Purgatory Road Race 2012

Here is a debrief I wrote to an email group regarding the Purgatory Road Race in Sutton, MA on 6/10. I need a filler report before I delve into my write-up for the Tour of Washington County Stage Race (and Friday's Kick-Off Criterium).

Purgatory Cat 3 Race Report: A lesson on how not to race bikes (unless you are working for a teammate in the peloton. But even then, such racing is highly discouraged haha).

We were also set for a good 5 laps at 11 miles each, totaling ~4500ft gain. The course has a seemingly MASSIVE elevation loss and a noticeable, but not nearly as massive gain. (Hank et al, correct me if this seems incorrect). After the neutral start 12 riders got away, no one cared to ride faster than 20mph. The first thing Joe, myself, and a few friends of mine (who were planning an attack after the climb on lap 3 of 5) heard was 1:30 gap with 12 riders in the break. I had no idea this even happened because I - for the first time in my racing career - took the advice of many to stay away from the front as I tend to work myself for no reason.

The gap got to 2:25 (I think) and I was sick of the field making no effort. I slipped off the front when taking a pull and no one did anything, mini effort and I had 50m. I stuck my head down and rode hard. Quickly I had 30s on the field and half a lap later as the legs were getting quite heavy I was within 60sec (!!!) of the break. Sadly I was not fresh due to the Nutmeg races the day before, or I would have laid it all on the line in effort to make it onto the climb and go to war on that 1K hill to latch onto the break. However, the pack swallowed me up, but we were now withing 80sec of the break - which was slowly falling apart. Very few wanted to work aside from myself and sir Joe Lynch. We knew a couple things: 1) if we sat it wasn't going to come back and our best placement possible would be 8, even with the falling apart breakaway and 2) we didn't come this far to sit around with a pack of individuals satisfied with a poor placing.

Joe and I made attacks and drilled the field for the remaining two laps, each of us gapping the field on multiple occasions. The efforts Joe put in were (as expected) massive and unforgiving. At one point on the backside of the course where there was the 250m 3% climb, I thought I popped - I started to get the chills/goosebumps/cramps - and told Joe and another fellow whom we were off the front with that I had officially imploded. I slowed to something shy of 5mph and the field was on me before I could relax. I barely latched on and somehow recovered to continue to assault with Joe.

Now we were within 60 sec once again after falling back to 90+ sec on the third lap. It was clear we were devouring the pavement between ourselves and the breakaway because while taking a pull on a long straight I saw SRAM Neutral Support. 1K later, it was pulled into a driveway. As Bob Roll would say, "The referees have declared that the breakaway will be caught, the team cars are being stopped along the road." I must note that during the last feedzone a gutsy individual took it upon himself to win. He broke away from the breakaway and won cleanly.

We passed the SRAM car and it was on to the final climb. Taking the right-hander to the 1K climb, Joe was fully exploded and I was rendered something just shy of dead. We eased up the rest of the climb and called it a day.

Final result: the breakaway (except for the valiant lone ranger who went solo) did not survive and nor did we. The friends I had in the field and was hoping I would help did not have sufficient legs to place or collect money. Joe displayed his classic capacity to endure and endure, especially on a course that wasn't quite his forte. Although, when you can dig deep like Joe every course is your course. I made an effort to do (what I feel is) one of the most amazing feats in cycling, bridge the gap to a break. However, I could not sustain the effort and am a bit stronger because of it.

The End of a Glorious Age

I knew it was going to happen as soon as I sat upon Slice of Life - my Giant TCR Advanced SL 2. My 2006 Trek Madone 5.2 was going to be a machine of the past. I considered keeping it around as a training bike, but the feel was so different I knew that training on it at all would inhibit my capacity on the new bike. So it was set aside and eventually up for sale. Last month, I sold the SRM that was my trusty training partner. Then I got really lucky. I was going down to DC to stay with my buddy Rob for a stage race in Maryland, and another friend down in DC knew someone who was looking for a bike! How about them apples! And it was the right size. So I eventually met with him last night and did the old money/bike switcheroo. It was nice to finally sell something I hadn't used, but I can honestly say it was a little sad to part with Lamia.

Not just because I spent so many hours riding, or the races I did (and the many during which I was so fortunate to actually cross that pretty white line first), or the people I met in the community. But the main reason I was saddened was because that chunk of well-aligned carbon fiber and efficient drivetrain was where I began to love cycling. Before Lamia cycling was much less a "sport" than "cross training", a method of maintaining fitness during my injuries as a runner. But all that changed on Lamia, which was intended as my entry into the world of triathlon in 2010. I fully decided that I was going to focus primarily on cycling just one year ago when I was living in Boston at my brother's apartment after graduating; in part due to my lack of spring swimming and in part due to my joy of cycling. And now - a year later - I am within striking distance of my Category 2 upgrade within less than 2 months of Category 3 racing.

I'm racing the Tour of Washington County, which was initially going to be a solo race with no one I knew. Luckily, Tim Durrin was easily convinced into racing with me this weekend. While we are both going to be racing for GC contention, it will be good to have a strong athlete with whom I am comfortable racing and in whose abilities I am confident. It's going to be a slugfest...especially because I'm throwing in a crit tonight on top of the stage race. Let's hope the body is recovered after last weekend! I'll find out in 7 hours' time.

Return to Glory 2.0: Lake Auburn RR

It has been a very long time since my last post. Over a month and a half. Ouch. Luckily this doesn't mean that everything was going poorly, although things could have been a bit better. Battenkill was a blast (how could it not be!), but after that I had a flare up with my Achilles, then an obnoxiously confusing finish to Blue Hills which left me in 12th rather than top 5. The upturn was the last race of the Scarborough Crit series.

