Jose Soltren's Cycling Blog

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 06 (ending 2012-01-22)

2012-01-24T22:37:00.000-08:00

An unseasonably cold winter means that I'm riding the rollers more. I sent my cracked SL3 frame to Calfee and am still waiting for a repair quote. I've repurposed my old cyclocross and commuter bike as my primary training bike. There is a good chance I'll be riding this bike as is for the next month or two. Dieting continues; I expect to achieve my goal of losing 5 lbs this month.

For the most part, it is too cold to ride outside. People always laugh when I say this, citing that I'm from the East Coast and ought to be used to the cold. My response is that I rode indoors until mid-April back east, until it got above 55F at the start of rides. My work schedule and logistics mean that I can only really ride in the mornings or evenings, when it is still quite cold.

The good news is that I enjoy rollers workouts. Staying upright keeps my mind occupied, and not worrying about road conditions or passing motorists allows me to focus on the workout. Some of my best training sessions have been on the rollers.

Weekly Overview:

Workouts:

01-16 Monday

Prescribed: 1h Z2-Z3 ride plus 30 min stretching.

Actual: Took a much needed day off, still sore from crashing on Friday.

01-17 Tuesday

Prescribed: Crossfit in AM, 1h ride to/from Crossfit, 1h rollers session with Z4 efforts in PM

Actual: As prescribed. Lots of dead lifts at Crossfit. I really need to ride in to Crossfit in order to get a good warmup.

01-18 Wednesday

Prescribed: 45min easy outdoor ride plus 30min stretching.

Actual: 1h on rollers plus stretching. Too cold to ride outside - 30F in the morning.

01-19 Thursday

Prescribed: Crossfit in AM, 1h30m ride to/from Crossfit.

Actual: As prescribed. More deadlifts at Crossfit. Riding home when everyone is dropping off their kids at school, is always interesting.

01-20 Friday

Prescribed: 2-3h Z2 ride with Z3 efforts, plus 30min stretching session.

Actual: 2h rollers ride with 5 x 10min Z3-Z4 efforts, plus stretching session.

01-21 Saturday

Prescribed: 4h tempo combo ride or 1h trainer session.

Actual: 2h on rollers, with three 20min Z4-Z5 efforts. I was supposed to do these efforts last week but did not. Ride was quite good, and power numbers are starting to come back up.

01-22 Sunday

Prescribed: Day off, optional 1h rollers ride.

Actual: Took a day off! Sunday is the only day when I can get away with not having to ride or go to work. I always come back feeling energized after a day to focus on other things.

Weekly summary:

Time: 11 h 12 min

Distance: 164.52 miles

TSS: 696.4

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 05 (ending 2012-01-15)

2012-01-18T20:51:00.001-08:00

Weekly Overview:

Record cold weather is making it difficult to train. A change of ownership at the now-former Defiance Crossfit means that Tuesday and Thursday morning workouts happen at 6am, 30 minutes earlier. A crash in training on Friday effectively kept me from riding over the weekend. I'm fine, but my Tarmac SL3 is off to Calfee for frame repairs. Dieting continues; I've already lost a few pounds. (Mostly, I'm just losing body fat. I can go from about 10% to about 6% body fat, representing a loss of about 8 lbs.)

I promised to talk a little more about the diet. In designing my eating plan, I aimed for low glycemic, whole, natural foods, plenty of protein (at least 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day), meals of not more than 500 Calories, and many small snacks through the course of the day. It sounds simple, and it is, but I used a spreadsheet to make sure I was getting enough of all of the nutrients I needed. Fruits and vegetables are great because they have a high fiber and water content, which helps you feel full, and reduces the glycemic load (i.e. no blood sugar spikes, no rush or crash). Pickles are a favorite snack, as they have a negligible number of calories. I found Monique Ryan's book "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes" to be helpful, and largely in agreement with advice from our very own Mary Ann Levenson.

Workouts:

01-09 Monday

Prescribed: 45 min Z2 ride plus stretching session.

Actual: 1h Z2-Z3 on rollers plus stretching session.

01-10 Tuesday

Prescribed: Crossfit 1 rep max test plus 1h15m Z2 ride.

Actual: Crossfit was cancelled due to change in gym ownership. Rode 1h30m in bitter cold.

01-11 Wednesday

Prescribed: 90min tempo combo ride in AM with some Z3 efforts, 30min stretching session. 60min threshold efforts session in PM.

Actual: Completed 90min Z3 intervals and stretching session. Due to new management, Crossfit workouts are now at 6am. I don't have time to ride an hour and get to bed by 9pm on a work night, and I had a flat tire, so the second session was cancelled.

01-12 Thursday

Prescribed: 1 rep max tests at Crossfit, 1h ride including some standing start sprints.

Actual: Achieved new 1 rep max of 375 lbs on deadlift and 215 lbs front squat. Was toasted for sprints, though: 1377W max, less than last week.

01-13 Friday

Prescribed: 2-3h ride with Z4 efforts and Z3 efforts, plus 30min stretching session.

Actual: Coldest ride yet, I was wearing more layers than I have on a ride the whole time I've lived in CA. Z4 efforts up Alpine Rd were strong. After efforts, I climbed OLH just to stay warm. Due to reduced traction caused by a different rear tire and cold conditions, I skidded out while descending 84E. I'm fine, with some road rash, but I tore through most of my expensive winter clothing and cracked my frame. Great.

01-14 Saturday

Prescribed: 4h ride with Z4 efforts plus 30min stretching session.

Actual: Stayed home and glared at the cold weather from inside. I was sore and in no mood to go for a ride after the crash.

01-15 Sunday

Prescribed: Rest day, with option of 1-2h endurance ride.

Actual: Stayed indoors, still recovering from crash.

Weekly summary:

Time: 10 h 31 min

Distance: 144 miles

TSS: 633.4

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 04 (ending 2012-01-08)

2012-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

Weekly Overview:

Finally back from vacation and recovered from illness, I started a more regular training schedule this week. I also, for better or worse, started dieting. I am blessed with a body type that, given any sort of worldwide food shortage, would give me an advantage: it seems to extract calories from thin air, causing me to gain weight very easily. Ah well. My basic diet plan is as follows:

Estimated calorie needs for someone my age, height, weight, and gender: 2362

Calorie deficit needed to lose one pound per week: 500

Calorie budget: 1862

My usual diet looks like this:

Breakfast: 80g GoLean Crunch cereal, 240g skim milk

Lunch: 4c green veggies (lettuce, spinach, etc.), 100g brown rice, 130g grilled white meat chicken, 100g pasta sauce, 1T olive oil, 1T balsamic vinegar, salt to taste

Snacks: 3 small-medium apples, 1 Clif builder bar, black coffee or tea, and unlimited water!

Dinner: Same as lunch, possible substituting quinoa for brown rice, and salmon for chicken

Total: about 1850 Calories

This is all I'll eat on a rest day. On top of this, I'll use my power meter to replace whatever calories I burn on a ride. I use the very simple "kilojoules expended equals calories burned" approximation, and aim to refuel within an hour of riding. Most of my workouts require an additional 800-1200 Calories per day. Every evening, I'll look at the rides for the next day, estimate how many Calories I'll need during and after the ride, and prepare all the food I'll need. This way, there is always a plan, and there are rarely any surprises.

After years of doing this, I find that losing more than about a pound a week affects recovery time and productivity at work.

In coming weeks, I'll write about why I choose the foods I do, how I established this base diet, and what I eat on rides.

Workouts:

01-02 Monday

Prescribed: Easy recovery ride, ~45 minutes.

Actual: Rode around the neighborhood with my fiancée.

01-03 Tuesday

Prescribed: 1h Crossfit workout plus sprint efforts

Actual: As prescribed. I saw a new personal best max wattage of 1443 W in a sprint. When I do a standing start on my Tarmac SL3, it flexes a fair amount.

01-04 Wednesday

Prescribed: 45min endurance ride with stretching session

Actual: Rode for 1h on the rollers. I don't do well in cold weather. Did stretching afterward. I have a routine for this.

01-05 Thursday

Prescribed: 1h Crossfit in AM, 1h threshold combo rollers session in PM.

Actual: As prescribed. Crossfit involved some Tabatas, intense workouts with 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off. I found that I can jump on top of a 42" box, but not a 48" box. The PM rollers session was challenging - I discovered I had a flat tire at the end of it. D'oh.

01-06 Friday

Prescribed: 2-3h endurance/tempo ride plus 30min stretching session.

Actual: Rode outside for 2h20min. What a mistake. I was freezing, and as a result, cold and sore. I need to either do these during the warmest part of the day (which is tough with work sometimes), or do them on the rollers (which is tough for more than about 90 minutes). I'm glad that I'm not racing in the shape that I'm in now! Did stretching session when I got home, after warming up some.

01-07 Saturday

Prescribed: 3h threshold combo ride with 2x20 min efforts: 1 flat and 1 climb, plus stretching session (30 min).

Actual: Rode for 3h49min during the warmest part of the day, which was still somewhat chilly. Efforts were solid given my recent power numbers, but I have a long way to go before I am in race shape. Did stretching session afterward.

01-08 Sunday

Prescribed: Day off, optional ride.

Actual: Went on a 1h hike along Skyline Drive with my "little brother" Kevin (http://www.bbbsba.org/).

Weekly summary:

Time: 14 h 24 min

Distance: 184.32 miles

TSS: 768.3

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 03 (ending 2012-01-01)

2012-01-03T19:56:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone. I spent last week visiting family and fighting off illness, working out when possible. It is good to be home.

Workouts:

12-26 Monday

Prescribed: Travel day - flight to Ohio. Eat well, wear compression tights, stay hydrated, etc.

Actual: As prescribed. The compression tights definitely do help with air travel - highly recommended. I managed to do an hour spin on the rollers before heading out.

12-27 Tuesday

Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.

Actual: As prescribed - really, I did almost nothing except spend time with people I do not see very often. It was cold and snowing.

12-28 Wednesday

Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.

Actual: As prescribed.

12-29 Thursday

Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.

Actual: Workout at Crossfit Energy, a gym in Ohio. It was interesting to go to a different Crossfit gym. The workout of the day involved a total of 100 lunges with a 45 lb plate overhead, 150 wall balls with a 20lb medicine ball, and 750 jump ropes. It was a bit much, way more volume and intensity than I'm used to. Plus, I was getting sick...

12-30 Friday

Prescribed: Holiday - take it easy.

Actual: Felt sick all day, had trouble keeping food down at some point. Bleck.

12-31 Saturday

Prescribed: Travel day - flight from Ohio. Eat well, wear compression tights, stay hydrated, etc.

Actual: As prescribed. Glad that I felt well enough to travel.

01-01 Sunday

Prescribed: 90 minute tempo ride and stretching.

Actual: I went for a 1h20m ride around Arastradero and Portola roads. It was 65 degrees out! Did 30min of stretching and foam roller work when I got home. Happy New Year!

Weekly summary:

Time: 3h51m54s

Distance: 45.78mi

TSS: 187.8

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 02 (ending 2011-12-25)

2011-12-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I've been fighting off illness for most of the week. There is a balance between doing training and recovering from a cold, even a minor one. A minor head cold is not a dealbreaker for many training rides. Of course, training too hard in cold weather can divert energy away from the immune system, complicating a simple cold. I do not enjoy being sick.

Workouts:

12-19 Monday
Prescribed: 45-60 minute recovery ride.
Actual: Easy spin to work, along the usual Central Expressway route.

12-20 Tuesday
Prescribed: Crossfit workout in the morning, followed by on-bike sprints session.
Actual: As prescribed. Crossfit was good, with a challenging workout of the day (WOD) involving box jumps and kettle bell swings. Dan sometimes prescribes sprints just after Crossfit to take advantage of neuromuscular training. The sprints were the best I've done in a while, with a max wattage of just over 1400W. Someone my size ought to generate more wattage than that in a sprint; this is one of my training goals.

12-21 Wednesday
Prescribed: Unstructured ~60 minute ride with stretching session.
Actual: I woke up with a sore throat this morning. I did a loop ride (defined as a ride on Alpine, Portola, and Sand Hill roads) around lunchtime, which may not have been a great idea. I cannot recall if I managed to get the stretching in, which means I likely did not.

12-22 Thursday
Prescribed: Crossfit workout in the morning, plus 1 hour ride with some tempo efforts.
Actual: No workout. Woke up feeling less well. Stayed off the bike and ended up leaving work early due to not feeling well. Tried to do some stretching in the evening, but decided against since I really was not feeling well.

12-23 Friday
Prescribed: 2-3h tempo combo ride with stretching session.
Actual: As prescribed. I was feeling a little better this morning. I waited until the warmest part of the day to ride. The ride itself was very good: I felt stronger than I have in a while. Stretched after the ride.

12-24 Saturday
Prescribed: 3h30m ride with two 20+min climbs, doing 90min sitting 60sec standing on climbs, plus stretching session.
Actual: No workout. I woke up this morning to green mucus, signs of a possible chest cold. Blech. Tried to recover as best as I could.

12-25 Sunday
Prescribed: 90 minute endurance ride with some 10min Z3 efforts, plus stretching session.
Actual: As prescribed. I was feeling somewhat better today. I rode up and down Canada Road once the weather got "warm" (around 8C, or 48F). Merry Christmas!

Weekly summary:
Time: 8h16m
Distance: 103.73 mi
TSS: 462.4

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

[JEP Coaching Scholarship] Report for Week 01 (ending 2012-12-18)

2011-12-20T20:20:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone. My name is Jose Soltren. I was fortunate to receive a JEP Coaching Scholarship this year! In the coming weeks, you'll hear more about the training and racing I am doing.

For those who don't know, the JEP Coaching Scholarship is named in honor of John Peckham, who was an Alto Velo (altovelo.org) member and an original scholarship recipient in 2005. John was struck by a car and killed in 2006 while out training.

About me: I'm a Cat 2 road racer, racing age 27 in 2012, who joined Alto Velo in early 2011. I've been racing in the NCNCA district since 2010, previously with Los Gatos. I moved to the area in 2009, after getting my Cat 2 upgrade on the East Coast and graduating from MIT with a Master's in Computer Science. Apart from cycling, I enjoy working at NVIDIA as a software engineer, mentoring a young man named Kevin through the Big Brothers program, and studying to become a private pilot. I live with my fiancee, Jane Wolcott, in Menlo Park.

Season Goals:
- Be competitive in district races
- Learn to work as part of a team
- Get a starting spot at the Hellyer Velodrome Challenge

Training Objectives:
- Race weight of 175 lbs
- Develop and maintain sprint and attack power
- Improve pack handling

Weekly Overview:

Workouts:
12-12 Monday
Prescribed: Meet with Coach Dan Smith (sportvelo.com) to establish annual plan.
Actual: Dan and I sat down and discussed my aforementioned season goals and training objectives. I left the meeting with an annual race plan completed, which also highlighted which races I am planning to target more seriously. My 2012 race calendar is on my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/2011/12/2012-racing-calendar.html .

12-13 Tuesday
Prescribed: Morning workout at Defiance Crossfit, plus commute to work with a few 5 minute Z3 tempo efforts.
Actual: I felt great during the Crossfit workout but wanted to throw up afterwards!

12-14 Wednesday
Prescribed: Z2-3 commute to work, 1h on rollers with 10min Z3 efforts, plus 30 minutes stretching.
Actual: Rode to work, and rode the rollers after. Felt pretty good. I've taken over the living room to do stretching exercises.

12-15 Thursday
Prescribed: Morning workout at Defiance Crossfit, plus Z2-3 commute to work.
Actual: As prescribed. I discovered that I can jump on a fairly tall box, and can swing a heavy kettle bell. The ride in was good, cold, but good.

12-16 Friday
Prescribed: 2-3h flat-rolling ride with some 10min Z3 efforts before work.
Actual: Rode 2h45m before work. Discovered that home, to Canada and 92, to work takes about 2h45m in Z2-Z3. Solid ride.

12-17 Saturday
Prescribed: 3h road ride, with two 20+min climbing efforts, during which alternating between 1.5min seated, 1min standing (I call these "90-60s"), plus stretching afterward.
Actual: Long ride up Kings and West Alpine, doing sitting-standing efforts. Felt better than I thought I would out of the saddle. Did stretching when I got home.

