Hey Folks,

Figured I would start a Texas Bike Racing thread for well ... Texas racing.

First one on the books that I think would interest Kissena folks is the Tour of Corsicana (http://zlytle.wixsite.com/tour-of-corsicana), March 11 and 12, which is 2 day, 3x race event including:

Day 1, March 11: Morning TT, Afternoon Crit
Day 2, March 12: Road Race

Corsicana is relatively close to DFW (only a 1.25 hour drive) and plenty of hotels with availability.  I've already booked 2 nights at the Hampton Inn at less than $100/night, or cheap ## of HHonors points if you got 'em!  Non-stop flights from NYC <--> DFW are pretty reasonable too.  If interested, I'll fill you in on more info as I get it.  Hope to see one or some of you there!!

I'll keep y'all updated on other events as well, as my first road race will be end of January in Crockett, TX.

Looks like fun, though I know I would barely qualify to ride around the block in March!

Wild Frontier in Crockett, TX happened yesterday, and look who showed up!  We did the 3/4s, ~65 miles and ~2,000 ft of climbing.  I felt strong, but unfortunately at mile 27 and accelerating out of a turn, I had a pretty severe back spasm and had to stop.  Race over.  In hindsight, I've totally neglected my stretching over the past months.  The fact that I certainly don't walk as much as I did in New York has tightened my hip flexors, hamstrings, etc. and it all caught up with me.  So lesson learned folks.

I'll post more TX races as they happen and do like Sean .. come on down to Texas!

goKissena!;-)

Figured I've been trolling Kissena Forums long enough, it was time to submit a race report.  Had my first race since my January and been feeling pretty strong.  The series is the Bear Creek Crit, located in Northwest Houston ... which is a misnomer, as it's about 18 miles west of downtown.  I'm fortunate that my work is ~4 miles away.  Easy to get to.  The course lies in a flood plain, so this was actually the first race since 2015 as all of 2016 was flooded out.  Beautiful pavement, 0.75 mile clean course, and bears a similarity to a course we all know well ... albeit with 0.00 ft of climbing.  

Temps approx 85F, 40% humidity, and 16mph winds out of the NW.  Think Floyd in August without the potholes.

Did the 4/5s.  Winning move came at the first sprint, where the prize was a batch of homemade cookies.  4 - 5 guys off the front for the rest of the race.  Pace was good and I stayed with the pack for the rest of the race, pulling for a bit and moving around to avoid the wind.  Still had some gas in the tank at the end.  A good training race for me.  Looking at past numbers, I'm about my fitness level of mid-August last year.  Pretty happy and room for strong improvement in the coming months.

All reports from now on should come with Prospect comparison maps.

Houston had its annual downtown crit today, called the Houston grand Crit (http://houstongrandcriterium.com/#raceinfo)  Starting temp was ~70F, 20% humidity.  I can get used to this weather ... but I hear its fleeting, and soon summer really starts.  Like in 2 days.

Raced the Cat 4's.  The course was 1.6 miles long, with a 180 degree hairpin with a long straightaway , long turn around a block, then another straightaway to the starting line.  Aside from one heavy breaker (always having an exit point was crucial in this one, as I was able to quickly get around him) and almost getting chopped, it was a pretty safe race.

Twice during the race I had a pretty healthy sprint from the pack.  This was a race where one could certainly sit in and do nothing, but that would be no flippin fun!  The straightways were too long and everything would get roped back in.   I made two strong attempts.  One on the first prime lap, I saw two guys sprint out towards the 180 turn and I made my break to join them.  400 yards after the corner I caught them but once I did they slowed enough that we couldn't keep the momentum and the pack caught up.  The second attempt was at the end of the 3rd / beginning of the 2nd to last lap.  I knew that I wasn't going to contest the sprint so I used this opportunity to see if I could give a real strong effort chasing a guy down, draft during the rest of that lap and still maintain my effort on the final lap.  While I was able to maintain a strong effort, I did end up getting dropped with 500 yards to go.  I figured that was fine enough and goals for the race were reached. 

During the P/1/2's, Lawson Craddock, Houston's homegrown pro and on the Tour de France last year was in it.  Watching those dudes race was a real fun, as once they turned it on, they just stayed away.  A 20 sec gap was maintained by 8 or so riders for most of the race.  His efforts seemed, well, effortless.

If the stars aline, I'll see y'all at Prospect Park on May 21 for the Cat 4.  Giddyup.

Winter weather in NYC got you down?  Looking to "get away" and test yourself against the thic southeast Texas / Louisiana bike racing circuit?  Below a couple of races I'll be doing in February and March.  I'm happy to host at my place in Houston for those that are interested in making the journey.