With about 8 laps to go (of 20), Hank and Chris Green got off the front. A few people tried to make moves but nothing stuck. Jurgen and I then decided it was time to give it a go. We attacked on the back stretch, but got hauled back in by none other than Ed Sebok. So we went again, Jurgen up the left off the front of the field and I went up the gutter on the right - away from the pack. Jurgen and I put in a really heavy chase for Chris and Hank that lasted a couple laps. They (if you have any idea who Hank and Chris are) were hitting it hard. Finally, up the little incline they were right in front of us - 25 meters - and I was burning...just hoping Jurgen would come around to close the last bit. Sadly he didn't (a massive 5 hour ride the day before finally got to him) and I gave A LOT to finish it off, bummed that I lost him in the process but it was my only hope of closing the last little bit. I tried to settle in, but my recovery wasn't coming along. I took pretty even pulls the rest of the way. With 4 to go Chris pulled past me and said, "Travis, it's all or nothing now". We held the break and I got the sprint. So I got the win on the first and last SIPC races in a breakaway, which I am pleased with. I ended up 3rd overall for the series with missing 3 races and 2 of my races were after another race, and I am also quite happy with that.

Fast forward a few weeks and it is the Lake Auburn Road Race. I had a grudge going into this one thanks to a dropped chain and the remaining 1.25 laps of TTing with people on my wheel, so at least I had some good practice hammering...that could be a foreshadow. The weather was classic crap: 55F, raining, windy. However, in my history of racing, bad weather yields a good result. I had 2 very decisive wins and 2 second places in bad weather (the two wins being ugly rain and cold).

Thus, small field (nowhere to hide) and people generally unwilling to work in a pack (good thing). At the line we were informed that we would be doing only 4 laps (w/ 3 potential King of the Walls - KOW). I ditched my 'jetpack' (extra water bottle in the back pocket, terminology cred to Jurgen as I have never heard this before) as the race was going to be just under my "3 bottle threshold". I tried to warm up for the race, didn't really work haha. The first downhill I was shivering so bad I kept checking to make sure nobody was encroaching on my space for concern of causing a pile up. First time up the wall we went slow. It was pretty lackadaisical for the whole first lap. I took a couple pulls just to keep from freezing. I talked to a CCB guy and we planned to attack the following lap.

Next lap comes around and Connor Cushman (PVC) takes the KOW and I'm second. I push after the hill to cause separation and stir things up. It worked...a little. The pack pulled back to me and Conner, but not easily - it was strung out. I sat up and someone else went off the front, a few of us pulled them in. It was clear it was about to hit a tipping point: it just wasn't going to be ping pong. Either attackers would be at bay, or the field would separate enough for a break. The latter happened, thankfully. It was seven of us to start. After the next KOW, which I happened to take (essentially sealing the KOW win), I took a huge pull. I felt the pace wasn't quite elevated enough and needed to at least feel like I had a strong gap. I'm guessing it was around a mile. I think we only lost one guy through that section. But over the next couple laps it was down to 4. I wanted to press steady through the hills, but the break was lagging a bit. We regrouped and were at 2 to go. Nothing interesting happened until after the 1 to go bell. On the downhill, our 4th man dropped. I later discovered his chain popped off and he was unable to reset it without stopping (a feeling of which I am all too aware). He easily held to take 4th place though, so that was a silver lining, as he deserved it.

The last lap I took the KOW and tried to keep the intensity up. The two Zipcar guys were not as keen on the constant rotating paceline and we settled into a 15-25sec pull scenario. I got anxious here and took the pull because the pace was lagging slightly (and we had no information on our gap). I also was comfortable being at the steady effort and didn't want to sit up and "get cold"...or allow my fellow riders to get rested. We came into the hills and I elevated the tempo. One Zipcar guy dropped and said "Take it" to his teammate. I thought one thing, "Good luck, bud". I wasn't cocky, I was just feeling great and unless this guy was seriously pulling a Lance-style Alpe D'Huez faux-tired then the likelihood of my winning was quite high.

After the two step climbs, he held tight with me through the false flat...I was hoping I'd be able to gap him. At least I had him breathing pretty good. But this was definitely not going to be as simple as I initially evaluated. Fair enough, I thought, he is a strong rider and he damn well better be going deep to win!! Through the false flat and up the last climb/feed zone he was right with me. After the climb he moved past me and I pulled behind him. This lasted two seconds, I knew I could hammer as hard as anyone dare challenge me for the last 1500m+. I attacked him without any hesitation. A gap opened and it was pretty clear I had it in the bag because I was still feeling strong. Secretly I wanted him to surge up and fight me, but alas you can't always get what you want.

I rode out the rest pretty hard and won by a clean margin. My first serious solo finish since a little over a year ago at Bristol Mountain RR.

Low-res image grabbed from my Dad's cell phone video.

I'm pleased with the results, but let down by the field size. Doesn't do as much for upgrade points as I had planned on 10 points today. Regardless it was a great day of racing despite the cold/rain and I felt great. So I'm happy.

Also: big shout out to Eliot Pitney, fellow Base36 teammate, who took the W in the Cat 5 race (and should be racing alongside myself...or at least out Cat 4 contingent!). Also, well done to Steve & Liam in the 4's. Definitely happy everyone stayed safe with the given weather conditions.

Battenkill 2012 Race Report

Battenkill 2012 Race Report: Travis Kroot, Category 4 (Yellow) - Pictures to be added as they surface!

Note: this is my individual race report - I hope to do a report that encompasses Jon's race and notes the excellent performances of all the other great Maine cyclists who took on the Battenkill. Likely to be placed on the Base-36 cycling blog. Stay tuned!

I will give a quick lead-in to this…I ambitiously signed up for Battenkill in December as a Category 3 while I was still Cat 4. I was hoping to get early season race points before Battenkill and upgrade. However, I was only able to manage hitting a couple pre-season crits and did get some good places (two firsts, a 5^th, and a 4^th). Nevertheless, they don’t count as upgrade points and the kind race directors of Battenkill switched me into the Cat 4 field. I was very excited to race Battenkill, regardless of the field I was in…it was going to be EPIC!