12-18 Sunday
Prescribed: Day off. Be lazy.
Actual: As prescribed.

Weekly summary:
Time: 13 h 15 min
Distance: 150 miles
TSS: 626

(Distance and TSS only incorporate rides for which I have power data.)

I've copied this report to my blog at http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/, where you can also find past updates, race reports, and more!

Thanks for reading.

--Jose

2012 Racing Calendar

2011-12-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

I recently met with Dan Smith (sportvelo.com) to establish my 2012 racing calendar.

Some considerations were:

* Preference for local races over out of district races (minimize travel).
* Preference for later season start.
* Getting married in August, and ensuing travel, effectively ends my season.
* Realistic race schedule, avoid burnout.
* Hope to compete in the Hellyer Velodrome Challenge this July.

As a result, my race season begins in mid March, and ends in late July.

I am planning to start the following races:

Mar 18 Bariani Road Race

Mar 25 Regalado (Warnerville) Road Race

Apr 14 Chico Stage Race
Apr 15 Chico Stage Race

Apr 22 El Dorado Hills Criterium

Apr 28 Wente Road Race

May 05 Cat's Hill Criterium

May 13 Panoche Valley Road Race

May 20 Scotts Valley Grand Prix

May 28 Memorial Day Criterium

June 03 Dunlap Time Trial

June 09 Campbell Criterium

June 17 Nevada City Classic

June 23 Pescadero Coastal Classic Road Race
June 24 Burlingame Crierium

July 06 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge
July 07 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge
July 08 Hellyer Velodrome Challenge

July 22 Menlo Park Grand Prix Criterium

July 29 Spring Hill Road Race

(Race dates are tentative, and based on the NCNCA 2012 Race Calendar: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=g533udgvcn6d0o6drp8ubatcuo%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles )

"Big Brothers" Fundraising

2011-10-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am a "big brother" mentor to a young man in East Palo Alto named Kevin. When I was his age, I was, myself, a "little brother". Having a mentor was one of the most positive experiences of my childhood. It helped show me that there was a world larger than the one I lived in.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area (and related and similar agencies) pair adult "bigs" with young "littles" in mentoring relationships. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit http://www.bbbsba.org/ (SF Bay Area), http://www.bbbs.org (US), or http://www.bbbsi.org/ (International).

Like most any nonprofit, BBBSBA is accepting much needed donations. If you feel so compelled, please consider visiting my Donation Link.

Thanks for reading.

We're getting married!

2011-08-07T17:23:00.001-07:00

Jane and I are getting married! Hooray! For more details, please head to our shiny-new wedding Web page.

Dead transmission on our Subaru (1999; 130k mi). $2300 to fix. Thoughts?

2011-06-07T17:49:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, en route to have dinner with Jane, the Subaru's transmission died. I had to get towed off of 101. A local repair shop quotes $2300 to rebuild the transmission. This is the same place that did a tune-up on the car a month ago. They claim this transmission failure is internal and due to a broken pawl, gear, or other. This is independent of the work they did and may have happened regardless. (Another place quoted $3500 for a rebuild.)

So, what now? Fix the transmission? Sell the car as-is and get something else? (Learn how to rebuild transmissions?)

The car is a 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback with 130k miles. We, unfortunately, need it for getting to bike races.

New track bike!

2011-05-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

My new Tiemeyer track frame arrived yesterday! Hooray! It's red!

Last August, I decided that a new track frame was in order. After exploring all possible options, I determined that the Tiemeyer was the only high end track frame that could fit me well, was durable and serviceable, and also readily available. I began discussing the bike with Dave Tiemeyer back in February.

We determined that a stock-geometry large frame would allow me to use my deep track drops in a mass start position, while also enabling a pursuit position with aero bars and a more forward saddle. The large, with seatpost and chainring removed, just barely fits in my hard travel case.

Hopefully I'll get to race it tonight, if the weather holds!

Anyone need a developer?

2011-04-07T10:32:00.001-07:00

So today was my last day at Stanford. I enjoyed my time with the research group I was with, but ultimately, it was not the right fit. We parted on good terms.

I'm now in a transition period, thinking about where I want to go and what I want to do next. If you have any ideas, please drop me a line!

(Are there any awesome jobs in the bike industry?)

San Dimas Stage 2: Solid Race, No Points, Pack Finish

2011-03-26T20:08:00.001-07:00

So my plan to win the green jersey was destroyed at the start of Lap 3, when a two-man break took off. It was perfect: right after a KOM uphill sprint, good team representation, attacking right before a corner that slows the pack. If I had the legs, I would have been part of that break.

So, instead, with the break gone and only one points-winning spot open, I could only sit in. My fitness is not where it was last year, which is frustrating since I remember feeling so strong for this race, but I also remember it being warm, so, there. I felt way more comfortable out of the saddle than ever before, which is good, because I have some real power when I stand.

I finished with the main group at the end of 8 laps of racing. Am I the only one who thinks these itty-bitty 7 mile laps feel like racing in Central Park in NYC? Anyway, this means I made the time cut and can start the crit tomorrow.

Speaking of power, I said "forget the power meter" today. (Well, I really said something else, but it was not rated for general audiences.) I'm not sure it helps. Besides, with crazy winds today, I wanted a more aero setup; enter the Soloist with 404s, one of the fastest road bikes available. Guys who have slower TTs than me still finish ahead of me, so, clearly, racing with the power meter isn't the trick.

Homework for me: learn to be more (physically) relaxed once the race gets hard. I tend to get tense and lock my arms, which only adds to fatigue. Maybe I'll make a sensor-embedded goniometer, connect it to a buzzer, and tape it to my forearm. Then, whenever I lock my arms, it can yell at me. If only.*

* noise making devices, i.e. Garmin GPS units with the beeping turned on, loosely bolted bottle cages, and loudmouths, are in poor taste. For an example of good taste, please see the Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist.

San Dimas HCTT: Disappointing

2011-03-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

I made it up Glendora Mountain Road yesterday in 15:16.22, slotting me
into 31st place in the GC. It's not a terrible time per se, and if I
throw in some excuses (i.e. "I've been sick", "I've been stressed at
work", "the weather has been cold and miserable", "conditions were cold
and windy for SoCal", "TT helmet is 200g heavier", etc.) it seems better.

Still, the simple facts are:
- my time last year was 10 seconds faster.
- I was 5 pounds lighter when I did this race last year
- my average power, 394W, was 25W lower than my Old La Honda record two
months ago
- I was 7 pounds lighter when I went up Old La Honda
- I was hoping for a time that was 30 seconds faster, which seemed
perfectly reasonable given my OLH performance
- the field this year is stronger, due to greater interest from the
NorCal peloton

So, unless I get into a break that puts a minute into the field, I'm not
a GC contender. Guess I just need to win the road race...

The organizers are being amazing about results. Check them out here:
http://www.scvelo.com/san-dimas-stage-race/san-dimas-stage-race-results/cat_view/92-results/55-san-dimas-stage-race/137-2011-results

Race Report: Madera Criterium and Road Race

2011-03-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

With the weekend off to a solid start in two time trials, there were two
more stages in the Madera stage race.

The criterium was nothing spectacular, just a garden variety four corner
course, albeit a super wide one with railroad tracks on the last leg. An
early break took off. Wohlberg won. I learned, once again, that pack
position is a natural filter for pack skills, and the further back I
get, the worse it gets. Really need to work on that...

The road race was brutal. There was a strong crosswind on the two
longest stretches of road, one of which had Paris-Roubaix quality
pavement (almost cobblestones, though not worse than Friday's TT!). I
felt great for the first two laps, though I spent too much time in the
drops (and put too much stress on my back). On the third lap, I had to
pee, but was unable to do so. This, along with being on the wrong side
of the wind on the "cobblestones" and riding in the hoods for comfort,
meant that I just expended a ton of energy. With Cal Giant driving the
pace on the front and guttering everyone else, I was cooked once the
rollers came up. This is unusual for me.

So, after three laps, I pulled myself. At least I had a chance to hand
my wheels to Jane. Those Dura Ace tubeless wheels work wonders on the
worst pavement - super comfy (relatively speaking) and no flat tires!

Thanks to Nils of the Bicycle Trip team, and all the Webcor guys, for
being good teammates through the weekend.

Not sure what races I'm doing this weekend, but I'm already looking
forward to San Dimas in two weeks...

Race Report: Madera Stage Race, Sharon Time Trial

2011-03-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

My time was 22:31 according to my computer, for the first time out on Madera's pan flat 10.38 mile course. The course highlights included crosswinds, bad (but better!) pavement, and bees, the stinging kind! It was, otherwise, a beautiful sunny day, and a good day for an ITT.

After a good warmup up and down a road near the course, I got to the start without my shoe covers! Crap. I blame my lack of shoe covers for at least 5 minutes (okay, really maybe 10 seconds). The P3C, with a newly verified position and a tri spoke, looked and sounded fast. I felt strong, and certainly stronger toward the end, since it sometimes takes me time to warm up to full capacity. I passed three guys, which was fun, but can mean anything.

We'll see if things in the GC shake up at all. Ben's time last year was 20:39, and my time would have put me in 13th. Not sure how this year's conditions compare to last, and I'm too lazy to figure out how much the GC changed after this TT last year.

Flat, long TTs are my specialty. I just wish we had more of them up by Menlo Park. As my power data tells me, I clearly need the practice!

Madera Stage Race - Day 1 Results

2011-03-11T20:19:00.001-08:00

Self explanatory: results from the TT stage...

Race Report: Madera Stage Race, Ben Hur Hill Climb TT

2011-03-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

35:24 - 30th in GC, 3 minutes behind race leader

This is my first time racing the Madera stage race. As a Pro/1/2 rider, I get to do an extra stage: the Ben Hur hill climb time trial. The course is just brutal. Six miles of steep, unrelenting rolling hills and the worst pavement I've ever seen (even by New York standards) leads to 3 miles up a 6-7% grade with no improvement in pavement quality. To top it of, conditions were windy, and the sun gave way to clouds right before the start.

The course is a tradeoff. A powerful climber is probably the best rider, and a super light road bike with clip on aerobars is probably the best setup. I rode my Cervelo P3C TT bike with Zipp 303 wheels, and it was fairly light at 17 lbs, but not the ideal position for climbing.

A course like this just makes it so hard to find and settle into a rhythm. There is always something going on: potholes, patches in the road, a power climb, a slight leveling off. Perhaps I can do better next year. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's pan flat time trial!

Garmin Edge 800: An upgrade, but just barely, over the 705

2011-02-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

I purchased a Garmin Edge 800 [1] over the holidays. As an avid 705 user, I was excited to see what the 800 was all about. Overall, it is a solid unit and will stay on my race bike. For many 705 users, though, I don't think the upgrade is worthwhile.

The Edge 800 is a top-end GPS equipped bicycle computer. My Edge 800 shows 1051 miles of use over the course of 65 hours in a month since purchase (Menu > History > Totals). In that time, I've become more familiar with the unit. My overall impression is that it is more pleasant to use than the 705, but not always more functional. I've noted some highs and lows, as follows.

Improvements:

- Vastly easier to calibrate a power meter.

- Larger screen, lighter weight (110 grams to 97 grams), very slightly wider and shorter.

- Vastly improved mounting system, using quarter turn lock (same as Edge 500).

- Touchscreen may be more durable. My Edge 705 has cracked seals on the buttons due to years of use. Some have joysticks that fail, too.

- Much faster processor: faster routing, faster power on time, usable map screen!

- Actually usable with topographic maps, like Garmin US Topo 24k

- Temperature support.

- Vertical speed field.

- Up to 10 data fields per page, up from 8.

- 3 data pages, up from 2.

- USB port is at bottom of unit - sits flat on desk

- Much easier to type thanks to touch screen.

- Unit is more streamlined and less likely to snag in a bag due to lack of touch stick.

- Ability to save workout files directly to external storage device.

- Able to copy custom workouts from 705 easily.

- Activities stored in more efficient .fit format - no need to regularly purge and compress bloated .tcx, faster uploads.

- Files are named according to local time zone setting, not UTC.

- "startup.txt" file allows me to put my name and phone number in while powering on the device in case it gets lost.

Regressions:

- Possible dealbreaker: No way to route using .GPX files. They all appear as courses, not routes. See https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?t=14186&page=3 .

- Screen is really hard to read in daylight due to reflective finish. Backlight helps, but unit drains battery really quickly with the backlight on high.

- On the power meter screen, the "Calibrate" and "Rescan" buttons are right next to one another. If you have fat fingers and hit the wrong one at the start line, well, no race data for you.

- No file transfer feature. With the 705 I could wirelessly send routes to other users. Not so anymore.

- Software automatically goes in "bicycle" mode when calculating a route. If I have a .TCX route that intentionally routes me on an Interstate (i.e. in places where the Interstate is the only possible route), bad things happen. What if I actually want the GPS to calculate a route using the car/motorcycle preference? I need to change the routing mode manually, every time.

- Still only reports as a USB 1.1 device with slow transfer speeds. There is absolutely no need for this. I have to pull the SD card to transfer map files, lest it take an entire day.

- Workflow is partially designed around Training Center, which is not good for Linux users. Uncompressed XML is bad for ride data but really good for creating content.

- Not compatible with .TCX courses or workouts. Requires an additional step through Training Center.

- No workouts included. I ported some from my 705.

- Garmin logo when viewed from the front is huge!

- Less internal memory: 128 MB (105 MB available) instead of 512 MB. Stingy.

- Garmin Training Center does not allow a user to directly import a .FIT file from a location on disk. The API is to ask the device for a .FIT file, which in turn, means that files have to be saved to internal memory and not an SD card. Seriously? Sure, .FIT files are smaller than .TCX files (uncompressed XML), but with less memory, it looks like manual management is needed still. This is a known issue, see https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?t=14537.

- The .FIT format is more prone to corruption, and less fixable. A developer API offers some Java tools to help fix files, but it is not perfect. I have already lost some important ride data due to a crash. For the investment involved in an Edge 800 plus a power meter, the acceptable amount of data loss should be "zero".

- Where did the date display go? With the 705, you can press the Power key and it will tell you the current day, month, and year. The Edge 800 has no date related fields.

- It takes more "key presses" to get to some features on the Edge 800, and since it is a touch screen, there is no tactile feedback. Of course, being able to quickly get back to the home screen by holding the lower left "cancel" button is a huge help.

- Keys are no longer backlit. That was a nice touch on the 705.

- Seal for micro SD card feels less robust.

- Seal for USB port actually IS less robust. I noticed some corrosion (blue-white stuff) after a rainy ride.

Notes:

- common firmware with Oregon series GPS. 705 was common to ETrex Vista series, 305 was common to other GPS.

- USB Mass Storage API like the 705.

- weird API for importing GPX and TCX routes using the "NewFiles" folder.

I hope that Garmin will address some of these shortcomings with future firmware fixes. The company does a decent job of getting products to market, but often lets them languish thereafter. For the cost of the Edge 800, us owners should be first-class citizens.

[1] https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=69043

Cherry Pie Crit: Pack Finish

2011-02-06T19:45:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: 34th of 66 finishers. Wow, exactly mid pack. http://www.eaglecyclingclub.org/cherrypie%20resultswebsite.htm . Congrats to Jane on her sixth place finish!

I was admittedly nervous about my first race of the season. The unknowns were my fitness, pack skills, or racing ability. The race taught me that the legs are fine. For me, crit racing is a software, not a hardware, problem.

Cherry Pie is a perennial NorCal cycling event. The first race of the season, it means that nothing is really for sure. Team alignments change, bikes change, and fitness is all over the place. Top 3 means you bring home a delicious cherry pie.

The race started fast and never slowed. Multiple groups tried to organize a break but nothing was able to stick. With 3 to go, I motored and gained a top 15 pack position. It looked like everything was strung out. I got stuck behind a rider who was unable to maintain the pace as the pack came around. With one to go there was little I could do, so I just sat in and finished with the group.

Positives:
- Weather. Conditions were a dry, sunny 25 C with 10 MPH winds. What a gorgeous day.
- Bike. The SL3 with Zipp 303s was stable, predictable, light, and fast. No cracked wheels, either.
- Fitness. I had no trouble accelerating out of turns, passing the group on the climb, or pulling into the wind. At one point I saw 55 kph on the computer. We were moving.
- No crashes.