Feb 10 - 11, Crockett, Texas (2 hrs from Houston): Davy Crockett Classic (TT and Crit on Saturday, Road Race on Sunday), http://localbikeracing.com/davy-crockett-classic/

March 10, St. Francisville, LA (4.5 hrs from Houston): Rouge Roubaix, a 105mi Road / Gravel race north of Baton Rouge, that will wind its way through Mississippi as well.  From what I understand, think Battenkill for the southeast. https://www.rougeroubaix.com/

Wild Frontier RR, Cat 3/4 , 65 miles, Crockett, TX, Feb 11 2018

 

Starting temp 32 F, humidity 95%.  Conditions one in NY would jump at this time of year, but Texans (and especially Houstonians) shivered at with a number staying home.  Total entrants in the 3/4 was ~40 or so.  The race nearly got postponed because of ice on the roads but they were deemed safe enough and on we went.

65 miles, with an in-out structure and 2 lollipop loops before heading back to the start.  Right after the neutral start, 3 guys jumped and got away.  I didn’t really pay attention as I figured it was early and they just wanted to test their fitness.  I hung in the back for the 1st 25 miles, hanging on a wheel I trusted. 

While I don’t really have a team here (the guys I rode w/ last year have decided BBQ or moving away from Houston as better options), I’ve befriended a strong team of Cat 3 (Nick Lopez Tailoring, “NLT”) and started working and riding with them. So, after the 1st lollipop I know it was going to get a bit faster and I moved towards the front to manage the rolling hills.  During the hills, as they were quick up downs, many would be popped as the race got feisty. In fact, on the largest hill I put in a hard effort just to break the elastic on a couple of wheelsuckers we don’t really like.  It worked   and they were gone.

Now it got interesting.  The 3 guys up front had a 3-minute break with ~20 miles left.  No one was working. NLT had a plan to rest a sprinter and the attacker had been working quite hard.  We’re sitting in the back and he says, “this is stupid, we’re not sprinting for 4th place”.  Off he went to chase.  I managed to get up front too and pull the tiny weight I could.  7 miles left, and the work was done!  Ultimately three of us were popped w/ 6 miles left, but the NLT sprinter managed 3rd in the final sprint.

In the immediate aftermath we were stoked at the results and bemoaned the field’s laziness.  However, stopping at Whataburger for our post-race burger / fries / milkshake, we learned what really happened.  The cold weather had everyone in their cold weather gear. 2 of the 3 guys of the front were on the same team and two other guys were patrolling the front, incognito.  Genius.  They almost got away with a full win.  We all laughed together and enjoyed our meal with them. (as an aside, unfortunately one of their guys got chopped in the final sprint and went into the grass with a tree stopping his momentum; broken bike and broken helmet, but he appeared to be OK).

Personally, it was a win for me.  My attempts last year involved a) a back spasm due to hip issues that pulled me out halfway through, and b) 90F and 80% humidity dropping my hard 15 miles from the finish.  Rough outings.  Although I wasn’t there for the final sprint, I was patient early and helped out a team.  I’m getting better managing in the pack and anticipating developments in the race.  These Texans race hard and not afraid to get pushy when it picks up.  With consistent training, soon enough I’ll be up there to get into the final sprint.

Finally, a recent NY transplant to Houston commented on the Kissena kit.  That was cool.

Keeping a level head during a race is a big deal Scott, and there is no way to accelerate that learning curve. Good job using your brains and experience!

Pace Bend Race Report

I’m digging this TX racing stuff.  This past weekend was Pace Bend, an annual circuit style race in Spicewood, TX, ~1 hour from Austin.  I was supposed to be in NYC this weekend but travel changed, so I made my way out west.  Pace Bend State Park is more known for camping and jumping from cliffs but the tax payers of Travis County also helped build an amazing 6 mile loop with punchy climbs, speedy downhills, great corners and best of all, no traffic and use of the entire road way … no center line rule!! Think Central Park without the 3:30am wakeup call and agro-joggers.  Huge fields too with all the Austin pro teams representing.  This is one (along with Lago Vista) to hit if you if you find yourself in TX this time of year.

