PDX Racing Digest - Forum Archive

Jul 31, 2013 at 04:27 AM

I thought I'd just put my occasional race reports under one thread for a while, til somethin' big comes along (like Oregon State TT Championships this weekend!).

But tonight it's just a sad tale of Norm that I'll call "Back in the Pack".

Yeah, I finally got a chance to line-up in the 3/4 field at the Tuesday Night PIR. There were different animals in this race and more of them. I heard the usual echoes of Matthew Keenan's soothing Aussie accent commenting "and there's the man from South Carolina, racing in New York City colors, for Kissena, trying to establish himself in the early break." Every time I heard that voice I moved into position and went off. My 1st turn roll-off attack just strung things out. Lots of attacks. I got a gap with one dude who worked with me for a spell, then as we were getting caught, I attacked again, got more gap --but in a blazingly brief time span-- a great Hulk of a dude in green kit roared past me with teammates in tow.

On into the race, it became more common for me to jump other rider's attacks. I was trying to size-up the competition. A couple of the breaks looked beautiful and strong and I was working and a two or three others were working, but also there were hangers on.

The numerous breaks were fun. My legs had been achy during my long warm-up, but they felt fine once the whistle blew. I never had much of a problem accelerating when I needed to. That's not to say it didn't hurt sometimes. I was eating a lot of wind...

But a big problem for the breaks was the three strong teams who were determined and capable to bring just about anything back. These guys were consummate controllers.

The finish. I was in good position to follow the Hulk with about half lap (1 mile) to go, but I made a bad call getting on the wrong side of the field coming into the final turn. I would have had to cut the corner in a not-so-nice way, so I just watch my position float back, back, back... to the back of the pack.

Oh well. The finish was a bummer, but the majority of the race was a rippin' good time.

P.S. I also raced a little Time-Trial this past weekend down near Corvallis... I got 2nd in the 4/5 group on the very neat windy, 18.2 farm lands course. My goal was to finish in under 45 mins and I got inside that by about 45 seconds. Not too many people in the category, 10 or 11, I think. The guy who won was quite a bit faster than me. I'll have to get some more aero stuff to get up there with him at State Championships this weekend.

Cheers from PDX,

Norm

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 04:21 AM

Quick report: I solo'd for the win with over a one minute gap in the 4/5 race and I feel guilty and embarrassed.

Reporting on my first race out at PIR - Portland International Raceway, a popular event here in town with several series running monthly from spring through late summer.

I have been riding a fair amount lately, except for a week off due to illness, but with fitness seeming pretty good I wanted to get some racing in. So PIR was the place to show-up.

Why did I not apply for my OBRA upgrade to cat 4 immediately when registering? Well, I am lazy and I thought the PIR races only featured a 4/5 race, not a 3/4 one so it didn't really matter, I thought I'd just upgrade via OBRA's own system. Turns out only that Monday night PIR has the 4/5 master race and Tuesday features a 3/4 race which has the fast 4's and bully 3s). I was going to race that 4/5 master field last night, but I was wheezing and coughing all day and had a sore hip, so opted to race tonight instead... and I found out the best race I could choose was the regular 4/5 field which wasn't well populated and didn't look to fierce since the faster 4s were racing in the 3/4 race (a field they don't have on Mondays).

This little 4/5 race was short too --6 laps of a 1.8 mile car race track, one long ass straight, and back pretty long back that you ramp up to on slightly inclining curve section, then a set of twists into the wind, then around a big curve onto the long straight away again where the finish line sat almost 1k from that last turn. The wind was at our backs on the big straight away for the finish. There was one HOT Lap for points in the series. That was on the lap 4 finish line.

To be continued...

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 04:22 AM

continued...

Anyhow, there were a few fit dudes in my field, maybe 25 or 30 tops. I lined up behind a guy who seemed to be handling his bike capably on the race track before the race and who gave me good instructions on where to warm-up. It was sunny and 75 or 80 degrees with a 10mph breeze that made it feel a little like a mild day at Floyd.