Lessons:
- Pack skills. I was consistently about 30th-40th wheel in a pack of 80-90 riders. I've been called "unstable". Pack skills improve with time, and I know the improvements can be made.
- Course. This was my first time at Cherry Pie, so I know the lines a little better for next year. Best places to attack are the right hand turn at the bottom of the hill, just before the chicane, and on the hill.
- Individuals. Specific strong riders and teams comprise the NorCal peloton. I am more familiar with individuals, which enables me to better read the race.

Next race in two weeks?

16:06 - New Personal Best Up Old La Honda Road

2011-01-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Old La Honda Road [1] is a local benchmark climb. The local roadies use it to challenge themselves and heckle each other. Well, today, recovering from a back injury, I made it up in 16 minutes and 6 seconds. This beats my previous PR of 16:14, and brings me ever closer to sub-16 minute territory.

The dieting and training are starting to pay off. This morning, I was 174.4 lbs (79.1 kg). Bike weight was 14 lbs, 1 oz (6.37 kg). My average wattage was 419 W, yielding 5.3 W/kg. Impressive, but not enough to beat one Eric Lau, a Stanford senior who made it up in 15:27. An honorable mention goes to Elliot Hawkes (16:03) and Keith Wong (16:08).

Of course, I have a ways to go before I can beat Eric Heiden's 14:10 record:

One step at a time. I'm just glad that I don't weigh over 200 lbs anymore.

[1] http://graphics.stanford.edu/~lucasp/grade/oldlahonda.html

The Long, Mostly Flat Road to Recovery

2011-01-17T07:24:00.001-08:00

My lower back injury was a frustrating setback that meant several weeks away from normal training, and thus, a major setback in the start of my racing season. The good news is that it is healing, slowly but surely.

Until very recently, most of my "training" was really just trying to fight off a massive loss in fitness, with sessions on the rollers and short, flat, easy rides. I went for my first 3 hour ride in a while yesterday, which involved a climb up Highway 9 (all 1790 feet [1] of it) and didn't notice any real soreness.

I've taken the downtime as an opportunity to lose some weight. The goal is increased power to weight, and if I can't improve power, may as well drop weight. I've dropped 6 lbs thusfar and hope to continue the trend. More on that later.

[1] http://cycling.stanford.edu/

Thoughts on Social Media Integration Tools

2011-01-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

I've recently started integrating my blog with popular social media tools. Now, when I update my blog, posts make their way to Facebook[1] via RSS Graffiti[2], and Twitter[3] via twitterfeed[4]. All of this happens through the magic of the RSS Feed[5], which you, too, can use to see blog updates in your e-mail client. (I was even able to configure Google Reader using my RSS feed, so that my mother gets an e-mail every time I update my blog. She appreciated that.)

Now, social networks have been the focus of much attention, good and bad. One of main tenets is privacy. As I see it, this blog is a public site, and these are new distribution channels.

In the near future, I have some neat articles up my sleeve. I recently bought an Edge 800 to compare with my old Edge 705, and have started counting calories using Tap&Track, an iOS "app". The race season is nigh and - once the back heals - it will be a good season. Plus, there are some good articles I wrote a while ago on books, routing, course reviews, and my race bikes, that may resurface when the time comes.

References:

[1] http://facebook.com/jsoltren

[2] http://www.facebook.com/RSS.Graffiti

[3] http://twitter.com/jsoltren

[4] http://twitterfeed.com/

[5] http://bikefleet.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/

Heckling the NorCal Peloton

2011-01-03T22:33:00.001-08:00

It looks like the 2011 round trash talk has already begun in the NorCal peloton, just in time for the first race of the season. I suppose that, in this case, "trash talk" consists of diligent fact finding and presentation of results in an entertaining manner.

NorCalCyclingNews.com does a good job analyzing the peloton in this article [1]. There is even a line or two about me in there, buried deep within the text. It is a fun read as an insider, and hopefully, sheds some light on the not-so-hidden structure in the pack.

[1] http://norcalcyclingnews.com/2011/01/02/2011-rosters-the-old-the-young-and-those-that-show-up/

PT! PT! Good for you! Good for me!

2011-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

On December 16, during a weight lifting workout, I lost control of the bar and experienced a flexion/rotation injury between my L4 and L5 vertebrae, on the left side. The ensuing pain has left me unable to complete my normal training regimen. I am forced to take some time off, when I should be peaking for early season races.

I saw Renee Songer of Agile PT in Palo Alto on December 28. With her help, I am recovering faster than I would have otherwise.

Hopefully this is just a minor setback, and I will be in top shape for early season stage races. At this point, strength training has done more harm than good.

Welcome Back

2010-12-15T07:34:00.001-08:00

This is my first post in a while - long enough, in fact, that I ought to "re-introduce" my blog for potential new readers.

My name is Jose. I am a software engineer for the Bejerano Lab at Stanford University (as of last Monday). I work on software that helps us understand how the genome works, in humans and other creatures as well. With this new position, I hope to have more time to maintain this blog.

Most importantly (for the purposes of this blog), I am a racing cyclist. Specifically, I am a Cat 2, racing in the Northern California district on the road and track, and consider myself a time trial specialist. I've had a few decent results in the past year. My goals for 2011 are to upgrade to Cat 1, and to be on the podium at a national championship event.

In July of 2010, I started working with coach Dan Smith of SportVelo. It took me a long time to understand why I ought to work with a coach, and longer still to find someone who had an approach to sport and training that I could enjoy. Working with Dan, I look forward to a productive 2011 race season. Look for my calendar soon.

As part of winter training, Dan has me doing a bunch of work I would not otherwise do, including a long Wednesday ride, biweekly workouts at Defiance Crossfit, and technique work on the rollers. Yesterday evening, I spent 90 minutes on the rollers in the aero bars, refining my position and gaining comfort and confidence. Here is a video - though it's not pretty!

A final caveat: there are articles on this site dating back to early 2008. Some are quite useful: my personal favorites are the cyclist's bibliography,some of my articles in March-May 2008 on using the Edge 705, and any race course preview with a topographic profile. However, please understand that some may express opinions, formerly my own, which which I no longer agree. Be forewarned!

Drive Safely

2010-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend almost got hit by a car yesterday, and a friend of hers actually did get hit, in separate incidents. Both were a result of a "left hook": a motorist turning left across the road at full speed through a gap in automotive traffic, without seeing a cyclist.

Motorists: Always signal and slow when turning left (or at all). Double check for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and make sure you have an all clear before proceeding.

Cyclists: It is nearly impossible to guess that a car will turn left across the lane, even with good visibility. This seems to happen most when there is a 5-second gap between you and the end of a wave of motor traffic. If this ever happens, make sure to write down the make/model/color/license plate of the car, and report them as a drunk driver (they very well might be).

Course preview: WCCC Championship Criterium/Slug Cycling Criterium

2010-04-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I'm heading to Monterey for the Slug Cycling crit. Hopefully the Wente road race will attract the strongest teams, leaving me with a fighting chance!

My recon work shows that this is a 0.5 mile loop (2679 feet) around an athletic field. The course features four turns, one tighter than 90 degrees, and an uphill finish. I expect it will be fast and furious from the gun, and it will take an early attack and a good position through that last corner to win the race.

Advanced Projects

2010-04-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

As always, I'm up to something. I try to only report on things that I've done, not things that are in the works. This time, I have some exciting, though minor, projects in the pipeline:

- upgrades to the TT bike
- a new training bike
- some power meter upgrades
- re-thinking fit on the road and TT bikes
- getting rid of some more equipment

I'll post more about these projects as they come to fruition.

Old La Honda Road in 16m14s

2010-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

I skipped racing this weekend to hang out at home, do some much needed cleaning, and of course, attack Old La Honda Road. For my record attempt, I pared down all unneeded weight. I rode my SL3 with the Zipp 303s, and removed the bottle cages and bolts. I left my helmet at the base of the climb, and wore the lightest shoes, socks, shorts, and jersey I own. The only weight concession was leaving the SRM on the bike.

I averaged 407 watts for the 16m14s it took to climb OLH. This is good, but not a personal best. I think I could be sub-16 at some point. It is all a matter of pacing. The record is supposedly sub-14: Kalen tells me "Scott Moniger did it in 13:50 and Eric Heiden did it in 13:55", although I've heard elsewhere that Heiden's best was 14:10.

Race Report: Menlo Park Grand Prix, Menlo Park, CA

2010-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

After some repairs and recovery from yesterday, I was ready for a good race today. Unfortunately, the weather decided otherwise. It was about 8 C in the middle of an absolute downpour. Demoralized and afraid of rain after yesterday, my only goal was to not crash. At least the guys who did race, for once, raced like gentlemen, instead of pushy jerks.

I'm not racing crits in the rain anymore, unless they're part of a stage race or something. They are a waste of time and money at best.

This really seems to be the year of stupid crashes. Rasaan Bahati crashed out of the Dana Point crit this weekend as well.

I'm skipping Sea Otter and the Santa Cruz crit next weekend, in favor of an Old La Honda Road PR attempt.

My goal for this season is to upgrade to Cat 1. To do this, I need to find races that don't force me to race against the best Pros and 1s in California. I'm focusing on smaller races, and stage races with Cat 2 only fields (i.e. Fitchburg and Green Mountain). Once I become a Cat 1, I'll start doing some bigger races for fun, and slowly work to start winning them.

I'll race again in two weekends at the WCCC crit, and the Wente crit. I expect all the teams to be occupied with the Wente road race so I hope to do well at the WCCC crit. The Wente crit will be another Pro-1-2 crit: unless I work with a team, I'm pack fodder.

Race Report: Apple Pie Criterium, Santa Rosa, CA

2010-04-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

This was my first race after the big crash in Copperopolis. It had been two weeks since then. I was on edge, as the last crash left my body and my bike in expensive disrepair. All I wanted to do was not crash; unfortunately, I did.

I did two races today. The first was a Cat 2 only crit, the second was a Pro-1-2-3 crit. The course was an office park: dead flat, wide turns, and little opportunity for selection. The weather was cloudy and gray, about 12 C. Everyone says this is the worst winter the area has seen in many years, with cold rainy weather lasting through mid to late April. I guess we brought Boston's weather with us.

The Cat 2 crit felt like a Cat 4 crit: sketchy riding, no teamwork, and no organization whatsoever. I managed to stay in the pack, but skidded out on the last lap. It had just started raining, and I leaned a little too hard into a turn. I was on my Zipp wheels with Vittoria tubulars. I don't like to ride this setup in the rain. The forecast had no mention of wet weather, and the only rain of the day was during this one race. Great. The crash destroyed my Toupe saddle and yet another derailleur hanger.

The Pro-1-2-3 crit was another repeated experience: teamwork from the Yahoo guys caused a split to happen, and there was more sketchy riding with wet roads in the pack. I just wanted to finish - I almost didn't start. At the finish, Filip and I came into contact and Filip went down. Great. I should have guessed that the pro teams would be here - there are two races in Santa Rosa and race pairs tend to attract the teams.

This was a terrible race for me. It was beyond a waste of time - I would have been better off had I not come at all. Jane managed to do well in her races.

Cleaning Out The Closet

2010-04-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Time to clear out the surplus! I've just posted a bunch of extras from the bike room to eBay. Look for things sold by user "jsoltren" for full details, or click here to search for my items. I'm selling some very nice handlebars, a wheel, and countless small items.

Support a Velodrome in NYC!

2010-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine from back home is polling interest for a velodrome in New York City. Someone floats the idea every few years, but it is always tough to generate interest. Show your support by joining the "NYC Velodrome" Facebook group (dreaded Facebook...), and telling everyone you know.

I think it makes sense to make the infrastructure investment for a world-class velodrome in a major population center. I'd love to see the day where there is a permanent indoor velodrome on prime real estate in New York, readily accessible by public transit. With the number of internationals living in the city, and the spectator friendliness of track, I'm amazed this has not yet happened.

Topsport SR Redux

2010-03-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

The end of the Topsport SR didn't go so well for me. I hit a wheel and
did a face plant on lap 2 of 4 at 30 MPH. I managed to get back up and
(with the help of some Metromint guys) catch the field. For a number
of reasons - improper crank installation causing about 5 W of drag,
loose bar tape from the crash, loss of some gearing from the crash,
being gassed from the chase, not being able to eat and drink properly
after the crash, some blood loss, not wanting to stress my wrist - I
didn't make the selection that dropped half the field. I chased, rode
solo for the last 80 minutes, and finished about 10 minutes behind the
field. I finished "not last" in the GC, but well out of the points.
(Jane got a flat and DNF'd despite getting 2nd in the TT, so it was a
miserable day for both of us.)

Crash damage: six stitches on my chin. Swollen lower lip. Sore thumb
and wrist. Scraped, swollen knee. Broken helmet. Derailleur needs half
of a new cage, frame needs a new hanger. Disappointment and shame.
Fortunately, the frame and wheels seem fine.

I have some photos of the chin that I'll post at some point.

Topsport Stage Race: Time Trial (Stage 2)

2010-03-27T18:56:00.003-07:00

UPDATE: 13th GC. http://www.ncncaracing.com/images/2010/TopsportStageRaceCopperResults.pdf

Just 2 hours after the end of my 90 minute circuit race, I did the time trial. The course leaves Copperopolis after route 4, and heads north and back south for 11 miles of rolling hills and bumpy terrain. I rode my Cervelo P3 with a 100mm front wheel and a disc rear. I was tired after the circuit race, and there was a fierce wind.

My time was about 25m30s, +- 2 seconds. I passed one person. I hear that the winning time was around 24 minutes (from Roman, mentioned above). Now, I passed someone, and there were a bunch of guys out there on road bikes without disc wheels, so there must have been some serious range in times!

Suggestion for next year: tune the bonuses and/or the TT course to make it actually competitive. San Dimas did this perfectly. If I'm a minute down, it is *impossible* for me to make this up unless I manage to be in a major break.

Jane did well! She got 2nd in the women's Pro-1-2-3 time trial, and a pack finish in the circuit race. She's well on her way to Cat 2! She may get her 2 before I get my 1. We'll throw a big party if one of us upgrades; hopefully we'll have one big party for both of us! The party will have cake.

Topsport Stage Race: Circuit (Stage 1)

2010-03-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

This weekend, Topsport is hosting a brand new stage race in Copperopolis, CA. I'm in the Pro-1-2 field, which means I'm once again racing for upgrade points against those who have already upgraded.

The circuit race start was at a chilly and early 8am, which meant a bleary eyed 4:30am departure from Menlo Park. Things wree delayed, so I only had time for a short warmup.

The course featured rolling hills, one turnaround, and a few corners through town. My goals were to gain some time bonuses, and place in the top 6 for upgrade points. Although I managed to win a 5-second time bonus, I finished a disappointing 13th out of 51 starters.

For the middle third of the race, a break of about six riders with good team representation took off. They launched the attack after the corners through town, and Metromint and Webcor worked hard to block. We eventually reeled them back, but I made some enemies in the process. After the race, Roman (pro rider, Health Net) explained that I need to learn chasing skills: no cutting in line, smooth even pulls, and fewer heroics. He's right - I'm lacking a number of skills that are expected in the Pro-1-2 field, on account of my fast upgrade (4 to 2 in 4 months). Hopefully more of my teammates will attend future races.

I raced with a brand-used (i.e. not new, but new to me) wired SRM on my SL3. It took a week and a half to sort out a broken sensor cable. I was forced to install it at the last minute. In extreme haste, I left out a critical spacer. I can still race, but the crank is loose, and has about 1-2 watts of drag. Perhaps I can blame any mediocre finish on the crank...

San Dimas Stage Race: Criterium (Stage 3)

2010-03-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

The crit went better than I had hoped. After yesterday's stages, I was 12th in the GC. My goal for today was to contend as many time bonus sprints as I could. These were at 20 and 40 minutes into the 55 minute race. I felt strong early in the race, so I managed to solo off and get a 10 second time bonus! A break stuck for the second time bonus, so I was only able to manage third. By the time the finish rolled around, I was exhausted and in a poor position, so I finished with the pack.

