Segments of Glory - Non Sanctioned Racing

HE'S BACK!
We all know Lance is disgraced and banned from competitive events, and pretty much thought of as some type of psychotic narcissistic bully.  But he's also a lifelong competitor, and an accomplished one at that (the source of his accomplishments can be debated for sure).  So what does he do when all his outlets for competition (athletically) ban him from participation?  He tries to find an avenue and means for getting back in the game and letting everyone know he's "still got it."  That's what ego driven people do as they need the spotlight and public adoration to keep their lives full of meaning.


HE'S A SWIMMER NOW
Just this week it was announced Lance Armstrong is now planning on competing in Masters Swimming.  How can he do this when he's been banned from competitive events that are governed by the United States Anti Doping Agency?  Well, here is a little article explaining why and how he can compete in swimming.  But the main point is, the events aren't under the umbrella of USADA and therefore they can't say they will take their ball and go home - you're not wanted here Lance!

Cycling Entertainment for the Week of March 22

READING
First up is from the blog // The Inner Ring.  I always enjoy this blog and his take on cycling and stories that usually aren't being told.  Here is another great insight into some of the current new stars in cycling and how one race in 2010 predicted great things from them all.

• The Future of 2010

American World Domination - Its a Mindset

Tejay with the Scriven family in the background

WORLD DOMINATION
This is an idea I've had for quite some time but never got around to writing about it completely.  However, with the accelerated rise of several young American cyclists on the world stage I thought I should get this out now with the hopes of starting some excitement for my vision - world domination by the USA.

I'm not talking about a James Bond villain or the Mike Myers version of the 007 nemesis in the form of Dr. Evil.  Rather I'm referring to actually producing an American winner of the Cycling World Championship Road Race.  Specifically I'm focusing on the Men's race because as I see it, the problem doesn't exist in the women's side of the event.

THE PARTICIPATION PROBLEM

One BILLION dollars!

What's the deal?  Well, looking over the history (modern history at least) of the World Road Race it's pretty easy to mention the only American winners of the event, Greg Lemond (83 & 89) and Lance Armstong (93).  Of course we all know about Lance's recent "troubles", but for the sake of this little post I don't even care what he was taking, injecting or if he was "glowing"... all I care about is whether he was participating.  My issue with the US team since Lance's victory is that they've sent a lackluster squad to the worlds to compete when on the sidelines have been some of the worlds best cyclists at the time.  Participation is the problem here.  I wrote previously in support of Taylor Phinney representing the USA at the Olympics and derided the other top Americans that had skipped the World Championships where participation and getting a top 15 would have produced two spots for an American in London rather than just one as we had for the 2012 Olympic Time Trial.  So this trend continues.  What I hope doesn't happen is that Taylor and the other youngsters decide to forgo the World's race once they hit their stride and make a mark on their career.

Tattooed by the Asphalt and "There's a New Kid in Town."

Tattoos - some visible and some not.

Cheapest Way to Get a Tattoo
Former eclectic cycling pro and now current TV analyst Bob Roll once recounted in a PezCycling interview his views on tattoos vs. scar tissue:

Now crashing, on the other hand, gives you scar tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will.  And as the stories of your scars are retold, you'll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds.

Now granted, I'm not entirely sure where the mash and pork rinds reference comes into play, but the rest of scar tissue v. tattoos thing rings true to me.  Personally, the part where you create the scar tissue is not my favorite and I'm sure much like getting a tattoo it's the most painful.  The past few weekends of racing I've had my fill of what Bob Roll would call "stories" with the most recent crash at Land Park being the most absurd, painful and quite honestly as regrettable as getting your ex's name tatted on your neck.

Helmet straps, most aggressive and some road rash

Eric attacking after Casey is caught.

What a weird day of racing.  The Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic offered up a great criterium today with a nice technical race in downtown Merced.  The 2013 McDonalds Grand Prix (as the race today was called) is part of a stage race for the Pro Men and women and even some Master's racers.  But for me, it was a one day event starting with packing the kids in the car at 7 am and heading south for a speedy car ride.  If my memory serves me correctly, I did this stage race several times in the late 90's with Oilme Racing and I had a few demons to exercise.