Race week was amongst us and Jon and I spent our last preparations for Battenkill doing “way too little” riding this past week. But we both had great legs today! We drove out Friday (yesterday) AM and got to Cambridge, NY before noon. Hit pre-reg and the (boring) expo, then headed off to pre-ride the first 15 miles of the course (including hill #1, Juniper). The hillier than expected sections before and after Juniper resulted in a slightly hard than intended day before race ride, but it was good to shake our one-day cobwebs out! We stretched out then drove the course and took very diligent notes on all aspects – not just the hills. After the drive we ate a sufficient but not at all spectacular meal at the Cambridge Hotel (it was good! Just with the Battenkill being so epic our expectations were rather high). Following dinner we settled into our respective places of rest and hit the hay.

Race Day: 100km, 62.25 miles, 3950ft +/- elevation gain/loss. 10 dirt sections totaling ~25% of the net mileage.

Boom baby!

We headed into the hustle and bustle of Cambridge at 8:30AM – 2500 cyclists and the spectators and volunteers that come with it shake up a little town/village like Cambridge. It was an EVENT. Not just a race. It was well run, beautiful, and epic. My race started at 11:00AM sharp, Jon’s at 1:50PM! He was going to be anxiously waiting around quite a while before his race…and I would pay my dues on the back end, excitedly awaiting his finish. I started my warm up, and after checking both my sets of wheels in my bike (gotta have extras in case of a flat) I had somehow altered my shifting and could not access the three large cogs on my cassette – BIG PROBLEM! The fellows at the Mavic support tent got it figured out, but I later discovered that my shifting was still shifty…but was OK for racing, it definitely made me nervous about shifting if it came down to a sprint (recalling my broken collarbone). I’m not sure how it got messed up because it was shifting beautifully on Friday’s pre-ride. Looks like I need to get bike mechanic skills ASAP. I got warmed up (20 mins nice and easy) saw the OA/CycleMania guys and we gave one another our regards for a safe and strong 100 kilometers. Then it was to line up at 10:50 and it was gametime.

The race started out easy (neutral 1K start) and stayed easy for a few miles. After mile 4 it picked up to get position for the covered bridge – turn @ mile 5.1 and bridge @ mile 5.3. Made it through in the top 10 and we were into the first dirt section @ mile 6.0. Everything was pretty relaxed for a while, I helped push the pace a little on the climb @ mile 8 or so to try to feel out the field…but nothing was happening yet. I was able to scout 3 of the guys who eventually were in the last group of 8 – so I had 50% of the strong guys marked. Juniper hill was nothing crazy, I led up over (seated in my 39-27) and pushed hard down the first bit of descent in effort to keep the early stragglers off. This is where I mark this race as a massive asterisk to anyone who wants to understand the Category 4 Battenkill. ***No one in this group would work together. It was a battle to get people to get out of their own way! As a reference, most of the Cat 4’s finished in 2:53 or so and we barely broke 3 hours. Not a HUGE time difference, but very surprising considering the strength the field showed from miles 40 and on.*** No one really made an effort to work the tempo and we were rejoined with a massive field (ugh). I stayed up front for most of the next sections to stay safe and waste some energy like I am so well known to do – oops. Rich Rd @ mile 14.6 was nice and clean and the dirt was good riding. Nothing interesting really happened for a long while, randomly coming off of a pull I found myself and another guy with a 15m gap. He kept rolling and we got a small gap. I was well aware he was not the type of guy I would even consider breaking with, but he was a nice guy and we took it easy and chatted it up for a bit. Through Feed Zone #1 @ mile 22.4 and we were caught by 23.0, which was nice because I was no longer stuck out front. I finished my bottle by mile 22 and switched my spare from my pocket into my cage – the ol’ self-sufficient feed zone.

Another few miles of easy riding and we came to Carney Cassidy @ mile 26.0, which is a dirt section with an early stiff climb and then another stiff section @ 27.2 (but neither were anything crazy – the group pretty much stayed intact until Wrights Rd and Meeting House Rd in the 45ish mile range). I crested the pavement section of Carney with some really solid pace and looked around, a few of us had separated the field slightly. Then I got blasted with a headwind over the crest. The guy on my wheel said, “That’s a bummer, had we not gotten hit with wind I would’ve made a go at it with you.” Agreed, sir…but alas we were stuck with the most frustrating race field with whom I had ever been placed. Miles 30-34 were once again easy-ish going (ate and drank here). Then @ mile 34.0 we hit Safford Rd, which was the most gravel covered climb so far and the descent was definitely a bit shaky – tight turns off camber, and not a great surface. Up over Safford we still had a group sized around 40 or so. Clearly, we had a lot of guys with a minimum of “good fitness”…but soon we would find out those who were “fit”! On the descent of Safford I gapped the group a little as I spaced out on the really sketchy turn on the descent…luckily I held tight and once the group rejoined one guy said “Man! You really crushed that and handled it well.” I quickly informed him that I was thankful the rear panel of my bibs were black rather than white (in a less formal and PC manner, of course).

Then @ mile 39.1 we hit Cheesecake Factory Rd – a really rough section of gravel road that had no “good” line you could take. Plus, we had started over-taking a lot of the earlier races’ stragglers and thus did not have much choice of line. A few of us took some hefty pulls here, but as Cheesecake was pretty darn flat nothing really happened…maybe we shed a couple guys who had poor handling or low confidence? 41.5 to 44 was easy, as the group once again did not want to work with each other and were awaiting the glory of Meeting House Rd!

Wrights Rd came along @ mile 44.6 and we were back on dirt – good dirt this time. Up the climb, probably the smoothest climb I had of the day in spite of my calves already experiencing pretty steady spasms! I was NOT AT ALL pleased at this fact and couldn’t figure out why this was happening. I shrugged it off and accepted that it was going to continue. If I had a full muscle cramp/seize, then I would consider it. Then came the most unexpected part of the race: after the small uphill on Wrights Rd the surface turned absolutely horrendous. I was not the least bit prepared – neither in skill nor mentally – for this section. It was very deep, very loose gravel and sand. Fishtailing was more common than line-holding and things got quite jittery. I actually was emotionally prepared to crash and then chase back onto the group right after. I have decent handling but this was something for the cyclocross and mountain bike guys! Every time I had to put effort into stabilization and pedaling simultaneously I was getting more and more calf and anterior tibialis spasms…I wasn’t sure how things were going to hold up but was committed to not letting anyone get away from me.

