International Cycling Classic, 2009
Superweek? Well, it actually has been...sorta.
The events have been run well, the courses safe and clearly marked, the organizers have been living up to their title, the addition or resurrection of some really fun courses--what more can you want?
Elgin, 7/12/08, Masters 4/5, 25th/63
Race #26
Nice course. Very technical and fun to ride. This was my first day back on the bike a week so I was just going to use it to open my legs up and go for results Monday and Tuesday. That said, I would have found it hard to work up to the front because with only 5 laps it was really difficult to find a mental rhythm on the course. I never got a good feel for what would come next. If I were looking for a result, like so many others, moving to the front would be challenging. But I was happy to slam on my breaks and then sprint out of every turn to finish 25.
Richton Park, 7/13/09, Cat4/5, 7/35ish
Race #27
Nice environment, very…suburban. There was nothing really technical about this race, it was a typical flat crit. Every attack was chased down making the pace very choppy. Though I didn’t spend much time on the front, it was so much easier to glide rather than navigate through the turns. Jeff was going to lead me out and I didn’t come around him in time, so I lost a few positions as a result. But 7th wasn’t bad...thirty five smackers for a payout. Which was almost one race, it weren’t for a ridiculous “convenience fee” attached to writing a personal check for registration. I asked Chris (the registration diva) if I could charge them an extra $6 for the checks they would be handing me this week and she coldly replied…you know, I’ve never heard that one before. Point taken.
Artlington Heights, 7/14/09, Cat 4/5, 17/40ish
Race #28
Christ! How many times do I need to learn this lesson: the race happens at the front!
This course was a tight 8 corner crit with the finish opposite where they place it at Proctor. So, you had to be in the top 10-15 going into the final 5 turns, or you have no chance. I had no chance. I was feeling “it” a bit more today than the others. I thought the bounce was gone from my bungee. Its not. But I had to relearn that old lesson: read the course, analyze how to do well and where to make your moves. Then go race and make your moves. I didn’t. I just got on my bike and rode around kinda fast. The up side was that I had to bridge a nice size gap (7-10 seconds) that opened up by a crash. Riders in front of me were not going to do it, I feared they may be content to be group 2 or 3—so I pulled around them…oooooohhh wow! Once again flying around those turns without slamming the breaks and sprinting out again! It took a little less than 1 lap for me to jump the gap (and bring everyone with me). But another funny thing happened—my legs opened up. I felt the effort but I actually felt good! But I didn’t go to the front. Why? Because I’m a dunce.
Drew looked to be in great position going into the final two turns when he ate it in the corner..he’s fine. John was also doing great holding his position in the top 10 (I’m jealous), but he ate it in turn 3 or 5. Luckily noth are ok…
There is no way I’d race Bensenville. That course sucks…
Lakefront Short Course, 7/16/09, Cat 4/5, 28/40 starters???
Race #29
I have not written one word about my diabetes. The reason? It’s been great at every race (well, could have been better at Arlington). Today was the terrible exception.
The course was awesome. The hill scared the shit out of me and I’m glad I put on the 26t cassette. It was just over a solid min. effort, but it was not really Wisconsin steep—it was very manageable for dudes like me. The descent was really, really fun. This was by far the greatest addition or resurrection of Superweek. Bravo!!! I’ll do this race again next year even if I’m not race ready.
Diabetes…so, as usual, I was nervous, I wanted a better result after a very, very lackluster crit in Arlington Heights. But I’ve already learned to successfully manage the diabetes as relates to my never ending nerves. Today, Jake and I hit the Whole Foods for a muffin and espresso…I took what I thought was an appropriate amount of insulin to cover the muffin. But as we were less than 1 hr from starting a race I apparently took far too little. I was 94 when I sat down to eat; I was 224 five min before the start; 10 min into the race I was 250. Uh, oh. Looking at my data (no powertap, CGMS data) I can trace it back to that one delicious, chocolate, fucking muffin.
For the uninitiated: normal folks BGs are between 60-110 all the time—diabetics try to aim for that range using doses of synthetic insulin. Exercise boosts your metabolism and makes insulin far more effective. The down side is that when the insulin is too effective, or you over bolus a dose you can go low (which is very, very bad) –in this case, before a highly aerobic activity lasting ~1.3 hrs I took what I thought appropriate. Nope, I totally undershot it. Nerves apparently play into this too…espresso + nerves + under dosing for a muffin caused my BG to rise throughout the race. The effect of elevated BGs can be loss of power, heavy legs, really, really dry mouth, which is caused by dehydration…all fit the bill today.
