NinjaTurtle's Racing Diary

Volunteer for the G20 Prologue and Criterium

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:37:00 +0000

I strained my shoulder muscles for being the holder for the prologue of G20 race - I should take it easy when I am still recovering from my bike crash.
I've never been a holder before. I was told to clamp down on the rider's rear wheel with my knees and hold the rider's waist with my hands, and give the rider a push when the count-down ends. I think people usually don't give the rider a push, but it was an uphill start. Also, I think people hold the bike by seat tube or saddle (as shown in the picture).

After sending off a couple of riders, I found out that the most stable position is to squat down so that the inside of my knees are pushing against the top of the rear wheel and hold the waist of the rider just above the iliac crest.

The easiest rider I worked with is a little girl named Angie. She was riding a 20-inch wheel road bike, and weighs probably less than 100 lb, so I hardly had to exert myself to hold the bike and the rider steady.

And I feel it is easier to hold the women racers steady, probably because they have greater waist-to-hip ratio! ;-)

社區自由車賽培養出奧林匹克和世界級選手 - 亞列堅尼自由車協會簡史

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Mike Friedman (現任Garmin-Slipstream職業隊選手)回饋社區- 擔任亞列堅尼夏季繞圈賽系列的動態裁判(照片: Fred Jordan)

我有幸在一次亞列堅尼夏季繞圈賽系列中訪問到亞列堅尼自由車協會 (Allegheny Cycling Association (ACA))的創始者 – Mark Powder先生. 這個訪問的目的是認識亞列堅尼自由車協會的歷史, 以及希望藉由此能提供台灣一些舉辦比賽的資訊

亞列堅尼自由車協會是由一群對自由車的愛好者, 主要是青少年, 在1972年創辦的. Powder先生是第一任會長. [1] 他們的目標是舉辦小而易於加入的自由車比賽於高地公園 (Highland Park) (圖一). 比賽場地的取得並不困難 – 他們只需要一張市政府的許可證. 不過, 市政府附加一個條件 – 場地必須在比賽時亦開放給汽車及行人. 這對於選手是一個重大的危安因素, 所以當一個更安全的場地被尋覓得, 比賽被移到該場地. 新的場地是位在匹茲堡動物園的停車場 (圖二). 該場地在晚間是淨空的. 新的場地的取得亦不太困難, 主要是因為某市政府的成員對於自由車運動的支持.

1970年代, 亞列堅尼自由車協會是匹茲堡週遭唯一註冊於美國自由車聯盟 (United States Cycling Federation (USCF))的自由車社團. 當時自由車社團能註冊於美國自由車聯盟的條件是每年舉辦至少一次比賽, 但是亞列堅尼自由車協會不僅做到此, 甚至在夏季每週都舉辦一個比賽.

1980年代, 由於Greg Lemond贏得數個環法冠軍以及許多美國選手在國際比賽的優秀表現, 更多人被吸引加入自由車運動. 自由車不再只是小孩子的運動, 而協會的主要幹部和理事會員多半被較年長的人取代. 當時, 一些過去參加亞列堅尼自由車協會的比賽的選手大有進展, 例如Tom Chew (Danny Chew [2]的哥哥) 被選入奧林匹克代表隊, 以及Davis Phinney成為第一個於環法賽贏得單站冠軍的美國人.

亞列堅尼自由車協會的比賽在匹茲堡動物園停車場舉辦近20年, 但是在1999年, 動物園管理者決定在停車場加裝柵欄並開放晚間停車場使用. 如此一來, 比賽再也不能於匹茲堡動物園停車場舉辦了. 有一陣子, 比賽被移到附近的高中停車場. 這個選擇並不理想, 因為場地太短, 限制參賽的人數, 並迫使選手做急彎. 幸好, Oscar Swan和Bud Harris發現市政府在計畫將華盛頓大道旁廢棄的汽車駕駛訓練場改建成公園 (圖3), 而在一些協商及透過市政府的支持者的幫忙後, 亞列堅尼自由車協會勸服市政府改蓋一個800公尺的自由車場 (又叫橢圓場或偽自由車場 – 因為它並不符合自由車場標準). 終於, 亞列堅尼自由車協會的比賽有一個永久的家了. 在1990年代, 一個從亞列堅尼自由車協會比賽訓練出來的優秀選手, Mile Friedman, 現在是Garmin-Stripstream職業隊的成員. Mike最近回故鄉度假, 順道參加附近的Fort Cherry公路賽及數個亞列堅尼自由車協會的比賽. Mike的參與讓當地的選手感到十分振奮.

亞列堅尼夏季繞圈賽系列於每年4月到9月間的每個週二和週四於橢圓場舉辦. [3, 4] 週二的比賽開放給男子C級 (USCF 4-5級) 及女子. 週三的比賽開放給男子A級 (USCF 1, 2 ,及 3級) 及B級 (USCF 3-4級).男子C級及女子比賽在比賽開始前都有一個新進選手訓練課程, 由當地教練及有經驗的選手指導. 男子C級及女子比賽一開始有五圈的中立圈, 然後比30圈. 在比賽中, 動態裁判, 由當地教練及有經驗的選手充任, 引導中立圈, 然後會保持在選手後方給予指導及保持比賽的安全.男子A級及B級比40-50圈, 並每個月有一次在同樣場地但不同路線的特別比賽 (P-場地; 圖四). 特別比賽更有挑戰性因為有三個急彎. 有些人認為橢圓場的普通比賽限制選手的發展, 因為所有的彎都是有碗狀的邊, 沒有真的彎道. 我不認為如此. 所有的選手都是從最基本的技巧開始, 而橢圓場讓學習的曲線不那麼陡峭, 因為其彎道都有碗狀的邊. 然而, 我認為對新進選手來說, 只要他們有興趣參加公路賽, 都應該在他們進步到一個程度後嘗試P場地的特別比賽 (C級選手不被允許參加特別比賽因安全考量)

最近我聽說台灣有越來越多新的比賽.以往的比賽是為了政府支持的選手的培育而舉辦, 但這些新的比賽改針對業餘的選手而舉辦, 使得愈來愈多人加入自由車的運動. 往往一場比賽動不動就上千人參加. 然而這些比賽的品質管制並非理想. 最近一個醜聞讓我特別注意. 在2009年7月5日於宜蘭舉辦的比賽中, 主辦者聲稱所有參賽者沿路都會有水及食物的補給, 並有餐盒及終點的交通運送. 然而據主辦者的說法, 他們未預計如此多的完賽者, 導致數百人未獲得任何水和食物的補給, 亦無餐盒, 甚至等待交通等了近10小時.

我所見到的問題, 並不是差勁的組織技巧, 而是試圖做太多. 幾乎所有的比賽都無參賽人數限制, 導致幾乎每場比賽都有上千人參加. 要知參加的人越多, 支援的需求就越多, 而有更多產生差錯的可能. 此外, 幾乎所有的比賽都是爬坡賽, 或是終點在爬坡的結尾, 如此對團隊騎乘的要求就減少許多. [6] 團隊騎乘的技巧是成為一個成功的公路賽選手的最重要能力之一. 在公路賽中, 往往是擁有最多剩餘體力的選手獲勝, 而不是體能最佳的選手. 團隊騎乘的技巧能夠幫助選手達成此一目標, 而另一個好處是它幫助減少摔車的次數.我相信台灣比賽舉辦的趨勢對於公路賽的發展並不理想. 台灣人應該多舉辦小而社區化的繞圈練習賽像亞列堅尼夏季繞圈賽系列, 而不是總是試圖舉辦全國大賽. 小的繞圈練習賽雖然不會有新聞頭條的一席之地, 但是對於培養選手的技巧較大比賽有貢獻的多, 甚至能夠培育出奧林匹克和世界級選手

附註1: 感謝Chris Popovic先生, 現任亞列堅尼自由車協會會長, 及Jack Neyer先生, 現任亞列堅尼自由車協會理事會會員, 給予內容的指正及英文文法的校對.

附註2: 個人並不認為對於宜蘭比賽的主辦者及協辦者的過度抵制及指責有建設性. 我相信他們絕大多數都是對於自由車運動有熱衷, 想要服務大眾的人. 我們需要更多這樣的人. 此外, 亞列堅尼自由車協會的所有幹部和理事會會員和大多數台灣人一樣, 都是有家室, 小孩, 和工作的, 而他們能夠建設出如此優良的比賽環境. 所以, 想要有更好的比賽環境, 不要想期待自由車委員會和騎士協會來做所有的工作, 聯合社區附近的自由車社團來成立台灣的亞列堅尼自由車協會吧!

附註3: 在寫作這篇文章時, 我亦稍認識美國自由車聯盟, 一個管理全美自由車運動的組織, 的狀況. 當我得知美國自由車聯盟從未獲得政府補助, 而培育世界級的選手的任務全是經由熱衷此運動的義工所負責時, 我十分的訝異. [7, 8] 事實上, 美國政府似乎並不是十分重視培育奧林匹克選手, 直到它在1975年設置美國奧林匹克委員會統管所有奧林匹克相關的運動. [9] 然而在這之前, 美國已有許多奧林匹克級的選手.

圖一. 高地公園

圖二. 動物園停車場

圖三. 橢圓場

圖四. P-場地

參考文獻

1.ACA. ACA Past Officers. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/pastofficers.html.
2.Meinzer, M. Life Cycle: For Danny Chew, it's all about the bike. 2007; Available from: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A30212.
3.ACA. 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series: Tuesday New Rider Series. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/schcr09t.html.
4.ACA. 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series: Wednesday Intermediate/Advanced Series. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/schcr09w.html.
5.Outrageous service at an Ilan race (Chinese). Available from: http://news.pchome.com.tw/living/tvbs/20090706/index-12468783150221239009.html.
6.Races in Taiwan (Chinese). Available from: http://www.cyclist.org.tw/index.php?fn=contest&no5=C.
7.USACycling. USA Cycling Fact Sheet 2009 Available from: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/media/FactSheet_USACycling.pdf.
8.USACycling. USAC Development Program. Available from: http://www.usacdf.org/.
9.USOC. The United States Olympic Committe. Available from: http://teamusa.org/content/index/1155.

Grassroots Bicycle Racing makes Olympic and World Riders - a Brief History of the Allegheny Cycling Association

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Mike Friedman (current rider on the Garmin-Slipstream professional team) giving back to the community by serving as a marshal in ACA Summer Criterium Series (Photo: Fred Jordan)

I had the honor of speaking to the founder of Allegheny Cycling Association (ACA) – Mr. Mark Powder – during one of the ACA summer criteriums. The purpose of the interview was to learn more about the history of the ACA, and see if I can provide some useful information for promoting bicycle racing in Taiwan.

