GHETTOMEADOW

My dinner the night before didn’t sit well with me this morning right before the start..for 60 minutes my stomach turned and relaxed the whole race.
Just to show proper nutrition is key for proper bicycle racing. Ugh Fergus ill read that dang book.
I felt alright on the last lap on the backside of the course. But was caught like always when I’ve done this course.
Sorry this isn’t gonna be an extensive write up. I didn’t finish well and I’m more bummed about my diet than anything! The quote is true and will never wrong “eat like shit you’ll perform like shit”.

Pace yourself young padawan!

The weather was about 10-20 degrees cooler not a cloud in the sky or a junior for miles around! Haha
The course was semi technical. With a false flat. Nothing as bad as yesterday. To a bumpy flat fast right turn towards the backside of the course. Which had a steady head wind the entire day. The backside stretch led to the most sketchy part of the course. (For me atleast) was the downhill to a pretty sharp left turn.
Now people were clocking in at 35mph coming around the turn. But I kept it at a cool 25… I’m not a great descender as I’ve mentioned before. But a fast downhill section to a turn?! Pppssshhhh ill be hanging out with my brakes!

Anyways the descent to a straight away, two right turns then the sprint to the finish.
TO RACING! Started off attacking the false flat for the first couple of laps. I was feeling good and I needed my body to warm up..in the 90 degree weather..
I stuck with a couple of breaks that didn’t hold up. Then stuck with the group. A new friend Tyler Kraus took off about 20 minutes into racing with another rider. They held the break til the finish when the other dude Tsruda’d Tyler at the sprint to the finish. So when Tyler made his move no one countered. I attempted a couple times but of course on the windy backside and no one wanted to pull through and work.
SO! All my efforts went towards attacking the false flat by the start finish and then on the backside with no help. I did get dropped on the descent shortly after that and struggled to keep up with the group. Maybe still fatigued from the precious day? Not sure. But I know might’ve blown up on the attacks up the false flat.
Lost the will to stay with the chase dudes so I kept a steady pace and passed some riders that pealed off from the pack. Still had three laps left. Stayed strong and bridged up to more dudes that were in the chase group. I think it was a Sierra Nevada guy. But he jumped on my wheel at bell lap. I made him do work on the backside but it was weak attempts at keeping my pace (yeah I’m a fast mutha fuka!haha) so I jumped up to see if I coulda lost him. Downhill section an idiot Victory Velo dude was slow rolling on the course. I wasn’t about to pass him on the downhill but then he didn’t give me a safe line to pass on the last two right turns towards the finish.
Here comes the sprint I put my head down get out of my saddle and dig as deep as I could and pushed my legs as hard as they’d go but Sierra dude got me 6 feet from the line….got 15th haha pretty much sprint for last! Haha
Fun ass weekend! I finished 10th in the Omnium. Happy with the result and stoked on the competition and lack of juniors. Haha i hope I can recover before work tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the support.

STRAVA

Victory Velo Circuit race.

Thanks Erika for letting me borrow the pizza prime team car!

“I don’t think I’ve drank that much water in my life.”

This might have been the smallest field I’ve raced in. 23 willing racers to tough it through the heat. The start was fast. There was a pvc pipe shower that the Victory Velo peeps ridged up which was a gift from the heavens when coming around the round about on the course.
BUT! The start was right behind the shower. So right off the bat it was a shuffle to get cooled down before the false flat that we had to climb up multiple times for the next 50 minutes. After the climb we hit a very wide/fast chicane that led to the back side of the course climb. Once we hit that chicane it was for sure the hottest part of the course!
After climbing there was a quick descent to a sharp left turn. The left turn was a down hill straight away to a round about that brought the group back to the start. Luckily Victory Velo also had a group of dude slashing water at riders about 100 meters from the finish. Which was heaven every lap after coming up the false flat.

About four laps in I decided to switch from my big to little ring so I would be ready to climb the false flat. But not thinking where my gearing was I threw my chain right at the end if the round about.