So, in the second lap my CGMS gave me the alert that my BG was too elevated (yes, that was me cherping). I shut it up. It continues every 5 min. In the 5th lap, I go to the front and help Jake pull. I didn’t take a hard pull, then fell back one place. It goes off again. We turn right and hit the climb. When I crest I hear an alarm I have never heard…it sounded like a “Hey you, fucker! You must look at me NOW!” alarm. So, I go to the back and pull out my pump/CGM system and see that I’m nearly 355. Holy crap. I take two units of Insulin and let the pack slip away.
Looking back on it, I should have stuck at the back occasionally going OTB to check my numbers. But I was scared. I didn’t really know what to do…so I let the race slide away. But I finished. I finished the remaining 9 laps by myself (more or less).
It was my first time going off the back and then getting lapped. A few kind folks in both the 4/5 and masters 4/5 peloton asked, “hey Mike, you alright?”
“Yeah…I’m fine. Sorta.”
I whish I could have been there to help Jake. I wish I could have been there to see how I faired up the hill on the 16th lap with tired but driven racers. Well, I can’t do anything about it….I don’t regret my decision, though this week has been quite disappointing for me. New racing experiences bring new experiments in managing my Diabetes. I’ll probably email Phil Southerland and see if he can’t offer some advice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Proctor Cycling Classic : Culver's Butterburgers
Proctor: State Criterium Championships (Cat 4), 6/28/09
Race #25
8/40
It’s funny how little I know about racing. I know how to be a fan; I know how to ride a bike in circles, really fast, and sometimes really really fast. But I don’t know how to race with a team. That is why I was thrilled to head to Peoria with Eric, Julian and Tim (Burnham Racing). So, I shut my mouth and soaked in as much as I could. Thanks for the ride Eric!
T1Report: I prefer racing in the morning. It’s so much easier to control my bloodsugars that way—sitting around all damn day waiting to race just sucks. My BGs were alright, I was a little high before the race and afterward I was very elevated (perhaps the sprint?). Nothing so out of the ordinary that it affected my performance.
Welcome back to summer racing!
Tough race. I worked hard—sometimes very hard and hardly any of it on and none of it off the front. Working on someone else’s terms takes more energy for some reason and so this was the hardest crit of the year so far. Well, for me anyway. Our average pace was a normal 25-26 but there were nutty gusts of wind, and it was hot, and I felt the heat way more today than I did last week at Cobb Park.
There was lots of action from the start and I was feeling all of it in the first 5-8 laps. As usual, I started in the back. Some riders tried to separate right away, stringing out the field and causing a gap—with me at the back! A few bridged up to it, exploding the field in the process. And at one point, I wasn’t sure what group I was in. The second? Third? I saw the race start to slip away from me. I knew didn’t have the legs to make any moves let alone bridge--I just held on wondered how much more of this I could take. Luckily the break was soon caught and the pace settled down.
This is where individuals and teams started to come into play. There were a few teams with a few riders but as usual: xXx (10) and Wild Card (5) were the most well represented. Individually xXx started to go off the front and Wild Card chased a few times, but then their workers were soon worked over and it was left to individuals—who were all, like me, looking for a bunch sprint. In other words, no one willing to do much work. A perfect time to separate from the field.
I missed Liam going off the front. I couldn’t have done anything about it anyway. Man, he earned the title with that effort! There was no chase behind him.
I wanted to do well in this race, and, overall, I did. Though, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked and that burns. Well, what can you do? Some days you have the legs, some days you just don’t. In the last lap I was actually surprised to be near the front. I took the outside lane through turn 7 and 8, got on a wheel and waited to start my sprint. I finished 8th.
Brighter days are sure to be ahead...
Race #25
8/40
It’s funny how little I know about racing. I know how to be a fan; I know how to ride a bike in circles, really fast, and sometimes really really fast. But I don’t know how to race with a team. That is why I was thrilled to head to Peoria with Eric, Julian and Tim (Burnham Racing). So, I shut my mouth and soaked in as much as I could. Thanks for the ride Eric!
T1Report: I prefer racing in the morning. It’s so much easier to control my bloodsugars that way—sitting around all damn day waiting to race just sucks. My BGs were alright, I was a little high before the race and afterward I was very elevated (perhaps the sprint?). Nothing so out of the ordinary that it affected my performance.
Welcome back to summer racing!