After a cheerful and wise speech on safety from an old feller who looks like he's spent more time on sea going vessels than bicycles, the whistle went off and we started rolling. I was on the far right and my man started moving up... I stayed on his wheel as he moved in behind fellas who were accelerating somewhat convincingly on the left. Things were a little strung out at the head of the group as we went into the first curve. I was rolling in about 10th position and wanted to move up so I used my momentum to gently move outside and accelerate softly up along the lead line. I knew the wind was going to hit us here, but it didn't feel like much so I just kept a steady pace...

My legs felt good. After a few seconds, I realized I rolled off the front and had a little 10 bike length gap. I said "whatever, I ain't sittin in no slow race piddlin' around looking at you dudes, you're gonna have to come up to me." Well, one old dude bridged up. He had the same Toroidal bellyshape that I have, so though we looked ridiculous up there, I figured we had an aerodynamic advantage... it's only 6 laps, so let's just keep it fast, others will come up and we'll be cooking with gas in no time. Well, I stayed on the front cause my aero friend, well I didn't trust him to do anything but stay aero in my wake. So, I kept going for a half a lap. The gap was getting big, about 30 seconds maybe. So, I looked back at my escape partner and asked him "would you like to take a turn?". I was surprised that I used proper grammar and that the words came out as if I was sitting in front of classroom, asking if the gentleman would like to come to the board to solve a problem. The guy said he would try. He sounded a bit fatigued.

My Toroidal TT Teammate did his pull for about 1 minute, then I came around half way into the windy backstretch. I didn't accelerate for about 20 or 30 seconds, but I knew our speed was down so I started dialing up more power. My mate lost contact. I kept on the pedals.

My HR was sitting at 178 which is about 4-5 beats higher than my expected and historically observed TT HR. I was a bit worried about this, but I was sure I would get caught and have a brief rest and then I could probably hang in and dial-up the power a few more times for the short race and do pretty well or at least burn everything I had in me. My sensation was that I was doing a Prospect Park 20mins TT, or a floyd race, so it was painful but the body was functioning so I kept going.

I wasn't looking back much. I stayed in the drops or in one or two other aero tucks. Back was flat always. Then I looked back and the group was no where in sight and I had a damn ling sight line at that point. This brought on elation and terror at once. I was killing the field. Poor cat5's didn't know who they let off the leash. I felt like a jerk, but I kept thinking that fleet dude with the PIR Leader jersey is just sitting there with a buddy and they are bridge up and crush me.

Anyway, I would look back every minute or so and the gap was holding at mythical distances. I felt like my body was going to lose power at any moment, but I kept going hard. On the bell lap, I was invoking the Gods of the Mitochondria to keep the energy exchange going strong in my all my little screaming cells. I approached the finish line, gave a good visual sweep behind me and didn't nothing but heat waves rising all the way back along the straight... I checked my jersey and started to raise one arm only at the last 25m... then I didn't see a finishing flag, the lap counter didn't say a damn thing and was in the glare of the sun, I didn't hear cheering or clapping, nothing, fucking Twilight Zone... so I asked "Is this it, the finish?", and I hear some official lady yell "don't sit up! stay down..."

I couldn't believe it, I was sure that was 6 laps and that I'd hear the bell the previous time around. But, maybe the chemical in my brain had fucked my senses into delerium, so I started pumping the pedal again... in a state of hurtfulness that perhaps only Michelangelo could understand (when he saw that extra wall in the Sistine Chapel that the Pope had failed to note as part of his painting assignment).

Amazingly, I kept my gap... then I came around to the finishing straight again and saw a huge assembly of riders lining-up at the start line.

I thought, "Norm, hit yourself, you're asleep and dreaming all this you moron! You're sweating up the sheets and scratching the paint off the walls... wake up!" But, it wasn't a dream, I did a goddamn victory lap at full blast.