At the start line Data Driven Athlete Racing team lined up four guys with Eric, Casey, Curt and Tyler (myself.)  While waiting for the start, veteran US cycling announcer Dave Towle remarked how he liked our kit.  Thanks Dave!  As is the deal in racing, with a nice looking kit that grabs the eye (see our bright helmets and matching shoes) you have to back up your appearance by racing like you deserve to wear it.

But backing up our sex-appeal took a hard hit right as the race started when Curt's helmet strap came undone.  I mean, it didn't come unhooked, the little mechanism used to keep the straps together actually came undone.  Curt tried to get a "free lap" (as is available in a crit for a crash or technical mishap) but the race officials said "no" commencing in Curt giving chase for at least 5 laps.  While this seems like a rookie move  by Curt (he's no rookie), ask yourself when the last time you checked your helmet strap was.  Probably never.  (on a helmet side note, when was the last time you washed your helmet?  Wearing that grungy stink sponge for all those training miles and never washing it is likely why most guys never get to ride with the hot girls - but I digress).

Teamwork is the key - Starting the 2013 season off right.

I recently went to a MUSE concert with my wife.  A good thing about getting old and losing your hearing is a loud concert doesn't hurt quite as bad.  In my excitement preparing for the concert I watched an interview with MUSE front-man, Matt Bellamy, where he talked about performing in front of a large audience.  Basically he said the first few times you perform the adrenaline is overwhelming and actually makes you feel sick.  Later, you become used to the rush and the adrenaline amps you up and you thrive on it.  In my experience of bike racing, Matt Bellamy's words ring very true.

Our new team this year (Data Driven Athlete) is quite unique.  Not only is it the best looking and most flashy team on the NorCal cycling circuit, but the members are truly an exception to age-old cycling rule of being selfish.  Mind you, not all cyclist are selfish and certainly as the competition levels increase and you get a chance to race for a living, the selfishness factor does subside.  Mostly, this submission is from the realization of just where you are on the pecking order and knowing that perhaps your best chance of a solid career is to be a worker for the star.  But in the mid level amateur ranks, where everyone is presumably trying to upgrade, make a name for themselves or simply to get on the podium to reimburse racing expenses, goals clash and selfishness creeps in.  Therefore the idea of giving up a personal goal for the sake of another teammate isn't always evident.  In fact, most of last year Casey Fallon and I were racing against the entire field and often our own teammates in the process and NO one was winning.  This year we have other plans.

The question my wife asked after the first race was along the lines of "why is your teammate giving up his chance at winning to help you?"  That's a great question and the answer isn't "because I'm vain and mysterious and therefore I demand everyone to take care of me."  See, each rider has different strengths and areas where they excel.  For our team, most of the guys can go uphill really well.  I used to be able to, but not anymore.  But what I can do, is snake my way around a technical course and sprint pretty fast at the end.  No one else on our team can.  The course itself dictates our team tactics and for the first three races of this year, the burden of winning fell on my shoulders - a sprinter I will be.

So yeah, I was nervous like Muse at one of their first big concerts.  You would think I would be used to this racing nervous stuff by now as I'm 41 and I've been doing this since I was 15.  But the uniqueness of our team led to emails and massive planning for how each rider was going to lay it down on the road and absolutely twist themselves into an anaerobic fit in order to set me up for the win.  That is heavy.  The nerves were bad all week and up until the start of the race.  What a relief it was to start the races and just... ride hard.

Cal Aggie
Cal Aggie was our first race and located in Land Park, a gorgeous area just south of Sacramento in a great neighborhood near the Sacramento Zoo.  The pace was fast and as expected it came down to a sprint.  Our team lined the front on the last lap and each and every rider took a turn at the front and getting me in position. Hey, it was the first race of the year and we didn't get it all right as we let two riders get off the front and stay away.  I finished a very close 3rd on the field sprint for a nice 5th on the day.  The photo finish showed I came up about a foot short of taking the field sprint for 3rd, so we were upbeat for the next race to do battle.

Nate stringing the field out with 1 lap to go

The main objective for a sprinter is to get to the last 250 meters of the race at the front and then blast to the finish as hard as you can.  Getting to the front to sprint however requires that your team pilot you there and take the pace making as well as blocking the wind so that the sprinter is as fresh as possible to ignite his legs across the line.