The ACA was organized by a group of people, mostly teenagers, in 1972. Mr. Powder was the first president of the club.[1] Their goal was to put together small friendly bicycle races in Highland Park (Figure 1). The acquisition of the course was not very difficult – all they needed was a city permit. But the city provided the access with one condition: the course had to remain open to vehicles and pedestrians during the race. This posed a serious threat to the safety of the racers, and once a safer course was found, the race was moved to the new site. The new course was in the parking lot of Pittsburgh Zoo (Figure 2), which was unused during the evening hours. Again, the acquisition of the course was not that difficult, thanks to someone in city hall who supported the sport.

In the 1970s, the ACA was the only bicycle club registered with the United States Cycling Federation (USCF) in the Pittsburgh area. Back then, a bicycle club registered with the USCF had to hold at least one race annually to maintain its status, but the ACA held races once a week throughout the summer .

In the 1980s, due to Greg Lemond’s Tour de France wins and good international results of many US cyclists, a lot more people were attracted to the sport. Cycling was no longer just a kid’s sport, and the officers and board members were mostly replaced by older adults. During that time, a few cyclists who had done ACA races went on become great cyclists, including Tom Chew (Danny Chew[2]’s brother), who made the Olympic team, and Davis Phinney, who became the first American to win a stage in the Tour de France.

The ACA races were held in the Pittsburgh Zoo parking lot for almost two decades, but in 1999, the zoo authority decided to install gates in the parking lot and open during evening hours, which effectively killed the ACA races at the Zoo. For some time, the races were held in a local high school’s parking lot. This was hardly a good choice because the course was very short limiting the number of racers and forcing the racers to make really tight turns. Fortunately, Oscar Swan and Bud Harris found out that city hall was going to turn the abandoned driving training center on Washington Boulevard into a park (Figure 3), and after some negotiation and help from inside city hall, the ACA convinced the city of Pittsburgh to build a 0.5-mile velodrome (A.K.A. Oval or pseudodrome as some people call it due to its non-standard design) on the site. Finally, the ACA races had a permanent home. One of the most notable cyclists developed in the ACA races in the 1990s is Mike Friedman, who now races for the Garmin-Slipstream professional team. Mike just returned home recently for a vacation and raced the Fort Cherry road race at McDonald, PA and several ACA races at the Oval. Mike's presence really boosted the morale of local racers.

The ACA Summer Criterium Series is held at the Oval on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from April to September.[3, 4] Tuesday races are open to men Cat C (USCF Cat 4 and 5) and women. Wednesday races are open to men Cat A (USCF Cat 1, 2, and 3) and B (USCF Cat 3 and 4). Cat C and women’s races feature a new rider training and clinic program, taught by local coaches or experienced racers, before the race starts. Cat C and women’s races start with 5 neutral laps, and race 30 laps. During the races, marshals who are coaches or experienced racers lead the neutral laps and then stay behind the racers when the racing begins to give instruction and keep the race safe. Cat A and B races have 40 or 50 laps. Also, once a month, Cat A and B races take place on the same site but a different and more difficult course (P-course; Figure 4). They are more challenging because there are three non-banked corners on the course. Some people think the Oval course is holding racers back because there are no real corners involved. I disagree. Everyone has to start from scratch, and the Oval course with its banked corners makes the learning curve less steep for most people. But I think, for new riders, who are interested in racing on the road should do the P-course races when they qualify to gain experience on courses with corners (Cat C riders are not allowed to do the P-course races for safety reasons).

One of the most amazing aspects of the ACA Summer Criterium Series is the lack of sponsorship and relatively cheap entry fees – 10 dollars. For the 10 dollars, 1 dollar goes to the ACA, 3 dollars go to USA Cycling (USAC), which has replaced USCF, and the rest goes back to the racers as prizes and awards during the races. For such as small fee, the ACA Summer Criterium Series has been able to survive three decades and continue to help develop new riders. In contrast, big races with lots of sponsorship, such as the Thrift Drug Classic, Tour de Toona, and Tour of Pennsylvania, often only manage to survive for a few years because they require a large amount of sponsorship, and they probably don’t give as much back to amateur racers.

I’ve heard more and more races are being held in my home country, Taiwan, in recent years. Instead of targeting government-sponsored racers, these races are more accessible to amateur racers, which have really attracted people to the sport. It is quite common to see more than a thousand riders signing up for one event. However, the quality of these races is not well-controlled. One recent incidence really comes to my attention. At a race held in Ilan in July 5th, 2009, the race organizer promised free water, a lunch box and transportation to all attendees. But due to a large unexpected number of finishers, as claimed by the organizer, hundreds of people not only didn’t receive any water and lunch, but also got stuck waiting for transportation for up to 10 hours.[5]

The problem I see here, is not poor organization skills, but the attempt to do too much. Almost no races have a field limit in Taiwan, resulting in more than a thousand attendees. And with more attendees, the demand on support becomes greater, and things are more likely to go wrong. Also, almost all of these races are mass start hill climbs, or end with massive climbs, so the requirement for pack-riding skill is lower.[6] Pack-riding skill is one of most important element in becoming a successful road racer. During a road race, it’s often the racer with the most leftover energy who wins, instead of the strongest rider. Good pack-riding skills can help a rider accomplish this. Another benefit is that a rider with good pack-riding skill is less likely to crash during a race. I believe the trend of how races are held in Taiwan is not beneficial to the development of the sport. I believe the Taiwanese organizers should start thinking about holding smaller, grassroots races like ACA Summer Criterium Series, which, although don't make news headlines, help develop skills of racers far more than big races, and can even make Olympic and World class riders.

p.s. Many thanks to Mr. Chris Popovic, current president of the Allegheny Cycling Association, and Mr. Jack Neyer, current board member of the Allegheny Cycling Association for their review and correction.

p.s. During my research on ACA’s history, I also learned about USA Cycling, the government body of all cycling sports in US. I am really impressed that it has never received government funding, and the development of world-class riders is solely through the help of passionate volunteers.[7, 8] Actually, the leaders of the country didn’t seem to care about making Olympians until 1978, when the U.S. Olympic Committee was appointed as the coordinating body for all Olympic-related athletic activity in the United States.[9] Yet, even before that time, the US had many world-class athletes.

Figure 1. The Highland Park Loop

Figure 2. The Zoo Parking Lot Loop

Figure 3. The Oval Course

Figure 4. P-course

Bibliography

1.ACA. ACA Past Officers. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/pastofficers.html.
2.Meinzer, M. Life Cycle: For Danny Chew, it's all about the bike. 2007; Available from: http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A30212.
3.ACA. 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series: Tuesday New Rider Series. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/schcr09t.html.
4.ACA. 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series: Wednesday Intermediate/Advanced Series. Available from: http://www.acaracing.com/schcr09w.html.
5.Outrageous service at an Ilan race (Chinese). Available from: http://news.pchome.com.tw/living/tvbs/20090706/index-12468783150221239009.html.
6.Races in Taiwan (Chinese). Available from: http://www.cyclist.org.tw/index.php?fn=contest&no5=C.
7.USACycling. USA Cycling Fact Sheet 2009 Available from: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/media/FactSheet_USACycling.pdf.
8.USACycling. USAC Development Program. Available from: http://www.usacdf.org/.
9.USOC. The United States Olympic Committe. Available from: http://teamusa.org/content/index/1155.

Flexibility in Positioning is the Key

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Race name: 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series and picnic

Date and start time: 07/14/2009; 07:00 pm

Location: Washington Blvd Cycling Oval, Pittsburgh

Type/distance: 0.5 mile banked Cycling Oval; 35 laps in total

Competitors to watch: Rob and John

Weather: 70 degF, cool

Course condition: good; crack is still there on the Washington Blvd side

Race goal: Follow Rob or John to get a placing

Race strategy: Save energy until the last 3 laps

Pre-race meal:
1300 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1400 - 1 Swiss Miss hot cocoa (120 kcal)
1500 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1700 - 4 Hammer gels (360 kcal) and 1 bottle of Cytomax (180 kcal)

Mid-race meal :
A couple of sip of water

Warm-up description:
1X 2 min Power Interval (2 min Recovery)
30 sec Speed Interval
Endurance Miles for the rest of the time
Total 1 hour

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5

Results: Finished in the middle

What I did well:
1. Got better position for the final sprint - I even passed a few riders
2. Skipping the 8-min tempo during warm-up seemed to be a good idea

What I need to improve:
1. Ability to generate high power for 2-min or more - good for prime hunting and closing gaps
2. Get more comfortable moving through the pack
3. Timing for sprint
4. Sprint power - I think I haven't been doing this training for a while

Aches/pains/problems during or afterwards:
Left leg starting to cramp on the last lap.

Comments on or description of how race developed:
This race was back to the usual format - 30 laps with 5 neutral laps. I stayed near top one-third for the first few laps, but when the bell rang for the first prime, John got ahead for almost one-fourth a lap, I was falling behind just by trying to keep up with the people chasing John.

After the huge effort and being chased down by the pack, John positioned himself further down the pack, but after a while, he went near the front and contested in most of the prime laps. I think Rob was doing the same as well. In contrast, I was wasting too much energy trying to stay near the front all the time. So, I need to learn when to fall behind to rest and when to move up to contest for a prime or position for the sprint.

Near the last 7 laps, I could see people were slowing down to get prepared for the final sprint. I used the opportunity to move to the middle of the pack, but found it hard to go forward any further. To do so, I would have to generate more power and get less shielding from the wind. Nevertheless, I was able to keep my position and participate in the sprint. I even passed a few riders! Finally, some progress!

# John Cotter is wearing Polka-dot today - has he been changing jerseys at every race as to not become a marked rider?

Last Major Race of the Season - Renfrew Ras

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Me on the 2nd lap, I think. Look at the bulging neck muscles! I guess I was really pushing hard.

Race name: 2009 Refrew Ras Road Race

Date and start time: 07/12/2009; 08:00 am

Location: Butler, PA

Type/distance: Mostly rolling hills - Steep hill at the corner of the Refrew and the Meridian Rds.; 3X8 mile-loop; 24 miles in total

Competitors to watch: Ben Stephens and Ted

Weather: 60-70 degF

Course condition: The Three Degree and the Renfrew Rds are about two-lane wide but have no yellow line. The Meridian and the Brownsdale Rds are two-lane roads with yellow line. They are pretty well maintained. The corner of the Refrew and the Meridian rds features a 120-deg turn with a steep climb coming out of the corner

Race goal: Stay near the front till the end

Race strategy: Advance on the Renfrew Rd to avoid the bunch-up at the corner of the Refrew and the Meridian rds. Advance near the end of the Meridian Rds to avoid being dropped at the uphill corner of the Meridian and the Brownsdale Rds. Sprint hard coming out of the corner of the Three Degree and the Meridian Rds.