Anyhow, I guess that extra lap was punishment for racing in that race. On the other hand, it was better training to do the extra lap.

Now I'm the series leader this month.

I sincerely apologize to you guys for looking like a goofball in my Kissena kit with that stupid victory lap.

Jules

Jun 05, 2013 at 04:40 AM

Post a picture you sly devil! Three cheers for Normanzo - smashing!

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 05:39 AM

Things were so weird, so quiet... as if they had seen the Pale Rider saunter into town. I think they took photographs.

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 05:53 AM

I mean I think they did not take photos.

Jules

Jun 05, 2013 at 11:52 AM

They did...

Thierry Bonnaire

Jun 05, 2013 at 12:03 PM

Can someone photoshop Spooky on the horse??

jim_nelson

Jun 05, 2013 at 01:13 PM

Nice work Norm.

I've raced PIR a half dozen times and always had fun. It can be windy like Floyd but the pavement is silky smooth and I like the twists and turns.

Which way did they run the course? They switch the direction from week to week and I've done both a couple times. I think I like the clockwise direction better.

Did they have the sprint points that count towards your finishing place? It's a strange thing they do with sprint premes where you can gather points toward the finishing places by winning intermediate sprints. So if you take two intermediate sprints and get 3rd in the finale you may be the winner of the race. In your case it wouldn't have mattered......

Jeffrey White

Jun 05, 2013 at 02:43 PM

NORM! That's huge! Sounds like your TT is back in order, and then some. Dude, no shame in racing your proper, by-the-rules category. I don't care what category it is, it takes some real chops to TT away from a pack of 30 racers.

Chapeau!

P.S. Did you do that on your folding bike?

Adam

Jun 05, 2013 at 02:49 PM

Totally second Jeff W's point. You are a cat 4 or 5 (Don't quite understand-different system out there? Either way, you are one of them). You were in a 4/5 race. You won it. Simples.

Well done.

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 03:29 PM

Thanks all...

@Jim - The course ran counter-clockwise. That definitely more fun last night given the wind, but I look forward to racing it clockwise too.

@Adam I am cat5 OBRA, but my USACyling cat4 status qualifies me for the courtesy upgrade to OBRA cat4.

@JeffreyWhite - Sure it was technically OK for me to race that category, but I should have been with the 3/4 group. And I could look at it as instruction for those lads... they aren't likely to let any strangers off the front, untethered, ever again. I think my TT performance was good, but not great. I was on Spooky, number #2 (aka Dr. Crusher).

@Jules... I think I referred to the wrong character... this is what I have to look forward to when I show-up next week:

eli_wallach.jpg

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 06:17 PM

correction: just saw the results and it turns out I was seeing double... only 18 finishers in my field.

Craig Zolan

Jun 05, 2013 at 07:35 PM

Awesome Norm. Glad you're flying the KCC flag in PDX.

normanzo

Jun 05, 2013 at 07:41 PM

Thanks Craig.

Oh... Jim, you asked about the hot laps... yeah, there was one. That added 3 pts to my 15pts for the win. So, I've 18pts and the guy in 2nd has 13pts. That fellow in 2nd is on one of the teams, Trailhead Roasters, I'm considering joining (when that sad --for me-- day arrives when I move on from Kissena).

normanzo

Jun 12, 2013 at 03:34 AM

Naturally after my squirrelly victory lap last week and my equally squirrelly race report, I had to back out and defend my points lead in the David Oliphant Memorial Tuesday Night PIR 4/5 race.

Brief report: I almost touched the nostrils, settling for 4th place, and 2nd in the sprint "hot lap".

Full report: we had a field of about 16 or 18 again, but curiously absent from was the 2nd place points man and his team. This gives me an easier time at defending my lead, but I was looking forward to battling that team --as I've gotten to know some of them and they are good, fun, bike racing dudes.