My efforts were not for naught. The 13 additional seconds managed to put me 9th overall, netting me 7 more lucrative Cat 1 upgrade points. Furthermore, I got enough points to win the green sprinter's jersey! Very cool.

Race Report: San Dimas Stage Race - Stage 2: San Dimas Hospital Road Race

2010-03-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: 12th in GC at 41 seconds. I can still win this! Race data is online at Plus 3 Network. Check it out - you can raise money for charity by just riding your bike. Seriously. It's great.

Racing in the Cat 2 field is very different from racing with the pros, or with the local P123 field. The former is completely team dominated, whereas the latter has such a wide range of talent that the field splits quickly. The Cat 2 field today was much closer in age, experience, and strength than some other fields. I think I did well, but could have done better.

My goal for the race was to win every single "hot spot" sprint. These sprints, on laps 3, 5, and 7, were worth 10, 6, or 3 seconds in the GC. Being 42 seconds back, those seconds are very precious! I did not want to contend KOM as I'm no climber. The conditions were hot and sunny, with some shifting winds.

After the first sprint, I learned that I should do a better job of being toward the front if I was going to contend these. I won the second sprint, and placed third in the final sprint, winning me 13 seconds. If nothing changed, I'm now 17th in the GC. The correct strategy was to attack the KOM climb, blast downhill, and hold the lead to the line.

I made a serious error in waiting for the pack after the last sprint, with one to go. The pack was tired and dehydrated after two hours. The winner soloed off the front and gained a ton of time. Had I not waited for the pack, I could have held off the pack, gained 20 seconds, and won. The pack finish was disappointing.

Race Report: San Dimas Stage Race - Stage 1: Glendora Hill Climb Time Trial

2010-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

15m06.03s, 25/114 @ 43.24 s.

The Sam Dimas HCTT featured about 1350 feet of climbing over the course of just under four miles. This meant 5 to 8 percent grades, many switchbacks, and winning times of about 14 minutes in the Cat 2 field. I did a pre-ride of the course this morning, in order to watch Jane finish, and I'm glad I did. I discovered, quickly, that a good choice of line would be crucial to performing well on the course.

I need to work on my pacing. Due to a number of colluding factors, I did not have a power meter for this race. I used heart rate and RPE for pacing. My heart rate was pinned at 175 BPM for almost the entire climb. I thought I paced myself well, but that I could have pushed just a tiny bit harder, especially at the end.

My time was just over 15 minutes and 6 seconds. My guess was that the winning time would be 14m20s - and I was right! Unfortunately, there are plenty of people up top. I'm currently in 25th place out of 115 riders, and 41 seconds behind. There are some opportunities to gain time in primes tomorrow and Sunday. I need to work very hard, as I won't get any points at all unless I'm in 15th place or higher! I want to place in the road race and crit, and take a few primes if possible.

Race Report: Monterey CCCX #2

2010-03-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

The Monterey CCCX was a windy circuit race in Monterey, CA. It was the same weekend as the Madera stage race. Knowing that most of the local strong riders would be at Madera, I knew this would be a valuable opportunity to scrape some upgrade points to Cat 1. I was right! About 25 riders appeared for the Pro-1-2-3 field. The course was a roughly 4 mile loop on rolling hills, with a fierce wind. Early in the race, the top 10 or so riders broke away from the pack. There were numerous attacks, including a four man super-break that stuck for a while, but a lack of teamwork and strong wind brought everything back together. The last two miles of the race were a long match sprint. No one wanted to work, or attack into the wind. I found a strong wheel on a Cal Giant rider (who?), and managed to contest a field sprint for third place. All of that specific sprint work seems to have paid off! The SL3 was the perfect bike for the race - light, stiff, and comfortable.

Jane's Blog

2010-03-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

Many of you know my girlfriend, Jane. Well, she recently started bicycle racing, and has just upgraded to Category 3 (!). You can follow along on her new blog: http://cyclingchronicles.blogspot.com/ .

SRM Wired ANT+Sport Adapter (proposal)

2010-03-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

The last page of the SRM manual gives a brief overview of how the thing works. The older, wired SRM used a really simple PWM encoding over an analog coil to transmit the power. The frequency was proportional to the power, and the duty cycle was proportional to the cadence. (Read elsewhere on this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_width_modulation)

Seems to me like making an ANT+Sport adapter is "trivial" apart from all the licensing BS. I foresee a small sensor that mounts on the bottom bracket, near where the SRM's magnet attaches. It would read the power data in real time, demodulate the signal to get a useful speed and cadence, and re-transmit over ANT+Sport to any computer able to read it. This would let anyone with a wired SRM use their Edge 705 or whatnot.

Here's the problem. I have all the know-how to take on this project (it's a perfect 6.115 Microcontroller Lab final project, in fact), but not the hardware (at least a nice oscilloscope and bench setup), or the ANT+Sport tech data, or the time really. Does anyone out there want to help? There's always MetriGear, the friendly local power meter company. Clearly by developing the Vector they have the resources that I'd need for this project - wireless testing tools, tech data, etc.

Race Report: Merco Foothills Road Race, 2010-03-07

2010-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

One bit summary: 0. One word summary: “meh”.

It was a beautiful, sunny spring day with mostly calm winds for my first every Pro-1-2 road race. Though the course was mostly flat with some rolling hills and a few climbs, the CF2 still felt too slow and heavy. Our race was 5 24-mile laps, giving 120 miles in about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

After a relatively slow first lap, things really picked up in the second lap. Team tactics played a role as teams sent one person up the road and used the other five to block. I was in a good position to latch on to one of the chase groups, but just didn’t have the legs to bridge. At that point, I knew the race was over: the break would stick and it would be a pack finish. I was right.
The remainder of the race varied from medium to fast pace, and we managed to whittle down the lead group’s gap to 60 seconds, from 115. My usual fueling strategy worked perfectly. I felt strong at the end of the ride. A few rolling hills split the pack in the last 5km. I hung on with the group and finished 33rd, out of probably 120 starters.

Racing in the Pro-1-2 field is very different from collegiate racing. The field is much bigger and the races are longer and faster. The average age and experience level is much higher. National and World champion, and Olympians, comprise much of the field. There were the usual Pro field road race antics, too. Teams sent a representative to the feed zone to get a musette bag full of goodies for other riders. Teams conspired to control the pack and send people off the front. There was chatting when the pace was low. Some guys took a, er, “break” while riding, often with the help of a teammate pushing them along. It was fun to see. It was also frustrating: without any teammates present, I had no help in the pack.

It will be very hard to impossible for me to get any Cat 1 upgrade points in races like this. I need to target races with less decorated pro riders, and I need teammates. For these reasons, I’ve decided to skip the Madera stage race next week in favor of local races.

Compared to collegiate, the personality of the field is different. There was shoving and elbowing as people pushed their way through the field. At one point, I was at the front of the pack trying to help catch the break, admittedly not doing a perfect job of pulling through. Someone told me to “pull through and get the f*** out”. I’m sure my relative lack of experience played a role, but I certainly wasn’t making many friends today. Collegiate racers, in comparison, are usually gentlemen.

In any event, it’s good to know that I can hang with some of the fastest fields out there in cycling today. This weekend provided valuable data and experience that I will use to calibrate my racing routines. This is all a learning experience, after all.

Jane got 2nd in her Cat 4 women’s race. That was her last race as a 4. Congratulations, Jane!

One of the pro riders this weekend – Rashaan Bahati – has an eponymous team and foundation that helps kids in need get scholarships and racing help. It sounds like a good deal, so make sure to check out their Web site: http://www.bahatifoundation.org/

Race Report: Merco Downtown Criterium, 2010-03-06

2010-03-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

One bit summary: 0. One word summary: “grumble”.

This was the second Pro-1-2 crit that I managed to finish. The course was similar to last week’s Merced crit course: flat with multiple challenging technical corners. Prior to the start of the race, the announcers called forward team representatives and other noteworthy figures to the start line. One was Will Dugan, of East Coast fame (notoriety?). I cheered, “ECCC!” when he rolled forward.

A good start is important in a Pro-1-2 crit, as it is hard to move through the pack on a technical course. After about 15 laps (of 50), I was able to learn good lines through the turns, and learn where to move up in the pack. It took a conscious effort, but I was able to gain about 4 spots every lap. The Pro-1-2 men are pretty good pack handlers, better than any field I’ve seen before.

Unfortunately, I had a mechanical issue. I decided to race my Fuji Aloha CF2 this weekend, as its Quarq power meter would give interesting data for the weekend. I also decided to race my Zipp 808 clincher wheels, as they are slightly faster than my 404 tubulars in good conditions. I kept the 12-25 cassette that was on the 808s. These were all mistakes. Whenever I sprinted, I could feel the heavy bike and wheels resisting my effort. Sure, once I got the whole consist up to speed, everything was fine, but it wasn’t as awe-inspiringly fast as my SL3. Furthermore, I realized that I could gain a few additional positions every lap by sprinting out of the last turn in the chicane. Unfortunately, I was usually in the 53-13 or 53-12 while doing this (it was a fast race), so I threw my chain several times. I swear – I’ve NEVER had good front shifting with the CF2-Quarq setup. Either the CF2 is not stiff under load, or the Quarq is not laterally stiff. I’ve used several different chain rings and always have some trouble.

The mechanical issues meant that I was afraid to put any power into the pedals. Dropping a chain meant having 10 people pass me and losing several laps of progress. So, despite moving from near the very back of a 120-person pack to a top 30 position, lack of faith in my equipment kept me from trying any harder. I finished with the pack.

Jane won her Cat 4 race, and an impressive trophy to go with it. She’ll upgrade to Cat 3 for the Madera Stage Race, and use her new Fuji Aloha TT bike. It was a cheap eBay frame built with my spare TT bike parts.

Needless to say, the CF2 is now a training-only bike, and I’m debating selling the Quarq. I need to get power on that SL3. The MetriGear Vector is the top choice, once it becomes available. The other option – SRM – is still too finicky for my taste.

Bike Car

2010-02-19T11:56:00.001-08:00

It's a great irony that I don't need a car for my daily life, but I need one for bicycle racing. All of the daily mundane tasks - commuting to work, food shopping at Trader Joe's, delivering packages, seeing friends, and trips to the city - are all perfectly doable with some combination of walking, public transit, and (mostly) cycling.

So, in the sixth month here in Rainy California, Jane and I finally broke down and bought a car. It's a 1999 Subaru Outback, red, with 108K miles - and a recently replaced head gasket, very important for this model! The sole purpose of the car is recreational travel. The current estimate is 5000 miles of use per year, which means that here in California, it could last forever. (It also means that I'll cycle about twice as much as I drive in a year.) At 26 MPG on the highway it's not particularly efficient, but fuel sippers are at least double the cost. The best ways to save fuel are to drive less and carpool more!

So, for the first time ever, I'm not completely dependent on other people or car rentals to get to races. This gives me much more flexibility in the races I can do. With Jane racing too, almost every trip is a carpool. We'll see how things go.

Now I just need to think of a really clever vanity plate for it...

SL3 Weight-weenie build details

2010-01-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

More photos are coming sometime this week. It took about a month and a half from ordering the first part to receiving the last part, but the arrival of the frame was the blocker.

Part Name	Weight (g)	Size	Source	Notes
Upper headset bearing	22	1 1/8"	Specialized team order
Lower headset bearing	31	1 1/2"	Specialized team order
Headset top cap	8	1 1/8"	Specialized team order	Carbon
Seat collar	16	32.6	Specialized team order
S-Works Pave seatpost	204	27.2 x 350	Specialized team order	with Zertz insert
S-Works SL3 Module	1548	56 race	Specialized team order	with derailleur hanger, bottle bolts, cable adjusters, and S-Works 39/53 BB30 crankset
Thomson Elite X2 stem	147	110	Bayarearider	with all bolts and face plate
S-Works fork	337	43mm rake	Specialized team order	cut with filed tabs. 370g uncut.
Fork compression plug	25	1 1/8"	Specialized team order	proprietary Specialized design
Steerer top cap	8	1 1/8"	Specialized team order	Specialized logo
Steerer bolt	2		Specialized team order
Spacers	6	10mm, 5mm, 5mm	Specialized team order	Estimate - did not weigh. Matte carbon.
Spacers	6	10mm, 5mm, 5mm	eBay	Estimate - did not weigh. Gloss carbon.
Zipp 303 front	852	700c	Landry's	with skewer, Vittoria Corsa CX tire, valve extender
Zipp 303 rear	1117	700c	Landry's	with skewer, SRAM Red cassette, Vittoria Corsa CX tire
Vittoria Corsa CX tire (rear)		700x23	Palo Alto Bikes	Purchased retail.
SRAM Red rear cassette		26-Nov	Palo Alto Bikes	Purchased retail.
SRAM Red rear derailleur	144	one size	Bayarearider
Speedplay zero pedals	166	one size	Bayarearider	Titanium, black
Specialized Toupe gel	208	143	Sheepshead Cycle	from prior build
SRAM Red front derailleur	69	one size	Bayarearider
Shimano CN-7900	238	106?	eBay	from stock
Master link	2	10s	eBay	from stock
SRAM Red front brifter	144	2x	Slowtwitch
SRAM Red rear brifter	144	10x	Slowtwitch
Pro Vibe carbon bar	232	42cm round	Chain Reaction Cycles	http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=33770
Zero G front brake	90	OG-07	Slowtwitch	with pad holders but without pads
Zero G rear brake	82	OG-07	Slowtwitch	with pad holders but without pads
Zipp brake pads	25	Campy	Bayarearider	set of four
Yokozuna Reaction cabling	195	SRAM	Palo Alto Bikes	before/after weight
Profile Design bar wrap	47	one size	REI	uncut
Deda bar plugs	4	one size	??	stock
Hudz white cable donuts	1	one size	GrabTheHudz.com	weight for four, from pack of 30

TOTAL	6120
MEASURED	6120
delta	0

Specialized Tarmac SL3: 13.5 lbs

2010-01-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

13.5 lbs in 56cm with Zipp 303s and SRAM Red. More later - goodnight!

No New Bike Until The Room Is Clean

2010-01-24T08:34:00.001-08:00

The bike room is the pride of my apartment. It's an entire bedroom dedicated to bike repair. Unlike a garage, it's not cold, filthy, or detached from the rest of the living space. Instead, it had good lighting and is user friendly - when it's clean. For the past month or two, various projects resulted in the room being a complete and total mess. After about 15 man hours of work (Jane helped), I finally mounted the pegboard to the wall and sorted the tools. Not losing tools and having working space is a huge win. Have a look.

The real motivating reason for the clean was to help my old friend Arcady assemble his new bike. After reviewing his options, he ordered a Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro from bikesdirect.com. I think a cyclocross bike is a great do it all bike. It can handle commuting, touring, trail rides, and shopping trips nicely, as well as cyclocross and entry-level road racing. The bike has a titanium frame and new Ultegra 6700 components. It replaces a Bianchi Volpe that he has owned since around late 2001. I hope the new bike suits his needs. The build work was quick and painless with the new tool setup.

I still have plenty more bike work scheduled in the coming weeks. The used Nokon cables will get a second chance on the TT bike. I'm also experimenting with cranks on the TT bike, and tweaking my fit with a Look ErgoStem. (More on that later.) Plus, Jane's track bike will get new cranks in the near future to promote racing.

As luck would have it - and this is big news - my new Specialized SL3 module arrived on Friday! After finishing with Arcady's bike, I used a combination of Caltrain and Zipcar to collect it from my teammate's house. It is at least ten hours away from a raceable state, but I just could not resist posting a first photo here. The entire module consists of a frame, fork, headset, seatpost, and BB30 crankset with chainrings. Uncut and out of the box, the module weighs 2.24 kg.

I will take incredibly detailed photos along the build process and weigh everything to the gram. Stay tuned.

Busy Few Weeks

2010-01-24T08:06:00.002-08:00

As usual, just because the blog has been quiet doesn't mean I've stopped riding. If anything, I'm riding more than before, balancing time more carefully, and thus, finding less time to blog.