Pre-race meal:
0500 - Pancakes with syrup (420 kcal); 1 glass of soy milk

Mid-race meal :
2 Hammer gels (180 kcal)
16 oz of water with 4 scoops of GU powder in one bottle

Warm-up description:
2 Jumps
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5

Results: Around #20 (I was erroneously recorded as DNF)

What I did well:
1. Getting a good position near the front on the first climb in the first lap

What I need to improve:
1. Ability to repeat 3-min maximum effort (Power Interval in CTS term)
2. Skills in advancing in the pack

Aches/pains/problems during and afterwards: None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I made a mistake at the very beginning - I miscalculated the time required for registration. I thought the registration would be at the Start/Finish line, but instead, it was at fire engine house at the corner of the Three Degree and the Meridian Rds. I had to ride my bike from where I parked – the grass field inside the airport – to registration because it’s too far away to walk. By the time I finished registration and dressed up, there’s only 20 minutes left for warm-up. I did a couple of jumps and rode loops around the parking lot where the Cobra helicopter is, but I hardly felt ready when the race started.

The race started on a mostly straight downhill section on the Three Degree Rd, but the pace wasn’t as fast as I feared. On the Refrew Rd., the pack wasn’t as compact as during Ft Cherry race, so after we passed the waste water processing plant, I moved up to the top 4th position to get ready for the technical corner of the Refrew and the Meridian Rds. I was able to make the corner with the front group, and stayed there for the first half of the climb and then I started slipping back. At the top of the climb, I was panting hard and couldn’t do much for the rest of the lap.

On the second lap, people were more confident and closer to each other. Near the end of Refrew Rd., I know I should move to the front before hitting the climb again, but I failed to do so because I was still hurting from the effort in the first lap and the pack was more compact than last time. Even so, I was able to hang on to the back of the front group of about 11 riders on the climb. I could see Kevin and Ted in that group. Near the end of the climb, a rider broke away, and the front group picked up the pace and chased him. This was when I got dropped. If I had been closer to the front group, I might have been able to stay with them. Alas, my poor position entering the climb prevented from doing so. After riding alone for a while, 4 riders joined up with me, and they were really trying to bridge up to the front group. I was struggling to tag along, and was dropped near the end of the 2nd lap.

On the 3rd lap, I was passed by Steve Marlette of Ag3r on the Renfrew Rd. – I learned later on that he is a time-trial specialist and really good on flat, but soon afterwards, I joined up with a group of 5+ riders coming from behind and caught him on the climb. The pace was rather steady after the climb, probably because everyone was resting their legs for the final sprint and there’s no chance we would be able to catch the front group. I was thinking about the same thing, so I didn’t pull at the front for too long.

About 100 feet from the corner of the Three Degree and the Meridian Rds, Steve broke away, but didn’t get a huge gap. Knowing that I wouldn’t stand a chance powering up the last hump leading to the finish line, I moved to the front of the group. We caught Steve on the hump, but then everyone sprinted hard and passed me. I was near the back of the group at the finish line.

# Kevin got 5th place in the race. He’s doing really well, and I’m sure he’ll be in Cat 3 in no time if he’s really pushing it.

# The race organizer did a great job. They were the first group I saw distributing flyers at the registration which had details about the race, such as where to pin the numbers.

# My power data showed that I produced about the same power on the hill in the 2nd lap as in the 1st lap, so it’s very likely that I just had a poor position entering the climb and thus got dropped afterward.

#1: Eric; #2: John

#5: Kevin; #6: Ted

#8: Ben

#11: Rob

#20: Steve

Racing in the Dark

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Race name: 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series and picnic

Date and start time: 07/1/2009; 08:00 pm

Location: Washington Blvd Cycling Oval, Pittsburgh

Type/distance: 0.5 mile banked Cycling Oval; 20 laps in total

Competitors to watch: John Cotter

Weather: 60-70 degF, cool but humid

Course condition: a little wet from a storm before the race

Race goal: Follow John and try to get placing

Race strategy: Save energy until the last 3 laps

Pre-race meal:
1300 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1400 - 1 Swiss Miss hot cocoa (120 kcal)
1500 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1700 - 4 Hammer gels (360 kcal) and 1 bottle of Cytomax (180 kcal)
1800 - 1 hamburger

Mid-race meal :
A couple of sip of water

Warm-up description:
8 min Tempo (2 min Recovery)
1X 2 min Power Interval (2 min Recovery)
30 sec Speed Interval
Endurance Miles for the rest of the time
Total 1 hour

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 3

Results: Finished in last one-third

Power files start/end point:

What I did well:
1. Doing just one power interval seems to work better - it helps me get used to the high intensity effort without fatiguing myself

What I need to improve:
1. Follow an accomplished rider like John for as long as possible
2. Timing for sprint
3. Sprint power - I think I haven't been doing this training for a while
4. Cornering

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
This race was a bit different than the usual format. Because there's a picnic during the race as well, the organizer tried to get all the racers and their family together on one evening. There's a women/junior and a C race after the A and B race, but the women/junior and C race were cut short to just 20 laps. Also, because of the limited time, there were no neutral laps and no marshals on the course. To make the race interesting, it was the only race in which every lap was a prime lap.

I told myself before the race that I need to learn to find a good spot in the pack. And the best way to do that is to follow an accomplished rider like Andrew, Samson, Kevin, and John. Unfortunately, I only saw John in this race.

Our C race started near 8 pm. By then, I felt pretty tired - I think it's more of mental fatigue, and I don't think there's any way to counter that. As there were no neutral laps, the race started fast. I tried to find John in the race, but I only got to follow him for a few laps, and someone else cut in between John and me. This shows how difficult it is to follow someone throughout a race.

Near the end of the race, it was so dark that I couldn't see the lap card, and it was difficult to see other riders as well. It surely was scary.

Pre-ride Renfrew Ras Race Course

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:04:00 +0000

Renfrew Ras race course
Find more Bike Rides in Butler, Pennsylvania

Date and start time: 06/27/2009; 11:00 am

Location: Renfrew, PA

Type/distance: Rolling hills with a technical turn and a short steep hill ; 8-mile loop

Weather: 70-80 degF

Course condition: The Three Degree and the Renfrew Rds are about two-lane wide but have no yellow line. The Meridian and the Brownsdale Rds are two-lane roads with yellow line. They are pretty well maintained. The corner of the Refrew and the Meridian rds features a 120-deg turn with a steep climb coming out of the corner

Race goal: Hold the position in top one-third until the end

Race strategy: Advance on the Renfrew Rd to avoid the bunch-up at the corner of the Refrew and the Meridian rds. Advance near the end of the Meridian Rds to avoid being dropped at the uphill corner of the Meridian and the Brownsdale Rds. Sprint hard coming out of the corner of the Three Degree and the Meridian rds.

Fueling strategy:
2 24-oz of water bottle with 100 kcal sports drink in each (200 kcal)
1 8-oz gel (630 kcal)

Note:
1. Need to practice cornering with hill climb coming out of the corner
2. This will be a fast but safe race, but the speed will depend on the direction of the wind.

I think this is where the race will start and finish, instead of at the address provided on Bikereg. Because the road narrow considerably after going through here. Nice Cobra attack helicopter!

The corner of the Three Degree and Renfrew Rds. Coming down the Three Degree Rd shouldn't be a problem for most experienced riders - there are no corners and the road is wide. Once you see the stone figures on the right side of the road, as in the picture, prepare to make a left. The corner is wide and smooth.

The intersection of the Renfrew and the Hicks Rds. Follow the Renfrew Rd on the left. There's a waste water processing plant on the right after this.

Near the end of the Renfrew Rd. Once you see the "Village of Renfrew" sign, get into low gear and prepare to make a sharp left turn and climb up a steep but short hill.

The corner of the Refrew and the Meridian rds. This is where I think some riders will bog down due to poor cornering skill and steep climb. This might be a good place to try to break away, but the climb is less than 2-min long, and there's a long flat section afterward. If the wind is coming from south and west like what I had during the ride, the breakaway is probably not going to stick

A green house on the right side of the Meridian Rd. There's small hump after this.

Near the corner of the Meridian and the Brownsdale Rds. Sprint hard once you see this sign and make a left climbing turn.

Near the corner of the Three Degree and the Meridian rds. There's a short climb coming out of the corner. Making to the top with the pack will ensure you have a chance at the the bunch sprint

Long, wide and flat section leading to the finish line - this means bunch sprint!

I can't Sprint!

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Race name: 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series

Date and start time: 06/23/2009; 07:00 pm

Location: Washington Blvd Cycling Oval, Pittsburgh

Type/distance: 0.5 mile banked Cycling Oval; 35 laps in total

Competitors to watch: Samspon (Prographic team)

Weather: 75 degF, hot and humid

Course condition: good

Race goal: Get placing

Race strategy: Save energy until the last 3 laps

Pre-race meal:
1300 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1400 - 1 Swiss Miss hot cocoa (120 kcal)
1500 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1700 - 4 Hammer gels (360 kcal) and 1 bottle of Cytomax (180 kcal)

Mid-race meal :
A couple of sip of water

Warm-up description:
8 min Tempo (2 min Recovery)
2X 2 min Power Interval (2 min Recovery)
30 sec Speed Interval
Endurance Miles for the rest of the time
Total 1 hour

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5

Results: Finished in last one-third

Power files start/end point: 1'01"59/1'41"58

What I did well:
1. Followed my recommendation from last race

What I need to improve:
1. Timing for sprint
2. Sprint power - I think I haven't been doing this training for a while
3. Cornering

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I started at the front again, but this time, I made an effort to hold back on the last neutral lap, and drifted back to the third position.

I positioned well until half-way through the race, and I was actually in the 2nd position for the 2nd prime until the last 100 feet. I decided to hunt for the prime, but someone started the sprint a second ahead of me. When I tried to follow him, I almost caused a cramp in my left leg.

After this, I slowed down and my goal for the rest of the race was to keep my left leg from cramping. As I stayed closer to the back of the field, I noticed how much easier it was than staying at the front. Perhaps I should do that a bit more often.

Because of my leg problem, I made a couple of steering error and scared the people behind me. At the third corner in one of the last few laps, I was behind someone and got too close, so I had to move to the outside lane. As I did so, I got yelled at by a marshal to hold the line. I guess that was becuase I moved too far out but not because of the maneuver itself.

I tried to advance to the front at the last three laps, but I went too forward when there's one lap to go, and didn't have the energy to jockey for positon. I finished in the last one-third.

Drew and Samson tried to broke away during the race but didn't succeed. They thought it was because they went too hard at the outbound section but not hard enough at the inbound section. Also, one of the experienced rider said the best place to initiate a breakaway and advance shoud be at the inbound section, or right after the 4th corner. Becuase of the small "hump" at this part of the course, most people slow down, and thus provide a better opportunity to attack or advance.