Saturday, Cat 3/4, 31 miles, 5 laps, field ~110, 68F and windy

Feisty from the beginning this was.  This week was rest week so I felt great.  Knowing that other fields had crashes in some of the corners the first lap was pretty much getting to know the course.  That didn’t stop a handful to the left of me crashing out on the last curve before final hill on the first lap.  The second lap was when it really picked up and I got starry eyed just hanging on.  But planted I stayed making sure I was in the top third so as not to get popped on the back-lap stingers.  We were hitting 45mph on the hills.  A couple managed to get away for lap 3 but this time I did get to the front and made some effort to real them back in.  The fourth lap was in comparison restful and prepping for the final lap and group sprint.  I was well positioned for the final sprint but (agh!!!) caught the wrong wheel and once I toggled to the right to get past him the next guy (agh!!!) gassed out.  20+ passed me on my left and I finished 38th. Sad Face.  But considering that half the field was shelled by then it was a personal win. 

Sunday, Cat 4, 44 miles, 7 laps, field ~75, 49F and spitting rain

A poor night’s rest and early start I wasn’t feeling it but suited up I did.  In comparison to Saturday this was just a Fancy Group Ride.  Our laps were a 1min+ slower than the day before and nobody wanted to work.  My roommate (Cat 3) pointed out a couple dudes to hang with.  One of the guys (a Cat1 mtn racer) I was with for a bit, but didn’t notice when he bridged to a guy I thought was being left to dry.  Lap 4 I didn’t see him anymore and lap 5 we’re told they had 80 sec on the field.  So lap 6 I make a go for the front and start time trialing.  One guy bridges up and he’s ready to work so we go a mile+ but the field would rather let them win.  My limitations and Jello legs from yesterday relegate me ineffective and I have no choice but to temper my effort.   Sad face again as I rest in the group knowing they’re content with taking the corners slow AF and resting on the front.  Final lap I work my way towards to the front and plant myself on a strong Dallas dude.  An impending thunderstorm makes itself known and the sky opened up.  Down pour for the final mile.  I don’t get as aggressive as necessary and lose his wheel, and then wimp out a bit as I didn’t feel comfortable going into the final curve hard w/ the rain (other guys had gone off the curve earlier).  I ultimately pick my way through the crowd to an unsatisfying mid pack finish.  With these knuckleheads, I should’ve definitely been in the mix for the final sprint.

All things considered, the Kissena Training Program is working and I’m definitely getting stronger while also improving my racing instincts.  I’m on the way to positive results soon, just need to stay patient and trust the process

Fayetteville Road Race, Cat 4, 49 miles, 3 laps, Field ~35, 65F and super windy

 I went into this race thinking it was going to be a repeat of the Fancy Group Ride a couple of weeks ago.  An Austin rider that I had met a few weeks back had just catted up from the 5’s and knew he was one to watch.  He won this one after being in the break for the final lap, being caught near the end, and sprinting the finish.  To the 3’s he’ll go in no time.

Boy, was I wrong about this being a pack ride.  Attacks started hard n’ fast and the heavy winds made positioning very important.  I can count only 2 times when the field actually rested.  Make any attacks of my own?  Hardly.  I was in Zone 4 / Zone 5 three quarters of the time in this race.  And due to that, I didn’t fair as well as I desired.  On the 3rd lap and the eyeballs going catabolic the field slowly pulled away from me at mile 40.  A downer for sure.  But it popped a third of the field completely, with only 22 finishers.  But is that the kind of race I wanted?  Absolutely.  So much better than a Fancy Group Ride waiting for a field sprint.

For those interested, a P1/2 posted the following edited video (8min) of the highlights in their race.  A good one to watch for sure.

Question for those that have gotten this far … My body was really stressed from mile 30 to the end.  Tons of cramping in the mid-section through glutes and hamstrings, with a good amount of soreness today.  No cramping from the quads or aches today.  I don’t have these issues during endurance or training rides, but with the efforts in the race, I’m wondering if my seat may be a bit too high.  I’ve had the similar soreness in the other races I’ve been in this year.  Any insight? And yes, I’ve done my fit through Redbeard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqEqn-YC6MM

Link above to the P1/2 (edited) race, ~8min

^ Scott, great to read your reports. Cramps like this usually come from lots of repeated big efforts, which sounds like what you were making here—two hours of Z4-5?! But if it's in the slower races also then position/fit might be factor.
- how relaxed are you on the bike? How much weight do your arms put on the bars? Average cadence? Form is something you can think about/practice in training.
- how flexible are you? Do you stretch every day? Yoga helps
- How comfortable are you in most aero position?
- What's your longest endurance ride each week?
- Lastly, yeah, check your fit hasn't gotten out of whack

I looked at the Cat 2's video. Full on racing. That guy saw too much daylight, also, chatting on front because?