So I have a Quarq Cinqo power meter on my Fuji Aloha CF2 road bike, mounted to a SRAM S900 crank. Apart from the weight (mostly from the crank itself), I have been very happy with the setup. It is ANT+Sport compatible and works flawlessly in bad weather.

I also appreciate SRAM's consistent use of the GXP bottom bracket standard. All SRAM road cranks, from Rival to Red, use a common BB. FSA uses at least three separate standards for their bottom brackets, meaning that it's impossible to swap, say, a Team Issue for an SL-K quickly. Why, pray tell, would I want to do this? Well, I happen to own one in a 175mm length, and another in 172.5mm. I would like to see what my ideal crank length is in time trials, experimentally.

As such, I ordered new SRAM Rival cranks, in 172.5 and 175 lengths. Now, I'll be able to swap crank lengths on my road and TT bikes, and use a power meter on both. Granted, I can't both use the Quarq and play with crank length, but for that, I have a PowerTap.

Another small project is inspired by Mavic and California state law. Lately, sunset in the Bay Area has been around 5:15pm, meaning I ride home in the dark. California law states that wheels must be reflectorized. I saw that my Mavic Ksyrium ES front wheel had reflective decals on the rims. So, I ordered some black retro-reflective tape, designed a stencil for the correct decal shape, and stuck on the reflectors. You can't see the black reflectors at all against the black rim, but they light up when photographed with a flash!

Another project was to experiment with Nokon cable housing. The plan was to use it on the next generation race bike, the still on order Specialized SL3. Since I ordered the wrong part (Shimano instead of Campy, for SRAM shifters), I figured that the spare set could go on the Aloha. I could test the cables and the installation process. I could also test the trick under-tape cable routing option for Shimano shifters. All I can say is, thumbs down. First, I had to drill out my frame cable stops to accommodate the liners. Then, installing the system amounted to stringing beads on a wire for about an hour. Once I had the system lubricated with Tri-Flow and installed, after about three hours, I just could not get good shifting out of it. My Dura Ace suddenly became Tiagra or Sora. I have to admit, it looked pretty cool.

Of course, the kicker was when the front shifter cable failed on a ride.

What, seriously? I followed the instructions precisely, including leaving exactly 3mm between the end of the liners and the end of the cable. My guess is that the sharp bend was causing the wire to rub against the inside of the metallic housing, causing fatigue. As a direct result of the failure, I opted not to use Nokons on the SL3. After reviewing the options, I put Gore Ride-On cables on the Aloha, which has been great so far. (I used it on the Roubaix for months until the frame died.) I will experiment with Yokozuna Reaction cables on the SL3.

Apart from all of this mechanical fun, my continuing experiment at self-coaching and learning continues. I am following Joe Friel's plan, almost to the letter, with 700 hours a year. This translates to about 12,000 miles. I have a spreadsheet on my computer which helps me compute hours and rides for the whole year. On a shorter time scale, I put the week's plan on the board. It helps keep me honest. One of the weeks is below.

This is my first year with this system, so, again, it is an experiment. I am continuing to tweak and improve my practices with regards to nutrition and training with power. Thusfar, my algorithm for fueling on long base rides is:

Food: 1 Larabar 60 minutes into the ride, and every 45 minutes thereafter.
Fluid: 4 oz Cytomax every 15 minutes (one bottle lasts 90 minutes).

I'm not hungry or dehydrated on my training rides, nor do I need to use the restroom. This will likely change as intensity or temperature increase, but for now, staying fueled and happy on long rides is easier than ever.

Specialized Delays

2010-01-07T16:06:00.004-08:00

The glorious SL3 (and it's less-glorious credit card bill) still are not here. Hmm.

3-4 weeks is a little long to ship a production frame, isn't it? Not so, apparently. The Great Specialized Bicycle Making Company, the Apple of the bicycle industry in so many ways, has no qualms about being a tease. I recall how the 2008 Specialized Transition took about six months to hit store shelves; that was supposed to be the great TT bike purchase of 2008. I'll be lucky if I can get my hands on a Shiv for the 2011 race season.

Yes, I admit that it's "hard" to get subcontractors to make a quality product reproducibly and ship it around the world, and it's equally "hard" to evaluate demand. Then again, I'm not aware of any particular delay with the SL3. I saw one in a store and know a friend who has one. If this were Boston I could care less, but here in Foggy California, the race season is already underway!

So, why the wait? I want to get on this thing and start riding it! All of the parts are here!

New Race Bike (on order)

2009-12-01T12:42:00.003-08:00

One of the perks of being an LGBRC member is the double-decker bus in the Los Gatos holiday parade. Another is the team-sponsor bike: the Specialized Tarmac SL3. I'm looking forward to a very light, fast build in the near future. With luck, I could have it built by the 25th.

(Stock photo from specialized.com)

Frame: S-Works Tarmac SL3 (module), 56 cm
Fork: S-Works Tarmac SL3
Headset: Aheadset integrated
Stem: Thomson Elite X2, 110 mm, 10 degree
Handlebars: Pro Vibe Full Carbon OS Round, 42 cm
Bar Tape: Fizik Microtex, black
Brakes: Ciamillo Zero-G
Brake pads: Zipp carbon compound
Brake/Shift levers: SRAM Red
Brake cables/housing: Nokon, black
Shift cables/housing: Nokon, black
Front derailleur: SRAM Red, titanium, braze-on
Rear derailleur: SRAM Red
Cassette: SRAM Red, 11-26
Chain: Dura Ace CN-7900
Crankset: S-Works BB30 crankset, 172.5mm
Chainrings: Specialized S-Works, 39/53
Bottom bracket: Ceramic bearings in frame
Pedals: Speedplay Zero, titanium
Wheels: Zipp 303 (2008)
Tires: Vittoria Corsa EVO CX, tubular
Saddle: Specialized Toupe gel, 143mm
Seatpost: S-Works FACT carbon, with Zertz insert, 27.2mm (x 350 mm?)
Seat binder: Specialized S-Works, aluminum, 32.6mm
Bottle cages: Arundel Dave-O

If those scale-carrying UCI commissars give me grief on race day, adding a PowerTap ought to help it meet race weight of 6.800 kg, or 14 lbs 15.86 oz.

Not Dead; Pro at 24

2009-11-18T12:58:00.004-08:00

The lack of updates recently is due to my being busy at work. Between training and work, just about ever minute of my day is allocated to something. A few exciting things have happened in the past 6 weeks, which will trickle on here as I find time.

A VeloNews article about Matthew Busche caught my attention this morning. At 24 years old and with a lighting fast upgrade from Cat 2, VeloNews heralds Mr. Busche as a rising star with unlimited potential. That's wonderful, honestly, and I wish him all the best. This just makes me wonder about my own potential as a cyclist. At a high level, physical prowess is a limiter, but not the only one. Professional and personal life, time, money, and support become factors more quickly than I would like. Is being a professional cyclist, at anything but the very highest level of the sport, worth the pay cut, time away from an SO, and risk of injury or stagnation in a career? I'm not getting soft now, but simply applying a typical cost/benefit analysis.

I wonder: who was the last MIT cycling alum to become a domestic-level or higher pro? A cursory search found nothing, so I need to investigate further.

Mount Diablo in 51:22.8

2009-10-05T15:44:00.004-07:00

This weekend, I ventured to Mount Diablo with some coworkers. We participated in the Mount Diablo Challenge, a timed non-competitive climb of 3350 feet over 10.96 miles. I posted full ride data from the climb.

The usual disclaimer applies: I'm out of shape, haven't been riding much, and don't have the genetic graces to have the wiry climber build. Watching me climb is like watching an A380 take off: you can't give it grief for being slow, since it's amazing that it gets off the ground at all.

With that said, my time on the course - 51 minutes 22.8 seconds - was a new personal best by default, and good for 23rd place overall, 5th in the 19-29 age bracket. The course record floats around 44 minutes, and a ProTour climber could probably do it in about 40. (I raced with bib #10. I switched places with Rich Stevens.) I had my brand-new Zipp 303s on my Fuji Aloha with Quarq power meter, yielding a 16.8 pound bike. My goal for next year is below 50 minutes.

At the top of the hill, I met none other than Frank Day, proprietor of PowerCranks. We had a good chat about my results with the cranks.

Apartment Photos

2009-10-04T20:47:00.002-07:00

Friends and family have asked to see what the new apartment looks like. I've posted a photo album with some images of the place. Enjoy!

Bicycle of Theseus

2009-10-01T13:23:00.004-07:00

I described the Ship of Theseus problem in a blog post not too long ago, and this made me start thinking of how this would apply to the bicycle. Clearly, a bicycle is comprised of many parts. Each surface of every part can be carefully tuned for light weight, durability, aerodynamic qualities, and so on. If I walk into a shop today and buy a new road bike, then change the wheels and brakes, is it still the same bike? This is a simple thought experiment, but its result helps me keep track of my bicycles.

My solution is to choose one immutable part of the bicycle to encompass the whole thing, and that's the bottom bracket shell of the frame. I find that this definition nicely handles the edge cases:

intuitively, a frame defines the bicycle's fit, handling, and performance characteristics, so it makes sense to define the atomicity of "bicycle" by a frame, or at least part of its frame.
it is relatively simple, and sometimes necessary, to change the fork, wheels, and other components on the bicycle.
the bottom bracket shell is the point about which the cyclist applies almost all motive power to the bicycle frame.
it is possible to repair or replace a dented or broken frame section, or paint the frame, while leaving the bottom bracket shell intact.
replacement of an entire frame, due to upgrade or repair, constitutes a new bicycle.
the bottom bracket area traditionally contains the bicycle's serial number.

When I talk about clearing space in the bicycle room, I say that the goal is to reduce the "bottom bracket count". When I describe the mileage on a bicycle, I'm really describing the distance that the bottom bracket has traveled (though I do include indoor "miles").

Lunch Ride

2009-09-29T19:49:00.002-07:00

Ride data at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/14802363 .

Today, I joined Boris (a co-worker at Model N) on the Lunch Ride. It's an excuse for all of the local fast riders to go for a spin every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. The ride is quite fast, just under race pace. I was the youngest and least experienced rider out today, and that's saying something.

The level of experience here is really something. The stronger riders in today's ride seemed to be Cat 1 and Cat 2 racers. In terms of speed and experience, there is a big jump from collegiate racing to Pro/1/2 racing. I'm imagining races full of clones of Josh Lipka and Nick Frey. I'm looking forward to climbing yet another steep learning curve.

I spoke with some members of the SugarCRM/Los Gatos elite team. It's one of the teams in the area that I'm interested in joining; I'm still in an information gathering phase. This is probably a good time to discuss some of the things I'm looking for in an elite team, in no particular order.

Mentorship. Racing bicycles at a high level requires many years of experience. An elite team can have, between its members, well over a century of race knowledge. I've just begun to notice trends in races - the pace in a points race slows after a bell lap, most of the breaks get caught in road races. Though discovery is fun and useful, learning through shared experience is way more time efficient.
Structure. I'm pretty good about setting aside time to ride, falling into a routine, and achieving training goals. Still, having a well matched group is beneficial in setting a training and racing plan.
Transportation. A subtle but key point. I don't own a motor vehicle, nor do I want one. I'd like reliable carpool buddies to races. I think it's a crying shame that we need to burn so much gas to race our bicycles, but like flat tires, it's part of the sport.
A Compatible Approach. I couldn't think of a good single word to describe this. As a cyclist, I'm very detail oriented, and heavily favor the use of technology in obtaining real-time and after-the-fact data. I've learned so much from cyclists who are also detail-oriented and willing to patiently share what they've learned, instead of sharing generalizations and vagaries.
Friends. Enjoying the company of teammates on and off the bike is key to performance. Race weekends can feature 6 hours of racing, 12 hours of driving, and 10 hours of down time. I race best when I'm happy and just out to have fun. When I asked Mike Garrett why he rode with Kahala/La Grange for so many years, the answer was simple: "they're a good bunch of guys."

With all of collegiate cycling behind me, it's time to start thinking about the next level.

Track Nationals Results

2009-09-27T18:28:00.001-07:00

Full track nationals results are now online at the USAC Web site.

More Photos from Track Nationals

2009-09-27T17:51:00.001-07:00

I just received some links from some teammates.

Nick Loomis sent some photos from the weekend and a video of the men's team pursuit. Matt Blackburn sent in his own photos from the weekend.

I'll post more as it comes in.

Track Nationals: Day Three

2009-09-26T19:53:00.002-07:00

I woke up this morning and checked the weather. Rain at 5pm! Uh oh! As a result, today's schedule was heavily altered. The men's tema pursuit qualifier became the finals, the women's match sprints all happened in the morning, and the points race, the headline event, was bumped forward to 4pm. A highly unusual move for a highly unusual situation.

The 3km team pursuit was not our finest. We had a mechanical at the start, and were unable to stay together. Our first two laps were reasonably fast, and I think that if we were to do it again, we would be faster. Our time did not give us a podium position, but did fetch us some team omnium points.

Laura Ralson made it into the match sprints. She won one of her heats in the reps, but was relegated after coming out of the sprinter's lane for the second time. D'oh! It was a really impressive performance nevertheless.

Mike Garrett and I were in two separate points race qualifiers. The points race awards points to the first four across the line every six laps. The top 15 (out of about 25) in each qualifier made it to the grand final. Mike more than qualified - he lapped the field twice! I managed to get a single point, qualifying for the real race. How cool is that?

The 30km, 90-lap points race final was fast and furious. My goal of scoring a single point was unattainable. I was able to work for Mike, helping to block and to establish his break. Mike and four others lapped the field, with Mike placing fifth in the points race.

Our distributed strong results put MIT in a strong position for the Division II Team Omnium standings. We earned some 900-plus points, with the second place team earning some 500 or so points. (Full results will be on usacycling.org shortly.) Our points lead means that the members of the 2009 MIT track nationals team are...

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

I got a stars and stripes jersey and a gold medal. We all did our part, and it was a fantastic weekend. I'm so glad that I made the trip.

I can also obey USA Cycling rule 1N5(e), regarding national champion regalia. I can't wear my jersey when racing anything other than collegiate track, but I can wear Stars and Stripes trims on my race jerseys, forever!

Track Nationals: Day Two

2009-09-25T19:10:00.002-07:00

"It's only forty-five pedal strokes!" This was my realization today, regarding the number of pedal strokes needed to get around the 333m velodrome once. I'm glad I figured this out in time for our collegiate team pursuit (two women, four men). We got a silver medal! Take a look!

The second day of track nationals was a good day for MIT. Guo-Liang Chew (Chewie) placed 16th in the 200m flying sprint competition, good enough to enter the match sprint competition. My time, of 12.625 seconds, was enough for 19th place. This did not get me into the match sprint competition, but did earn us some team points.

Our collegiate sprint was a success. We demonstrated beautiful teamwork and placed second in the qualifying round. This got us into the final, gold medal heat. We held on to second and won silver medals for our effort. The women (Laura Ralson, Yuri Matsumoto, Martha Buckley) placed fifth in the women's team pursuit, another good strong result.

MIT has a good lead in the Division 2 Team Omnium competition. If all goes well, we will hold on to our lead in tomorrow's men's team pursuit and points race. Stay tuned!

Track Nationals: Day One

2009-09-24T18:05:00.001-07:00

I've received an unusual number of requests to be prompt with information about Nats. I'm glad that so many people are interested in this race!

I graduated from MIT in August, but I'm here with the MIT team at track nationals. Since I was a summer student (working on my thesis), I am still eligible to participate at Nationals. I'm happy to be here - it's a good chance to see some old friends and have some fun on the bicycle. I had to fly out just for the race, on the velodrome here in Trexlertown, PA.

Today's events were the individual pursuits. In the morning, the men raced the clock over 4km (12 laps), the women over 3km (9 laps). In the afternoon, the men chased the kilometer, and the women, 500 meters.

Our results were strong. I raced a 4k time of 5m10.246s, enough for 19th place (top third) in a strong field, and just enough to earn some team omnium points. I did not race the kilo. My gearing for the 4k - 50/14 - made me faster, but it will take some time for me to really dial my gearing. Of course, I'm not a track specialist, certainly not a sprint specialist, and far from top form. I'm happy to post competitive times.