I think I need to learn from people who placed well in the last few races, especially in terms of finding a good position in the race. Here is a list of the people and ways to recognize them:
Kevin - my racing partner in Ft Cherry race. He did quite well in this race, given that this was his first criterium. I think he got 15th.
John - he wears a blue Tour of PA jersey
Samson - he wears a ProGraphics jersey and a LG red helmet

台灣需要繞圈練習賽

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Chris Mayhew(左)- 職業教練, 17年經驗的選手], 匹茲堡自行車賽圈的重要資產, 及一個很棒的人

上星期六(6月20日)我參加一個公路車競賽入門的講習. 主講者是Chris Mayhew. 一些有經驗的選手如Steve Cummmings幫忙一些雜務如帶領輪車. 講習內容大略如下:

為什麼參加比賽?
-挑戰自我
-促使自己再上一層樓

比賽的種類
-繞圈賽
-公路賽
-計時賽
-Cyclocross
-場地賽

裝備需求
-公路車
-安全帽
-有袖的車衣

如何找到比賽
ACA
Pittsburgh Masters Velo Club
True Sport
Bike Reg
Iplayoutside

基本技巧
-你的前輪是你的責任
--它是唯一”可動”的部分
--你不應把你的前輪放在前面騎士的後輪的左右側
-輪車
--手勢
---鼓動手肘: 鼓動側是你要後面騎士前來的位置
---揮手: 較危險因為手要離開把手
-過彎
--找一個空置的停車場或沒車的路練習
--內側腳要在12點鍾方向

大部分的內容在我參加Panther Cycling Club的團練時就提過. 但是我想要看Chris作為一個專業的教練如何帶領這個講習, 而我事實上還是學到不少東西. 其中一個主要的課題就是繞圈練習賽的重要性. 新手往往做出許多危險的動作, 例如急煞車, 過度左右晃動, 或是前輪和其他選手的後輪攪和在一起. 在ACA繞圈練習賽系列中, 動態裁判(有經驗的選手義務擔任)跟隨在集團後方, 指正錯誤的動作並給予立即的指導. 一個較新引進的任務是再C級(入門)及女子比賽充當前五圈的前導車. 這是因為新手往往會有卡入踏板的困難, 而當他們卡入後, 較有經驗的選手早已繞了大半圈. 這會讓他們十分挫折而且可能造成危險. 當一個動態裁判是很花時間的. Chris說他在每個比賽都要花費約五小時. 然而, 他們讓比賽更安全更易入門. 所以, 一定要給他們鼓鼓掌!

另外有一些規則讓ACA繞圈訓練賽系列更安全. 例如, 參加人數限制在35人. 這是因為人越多, 比賽越難控制, 選手也更多機會碰撞在一起. 較少人也讓新手更易學習如何跟住集團. 此外, 在每場比賽前都有個講習, 由教練或經驗選手講解騎乘技巧, 營養, 傷害處置等課題.

在台灣, 越來越多業餘選手有練習輪車技巧, 這是十分可取的. 但是由於練習者往往在技巧和體能上參疵不齊, 速度往往不會超過25 km/hr. 這和比賽平均40-45 km/hr的速度比起來是有段差距的.當業餘選手參賽時, 往往表現出不好的操控技巧, 甚至造成摔車, 最主要是因為不習慣在高速和許多人進距離騎乘.

感謝中華民國自行車協會的努力, 台灣和10年前比起來有更多的比賽. 而在參加人數方面, 在剛開始大約只有幾百人參賽, 但是現在動不動一場比賽就有上千人! 大部分的參與者, 我猜大概都是只想騎個有交管的活動, 而有些甚至沒有團騎的經驗! 這個現象逐漸對比賽安全性有不良的影響. 每年我都聽說在比賽開始就有人因為不擅卡踏而摔車. 這個問題需要被解決, 否則比賽的質不會進步, 而且不易吸引新的人加入. 我建議我們應每月在每個城市舉辦至少兩場繞圈練習賽, 並規定新手只有在參加10場(舉例)繞圈練習賽後才可參加大型的比賽. 如此這般, 我們才能有更安全的大型比賽, 而新手也能以此在更有效更安全的環境下學習比賽技巧.

這聽起來太遙遠? 是的, 目前是不可能. 因為中華民國自行車協會已經達到其舉辦比賽的數目極限. 我們需要更多小型的組織依協會的指導來舉辦繞圈練習賽. 然而即使如此, 我們需要更多人像Chris, 捐助其時間來幫忙舉辦比賽, 才能達成任務. 所以台灣的選手們, 起來吧! 如果你希望有更多更好的比賽, 想想你能做什麼, 更重要的是, 實際去做!

公路車競賽入門講習的簡章

背後的英雄 - 動態裁判(穿黃色菊色背心者)

Taiwan Needs more Training Criteriums

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Chris Mayhew(left)- A professional coach, a racer with 17 years of experience, a wonderful asset to Pittsburgh racing community, and an all-around great guy

I attended an introduction to bike racing clinic hosted by ACA,JBV Coaching, Morningside Velo, and Iron City Bikes on Saturday, June 20th. The instructor was Chris Mayhew, and several experienced racer such as Steve Cummings helped out as well. The outline of the clinic is listed below:

Why Race?
-To challenge yourself
-To be better than your previous self

Types of Racing
-Criterium
-Road race
-Time trial
-Cyclocross
-Track

Requirements
-Bike
-Helmet
-Sleeved jersey

How to Find a Race
ACA
Pittsburgh Masters Velo Club
True Sport
Bike Reg
Iplayoutside

Basic Skills (includes time on the track)
-Your front wheel is your responsibility
--The only “movable” part of a bicycle
--You don’t want to be at the sides of rear wheel of the rider in front
-Pace lines
--Gesture
---Flapping chicken wings – the flapping side is where you want the trailing rider to come through
---Waving the trailing riders through – a bit sketchy because you are not suppose to take hands off the handlebar
-Cornering
--Practice in an empty parking lot or roads without traffic
--Put the inner side pedal up when in the corner – experienced riders do that only for a few seconds

Most of the stuff was similar to what I learned during Panther Cycling Club’s practice sessions, as I had expected. But I want to see how Chris, a professional coach, runs a racing clinic, and I actually learned quite a few things. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the importance of training criteriums. New racers tend to do dangerous stuff such as hitting the brakes hard, weaving excessively, or crossing the wheels with other riders. On training criteriums, race marshals who are experienced riders will trail the pack, and correct rider errors and give instant advice. Another relatively new duty is to serve as pace car for the first 5 neutral laps in C and women’s races. The reason for doing this is that new racers often have problems clipping into their pedals, and by the time they clip in, the more experienced racers are already half-way across the course. This makes the new racers feel frustrated and causes potential hazard. Being a race marshal is pretty time-consuming – Chris said he has to spend about 5 hours at each race, but they make the race a lot safer and more attractive to new comers. So, many kudos to them!

There are also many other features which make training criteruims safer. For starter, the field limit is 35 racers. This is because the bigger the field, the harder it is to control the race, and more chances of people running in to each other. A smaller field also makes new comers learn the skill of riding in pack easier. Second, before every race, there is a clinic before each race which coaches or experienced riders talk about riding skills, nutrition, and injury management, etc.

In Taiwan, more and more amateur racers are starting to practice paceline skills, which is a good thing. But because of the varying fitness and skill level in the riders, the speed of the paceline rarely goes beyond 16 mi/hr. This is a lot slower than the usual race pace of 26-28 mi/hr in races. So, when amateur racers in Taiwan get into races, many of them display poor bike handling skills and even cause crashes due to lack of training of riding in close proximity with other riders at high speed.

Thanks to Taiwan Cyclist Federation, we Taiwanese have more road races than 10 years ago. At the beginning, there were only about a couple hundred participants in each event, but now every race has more than a thousand participants! Majority of them, I’d guess, join to enjoy a car-free ride, and some of them have never ridden with people before! This is starting to affect the safety of the races. Each year, I heard about crashes at the start line caused by riders who had problems just getting into pedals! This problem has to be solved! Otherwise, the quality of the race will not improve and fewer people will be attracted to the sport. I suggest that we have at least two training criteriums held in each city each month, and only those who finish 10 races (or a certain number of races) can enter large events. This way, we will have safer races in large events and new comers to the sport will learn the skills required in a safer and more effective way.

Does this sound too far-fetched? Yes, it is impossible right now. But it’s because the Taiwan Cyclist Federation is already at its maximum capacity in holding events. We need smaller organizations which are sanctioned by Taiwan Cyclist Federation to hold the above mentioned training criteriums. But even smaller organizations need more people like Chris, who is willing to donate his time to help with the races, to be able to complete their missions. So rise up, Taiwanese racers! If you care about making road racing bigger and better in Taiwan, think about what you can do and actually do it!

Flyer of the Road Racing 101 clinic

Angels behind your back - race marshals (in yellow and orange vests)

Center Line Rule is Effective - Most of the Time

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:13:00 +0000

Pro 1/2/3 riders coming through
Fort Cherry Road Race
Find more Bike Rides in McDonald, Pennsylvania
Race name: 2009 Fort Cherry Road Race

Date and start time: 06/21/2009; 09:00 am

Location: McDonald, PA

Type/distance: Mostly rolling hills - Hill 1 at 1-mile mark from the start and Hill 2 at 7-mile mark from the start; 4X8 mile-loop; 33 miles in total

Competitors to watch: Edward King-Smith (Ted) - The coolest kid in Pitt

Weather: Lower 60s at the beginning; around 70s in the middle of the race

Course condition: Mainly two-lane country roads. Sand in the corner of Ft. Cherry Rd/Walnut Rd and Walnut Rd/Waterdam Rd. Dead squirrel in the middle of the road near the last 1 mile of the loop

Race goal: Stay near the front till the end

Race strategy: Stay near the front from the start to the 1st hill at 1-mile mark. Expect people passing me at the downhill section right after. Look for gaps to advance to regain foward position. Attack or expect attck at the 7-mile mark where the course climbs back up to the start. Repeat the process four times and work hard for the last 0.8 mile to the finish line

Pre-race meal:
0500 - Pancakes with syrup (420 kcal); 1 glass of soy milk
0800 - 1 Hammer gel, 20 oz water with 4 scoops of Cytomax

Mid-race meal :
5 Hammer gels (450 kcal)
16 oz of water with 4 scoops of GU powder in one bottle

Warm-up description:
1 3-min Power Interval
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total 22 min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 4

Results: Pending

Power files start/end point: 23"23/1'55"52

What I did well:
1. Getting a good position from the first 1 mile
2. Bring arm warmer even though weather forecast said it's going to be in 70s

What I need to improve:
1. Descending skill - especially the ability to descend with the pack
2. Aggression of advancing forward
3. Pack riding skills - I've got to do more Oval training criteriums

Aches/pains/problems afterwards: None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
The day started in 60s. Several people, including my racing partner, Kevin, did not bring any extra clothing. I was glad I thought of that and prepared for it, otherwise I would suffer from the cold like during Mingo Creek race in the early spring. The course had little traffic, so I did my warm-up on the course instead of the trainer. Due to delays in setting things up, I only had about 30 minutes to warm-up. I think I should leave about one and half hour for all the preparation stuff for the next race.