Through Wrights Rd without any issues and we were very quickly approaching Meeting House Rd, still with 40 men in tow. This is where my frustration with this group was released. We hit Meeting House @ mile 48.6. I sat 3^rd wheel to start the climb onto the dirt but very soon found myself on the front and laying down the hammer. I wanted to shed everyone I could without blowing myself up. It was time to create the separation: those who were prepared to win, and those who couldn’t. I worked it hard up the first part, then @ mile 49.5 it quickly kicks hard and I ramped right though it at pace. I didn’t look anywhere but forward and down. After a good time on the front another guy (Chris, a professional triathlete in ITU racing – yes, a PRO) took over and continued the dishing of the hurt. Once we crested Meeting House onto pavement I dropped back. There were about 8 guys in front of me so I looked back to find a place to settle in. There was one guy to my left…one to my right…and only one more behind me. We were officially down to 12 riders! I smiled at the notion that minutes before we had nearly four times as many riders in our group. J.

Shredding the field on the front...and clearly going very deep to do so. Just speaks that much more of the final group we had.

 The one thing I did not smile at was the spasms that had steadily developed over Meeting House Rd in my quads. Things were starting to go for some reason, even though I felt strong still. As long as no seizing happened in my calves or quads, I was all set. Spasms are completely manageable.

It was off to the races…finally we had a group who knew what the hell they were doing in a race! We HAMMERED downhill, blasting through and taking pulls. It was clear everyone in the group had no intent of anyone returning to our separated group of 12. From 51.5-54 it is very fast, then smooth until 56. Once it was pretty clear the riders behind us were completely shattered, the pace relaxed and the paceline SUCKED. Some guys would pull through then it would stop. This inconveniently kept happening for Chris – the pro tri guy. So I let him pull ahead of me, then I took his wheel and pulled through for him. I found myself stuck on the front. Clearly someone was messing up pretty seriously and sucking wheel…imagine if we all did that! We could have a group of 20 annoying wheelsuckers in no time as the shattered souls regained life upon rejoining the leader’s pack.

Next up: @ mile 56.1 – Stage road. The final test; a solid dirt hill that is pretty outright relentless 56 miles into a tough race. I knew my fitness was fine to stick this out no matter what. My quads had started to experience some serious spasms on the last part of Meeting House Rd and I didn’t know what unkind words they would be shouting at me as we hit Stage Rd. Frankly, I didn’t care – I’ll insert the classic “Shut up legs” here. Stage Rd hit the group hard. No one was too keen on pulling. One guy surged up the left and quickly changed his mind on attempting to lead the pack. I decided it was time to just go with the pack and not dictate the pace on a hill (finally, eh?!). Another guy (whom I later found out was a professional athlete) finally made his showing of strength. Mike started working Stage Rd pretty good – I asked him what his PowerTap was showing for Stage and he said we didn’t let up on 500W for it and pushed over 600W at some points, but “settled” into 550W or so. Settle was right! We only lost 3 or 4 of the group of 12 by the time we crested Stage Rd.

This was it. I (we) had long awaited to be in the small group of riders who would eventually make the go for the win and deserve the glory that one gets by finishing Battenkill in the lead pack. We were the top 5% of this field of 125. The previous 57.8 miles separated the men from the boys…but the last 4.4 miles would separate 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd…all the way through 8^th. I had no intent to be anything but #1 in spite of my legs wanting to give out for some reason. I still had strength, but for some reason things were giving out. Now was no time to be concerned with that though.

We hit the 5k, 4k, 3k. People stopped wanting to work, but there was still a little paceline going on – just not hard. I took one pull (which I planned to be my second to last pull) and awaited my next pull through to bring me up towards the front with 1500m to go. 1K is a HUGE point here – the road is completely close from 1K to go and we would have free use of the road, but no one would want to be nose into the wind. My pull never came. The group let up and I was STUCK! Last wheel – literally. I didn’t panic, I tried passing on the left, but the cones leading into the 1K to go were on our left and I was blocked on the right. 

After the road opened up @ 1K, I moved up left and was able to half tuck in, sharing 4^th wheel. The bulk of the group was sticking right to take the corner on the inside. I had planned this out, I was going to stay slightly left…and when the group swung fast around the right turn with 400m to go I would hold my line and slip into 2^nd or 3^rd wheel. However, Chris laid it down! With 550m to go he started pulling as if he would rip the cranks off of his bike. I am not exaggerating one bit. I WISHED I had been 2^nd wheel to him…I would be invincible. I shit you not, he ramped up the pace to something I had never experienced in a leadout, he was in full TT mode – going to the gutter with every last drop of gas his professionally tuned legs had (he can run a 14:13 5K). And here I was, stuck out in the wind, holding pace with him. I quickly decided I would be waiting on the sprint with the power he was putting out – he did not let up one bit.

Finally, with about 150-200m to go, Mike moved out from third wheel and started for the line. The guy on second wheel did not do a damn thing. I pulled up on Chris’ left and laid it down. I had already made my fatal mistake. I overgeared. I didn’t have the acceleration I should have – ESPECIALLY on a sprint of such a short distance. Part of it was my concern of the gearing slipping as my bike wasn’t shifting perfectly throughout the race – I had noticed the most issue in my smallest 3 cogs, conveniently the places where I would start and end my sprint! So I hit it, dropping everything I could – I was only hitting 80’s in rpm – but I passed Chris and it was clear to me with 50m to go I was not getting anything worse than second place. I wanted first. I needed first. I didn’t get it. Mike held out just enough and I just couldn’t get that last bit of top end acceleration due to the wear and tear of the Battenkill and my own two tactical errors. Mike had a killer sprint. He beat me in a sprint that I should have had and was very confident in well before the race started. He deserved that victory. Mike, well done…you got me!

Overall, I am extremely pleased with how the race went. I fought through cramps for the first time in my cycling career, traveled dirt sections that I didn't think were possibly navigable, and rode a beautiful race that is completely unparalleled in both uniqueness and epicness. My only regrets were the two lapses in execution that led to a second place finish: not being able to get a spot in the lead-out train and overgearing for the final sprint. My greatest pleasure was Meeting House Rd when I led the charge to churn a group of 40+ cyclists into a pack of 12.

