Race Report Thread

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toolonglegs
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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:15 pm

foo on patrol wrote:So long as the kids are cheering for you TLL and no saying why is Dad so slow and getting past all the time Mum. :mrgreen:

Foo
That will soon enough I am sure, but for the moment my son was pretty happy to sprint from one bunting section to the next to catch Papa, daughter... well she is WAY more competitive.
Today I am still going a million miles an hour, 5 hours sleep is all I could manage... going to pay for it today :oops: .

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Fri Dec 28, 2012 7:02 am

I have finally seen the results for Sundays CX race... PODIUM :shock: . Came 11th scratch but 3rd in vets :lol: .

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:56 am

^^ Woohoo TLL^^ 8)

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby skull » Fri Dec 28, 2012 3:29 pm

toolonglegs wrote:I have finally seen the results for Sundays CX race... PODIUM :shock: . Came 11th scratch but 3rd in vets :lol: .
Is that all.

Should have at least got 1st in the vets.

:P

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby jules21 » Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:32 pm

toolonglegs wrote:I have finally seen the results for Sundays CX race... PODIUM :shock: . Came 11th scratch but 3rd in vets :lol: .
great work TLL, all the hard work made worth it!

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Fri Dec 28, 2012 5:12 pm

Ha, I will take it as it is best I will do this season in CX, small field after all... Long way to go till I am up with the specialists!

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby nickobec » Sun Jan 06, 2013 10:39 pm

PDCC D Grade Criterium
Parklands
6 January 2013

Parklands is a favourite of mine, not a true criterium circuit, 4km in length, 3 moderate corners, a 400m climb and a descent straight after on less than perfect road surface, but for me it is a circuit that suits my strengths.

I went out with a simple plan, be active, get involved in any breakaways. Failing that, launch an attack with a lap to go from the top of the climb (my favourite part of the course) and try and solo the 5km to the finish. Plan C was attack from the top of the climb on the final lap, unfortunately I had used that tactic before, so I did not expect much success with that tactic, even though the rider who chased me down last time was now in C grade, most of the other riders including the guy who won were racing today.

The bunch was the usual suspects with one new addition, a young guy I later found out to be called Travis, who had raced B grade in the past. But was coming back from a long break, working away, so down to D (not for long). He was full of beans, by the end of the 1st lap he had enough of the slow and steady pace and launched an attack, nobody else reacted, so I made my way onto his wheel. But before I got my breath back to take a turn, the pack was on my wheel. Travis attacked again, I didn't even get a chance to react and the pack was on his wheel. His third attempt was up the short climb, he only got a small gap. So I took my chance, went hard, drove past him on the descent and hoped he got my wheel. He did and we got a small break. We kept working together, though the great bulk of the work was done by Travis. Then half a lap or lap and a half later, Dave made the bridge, unfortunately Dave is a better sprinter than me, having won here last time and a couple of seconds to his credit at the Motorplex. So I did put in a quick surge to try and dislodge him, but that appeared to dislodge Travis,as Dave was still stuck to my wheel.

So the three of us, started working together, it was still Travis doing the bulk of the work with me and Dave contributing. After 32 minutes racing I crested the climb and moved to the front to take my turn and suddenly I found I had a decent gap on the other two. Tactics time, race distance was 35 minutes and one lap, we where covering the laps in just under seven minutes, which meant if the race director felt sorry for us, he would give us the bell at 34 minutes and lots or seconds, or we would get the bell after over 41 minutes of racing. While I felt I might stay ahead of these two for a lap and definitely ahead of the bunch. I was far less confident of staying away for two laps and more worried the bunch might catch the other two, then me. Seeing I never podiumed in D grade, I decided discretion over valour and waited for my two companions, at least the worst result I could get would be a 3rd.

After that show of strength, I just sat on the front, as we got the bell that lap and then most the way round the circuit, happily tapping out a good steady pace. On the climb the two went past me, I just stuck to the wheel in front until we got over the crest and then launched my attack. 500m later I glance under my arm, I have a decent gap, through the two kinks, I ease up a little, another 300m later, I look under my arm again, there is a bike closing quickly. I drive for the line 300m away, getting closer to the line I here the crowd shouting, I keeping pushing as hard as I can, as I cross the line I glance to my left, another bike but about 10cm back, I win by all of 0.0035 of a second, with third less than half a second away. The rest of the group over 90 seconds back.

My two breakaway companions later confided they, thought I had gone too early and were more interested on being on each others wheel, till the got through the kink with about 600m to go, realised the gap and then had to work together to try and catch me.

