer who i know is strong begin to move up to the lead position, I matched his move on the opposite side of the group and wound up right on his wheel. Sat in 2nd position down the backside of the course. One rider snuck in on the inside at turn 3 to take the lead and as we hit turn 4 someone came on my outside. All we had left was an uphill sprint to the finish and I was currently sitting 4th. None of those positions changed in the sprint and I wound up taking 4th. Fairly happy with that result but you can't help but think if I was the first to jump would I have kept hold of 1st? - Maybe I'll start taking more risk and jumping first instead of waiting for others to go.

Still for the weekend brought home $80 with some road rash and deep gash on my hip. - it's all good.

Hydrogen Peroxide, Butterfly bandage, new skin, superglue (in that order)

Downtown Lee's Summit Criterium, Rain. Nuf said.
It was probably 4th or 5th lap, came through the final turn going into the start/finish and hit the ground like a ton of bricks. Wasn't sure if it was my front or rear wheel that slid out but I was on the ground sliding towards the curb. Layed on the grass for a minute to collect myself and asses the damage. Small bit of road rash on my right hip, right knee scuffed up, but my right hip split on the pavement from the contact. there was some fat tissue sticking out from gash. Pretty interesting because the skin broke on contact between my hip and left my bib shorts intact. Was contemplating getting stitches which I probably need but my handy skills have it under control.

We'll see how it feels tomorrow. hopefully I'll be back racing after i fix my der hanger.

Tour of KC - Longview Criterium

This race was hot. Disgusting hot. Started at the back of the group thinking I'd be able to work my way up with no problem. This was a huge mistake. There were too many riders who couldn't take corners with speed and brake checked every turn causing huge slow downs and resulted in the whole field being stretched out. The people who could ride and were near the front had an open line through the corners and began to open up a gap.
I started picking my way through the field, passing riders who were blowing up 2-3 laps into the race (why do you show up to the race if you have zero fitness?) Started getting frustrated and began to fly through the corners, cutting in on people, squeezing inside, taking flyers on the outside - probably pissed some people off and made it a bit dangerous but I didn't want to chase the whole race either. Finally got connected with the front group of about 15. I was suffering - had to bridge a decent gap near the end of my chase and I was cooked right there. Way too hot outside to be putting in tough efforts. As soon as I was connected with the group they called a prime lap. This is where a few bike shack racers took a small gap. The people I was with didn't feel the urgency to close this small gap after the prime and I didn't have the lungs or legs at that moment. this stayed as a 10 sec gap for about 2 laps, eventually they just slowly pulled away. Should have never happened - of course this will be the last time I ever line up near the back if I can help it.
So 3 Bike Shack off the front, I was riding with a group of maybe 8 riders chasing. David N. was with me after bridging up and Dan O. caught on too. Dan took off on a prime, stayed away and won the prime - although subsequently fell off after that, but who wouldn't in that weather. I was just trying to stay upright and not die in our group. Was considering pulling out until we rolled through and they announced 6 laps to go. Figured I could hang on.
Came in on the last lap nearly dead but put in a sprint that landed me in 6th place overall....and killed me. I needed to cool down fast, I was disoriented, dizzy, got to my car after riding the wrong way on the course for a brief moment, grabbed some water and stumbled to some shade under a tree. Took me nearly 25 minutes to feeling normal again.
Saturday's race is at 7:30, the sun will be lower, hopefully gone, and temps cooler. But I will not put myself through that again. Luckily sunday is only calling for a high in the mid 80's.

The summer heat is what I hate most about Missouri. If the summer's were cooler I would consider staying in this state after I graduate, but this shit is rediculous.

MO State RR Champs

David Neidinger - Team Colavita/Parisi : MO Cat 4 RR champion - props.

