Rosewood Road Series 1 - Final Race

Rosewood Road Series – Final Race of Series 1

Getting turned inside out!
That is how I described how I felt after the last race. It is by far the most work I have had to do in all the races, as attacks came over and over. Now I rewind and set it up for you. There is a Tuesday night Crit at Brian Piccolo Park and before I did the race Abdel asked me to give up one of the classifications in. He stated that their Team plan to get me out of the points in the overall worked by attacking me a lot for the sprints. He asked me to give him the Green Jersey and he would bow out of the Yellow Jersey chase. We do the race, and it’s just homework for me. This race has Cat 1-6 , as riders can get dropped 5 times and jump back in. I finish about 10th, but I don’t really go for the sprint. I just wanted to get a high intensity workout before the race this weekend. After the race he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to think about it. Truth is, I didn’t want him to know what I wanted to do until I was on the line. If I told him now, he would let all his teammates know. When I did a cool down ride with Bob, he was me what I wanted to do, and I told him, “ Man, I’m going for both”. I have been the strongest guy in the series, and I’m going to finish that way.

Jump to the start-line, and I’ve had a great warm up and ready walk away with 2 both classifications. I told Abdel that I have worked hard every race, and it’s not fair to my effort to give away a classification. I said, “You are going to have to win it”.

Leaving Abdel and his team in the dark turned about my intentions only made them come up with there own strategy. Once we are off I see C. Wright take off and put in a hard effort once we make the first turn. He has a gap and he has 5 riders with him. Now, he has never done this. I quickly realize that Abdel, nor anyone else is going to try to bring this back, so it’s up to me. I put my head down and for the next 40sec I get my heartrate to over 180bpm to bring it back. As soon as we bridge, Raul and Adbel go off the front. Shit! These guys must have had an agreement, because Chris never rides on the front to make a break stick, nor does Abdel make an attack so hard. They were trying to get away. So I do the same effort again because my heartrate hasn’t dropped yet, and I bring them back in 30secs. Once I bring the group up to them, Chris and Mike Bush attack again. This time I was ready and just stayed on their wheels, which just turned into a surge once they realized they didn’t catch me off guard. The pace stays high and I stay near the front, so none of my suspects can get a jump on me. All of this happened in the first 11mins.

At the 13min mark Raul and Abdel launch an attack and we all breakaway from the group and they are waiting for me to pull through. I just stay on Abdel’s wheel. They slow back down and the group comes back. The next lap Carlos rings the bell and say’s “ Points!” The pace stays high and I continue to say near the front. Sun Cycles has 5 guys working for them and they set up a beautiful train with Abdel at the end of it. I’m right behind him, and they launch the sprint I aim to just stay on him wheel. Once guys comes around Abdel to take the 1st, Abdel take second, and I’m 3rd. Now I have 14points and he has 10pt. Green Jersey in the bank. The most Abdel can get if he wins the next sprint is 3 pts, so I relax.

Then I start looking for the CSC uniform which is C. Wright. The series is between he and I, and I have to be honest I saying I’m more concerned with protecting the jersey than trying to beat him outright. I have burnt my entire matchbox in the first 20mins. I have no interest in the second sprint so it comes and goes and I’m safely in the group with a low heartrate.

After that sprint, Dennis and Blaine of Bike American has made a very successful looking break, and I’m actually happy. Now, we will see who is willing to work. I just have to shadow Chris. More than 5 minutes go by, and the more the break stays away the more inspired I get. Then a move is made as Chris and Mike Bush make a jump for it. I jump on their train and ride it out until they pull through. Chris says, “We have to catch the break”. I say, “ I have done my work for today”. He look as me and he then knows I have no interest. See, if they break stays away, they will get 7&6pts, which leaves the rest of us with 5,4, and 3 pts to get. That is not good for Chris, because he wants more points in the mix so he can get ahead of me. So, he is working to bring it back and I’m watching. I’m almost enjoying his hard effort because that is gonna zap his legs. Plus, the final laps are close now. So, as I’m recovering, he is burning some matches that he need for the final Sprint. Bravo!


Dennis and Blaine trying to stay away!


Just before 3 laps to go, the group catches the 2-man break, and everyone sits up to rest. With 2 laps to go, it does get ramped back up. At this point I’m yelling out, “ That’s my wheel”, “That’s my wheel”, because I don’t want anyone to get in between us that does not know what is unfolding. I actually have to say 1st and 2nd place in the series, let us dance.