MIT's results today:

4k (3k) 1k (500m)
Mike Garrett 4:57.222 1:10.975
Jose Soltren 5:10.246 null
Tim Humpton 5:33.604 1:19.940
Nick Loomis 5:44.101 1:16.155
Guo-Liang Chew 5:43.416 1:16.760
Zach LaBry 5:24.666 1:20.814
Matt Blackburn 6:11.296 1:25.957
Martha Buckley 4:27.192
Laura Ralston 4:18.380 42.x
Yuri Matsumoto null 44.x

We're in the Division 2 team omnium lead after the morning's events, with our closest competitors Kutztown performing very well. We're looking forward to tomorrow.

For complete results or more information, please see usacycling.org.

Roubaix Warranty?

2009-09-21T10:29:00.003-07:00

(I'm being delinquent about posting the many fun things that I've done in the past month. I'll add more updates later this week.)

My primary road bike, since March of 2006, has been a 2005 Specialized Roubaix Elite. Much like the Ship of Theseus, I've replaced every single part on the frame but it's still the same bike. It has at least 15K miles on it, including two cross-USA bicycle tours, many races, and several NYC to Boston trips. No problems yet.

I was surprised on Saturday when the cable stop nearest to the rear hub on the drive side chainstay snapped, making it impossible to shift the rear derailleur. Some older Roubaix models with a single-rivet cable stop were subject to a recall earlier this year, but my bike is not covered under the recall. I brought it to my LBS in haste on Saturday, and am waiting for a response. I'm very glad this happened at home, and not while climbing, say, King Mountain Road.

It's times like this that I am glad to have multiple bikes. Geez.

Cross Country Drive Photos - Geotagged!

2009-09-14T00:22:00.001-07:00

I'm still very busy with work, moving in, and riding. I found a little time to geotag all of the photos we took on the drive from Boston to California. We used our GPS log to assign a latitude/longitude to every photo we took. I'm working on a "best of" album that will show the whole trip, but for now, have a look! I think the map feature is really neat.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jsoltren/WeDroveToCalifornia#

California - Quick Update

2009-09-05T21:19:00.002-07:00

After a drive across the US in a rental truck, I've relocated from MIT to Menlo Park, CA. I'm working on a longer post, including a neat way of posting all of my geo-tagged photos from the trip. For now, feel free to drop me a line if you're in the area.

Thesis Done

2009-08-24T13:23:00.002-07:00

I handed in my Master's of Engineering thesis today. The completion of my project marks the end of my time at MIT.

My advisor and I didn't see eye to eye on a few things. Hopefully, my next manager/supervisor/advisor/superior/boss will be someone with whom I have more in common. I've had some great - and terrible - experiences with these in the past. In general, I do best with superiors who I feel comfortable chatting with.

Now that Jane and I are both done with MIT, it's time to move on! The drive to California will commence tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the new life on the sunny side.

California is Beautiful

2009-08-16T09:29:00.004-07:00

I was in California from Aug 3 to Aug 12, a week and a half not too long ago. In that time, I learned how Model N (my new employer) functions, found a new apartment, visited Dave Miller, beat Super Mario Bros. 3, saw a real live airship, found a delicious farmer's market and, courtesy of my hard case, rode my bicycle plenty.

Except for one morning of rain, the weather was perfect. 82F (28C), clear, and dry during the day, 55F (13C) and slightly humid to foggy overnight. Compared to Boston's two choices - hot and humid or raining - I'm wondering why I bothered to come back at all. Oh, right. Thesis.

The cycling around the Silicon Valley is just amazing. To the east, there are little paths that go along the water. North and south is all flat. To the west, there are mountains - real mountains! I really enjoyed doing legitimate, tough climbs that took an hour.

I set a personal best on the local Old La Honda Road climb, of 18m48s. I should immediately discredit this and say that I wasn't really trying. As it's hard to watch what I eat when traveling, I was about 5 lbs overweight. I was riding my Fuji Aloha CF2 with Zipp 808 clinchers, a tool bag, and two full water bottles (heavy!). I was also carrying Dave's wallet, phone, arm warmers, and bottle. So, if I can break 19 minutes in Sherpa mode, maybe I can break 17m or even 16m once everything is properly dialed in?

I did manage to pass Dave up the climb. (Sorry Dave! This is one of the best photos I have of the trip!)

Paterson Pass Road Race

2009-07-25T13:05:00.003-07:00

I'll be in California for job training with Model N for the first week in August. I'll be starting as a junior Java developer there in the middle of September. There are good jobs out there in this economy - you just have to look hard, and be patient. I'm very excited.

I'm staying for a few extra days, with girlfriend and bicycles in tow. This is our opportunity to find housing before we head out, and we're glad that we have the chance to do so.

Dave Miller is trying to get me to do the Paterson Pass road race. It would take a logistical miracle to get everything together for this, so the jury is still out. Needless to say, this would be my first Pro/1/2 race. A 92-mile road race with four goes up a 1300 foot climb sounds just plain hard, much like the Easterns course up the Black Mo. Add in local pros who know the race well and are in peak form, and it's the makings of what could be an interesting learning experience. We'll see.

If nothing else, I can look forward to an abundance of really fast riders in the Bay Area. There are mountains AND a velodrome! So many decisions.

Garmin, Get Your Act Together

2009-07-25T10:11:00.004-07:00

I went for my 80 mile loop ride today; it's posted at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9719415. I need to start training with PowerCranks again and getting back into a routine; my power data clearly indicates that I'm getting fat, slow, and lazy.

Garmin Connect is a neat service; in fact, it integrates many of the features that I would have liked to see in some other programs, like WKO and SportTracks. Of course, there is no single program that does everything I'd like, so I'll probably end up writing my own in the next few years. In short, I want a program that has all of the advanced power analysis features of WKO, with the mapping features of SportTracks and Connect, that allows you to seamlessly store information both in a standalone app (because I don't always have Internet at races) and online in the cloud (because I like to share my data).

The single biggest complaint I have, at present, is that Connect doesn't work in Opera or Chrome. (I haven't tried Safari.) Come on guys, really? I haven't taken a look at Garmin's Javascripts at all, but I'm guessing it's a simple fix. For all that they've done to embrace Web standards - the .TCX format is, after all, just an XML standard that works with the usual XML processing tools very nicely - it's a real pity that Garmin locks browsers this way. It's like the browser wars all over again. Party like it's 1997.

The best thing about standards, is that there are so many to choose from!

Cervelo P3 - "new" time trial bike!

2009-07-21T08:26:00.005-07:00

As a budding time trial specialist, it's important to have a fast bike. So, I finally buckled down, bit the bullet, and procured an older, aluminum Cervelo P3. After doing my homework, I found that the older P3 frame was almost every bit as aero as the newer P3 Carbon, and possibly more durable, at a fraction of the cost.

Hopefully, it will be as fast as it looks!

I spent the past few days doing nothing but building the bike. It was a fantastic amount of work. I stripped the P3, and the Motobecane that is replacing, to a bare frame. I cleaned everything. I had to carefully cut the seat mast, as it only offers about 47mm of adjustability once cut. Then, I had to think long and hard about which cockpit configuration I wanted; I ended up settling on my integrated Trimax Vision bars, because the pads were more comfortable than the custom-made aero bars that came on the P3. This, and the aluminum post, make the bike about a full pound heavier than it could easily be, and just a couple of ounces/grams lighter than the setup it replaces. Finally, UCI compliance is a pain: the 5mm setback seat position is horribly uncomfortable, and I had to cut the bars by 30mm to be within the 80mm bar end rule.

In the photos below, you can see the near-finished P3. I made my own "jig", consisting of a wall and tape, to check UCI compliance. In the photo, the bars are compliant but the saddle is not. this is tough to tell due to the perspective of the camera.

Naturally, after hours of toiling to get the bicycle tweaked and ready to ride, the weather took a turn for the worst. It looks like a solid week of probable rain. Screw you, Boston.

I now have a time trial frame and lots of goodies that I need to sell. Make an offer!

Boston to Provincetown

2009-07-21T07:45:00.009-07:00

This weekend, I cycled to Cape Cod with two of my favorite people: Jane, and Mike Short. The weather was beautiful, and we were able to enjoy 135 miles of flat, calm riding, much of it with a tailwind. We didn't even get a flat tire, or break any equipment!

We are all riders of different strength levels, so I made some hardware changes to help us all happily go about the same speed. I lent Mike a pair of Zipp 808 clincher wheels; a cassette change was all that was necessary. Jane borrowed a pair of 85mm deep carbon clincher wheels that I own. They're unbranded OEM wheels made by Gigantex, so I was able to get them at a deep discount. I rode my cyclocross/commuter bike - complete with fenders! - to provide a little more comfort and to help keep me from soloing away. I still had enough extra power to push Jane and Mike up the hills. It's amazing what a difference a little push makes! Jane and Mike are both champs for making it to the very end.

With Mike's wedding two weeks away, I thought it might be fun to wear matching bicycle jerseys that look like tuxedos. We did, and the silly jerseys brought smiles to people's faces. Of course, as it turns out, Provincetown is an incredibly liberal and homosexual-friendly town, so more than a few people simply assumed that Mike and I were getting married, and that Jane was the "best man". Hilarity ensued.

More photos and a video are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/jsoltren/CapeCodTrip#. Furthermore, the ride data is available through Garmin Connect at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9314004. The ferry ride back is at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/9313586. (I'm going to begin experimenting with Garmin Connect as a way of storing rides.)

We took a fast ferry back from Provincetown, and I mean fast! My GPS reported that we were sustaining 38 MPH for most of the way back.

I'm a Cat 2!

2009-07-15T04:21:00.002-07:00

Probably the greatest thing (for me) about the Fitchburg race was that it gave me enough points to upgrade to Category 2. In the USA Cycling ranking system, this means I'm one step closer to being an "elite" level racer, and eligible to do a large number of high level, incredibly challenging races.

The neat thing about being a Cat 2 on the road is that, per USAC rules, it enables all kinds of other upgrades. It lets you be a Cat 3 on the track with the approcal of a USAC certified coach, meaning I can do most B races and some A races at velodromes. Whether I do well in these races is a different story. It also means that I can race cyclocross as a Cat 2 (I'll save that until I can remount gracefully), and race mountain bikes as a Cat 1 (I'll save that until I have a mountain bike and learn how to ride it).

I was able to upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 2 in one season. Not many people can do that. My race license now has three upgrade stickers; it's getting awfully crowded.

Digital Fitchburg

2009-07-11T19:03:00.010-07:00

Winning the Fitchburg race meant a lot to me, so I contacted the local television station, FATV, for their footage of the race. I have their express permission to use clips of the video on this blog! I present the first five minutes of their coverage, including the call to the start. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the awards ceremony.

These are the last of the photos from the weekend: a few of me in the crit, and per request, some photos of me, Will (2nd) and Steve (3rd) on the podium. These photos are courtesy of teammates Katie Lovejoy PhD '09 and Zuzka Trnovcova '09. Enjoy!

On Flat Tires

2009-07-09T09:20:00.003-07:00

A friend mentioned that he was getting more flat tires on his bicycle. This is a common problem, so let me address it here.

I usually recommend the Continental GatorSkin series of tires for urban riding and light touring. They are a good compromise on durability, weight, and ride quality. They come in almost any size anyone needs, and even have a kevlar bead and a tubular variant. If you need the ultimate in durability, at the complete expense of weight and ride quality, go for the Specialized Armadillo series tires. I also enjoy the Michelin Lithion for training on nice roads, and race on the Michelin Pro 3 Race or any of Continental's high end tubulars.

Of course, all clincher tires may get flats regardless of your tire choice. Remember that all flats happen for a reason!

What kinds of flats are you getting? If you are getting pinch flats (a.k.a. snakebite, with two holes), then your tire pressure is too low. Remember to inflate your tires daily to the highest pressure advised by your rims and tires (at least 115 PSI on a road bike). If you're getting punctures, read on.
Are the tires worn? Every tire will get thinner over time, and thinner tires are more susceptible to flats. Tires typically last about 1000 miles, and less in more urban areas. Feel your tire; if the center of the tread feels thin or flat, it's time for new tires.
You will get more flats if it is wet. Water acts as a cutting fluid for debris. Make sure to avoid puddles and wet patches on the road.
Glass will work its way through a tire in due time. Every so often, use a safety pin to pick out pieces of glass stuck in a tire.
Staples, wires, and small nails are not always visible. If you keep getting slow leaks in the same spot, there is a hidden piece of debris. This is why I always mount tires with the manufacturer's sticker at the valve stem: you know the tire's orientation with respect to the tube, which allows you to check the area of the tire that was near the leak.
If your tire has a sidewall or casing cut, use a tire boot between the tube and tire. I recommend energy bar wrappers, as they're free and work very well. Currency works less well, and is expensive!

Your choice of route may influence the number of flat tires you get. Larger roads will always have more debris, in the form of sand, gravel, grass, and the like. Consider making your route 10% longer and avoiding big roads whenever possible. You'll have a happier ride, and increase tire life.

Glory

2009-07-05T16:51:00.002-07:00

I am the 2009 Category 3 overall race winner for the 50th Annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic.

At the start of the Fitchburg race, I wanted exactly two things. One, I wanted the rain to stop - it had been raining for an entire month! Two, I wanted to earn enough upgrade points to be a Cat 2. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was lucky to have a strong time trial performance, strong enough to gain some time on the field. I was just as lucky to maintain my lead through the circuit race, not get dropped on the road race climbs, and not fall victim to the two crashes in today's criterium. With that, I took home the leader's jersey, and the stage race win.

Nothing comes easily, and I wanted to make certain that I held my lead. I wrote numbers on my bike, calculated times, reviewed results, scrutinized the courses, and spent hours tuning three race bikes. I made sure that no breaks stuck, and did much of my own work. For this, I gained some respect in the field.

Winning the Cat 3 overall, with a few other placings, ought to be enough for my Cat 2 upgrade. I look forward to racing at the next level.

My heartfelt thanks go to the City of Fitchburg and the Fitchburg Cycling Club for organizing such a fantastic event; to the MIT Cycling Team (and headline sponsor FXDD) for helping me to race at this level; and to the good men in the Cat 3 field, who made it a good, fun, and (mostly) safe race.

(Photos and final results will be in a later post.)

More Of The Same

2009-07-04T12:07:00.002-07:00

So: Take yesterday's circuit race course. Scale it by about 500 percent. That's right: make it five times longer, and five times taller. (Only make it last for three times as long.) That's about what today's road race was like.

The brutal winter of 2009 convinced the State of Massachusetts to bury some power lines near the road that climbs Mount Wachusett, so the Longsjo race's notorious climb was not a factor. Points became incredibly contentious, as racers dueled for points every single lap. After two laps, I was able to pick out who were the good climbers. I made sure to keep them in check.

The weather was fabulous for bicycle racing, sunny and in the 80s. The race course, running through the woods, shielded us from the worst of the sun and wind. The big climb was exposed to both, so I compensated by pouring about 500mL of water over my head each lap.

I entered the race with the leaders jersey, and I wanted to hold on to it! I made certain that happened, by staying at the front of the pack and covering the few attacks that happened. The consensus was that I worked quite hard in the race, which is unusual for a race leader. Old habits die hard.

Michael, the other MIT Cat 3 in the race, did not finish. This means I don't have any teammates tomorrow! I was able to make a few friends today, including a tall gentleman on a black Soloist, who helped me stay toward the front. Thank you.

Our field was neutralized three times, and even stopped one of those times, to allow the juniors and the masters to pass. I guess young boys and old men are more feisty than the Cat 3 crowd.

At the finish, I decided to conserve my energy and not duel for the big stage win. I may have lost a few seconds doing so, but I'm still in yellow.

My goals for tomorrow's crit: don't crash, don't get dropped, and finish with the pack. I don't want points or the win. I want to keep my leader's jersey, and I want my Cat 2 upgrade. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow.

Now, where did I put that ice cream? Ah yes, here it is. Delicious.

An Unimpressive Finish, But Still First

2009-07-03T13:17:00.004-07:00

Logistics were delayed this morning, as I needed to pick up my leader's jersey, and then spend a long time pinning numbers to it. I know, I know: cry me a river. I like to have these little things done before leaving!