Made the decision friday to race on sunday. Left saturday eve for Sainte Genevieve, crashed in the hotel, registered and rolled out at about 9:15 on Sunday. It was myself and fellow teammate David N in the 4's, britton and matt in the 3's, and lone 5 rider phillip w. 2 laps of a 33.5 mile course. 67 miles total.
Pace was fairly calm for the majority of the race, no one really tried to hammer it in the flats. The large number of hills though served to break up the field quite nicely. Going into this race I was thinking "sweet, hilly course, I should do well." Was managing the course just fine, sticking it on the climbs, and hanging on downhill and in the flats. David and I spent the majority of the race near the front. We came up to this long climb where they had the KOM set up and it was a long, sustained climb, quick descent with another climb right away. this part ate me up. I was off the back of our elite group of 10-15 riders. Caught a nice wheel though and got back on quickly. It was frustrating falling off like that though. It's been awhile since something like that has happened and I knew next time around I probably wouldn't have the legs to hang on again. All the hills inbetween there were short enough that I could manage. Entered the second lap and I was stuffing gu and water, trying to keep my energy up. Rolled up to that hill again and got shelled off again, though not as bad as the first time. there were maybe 2-3 miles until the finish and I could not bridge that gap. The lead group stayed off by maybe 100-200 meters the whole time. I just didn't have any power left.
Rolled into the finishing road which had some rollers and a small climb and I was toast. Sat up for the most part and limped the last 1k to the line. I could see the lead group finishing in the distance and David N. sprinted to a 2nd place overall, 1st missouri finisher: MO state champ.

I finished 14th out of just under 50 starters. 2 guys passed me in the last 300 as I was soft pedaling.
Good race, tough competition, nice course.

I'll take this next week hard and get a week of rest before Tour of KC and then Tour of Lawrence July 4th weekend. I can already feel that after this week of training a week off is in order.

Matt P. took 2nd place in the 3's race. Britton placed somewhere near the top 15. Phillip was in the top 20 in the 5's.

5 Colavita racers, 1 MO Champ, 2 podiums, all top 20 finisher - not bad.

Kansas State Championship

Jane and I rolled down to pittsburg, KS friday evening for the Kansas state road race and crit championship. got lucky because Jane's sister lives in Pitt so we had a place to stay for free...very nice - thank you Matt and Sheryl. Woke up early for Jane's 8 am rollout of her 42 mile road race. 3 laps of fairly flat terrain, high winds, and a moderate climb 1k from the finish. After a few mishaps on the course she took 3rd place....out of 3 riders. Whatever, she still got to collect $25 on a $15 entry fee.
I rolled out with a plethera of teammates at about 10:30. Steve V, Joe Anderson, David N., and Brad Williams. Not bad company. We did 4 laps of the course for about 55 miles total. first lap around was spent making my way to the front and getting settled in. Wasn't really sure if it was the first or second time through the start finish line, but some people up front decided to hammer it. Got caught on a slow wheel and had to bridge a small gap in a mean headwind, recovered alright and ended up in a nice 12 man breakaway with 2 other teammates, David and Brad.
Things were looking good. Started to feel pretty nice and was contemplating on how use the hill near the finish - Brad, David and I are all pretty decent climbers. Approached the final hill and under my normal output found myself on the front with a solo breakaway rider 50 meters in front. I wasn't going to chase him down, that would have killed me for the final and only would have dragged 10 more riders with me. A bike shack racer rolled around me and I just sat on his wheel. 400m to go and people started jumping. Caught a wheel and sprinted around a few riders into 4 th place, started to fade and David, who had my wheel jumped around me and got past one more for second place. I ended up in 5th. Pretty happy with that race, you get tired towards the end and are ready for it to be over, but I was still feeling strong.
this was also my first payout. Oh yeah......$35 in the bank (minus my $25 entry).
There was a crash at the end also, brad got mixed up in that and rode out into a ditch. He was alright but nothing to claim for the race.

Was feeling decent for Sunday's crit on Pitt State's campus. conditions were windy and hot, with a crazy 100 degree corner near the end. This one got going fast and we had a another 10-12 man break from the start. Put in some hard laps from the beginning before we settled in. they had 4 cash primes which I was a bit disappointed I didn't get in on. Although on the $2o prime I was ready to break for, my teammate David jumped before me and got away so I sat in and gave a bit a block but no one was in the mood to chase. Laps were winding down and I was out of water, and in a perfect position to sprint. One guy jumped, I covered him, another jumped and passed us both. I tried to get off the wheel I was on but he was slowing down and had a good wheel rub before I was able to overtake him. By that time there were 2 in front followed by David and then myself. I tried to get to David's wheel but was cooked. The rest of the group was pretty split up and took 4th uncontested. David managed 3rd.
Got another payout. Racing is pretty fun when you can win money. A couple weeks from now is Tour of KC part 1 and then the Tour of Lawrence. These two races are going to be the real test for me. So many people are gearing up for Lawrence. The fields are going to be huge, the payouts are big and it's going to be fast. Should be an awesome weekend for racing.