NOT BORING race report

joseph.santaniello@gmail.com

Time for the tuesday series again.

This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.

4 laps of 12.5km over a bunch of short-ish hills, followed by 3 laps
of 3.5km with one short (100m) 10% hill.

Right from the start I kept my cool. I found a good spot in the middle
before the start, and was clipped into both pedals holding a barricade
so I would not fumble the clip-in. From go I felt good. I used big
gears and stood up and stomped the hills. Previously I had tried
sitting and higher cadenced, which just didn't work. I also watched
what was going on so I could carry speed into the hills, and only
pedalled long enough to keep my place or advance past tired guys. I
eased off before I would get jammed up behind other guys. In other
words I minimized energy expenditure. I even closed a gap on a break
attempt. I did it after noting where we were and realizing I would
have plenty of time to recover before the next taxing hill. I also
looked to see who was behind me, and knowing there was no way they
were going let the break go if I got us close, I was able to conserve
energy by pulling us up past half way, then moving aside. No reason
for me to do all the work and get wasted. So chasing got me some
respect, and my awareness kept me from shooting myself in the foot in
the process.

I had no problems moving up in the field and staking my claim to a
position. Not agressive, but assertive. People who tried to move in on
me were just polietly shut down. Access denied. Being big and imposing
certainly helps here. With about 6km to go, I was on the outside of a
fast intersection right turn and a guy behind me pushed my hip to make
room for him to go on the outside. I'm still well over 200 pounds, so
he just pushed himself into the gravel rather than moving me as he
passed. He kept it up, and it was fine because the road turned and I
wanted somebody there for sidewind shelter.

The plan before the race was for me to pull my buddy up the outside
and through the final turn in about 5th spot with 1km to go, and to
pour on the coals as we neared the finish, and I would break right a
bit so he could come around at the edge on the left.

The last time up the 10% hill, 3km from the finish I felt awesome. No
hint of acid in my thighs. No chain! I was positioned on the windward
side which was fine because it would put us in a favorable spot after
the turn near the top of the hill. I was in about 10th spot. Just as I
was going into the turn (still on the hill) a guy went around the
outside and cut me off big time. I jammed on my brakes and my rear
wheel even skidded. That will kill momentum! Luckily my buddy on my
wheel saw this was going to happen, and was able to break right
without slowing. I lost a lot of positions on that, so I had to ride
like hell to get back to a reasonable spot for the final corner at
1km. My buddy was toward the front so it was time to improvise. I
managed to pass lots of guys out of the last turn as I had a good fast
outside line. I could see my buddy up ahead, so I just wanted to see
what I could do. I was in about 10th spot with 200m to go. Then all
hell broke loose right in front of me. One guy went down hard in the
middle of the road, and got t-boned by two guys who did flips over
him. Bikes went flying to both sides of the road. I braked and braced
myself for guys hitting me from behind. As I was threading the needle
between the flying wreckage, guys came from behind me on both sides
and crashed. One guy lost it when he went into the gravel and he did
about 6 judo rolls on the side of the road, and got t-boned by another
guy who went off into the field. I used my latent mad bike-messenger
skillz to keep myself out of trouble and rolled through unscathed. I
just rolled the 50m to the line. Some guys with no shame passed me in
these last 50m.

The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.

My buddy got 3rd. Behind a guy who was Nordic Masters Champ (Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland) and a guy who was a pro with PDM
and rode TdF back in the day. If I had been able to give my guy a lead
out, he would have won.

Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.

Joseph

Ryan Cousineau

In article
<7d874cde-e30b-41ae-b2ac-11c44a2699ff@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
"joseph.santaniello@gmail.com" <joseph.santaniello@gmail.com> wrote:

> Time for the tuesday series again.
>
> This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.

> The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.

> Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
>
> Joseph

Duuude!

And now, for my boring Tuesday Nighter report:

I stayed in for 20 minutes of the most intense Cat 4 racing I have ever
seen. on the first lap the pack went UP the hill at what felt like 40
km/h. Second lap, more or less the same thing.

I held on through the prime, and most of the way to the end, but about
the time my lips started tingling, ("good sensations") I started
slipping out the back of the pack. I finished the race by, ahem, picking
finishers for my own race.

Next stop, the Thursday Night Self-Esteem Series!