Data Driven Athlete's front man is Nate Dunn.  The title sponsor is his company (he's my coach) and the kit design, the idea behind the team and most of the logistics are/were done by Casey Fallon or Nate himself.  Nate is a huge inspiration and a great guy.

Cal Aggie happens to be his last race for awhile due to personal health issues, but he was highly instrumental in our result.  Nate made a big effort as the bell lap was rung to get our promising young climber Eric Brickler to the front.  As you can see by the picture, Nate is dragging the entire team up and into position.  After Eric and Rocky Fletcher burned it, Curt Mills began taking huge pulls to keep us moving forward.  On the last bend Casey took over as my lead-out man.  Even though it appeared we were too far back to win, we still had a strong finish regardless for 5th.

BP Winter Crit and Cherry Pie

Races #2 and #3 were on back to back days with the Bicycles Plus Winter Crit on Saturday followed by Napa's Cherry Pie on Sunday.  The BP race always ends in a sprint and we had a very detailed plan figured out for leading the sprint on the last lap.  My legs were feeling bad all day but when the team starts getting aligned to lead you out, you just ignore the pain and do what you can.  On the last lap Casey was at the front and our whole team was stuck at the back trying to get the lead-out sorted correctly.  While congregating at the back isn't usually ideal, today it worked out just fine.  As it happened, Eric just started drilling the pace with Rocky, Curt and myself in tow.  After Eric and Rocky's big pulls, Curt unleashed a sprinting effort that pulled us past most of the field towards the front.  Through the last corner Curt was almost at the front as the sprint started and I came through the gutter past him for a 3rd place finish.

Cherry Pie the following day was a race I felt I should have won.  I won a mid-race prime quite easily and visions of the top podium step were heavy in my head.  But if you watch video of the race from Casey's bike (below - or linked here), you'll see once again Curt getting me to the front for the sprint.  However, this time I disappointed and didn't have the afterburners in my legs as we hit the front of the finish climb just a little too early.  Next time.

Cherry Pie did grant our young rising star Andrew Shimizu a podium place in his race and a fresh Cherry pie.  I never did ask Andrew if the pie was fresh or how it tasted, but victory should always taste like a Cherry Pie.

2013 Race Schedule Annouced - NorCal

Early Season Racing for 2013?

So far this off-season, the weather has been amazing in allowing me to put in a lot of miles for training (a lot of miles is relative of course).  As I type this, the rain has started to pour and it looks like winter is setting in and my indoor trainer will be getting some serious use.  However, the good weather has got me excited for racing and yesterday the NCNCA (Northern California Nevada Cycling Association) released their 2013 racing schedule.


The 2013 racing schedule is packed with some quality racing from the first of January straight through mid-September.  January has just three (3) races scheduled, but considering how early in the season this is, three is still a good number.  February picks up with twelve (12) races, then eighteen (18) for March, twenty (20) for April and the most races of the year for one month are in May at twenty-two (22).  Following is the complete breakdown of each month and the available races on the calendar:


Races offered per Month in Northern California / Nevada
January - 3
February - 12
March - 18
April - 20
May - 22
June - 17
July - 14
August - 18
September - 11

Its good to see a lull in June and July after such a strong hit of races early in the year and the star factor for the June races deserves more attention anyway.  Plus, mid July is also when the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend Oregon takes place and this race is definitely on the Data Driven Athlete Racing schedule.

The early season racing is the typical mix of hard road races, criteriums and a few time-trials.  The early season road races are usually brutal due to a wider range of fitness for the riders as the off season means different things to each person, and the possibility of bad weather also plays its part (who wants to hammer in the rain or freezing cold wind?)  It appears that June will be a stellar month for the power climbing circuit/crit guys with Montserrat (Loomis) and Old Auburn back-to-back on the 8th and 9th, followed by Nevada City the following weekend.  What I like about the racing schedule for this year is after the July slowdown, August and September come back with some really fun and demanding racing in Winters and ending the season at Folsom Cyclebration in September rather than having that three-day race in mid season, like 2012.  The whole season full of races allows for each cyclist to take a deserved break when their body and goals dictate rather than when the cycling schedule dictates.  Nothing is worse than being super fit and not a race in sight to actually test it out.