Anyhow, the whistle sounded and we were off... I took the lead into the headwind with an unmarked rider to my right. He started chatting with me, saying it was his first race and asking politely if I'd give him some tips... I said a few simple things on handling and staying up front, and this and that. We were doing 24mph into the wind and both of us could talk fine. Into lap two some attacks finally came around our motor pacing session and we watched them go... they were weak. I kept motoring, my conversation pal got itchy after a minute and decided to chase a guy down. He ended up going off on his own... damn this is too boring and detailed for a 12-mile race... let me speed up...

The "Hot Lap" --for pts was coming up, the bell rang for it, soon after the bell, I strung it out to warm myself up for the sprint points. I felt good. I eased-up and watched the guys come around slowly... it was too early for them to go. I got on the lead guys wheel coming into the soft and easy, non Navy Yard, chicane that turned out onto a 500m finishing straight. I attacked coming out of that last turn.... I thought I had it, but some big leg boxed his bike past me with about 10 meters to the line. Maybe it wasn't that close, but I was pleased to get 2nd in the Hot Lap. I kept pedaling at a decent pace and -didn't notice it at the time-- but created a split... only 9 guys, about half the field was left. Another guy attacked around then and the 9 of us moved way ahead of the chasers. I had difficulty following this acceleration, but stayed in.

We all slowed down for the last lap. I was in the back of the 9 and started moving up when my old conversation pal started accelerating hard with 3/4 of a lap to go... this was hard to follow also, but I ate some wind for a while and struggled harder to get position going into that little ending chicane again, I got 4th wheel behind the dude who out sprinted me... perfect!

I wanted to get a better jump on him this time as I didn't think I could come around him in a straight-up sprint. I had momentum coming out of that last turn, but I hesitated... two seconds later, that dude ahead of me --nails it. I was surprised that he went from 500m out! I don't know why that surprised me since he followed me last time and passed me and he wasn't right on my wheel. I tried like the Dickens to get in his draft. I got close and held close for a couple hundred meters, then he started pulling away. And another chap comes swishing by on my right, and then another guy on my left. Damn. It wasn't full-on swampage, as I was 4th across the line.

I will have to be wilier next week!

Jules

Jun 12, 2013 at 01:29 PM

Ouch! Great report Norm... (shakes fist at fates) next time!

normanzo

Jun 19, 2013 at 04:22 AM

Sorry the weather is crappy over there in NYC... read about the Floyd cancellation, bummer.

Portland was partly cloudy, beautiful, and 65 degrees today... a bit breezy on the race track at PIR. In the this third installment of the June Tuesday PIR 4/5 race, about the same assemblage of racers showed-up just some different faces than in previous weeks.

A quick summary of my race:

lap 1: having recently rewatched a Jens Voigt interview where comments about how he always gets away early and the field lets him go, I thought that might become my signature move as well. So, I nonchalantly powered out of the first turn into the wind. Looked back 30 seconds later and I got dudes in-tow... all of 'em.

lap 2: after letting some other dudes upfront for a few moments I found myself back at the front when a fleet looking fellow rolls up along and starts chatting. He wants to hatch a plan where the two of us just take turns going hard at the front... it didn't compute, so I suggested that I could launch him into an immediate attack following the intermediate sprint, then I'd bridge-up solo or with one dude and we'd go from there.

lap 3: intermediate sprint, I got to my man and pulled him up nicely following the sprint contesters... but the sprint contesters kept on hammering --protecting against our very plan. I let those guys pull hard for a bit, then as they slowed, I hammered onward (out my favorite turn 1) and started trading pulls with my partner. There were dudes. No luck. But it did split the field in half much as similar maneuverings did last week.

lap 4: I go to the back of the 9 or 10 man group. I consider my options.

lap 5: Still at the back of the group. Thinking a lot. Resting. My partner is upfront hammering like all get out. The guy came up to Portland from Bend, Oregon to race, so he had simply lit the candle from near about the start and kept fanning that flame.

lap 6 (final lap): last man in position. Thinking about when to launch my gerbil-powered sprint. No matter the distance I calculated, the answer came out as "that's not gonna work". Then about a mile from the finish, a character in a blue speedsuit sitting atop some ace Spinegy wheels attacks. He had been tucked in for the entire race. He had a nice little kick. But it quickly became apparent the he was doing a little Voeckler opponent sizing-up/warming-up of the legs. Despite this guys appearance, I decide to get on his wheel (when he folded back in with the group).

