Hosting Aaron's Pro Cycling Team

My family and I had the great pleasure of hosting the Aaron's pro cycling team this weekend for the National Criterium Championships. This is the third year my family has done so and we really enjoy it. They are very enjoyable to be around, socializing with my whole family including my young son and daughter. A teammate of mine hosted a few of the riders from the team and they really enjoyed their family's dog. They share their stories and enjoy our stories, as well. It is a rewarding experience and one that we will continue year after year. Thanks Carmen, Brian, Kat, Meredith, and Erica for staying with us. Also, thanks to Rebecca, Carmen and Anna who stayed at my teammates house.

So, in summary, we had a blast this weekend!! So... how do you get started hosting a team? I am not sure the best way, but I can let you know how we did it. When Elk Grove was planning their first cycling event, I found out they were looking for host families. I talked to my wife about it and we decided to take a chance. We were given a choice on hosting 2 couples from different teams or to take 6 people from one team. We decided to take in 5 riders and 1 director. It ended up being only 5 because one of the team members stayed with a friend. It was a great decision we made. We had a wonderful time. We have continued every year since.

I know that Superweek was looking for host families this year. I would imagine there are still opportunities to host teams for Elk Grove and Downers Grove. I would suggest contacting Special Events Management and/or Elk Grove Village Hall regarding being a host family if you are interested. I have yet to hear of someone having a bad experience.

Please feel free to leave your host family experiences in the comments.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 3

Wow... Today was a great day! It could have been better, but I am happy with the results and what it could mean for the rest of my season. Also, we could not have asked for a nicer day to race.

This course had about 40 feet of climbing ever lap which was about 3/4 of a mile. The course had 6 turns. The first turn was fine, turn 2 was a bit hairy if you took the wrong line or too fast as it was off a down hill and the exit of the turn had a concrete wall. Turn 3 was also downhill but a much easier turn. Turn 4 and 5 came one right after the other off the downhill. After turn 5, the road turned up with varying grades, with the steepest grade of around 8% right before turn 6. The surprise came after turn 6 going up the false flat to the start finish.

With the hill on the course, I wasn't expecting too much as I am not the lightest rider at about 195 right now. The race started at a pretty easy pace, but it sped up pretty quickly. I concentrated on staying in the top 10. After a few laps, a prime was called. With where the start finish line was, I had no thoughts of taking a prime, but I thought I could help pick up the pace, so I went to the front for the downhill. Well, in turn 2, I learned that you didn't want to take that turn too fast or start the turn too early. I thought I wasn't going to make the turn. I did make the turn, but I had swallow as my heart was up in my throat. On the brighter side, I had a lot of speed that I carried down the course. After turn 6, the guys going for the prime went around me and I tagged on to a few guys that went around.

Pretty much after that, I was just trying to hold position by taking agressive moves on the downhill and just spinning up the hill without giving up too many positions. Over the course of the race, we cut the field down to 12 riders. Mid race, I found a good line to take down the hill, but somehow lost the line as I got more tired. Also, I learned that spinning it up the hill in my 53/23 or 53/25 was the best way to conserve my legs, especially after the previous 2 days of racing.

I ended up coming in at the end of the 12 person group. Considering I felt it was a possibility that I might get dropped, I was happy with the result. I was disappointed that I finished 2 spots out of the money. It is hard to have great results when you have such low expetations and negative thoughts. One guy watching the race noticed that I was actually making up ground on the hill. If I approached the hill with more confidence, I would have been more relaxed and possibly finished better.

With my racing this weekend, I didn't get great results, but I got in great intervals and it gave me a lot of confidence going into the Winfield race weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 2

Today was a frustrating day, but I got a GREAT workout. Today's race was on the same course as yesterday except the wind was out of the south instead of the east like the day before. Also, the wind was stronger. I figured with the wind that a break wouldn't be able to stay away. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong.

I found myself without teammates today, so I decided to see how things would pan out and make decisions along the way. Right away, as the race started, the pace was faster than the day before. In one of the first few laps, a break of 2 got a way. For quite a while, the field kept the break at around 10 seconds, but then the break started to increase the gap. At this point, I decided that I would put in hard efforts to try to bring the break back and encouraged others to help out. I started pulling about 1/2 of the next 5 laps. Now, it was the stretch with the wind and the other stretch was downhill, so it was the easiest part to pull, but you don't put a 190lb, 6 foot 2 inch guy with broad shoulders to pull up a hill or into the wind. There were a few other guys that decided to help, but very few. Thanks to those that helped try to bring the break back. It was all for not as the break caught the field with 4 to go.

I was spent by the time the finish came around from the time I spent chasing the break, so I only managed 13th out of a field of around 25.

On a brighter note, one of the guys I coach won the Cat 5 Masters race. We went over the plan before the race and he executed it perfectly.

Next on the schedule is Batavia. I have no idea what to expect for this race. It is a very technical course, so taking a technical course with a Cat 4 field is always a little nerve wracking.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 1

Today was the first of 3 races put on by ABD. The first 2 races are in Wood Dale and the 3rd is in Batavia. The course today was downhill between turns 1 and 2 and uphill between 3 and 4. Also, the wind was from the east so it was with the riders going down the downhill and against the riders going up the upslope.