I hadn't had dairy in about a week, but I couldn't pass on this delicious stuff (it was seriously REALLY good).

To say that it was just a race should be deemed illegal (if you've done it as you moved up the categories and are finally racing Cat 2 or PRO/1 - then you can treat it purely like a race...but you damn well better remember how amazing of an experience it was all the times you did it before!). To call it an event is reasonable. To call it purely epic and glorious is spot on. My greatest respects to everyone who dared put his or her wheel on the line, my regards to those whose races were shunted or faltered by flats and crashes, and my wishes to those who had injury to a speedy recovery! To the 20 or so winners of the individual races, amazing work - don't take your wins lightly. Only a couple times have I gone so deep in races. I have never had 7 other guys with me when going that deep. And I have never been so pleased with finishing second in my life - that is a massive tribute to the race and the racers. (If you know me well at all then you will understand how massive that is).

It looks like this will lead me into my Category 3 upgrade, then it's a quest to pick off some points before stage races - where I will seriously test the potential within myself to bring up the level once more. I couldn't possibly be looking forward to it one bit more.

While it was an amazing race, there is always work to be done and meters to be gained.

"Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it."

Slice of Life. Officially Unveiled. (Post 2A of 3 post series)

So, I had this post completely written out. It was about 3 times as long...and went to post it via the mobile app today and it deleted most of the post.

Thus, I will have to completely re-write the post (~3 hours solid work) where I talk about the bike itself, the technology behind it, and the wonderful feel of riding it. This is now the "naming" post for my new bike, because that is the only part that was not cut off and deleted. Enjoy!!

I don't even know how to write this post. I've put so much time and effort into thinking about purchasing a bike that verbalizing the actual culmination of physically having and riding THE bike is difficult. All I can say is that I could not be one bit more pleased with going through on buying the bike. I had a couple points of "unsure-ness" along the way: 1) When I had my Madone tuned at Gorham Bike and it felt like a completely new bike. So good that I considered I might not actually need a new one - but then at the end of my first ride on it, a mechanical issue occurred that was inherent with the bike itself. This once again clarified how much of a step up getting a new bike would truly be. 2) When I first was on the new bike, it felt weird. The best analogy I can come up with is like an exponential form of how a first time customer at Maine Running Company feels when he or she wears an actual running shoe that is properly fit for the first time ever: it feels so different the individual is not sure it is 'right'. But as soon as he or she gets a few minutes on it or goes for the first run, it makes whatever they felt previous to this new shoe like a completely different activity than running.

This is what I felt once I had a few miles on the bike. It was a world of difference. But every single difference was a massive improvement. So much so that at first the bike even felt awkward to turn (I'm not kidding. My first turn out of the GBS parking lot onto Congress St was sketchy at best. I'm glad no one from the shop saw or they would think they just sold this beautiful bike to someone who struggled making a simple turn!)

Now to unveil the official name of my Giant TCR Advanced SL 2: Slice of Life. I was really set on naming my bike 'Dexter' because that was my (at first) humorous cycling/athletic alter-ego that began with the CompuTrainer workouts in December. However, I was calling myself Dexter and not my bike. My Trek was named "Lamia", Latin for 'witch', 'demon', or 'child-eater'. I named her on the way down to the 2011 Witches Cup, as my plan going into that race was to win it. It was a bold move (I don't think I told a soul about the name at first). Had I not won the race, the name of my bike would have been a constant reminder of failure. Had I won, it would have been a very fitting name. As for the 'child-eater' translation: I was a Category 4 cyclist, and was still not racing with the 'big boys'. Thus, with the bike, I was not taking down the MEN with her...I was taking down the kids who look up to the Cat 3's, 2's, and 1's (whom the 4's and 5's admire).

Slice of Life is a reference to Dexter the TV show. Dexter is a blood spatter analyst at a Miami police station, and just happens to be an assassin as well. Warning: Do not think I am going "off the deep end" or getting "dark and evil" with this name. It all started because about 5 years ago when my uncle and cousins pointed out that I look A LOT like Dexter in the show. Then friends in college picked up on it pretty quickly too. The pictures below are me from Halloween 2010.

Dexter only kills people who 'deserve' it by his father's standards and moral code, and only kills when he has complete proof of the victim's wrongdoing. His boat is named "Slice of Life", which is blatantly fitting for both his profession (blood spatter analyst) and his hobby (assassinating bad human beings). This late name-change from Dexter to Slice of Life (SoL) is because Dexter is the person and Slice of Life is the boat. Also, Slice of Life is fitting because it represents both a sliver and a huge part of my life. Cycling both breaks up and completes my day, nearly every day - as I just completed a half year of not missing a single day of cardio (including the period of having a broken clavicle!) As Dexter does his work on Slice of Life, I do mine. He typically disposes of his victims on his boat, while I plan to make my competitors (victims) suffer on my bike. So it all works out pretty darn well, and I can still be 'Dexter' without naming my bike Dexter as well. My bike is Slice of Life, a beautiful and stealthy Giant TCR Advanced SL 2, and I am the assassin that operates her as we take names and (hopefully!) kick asses.

Slice of Life. Hanging out at her favorite stomping grounds...Gorham Bike and Ski!