One of the fellows who had shown excellent power (I think he nabbed the intermediate sprint handily and definitely kept chugging, real fast) jumps out of a turn. Slight split... I jump in behind Blue Spinergy, probably 5th wheel. Everyone gets back together. Blue Speedsuit goes to the outside on the final turn into the very long straight-away, cross-tail wind finish. He's on the damn wrong side, not as well protected from the wind. But, otherwise, his position was good. He was eating wind and I had a nice path to his right.

Too much time goes by, it's coming down to a bona fide sprint with 10 guys. The gerbil-wheels already squeaking like some freak, frenetic Tim Burton film prop... at about 250 yards, I decide it's the moment, so I whip the gerbils, out-of-the-saddle monster-varmint sprint... that damn dude from Bend is still cranking hard and I almost laugh as it seemingly takes me 37 seconds to pass 3 dudes (who are not yet sprinting). But somehow, I was pulling clear. The line came at me quickly... oops! damn! the line comes to the kid on my right a bit more quickly!

2nd. And proud of the gerbils.

Jules

Jun 19, 2013 at 03:42 PM

LOVE IT NORM! You and your darn squirrels are slaying it out there!

Jeffrey White

Jun 19, 2013 at 03:48 PM

I love reading these as much as I loved story time in kindergarten.

normanzo

Jun 26, 2013 at 03:56 AM

Ok, last race of the Tuesday Night PIR series for June, I had a commanding lead in series pts --but there was one kid who could have grabbed my spot if he did everything perfect and if I got shut-out of pts.

The referee gave our field the option of adding 2 laps, for a total of 8 (almost 16miles), so the teeny-tiny race was a touch longer. We vote yay for the 2 extra laps. The whistle blows...

Now it was bike racing aptitude test time for the 4/5 field:

Question 1: Now kids, on which turn will the gentleman from Kissena attack?

Survey says: It doesn't matter, attacks are futile.

Correct Answer: lap 1, turn 1

Question 2: How much of a gap does a smart rider give to the Kissena man (who attacked on lap 1, turn 1)?

Survey says: Uh, we think 200 meters is safe.

Correct Answer: 20m

Question 3: If the Kissena man has been given a 200m gap, how do smart riders bridge to Kissena?

Multiple choice options: a) wait for other riders to bridge, b) quickly form a 3 or 4 man alliance to work together smooth and strongly, c) Kissena is going to fold-up and come back, d) give the man from Kissena another 200m while thinking about it.

Survey responses: A, C, and D.

Correct Answer: b

Question 4: When a group of 3 or 4 make the bridge attempt, yet does not work in unison...

*** We interrupt this test for the following advisory: This examination is over. You are now racing for second place. You may resume at your leisure. ***

Yeah, so I was on the front going into turn 1 and rolled up ahead, did the soft acceleration in low gear through the stiff cross wind, saw I had 15 or 20 meters, and just started time-trialling. I was sure some guys would come up quickly, but they waited too long. The 3 guys who tried --too late-- well, I thought about sitting-up to wait so I wouldn't have to be snot-factor 5 mode for 35 minutes, and I thought it would be nice to talk to some guys, work on some break skills, etc. But, I waited to see if they would work well together about 2 laps into their chase I saw they had big gaps between them, so I forgot about them.