I wasn't sure how this race was going to go, but I had decided not to attack early and wait to see what opportunities present themselves at the end. The race had its normal eb and flow. I found it easy to move up after turn 2 if I was able to get a good line through the turn so I didn't have to brake. I found that I could take this turn faster than the others, so I filed that away in the memory banks. There was a big crash between turns 3 and 4 which went completely across the road. It started on the left and went like a domino across the road. If I remember correctly, there was a rider who almost saved it by riding to his right, but he lost control as he reached the right side of the road and 2 or 3 riders fell on top of him. I can tell I am over my fear of crashing as I made smart moves to miss the crash, but didn't have the normal post crash adrenaline crash. I hope everyone was OK from the crash as I know a Team Mack rider had to go get x-rays. Also, I heard there was a bad crash in another race. I hope everyone is ok from that crash as well. Ok, back to the race...

A couple of brakes got off the front and a few actually looked somewhat promising as there were 4 riders in one break, but the field never let them get very far. Without any dominant teams, there wasn't much chance of anyone getting away. I will say that Albertos probably did the best job of doing some amount of teamwork. Kudos.

Anyway, with 3 to go, I moved up in the field and felt really good going into the last few laps. I started thinking that I would have Mike lead me out at the beginning of the lap or I would lead him out. When the field took the bell, I told Mike to catch my wheel. Unfortunately, he didn't hear me. I took off and flew through the first 2 turns. I should have pedaled more through turn 2 but I had a good gap. As soon as I came out of turn 2, I caught a stiff gust of wind. That was a bit of a bad break, but it wouldn't have mattered. I snuck a peak half way between turn 2 and 3 and saw I had a gap of at least 100 meters, probably a bit more, but the pack was charging fast. I thought with about 1/4 of a mile left, I might have a chance. As soon as I took turn 3 into the wind, I knew that was it. I let up a bit and tried to catch a wheel as the field came up. No dice. I had nothing left. I ended limping in at around 30th.

I have no regrets about trying the flyer. It was worth a shot. Now, I have to take a look at the wind tomorrow and strategize what to try tomorrow.

First Race of the Season & other updates

I had my first race of the season yesterday. It was a blast. First, kudos to Burnham Racing for putting on a great race at a great venue. These guys need to right a book on how to put on your first race as this was the first race for this team.

I raced the masters 4/5 & cat 3/4. Since I haven't lost the weight
using the "hope" diet (I hope I lose the weight), I had modest goals.
For the masters 4/5, I decided I would be aggressive and see what
would happen. I attacked a few times, bridged to a solo break and won the prime. I was cooked after the prime. There were only 2 laps left after the prime which wasn't enough time for me to recover and get good position for the finish at this time of the year so my final position wasn't very good. That is ok because I did exactly what I planned.

For the second race, I had much more modest goals. I knew the pace
would be faster so I decided to sit in and hang on. I had not tested
my fitness so I thought this would be a good plan. I rode the race
near the back and watched a number of riders get popped, especially
during the last 2 laps. I passed at least 15 guys during the final
400 meters to take... 49th. :-). It wasn't about the place; it was
about ralizing how much I had left. Again, I accomplished my goal for
the race.

Considering my weight is still high and I have less than 1000 miles in
my legs this year, I have to give most of the credit to my new bike,
my new Specialized Tarmac Pro. I love it. It really made a big
difference. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds as I
lose wait and my form improves.

Also, it was fun to watch the riders I am coaching. While they are at
different abilities, I felt they did extremely well!

Bartlett Cyclocross - Sunset Park

Yesterday, I attended the inaugural Sunset Park Cyclocross Race in Bartlett, IL. This was the first 'Cross race I have ever attended. I was impressed!! The race organizers did a great job. You can find pictures of the Cat 4a and 4b races at:

http://cycling.smugmug.com

The weather was great and the course was varied. The one thing I noticed was that the barriers were on uphill sections and the riders that ran up the hill after the barriers before remounting generally did better than the riders that tried to remount immediately after clearing the last barrier. These riders almost came to a complete stop. This is merely an observation as I am a 'cross novice who has never actually raced 'cross.

Also, I noticed that the riders that were able to take the tight right turn before the short steep climb, were able to make up positions/distance on other riders.

Also, you can find the results to the race at:

http://chicrosscup.com/results07/ABD_Oct_29_2007.htm

Good luck to all riders in the next 'cross race in St. Charles.

Last Race of the Year

For me, at least. This coming weekend, I have a USA Cycling Level 2 Coaching Seminar that I will be attending so that I can become a Level 2 coach and to better serve my athletes. Back to the race...

Mike, Paul and I all lined up for the race in Lombard. This race was very unusual as I was actually on time and Mike and I beat Paul to the race, so it already started out as a little bit of a strange day. I didn't have my normal pre-race jitters. I have had a stressful week, so I guess the stress of this race didn't compare, especially since I didn't have high expectations. Translation... I didn't come in with a positive attitude which usually doesn't help.