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

joseph.santaniello@gmail.com

On May 28, 9:10*am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article
> <7d874cde-e30b-41ae-b2ac-11c44a269...@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
>
> *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Time for the tuesday series again.
>
> > This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> > to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
> > The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> > of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> > collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> > hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> > the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> > busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
> > Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
>
> > Joseph
>
> Duuude!
>
> And now, for my boring Tuesday Nighter report:
>
> I stayed in for 20 minutes of the most intense Cat 4 racing I have ever
> seen. on the first lap the pack went UP the hill at what felt like 40
> km/h. Second lap, more or less the same thing.
>
> I held on through the prime, and most of the way to the end, but about
> the time my lips started tingling, ("good sensations") I started
> slipping out the back of the pack. I finished the race by, ahem, picking
> finishers for my own race.
>
> Next stop, the Thursday Night Self-Esteem Series!
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau rcous...@gmail.comhttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> "In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
> "In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

I know it's common knowledge, but being toward the front through turns
to minimize the accordian effect makes a huge difference. Our race had
about 5 turns that were 90 degree or more that were rather like crit
corners. A few times I was further back through those and it cost me,
particularly in one turn that comes a few hundred meters before one of
the hills. We averaged almost 42km/h, so it went very fast given the
terrain.

Big articles in the local papers. It seems the guy will be ok.

I'm looking forwad to your Thursday report!

Joseph

Ryan Cousineau

In article
<06605786-8f2c-42f1-b61c-920f155baaf2@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com>,
"joseph.santaniello@gmail.com" <joseph.santaniello@gmail.com> wrote:

> On May 28, 9:10*am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > In article
> > <7d874cde-e30b-41ae-b2ac-11c44a269...@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
> >
> > *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Time for the tuesday series again.
> >
> > > This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> > > to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
> > > The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> > > of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> > > collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> > > hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> > > the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> > > busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
> > > Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
> >
> > > Joseph
> >
> > Duuude!
> >
> > And now, for my boring Tuesday Nighter report:
> >
> > I stayed in for 20 minutes of the most intense Cat 4 racing I have ever
> > seen. on the first lap the pack went UP the hill at what felt like 40
> > km/h. Second lap, more or less the same thing.
> >
> > I held on through the prime, and most of the way to the end, but about
> > the time my lips started tingling, ("good sensations") I started
> > slipping out the back of the pack. I finished the race by, ahem, picking
> > finishers for my own race.
> >
> > Next stop, the Thursday Night Self-Esteem Series!

> I know it's common knowledge, but being toward the front through turns
> to minimize the accordian effect makes a huge difference. Our race had
> about 5 turns that were 90 degree or more that were rather like crit
> corners. A few times I was further back through those and it cost me,
> particularly in one turn that comes a few hundred meters before one of
> the hills. We averaged almost 42km/h, so it went very fast given the
> terrain.

Well, I do know that, and my first instinct was to start a comment with
"dumbass" and say I already did that.

But you know, I didn't. I spent the first lap in 3rd wheel, more or
less, but through the rest of the race I allowed myself to move
backwards in the pack, never getting very close to the front again. That
said, it wasn't the turns where I lost placings, it was the hill. This
course is notoriously short and rectangularish: uphill along the
start/finish straight, short leg across the top, fast descent into a
sweeping corner that is taken flat-out, short leg across the bottom,
dumping you into a moderately tight right-hand turn which puts you on
the first part of the hill, but the course does a constricted dogleg
through a roundabout before opening onto the start/finish run.

http://escapevelocity.bc.ca/tuesday

There's a map somewhere on that page. It's about 1.8 km, I think.

> Big articles in the local papers. It seems the guy will be ok.

I'm most happy to hear that.

> I'm looking forwad to your Thursday report!

Me too. Course is dead flat and has several corners, none of them
challenging. Headwinds and sucking are the most important adversaries.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

