Uwharrie Wheelmen Road Race

Amy and I headed to New London on Saturday to race in the Uwharrie Wheelemen Road Race. Conveniently located at least an hour or more from everywhere else, the course was in the rolling farmland just north of Albemarle.

The Category 5 racers tend to be the figurative roosters of the bunch, often going off as the first races of the day. I was still bundled up for our 9am start. Fortunately for Amy, her race started after lunch, allowing her to enjoy the first-day-of-spring temps that ended up in the mid-70s.

With their kits still yet to come in, the Performance Bicycle Racing women went stealth with unmarked, white-and-black kits.

Ready to roll at the start line.

The course consisted of a 6.6-mile circuit through the cattle farms and cotton fields that populate the area. The rolling terrain was deceptively tough and made for a selective race. The Cat 5 35+ race was a 4-lap contest of around 26.5 miles. With bad legs from moving furniture the day before, I soloed in behind the field in 21st place.

As was the case in her first race of the season, Amy had to race in a Women's Open field, meaning that she toed the start line with all categories, including pros. With four teammates in the field with a pre-race strategy to make the race hard, a tough effort lay ahead. The field stayed together on the first of the five-lap event. However, on the second lap, the Performance Bicycle Racing women put their plan into action and sent two up the road. The breakaway sent the speed soaring, and the field quickly splintered into ones and twos, as seen in the picture of Amy above. The PBR plan worked to near-perfection, yielding a 2nd-place podium finish and 3 of the top 5 spots.

This hill was the nastiest of the course, boasting a 15% grade.

Amy hit the finish line 19th. Despite being part of the carnage, she worked together with another racer to put together a strong effort in a very tough race. The nearly 2-hour effort will pay dividends.

Next up, a couple of weekends off followed by the Rock Hill Classic and the Valdese Triathlon.

Greenville Spring Training Series Finale

Sunday was the final event in the Greenville Spring Training Series, held again at Donaldson Center. This would mark my second road race of the season, and it would be Amy's debut for the year after many weeks of recovery from her collarbone break. However, we were both feeling good with improving fitness from our training programs, and we appeared to have no residual damage from yesterday's 5k.

My Cat 5 35+ race again consisted of 3 laps around the 7-mile Donaldson Center circuit. Another hard week of training paid off, as I was able to stay near the front of the field for the hour-long contest, despite the pace averaging 3mph faster than last week's race. However, as we approached the end of the race, I was very aware that I had no idea what to do or when to do it to contest what was shaping up to be a bunch sprint. Sitting near the front, I tried to size things up in preparation for the move that would accelerate the pack for the final move. A rider surged past me, and I grabbed his wheel, hoping he would pull me and the pack toward the line. Unfortunately, he went a bit too early, and when the field made their final acceleration around 200 meters from the line, I had nothing left, coming across in 17th position. Regardless, I was very happy to be both a factor in the race and in the mix right to the line.

The women's race started just four minutes behind our race, so Amy and I were both racing on the course at the same time. Amy's race started strangely before the gun even sounded. Often, women race in an 'open' category, meaning that they race directors lump all 4 categories of women into one race, resulting in less experienced racers competing against the most experienced. Typically, when enough are registered, they break out the Cat 4 (novice) racers so that they can compete against each other on a more level playing field. However, yesterday, they didn't make such a distinction, and all women lined up together. The director asked the field at the start line if they would like to split the field up, but the question was not heard by everyone, and so the race went off as an 'open' field. Needless to say, with the more experienced racers in the field, the riders set off from the line at a blistering pace. Issue #1.

Issue #2 happened soon afterward. Amy was near her maximum effort, but hanging with the brisk and experienced field. But, thinking that she would be racing against her own category (which had their own race in every other one of the series to that point), we had decided to change her gear cassette on her bike to one that was considerably lighter, but higher (harder) geared. With the gearing more difficult than we anticipated, she was struggling to shift to a gear that she could manage, and she dropped her chain while climbing the steepest hill on the first lap, requiring her to get off her bike and put it back on. Fortunately, she made a quick repair and caught on with another woman who was off the back of the main field. They organized and began to work together to chase.

Issue #3. After chasing for almost 20 miles, the twosome had caught another pair of chasers and was halfway around their final, 4th lap (the Cat 4s had to race four laps instead of three due to racing as an open category) when Amy's rear tire punctured. At this point, she felt like this:

No number of tales of other cyclists' racing misfortunes can take away the frustration of having to sit at the side of the road, waiting for race support to transport you back to the start area as a non-finisher. Despite our mock bike-throwing picture above (I probably would have actually thrown my bike), Amy was gracious amidst her bad luck and took things in stride, choosing instead to focus on the many positives from the day, which really did outweigh the negatives: being able to survive a nuclear blast of a start with very fast, experienced riders; having the patience to quickly fix a mechanical in the throes of a race; and having the skills to help lead a long chase effort. So even though we each came away with different results, we both felt positive about the start to the season and of what lies ahead for 2010.