The race started from the parking lot of the Ft Cherry highschool and was neutralized for the first 1.8 miles, or until the first hill on the course. I got a pretty good position, about 4 riders from the front, at the beginning, but once the race was on, quite a few people surged from the left and took over the lead. At the downhill section that immediately followed, I got passed by more people. One of the West Liberty Cycle guy went off the road to the left when making a right hand turn, which made me tensed up even more. There was a flat and straight section about 1 mile long at the bottom, but I couldn't find any gap to move forward. I saw a Trek of Pittsburgh guy tried to advance one position by riding right on the center line, but when he gestured, the rider in front of him wouldn't let him cut in line, so he returned to his former position.

At about 3-mile mark, we turned right from the Walnut Road onto Waterdam Road. I could see from the back that the front riders slowed to make the turn, but the riders behind slowed even more, so when I made the turn, I really had to accelerate hard to catch up. This is the reason that staying near the front is always a good idea. Similarly, there's no room to advance on the Waterdam Road, and when we turned right onto the Cherry Valley Road, I had to waste more energy to accelerate and catch up.

When we arrived at the first hill on the course on the second lap, I was so far behind in the group that even though I hammered up the hill as hard as I could, I fell behind about 100 feet, and that distance kept growing after the downhill section. I joined up with another rider from West Liberty Cycling about halfway through the 2nd lap.

At the beginning of the 3rd lap, we were told we were one and a half minute down from the main group. About halfway through the 3rd lap, we were joined by 3 more riders, but we didn't work together very well, and didn't really make up any time lost. The chasing group broke up near the end, and I was with two West Liberty Cycling guys.

At the beginning of the 4th lap, we were told we were 3 minutes down from the main group. When we arrived at the top of first hill on the course, I was dropped by the West Liberty Cycling guys. I tried to catch up but didn't make it. About halfway through the course, I was joined by one West Liberty and one Procycling guy. I asked them if they would help me chase the two riders up front, but they refused. So I figured I might as well ride easily behind them since I wouldn't go any faster without help. And we did ride very easily - the average power of this section was about 175 Watts.

When we arrived at the place where the loop started and ended, there was a 0.8 mile climb up to the finish line, which was in the school parking lot. I tried to attack, but the West Liberty Cycling guy outclimbed me at the end. I am not happy about the results at all.

I feel the outcome of this race was dictated by the rider's position in the pack and how well he held the position. In my past experience, I couldn't hold on to my position very well, but I could always advance near the center line, and sometimes just off the center line to the other lane a little bit, to regain my position. In Section 3B1 in USA Cycling rule book, it says: "If a course is not closed to traffic, all competitors must keep to the right of the center line or enforcement line, but may pass on either side of another rider [warning for accidental crossing of the center line with no advance in position; relegation or disqualification for advancing position; 10 day suspension for a flagrantly dangerous attack]." We also have similar rule in Taiwan, but I saw quite a few instances where people broke it to advance to the front. I wasn't sure about how this rule is enforced in US, but seeing how a bunch of riders crossed the center line to get to the front in the first lap, I think it can be done if the marshal is not watching and the rider is not constantly doing that. So the bottom line is that if I were to do the race again, I would advance forward using the center line at the bottom of the hill on the Walnut Road. But on the other hand, I need to work on my descending skill and pack riding skill. For the latter, I will try to do every Oval race in the next couple of weeks.

# Samson said the best place to advance in this race is at the the power climb at the 1-mile mark.

My racing partner - Kevin

Where the loop starts and ends

Looking at the final climb up to the finish line

Ft Cherry High School

Looking at the the start/finish line

I started at about 4th place (courtesy of Fred Jordan)

By the end of the 1st lap, I was at the back of the main field (courtesy of Fred Jordan)

End of 2nd lap with 5 other riders (courtesy of Fred Jordan)

End of 3rd lap with 2 West Liberty Cycling guys (courtesy of Fred Jordan)

Climb to the finish line (courtesy of Fred Jordan)

First Crit that I Finish

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:25:00 +0000

Manny(the one in green) - A dedicated racer, who shows up on most Oval races. Too bad he is not allowed to leave home for hours to do road races. /_\

Race name: 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series

Date and start time: 06/16/2009; 07:00 pm

Location: Washington Blvd Cycling Oval, Pittsburgh

Type/distance: 0.5 mile banked Cycling Oval; 35 laps in total

Competitors to watch: Jeff - 40+ guy with solid performance

Weather: 78 degF, hot and humid

Course condition: good

Race goal: Finish the race safely

Race strategy: Try to start at the front and stay at the top 1/3rd. Advance to the front whenever possible

Pre-race meal:
1300 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1400 - 1 Swiss Miss hot cocoa (120 kcal)
1500 - 1 Pop-tart (210 kcal)
1700 - 4 Hammer gels (360 kcal) and 1 bottle of Cytomax (180 kcal)

Mid-race meal :
A couple of sip of water

Warm-up description:
20 min Endurance Miles
8 min Tempo (2 min Recovery)
2X 2 min Power Interval (2 min Recovery)
Endurance Miles for the rest of the time
Total 56min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5

Results: Middle of the pack

Power files start/end point: 57"09/1'39"49

What I did well:
1. Staying at around top one-half to 2/3rd
2. Moving toward the front whenever there's an opening seems to help me stick with the group

What I need to improve:
1. Sticking with the wheels in front of me at the corners - I felt as if I was going to run into the rider in front of me, so I let a gap open
2. Don't get too close to the marshals - I was alone at the front when the race started
3. Save enough energy for the last 5 laps

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I left from work about 4:30 pm and arrived at Oval about 5 pm. I did the warm-up as described above. At the beginning of the warm-up, I noticed that my left calf felt tight, but I was hoping that it would go away after warm-up. As mentioned above, I ate a lot of food in the afternoon, but when the race began, I felt hungry again. Perhaps I should have another pack of gel next time.

Owing to the experience last time, I decided to start at the very front. And I was right behind the marshals for the first 5 neutral laps. Unfortunately, I found myself alone at the front once the marshals left - I was too absorbed in staying on their wheels that I didn't realize that. I soft-pedaled and let the others catch up, but they came at speed faster than I thought, and I lost ground quickly. But I advanced whenever there's an opening at the outer lane, and got to the front in a few laps. My position wasn't great, though. I felt I was relying on passing on the outer lane too much that I was trapped in the middle quite a few times. One thing I noticed that I did a lot was when I advanced, I moved up to the top 3-4 riders and rode alongside. After a while, I merged into them, but my position didn't last long. Soon more people passed by, and the whole process started over again. On one hand, I felt moving toward the front contantly help me stay away from trouble, but on the other hand, I think I used up too much energy in doing that. Another thing I noticed was that I couldn't stay on a wheel very well in the corners, becuase I felt I was going to run into the rider in front of me. I wasn't sure if it's my imagination or truth, but it seemed like the riders in front of me slowed down in the corner.

Once we reached the last 5 laps, the whole field picked up the pace again. At this point, I saw the person I was supposed to stay with - Jeff - moved to the front. I tried to catch up, but my left calf muscles felt like they were going to cramp, so I stayed back. It's interesting, though. During Tour of Tucker County race, it was my right calf muscles giving me the trouble, but it was my left ones this time.

I couldn't do much for the last 5 laps, but I am glad I finished my third crit since I started racing in one piece and with the main group!

Forgot I didn't have my May 5th Oval race report posted, so I post it below:

ace name: 2009 ACA Summer Criterium Series

Date and start time: 05/05/2009; 07:00 pm

Location: Washington Blvd Cycling Oval, Pittsburgh

Type/distance: 0.5 mile banked Cycling Oval; 35 laps in total

Competitors to watch: None - first time doing the race and don't know anyone

Weather: 50-60 degF, pouring rain

Course condition: slippery

Race goal: Stay with the group

Race strategy: Stay near the front at the beginning of the race, and advance to the front whenever possible

Pre-race meal:
1630 - 1 Pop-tart
1730 - 1 Cliff bar and 3 Hammer gels

Mid-race meal :
A couple of sip of water

Warm-up description:
3 3-min Speed Interval
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total 50min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 4

Results: DNF

Power files start/end point: 57"25/1'38"11

What I did well:
1. Got a fairly good paceline going with 3 other guys
2. Prepared for the rain

What I need to improve:
1. Need to get closer to to the wheel in front of me

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I got to the race site fairly early, and I'm glad I did, because it was a full field that evening. Some people got turned away because they arrived late.
I warmed up in the oval for about 30 min, and the women's race started. I continued my warm-up on my trainer. It started to pour when the women's race was about to end. By the time we got on the course, it was raining really hard and the ground was slippery.

The first 5 laps were neutral laps, and I was about in the middle of the pack. When the race really started, I was surprised at how people were driving the pace even though the weather was poor. I soon started to suffer. I think the main reason is that I didn't hold on to a wheel well enough, and wasted a lot of energy. I was getting really nervous from the slippery course condition. Although I was riding my commuter bike instead of my race bike, I don't think it would make much difference.
After a few laps, three riders and I were dropped, and we started a paceline to try to get back to the main group. However, despite our best efforts, we were losing ground, and got lapped. We tried again, but the speed of the main group was too much for us, and we got lapped for a second time. By this point, we all got exhausted, and just rode easily for the last few laps.

Chris (the one in blue) has been helping promoting bike racing in Pittsburgh for quite a long time - what a great guy!

Race marshals (wearing yellow vests) are experienced riders volunteering to lead the neutral laps and keep the race safe. Thanks guys!

Oval has four corners which are banked, so you could pedal through the corners most of the time. Also, a few girls have been racing with guys, like the one in the photo. They are pretty good.

Can't help noticing this guy's - beard! I think his beard grows to about his chest level now. I wondered how much drag that produces? ^_^

Duel with the Rice Krispies Man - Tour of Tucker County Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Race name: 2009 Tour of Tucker County Race - WVRRS #3

Date and start time: 06/06/2009; 11:00 am

Location: Thomas, WV

Type/distance: Mostly rolling hills with a major climb at the end; 33 miles in total

Competitors to watch: WVU guys - some of them did pretty well in the Mingo Creek race series

Weather: 70-80 degF, a lot of shade on the course

Course condition: Mainly one-lane mountain roads. Lots of ruts and gravel. Quite a few corners are covered with gravel, especially on the right side of the road. County officials chipped and tarred part of the roads last week, which makes the course even more slippery. Also, road side grass has been mowed at several sections, and lots of residue was left on the course, which is even more slippery than gravels.