For me, the highlights of the early racing calendar (pending cancellations and changes) are as follows.  I will be looking to get around 20-30 days of racing in 2013:

Jan
1/26 - Cal Aggie Crit

Feb
2/9 - Folsom Winter Criterium
2/10 - Cherry Pie Criterium (Napa)
2/23 - Snelling Road Race
2/24 - Merced Crit

Mar
3/1 - 3/3 - Merco Classic
3/16 - Land Park Crit
3/17 - Bariani Road Race

April
4/7 - Auburn Old Town Crit
4/13 - 4/15 - Chico Stage Race
4/27 - Wente Vineyard Road Race
4/28 - Wente Crit
4/28 - Clone Town Center Crit (This was a great race last year, but rumor has it that it's cancelled for 2013 so I was surprised to see it on the calendar.  Maybe "clone" means it's tentative.  Stay tuned)

May
5/4 - 5/5 - Golden State Series

Rocky Fletcher - 2012 Nevada City

5/11 - Historic Folsom Crit
5/18 - Modesto Crit
5/19 - Modesto Road Race
5/25 - Folsom Classic Crit
5/27 - Memorial Day Crit (Morgan Hill)

June
6/2 - Pescadero Road Race
6/8 - Montserrat Circuit Race (Loomis)
6/9 - Auburn Downtown Crit
6/16 - Nevada City
6/23 - Burlingame Crit
6/30 - Lodi Crit

July
7/4 - Fourth of July Crit (Davis)
Mid July - Cascade Cycling Classic, Bend Or.

Aug
8/4 - Patterson Road Race
8/4 - Fast and Furious Crit
8/10 - 8/11 - Little City Stage Race
8/24 - Winters Road Race
8/25 - Vacaville Grand Prix

Sept 
9/2 - Giro di San Francisco
9/6 - 9/8 - Folsom Cyclebration
9/15 - Milpitas Grand Prix
9/16 - Oakland Grand Prix

Of course these races and my schedule are subject to change depending on fitness, goals and family time.  But I am looking forward to a good season and smashing several of these races with my team, Data Driven Athlete Racing.  Good luck in 2013!

Stolen Valor - The Legacy of Lance Armstrong

Sport is rife with comments and comparisons to battle and war.  Brave heroes lining up to go into battle on the field in horrendous weather, injured bodies and the carnage afterwards often appears like a war scene as well.  Cycling is no different.  In fact most team sports lend themselves to the comparisons.  You have strategy, hours of training and practice and the eventual "battle" where you go to your physical limits in an effort to defeat the competition.  Cycling is brutal.  As I've written before here (Tough Man Competition), racing your bike isn't for the feint of heart and on the professional level the dedication and toughness is severe.  While no sport is anything like true war, it's always a glamorous way to envision and romanticize the sport.  Pro Cycling's early season racing takes part in the northern sections of France and Belgium while crossing former World War I and II battlefields such as the Forest of Arenberg.  The battles continue all year with the lieutenants sacrificing themselves for the generals in hopes of glory, maybe a medal for the battle in hopes of winning the war. Like in war, some take sport with the mindset of "winning at all costs."

Winning the war at all costs is no longer acceptable even in actual war.  What's known as the rules of war - The Geneva Convention - are signed treaties whereby countries will be judged post-war on how they treated civilians and acts during war.  Cycling's doping issues during the 1990's through today and the recent unearthing of the Lance Armstrong conspiracy shows the sport had its own "win at all costs" attitude for which it is now experiencing the United States Anti Doping Association's (USADA) version of the Nuremberg Trials.

STOLEN VALOR

For years, true heroes of war have been looked up to, memorialized and honored for often doing the unspeakable.  Being considered a hero is very alluring and to some cowards the twinkle of being thought of in such high regard is too hard to pass up.

The Day after Tomorrow

I would love to write about the 2012 Presidential election and how I'm sick of the looters, moochers and those that simply want other people's money and are getting it by legal plunder.... but I'll digress.  Instead, I'll focus on cycling and my own upcoming racing season with the hope that I'll have money left over after taxes to afford it.