The chain came over my crank arm and was stuck on my pedal axle. I was in a good position right before the rookie shifting mistake. So I stopped and got the chain back on a drilled. Dug fucking deep in the pain cave. Pretty much skin melting heat and glimpse of the group at every turn was my incentive to catch up and finish with the pack.
At three laps to go I was within 30 seconds of the group. I kept pushing myself out of the comfort zone and drilled for the next two laps. Bell lap is where I lost my steam and really tried to finish strong and not pass out from heat exhaustion! Haha but I saw that dudes had fell off from the main pack so I made it a point to pass these stowaways!
Came around the round about the last time and up the false flat out of the saddle and pushed past the pain and knew I had put in the most solid of efforts just to finish with what ever left I had in the tank.
Passing the dudes that fell off gave me another 9th place finish. Since its an omnium race weekend I’m really gunning for top 5 or the win for Sundays crit! FUCK THIS HOT WEATHER!!

Hands down the most organized race of the season. Victory Velo you did it right! One down one more to go!

Thanks for all the support!

STRAVA

Alright juniors you were bearable today ill give you that.

I had rode this race two seasons ago as a fresh cat.4 and i think it was only one lap? maybe two? Either way i came in mid to last. And the climb on Pescadero Creek Road was a DOOZIE! Barely made it to the finish and im sure i was cramping hard.

Two years later. 75 miles and a field of 60? dont hold me to that. And lemme tell ya i was feelin good! Not even 10 miles in and i was in a break with two juniors (Bear Development), Bike City (sacremento) dude, a Fast Freddie/Bluebookcycling dude. Bay Trail Cycling guy and a Tieni Duro Junior. We had a good gap for the first AND second lap. Everyone worked together this week! ” Ten second pulls” is what the Bike City guy kept yelling and it actually worked.
The backside of the climb was kind of a techy descent but totally doable without touching brakes. The gap was about one and a half minutes for the longest time. But once out group had dwindled down to six we were bound to get caught.
Five miles from the start of the third and final lap the break was caught and everyone sat in. It was nice to take a breather but it sucked that all out efforts werent enough. Or maybe we werent working well?
Either way about 12 miles to the finish three racers had broke off from the group at the first climb. No one countered and tried to catch up in only thinking we were going to catch them on the final climb.. Newp
Instead at 10 miles to the finish we had a moto slow us down about 3-4 minutes while an ambulance and medi helicopter could land to swoop up two women riders that had crashed during their race (hope they heal up quick) so that had made our chances of catching the break out of reach.
A quick bolt through the feed zone mini climb had slowly strung out the group. I was at the Front of the pack as we neared Pescadero Creek Road (final climb). I was still feeling good! I had slurped my last clifbar goo and the last of my electro mix in my bah bah and i was feeling ready coming out of the feed zone to crush. Looking over my shoulder the group was right on my butt. I put my head down got in a decent climbing gear and entered the pain cave for the third and final time.
I was putting the hurt on the dudes behind me for sure! But as the third gnar switchback came up and the pitch of the road slightly rose i slowed and four riders had their chance to pass. I knew i couldve held on but most likely would of bonked with 500 meters to go. SO! i cooled my jets slightly and jumped on Jonathan Trans ( Fremont Bike Club) wheel the last 1 k to go. I feel bad dude sorry! But you got 10th!
I totally Tsruda’d him about 10 feet from the line. But thats all i had left.

SO! this was a really rad race because i ate everything that i had in my jersey pockets at the right time and drank just enough to get me through the 75 miles of rollers and climbs. Im slowly learning and im super appreciative of all the support from friends and foes.

Thanks again for all the support.

Its a given you must get Artichoke bread when in Pescadero. Arcangeli would be super upset if you didnt.

Oh and Dave (Team Chica Sexy) we will for sure get you back in to killin mode soon!

STRAVA

Mt. Hamilton Classic 

I am sorry for ranting about such a stupid subject. I paid 40 bucks to race and what I got was bullshit riding by immature grommets. This has been the best course I’ve raced all season! And I had bad company. Dave and i stuffed ourselves full of Indian foods/deserts after by the way.. Made our days.