Tough race. I worked hard—sometimes very hard and hardly any of it on and none of it off the front. Working on someone else’s terms takes more energy for some reason and so this was the hardest crit of the year so far. Well, for me anyway. Our average pace was a normal 25-26 but there were nutty gusts of wind, and it was hot, and I felt the heat way more today than I did last week at Cobb Park.
There was lots of action from the start and I was feeling all of it in the first 5-8 laps. As usual, I started in the back. Some riders tried to separate right away, stringing out the field and causing a gap—with me at the back! A few bridged up to it, exploding the field in the process. And at one point, I wasn’t sure what group I was in. The second? Third? I saw the race start to slip away from me. I knew didn’t have the legs to make any moves let alone bridge--I just held on wondered how much more of this I could take. Luckily the break was soon caught and the pace settled down.
This is where individuals and teams started to come into play. There were a few teams with a few riders but as usual: xXx (10) and Wild Card (5) were the most well represented. Individually xXx started to go off the front and Wild Card chased a few times, but then their workers were soon worked over and it was left to individuals—who were all, like me, looking for a bunch sprint. In other words, no one willing to do much work. A perfect time to separate from the field.
I missed Liam going off the front. I couldn’t have done anything about it anyway. Man, he earned the title with that effort! There was no chase behind him.
I wanted to do well in this race, and, overall, I did. Though, I didn’t do as well as I would have liked and that burns. Well, what can you do? Some days you have the legs, some days you just don’t. In the last lap I was actually surprised to be near the front. I took the outside lane through turn 7 and 8, got on a wheel and waited to start my sprint. I finished 8th.
Brighter days are sure to be ahead...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
It's hot again...finally.
Cobb Park Criterium, 6/20/2009
Race # 23 & 24
Drew emailed me Friday morning writing that he had found a ride for us to Cobb Park. I was so damned excited because I was resigned not to race, this was an awesome turn of events.
South Chicago Wheelmen did a great job hosting it and the weather was great, the environment was great, SCW and the ICA had the organizational element covered like old pros and that led to a really relaxed race day. Too bad it conflicts with Grafton.
T1 report: my bloodsugar was very tight before the race today. I followed the protocol I set up earlier in the year and was able to follow perfectly. After the last lap of the first race my BGs became elevated and they never really settled back down before the start of the masters race. I didn't take any additional insulin as I feared I would go low (essentially "bonking" but for diabetics it is far more dire). I still took a gel and finished the race more within normal range despite the sprint.
The course: This was a surprisingly technical flat ~1k course around a really nice riverside park in Kankakee Illinois. Turn 1 was nice ’n wide leading to turn 2 which led from a wide city street onto the eastbound lane of a narrow residential parkway that was not more than 10-12 feet wide. The first lap or two had the nerves running high, there was some bumping and lots of slowing but after a while we managed it well. Between turn 2 & 3 was an interesting little chicane that could narrow the field even more than turn 2. This chicanery led to turn 3 where it was surprisingly difficult to determine the fastest lane—at least for me. Even when I was near the front I was loosing speed here on every lap, for some reason I didn’t find it till the last lap of my second race.
Cat 4, Race #23
14/40
I hadn’t done much of anything but a few sprints on Wednesday so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. That and it was the first HOT day of the year. I normally wilt in the heat, but I must be tougher than last year or perhaps I’m just warming up smarter. Anyway, race goes off, we ride around, prime after prime keeps the pace pretty high. Wild Card and xXx were the best represented and so they did all the work: going off the front, each chasing down the other, etc. I sat in, and for ¾ of the race I didn’t feel great and then, finally, the race legs came back. But, my mind was still in vacation mode—no aggression at all, it was all fluf up there: sit in, don’t work hard. Its hot. Who cares about upgrading, I could be a 4 forever, and ever, and ever… On the last lap, poor positioning choices got me pinched in the gutter after turn 1 (grab breaks); pinched in the gutter after turn 2 (grab breaks hard) and once again I lost speed in turn 3. I finished 14th. I knew I could race better than that. Luckily, I was able to stay and race the masters 4/5. Drew did awesome and finished 4th! Drew, work on your 1 min max efforts to control that vomit reflex!