Today's circuit race was as I expected. It was an overgrown crit, with a long, shallow downhill and a sharp uphill finish. The race was unremarkable: my goals were to stay upright and finish with the lead, and I did just that. Racing was a little dicier than I would have liked at the end, so I finished far from the front. Meh. At least I get to hold on to the leader's jersey - which means I don't have to do any more pinning tomorrow!

As one of the race leaders, I had to do the whole (mandatory!) interview and podium procedure. The announcers asked me what I thought of the race (I'm glad there were no crashes), and how I thought I would do tomorrow (we'll see - I'm not a super climber). I even had my ceremonial podium moment, complete with photos.

Maybe this is why Lance enjoys winning?

So I Won The ITT...

2009-07-02T19:22:00.002-07:00

I've been looking forward to the Fitchburg race all week, nay, all month. I've been fiddling with bikes and doing lots of mental preparation. So, it's really encouraging that I did well in today's Men's Cat 3 ITT stage.

The TT bike received new, chicane-extension aerobars, and a wheel upgrade. Today, I used a Zipp 808 clincher front wheel (heavy!), and the usual Zipp 900 tubular disc in the rear. I had a 404 tubular, but I figured faster was better than lighter. I was right!

I looked at the junior's and master's results at work today. It looked like 19 minutes was the time to beat to place in the top 3, so I made that my goal. Although I passed four people (we were spaced at 30 second intervals), I failed to meet my personal goal by 5.40s. The 19:05.40 was still good for first place in the Cat 3 field, though. I voraciously consumed 100 grams of chocolate ice cream in celebration.

Tomorrow brings the 28 mile circuit race. It's a 3 mile loop, really an overgrown crit or something really similar to a Prospect Park race. My goal is to stay up and stay toward the front, trying to hold on to my lead. Of course, I have to wear a (mandatory!) leader's jersey, so I'll be a marked man. (At least I get a free shirt out of it.)

Thank you and goodnight.

Maps and Profiles - 50th Annual Fitchburg Longsjo Classic

2009-06-30T12:37:00.007-07:00

It's been a little while, but I'm back with my priceless race course maps, profiles, and commentary. This is a crucial part of my pre-race prep. Forewarned is forearmed.

First up, the ITT course. It has a few rolling hills, but with only one turnaround, it's a big ring out-and-back. This is an incredibly strategic stage in the race. I just hope the weather holds up - a flat disc is a useless disc.

The circuit race looks like a blast. There is a steady 100 foot rise every lap and at the finish to keep the hurt high, but the long straight descent means lots of jockeying for position and little to keep people's speed down.

This looks familiar: it's almost identical to the X-Pot road race, voted the most soul crushing race in the ECCC. The famous Wachussett finishing climb is gone, but that only helps big guys like me so much. The nasty 12% grade is still there. I just hope a 39-25 can get me up the hill. I may have to dust off the 28. Ouch. Look for big moves in the GC here. (Tech note: the start and finish are at different places. On the profile, from the start to the crosshairs is a typical lap, and from the crosshairs to the end is the last lap.)

This is what all crits should be like: a one mile romp up and down Main Street, with a little climb to keep everyone on edge. This race looks absolutely fabulous. Who knows - the field may even get lapped!

The weather in Massachusetts lately has been, well, a good reminder of why I'm moving to California. (I'm moving! More in a later blog post.) Let's see what the skies have in store. Honestly, I'm expecting lots of rain, and thus, lots of flats. Blech.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south between 4 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: A chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.

Race Report: USAC Collegiate Road National Championships

2009-06-29T04:56:00.003-07:00

I've taken a long time between entries here. I can describe Nationals in just a few words:

"I wasn't feeling great, the men were disorganized, and the weather didn't do us any favors. We got second place overall."

Oh well, what's done is done. I'm now spending many hours preparing for Fitchburg, so stay tuned!

Nationals, Day Zero: Fort Collins, CO

2009-05-07T20:32:00.002-07:00

No time for a real update, so look at photos instead! We pre-rode and drove the road course, and then I took a three-hour detour to drive up Trail Ridge Road.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jsoltren/ColoradoDayZero#

Race Report: EASTERNS

2009-05-07T18:58:00.002-07:00

This was a good weekend for MIT; although we didn't win the weekend, we did win the overall ECCC title, meaning that we are the number one cycling team in the Northeast! It was a less fantastic weekend for me, personally.

For starters, I was not feeling well going into this weekend. Be it allergies, a cold, or some form of H1N1, my lungs were full of mucus and I was feeling ache-y. Secondly, I was exhausted after driving all the way from MIT to State College; driving for eight hours was probably not the best idea. Finally, this was my second consecutive week of not riding enough. I think the mortgage folks have a good word for my performance this weekend: subprime.

The team trial, typically my strength, did not go well this weekend. The foggy, humid weather caused my visor to fog completely, leading to a bad turnaround and inability to see on the course. Communication and equipment issues made our run less smooth than I would have liked. We finished fourth.

The road race was easily the most difficult ride I've ever done, race or not. Every 21-mile lap featured 2,500 feet of climbing. I was able to hang with the pack for the first lap, but come lap two, I bonked. My heart rate and power numbers were telling me that I was not working hard, but I felt terrible! I was pulled after the third lap, not finishing the last lap of the race, and not placing in the points. We don't have hills like that Black Moshannon in Massacusetts. No fair.

Sunday's criterium was my redemption. It was fast from the gun. I raced strong, staying with the lead group and riding most of the pack off our wheel. Just as I was lining up for my end of race tactical move, bad luck struck. I got a flat, which caused me to take a spill on the last corner with two laps to go. The race was over. I finished in the points, but this result was a huge disappointment.

Hopefully, Nationals will be better for me!

Fun in store for this weekend at Easterns

2009-04-29T15:18:00.005-07:00

Let's see what fun is in store for this weekend.

The TTT is decidedly not flat. It's full of these 100-foot climb false flats. As long as we're wary of those, and have people sag climbing as needed I think that our rotation should work.

Oh... wow. The Men's A race is 85 miles of this up-and-down nonsense. I know exactly where the attack will be: on the first climb. Do I have what it takes to keep up with the anorexic climbers?

This crit is flat and has lots of corners, just like the one at Nationals. It should suit me well. There is no advantage to staying in the pack, as it will just get strung out and take those corners slowly.

This looks like a great weekend of racing! I just hope the weather cooperates!

State College, PA:
Friday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a low around 52. West wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before noon, then a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Race Report: ECCC MIT X-Pot

2009-04-29T13:06:00.003-07:00

Another weekend, another TTT victory! This weekend brought unseasonably warm temperatures (in the 80s) and plenty of sunshine to Westminster, MA for MIT's very own race weekend.

The weekend was off to a great start, with Team MIT leaving campus at 0530 to host our own race. The team time trial (now with four riders!) won by 15 seconds, instead of our usual margin on the order of tens of milliseconds.

For me, the rest of Saturday was downhill from there. I had an incredibly stressful week. I got insufficient sleep, no riding, and had to fly across the country for on-site interviews (which I bombed). I also had a big problem set, an exam, and plenty of bike work to keep me busy. Add in a thorough reaming by my advisor(s), and a similarly bad week for Jane, and there was little I could do to be prepared for the weekend. On top of all this, I sat (baked) in the sun for two hours marshalling, running out of water in the process.

I built my Roubaix road bike with lighter parts, less aggressive geometry, and a compact crank for this weekend's hilly road race on bad roads. The bike, weighing in at 16.0 lbs, was comfortable. Unfortunately, the handlebars and stem that I chose are super flexy, making me nervous. Ultimately, I just was in a poor state for the road race. After getting dropped the second time up the 16% grade, I pulled myself from the race. Tim finished 3rd, his best result this season.

Sunday was a better day for me. The morning was stressful. I manned the most busy intersection on the course as a marshal. It took me and a police officer to keep people from driving onto the crit course, and we still failed.

The criterium saw me back on my trusty Fuji. I've taken its solid ride for granted all season, but it's an ideal bike for me. Jason Sears joined us in the crit, helping to mix things up. Once again, the race winning break took off without me, but I did manage to finish a somewhat acceptable 9th.

The real highlight of the weekend was exterminating UVM's points lead. MIT is the ECCC champion going into Easterns. Will double points let us pull away from UVM once and for all? Will we be a D1 school next year? Stay tuned!

Race Report: ECCC Dartmouth Weekend

2009-04-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic week of racing. We won the Men's A TTT by 80 milliseconds, with three riders and two dropped chains. I soloed off the front of the crit for 40 minutes in the cold and rain. I got caught, but scopped up a ton of omnium points. In the hilly road race, a flat prevented me from catching the race winning break, but Tim won the field hill climb for 7th. Jane raced her first bike race ever, and won the Women's Intro road race by over 90 seconds! We're now scrambling for the MIT race weekend, which will be nothing short of awesome.

Dartmouth Course Profiles

2009-04-16T13:06:00.004-07:00

This looks like an amazing weekend of racing, and the weather is supposed to be nothing short of beautiful.

The TTT course will be a true test of will. The long flat sections favor raw power and aeroness, but there are two major climbs on the course that will test our ability to work together. I look forward to being the anchor that makes sure we go 60 MPH+ down those hills in full aero gear.

The crit looks short and fast. Lots of corners means that the pack will get really strung out, so I'll be relying on my strong cornering skills. There is a slight (3%) downhill going into turns 4 and 5. I just hope there are no crashes.

This looks like it could be the best race of the season. A long road course with some epic climbs. Where will the race-winning break happen? Who will drop who on those hills? I'm just glad that the weather calls for calm winds. The Men's A race, at over 70 miles, is long enough that nutrition is a huge strategic thing. I'll eat a big dinner for the next few nights!

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. West wind between 3 and 10 mph.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming northwest between 4 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Light north wind.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 28.

Race Report: ECCC Yale "Lux Et Velocitas" Weekend

2009-04-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

In summary: a mostly strong weekend for me. Cat 2 upgrade points: 7/25. MIT grows closer to being the top ECCC team.

This past weekend saw us racing in New Haven, CT, home of delicious Pepe’s pizza. Try their white clam pie if you get a chance. It’s quite good, well worth a 30 minute wait and riding in a rainy headwind with a pizza pie in your hand. (From experience.)

Saturday started with the last individual time trial of the season. This course offered climbing, cornering, and long straightaways. It really favored an all-rounder. I had a strong performance, the strongest TT performance I’ve had all season, to place third. I was just two seconds behind second place! Darn. The winner was over 20 seconds faster, so I still have some work to do.

The favorable morning weather turned to cold, rain, and wind for the afternoon’s circuit race. Our race was shortened to 90 minutes, which was still long enough to make me and many other riders seriously hypothermic. I decided to race with a rain jacket, which was a stupid idea. It made me less aero. I was working so hard to keep up with the pack, that I was toasted by the time the obvious race-winning break took off. I held on for a depressing 22nd place finish.

That race really took a lot out of me. I cracked yet another carbon tubular rim on the corners on the circuit – great, more money to spend. I forgot my rollers at the course. In general, I was just exhausted and cross for the rest of the evening. It’s no fun when you’re the only A rider and everyone else just wants to leave while you’re coming in from your race.

Sunday’s races were both late in the afternoon, giving me plenty of time to get homework done in the morning. The crit course was the bottom of the circuit course, so we were all familiar with it. In the Men’s A crit, I stayed toward the front of the pack and avoided doing work. I had a good, but not great, line into the finishing stretch, taking a barely acceptable 9th. As soon as that was done, I started warming up for the USAC Men’s 3 / 4 crit. I was absolutely spent from the Men’s A crit, but the pace was so slow in the second race that I just had to wait for the end. Repeating my first mistake, I had a poor line and, lacking a real sprint, got third.

I’m looking forward to the Dartmouth weekend coming up. There will be a TTT and a road race to really put us through our paces. I’m most excited about Jane’s first race. She’ll be doing the Women’s Intro road race on Sunday.

Yale Course Preview

2009-04-08T12:46:00.003-07:00

Dear Yale, thank you for providing MapMyRide.com versions of your courses. This allowed me to export them as .GPX tracks. I can view them in Topo USA to make profiles, and in Google Earth to do flyovers. You saved me a lot of work. Of course, you drew the circuit race backwards, but I suppose no one is perfect. Sincerely, Jose

The ITT course, as viewed from above, looks like a squid. It's only four miles long, but those four miles will be painful. There are lots of rolling hills that only get steeper at the end, like a sinusoid multiplied by an exponential. I need to remember to attack the climbs super hard, and recover on the downhills. I'll be riding the lightest and most aero equipment I can find, incorporating some of my aforementioned optimizations (i.e. no chammy butter).

This looks like my kind of circuit race. The 4.3 mile circuit features a wall every lap, followed by a long, fast, curvy descent. (The descent is not as bad as it looks; Topo doesn't know how to deal with bridges.) Depending on the wind direction, that long road section on the west side of the course could bring the pack together. If the roads are narrow, then the terrain will offer strategic advantages. The finish of this race, after 2 hours for the A racers, is the last 1.3 miles of the ITT course above. Ouch. I'm more of a climber than a sprinter, though.

The crit course overlaps heavily with the circuit race course. Everyone will know the turns and the ideal lines really well, so I'm guessing this will be a hard, fast race. The slight uphill finish suits me well. The Men's A race, 60 minutes long starting at 2:25pm, will be ideal practice for the USCF 3-4 race at 4:30pm. I'm looking for Cat 2 upgrade points in that 3-4 race. It looks like a beautiful course, round and round around a park. I just hope that the roads are closed. With the yellow line rule, it's one narrow lane for the whole course. With the road closed, it's two lanes the whole way.

Race Report: ECCC Army Weekend

2009-04-07T12:22:00.006-07:00

We welcomed the shorter than usual drive to West Point, NY for this weekend's racing.

The Team Time Trial was the first event this weekend. We fielded two A teams in an effort to see who was in contention for nationals. In doing this, we went in knowing that we would probably not do well. It appears that this was not the case: with good team work and a little luck, MIT's Men's A TTT teams placed first and third, with my team emerging victorious. We beat UVM by a tiny margin.

The circuit race and the crit were instances of deja vu. Once again, the race winning break took off without me. In the circuit, it was the usual Lipka/Frey/UVM/USMA combination that stuck. I got tired of braking on the descent, so I soloed away about two thirds of the way into the race. Steve from USMA bridged, and together, we took 7th and 8th. In the crit, I did not race intelligently, dragging the pack with me wherever I went - even when I caught Frey. The break that did stick was not the one I expected, so even though I followed my strategy, it did not work.

The hill climb time trial had its ups and downs. The ups included 750 feet of climbing, and me setting a new power record of 421W for 10 minutes, or a little over 5 W/kg. I could have gone harder, and with experience, could have done better. Tim beat my time by a few seconds.

It was an excellent weekend for the team, however. We placed first overall, and we're almost the top ranked ECCC team now. Laura Ralston had a perfect weekend and is moving up to the A's. I also outsprinted a train (photograph courtesy of Tony Laidig).

Absurd Weight Savings

2009-03-31T06:18:00.002-07:00

I've been spending too much brainpower lately thinking about all of the ridiculous optimizations I can make for this Sunday's hill climb time trial (HCTT). At about 181 lbs these days, I need every advantage I can get. Here are a few of my silly ideas.

Weigh all of my rideable socks, and wear the lightest pair.
Possibly forego the heart rate monitor.
Weigh the skin suit, a jersey, and my shorts, and pick the lightest setup.
Pin my number on with only four safety pins, and/or make a minimalist frame number.
Remove water bottle cage bolts and headset top cap.
Use my Zipp 404s (lightest wheels I have) with the lightest skewers I have.
Remove springs from skewers.
Fill tires with helium.
Clean the bike - dirt is heavy.
Forego sunglasses and gloves. (I don't use chammy cream, bit I would forego that, too.)
Remove front derailleur and just rock the small ring (probably not happening).
Diet aggressively this week to get the weight down.
Warm up with too many layers to shed as much water weight as possible.
Use lightest possible computer. Does the Quark work with the PowerTap head? It should.
Use the Roubaix instead of the Aloha for the weekend? It might be lighter.

I don't think I'll do all of these, but I'm always thinking.