Very happy with my result, though I will be brought back to earth next week racing at the Motorplex, with it's tight corners. Will need new plan for my next visit to Parklands.

On Strava
Last edited by nickobec on Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:57 am

Great work Nick! :-)

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby nickobec » Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:37 am

toolonglegs wrote:Great work Nick! :-)
Thanks TLL

When I saw your name as latest author, was hoping for a race report on Cyclo-cross Brignais

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby foo on patrol » Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:26 am

Woohoo go Nick, good you thought you tactics out. You will keep them guessing all the time when varying them but in saying that, you will be more closely watched. :wink: :lol:

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:29 am

nickobec wrote:
toolonglegs wrote:Great work Nick! :-)
Thanks TLL

When I saw your name as latest author, was hoping for a race report on Cyclo-cross Brignais
:-) ... I was going to wait till I knew my result... But ok ;-) .
So... After a OMGosh week off the bike!, I thought for a whole 5 minutes maybe I should sit this one out, arrived back late from London last night shattered, fat and a bit worse for wear... But the deep end is the best way to get back into it right :-) .
So roll up with a team mate to the 2nd to last cross race for the season, 5 Celsius is very pleasant for this time of year, but the dampness made it feel chilly. A few warm up laps... Little bit different to last year, mainly where the barriers where placed, no chance of riding them unlike last year and I SUCK at running!... Also a deep sand / gravel pit for extra fun!.
Anyway felt surprisingly good, the climb was going to hurt... But way less than last year with a lot less bulk to lug around!. Only got a 2nd row start but I was happy as the two guys in front I knew to be very fast... Off we go for an hour of fun.
Only one objective... Don't lose a lap!.
Got a great start, sitting pretty about 8th to 10th ( 50-60 starters ). Anyway managed to get the past a few guys who had had a good start but were punching above their weight... Also a few got past me probably thinking the same.
My team mate got past me avid I could see he was on fire... Didn't even think of going with him. Just settled into a group of 4 and enjoyed the suffering.
Technically I had no worries apart from the barriers. I did lose a bit of time first two or three laps on the climb but after that's started concentrating more to get my power down earlier out of the many tight corners and I started clawing my way back up to my little group.
Long story short. Leader only got about 2/3rds of a 2.4km lap on me by the finish so I was never close to getting lapped. I dropped most of my group... Even on the climbs... And on the last lap I gave it hell. Got caught up lapping people and tried my damnedest to catch the last guy in my group but needed a 100 meters or so more!.
Anyway not sure where I finished... Think my team mate got easily inside the top 10 and I was 5 or 6 places behind him... Hopefully results will be up tomorrow. Definitely the best result for be so far in such a big field.
Only one race to go and it is my favorite course next Sunday morning... It is fast,technical and fun... Also they are predicting snow!... Woohoo!!!.

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby foo on patrol » Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:53 am

Sounds like you had fun TLL. :mrgreen:

Wish this sort of thing was around when I was 15/16yrs old. I used to chase motor bikes (AJS, Matchies, BSA and CZs) around in the bush on my treadly and they thought I was crazy. :lol:

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby jules21 » Mon Jan 07, 2013 11:59 am

congrats Nick - that's a great win, it sounds like.

also to TLL - i can see you're improving, i assume you're over the problems that plagued you last year?

anyway, back to racing this week! i'm been getting some quality training in so i'm chomping at the bit to see what happens :D

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:12 pm

foo on patrol wrote:Sounds like you had fun TLL. :mrgreen:

Wish this sort of thing was around when I was 15/16yrs old. I used to chase motor bikes (AJS, Matchies, BSA and CZs) around in the bush on my treadly and they thought I was crazy. :lol:

Foo
Yeah it is a great sport for kids, they run the kids races before ours on shorter circuits / distances... but they look like they are having fun.
jules21 wrote: also to TLL - i can see you're improving, i assume you're over the problems that plagued you last year?
Pretty much, back still gives me trouble on the steeper circuits... but is just down to the muscles fatiguing during the race and seizing up ( the same on big road climbs ), main reason why I am going to do the climbing challenge this year. It should help build up my core a lot more, I regret not doing a lot more mtb and specific training in the run up to cross season. Need to try and build up / loosen up my hamstring area as well as they are still very tight.
Anyway the fun is nearly over so need to think out a training plan for the next couple of months.