With 1 lap to go, I have no other agenda but to ride it in right behind Chris. I know if I do that, then the series is mine. He keeps looking behind me like I’m going to make a move, and I’m just cold chilling. Around the last turn, it is lined up and single file. I’m in about 10th place just behind Chris, and once things get going I’m smiling because I know I have to series, and I stay right on Chris’s wheel. Before the finish line I raise my hand, because all the smart and lucky racing has paid off. I withstood all the attacks from all the major players in the Final race of the series. I finish 3rd right behind Chris, and I 5 pts with a total of 27pts, and Chris get 6pts for a total of 24pt. After the race Abdel says, “You were the strongest guy in the Series, Congrats Bro”.






I do feel a lot of pride to have won both classifications, because no one in the history of this Series in 7 years had done it. I didn’t win a classic sprint finish, so I’m going to come back and do this series with different goals. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy this performance.

Pacer Out!

Rosewood Road Series 1 - Race 4

Rosewood Race #4
Now, I’m back on the line getting ready for race Number 4 of the 5 races series. I’m in 1st place, for the sprinters jersey (Which means the 2 intermediate sprints at the 17min and 32min mark), and I’m currently racing against 1 guy with his 4 teammates setting him up. I have 11pts, and Abdel Salas has 7pts. I just have to get 4pts to shut him out of the series. The break down is 3pts, 2pts, and 1pt for each sprint.

I’m in first place for the overall, and I’m racing 1 guy in that classification, and that is Chris Wright. He as 13pts, and I have a whopping 22pts. Then there is 3 riders with 8 and 10pts. So this is basically a 2 man Series. I have to finish 3rd to lock up the Overall, and I want to do this today, so I can come into the last race and become a spectator.

Now, I’m at the line trying to seem unassuming, and I can feel all the heat coming off the sprinters that got dropped at the dump and want to prove themselves this race. Then, to make it even worst for me Carlos ask who the yellow jersey is, and I raise my hand. He asked my jersey size because I have to put on the yellow leaders jersey. While his assistant was getting the jersey, he asked who was leading the Green Jersey, and I raised my hand again. He said, “No one has ever been leading the sprinters and overall on the next to last race of the series and that I was going have a rough day. When the guy came over with the jersey Carlos asked me, “Which jersey, yellow or green?” I said, yellow, so I proceeded to take off my Active Cycles Jersey and put on the yellow jersey right there on the line. I’m thinking to myself, “I have just put a Bulleyes on my back”.


Riders, ready! Riders Rolling! And we are off, and the pace quickly picks up and I’m not sure what kind of race it’s going to be so I just watch my usually suspects. Everything is groovy and the HR is low as we come up to the first sprint. I see Abdel’s 3 Sun Cycle teammates make a surge to the front with him in tow because he is second place for the Green Jersey. Great, someone that is making something happen. The train has a good pace and I’m sitting right behind him when we come out of the last turn. He has only one guy that is pulling for him (Raul) and he pulls through halfway to the line. Now Abdel slows down because he knows he can’t lead the sprint from that distance. Then we group back together and everyone is looking for someone to make a move, and a guy does. He jumps and Abdel jumps on his wheel, and I jump on Abdel wheel. I make my move pass Abdel to get the 2pts for 2nd, and Abdel gets third. Now I have 13pts, and he has 8. I relax a little bit, but stay close behind Abdel, because he is truly my guy of interest. I’m racing C. Wright in the overall, but doesn’t do anything until the second half of the last lap. So, a break goes up the road and I’m happy because that means that it’s so far ahead Abdel team won’t make an effort to bring it back. I’m still shadowing him, but quickly losing interest as the break stays up the road. Before long I’m looking for C. Wright to let him know I’m on him now. When the bell is rang for the second sprint, the pace doesn’t really pick up until we get to the next to the last turn. I’m so far back I can’t really see the action. When we get around the last turn I can see that Raul has just set Abdel up and he is charging the line. I think he picks up the 1pt for 3rd place. Shit, that was gusty and he kept himself in play for race number 5.

Now, I’m officially watching C Wright. Way before 3 laps to go things are already heating up and breakaways are really trying to stick, but the breaks don’t’ have the legs and they keep coming back. When Carlos says, “3 laps to go”, I start looking for Chris. With one lap to go the group slows down dramatically. So much that if any decent riders jump off the front, then it’s going to be tough to get back up to speed to salvage the sprint with the heavy hitters in it. Riders start shooting off the front, and I don’t really care because I just have to watch Chris.