We take off after normal instructions. We find out very quickly that the wind is very strong, especially between turns 3 and 4. There are a number of attacks off the front, but a break wasn't going to stick with this wind... or so we thought. Evidently, a rider got off the front and with a lot of riders attacking, most riders didn't realize that there was a rider still off the front until after the race was over. Very impressive performance for this young rider from Turin.

The rest of the pack stayed together. It was a normal race where if you sat in the middle of the pack, you faded back so you move to the outside of the pack and moved up. This work very well until minute 32 into the race when I started to run out of gas. I haven't been riding a lot, so it started to catch up with me. I did my best to catch my breath but by the time I did, it was too late to move up and I finished in the bottom half at 39 out of about 60. The good news was that Paul finished 5th and I am pretty sure he sits 3rd overall in the Cat 4 Fall Fling overall going into the road race.

This was a bit of a disappointing season, but it was to be expected. I took the winter off last year as I let work and a crash become excuses as to why I didn't get on my bike. That won't happen this winter. Now that I am a coach, I have to set an example for my athletes. I will be strictly completing my workouts in my program just as I expect from my athletes. I will talk about my goals for next year in a separate post, but let's just say that I will not be the same rider come next spring.

Kenosha Race Report

After doing 70 miles yesterday, I wasn't expecting too much in my race(s) on Sunday. With that said, I was encouraged by my new found "oneness" with the bike with my new Speedplay X2 pedals that I picked up along with new cleats. My old cleats and pedals were over 2 years old with at least 8000 miles on them. The X5 pedals I had were so badly worn that you could bend the it back and forth a bit between the pedal and the spindle. Thanks to Spin Doctor Cyclewerks for determining the cause of the squek and figuring out a way to remove my cleats from my shoes (the screw headss were so worn I couldn't get them out). I went in with a squeak. The identified the problem as the pedals. We figured we would try to lube them first, but after evaluating the pedals, it was determined that new pedals were the best way to go. Anyway, I tried the new pedals on Thursday's ride and immediately noticed an improvement, so that gave me a little bit of confidence going into today's race(s).

Paul and I drove up to Kenosha. We stopped and had lunch at my favorite spot to have lunch, Noodles. We got to the race about 90 minutes before the Cat 4 race time and got about 25 minutes of a warm up in. The wind was strong out of the SE, which we knew would affect the racing. All of the major players competing in the Tour of WI/IL were there. Right on time, we started our race of 45 minutes plus 2 laps.

I wasn't sure how this race was going to go, but it became quit apparent that there weren't going to be many attacks and they weren't going to be taken seriously. The wind was sure to kill any break, at least at the Cat 4 level. I also determined that you could be anywhere in the pack and still be within striking distance of the front with only 21 riders in the race. So... the race was relatively easy in that I felt strong for the finish.

With about 5 minutes left, Paul and I were at the back. Paul seemed a little concerned with this, but I told him we were fine. We would move up soon enough. We got the bell lap and the pace was pretty tame. I was in the top half. We came around turn 2 and the field slowed dramatically and I coasted in behind the 2 lead riders, but I was boxed in as they just had shut down the inside line, so I moved to the left to catch more of the draft. That was a bad move because the lead riders moved over and a train of riders came screaming through on the right. I managed to catch the end of that train, but had to give it a hard effort as I had lost all my momentum coasting up to the lead riders. I came into the home stretch and got passed by 2 other riders. Not exactly the way I wanted to end the race, but considering I am still at least 15 lbs more than last year, it was an uphill (slight incline), and I rode 70 miles yesterday, I can't really expect my legs to have or show a lot of snap. Lombard has a slight downhill finish, so I am looking forward to that. Anyway, Paul finished 3rd to hold onto his 4th place finish in the Tour of WI/IL. Congrats, Paul!!! I finished 9th.

Paul and I decided to do the Cat 3 race, also. This race was much harder with about the same number of racers (20). From the start there were many attacks. The accelerations were taking their toll on Paul and I. Paul told me that he considered dropping out at 20 minutes. I considered dropping out at 25 minutes. About the time we were thinking about dropping out, a break of 4 guys was up the road, never to be seen again. We also had a couple of DNF's and a few dropped riders well into the race. Again, Paul and I found ourselves at the back, but we moved up soon enough; one of us more than the other ;-). Going into the bell lap, Paul found himself at the front and I was fourth wheel. Paul pulled halfway through the backstretch when someone attacked. I responded with everyone else. After turn 3, the pace slowed again. I had a clear line up the inside, but thought I should wait a bit. That was a mistake because in retrospect, that would have been a perfect move. Someone else decided to take it as riders came screaming up the inside. I tried to re-accelerate as best I could, but I was pretty cooked at this point. I finished 13th and Paul finished 15th. Not bad for a couple of 4's that already raced once that day.

All in all, it was probably one of my best races this year. That isn't saying a lot, but it is encouraging for next year. I am sure if I don't take 6 months off from the bike this winter, that I will be much stronger next year.

Next up is my last race of the year which it the Fall Fling Crit #1.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog!! You will find 2 main topics of conversation: race reports & cycling. Feel free to post comments. I welcome open debate, constructive criticism, and positive comments.