Special thanks to Eddie Helton for the four photos above. For more pictures of the Greenville Spring Training Series, please visit his website.

Chase for Cupid's Arrow 5k

Photo courtesy of Kelly Kropiwnicki Harmon

Amy and I ran in the Chase for Cupid's Arrow 5k on Saturday, which is held right next door to Valdese in Rutherford College. It was the second time we've run the race, which was postponed this year due to snow. The course is generally flat and unremarkable, save for a nasty 1/2 mile climb that occurs at mile 1. We finished around 25 minute, 46 seconds, essentially equalling our times from last year despite trying to conserve our legs and energy for the following day's bike racing. Nevertheless, Amy's time was good enough for second overall female, while I finished in 25:47 for second in my age group.

Kick-starting the Road Season

Amy and I headed in opposite directions this past weekend to ring in the new road racing season. After a seemingly never-ending winter of snow, then snow, then wind, then rain, then snow, we were both glad to get outdoors and do something purposeful on our bikes besides toiling away on our trainers.

I did my first road race of the season on Sunday, racing in the Greenville (SC) spring training series. The 21-mile circuit race traversed a rolling, 7-mile loop around Donaldson Center, a technology and aviation campus south of Greenville. Conditions were about as good as it was going to get for this year, with the air cold (but not as cold as it has been), windy (but not as windy as it has been), and nothing falling out of the sky. Starting my first full season of road racing, I raced in the Category 5 35+ division along with 20-some-odd others. I was pleased that my first winter of structured training is paying off, as I was able to stay with the field for almost the entire race. If you've read my posts from last year, you will know that this is a dramatic improvement over what used to inevitably end up as solo rides. The field took a more relaxed start to the race, in contrast to what typically happens in a criterium, in which the field jumps from the start as if shot from a cannon. By the second lap, things began to ramp up, and I made the first big selection as the field accelerated through the roller hills on the back part of the course. On the final lap, I responded to an attack, which, although unsuccessful, got me to the front of the field in about 3rd or 4th position. However, just as the field was accelerating up a hill, the rider in front of me inexplicably stopped pedaling and started to coast. I got caught out behind him as the field sped by. By this point, the field was winding up for the closing miles, and I was unable to catch back on for the finish. However, this may have been for the best, as there was a crash in the field about 200m from the finish. Although I finished 17th, it was good start to the year and an excellent gauge for my early-season fitness.

Amy headed to Chapel Hill for the weekend to rendezvous with her new teammates on the Performance Racing Team. The training camp was the first for the fledgling squad and gave them a chance to meet and greet and get in lots of miles. The primary sponsor of the team, Performance Bike, rolled out the red carpet for the team and provided support for the camp. The team is comprised of two squads, an elite-level squad that will focus on larger regional and national events, and a developmental squad (on which Amy is a member) that will focus on local and regional events. The team has drawn talent from several areas of the southeast, particularly the Asheville area, Chapel Hill, and Atlanta. Both squads were on hand for the weekend. After gathering Friday evening, the team set out Saturday for a long training ride, and the spirited pace of the ride indicated that the team intends on being an immediate presence in women's racing. Sunday's riding consisted of a charity ride to benefit the victims of Haiti. Before dispersing for the weekend, the team recovered from the weekend's riding with a session with internationally recognized yoga expert Sage Rountree. Interspersed throughout the weekend were meetings about the organization of the team and of the sponsorship support by Performance.

Amy's first race of the season is coming this Sunday, also at Donaldson Center, and I will be hitting the pavement for the event as well.

Snow Day

We cyclists in the foothills have had little to complain about during the winter months of the past few years, with snow rare and temperatures mild. In stark contrast to the recent past, Saturday brought our second winter storm in as many months, sending the townsfolk scurrying for milk and bread and postponing the weekend's racing. A weekend indoors loomed. However, I have a severe allergy to training indoors, and I will typically do anything to avoid it. So, I lowered the pressure in my 29er's tires and set out to mix it up with the ATVs and 4x4s around our new hometown.
Our new hometown of Valdese was settled in the late 1800s by the protestant religious group called the Waldensians, who left their home in the Cottian Alps after centuries of persecution. Above is a picture of the Trail of Faith, a recreation of the Waldensian settlement.

The snow-covered stage of the Fred Cranford Amphitheater is the summer home to the outdoor drama 'From This Day Forward,' of which Amy is an alum, as is buddy Will Turk, who has contributed to this blog.

The Old Rock School is the former primary school of Valdese and now houses the community auditorium and community theater, the Old Colony Players.