Scott,

Hard riding makes for hard sensations. Just keep in mind that if you're still racing (ie: not dropped), the guys around you are feeling the same things!

One of my favorite race lessons was at Battenkill with John and Dave and Ryan when we were all in the final selection. I was cramping and feeling like shit, John gave me the "I'm fucked" look. Ryan rode up and said "Dave says he's cramping really bad." Then he drifted back only to return and tell me "I'm cramping really bad."

At one point I literally couldn't pedal but I somehow managed to cling to the group - just barely. It was a cramp filled death march.

News flash - everyone was fucked - that's bike racing at the point end!

Anyway - long anecdote to remind you that the better you go, the worse you'll be able to make yourself feel.

None of this is to say you shouldn't check you fit, nutrition etc and try to mitigate the discomfort, #obv just that if you want to win you're gonna have to grovel.

It should be noted that Jules managed to recover and sprint to third in that race, *after* we sent him up the road solo in the last 15km! I cramped to pieces on the final hill and watched it ride away... here's Jules' monster attack to thin the herd... #ThreadHijack
Agree with that cramping is something every racer has to deal with at some point, but I don't remember ever getting hammy, glute, stomach cramps as a combo, that sounds weird. Usually it's the big muscle groups in the legs; hams, quads, calves and usually it comes on hard and it's when you've completely emptied the tank. Lastly, after trying all sorts of nutrition approaches, the biggest thing that helps me avoid them is keeping cadence 95-100. 

@JohnMalcolmson @Jules, thanks for the replies.  All great things to think about.  Knowing that I'm not the only one dying has kept me from dropping in many races in the past.   "It never gets easier, it just gets faster" ...  I definitely was done on this one though, I had nothing left to give in this race ... next time, and Jules, what a pain face.  Nice.

John, to your questions, it may be gaining better overall fitness.  I've been very bike centric the past 2 months.  Next week I'm taking a week off the bike (will be some downhill and cross-country skiing), and I'll probably double down on some stretch sessions.:

- how relaxed are you on the bike? How much weight do your arms put on the bars? Average cadence? Form is something you can think about/practice in training.
 --> My cadence could be a bit higher.  Averaging 86-89 in my past races so yeah, I should be bumping up into mid-90s.  But when I'm pushing watts, I'm definitely in the high 90's - 100s.
- how flexible are you? Do you stretch every day? Yoga helps
--> I'm lacking and need to get better at stretching.  My roommate focuses on stretching 30 min a day.  I need to pick it up, and expand more than my current 5 - 10 minutes of stretching a day.  Yoga once a week, but that's been slipping ... once every two weeks of late.
- How comfortable are you in most aero position?
--> Quite comfy.  I can sit in the drops for a while with no issues.
- What's your longest endurance ride each week?
--> up to 3 - 3.5 hours (taking out all the pauses and rests).  
- Lastly, yeah, check your fit hasn't gotten out of whack
--> today I did drop my seat 0.5cm and I'm going to see how that feels over the next week.

#threadsidetrack done

^I sure do miss that race and the mates I did it with. John always tells that story and leaves out the best part - he took me out for a sprint session the week prior and played possum just enough so that I beat him a couple of times. That little bit of method acting on his part gave me a huge confidence boost for the sprint at the end.

A testimony to how stressed I was leading up to the race - anyone in their right mind should've been able to spot that trick...

Scott Kuhlke said:

  
- Lastly, yeah, check your fit hasn't gotten out of whack
--> today I did drop my seat 0.5cm and I'm going to see how that feels over the next week.

#threadsidetrack done

@Scott Kuhlke

Your question has come up in the past.  Similar answers from similar people.  Hydration/nutrition can be an issue, but, at that distance at this time of year, it's not too likely unless you ate terribly or not at all that day and came into the day dehydrated.  

I'll add a bit about fit.  I don't think it's an issue.  In my experience, fit issues are more likely to slow you down before you're to the point of cramping, not going so deep as to be cramping.  

Well folks, this is what Texas Hill Country looked like last weekend. Sunny, a bit windy, great company, amazing food. ~200mi over four days so kinda toast right now.

@Scott Kuhlke you got more photos?

What a trip! Stoked @niallsmart coud come on out and enjoy "chamber of commerce" weather in Texas.  True to what Niall said, the wind was pretty insane.  Our 90 mile route on Saturday included a steady northerly wind of 15+, which pushed us north up hills pretty quick.  But when it came time for the ~20 - 25 miles heading south, that shiz was demoralizing ... but mexican food, and a 20oz fanta saved the day.

I was super lame and caught basically no photos ... next time my friend!