The scary part about investing thousands of dollars into anything, especially something you "already have" to some extent, is that you don't fully know that it would all be worth it until you get that feeling: the pure feeling of completeness and perfection. When I took my first ride on my new bike, at first I felt concern. The bike felt sweet(!!!) but not insanely awesome like I expected. Then I hit bumps in the road, exceeded 30MPH, took some corners hard, hung out in the drops, did a few sprints. It was literally an out of bike and out of body experience. I was feeling something 100% different than I was used to. I was feeling a true machine that was set just right for me. The combination of a top-end bike and a great fit finally melded with me. Last fall Jamie Wright (owner of Gorham Bike and Ski (AKA GBS), and fellow teammate on the Base-36/GBS squad) told me, "We have to get you on a 'real' bike." My response, "What's wrong with my bike [Trek Madone 5.2]?" He told me the difference in stiffness alone will amaze me and, almost more importantly, my competitors. I knew he was serious, as I now have the exact same bike that he has...and he's the owner of a bike shop with access to multiple brands and every tier of bike imaginable. Obviously I didn't get this bike because it was what he had, I got it because it is the absolute best and best for me and my purposes (argue about Shimano Di2 or Campy EPS all you want...then give me $5000+ so I can upgrade to that model and I will gladly shut up...maybe...because I love my new SRAM RED soo much! By the way: SRAM RED, my new component set, is post 3 of 3 in this series). Many of you might see an apparent "conflict of interest" as he is the bike shop owner of my team's sponsor and he's telling me a new bike will make a world of difference. Well, to all you haters out there, the bike is a world of difference...and as with any team at any (decent) bike shop we get some level of a discount on purchases. Thus, Jamie was 1) advising me as a friend 2) advising me as a teammate 3) making a smaller margin of profit on my purchase than other customers 4) I was pretty obviously going to buy my next bike from GBS regardless of what he said 5) he honestly wants me to have every single possible advantage of performance, comfort, and enjoyment in cycling because as teammates we feed off of each other's energy and successes. Example: when Jamie led out for me this past fall, he was the reason I won sprints...sometimes I barely even had to work to win sprints. Once, I took the final sprint of the Saturday Morning Ride (SMR) at the cookie jar with a sprint effort I would deem about 75%. That is absolutely nothing, especially for such a strong group of cyclists in such great late-season shape. Jamie just absolutely hammered out the pace into the sprint that no one had the ability to accelerate and challenge me for the sprint. This was no way a sign of my strength, it was a display of execution on his part. Do you believe me now? I would hope so, haha!

Our first real ride together. Beasting some 20% grades :).

All I can say is that Slice of Life is a beautiful machine and we will have many wonderful miles together as a team. The bike feels amazing and has already proven itself to produce some amazing results...I'll try to get back to work on my full-fledged post regarding no only how amazing of a bike it is, but why it is such an amazing machine.

Changes: The Most Underrated Thing in Cycling (Post 1 of 3)

This post is #1 of a three post series regarding some 'changes' I've made in cycling recently. This is the first, as it is the most necessary and will tie in very well to the others.

You probably are expecting some "secret" that I discovered recently and hope that it might work for you as well. Sorry to say, it is no secret per se. However, to say that it is absolutely underutilized in the sport of cycling is 100% accurate. I'm not going to lecture about what workouts are best: VO2 max intervals, threshold, blah blah blah. Train hard and smart and you get fast. Go harder than you would ever consider thinking and rest when you need it. If you can suck up and challenge yourself more than your competitors would dare to during a race, I can promise you've got an edge.

Back to the entire point of this post: Fit. No, not being a fit athlete. Being fit to your bike. It's more than that though. With a proper fit, you and your bike are simply extensions of one another. The pro's have not even realized the potential gains of a proper bike fit until the last decade. They would grow up racing as Juniors, know their bike size, and stick with it. The only other adjustments were handlebars, saddle, and getting the seat high as a kite and the handlebars as low to the ground as possible. That might be oversimplified...but in a nutshell is not far off. They would be used to racing in pain, and thus got used to the cumulative pain of a non-optimized bike fit and excessively high effort. At some point the "lack of proper fit pain" might subside due to extreme effort, but it would still hurt overall performance - in lowered efficiency and unnecessarily stressed muscles.

People like you and me hear about rider-specified fits and think "Yeah, that'd be nice. But I will keep the $250+ price tag places will throw at you." Plus, what's wrong with making sure it feels 'fine' and doesn't overstress your calves (seat too high) or jam up your quads (seat too low). Then drop your handlebars and you're a bit more aero, your back may cramp up at first but you get used to it.

I was one of those people. Mainly because I couldn't rationalize to myself forking over $250. So I never got fitted properly. I had a couple people 'fit' me, which consisted of checking to make sure of the things I listed above and did well enough on my own.

Why the sudden change in heart? Because I have an amazing bike shop and they convinced me that if I was planning to get a new bike, there were many critical considerations. Before even considering what tier of bike or the components, you need to know how a given bike would fit you. So, a few weeks ago I went into Gorham Bike and Ski and met with Dave Palese. He put me on a Small Giant TCR frame and took some basic measurements just to be sure that all the dimensions would fit properly. Pretty basic procedure, but I know my current bike is not optimal for me - to start, I should be on a 50 vs. a 52. Not a big difference, but in a race or longer ride these things matter quite a lot. The Small Giant TCR would fit me quite well, and all adjustments could easily be made to make the fit excellent.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday: My bike has arrived, fully built up, and the only thing not completed is the final cuts made to cable housings as I would be doing the fit with Dave that day. Once the fit was set: trim, trim, trim and make it as smooth and sleek as imaginable. I could give the step-by-step of the whole fit (which honestly was very interesting and flat out awesome), but that would take some time. So I will highlight aspects of my bike fit. Click the link to see a quick segment on BG FIT. To see a bit of Levi Leipheimer's fit: click here. He talks about pain, and the differentiation of pain when suffering on the bike.

First off, Dave went to Specialized to learn their BG FIT process. BG FIT = Body Geometry Fit Integration Technology. Specialized was the first company out there to not just build bikes, but to have the knowledge of a super-intensive fit process in mind when it came to putting an athlete on a bike. Pretty much every bike out there has the sufficient adjust-ability that will allow a cyclist to fit on his or her proper size frame, especially with the new integration of companies introducing WSD (Women's Specific Design) models and companies like Giant having added the Medium/Large size to their XS-XL line-up. Specialized took it to another level - they made humans and bicycles a single, efficient, unstoppable machine. Now that their fitting is available (somewhat) widely. Not every bike shop has it - Dave @ GBS is the only BG FIT certified individual in the Portland area...no go at CycleMania or Back Bay Bicycle. If you check Specialized's website you can see all available BG FIT centers.