Army Race Profiles

2009-03-30T16:28:00.008-07:00

As always, here is the week's pre-race conspiring. We have some more interesting courses than usual this week. (As an aside, minus points to Army for having really awful maps in their flyer. I can only hope that I re-drew these routes correctly. I did the best I could.

This TTT is as challenging as MIT's practice Dover course, if not moreso. It's constant ups and downs. My weight will pull the TTT team down the hills, but I just hope I don't hold us up on the climb. I'll use my Zipp disc if it's here in time. This course needs a real balance of power and lightness, ideally suited for all-rounders heavy enough to go downhill fast. This should be a really interesting race. Men's A: roughly 8:15.

The circuit race features a nasty climb every lap. Indeed, this is a climber's race, though the long-ish downhill may serve to benefit the pack. The hill is the place to watch for the inevitable attacks. I'll try to be toward the front of the pack to use my superb descending skills. Men's A: roughly 3:30pm. 80 minutes.

And there it is: the HCTT. I'll be staring at my power meter for this race, staying within zone so as to not burn out too fast. I'm a decent climber, especially for my weight, and hundreds of hours on the PowerCranks should pay off here. I'm looking for a strong result. Men's A: roughly 8:20am.

We'll end the weekend with another dead-flat crit, reminiscent of this past weekend at Philly. It can get pretty windy by that river, too. It looks like a fun course with a few really sharp corners, but otherwise little to filter the pack. Men's A: roughly 3:00pm. 60 minutes.

In terms of the weather, it looks like there is little chance for more dreaded springtime rain:

Friday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.
Sunday Night: A chance of rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Race Report: ECCC Philadelphia Weekend

2009-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

In summary: a disappointing weekend for me, but a good weekend for Team MIT.

Another all-too-familiar six hour drive brought Team MIT to Philadelphia, PA for a weekend of racing hosted by Temple, U. Penn, and Drexel. Many thanks to Max Feldman of U. Penn for hosting four of us, saving us a hotel room.

Saturday’s road race was on a familiar course for me; it was disappointing that the result of the race was familiar too. All of the people I marked as being likely participants in a breakaway ended up staying in the pack. In the second lap (of four), the attacks that formed the race-winning breakaway formed, and the pack did nothing – at all – to counter. At the end of the race, there was a pack sprint, which is not my strength. I knew in that second lap that the race was over; the rest of the race just became an increasingly irritating Saturday group ride. To be fair, I was spending too much time in the wind, and felt absolutely horrible. I suspect a mild stomach virus.

Sunday morning’s team time trial played on my strengths. The long, flat course was the first time that I worked with Guo-Liang Chew, Tim Humpton, and Mike Garrett in a TTT. We took the course conservatively, on account of the rain, and came in second place to Princeton in the Men’s A. I think we can win this race in the future.

The weather improved for the Sunday afternoon criterium, with temperatures in the 60s and sun. Frustrated by the laziness of the Men’s A pack, I joined the only breakaway in the race and stayed off with about four other guys for most of the race. Of course, none of the power sprinters were in the break, and – for the first time I’ve seen – the pack decided to work. We were caught, and it came down to a pack sprint, which is again not my strength. At least I put on a good show for 30 minutes.

After placing every weekend to date, this was a frustrating weekend of racing. I missed the move on Saturday, and got caught on Sunday. Oh well. I’m looking forward to more climbing and time trials next weekend at Army.

Philly Phlyer Race Profiles

2009-03-25T11:48:00.005-07:00

U. Penn, Temple, and Drexel are hosting another beautiful weekend of ECCC racing in Philadelphia, PA, in Fairmount Park on the Schuylkill (Schoolgirl!) River. Forewarned is forearmed, so here are my thoughts on the courses.

This circuit race is one of the very few ECCC courses that I've done before (the other being Columbia). That long flat section could be great for establishing a break if no one is chasing, or could be the place where the pack comes back together if the wind is going the wrong way. The A field gets to go around the 6.5 mile course five times. My prediction is that a break will form early on around the course's major climb, which may or may not get caught. No matter what, the long, uphill finish is longer than even I would like. Like last year, the attacks will start on that very last climb, and the pace will get ever faster to the line. Cornering skills will help in two places: after the start for the left onto the river, and after the hill for the right back on to the river. The Men's A start time is about 3:20pm - so late!

The Team Time Trial course is about 8.5 miles long and dead flat, except for a section at the start and finish. Without a disc wheel to use, I'll be riding my Tri Spoke wheels. The wind could make things interesting. Aerodynamics will matter more than anything, so I think Team MIT will do well here. The Men's A start time is 8:30am.

This is a weird little crit course. If it is going clockwise as I believe it might, there will be a slight downhill finish. The Men's A field will go from the gun for 50 minutes, trying to wear out as many riders as possible before the finish. A good start is key. I believe this course is so short, flat, and empty, that you can see one side of it from the other. Cornering and pack skills are crucial to conserving energy for that inevitable final sprint. The Men's A start time is 2:50pm.

That crit is going to be nothing short of terrifying if the weather turns wet. Flats and crashes everywhere. I can only hope for the best.

Saturday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Race Report: ECCC Delaware Weekend

2009-03-23T11:15:00.003-07:00

Road race: 7/41 at 3m10s behind. 40 pts.
ITT: 34/34 at 15:59.99. (Should be 2/34 at 11:22.00 and 70 pts.)
Criterium: 4/30, 53 pts.

A six-hour drive from MIT brought us to beautiful Delaware, featuring milder temperatures than we have in the Northeast. The weather was beautiful all weekend, with sun, calm winds, and temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Many thanks to our gracious hosts, Senator and Mrs. Carper (!).

Saturday’s 68 mile road race was my first Men’s A race. I did not know what to expect from this stronger, more experienced field. Would attacks stick? Would the field counter-attack? Expecting the field to work harder than a B field, I allowed the race-winning breaks to leave early. About halfway through, when it seemed that the pack was soft-pedaling, I attacked. Just as I caught one of the chase groups, a Maryland state police officer almost killed us! Apparently, he didn’t know that there was a bicycle race going on, and, less than impressed by our aggressive, race-style riding, tried to run us off the road. I left the chase group, and rode solo for 90 minutes. I never caught the race leaders, but the pack never caught me. My 7th place finish tells me that I still have a few things to learn about racing.

The Individual Time Trial on Sunday morning should have been my shining moment, but instead, it was a disaster. A HED disc wheel that I purchased through Craigslist, broke, and apparently unsuccessfully repaired, failed at the start. The hub delaminated from the wheel, again, making it impossible to ride. I learned two important lessons. One, always pre-ride race equipment. I did not have a chance to do a proper warm-up. Two, I found out about USAC rule 3E5(b) the hard way: “The rider shall be held by an official at the start, but shall neither be restrained nor pushed. No restarts are permitted.” I was not given a restart for my wheel mishap. My time on the course was 11m22s. This would have put me in second place, and with a disc and proper warmup, I could have beaten Lipka for first. Damnit! At least the wind tunnel folks can use a broken disc wheel.

“Men’s A Criterium” is a scary string of words. The Delaware course, 0.5mi long, featured a tighter-than-90-degree bend at the bottom of a steep hill, and an uphill finish. Numerous crashes and delays caused our race to start 3 hours late. At our start, the guy in front of me failed to clip in, causing me to have yet another bad start. The race winning solo attacks took off early. Whenever I attacked, UVM countered and blocked. Taking control, I sat at the front of the pack, sat on the climbs, cornered hard, sprinted early up the hill, and took fourth. I’m a marked man now.

This was a great weekend, and I’m looking forward to Philly. I just hope I can find a disc in time!

Pre-Race Conspiring: Delaware Race Weekend

2009-03-18T14:05:00.005-07:00

It looks like six hours of driving will lead to quite a race weekend in Newark, DE.

Oh hell. My first Men's A race is this monstrosity. We get to do this loop four times, just barely escaping the definition of a "circuit race" and making this a "road race". A 68-mile race is going to make this a war of attrition. The rider who has the best sprint after being in the saddle for about 2h30m is going to win. I'm going to try to ride smart: save energy, stay fueled, hide from the wind. My goal is to chase down exactly one attack: the one which forms the race-winning breakaway.

This here is the Delaware "lollipop" time trial course in all its glory. Time trialing is my strength, so I'll be looking for a strong performance here. Aero equipment is legal in the A's. All of that climbing makes me really wonder what the ideal combination of equipment is for this course. My tri-spoke is lighter than my disc, so the tri-spoke may very well make an appearance this weekend! Sometimes, having more equipment options is a curse. Aero or weight? That is the question. I need to pull out the scale.

When the Delaware folks said that this crit was on a new part of campus, they meant it. Of the major mapping solutions, only Google Maps knew about these roads - and even then, only the big ones. Using my usual trickery, I was able to re-create the roads very nicely in Topo. This looks like a very fast course, with an acute bend left at the bottom of a hill and an uphill finish. Hopefully this will be a course where individual strength and technique is enough to escape the pack.

With that said, who are the riders to watch? Anyone whose time beat mine in the Rutgers ITT is definitely someone to watch. That would be Josh Lipka (UNH blue, 153), Nick Frey (Princeton orange, 169), and Dan Cassidy (UVM yellow, 100). Points leader Eric Schlidge (Dartmouth green, 173) and strong finisher Thomas Coupe (UNH, 186), as well as Alex Bremer (Columbia blue, 161) are on the list as well. Of course, at this level it's anyone's race, but I'll be watching UVM and UNH closely for obvious team tactics.

Race Report: ECCC Columbia/Stevens Weekend and Cat++

2009-03-16T11:30:00.002-07:00

Columbia and Stevens delivered an action-packed weekend of racing this past weekend. With cool spring temperatures, and even some sun on Saturday, all three of my races this weekend offered plenty of learning opportunities.

Columbia hosted the Grant’s Tomb criterium, on the usual course near their campus. The course had a long enough downhill section that let the pack easily catch any attempts at making a break. Sure, you could get some distance on the three corners just after the start, but the real strategic component was the long rise to the finish line. I took the conservative approach in the Cat 4 race in the morning, staying with the pack of mostly local NYC racers and a few collegiate riders hoping to earn some quick upgrade points. I chased down a couple of attacks, and made sure to stay toward the front of the pack and away from the crashed, but tried to hide from the wind. The last lap was fast, but with a good line, I was able to come around the lead group on that long rise to the finish, taking a conclusive first place in my second-ever road victory.

The afternoon’s Collegiate B race featured a smaller, but more aggressive field. Averaging 2 MPH faster than the morning race, numerous attacks failed as the pack picked up speed on the descent. I pulled more than I should have, trying to stay ahead of the pack with too much success. UVM’s Lee Peters (315, won the Rutgers circuit) and Marshall Ambros (320, second at the Princeton crit) were the riders to watch. Stupidly, I let Lee and a few UVM buddies pull away in the last lap. I came around everyone but Lee, finishing second.

We thought the Stevens crit would be a disorganized mess; we were pleasantly disappointed! The race, new this year, was a dream for anyone whose strengths included time trials, cornering, and descending. An uphill start/finish led to a hard right, a winding 15% downgrade, a wide right, and a 15% upgrade to the finish. The winning tactic was to leave the pack and take the corners fast. I had a poor start, and worked for many laps to get ahead of the pack. By the time I got there, Marshall was way off the front, and Lee was right on my wheel. Taking the descent and corner harder than anyone, I managed to open a gap for second place, never catching Marshall.

Two first place and two second place finishes to date were just enough to net me an upgrade to Men’s A and Category 3, my first major upgrade since 2003. I’ll be mixing it up with the big boys next weekend in Delaware.

A special thanks to my mother, who graciously hosted me and two other riders, treated us to dinner, and endured an hour-long subway ride to cheer on Team MIT. She is pleased to see so many female racers, and wonders how bicycles can go so fast.

Usual Pre-Race Detective Work

2009-03-13T10:33:00.005-07:00

Looks like the ECCC races will offer two more criteriums this weekend: one at Columbia, the other at Stevens. I did my usual pre-race investigation using DeLorme Topo USA 7.0, though the amount of information Google Earth and Google Maps can give you about the "look and feel" of a course is really impressive.

The Columbia crit has three hard corners and one wide one. The sprint is on a slight uphill, and there is a short climb in every lap. I'm just hoping that the roads won't destroy my race wheels. After all, New York City has a reputation to maintain, and the city's streets have never disappointed me in their ability to destroy high-end race equipment.

The Stevens crit is new this year. I hope I drew it correctly, I wasn't positive which way the course ran. Either way, there are three real corners and an uphill finish. These courses are fairly similar in the number of turns and finishes. I wonder how this will affect pack strategy.

Really, I just want to start racing A's as soon as possible.

Race Report: ECCC Princeton/Rutgers Weekend

2009-03-10T11:39:00.005-07:00

(All future race reports will be 500 words or less in length.)

This weekend brought sunshine, warm temperatures, a lack of rain, and the first weekend of glorious ECCC bicycle racing! Rutgers hosted an Individual Time Trial on Saturday morning and a circuit race on Sunday afternoon. Princeton hosted a criterium on campus Saturday afternoon. Team MIT drove five hours each way for these races – but UVM drove even longer, and McGill longer still (though they had a motor coach).

In short: I won the Men’s B ITT and Crit, but my performance on Sunday was sub-par.

Time trials are my specialty. They’re so simple: just hop on the bike, hammer, and wait. Considering that this was a “no aero” time trial, I spent an awfully long time obsessing about aerodynamic details. The Fuji Aloha CF2 aero frame and Zipp 404 tubulars were perfect for the race. I removed the bike’s bottle cages, taped over the bottle holes, and donned my skinsuit and shoe covers. My 5:45.23 time over the 2.8 mile course with two corners was enough to win the Men’s B category and set a new course record. Unfortunately, it was a fast day, and three of the Men’s A riders were faster. My victory photo shows that my position could have been way better. I look like I’m on a training ride. Geez. I averaged about 460W, or 5.6 W/kg. Not a personal best.

I didn’t think I was any good at criteriums until I won this one. The pack was taking the wide turns slower than I could alone. (Tubulars corner like they’re on rails.) When I saw two UVM guys off the front and not getting any closer, I knew it was time to start working. I won three of the four prime sprints, and took the win by half a wheel. I set some new power records here, too. A sincere thank you UVM for working with me. You have some impressively strong guys.

I wasn’t feeling all that great for Sunday’s circuit race. Road conditions forced a reverse running of the course, turning a long uphill finish into a long downhill into the wind every lap. I soloed off the front for most of the race, before being caught by a UVM-led pack and being spit out the back. I had no punch left for the pack sprint, not that I had any to begin with – time trial specialist.

There was a jersey for the omnium (omnicide?) winner in each category. I would have won if it was based on time as advertised, but the organizer gave it to the points leader due to lack of timing data.

7 upgrade points to Cat 3/Men’s A earned. 13 to go. My goal is to go to Nationals, so I need to race hard to get there.

Allen Lim's Rice Cakes

2009-03-04T17:48:00.003-08:00

I'm whipping up a delicious batch of Allen Lim's Rice Cakes in preparation for glory at this weekend' ECCC Rutgers/Princeton races. This famously simple recipe only calls for short grain rice, eggs, prosciutto, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese, and Bragg's liquid aminos. It is delicious, wonderfully balanced, provides all kinds of macronutrients, and is quite cheap for cycling food. Directions: Cook. Blend. Wait. Cut. Wrap. Unwrap. Consume.

Best of all, these are delicious. Compare PowerBars: expensive and non-delicious.

Race Report: Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial

2009-03-02T20:31:00.005-08:00

So, the first "race" of the season was the Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial, held at MIT sponsor shop Landry's Bicycles this past weekend. It was straight out of Triplets of Belleville: head-to-head stationary trainer racing, though fortunately, without the mafia. Having done two very hard rides the two days before, I did not set a personal record, but still managed to place 1st in the collegiate category (of 23 male starters) and 3rd overall (of 131 male starters).

The CompuTrainer race simulated the last 10km of the Boston Marathon in reverse, with adjustments for rider weight. I completed the course in 17m08.47s, two minutes behind the two leaders (boo!) but ahead of everyone else (yay!). Hopefully this bodes well for the upcoming race season.