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toolonglegs » Thu Jan 10, 2013 2:27 am

Ended up 14th / 50 ... best result so far in a full size field, but there was 2 DNF's of riders stronger than me. . Happyish but could be better... next Sunday will be the last chance as it is flat and has no runs ( well didn't last year )... and is my last CX for the season!. Hope to do better, reminder to self - MUST PULL FINGER OUT THIS YEAR!!!

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby jules21 » Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:44 pm

getting a bit annoyed with D grade crits at Hawthorn. they are too easy, but if anyone tries to escape, the field chases you down like they've just found their daughter in your bed. then on the last lap everyone just goes for it up the hill to the finish line. i could do the same - i'm finishing mid-field at the moment, but wasting a lot of energy early on, but i don't like sprinting and i'm not good at it. i need to get stronger so i can make a breakaway stick.

i'm convinced work sucks the life out of me. over the xmas break i felt great and was setting PRs on strava, as soon as i return to work it's like i have no energy :)

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toppity » Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:31 am

Well done TLL on the last couple of races. Good luck with the final one.

Well done Nick, it's great when a plan comes together. The only problem is they don't come together too often.

Jules, what you hate is what I like. I think I better get to a Hawthorn Crit. Hope you sort them out soon though.

Warragul has a crit on tonight. It's only a 30 min race which will be an interesting thing. I've never raced such a short time limited crit before, but this is a short flat circuit so only 2 grades can be on at once. Kind of reminds me of the 20/20 of cycling events. I'm in C grade so should stand a chance. Hopefully the forecast 37 deg doesn't happen.
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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby jules21 » Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:50 am

toppity wrote:Jules, what you hate is what I like. I think I better get to a Hawthorn Crit. Hope you sort them out soon though.
come down toppity and i'll lead out. i need something productive to do there :)

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toppity » Sat Jan 12, 2013 9:08 am

I'll try and make it Jules.

Raced Div 3 in last nights Crit at Warragul. Great turn out from members and other clubs as well. I think 63 in all raced which is great for us. It was windy, blowing into our faces on the finish straight. As it was a very short race I was hoping for a sprint finish and that is how it worked out, after the field strung out a little beforehand. Having closed roads is excellent for this sort of racing. It was a typical Crit' with some trying to get away, but every break was chased down within 2 laps. Below is the video of the final lap courtesy of Paul Yeatman who videoed all races. I'm the fat bloke in green. Every time I see myself in video I eat another 6 donuts to make myself feel better about myself :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMuS-CVt ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anyway, i'm up to Div 2 next week and will suffer. They were going 3 km/h faster than us at least, with more surges. Kind of looking forward to it though :?
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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby foo on patrol » Sat Jan 12, 2013 9:24 am

That looks like a good little course for sharpening up your sprint skills Toppity. :wink:

Look for the fat bloke in green hey, :lol: Good to see someone else with the aerodynamics of a garden shed. :mrgreen:

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby toppity » Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:16 am

A big Garden shed Foo :mrgreen:
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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby Rocketrod » Sat Jan 12, 2013 1:16 pm

I am doing my 1st road race tomorrow, it is a 36km handicap race with the illawarra cycle club. I haven't been graded yet but i am hoping for c grade, is there any race tips that might help me. I realise that i need to work with the others who start on my start time, so do I just do my turns and hope that we can stay away from the chasing group, if they do catch up try to jump on with the group coming through?

Thank rod

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby jules21 » Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:21 pm

absolutely. you will normally do rotating turns, where one line of riders moves 1-2 km/h faster than the other. as you roll past the leader of the slower line, you move to the front of their line. the trick there is to ease off for a couple of seconds, as you're now in the slower line. the rider you moved in front of shouldn't have to accelerate to stay on your wheel.

if you are caught - by all means, latch onto the new group! if you can't contribute to the pace of that group, just sit on the back. it's been a while since i did a handicap, but that's how i remember it. good luck.

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby twizzle » Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:43 pm

Mt McDonald 5km hill climb time trial. 12:54, first in B grade, 4'th outright, 20 seconds down on the winner who is a rocket. No data yet 'cause I haven't been near the computer. But I was on the TT bike with aero helmet unlike the guys who finished ahead of me. I think next year I'll run the roadie so it's more comparable.

I still need to lose 8kg.

Edit: And I think my time was about 30 seconds quicker than the last time we ran this, but I'll have to check.

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Re: Race Report Thread

Postby nickobec » Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:13 am

Just like Andy Schlek
Race Report PDCC Time Trial Hopelands 9 January 2013

I would not normally write a race report for a time trial, it is very much an individual event, however, by popular request here it is.