Masters 4/5, Race #24
2/40
Much better. Slower pace because there was only 1 prime. This race was a first: I flatted! While warming up on one of the sidestreets Drew and I were forced to ride over some glass—I though I missed it, but I guess it was everywhere, no escape. Luckily I race on Conti Gatorskins and it didn’t cause a problem in the first race. In the masters race, however, I rolled over something, a stick or stone or something not unusual or serious but then within 10 seconds I started going flat. I didn't pop, but it was a leak—so it must have been some debris already in my tire that finally pushed through. I thought my race was done, this situation was unfamiliar to me but luckily other racers told me to get to SRAM’s neutral support. I cut through the park, got to the Sram tent and quick as a whistle I was on my bike with a nice Zipp 404 rear wheel. I forgot the SRAM guy’s name, but he was really great. I stood there like a dummy watching him work and he began calmly coaching me: “Take a drink. Relax. Get on the bike. Clip in both pedals. Both pedals. Stay to your left ‘till you catch back on!” That was awesome. I was back in the pack after In the final 20 meters DJ (Get a Grip) and I bumped shoulders and I badly threw the bike somewhere near the line, it was an exciting finish. I felt much better going home with a result I could be proud of. But I had to return the wheel. Damn.
Race # 23 & 24
Drew emailed me Friday morning writing that he had found a ride for us to Cobb Park. I was so damned excited because I was resigned not to race, this was an awesome turn of events.
South Chicago Wheelmen did a great job hosting it and the weather was great, the environment was great, SCW and the ICA had the organizational element covered like old pros and that led to a really relaxed race day. Too bad it conflicts with Grafton.
T1 report: my bloodsugar was very tight before the race today. I followed the protocol I set up earlier in the year and was able to follow perfectly. After the last lap of the first race my BGs became elevated and they never really settled back down before the start of the masters race. I didn't take any additional insulin as I feared I would go low (essentially "bonking" but for diabetics it is far more dire). I still took a gel and finished the race more within normal range despite the sprint.
The course: This was a surprisingly technical flat ~1k course around a really nice riverside park in Kankakee Illinois. Turn 1 was nice ’n wide leading to turn 2 which led from a wide city street onto the eastbound lane of a narrow residential parkway that was not more than 10-12 feet wide. The first lap or two had the nerves running high, there was some bumping and lots of slowing but after a while we managed it well. Between turn 2 & 3 was an interesting little chicane that could narrow the field even more than turn 2. This chicanery led to turn 3 where it was surprisingly difficult to determine the fastest lane—at least for me. Even when I was near the front I was loosing speed here on every lap, for some reason I didn’t find it till the last lap of my second race.
Cat 4, Race #23
14/40
I hadn’t done much of anything but a few sprints on Wednesday so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. That and it was the first HOT day of the year. I normally wilt in the heat, but I must be tougher than last year or perhaps I’m just warming up smarter. Anyway, race goes off, we ride around, prime after prime keeps the pace pretty high. Wild Card and xXx were the best represented and so they did all the work: going off the front, each chasing down the other, etc. I sat in, and for ¾ of the race I didn’t feel great and then, finally, the race legs came back. But, my mind was still in vacation mode—no aggression at all, it was all fluf up there: sit in, don’t work hard. Its hot. Who cares about upgrading, I could be a 4 forever, and ever, and ever… On the last lap, poor positioning choices got me pinched in the gutter after turn 1 (grab breaks); pinched in the gutter after turn 2 (grab breaks hard) and once again I lost speed in turn 3. I finished 14th. I knew I could race better than that. Luckily, I was able to stay and race the masters 4/5. Drew did awesome and finished 4th! Drew, work on your 1 min max efforts to control that vomit reflex!
Masters 4/5, Race #24
2/40
Much better. Slower pace because there was only 1 prime. This race was a first: I flatted! While warming up on one of the sidestreets Drew and I were forced to ride over some glass—I though I missed it, but I guess it was everywhere, no escape. Luckily I race on Conti Gatorskins and it didn’t cause a problem in the first race. In the masters race, however, I rolled over something, a stick or stone or something not unusual or serious but then within 10 seconds I started going flat. I didn't pop, but it was a leak—so it must have been some debris already in my tire that finally pushed through. I thought my race was done, this situation was unfamiliar to me but luckily other racers told me to get to SRAM’s neutral support. I cut through the park, got to the Sram tent and quick as a whistle I was on my bike with a nice Zipp 404 rear wheel. I forgot the SRAM guy’s name, but he was really great. I stood there like a dummy watching him work and he began calmly coaching me: “Take a drink. Relax. Get on the bike. Clip in both pedals. Both pedals. Stay to your left ‘till you catch back on!” That was awesome. I was back in the pack after In the final 20 meters DJ (Get a Grip) and I bumped shoulders and I badly threw the bike somewhere near the line, it was an exciting finish. I felt much better going home with a result I could be proud of. But I had to return the wheel. Damn.
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