joseph.santaniello@gmail.com

On May 29, 4:37*pm, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In article
> <06605786-8f2c-42f1-b61c-920f155ba...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com>,
>
>
>
> *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On May 28, 9:10*am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > In article
> > > <7d874cde-e30b-41ae-b2ac-11c44a269...@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
>
> > > *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Time for the tuesday series again.
>
> > > > This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> > > > to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
> > > > The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> > > > of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> > > > collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> > > > hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> > > > the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> > > > busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
> > > > Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
>
> > > > Joseph
>
> > > Duuude!
>
> > > And now, for my boring Tuesday Nighter report:
>
> > > I stayed in for 20 minutes of the most intense Cat 4 racing I have ever
> > > seen. on the first lap the pack went UP the hill at what felt like 40
> > > km/h. Second lap, more or less the same thing.
>
> > > I held on through the prime, and most of the way to the end, but about
> > > the time my lips started tingling, ("good sensations") I started
> > > slipping out the back of the pack. I finished the race by, ahem, picking
> > > finishers for my own race.
>
> > > Next stop, the Thursday Night Self-Esteem Series!
> > I know it's common knowledge, but being toward the front through turns
> > to minimize the accordian effect makes a huge difference. Our race had
> > about 5 turns that were 90 degree or more that were rather like crit
> > corners. A few times I was further back through those and it cost me,
> > particularly in one turn that comes a few hundred meters before one of
> > the hills. We averaged almost 42km/h, so it went very fast given the
> > terrain.
>
> Well, I do know that, and my first instinct was to start a comment with
> "dumbass" and say I already did that.
>
> But you know, I didn't. I spent the first lap in 3rd wheel, more or
> less, but through the rest of the race I allowed myself to move
> backwards in the pack, never getting very close to the front again. That
> said, it wasn't the turns where I lost placings, it was the hill. This
> course is notoriously short and rectangularish: uphill along the
> start/finish straight, short leg across the top, fast descent into a
> sweeping corner that is taken flat-out, short leg across the bottom,
> dumping you into a moderately tight right-hand turn which puts you on
> the first part of the hill, but the course does a constricted dogleg
> through a roundabout before opening onto the start/finish run.
>
> http://escapevelocity.bc.ca/tuesday
>
> There's a map somewhere on that page. It's about 1.8 km, I think.
>
> > Big articles in the local papers. It seems the guy will be ok.
>
> I'm most happy to hear that.
>
> > I'm looking forwad to your Thursday report!
>
> Me too. Course is dead flat and has several corners, none of them
> challenging. Headwinds and sucking are the most important adversaries.
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau rcous...@gmail.comhttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> "In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
> "In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

It's been a long time since I rode a crit, and I sucked then too, so
I'm just guessing here, but moving up to regain lost position must be
hard. In our races, the roads are narrow, but there is enough distance
between corners to find room to move up. With corners the whole time,
it must be a different story. But maybe if the roads are wide, that
gives space to move up?

As for losing ground on the hill, have you tried standing and moshing
a huge gear? I was geting nowhere fast (or maybe slow?) on our hills
trying to "cadence" my way up. The Gorilla Stomp was much more
effective.

The guy who bashed his face has no recollection of the race, but is
keen to get back to riding, but he is still in th ehospital so he'll
be out for a while. The guy with the busted collarbone had an
operation today to put in a titanium plate. The ultimate FM accessory!

Joseph

Ryan Cousineau

In article
<49be879d-6935-4860-bb4c-723b707823d5@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
"joseph.santaniello@gmail.com" <joseph.santaniello@gmail.com> wrote:

> On May 29, 4:37*pm, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > In article
> > <06605786-8f2c-42f1-b61c-920f155ba...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com>,
> >
> >
> >
> > *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > On May 28, 9:10*am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > In article
> > > > <7d874cde-e30b-41ae-b2ac-11c44a269...@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
> >
> > > > *"joseph.santanie...@gmail.com" <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > Time for the tuesday series again.
> >
> > > > > This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> > > > > to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
> > > > > The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> > > > > of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> > > > > collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> > > > > hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> > > > > the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> > > > > busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
> > > > > Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
> >
> > > > > Joseph
> >
> > > > Duuude!
> >
> > > > And now, for my boring Tuesday Nighter report:
> >
> > > > I stayed in for 20 minutes of the most intense Cat 4 racing I have ever
> > > > seen. on the first lap the pack went UP the hill at what felt like 40
> > > > km/h. Second lap, more or less the same thing.
> >
> > > > I held on through the prime, and most of the way to the end, but about
> > > > the time my lips started tingling, ("good sensations") I started
> > > > slipping out the back of the pack. I finished the race by, ahem, picking
> > > > finishers for my own race.
> >
> > > > Next stop, the Thursday Night Self-Esteem Series!
> > > I know it's common knowledge, but being toward the front through turns
> > > to minimize the accordian effect makes a huge difference. Our race had
> > > about 5 turns that were 90 degree or more that were rather like crit
> > > corners. A few times I was further back through those and it cost me,
> > > particularly in one turn that comes a few hundred meters before one of
> > > the hills. We averaged almost 42km/h, so it went very fast given the
> > > terrain.
> >
> > Well, I do know that, and my first instinct was to start a comment with
> > "dumbass" and say I already did that.
> >
> > But you know, I didn't. I spent the first lap in 3rd wheel, more or
> > less, but through the rest of the race I allowed myself to move
> > backwards in the pack, never getting very close to the front again. That
> > said, it wasn't the turns where I lost placings, it was the hill. This
> > course is notoriously short and rectangularish: uphill along the
> > start/finish straight, short leg across the top, fast descent into a
> > sweeping corner that is taken flat-out, short leg across the bottom,
> > dumping you into a moderately tight right-hand turn which puts you on
> > the first part of the hill, but the course does a constricted dogleg
> > through a roundabout before opening onto the start/finish run.
> >
> > http://escapevelocity.bc.ca/tuesday
> >
> > There's a map somewhere on that page. It's about 1.8 km, I think.
> >
> > > Big articles in the local papers. It seems the guy will be ok.
> >
> > I'm most happy to hear that.
> >
> > > I'm looking forwad to your Thursday report!
> >
> > Me too. Course is dead flat and has several corners, none of them
> > challenging. Headwinds and sucking are the most important adversaries.
> >
> > --
> > Ryan Cousineau rcous...@gmail.comhttp://www.wiredcola.com/
> > "In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
> > "In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."
>
> It's been a long time since I rode a crit, and I sucked then too, so
> I'm just guessing here, but moving up to regain lost position must be
> hard. In our races, the roads are narrow, but there is enough distance
> between corners to find room to move up. With corners the whole time,
> it must be a different story. But maybe if the roads are wide, that
> gives space to move up?
>
> As for losing ground on the hill, have you tried standing and moshing
> a huge gear? I was geting nowhere fast (or maybe slow?) on our hills
> trying to "cadence" my way up. The Gorilla Stomp was much more
> effective.

My most effective tactic is to go from 173.5 lbs to 150 lbs. I did have
one off-the-back, now-back-on trip up the hill, which was a good thing.
The next lap (I am not making this up) my lips went tingly as I slipped
off the back of the bunch and into race history.

> The guy who bashed his face has no recollection of the race, but is
> keen to get back to riding, but he is still in th ehospital so he'll
> be out for a while. The guy with the busted collarbone had an
> operation today to put in a titanium plate. The ultimate FM accessory!

If it wasn't for the prerequisites, I'd be jealous.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Paul G.

On May 29, 11:42 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:

> The next lap (I am not making this up) my lips went tingly as I slipped
> off the back of the bunch and into race history.

You've got to stop filling your water bottle with vodka... ;-)
-Paul

Ryan Cousineau

In article
<ef124fee-b652-4384-8f7d-43513b3f198d@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
"Paul G." <carbide@egine.com> wrote:

> On May 29, 11:42 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The next lap (I am not making this up) my lips went tingly as I slipped
> > off the back of the bunch and into race history.
>
> You've got to stop filling your water bottle with vodka... ;-)
> -Paul

Well, my recovery beverage was a strawberry martini right after I got
home from the race. Also, I already mentioned this, but at last week's
Self-Esteem Crit, the last calories I took in before the race were a
glass of red wine.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@gmail.com http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

Howard Kveck

In article <ef124fee-b652-4384-8f7d-43513b3f198d@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,
"Paul G." <carbide@egine.com> wrote:

> On May 29, 11:42 am, Ryan Cousineau <rcous...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > The next lap (I am not making this up) my lips went tingly as I slipped
> > off the back of the bunch and into race history.
>
> You've got to stop filling your water bottle with vodka... ;-)

http://tinyurl.com/ywfybn

--
tanx,
Howard

Whatever happened to
Leon Trotsky?
He got an icepick
That made his ears burn.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