Race goal: Beat whoever is left in my group on the last climb

Race strategy: Stay near the front from the start to St. George. Expect the sudden increase of gradient after reaching St. George would create separation - try my best to go with the front group. Take the inbound trip to St. George easy - there are lots of tricky turns and road conditions are bad. Conserve energy for the big climb to the finish line, especially at the bottom of the climb - ride slightly below threshold at the first 5 miles. Attack near the end of the next 0.8 miles, which is the steepest part of the climb, to get rid of anyone in my group. Take a break on the slight downhill after this, and ride hard again on the last 2.7 miles of climbing.

Pre-race meal:
0530 - Pancakes with syrup (420 kcal); 1 glass of soy milk
0900 - 1 cliff bar, 20 oz of water with 4 scoops of Cytomax
1100 - 1 Hammer gel

Mid-race meal :
12 Hammer gels (1080 kcal)
48 oz of water with 4 scoops of GU powder in one bottle and 2 scoops in the other

Warm-up description:
1 1-min Fast Pedal
1 2-min Power Interval
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total 20 min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 3

Results: 2nd in Cat 5

What I did well:
1. Correctly estimated where I might catch up with Rice Krispies Man
2. Conserving energy for the steep climb really helped
3. Food and water were adequate

What I need to improve:
1. Muscular endurance - this is the second time I had cramps, even though the distance was shorter the New Martinsville race.
2. Descending skill
3. Allocate more time for packing and bike check the night before – two and an half hours at least

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
1. Need to find out the cause of the cramps

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I woke up feeling tired in the morning for I spent more time than I thought on packing and doing bike check the night before. The heavy fog that blanketed the whole Pittsburgh area in the morning didn’t help me feel any better, either. I was fighting sleepiness when driving toward the race.

At last the sky cleared up when I reached Thomas, WV. To my surprise, the registration was actually in a school that is about 9 miles away from Thomas. I got there with about one hour to spare. I spent only 20 minutes warming up, for the day was getting hotter and I didn’t want to get exhausted before the race started. Before the race started, the organizer announced that the county officials tried to make the race safer, but they woefully did the opposite by tarring and chipping the road the week before. Apparently, they have never ridden a bike before.

The field started out timidly, as the section where we would climb back up was neutralized due to safety issue. On the way down, I found out what “tarred and chipped” means – the surface of the road was full of oily tar and loose gravel. Riding through it is like riding through sand. When it got wet, it felt more like ice. I was glad I made it down safely. The whole field stopped at the bottom, which was about 3.5 miles from a small town called St. George, and then started the race. The Cat 1-3 went first, and the rest of the field went in 5-min intervals. My group – Cat 5 – went last. There were only twelve riders in my group.

One of the guys from Four Western Maryland Wheelmen, perhaps Tom, led us into St. George. The outbound course from St. George started with a 6% climb. As soon as we hit the climb (5 miles from the start), I opened up the gas a little bit, and after awhile, I found only about four people remained. Two riders were from WVU. Another rider, Justin, was wearing a Rice Krispies jersey. WVU guys were doing a great job on this climb. One of them with a slightly bulkier build led most of the time, and the other with slender build followed behind. I was suspecting that perhaps the bigger guy was trying to break the wind for the smaller guy, whom I thought was a climber, so the smaller guy would have more energy dealing with the hills later in the race.

The climb eased off about 8-mile mark, and then went up again about 10-mile mark. This time, the gradient was about 8-9 %, and I found the WVU guys and the Rice Krispies Man falling behind. I stood and pedaled hard a little bit to ease some strain on my quads, and found I had created some gap. From the reaction of my rivals, I guessed I am a little better on steep climbs. However, I did not want attack and enlarge the gap at that moment, for it’s only halfway through the race, there’s a long downhill section afterward, and the race would end with a huge climb. So, I decided to take it easy, and let the Rice Krispies Man work his way up to me. Around 11-mile mark, I saw “1-km to KOM” painted on the ground, and recalled the organizer mentioned about it, so I surged forward again, and I think I got to the point first in my category, but I’m not sure if it’s making any difference. After this, Rice Krispies Man pushed hard and got a little gap on me, which I didn’t work too hard to close for fear of using up too much energy for the last climb. This was a mistake, for Rice Krispies Man had shown that he was a superior descender, and he enlarged the gap to a few hundred yards. However, I wasn’t too worried, because I estimated I could probably catch up to him on the steep climb before the finish.

The downhill section inbound to St. George (26 miles from start) was not pleasant at all. A lot of corners were sharp and covered with newly mowed grass. I don’t think I did well on that part at all. Once I passed St. George, I was anxious to see Rice Krispies Man again, for if I had missed him on the steepest climb, I wouldn’t have had any chance to catch him before the finish.

I went into the steepest climb (30 miles from the start) and saw quite a few riders struggling up the hill. To my happiness, I saw Rice Krispies Man – my strategy had worked! I inched forward to him, and by two-third into the climb, I caught up with him, and I decided to attack! Unfortunately, I was way over my head when I did that, for I noticed my pedaling was getting sloppier once I made it through the steepest section. I tried to find a way to stretch my calf muscles, but I actually caused a cramp in my right calf in the process. I had no choice but to stop and wave to Rice Krispies Man, who was just a minute behind me, knowing that I just missed my opportunity to get the first place. It took me about 2 minutes to get on my bike again, but I had to stop to stretch again after a few yards. I finished the last few miles in an awkward pedaling style – I couldn’t sit down and pedal hard because my calf muscles were threatening to cramp again, but I also couldn’t stand up and pedal hard because my quads were feeling funny. Still, this is my best racing experience in US so far, and I’m really happy with the result.

Jason got this picture of me - thanks a lot!

Really nice picture of the racers with the windmill in the background

Nice chat and race with Ed and Tom from Four Western Maryland Wheelmen.

The winner of Cat 5 - Justin! He is a local resident - riding the St. George loop is quite easy for him.

Personalizing my Rosetta

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:58:00 +0000

Front view

Side view

My Shimano Ultegra shifters jammed after 2 years of use. I found out the new ones would set me back by at least US$300, so I decided to look for alternatives. I saw a pretty good deal on EuroBikeParts - a pair of 2008 Campagnolo 10-speed shifters is only US$110! I had it for about a month now, and I'm very happy with it. I don't think I'll go back to Shimano's anymore.

I decided to tilt my stem upward like a mountain bike, so I can use the drops more often. Some purist might think it is unsightly, but I don't care as long as I feel comfortable and can generate more power. But this comes with a problem - I can't see the readout of my PowerTap computer if I mount it on the stem, and I hate putting things on the handlebar adjacent to the stem. I tried ViewPoint OS Spacebar and Minoura Swing Grip, but they loosen up very easily when hitting a bump. Finally, I found the Winwood Carbon Accessory Bar, which suits my need perfectly. I have the little guy mounted in the way that the PowerTap computer is in line with the stem, and the Garmin Etrex GPS device is slightly on the left side.

One thing I always feel uncomfortable on bike is the inability to see things in the back when I am hammering down a road. I could sit up and look behind, but then I'd have to slow down a bit. I found two products which solve my problem: the Sprintech Dropbar Mirror and the Italian Road Bike Mirror. I do have a complaint about the Sprintech one, though. The ball-and-socket design is too adjustable, and road bumps cause it to go out of alignment. So I cut a piece of foam and stuff it around around the joint to make it more stable. I think I'll give the Italian Road Bike Mirror a try next time.

One major problem of mating Campagnolo shifters with Shimano drivetrain is that the cable pull ratios are different on two systems. There are ways to get around this (please see this article), but I like the use of Jtek adapters the best. It is very easy to install - you just need to take the shift cable out from the rear derailer, trim the outer cable a little bit shorter, thread the shift cable into the adapter and then the rear derailer.

I always think that if a cheaper component works almost as good as the big-brand-name one, I'll take the cheaper one. Here's one example: the Microshift front derailer sold by Nashbar.

My Rosetta originally came with FSA Versa 53/39 crankset. I wanted to try compact cranksets to deal with the steep hills in Pittsburgh, and I thought I could save money by using the same model but with 50/34 chainrings. Because I could use the same bottom bracket, and swap out the compact crankset with the regular one when I need it. However, I noticed later that the square tapered bottom bracket is getting harder to get, and the size I need - 68/110 - is even rarer. I also don't use 53/39 crankset that often. So, I may switch to the newer one-piece crankset in the future.

Another example: the Nashbar F1 saddle. I like a saddle that comes with a center cutout, and the cutout has to extend all the way to where it supports the sit bones. Otherwise, it will feel like as if something is pinching my gentleman's luggage when riding.^_^

I wanted to get a power-measuring device ever since I read about how it could help me with my training. I originally planned to get a PowerTap after saving for a year, but when I saw CTS's advertisement about a 12-month payment plan for a PowerTap 2.4 SL, I couldn't resist.

Pre-ride 2009 Tour of the Tucker County Race course

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Course name: Pre-ride 2009 Tour of the Tucker County Race

Tour of the Tucker County Race Course

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

(Met a local saying that Lance Armstrong once did a race on this course - could it be the Kmart West Virginia Classic?)

Date and start time: 05/23/2009; 11:00 am

Location: Thomas, WV

Type/distance: Mostly rolling hills with a major climb at the end; 37 miles in total

Weather: 60-70 degF, a lot of shade on the course

Course condition: Mainly one-lane mountain roads. Lots of ruts and gravel. Quite a few corners are covered with gravel, especially on the right side of the road.

Race goal: Stay in the main group of cat 5 (if there is a separate field)

Race strategy: Stay near the front at the neutral part of the race - expect gaps forming at the long decent to the actual start of the race. Once the race starts, ride at my own tempo to save energy for the last climb. Save about 40% energy for the last climb. Ride slightly below threshold at the first 5 miles, and give it all in the next 0.8 miles. Take a break on the slight downhill after this, and ride hard again on the last 2.7 miles of climbing.