The 2013 cycling season will feature a new team in the Northern California area.  Data Driven Athlete is a new sponsor on the block and has formed a team of about 10-12 riders focusing on mid-level amateur racing.  Data Driven Athlete is the coaching service company formed by Nathanael Dunn that focuses on coaching with a power meter to get the most out of training, racing and your busy life.

Folsom Bike has also joined our team and I'm sure I'll be visiting the shop in the near future for all my cycling needs.

I am looking forward to racing with a group of guys this year that are excited and ready to give each race their best and hopefully get some results.  I'm hoping to do at least 20 races this year.  The season will be upon us soon, and the off-season has already begun.  I hope to see you on the road.  If you see a rider in the flashy new kits shown here, waive and say hi.

Chris Froome saga - Don't Cry for me Britain

Tyler, suffering from the climb or Vaughters' singing?

Jonathan Vaughters was belting out at the top of his lungs "Don't cry for me Argentina" while I was on the nose of my saddle buried deep into a cave of pain trying to hold onto the main pack in the middle of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Massachusetts, 1997.

Vaughters had serious cycling talent as he displayed it was no problem to sing and hold a wheel at the top of a nasty climb while I couldn't even suck down enough air to squelch the burning in my lungs and legs.

Vaughters is now the head of Garmin-Sharp and still displaying his talent by winning the Giro di' Italia this year with Ryder Hesjedal.  Last year Vaughters did his best to acquire the new cycling revelation Chris Froome during the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) as Chris was securing his eventual 2nd place overall - virtually coming out of nowhere.

Froome decided against the smaller budget Garmin team, and the chance to be the outright grand tour leader, and instead opted for the bright lights and budget of the big bad British cycling team, Team Sky.  Froome banked big time on his grand tour success in the Vuelta and as Vaughters mentioned on twitter July 12th -

This years Tour is already shaping up to see Froome and Braddley Wiggins as head and shoulders above the rest of those hoping for the top podium spot in Paris.  Stage 9's 41.5 km Time Trial at first appeared to be the same ole' thing with perenial TT specialist and former multi World Champion, Fabain Cancellara setting the fastest time and still holding that after a narrow miss from BMC's young Tejay Van Garderen.  However, Chris Froome topped Fabian by a solid 22 seconds and then Wiggins slotted a time almost a minute (57 secs) faster than Cancellara and 35 secs to Froome by the finish.

My 4th of July - Davis Crit as Seen from the Bike

Teammate Casey Fallon doing his work on the front

Every 4th of July the town of Davis CA (voted one of the most bike friendly cities in the US) hosts a great Criterium right down town.  The race is a fast and technical 6 corner race that is full-tilt from the start and takes its toll not only from the explosiveness needed for the corners but the inevitable heat as well.  This year was no different as the temp was just below the 100 degree level and the pace was high.  My teammate and friend (also a great cycling coach if you are interested) Nate Dunn of Data Driven Athlete put his go-pro cameras on my bike along with his power meter.  Below is the edited video of the last lap of the race.

Field Sprint Finish

I got 7th and while a break was up the road I was able to squeeze 3rd on the field sprint.  Not too bad for me although I really was visualizing myself winning this race this year.  Hey, you have to think big right?  The video is fun as you can see the need to hold your position as the last corner is close to the finish, yet the power meter will show that a lot of work and strength is needed to keep that position.   I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it.

150 Watts of Awesome - Book Review

Power meters have become the new rage in training for a cyclist, and with good reason.  Now, bikes can be rigged with strain gauges on the crank-arm or the rear hub to give immediate feedback to the cyclist on how much power they are putting into each pedal stroke.  This data can then be later analyzed by their coach to properly indicate how to better train, where the cyclist is currently at in their training and for some to just show what a stud they are by the sheer number of watts they can produce.  150 watts isn't much of an indicator of power, but author Anna Zimmerman with her book by that name, produces a power-house that starts strong and continues to the end.  The books name, 150 Watts of Awesome, is named for the amount of power the story's main character "Anna Schafer" believes she will need to produce to climb the most heralded and daunting climb in the Provence Region of France - Mont Ventoux.