The group ramps it up as all kinds of other riders are trying to bridge. Coming around the last turn it’s the usually guys with some rider that we are passing that have timed it wrong. I see Chris look back which means he is going to make his move. I start my sprint way too late, but I thought I finished 4th. I thought I got Daniel Londono at the line. As it would turn out, I didn’t get him at the line. So, I was moved back to 5th place. To make it even worst, Mike Bush won the race as he was the second guy to jump and he brought it in by himself, so I finish 6th and out of the points. Chris finished 3rd and got 5 points, which brings him to 19pts. Now, I know I really have a to work the last race. Because both of these guys are close enough to work together for the last race.

Here is the video from the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXiJS2ftHs I was coming up fast on Daniel, because when you see us pass the camera, I’m already 5ft in front of him. After the race I looked at my HR monitor, and my max speed was 41.7 freaking mph. That wasn’t even enough to get any points
Now I have 22pt, and Chris has 19pts, so that is still a race. In the sprinters jersey I have 13pts, and Abdel has 9pts, so that is still a race. I couldn’t close the door on either one of these classifications. Now, I really gonna have my hands full for the last race.

Here are the point standing going into the 5th and final race
Overall

A little race video taped from Ms. P.

Pacer Out!

Rosewood Race Series 1 - Race 3

Every 3rd race of the Rosewood Series goes to Vista View Park. It is a dump that has 2 massive hills on it. The first hill is 112ft of climbing, and the second one is 105ft. The grade on the first one is so steep that if you sit normal on your saddle your front wheel will come off the ground. The second is a longer and gradual, and you can use the momentum from the first one. I was happy about this race for a couple of reasons. I have just bought a new, lighter, more functional road bike, I love climbing, I spent 6 month living in Raleigh NC last year, and I had not been drop at any group ride. I had no idea if I could win the race, but I knew I wouldn’t get dropped at least. I was also interested to see if any of the sprinters could climb.
The organizers had us ride up and over the first climb together to the backside where the start/finish was.

We rolled out and the attacks came hard and fast. I was not sure who the major players were in the type of race, so I sat in the middle of the pack. Well, it wouldn’t take long to find out none of the sprinter can climb.



In the first 8mins and 55 second went form over 50 riders to 12. It was a entire new batch of riders, with only one guy that finishes to 10 in the sprints. For the first intermediate sprint 2 guys were already off the front, and at the bottom of the hill I launch an attack to pass Ross of Bike America to get the 3rd place points. I got it! Damn that hurt.


After the riders caught us, came more attacks, and I thought I was in trouble. We eventually regrouped and as my heartrate came down, my confidence went up. I realized there was noone in the group that could really put the damage down. If so, the group would let them go off the front and them reel them back in. Now, I have found my playground. I stayed in the front 3 or 4 riders and monitored the action. When the second sprint came I went to the front, and I waited until the absolute moment then launched my sprint. I didn’t hear anyone coming up on my so I look around and had a gap. I won it, and I was now in the lead for the Green Sprinter’s Jersey.

So I went to the back of the group, let the 2 Bike America guys set the pace and waited for the final sprint. The Bike America guys were trying to blow the group up again, and all they were doing was reducing their sprint speed in the end. When they rang the bell for 3 laps to go, I didn’t even panic. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to try to win the sprint. I wanted to finish top 5 because the race gives out double point, and I would be leading the overall also.


I think I can win this race. If I do, how should I cross the finish line? I started thinking about all the things I could do to make it a memorable photo. I don’t know if I’m going to get another chance to win a race. I starting thinking about all the movies, and started formulating how I would cross the finish line to make it “ Gangsta”. “Pacer, What the hell are you thinking?” You are still in the race, and have 1 lap to go. I came to my senses and decided to stay in the middle and see if I can find a wheel to launch off of. Going up the next to last steep climb Ross made an semi-attack, and by the time he crested the climb were just behind him. It was enough time to let him stay in the lead, and just the dangling carrot I needed. As we came down the hill I went into the big ring, and when we hit the bottom I let the momentum take me up about 20% of the climb then I want for it.
I launch an attack that made my bike jump, and I went all out. I couldn’t hear anybody grunting, nor could I see any rider coming in my peripheral vision. When I got to the top I decided to point to my jersey. My shop Active Cycles has not had much success on the road, and I would be the first.



I pointed at my jersey with one hand in the air, and as I crossed the line I raised that fist in the air. Whew!! My first road race win, and it was the toughest race to date. All the pain goes away if you win the race, but I’m going to try to remember the pain from this race. I’m not leading the series by a large margin in the sprinters jersey and the overall. I think I just psst off all the major players in the series because they didn’t get any points. I better be ready in 2 weeks. Until then, I’m going to enjoy my first race win. I was so inspired after the race that I road for another 28 miles at an avg of 21.8mph.

Pacer Out!