Boom. Awesomeness.

To the FIT: (Note: this is a very intensive process and you should expect a minimum of 2 hours. Including the pre-purchase consult we did, I spent upwards of 3 awesome hours with Dave!)

• Pre-fit interview: Dave and I went over past injuries, needs, and goals within cycling.
• I have minimal leg injuries, broke my collarbone (full strength and flexibility are back)
• Needs: Comfort so I can push longer, faster, and harder
• Goals: High-level competition. Everything from stage races to criteriums.
• Flexibility Assessment: Result: I'm not quite as horribly inflexible as I expected, but still pretty bad
• Looks at: Platar/Dorsiflexion, hip flexor, hamstrings, quadriceps, natural leg position
• Dave did a pretty cool thing to assess muscle tension, where he looks at the quickness by which your muscles 'recoil'
• Bonus (quasi-fight-inducing) Step: Thanks to my bike having an Integrated Seat Post (ISP) - don't worry, you will all be hearing A LOT about this soon, there is a critical little part where you chop a chunk of carbon fiber off of the seat post. Yes, that is right, you take a saw to carbon fiber. Thus, Dave and I spent some extra time on his Giant TCR Small to perfectly tune-in what seat height I will be needing. This data was shortly thereafter used to cut the seat post.

Dave (saw in hand) at the very moment he asks "Trust me?" My response: "Only if you'd do it to your own bike!" Without hesitation, he began officially making my bike into my bike.

...and yes, the ISP was cut perfectly. No shims needed!

• Onto the Bike!
• Using markers on your tibia, lateral knee, ankle, and hip, Dave helped hone-in my knee/hip flexion and extension during my pedal stroke.


• BIG NOTE: Anyone can say "145-152° is the optimal" and just adjust the bike to hit that mark. But what is critical is that if my flexibility pushes me outside of the range, then guess what? 145-152° is not optimal.
• Taking into account my specific body and needs, we honed in the fit in the side-view, focusing on seat height, stem length/height, cleat position.
• Going onto focus on the handlebars, which is a massively important aspect. So important it is obnoxious, as it has caused me difficulty in the past with numbness and back/neck/arm fatigue. First thing, we switched out my stock 40cm bars for some awesome 42cm Ergo bars. I like the bent Ergo fit as opposed to the smoother classic bend. Thus I have a beautiful set of full carbon Giant Contact SLR 40cm bars for sale!! I really wish they had come in 42cm Ergo bend. Oh well, I'll have to live with my new Ritchey Super Logic II's :). Hehe.
• We went over the tilt of the bars, location and tilt of the hoods, drop/hood position comfort and performance. We even went as far to hone in what level of brake level tightness I prefer and how that fits into the equation of comfort. One other thing, I LOVE SRAM! I've struggled forever with the lever position of my Shimano shifters. I have somewhat short fingers and I lose ability to have quick access to shifting/braking when in my drops. Normally I get over it fine. But descending at 40MPH+ you want quick access to brakes, at 50MPH+ you need this...or you come off the drops where you have lower center of gravity and are thus more stable. So now your blasting downhill at 50MPH in a not-so-stable position just so you can maybe hit the brakes if you need it. Is it too much to ask for to have brake access in the drops? Not anymore. SRAM has a mechanical system by which you can rotate the shifter/brake level closer to the handlebars. Dave kept playing with the distance and we were able to settle on a distance that felt perfect in both the hoods and the drops. I'm very excited to descend in complete comfort, confidence, and safety now.
• Going to the front-view: Dave checked my alignment of knee/hip/foot/everythingandthensome to make sure that I was pedaling in the most efficient manner.
• Once everything was set (never set in stone) Dave had me ride for a few minutes to ensure the short-term comfort derived from our process. I already felt as if I were riding completely differently...because I was. It was much more natural, I don't really have a great explanation aside from when I finally got outside (and have since done a hard - read: deathly challenging - workout):

"It is a beautiful thing to be riding along and think that you're taking it easy simply because you are so damn comfortable. Seriously, it is absurd. Why should you not be biomechanically comfortable regardless of if you are or are not on the rivet. Your muscles may burn - but let them burn because they are working hard to go fast, not to overcome the inefficiencies of your pedal stroke or anatomical alignment with your bike."

•  A coolest (there is no single coolest part - except the feeling) part is that I get to go back in a week or two to check back in, get some solid miles/effort on the bike, and touch upon fit issues that can only be foreseen when out on the roads for hours and days.
• Dave keeps the "log" of any and all changes we make to the bike fit, from that day going forward. If I switch my shoes/pedals (which is likely going to happen as mine come un-velcro'd pretty regularly now), I will make sure it doesn't affect the fit. If it does, adjustments will be made. If I feel I can get more aggressive (and drop the handlebars), then the change will be noted.

That's it...your new secret to cycling better, faster, more comfortably, and more happily. Dave did a great job working with me, helping assure me of why we were doing certain things, and making the process smooth and interesting. I cannot wait to take my new fit to the test on Sunday's 4+ hour ride, and then in a few weeks as I race Tour of the Battenkill.

My 100% honest advice to you. If you seriously care about your performance, comfort, or just general bio-mechanical health on your bike then go see Dave at Gorham Bike and Ski and go get fitted properly. Become one with your bike...the difference is both scary and beautiful. At least go over and chat about it, see if it is why it is right for you.

Big thanks to both Dave Palese and Gorham Bike and Ski for the fit, advice, and continued support as both friends and sponsors for the Base-36 Cycling Team. Here's to a very good start to 2012!

Wells Ave #1 & #2 Wrap-Up

Bike racing has begun! And Base-36 sure did start it off on a good note. The season is officially under way and  early season form (or lack thereof) is showing itself in full light...no shadows to hide in out on the race course. Slipstreams? Yes, but you can't win a race without ever leaving the comfort of a slipstream!