Mont Ventoux rises out of the land in a moonscape type visual and has been a stalwart in the Tour de France since 1951.  In 1967 Englishman Tom Simpson began weaving while on the steep slopes of the mountain and fell over in a crowd of spectators, only to be helped back onto his bike and then fall one last time - dying of heat exhaustion caused by a combination of dehydration and amphetamines.  Anna, finds the spirit of cycling and decides to take a trip to Europe to follow the professional cycling circuit, train on her bike and eventually conquer the "Giant of Provence", Mont Ventoux, herself.  Conquer the very climb that Tom Simpson died attempting over 40 years before.

Anna Zimmerman takes you on a journey from the character Anna Schafer's home in Texas to Europe and gives you not only the romance of the world of cycling, but the simple and yet complex issues of carrying her bike around Europe, finding places to eat and dealing with the bureaucratic mess to have her visa extended in time to ride Mont Ventoux.  There are other books on cycling, but this is the first one I've read that puts the context in the point of the non-professional and the difficulty of the average cyclist to reach their goals along with the fanatical excitement of following the professional cycling teams through Europe.  As with many aspects in life, we are often let down by those we hold up as our heroes and Anna has to come to terms with this herself as she encounters the very riders she admires, adores and secretly wishes to be noticed by.

One aspect I love about the book is that while it's based off of the author's very own adventures, the book is fiction nonetheless.  Well, the characters names are made up as are some of the teams names, but you know the real people she is trying to portrait.  There is no doubt the two main figures in the book are based off the reputed Luxembourg Schleck brothers, Frank and Andy and that Alberto Contador is also appearing around the pages and subtext of Anna's work.  As an in depth cycling fan it's fun to match the specific races with the knowledge of who won with Anna's recounting using her fictional cyclists.  I will let you figure out which is which.  But while these parallel universe characters exist, the uninitiated cycling reader won't have to worry about who Anna is really trying to describe and just be absorbed by the descriptions she gives each and every one.  The real story is the adventure of Anna herself and simply how she uses the romantic vestige these cycling god's give off as a source of strength and courage to get her through her several months in Europe on her bike, in hostiles and simply being on her own.

I've read many cycling mystery novels (well, many is a stretch as I can only name about 3) and all seem to be more along the lines of something created by Marvel Comics.  The down on his luck cyclist finds it within himself to turn his career around and morphs (without drugs) from a back of the pack domestique to a potential (or actual) Tour winner.  Here in 150 Watts of Awesome, the journey is about Anna just trying to make it to the next race (visa permitting), train on her bike as much as she can and then climb the roughly 21 kilometers of the ascent to the top of Mont Ventoux.  Anna solves a few of her own mysteries in a "coming of age" sort of way, yet creates a new one at the end as I wonder - What was in that empty jersey pocket?

Non TV Tour Viewing

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For the past 5 years I have been without cable television or Satellite and I rely entirely on rabbit ears and the internet.  Yes, anyone who knows me will find this hard to believe for how much I enjoy TV.  I started living without cable simply for the fact I was going to law school and knew my limits - school and my TV habits would not coincide.  But for most of the time it's really not that big of an issue as most basic TV I can view online and races from Europe are found online as well

The only problem I really have encountered comes every July as the Tour de France rolls along.  I've not had the success of streaming the Tour online quite like I have with all the other races during the year.  This could be that French TV who controls the viewing is more forthright in their search for poached broadcasts being that the Tour garners such high ratings and revenue (eh hem, should we start talking about revenue sharing for the teams yet?).

However, the tour is like no other event and so is watching it.  I want to have each stage at my beckon call and watch any part of it I chose.  Therefore, I pay the $30 each year to have all the access and live action - all at my fingertips.  While I have a fondness for Paul Sherwin and Phil Ligget having had their commentary for the Tour since I started watching back in 1986, I know some have strong aversions to their style (to be nice about it).  The Tour tracker will not alleviate this issue, but it will allow full viewing with no commercial interruptions.


Below are the valuable links for the tour for online viewing - make a note and keep them handy.  Similarly as to being on a date, inopportune buffering can ruin your day.


NBC's TOUR TRACKER 
STEEPHILL.TV
CYCLINGFANS.COM