I have only ridden a handful of time trials, all except the last one on my road bike. Just before Christmas I had purchased myself a little present a Kuota Kalibuer TT bike. My first attempt at a 16km time trial on it, resulted in me spending less than 10 minutes on the TT bars, and most the time in a far less aerodynamic position on the regular bars.

So over Christmas, I put in some time of the TT bike in aero position and was hoping to spend most of my time, at least 25 minutes of the 27 plus minutes it would take to complete the course. It was less than a couple of hundred kms of practise, so I was not that confident riding in the aero position. The wind did not help a 30kph gusting to 45kph south westerly on a course that runs 8km due South before turning due North, on a almost perfectly straight, almost flat road with a few rough patches.

I did not expect to catch the riders in front. Behind me at 1 minute was Kellie. At my age I could expect to be competitive with a young woman of Kellie's age. However, all things are not equal and those Australian Championship bands on Kellie's jersey sleeve, meant I would be caught. A minute further back was Reg would regularly rides these 16km ITT close to 24 minutes, my aim was not to get caught by Reg before the turnaround.

It was a slog into the wind, I stayed in the aero position for most the ride into the wind, and ticked along at 30kph, but I did not reach my target, Reg caught me with about 1km to go. I then made a complete mess of the turn, which was a chance for Kellie to pass me.

On the way back, I ended up sitting about 2m back and 2m to the left of Kellie. So I was not in her slipstream and was a safe distance away given my questionable TT bike handling skills. However, it was a big benefit to have a better rider in front of me, as an incentive. We were managing 43 to 45kph with the tailwind.

When a car approached head on, I dropped back a few metres and was about a 1m from the edge of the road, After the car passed I was distracted with the decision to dropped back a couple metres more to stay out of Kellie's slipstream or move back to my original position. When in a momentary lapse of concentration, I assume a gust of wind and a over correction on my behalf. I suddenly found myself off the road and on the gravel.

A choice expletive, I knew I had to slow down and be in full control of the bike, before trying to take corrective action. I sat upright and was about to move my hands from the TT bars, when I felt the front wheel go. So I threw myself left into a ditch, instead of risking impact with the road.

Next thing I remember, I was picking myself and my bike out of the ditch, no broken bones, though my shoulder was a little sore. The bike, other than a dropped chain, the chain around the rear derailleur, both brakes rubbing and a little dirt. It survived the impact with the dirt bank, like me surprisingly well. Took me over 3 minutes to get the bike working, at which time I decided just to cruise back to the finish. Which lasted until I got passed by Harry, so I put in an effort to stay in touch, though by now my ribs where a little tender.

Did not make it back to Harry, but finished within a minute of my best time, if you take out the time stationary to get the bike moving.

It was only when I finished and people started asking what happened, did I realise I was now a dark shade of grade all over, from hitting the dirt bank. If there was a rider following, they would of seen a huge dust cloud as the result of my impact.

So there I was in my now gray old Saxo Bank kit and Angel of the Mountain/Luxembourg socks, explaining how I manage to crash on a perfectly straight section of road without outside interference. It is called rider error.

Race Report
PDCC D grade criterium Motorplex 13 January 2013

It is the Motorplex it has corners,in other words badly, was my answer to anybody asking how I would go today.

Personally I did not have high expectations for today. If I got into an early breakaway, I would probably get dropped mid way through the race due to my poor cornering technique. My only hope was for a hard race, that would allow me to attack late with only a lap or two to go, get away from a reduce bunch and go solo to the finish.

Well it started fairly well, a strong easterly cross wind, a couple of early attacks, a couple of surges, I was feeling good after 15 minutes, that when things slowed, I went to the front, with the sole intention of putting some hurt on and drove hard up the front straight. I don't think I did any damage and when I slowed, I had to avoid a couple of B graders off the front of their group and ended up at the back of our group.

The next few laps where a struggle, I might of used to much energy in my "attacks", but more likely I was just spending too much energy, just catching up after corners. So when it came to my allocated time to attack, I postponed it for a lap and just moved up a couple of spots in the bunch. THe bunch then started to break up as we came up the front straight, I thought great, until I heard the bell. It was on for young and old, I made up ground on the back straight and at the start of the main straight, but halfway up I just died and rolled over the line in 10th.

Lesson learnt again, be closer to the front when riding at the Motorplex, stop riding like David Moncoutie, there are other places in the bunch other than on the front or on the back.

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