Wells Ave #1 - 3/11/2012 - Jon, Jeff, Liam, & Travis

Jon (on his way to his first race - woohoo!), Liam, Jeff (his 300th Wells Ave), and I carpooled down to Wells Ave on Sunday. Departing the Scarborough Par & Ride at 6:00AM in order to make the C race and support our newest teammate Jon at his first race ever. He definitely has experienced group rides and workouts that trump any C (which is Cat 5) race, but a race is a race and everyone has his or her first. And that is best shared in the company of dear friends and, if you are lucky enough, your daughter!

We made good time and were at Wells Ave with ample time for Jon to warm up. Shortly after we arrived we saw Lauren, Jon's daughter, who made the T trip from Boston to come watch. Jeff, Liam, Lauren, and I huddled in the still running car as it was far chillier out than we anticipated (not fun). Once it got closer to Jon's race we registered for our race and hung outside for a bit. Sadly, I was changing in the car when Jon's race went off. Luckily the guys got a lot of pictures! Jon settled in to the groove of the race within a few laps - those darn C/Cat 5 races can be quite scary. Jon held tight and before he knew it there were less than 5 laps (of a total 12) remaining. Jon has a very strong aerobic base and a very good ability to tempo, but has never had sprint training. Due to these facts, we were positive he would stick the race out fine but were genuinely interested to see how the sprint went for him. By the end of the race there were 3 off the front and it was going to be tight to stick his nose into the top 10 for his first race ever. Coming around to the finish, we could see some of the racers standing - Jon was not immediately visible. But 200m from the finish and he had pulled out, laying the hammer down as best he could have absolutely zero sprinting experience or training (don't worry - Jeff is going to get him up to par very quickly!). Jon took it all the way to the line, giving a last ditch effort to get every inch he could, and happily finished his first race with an 8th place finish! Given that Jon's strength is tempo work and suffering at holding threshold with Cat 3 and better riders who are laying it down, we were all very excited to see him show some good acceleration and push himself into a zone in which he has little experience.

It was a good day in the C race, but the A race was quickly approaching and Jeff, Liam, and I were geared up and warming up for our first real kick in the behind of the season. The race was definitely a bit jittery, as expected from the first race of almost every single cyclist's season. It settled down a bit after 5 laps but never was fully relaxed all-around. Jeff and Liam played it smart and tucked in neatly, conserving energy as needed. This was Liam's second outdoor ride of the season (SMR the previous day was his first). Needless to say, I can't imagine how bad his lungs were bleeding in the race...as I have been training straight through and I was sucking wind here and there. I stayed towards the front, ready to attack with any reasonable break. My efforts were simply a waste of energy on this day, as no break stuck for more than a lap or two, and I cut myself down slightly for the final sprint. Jeff had a mechanical issue, his bars got shaken up from the racing and they slipped forward to the point of danger. He intelligently took a lap to tighten them for had he not he would have risked disaster. He was back in the next lap and smoothly navigating the pack as always. Liam was really digging deep on the surges and stuck it out until a few laps to go - a great effort and a huge workout for him. I am positive that Liam had the most benefit of the three of us that day.

The final lap came along and I did my best to make my way up the right side on the back stretch...too bad the mini-break jammed perfectly in my line. I was already in a pinch and we weren't even into the final turn. My game-plan backfired due to the fact that the break inconveniently landed in my lap. I lost several places and was barely within the top 20 at this point. Unless the sea parted or I utilized the sidewalk, the sprint was going to be mediocre at best. I slid up a few spots in the last turn but found myself in the gutter, so close that my downstroke was vicariously flirting with the undulating and threatening curb. I would have gladly "curb-stomped" the hole I had gotten backed into, but I definitely had no interest in pedaling into the concrete simply to slide up any more positions. With about 250m to go, people finally made a surge to sprint - I thought I would finally get a hole to utilize the fresh 'pop' I felt like I had in my legs. I stomped to accelerate and nearly steamrolled the younger athlete in front of me who had no acceleration whatsoever. I nailed my breaks, swerved left of his rear wheel, and accelerated once more. I could see a group of 7+ already out in full sprint...a few had already started to show their superiority by gaining on the several people working to race to a top 10. I hit the gas full-on and eyed the group that was pulling away. Soon enough they had stopped gaining distance and I did everything to reel them in despite the line being only 50m away with their 15m+ lead. Luckily I continued to accelerate through the finish and passed that secondary group to pull out a 5th place finish. I was moderately disappointed with the place number, but satisfied with the ability to get out of that hole into which I had been backed so deeply. I was happy with 5th, as in a normal race that would still score me 2 points. First race, check. Next race, be in position for the finish and let the legs do the 'leg work'.

The ride home was nice, everyone was in fairly good spirits having gotten through the first race safely and with decent results. Two top-10's to begin the season...and Jon's booties (which he let me borrow as I didn't prepare for the surprisingly colder than expected weather) have never finished out of top-10! 2 for 2!

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Wells Ave #2: 3/18/2012 - Jon & Travis

Jon was very excited to embark on his second race ever, with many fewer nerves and a lot more confidence in his grasp of being in a race and understanding the development within the race. I was looking for a top placing in order to help solidify my Category 3 upgrade. Our plans of Glory shattered during Jon's (and about 10 other athletes') warm up. The race was being canceled due to the Community Center at Wells Ave having a major event. The Wells Ave Criterium officials had apparently made sure this was not going to be happening and were informed of that fact...but sure enough no one informed the BRC (Boston Road Club) that this had, in fact, changed.

We departed Wells Ave with moderate frustration - as Jon's excitement for being able to relax and enjoy a race and my excitement for giving a high placing a shot were crushed. Luckily, with a full day to spare thanks to our 6AM departure from Scarborough, we headed to my house off of RT88 and rode most of the PVC Tuesday Night Ride loop. Focused on hitting the hills hard and we did a repeat of the dirt section off of Depot/Mayall Rd in order to spark some mental excitement for the upcoming Battenkill! We logged a good, strong 44 miles and Jon was strong through the end. Impressive improvements for Jon, I'm surely excited to see his growth as he continues to make massive gains so early in the season and in his cycling career.

I hope it was a big day all around for every athlete in this unheard of New England weather. As my uncle always says: "Go fast, take chances."

Every day is a gift...don't hesitate to open it up like a can of whoop-ass!