Pre-ride meal:
0530 - Pancakes with syrup (420 kcal); 1 glass of soy milk
1100 - 1 cliff bar, 20 oz of water with 4 scoops of Cytomax

Mid-ride meal :
12 Hammer gels (1080 kcal)
44 oz of water with 4 scoops of GU powder each

What I did well:
1. Using only gels for refueling seems to work

What I need to improve:
1. Leave for the race at 6:30 am instead

2. Carry two 24-oz water bottles - one filled with 2 scoops of sports drink and the other with 4 scoops.

3. Ride at slightly below threshold on the first 4.9 miles of climbing.

4. Do two laps of Sycamore St. (9.92 % for 0.5 miles) next Saturday to get used to climbing very steep hills

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
1. Bottom bracket starts to creak - fixed

Note:
I woke up at 5 am, and picked up my friend at 7 am. We stopped at Morgantown for a short break, and arrived at Thomas, WV at 10:30 am.

Parking is very limited in Thomas, so are amenities. I wondered how they are going to deal with it on the race day? We started the ride at 11 am. On the descend to the actual race start, my friend and I both noticed how poor the road condition is - plenty of ruts and gravels. Also, the shade makes it hard to see clearly if wearing sunglasses.

The actual race start is in a small town called St. George. It starts out with a short steep climb, but transitions to rolling hills. The course took us back to St. George, and we took the same way back up to where we started the ride.

The ride back up is harder than we thought. Upon post-ride analyses, I noticed that it started with a 1.3% gradual climb for 4.9 miles, shoot up to a whooping 10.44% for 0.8 miles, fell down a little for a few yards, and went up again at 7% for 2.7 miles.

My refueling strategy seemed to work - I felt good throughout the ride. But the amount of water I carried - 44 oz - was barely enough. I think I'll need 48 oz instead.

The famous windmills at the top of the 7-mile climb

Plenty of these open fields along the course

Inside Thomas - a tiny town with two streets

Anti-chain Drop Devices

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Here are the two anti-chain drop devices I was talking about:
Deda Dog Fang Chain Keeper

Third Eye Chain Watcher

They only work with bikes with straight seat tubes, though. So, here’s another device that’s invented by Kristin Armstrong’s husband and coach:
K-Edge Chain Catcher

New Martinsville Road Race - WVRRS #2

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:17:00 +0000

Sykes Ridge Loop

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

Note: Partial route

Race name: 2009 New Martinsville Road Race - WVRRS #2

Date and start time: 04/26/2009; 10:00 am

Location: New Martinsville, WV

Type/distance: Mostly rolling hills with a couple steep climbs; 45 miles in total

Competitors to watch: None - first time doing the race and don't know anyone

Weather: 88 degF, little shade on the course

Course condition: Rather smooth considering WV is the less wealthy than PA. Had quite a few corners covered with gravel, though.

Race goal: Finish with the main group

Race strategy: Stay near the front at the beginning of the race, and try stick with the main group on the climb

Pre-race meal:
0530 - 3 Quaker rice cakes with peanut butter; 1 glass of soy milk
0730 - 1 cliff bar
0930 –16oz water with 4 scoops of Cytomax

Mid-race meal :
5 GU gel packs
2*16 oz bottle of water with 4 scoops of GU powder each

Warm-up description:
2 1-min Fast Pedal
1 1-min Power Interval
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total 30min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5

Results: 4th in Cat 5

Power files start/end point:

What I did well:
1. Hold fairly good position (top one-third of the field) at the beginning
2. Had a good working relationship with 4 other guys – I pulled only a little bit and let the fitter guys do most of the work
3. Finished the race despite getting cramps in both my legs, out of gels and water.
4. Brought my trainer for warm-up

What I need to improve:
1. Endurance – The longest ride I did in the last few month is about 37 miles. I got cramps at about the same distance. There appears to be some relationship.
2. Need to carry more gels – I was out of gels about half-way through the race. I carried two Cliff bars, but I found I cannot eat solid food at all in the heat of the race.

Aches/pains/problems afterwards:
1. Lingering pain in my calf muscles where the cramps occurred
2. Front derailer was bent

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I went to sleep at 9:30 pm the at night before the race, and woke up at 5:30 am on race day. It took me about 45 min to have breakfast and attend to personal hygiene (Actually, I spent most of the time dealing with stomach problem, that’s why I never drink coffee on the race day – it makes matter worse), so if I was going to pick up someone, I would have been late (my friend decided not to come). I need to extend my morning preparation time to 1’30” (+ time to pick up someone) in the future.

I got to the race site at 8:45 am, finished the registration and equipment set-up by 9:10 am, and warmed up on the trainer until 9:40 am. After that, I rode on the road where the race started back and forth and waited for the race to start. The field was smaller than I thought, and I think I was the only guy from Pittsburgh area. The guys from big teams such as Iron City, UPMC and IRMC were all at Tour de Ephrata at Lancaster County, PA. Most people are from Ohio or local area.

Since the field was small, all categories started together. The first 10 miles was on the roads by the Ohio River, so it was a flat and easy ride. And I could hear the group was chatting and laughing, as if it were just a group ride with friends. But about 1 mile before turning onto Sykes Ridge road, the pace picked up. I was about 20th in the position at the bottom of the climb, but I was at more than 300 Watts already, and I couldn’t hold the pace longer than a few minutes, so as the climb kept going up, more and more people were slipping by me. By the time I was at top, most people were gone. At 14-mile mark, a group of four caught up with me, and invited me to join them. The group consists of two riders (one guy is called Tim) are from local bike club – the “Wheelcraft”, a 54-year-old guy, and a big guy from Greene county. We kept doing paceline as applicable, and I tried to limit the length of my pull to be less than 30 seconds, and the intensity to be less than 230 Watts. We lost one rider at about 30-mile mark, which I attribute to the big guy’s pulling too hard at the front and creating gaps quite a few times.

We passed by a water station at about 32-mile mark, but I didn’t get any water because I was behind two guys and they could only give out two cups of water at one time. Around 36-mile mark, we hit a series of steep climbs, and I started having problems. At the top of the first climb, Tim was kind enough to wait a little bit, but my front derailer jammed my chain soon after I joined them, so I had to let them go. After I fixed the problem, I noticed that my leg muscles started to twitch unnaturally and my pedaling was not as smooth as before. Not long after I started rolling again, I got a cramp on my right vastus medialis oblique muscles. It was funny how I got the cramp – I was trying to relax my quads a little bit by straightening and relax my knees, but it did the opposites and caused my VMO to seize up. I probably should try to unclip my right foot and pull my right knee up to stretch, but I feared I might crash from that due to fatigue. After I got the mobility back again, I could hold only about 100 Watts. I got passed by three people during this process, but there’s nothing I could do.

About 4 miles from the end, I got another cramp. This time, it was the left gastronemius muscles. It felt even worse because I had no other leg to help propelling myself forward. Still, I struggled forward with less than 100 Watts and soft-pedaled into the finish line, which was at the bottom of a downhill road section. Not great, but I finished! Looking back at what went wrong, I think I wasn’t ready for a race of this distance. The longest ride I’ve done in the past few months is about 37 miles. Although I was out of Gels and water at the same time, I don’t think they would help.

Starting by the Baristas cafe

Somewhere in New Martinsville (I am at 6th place)

Rolling hills - just like Pittsburgh area

One of the many steep hills

Mingo Creek Race Series #1

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Note for the photo: Recreation of the condition on the race day

Race name: 2009 Mingo Creek Race Series #1

Date and start time: 03/29/2009; 10:10 am

Location: Vicinity of Mingo Creek Park;

Type/distance: Rolling hills; 6 laps = 28.3 miles

Competitors to watch: None - first race and don't know anyone

Weather: 48 degF, freezing rain turning into cloudy

Course condition: Mostly clear of debris, but slippery due to rain

Race goal: Finish with the main group

Race strategy: Stay near the front for the first two laps, and try breaking away in the third lap

Pre-race meal :
0600 - 3 Quaker rice cakes with peanut butter; 1 glass of soy milk
0930 - 1 cliff bar

Mid-race meal :
2 GU gel pack
16 oz water with two scoops of GU powder

Warm-up description:
2 full effort 15-sec sprint
Endurance ride (150-200 Watt) for the rest of the time
Total 30min

Start-line arousal level(1-5): 5 (mostly due to cold)

Results: #32/45 (1:40:16)

Power files start/end point: 40"32/1'36"04

What I did well:
1. Making check lists for race kits really help putting me at ease. I had one of the best sleep last night.
2. Being prepared for worst weather really helps. I brought rain jacket and booties, and they prevented me from fainting due to cold
3. Staying in and finishing the race despite the cold
4. Catched two guys during the race

What I need to improve:
1. Didn't expect the freezing rain would soak through my full-finger gloves and cause numbness. An extra shell besides the full-finger gloves may help.
2. The Gel-Bot didn't work as I hope, and I couldn't get food when I wanted.
3. Improve strength to climb short-steep hill better

Aches/pains/problems afterwards: None

Comments on or description of how race developed:
I was one of the first few people who got there. I went throught the registration process in a few mintues. As I was about to get dressed and take my bike out for warm-up, it began raining heavily. I tried to ride hard a bit to get my core temperature up, but the freezing rain seemed to sap my energy and I couldn't stay warm.
The rain seemed to cause the organizer some problems, too. They were ten mintue late to start the race. The Cat 1-3 rolled out ahead of us, and five mintues later, it was our turn. While waiting to start, I couldn't help but shake all over from the cold. My fingers felt worse - I could hardly move them, let alone shift properly. People around made fun of me, and said I should get more body fat (My body fat was measured at 8% with BodPod recently).
There was a short climb about 100 yards from the start line, and I was among the first 20 people at the top of it. And then there was a relatively flat portion. At this point, I noticed my PowerTap computer went into sleep mode while waiting for the race to start. Silently cursing, I fumbled with the buttons with my numbed fingers and made it start to work again. Soon afterward, we approached the major climb on the course, and I started to have trouble. I couldn't stay seated and mash the pedals at slow cadence, for if i did so, my muscles would get cramped. And my hands were so numb that I couldn't stand up and try to catch up with the other people. So I watched the main group rolling away helplessly. I didn't expect the competitors to be so fit. Ninety percent of the racers stay with the main group throughout the race.
Starting the 2nd lap, the main group was already out of sight, and I couldn't find anyone to work with me to try to catch them. So, my main goal for the rest of the race was to time-trial at my sustainable power output (200-210 Watts) and hoped that I wouldn't get lapped. I also tried to stand and crank out as much power as I could on the major climb on each lap, because I know that's what the main group would do. At the 5th lap, I noticed that I no longer could stand and pedal on the major climb, so I held back. During this lap, I got lapped by the Cat 1-3 group. On the last lap, I felt so tired, I didn't have the energy to sprint for the finish line. But nevertheless, I felt happy that I was able to finish the race despite of the miserable condition.

Is There a Life after Death?

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:54:00 +0000

I am probably the person with the poorest health in my family, because by the age of 29, I already have surgeries which requires general anesthesia four times. Anesthesia sleep is the most peaceful sleep I have in my life, which makes me wonder if death is just like this - a very very long peaceful sleep? I find this notion very appealing - no more emotions, just peace.