SLAVE of THE STATE

On May 27, 4:16*pm, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
<joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Time for the tuesday series again.
>
> This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
>
> 4 laps of 12.5km over a bunch of short-ish hills, followed by 3 laps
> of 3.5km with one short (100m) 10% hill.
>
> Right from the start I kept my cool. I found a good spot in the middle
> before the start, and was clipped into both pedals holding a barricade
> so I would not fumble the clip-in. From go I felt good. I used big
> gears and stood up and stomped the hills. Previously I had tried
> sitting and higher cadenced, which just didn't work. I also watched
> what was going on so I could carry speed into the hills, and only
> pedalled long enough to keep my place or advance past tired guys. I
> eased off before I would get jammed up behind other guys. In other
> words I minimized energy expenditure. I even closed a gap on a break
> attempt. I did it after noting where we were and realizing I would
> have plenty of time to recover before the next taxing hill. I also
> looked to see who was behind me, and knowing there was no way they
> were going let the break go if I got us close, I was able to conserve
> energy by pulling us up past half way, then moving aside. No reason
> for me to do all the work and get wasted. So chasing got me some
> respect, and my awareness kept me from shooting myself in the foot in
> the process.
>
> I had no problems moving up in the field and staking my claim to a
> position. Not agressive, but assertive. People who tried to move in on
> me were just polietly shut down. Access denied. Being big and imposing
> certainly helps here. With about 6km to go, I was on the outside of a
> fast intersection right turn and a guy behind me pushed my hip to make
> room for him to go on the outside. I'm still well over 200 pounds, so
> he just pushed himself into the gravel rather than moving me as he
> passed. He kept it up, and it was fine because the road turned and I
> wanted somebody there for sidewind shelter.
>
> The plan before the race was for me to pull my buddy up the outside
> and through the final turn in about 5th spot with 1km to go, and to
> pour on the coals as we neared the finish, and I would break right a
> bit so he could come around at the edge on the left.
>
> The last time up the 10% hill, 3km from the finish I felt awesome. No
> hint of acid in my thighs. No chain! I was positioned on the windward
> side which was fine because it would put us in a favorable spot after
> the turn near the top of the hill. I was in about 10th spot. Just as I
> was going into the turn (still on the hill) a guy went around the
> outside and cut me off big time. I jammed on my brakes and my rear
> wheel even skidded. That will kill momentum! Luckily my buddy on my
> wheel saw this was going to happen, and was able to break right
> without slowing. I lost a lot of positions on that, so I had to ride
> like hell to get back to a reasonable spot for the final corner at
> 1km. My buddy was toward the front so it was time to improvise. I
> managed to pass lots of guys out of the last turn as I had a good fast
> outside line. I could see my buddy up ahead, so I just wanted to see
> what I could do. I was in about 10th spot with 200m to go. Then all
> hell broke loose right in front of me. One guy went down hard in the
> middle of the road, and got t-boned by two guys who did flips over
> him. Bikes went flying to both sides of the road. I braked and braced
> myself for guys hitting me from behind. As I was threading the needle
> between the flying wreckage, guys came from behind me on both sides
> and crashed. One guy lost it when he went into the gravel and he did
> about 6 judo rolls on the side of the road, and got t-boned by another
> guy who went off into the field. I used my latent mad bike-messenger
> skillz to keep myself out of trouble and rolled through unscathed. I
> just rolled the 50m to the line. Some guys with no shame passed me in
> these last 50m.
>
> The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
>
> My buddy got 3rd. Behind a guy who was Nordic Masters Champ (Norway,
> Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland) and a guy who was a pro with PDM
> and rode TdF back in the day. If I had been able to give my guy a lead
> out, he would have won.
>
> Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.

Dumbass,

Great job. Too bad about the crash wrecking an otherwise very nice
day on the bike.

Donald Munro

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>> The next lap (I am not making this up) my lips went tingly as I slipped
>> off the back of the bunch and into race history.

Paul G. wrote:
> You've got to stop filling your water bottle with vodka... ;-)

Effectively doubles the number of back wheels to ride into.