The Waldensian Presbyterian Church is the founding congregation of the settlement of Valdese.

A monument outside of the Waldensian Presbyterian Church commemorating the settlement of Valdese by the Waldensians. The Cottian Alps are situated in what is now the Alpine border between France and Italy, and the Waldensians spoke a hybrid of the two languages called Patois. Fans of professional cycling will recognize the mountain of Sestriere, part of the Cottian Alps and the site of many famous mountain stages in the Tour de France.

The Redline Monocog 29er singlespeed was a competent winter weather exploration vehicle.

A snow-covered road leading to Waldensian Heritage Wines.

Vinyards outside the winery.

Waldensian Heritage Wines makes wine in the tradition of the Waldensians. A favorite local activity on summer weekends is drinking wine and playing bocce, the traditional sport of the Waldensians.

While I'd rather be cruising around in the 56-degree temps we had last Thursday, the snow provided a unique setting for exploring the town. Now if we can just have an early spring...

NCCX Winter Series #4

Sunday, January 24 was the finale of the North Carolina Cyclocross Winter Series. After the first two legs of the series were characterized by bitter cold conditions, the third race in Fayetteville last weekend was a mud-fest. With heavy rains looming, the final race in Greensboro promised to dish out some Belgium-esque cyclocross goo.

Sunday's course was held in Bur-Mil Park, adjacent to Lake Brandt. The 3k loop featured two sand sections , a stair climb, and an uphill double-barracade obstacle. The sand pits were particularly tricky, situated back-to-back at the top of a gradual climb and separated by a u-turn. The sand was loose and deep, and all but the strongest riders ground to a halt if they attempted to ride through it. The smart rider ran through the pits, but this resulted in dismounting, running, remounting to ride through the u-turn (which was a bit too long to run), and then dismounting again for the second pit. While this approach was generally faster for most riders, it added up to four total dismounts each lap. This tricky and well-placed obstacle truly made competitors pick their poison each lap. Fortunately, the heavy rains held off, and the course was muddy but very rideable.

I again did the Cat 4/Masters 35+ double, placing 19th in the Cat 4 race while struggling with asthma toward the end. I cruised at the back of the field in the Masters race, finishing 15th and keeping my heart rate low enough to recover from my earlier breathing issues. My non-stellar but consistent finishes notched me 11th place among Cat 4s for overall series points and 9th place for Masters 35+.

I was travelling solo on Sunday, so I have no race pictures. However, for your consideration:

The blue poison frog, or dendrobates azureus. D. azureus is a mid-sized dendrobatid frog weighing about 3 grams and having a length ranging from 3 to 4.5 cm. It inhabits small isolated forest areas surrounded by the dry, prairie-like Sipaliwini Savannah at elevations from 315 to 430 m. It prefers a dark, moist environment, living only near small streams among moss-covered rocks. It typically remains on the ground, but has been found in trees at heights of up to 5 m. D. azureus is terricolous and remains close to some type of water source such as a stream. It is very active during the daytime (diurnal) and moves constantly with short leaps.

The blue poison frog has nothing to do with the NCCX Winter Series race #4, but it is wearing a handsome shade of Velosports Racing blue. However, if you are ever in the South American country of Suriname and spot a pretty little frog wearing a handsome shade of Velosports Racing blue, do not touch it, because it will kill you dead.

With the 2009-2010 cyclocross season in the books, it's time to hang up the cross bike and hit the road. Amy and I will be headed down to Greenville, SC, in late February to kick off our road-racing seasons. Til then, stay dry, ride safe, and don't touch the blue frogs.

2010 Winter Short Track #1

Sunday, January 17, was the first round of the Charlotte Sports Cycling Winter Short Track Series. The home of the 5-race series is Renaissance Park, featuring a 3/4 mile course designed and maintained by the Tarheel Trailblazers. At least half the course is singletrack, and the Trailblazers packed a lot of character in a short stretch of trail, including several banked turns, a whoop-de-doo section, and a short but very challenging swtichback climb culminating in a rock step at the top. The course was neutralized on this morning, however, by the deluge of rain that fell overnight. Several sections of the course were turned into thick mud, and drivetrain and traction problems plagued racers all day.

I entered the singlespeed division. Above, I'm coming out of the singletrack section on my first lap and heading up a doubletrack service road toward the start-finish area of the course. Kit still white and blue, bike still green.

Cresting the top of the short hill after jumping over the rock step.

Sprinting through the singletrack section.

More singletrack goodness.

My grimy Redline Monocog 29er, ready to hit the showers.

Is there an age at which playing in the mud stops being fun? Despite my strangely anxious expression, the race was a blast. I finished 10th in the singlespeed division, and I am still getting dirt out of my ears.