I have to admit I considered committing suicide many times after my first life-changing knee injury - I imagined all the things I could do but is now impossible due to the injury, and I got frustrated. However, I believe all children have responsibility to their parents. For most children, the responsibility is to take care of their parents financially when they grow old. Although my parents probably won't be needing this, and they probably can hire someone to help them with activities of daily living, I think one of the major happiness they get from having my sister and me is to see us lead a happy life. For this reason, I can't die yet.

But if I should die, I hope it will be a fast process - no lingering pain - and like someone who suddenly turn all the lights off in a room. Also, I hope people who are close to me, especially my parents, will not be too sad if I die prematurely. I want them to know I am finally in peace, quoting the words of Yoda: "Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force."

What's too Risky?

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:00:00 +0000

My aunt sent me this piece of news recently , which prompts me to write this article.

Taiwanese parents tend to be too protective of their children. They always want their children to be on the safe side in many aspects of life, such as choice of career, friends, even hobbies. In terms of career, most parents want their children to become either doctors or lawyers, as if they are the only careers worth choosing. For choice of friends, most parents encourage their children to be with students with top grades, and stay away from those who know how to have fun. Lastly, most parents encourage their children to pick "classy" hobbies, preferably indoor ones, such as playing musical instruments. And although sports as a hobby is acceptable, they don't want their children to master the sports, because they think being a good athlete means the person must be a bad student. For sports involving a little more risks, such as cycling, they find it unacceptable. Bicycle racing - it's out of the question.

I admit cycling involves more risks from falling, and even more so in bike races. But the most common injury is road rash, not life-threatening injuries as people perceive. There will always be risks in your life, and bad things do happen no matter how hard you try to prevent them. For example, I saw in the news that a pedestrian was hit and killed by car driven by a drug addict. There was nothing she could do to prevent that. But does this prevent people from going out in the street and doing their business every day? No, because they don't let fear control their life.

Bicycling is the only sport I could do and do well, and I draw inspiration from doing races and train for them. Without it, I am but an empty shell without a soul. I hope my parents will understand this some day, so I can share my joy and excitement from doing bike races with them, instead of hiding this from them.

So, what's too risky? It all depends on how you view your life. If you want to be on the safe side all your life, and still can be happy, that's fine. But for me, I know if I don't do bike races, I know I'll be very sorry when I reach old age.

Pre-ride Mingo Creek Race Course

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:28:00 +0000

Mingo Race Course

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

The start is on the Valley View Rd near Sugar Run Rd. Immediately following the start, there's a sharp uphill turn. Therefore, you want to start near the front to avoid the bottleneck caused by it.

Sugar Run Rd turning on to Sundust Rd: This corner is very technical. I turns about 90 deg and features a drop-off. It will be a peloton destroyer if the surface is bad.

The first left hand turn on Sundust Rd: Watch out for loose gravels on the right side of the road!

The start of three consecutive steep climb: About 1.2 mile from the start, you will see a pond on the left hand side of Sundust Rd. You should try moving toward the front if you can't sprint up the climb as fast as others to minimize ground loss.This is the only real hil, but its a double-deck hill, so you get to rest a little between the climb. However, I felt I was slowed to a crawl at the top of each climb, even though I was using 50*27 gear.

Green Valley Rd turning on to Gilkeson Rd: This corner is very technical. I turns about 90 deg and features a drop-off. It will be a peloton destroyer if the surface is bad.

Green Valley Rd turning on to Gilkeson Rd: When we were there, the corner was covered with loose gravel.

Patterson Rd joining Valley View Rd: The stop sign and the narrow bridge is where your position counts. You want to move to the front before this because one you pass this, it is very difficult to get to the front due to the turn and the narrow road.

The view of the last few feet in front of the finish line

Finish line view from the opposite direction

0826workout

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:28:00 +0000

Today is my first day at class. It is also the first day I try having workout, lab duty, and classes in one day. The scedule looks like this: 4:50 am - out of the bed; 5:30 am - heading toward my lab; 5:50 am - arriving at my lab; 6:10 am - starting my workout; 7:10 am - end of my workout; 8:00 am - starting to work; 1:00 pm - classes; 4:00 pm - end of classes; 5:00 - 7:30 pm - dinner & personal stuff; 9:00 pm - going to bed.
I feel OK at the end of the day, but bike commuting may not be possible with the increased exercise intensity in my workout
Also, I should get up at 4:30 am, so as not to bother my colleagues that much - they usually start working at 7 am.

Sleep Quality 7

CYCLING Task: EnduranceMiles
Duration: 01:00:00 Time
Heartrate Range: 86 to 156
Power Range: 108 to 181
Cadence: 80-100
CYCLING Specific Task: MuscleTension
Number of Sets: 1
Number of Intervals: 3
In Time: 00:08:00 Time
Recovery: Intervals: 00:08:00

Cadence: 50-55
CYCLING Specific Task: FastPedal
Number of Sets: 1
Number of Intervals: 3
In Time: 00:01:00 Time
Recovery: Intervals: 00:02:00

Cadence: 100+

Allen Hunter's Seminar on Power Training

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:03:00 +0000

I went to Hunter Allen’s seminar last Saturday. He was the co-author of the book called: “Training and Racing with a Power Meter”. After reading Joe Friel’s Cyclist Training Bible numerous times, this book serves not only as a supplement, but also provides a lot of new ideas in terms of training. That’s why despite the hefty registration fee, when I heard he’s coming to Pittsburgh to give a seminar, I couldn’t give up this opportunity.

My first impression of Allen Hunter is, “my, this guy looks like a business executive on the Wall street”. However, as I listened to his speech, I was deeply drawn, although my interest in the topic was also a factor. I think the reason of his success at presentation could be the following factors:

Did not linger on one slide for too long: He didn’t spend more than one minute on one slide on average, even though some slides are overwhelming. This also made the pace of the presentation flowing.
Relate himself to the audience: He referred to the terrain and the Thrift drug race in Pittsburgh a couple of times, and it really made the audience pay attention.
More bodily movement, but not excessive: One of the common guideline in giving good presentation is to refrain from doing some meaningless bodily movement, such as scratching your face. But good bodily movement actually makes the presentation livelier. When referring to some experience during his rides, he would similar a riding position – waist bent, hands holding a bar. And this really made us being able to share his experience better.
Change of tone: I was notorious in this aspect. More than once I was told by my audience that my voice was so flat that people were falling asleep because of it. Hunter would occasionally change his tone to that of a BBC news narrator to stress something he thought ridiculous.

More on what I’ve learned in the seminar later…

How to Stop the Chocolate Rain?

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:19:00 +0000

Hello, it's me again - Gordon. But right now I feel like CHAD VADER - trying to be someone in control but failed miserably. Why am I saying this? That's because I could see the long-hard road ahead of me as a sports medicine researcher, but I feel like I can't do anything to make it smoother. I had a discussion with a junior faculty in the school, for the job market in this field in US. He described how difficult it is. How hard? Let's put it this way, it's like being in a large company like Microsoft, and you are working your way up to become the CEO.

Tony, an accomplished PhD student in our lab and a very promising sports medicine researcher, told me how a license in clinical field such as athletic training and physical therapy could help me secure more jobs. There are different levels of research institutes in US. Level one institute means a position which you could do solely research and have no teaching responsibility, but these positions are VERY VERY competitive and hard to come by. There are a bit more level two institutes, but they require employees to teach classes. Level three institutes are more numerous, but need employees to do not only research, but also teaching and clinical works. And this is where clinical licenses become very handy. They translate to more job opportunities and places where you could fall back.

I talked to Anne, my fellow master student and a very good physical therapist, about applying for PT license in US. She said she had already explored this possibility because she originally wanted to apply for a PT master program and work in clinics to pay for her tuition. And her inquiries turned up negative. It seems most physical therapy boards in US adopt a policy to protect graduates from native physical therapy program, and physical therapists trained in foreign countries have to take a lot of make-up courses, even though they may have took similar ones already back in their countries, to be eligible to take the board exam for license. These make-up courses are so numerous that it might be easier just to do the whole undergraduate program again. However, I don't really care about doing clinical works anyway. From my experience during PT internship, I had to stretch my nerves to the point of breaking every day from interacting with patients, and by the end of the week, I just didn't want to be near any human beings. I just don't see myself working as a clinician in the future.

I understand a lot of people have no choice but to do the jobs they don't fit in. For example, a lot of MD students switched their profession to math, arts, or something totally unrelated to medicine, once they got their MD license and worked enough to pay for their tuition loan. I must be very grateful to my parents for allowing me to skip this process, but now I have to face the reality - this is going to be an uphill battle.

Now I feel like singing Chad Vader favorite song - "Chocolate rain" with my own lyrics:
" CHOCOLATE RAIN!!!
I went down a road filled with obstacles.
CHOCOLATE RAIN!!!
I don't see any way to make it easier.
CHOCOLATE RAIN!!!
...
...
...
Tell me how could I stop the chocolate rain,
CHOCOLATE RAIN!!!"

P.S. Watch the full episode 1-8 of Chad Vader at Blame society film

How Bicycling Change My Life - Looking toward Future (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Ninjaturtle) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:02:00 +0000

The Phily race was the last race I've done in 2007 - actually I've done only 2 races this year. I have to admit doing collegiate races just don't fit my schedule at all. I don't have the luxury of time to do consecutive race weekends in places which take 7-8 hours of driving. The only way to get around this is to do USCF races, but then there are only a couple of them around Pittsburgh, and I won't be able to get club support, such as transportation. This means I'll have to buy a car.

Several factors come in the decision of how to prioritize my goals as well. I still need to perform my primary duty well enough, so that I can find a job which can support my racing, preferably in US. Now why do I want to stay in US? I believe to fully develop my racing potential, I need to be in a place where racing system is more structured. And I am less likely to find a job in sports medicine back in Taiwan, too.

As people I've known at my age are getting married or at least have girl friends, I also wondered if I am an oddball for not doing the same. It's not that I don't enjoy the company of an attractive girl, it's just that I don't think things will go well from the types of girls around me - so why bother wasting the time? I've learned this from my pursuit of a law school girl. At first I really thought I might be able to work something out between time spending with the girl and riding, but then in the end it's just too much for me. And I also consider myself as I guy who have problem managing my time well, so before I can take care of myself better, I don't think I am good for anyone.

Considering these, my first objective for 2007-2008 is to attain my master degree in Sports Medicine. I should, and only if I get my thesis completed, be able to continue for PhD in Pittsburgh. I will then get a car, which will give me more options in terms of racing.

Nevertheless, as I see to the future, I can picture myself continue training and racing my bikes. I wish I could ride up the Alps in my 90s, or at least be like the guy below.