I had such a huge gap that I felt comfortable setting my pace at ~25mph. I figured I could hold that and if folks started approaching, I could edge out a bit more speed and/or have enough to race adequately with whomever came along. I felt less pain than I did on my solo race from a few weeks ago... perhaps my training has boosted my efficiency and/or I was just feeling better and/or I just like going clockwise instead of the other way. I am pretty sure the wind direction and speed/gustiness made it a bit harder today --and yet my avg speed was almost identical (a bit higher) and the distance was 2 miles further (recall my extra victory lap from 3 weeks ago... good prep for today's race!).

Anyhow, I was happy that folks were cheering me on after about 5 laps. That felt nice and surely helped boost my performance.

I kept my head down going across the line, pulled off the course, drank some water, ate a sleeve of Shot Blocks, talked to a kid, then watched the rest of the field sprint in for their finish. I think I had over 2 minutes on them.

I wish I could go out and have some beers with you guys and regale you with my minor race win. And, of course, hear your much more interesting racing reports. It's nice to read them here on the discussion board. I will be doing some more interesting races when I return to PDX from a trip to SC over the coming weeks...

Cheerio,

Norm

jim_nelson

Jun 26, 2013 at 11:22 AM

These reports are why I get out of bed on Wednesdays.

Jeffrey White

Jun 26, 2013 at 11:38 AM

Hey Norm, where do I buy that meat?

Jules

Jun 26, 2013 at 12:38 PM

Lap 1, Turn 1... solos in for the W with minutes to spare. Doesn't get any better, except of course if you had time to zip up your jersey before crossing the line...

NORMANZO IS BACK!

normanzo

Jun 26, 2013 at 03:27 PM

Jeffrey White said:

Hey Norm, where do I buy that meat?

Ha, actually I was thinking about my lunch yesterday, or rather where I ate it... Olympic Provisions. Maybe there's something in a name.

tito

Jul 14, 2013 at 01:23 PM

I miss you, Norm.

Jules

Jul 31, 2013 at 01:13 PM

Always good to read Norm. (PDX threads merged)

normanzo

Jul 31, 2013 at 04:40 PM

Julesie --Thanks for helping corral these posts!

Jules

Jul 31, 2013 at 04:57 PM

I'm looking for any microscopic victories I can find after last night's debacle...

normanzo

Jul 31, 2013 at 06:39 PM

There's nothing like the snafus and debacles that fuel training and racing focus --you'll be so stoked for your next race!

normanzo

Aug 05, 2013 at 03:47 AM

State Time-Trial report: racing the cat 4/5 category, with 16 riders, I got 1st... won by a minute and half, good for limited aero equipment (clip-on bars, helmet).

If I had raced the much smaller Masters 40-44, I would have rated 5th out of 7 riders. Like Eric said of another race of mine, I chose the race well.

But it's the clock that matters to me in these races ---for now. I got my goal of covering the rather flat, out and back, 24.9 mile course at an avg speed of over 26mph. The way back was the headwindy stretch and though the wind wasn't howling, it put its teeth into me.

I managed the 56:43 effort pretty evenly with an uptick in effort/HR on the way back. The first and last 5 miles or so was freshly slathered in its chipseal coating (the rest was older chipseal), this didn't bother me on the way out, but I had forgotten about it coming back and I ran up onto it just after putting in a slight dig to keep momentum into an increasing wind --the chipseal added its sinister touch of rolling resistance and I began to cry. I felt my speed drop to lowest of my race. The Engine Room had already been on the comms with several warnings about maintaining that output to the destination. I held back the tears and didn't change the engine output order --stay on power until further notice.

My right eye started burning like hell. It stopped after about 5 minutes of pain, just in-time to read the 5k sign. "Engine room... More power..."

I put that same order in again at the 1k mark and again at the 200m mark.

I was happy with the result and look forward to getting some aero equipment when cashflow is back up. In the meantime, I will be working on my position which may produce more improvement than all the aero products combined.

Upcoming races: Another Tuesday PIR and the OUCH Uphill TT... 14 miles of uphill therapy, probably sponsored by one of the local heart, lung and leg acute care clinics.