joseph.santaniello@gmail.com

On May 30, 4:27*am, SLAVE of THE STATE <gwh...@ti.com> wrote:
> On May 27, 4:16*pm, "joseph.santanie...@gmail.com"
>
>
>
> <joseph.santanie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Time for the tuesday series again.
>
> > This morning I just knew I was going to be able to hang on all the way
> > to the end. I knew I was going to be strong too.
>
> > 4 laps of 12.5km over a bunch of short-ish hills, followed by 3 laps
> > of 3.5km with one short (100m) 10% hill.
>
> > Right from the start I kept my cool. I found a good spot in the middle
> > before the start, and was clipped into both pedals holding a barricade
> > so I would not fumble the clip-in. From go I felt good. I used big
> > gears and stood up and stomped the hills. Previously I had tried
> > sitting and higher cadenced, which just didn't work. I also watched
> > what was going on so I could carry speed into the hills, and only
> > pedalled long enough to keep my place or advance past tired guys. I
> > eased off before I would get jammed up behind other guys. In other
> > words I minimized energy expenditure. I even closed a gap on a break
> > attempt. I did it after noting where we were and realizing I would
> > have plenty of time to recover before the next taxing hill. I also
> > looked to see who was behind me, and knowing there was no way they
> > were going let the break go if I got us close, I was able to conserve
> > energy by pulling us up past half way, then moving aside. No reason
> > for me to do all the work and get wasted. So chasing got me some
> > respect, and my awareness kept me from shooting myself in the foot in
> > the process.
>
> > I had no problems moving up in the field and staking my claim to a
> > position. Not agressive, but assertive. People who tried to move in on
> > me were just polietly shut down. Access denied. Being big and imposing
> > certainly helps here. With about 6km to go, I was on the outside of a
> > fast intersection right turn and a guy behind me pushed my hip to make
> > room for him to go on the outside. I'm still well over 200 pounds, so
> > he just pushed himself into the gravel rather than moving me as he
> > passed. He kept it up, and it was fine because the road turned and I
> > wanted somebody there for sidewind shelter.
>
> > The plan before the race was for me to pull my buddy up the outside
> > and through the final turn in about 5th spot with 1km to go, and to
> > pour on the coals as we neared the finish, and I would break right a
> > bit so he could come around at the edge on the left.
>
> > The last time up the 10% hill, 3km from the finish I felt awesome. No
> > hint of acid in my thighs. No chain! I was positioned on the windward
> > side which was fine because it would put us in a favorable spot after
> > the turn near the top of the hill. I was in about 10th spot. Just as I
> > was going into the turn (still on the hill) a guy went around the
> > outside and cut me off big time. I jammed on my brakes and my rear
> > wheel even skidded. That will kill momentum! Luckily my buddy on my
> > wheel saw this was going to happen, and was able to break right
> > without slowing. I lost a lot of positions on that, so I had to ride
> > like hell to get back to a reasonable spot for the final corner at
> > 1km. My buddy was toward the front so it was time to improvise. I
> > managed to pass lots of guys out of the last turn as I had a good fast
> > outside line. I could see my buddy up ahead, so I just wanted to see
> > what I could do. I was in about 10th spot with 200m to go. Then all
> > hell broke loose right in front of me. One guy went down hard in the
> > middle of the road, and got t-boned by two guys who did flips over
> > him. Bikes went flying to both sides of the road. I braked and braced
> > myself for guys hitting me from behind. As I was threading the needle
> > between the flying wreckage, guys came from behind me on both sides
> > and crashed. One guy lost it when he went into the gravel and he did
> > about 6 judo rolls on the side of the road, and got t-boned by another
> > guy who went off into the field. I used my latent mad bike-messenger
> > skillz to keep myself out of trouble and rolled through unscathed. I
> > just rolled the 50m to the line. Some guys with no shame passed me in
> > these last 50m.
>
> > The crash was pretty nasty and about 8 or 9 guys went down. A friend
> > of mine broke his finger, the guy who did the judo rolls broke his
> > collarbone, and one of the other guys hit his face and head pretty
> > hard and was in rough shape. They brough a chopper in to take him to
> > the hospital. Everyone else got away with scrapes and bruises and
> > busted bikes. I hope the guy isn't too badly (as in permanently) hurt.
>
> > My buddy got 3rd. Behind a guy who was Nordic Masters Champ (Norway,
> > Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland) and a guy who was a pro with PDM
> > and rode TdF back in the day. If I had been able to give my guy a lead
> > out, he would have won.
>
> > Awesome. I think I'll go shave my legs.
>
> Dumbass,
>
> Great job. *Too bad about the crash wrecking an otherwise very nice
> day on the bike.

I figure I would have gotten a top 10 place without the crash (maybe I
did even with the crash. No results yet.). Maybe as high as 5 if there
had been room to get through. I never even started my sprint. And
considering I had been planning on giving my friend a lead-out instead
of riding for myself, and I got shut down when the guy cut me off, I'm
rather pleased. I haven't contested a sprint in close to 20 years, so
I'm excited for next time.

Joseph