Race Report: Early Bird Road Race out of Patterson, January 23, 2010

Hello race fans! Welcome to this dork's 2010 road racing season opener (and extremely long report - but I can't help myself).

First a word from our sponsor, Exogen Bone Healing Systems! Seriously, that little gizmo has brought my left hand right up with my right hand and has made a noticeable difference. Also helping things out is that I have not been on the road for two weeks. It felt really good to feel the road under my wheels after two weeks of making sweat puddles in the garage. Of course, the doctor clearly told me to keep my riding safe and free of crash-risk but I'm a dumb bike-racer, not a china doll.

The reason I couldn't resist this race is that it is a home race for me on a road that I ride pretty often. On top of that advantage I'm fairly certain I am the ONLY guy who drives Del Puerto canyon to get to Patterson (it's only about an hour from my house). Driving down I got a good feel for the giant puddles, gravel, mud and wetness left in the road after seven straight days of rain.

Once I got to Patterson and was getting registered I looked to the West and saw... big heavy looking rain clouds. Hmm, what happened to the forecast for no rain today??? There were so many 35+ cat 4/5's that they opened up a second field. As a result, my start time of 8:30 got moved to 9:00. As we were finding this out a light, but steady, rain began to fall. Guys did laps around the parking lot waiting but I said, "screw that!" and got back into the car until 5 minutes to go. I switched to full-on waterproof rain booties and that was the best decision I made all day since my feet were the only thing dry by the end.

At the line, the rain let up but I was starting to get a case of the shivers as I said a hello to Tim, who was officiating. As much as we may feel some sense of drama or whatever for getting wet and muddy in a bike race, I think standing in the rain helping put on the race is much more noble. Once we were rolling, I warmed up just right and was fine the rest of the day.

The race itself was a wet and muddy roostertail-fest. My bike afterwards had a coating of grit on every possible surface. As far as the action. It was manageable to the bottom of the climb, just like last year. I did my best to climb without blowing up and was 17th wheel at the turnaround. The descent was fast but I took it pretty conservative. The rest of the race back to the finish line was a hard hammerfest on the rivet picking up and dropping riders as we rolled through the wet and muddy road.

By the time we hit the rollers coming into the finish we had regrown to a little pack of about ten riders and my headcount had us racing for about 10th place. I misjudged the finish and worked way too hard with about a mile and a half to go. When the 1km sign came up I was on the front and working too hard. I backed off, tried to recover and only gave a half-hearted sprint to finish 4th or 5th in our group.

Final result was 13th of 34. I'm really quite pleased with that. Beyond the fun (seriously, not being facetious here) of racing in the crappy conditions, I was quite happy with that. After two months off the bike then another two months after that of not riding on the road I'm very happy with that, in fact. I think I've re-learned the benefit of trainer and roller riding as a 100% substitute for getting on the road and it certainly helps to be another ten pounds lighter than this same time a year ago.

So now no racing for awhile. There aren't really any compelling races (to me) in February so I'll just get back on the no-risk riding plan which means lots more rollers and trainer riding and getting on the road on the weekends.

I'm kind of torn on doing race reports this year. Some races inspire some really fun writing (like the sonora road race last year) and in others I just bore myself to death or feel like I'm glorifying my own mediocre rides (can you say, Roy's updating his brog again?). But I guess all writing is practice. It's kind of like mountain climbing. Sometimes you reach the peak and sometimes, you don't even get to see the top. But if you don't climb at all, you'll never get anywhere. And as Kris just said to me when describing my trepidations, "A life lived in fear is a life half lived."

Down into the cold then up out of it...

The ride yesterday was as great as I anticipated. I left home about 11:45 bumping out over the dirt road for the first 2.5 miles. By the time I hit pavement, I was already removing my windbreaker and ready to enjoy what seemed like an unexpected warm day.

Almost immediately I looked back and saw three other cyclists behind. I freewheeled a bit and they caught up. It was three guys from a Livermore team that mainly do mountain bike and cross racing. We had a good chat all the way down into Livermore, exchanged contact info and now I have some new Mt. bike folks with whom to ride in the future (when these damn wrists finally heal up).

Meanwhile, as we descended into town the temperature got chillier and colder and finally, once in town and on my own again, I realized I was going to have trouble with my feet if I was going to be spending time up on Mt. Diablo later. So I detoured through town and stopped at the bike shop where I quickly purchased a set of foot covers and some warmer socks. Back on the road, I was quickly happy with this purchase as my feet stayed nice a toasty over North Livermore and Highland cycling through the cold foggy misty hills around me.

I hit Tassajara and then turned up Blackhawk road. This stretch was longer than I remembered (it has been 14 years since I've gone that way) and I began to doubt my navigational skills. But I stuck with my instincts and soon enough, about 2 hours and 45 minutes from when I left home, I finally hit my favorite stretch of road, Mt. Diablo.

I love climbing Mt. Diablo. I don't know what it is but it just suits me. I'm certainly not fast up it but I never seem to find the 60 to 75 minute climb a chore. As I climbed I snaked up out of the fog layer and was treated to warmer temperatures, a glimpse of blue sky and fantastic views of the surrounding valleys with their little hills poking up out of the ocean of creamy fog. What a gift the altitude brought!


I don't think I've ever spent more than enough time at the top to slip on a wind breaker, maybe put on something to keep my head warm, open up a clif bar and then get on back down. But yesterday I took an extra minute to look around and pose my bike for a picture.

Partner in Crime for the day: My Soma Smoothie ES.
Ain't fast. Ain't clean. Ain't light. Ain't a problem.

The descent was not as cold as I expected and the roads were pretty dry so I made quick work of it. Good thing, too since I rolled up to my in-law's house to meet up with Kris and Jasper with only about 15 minutes of daylight to spare.

WHAT A GREAT DAY!!! I've been grappling with what to say to encapsulate a day like yesterday. It's a religious experience. It's good clean fun. It's a small adventure. It's something that makes you feel like you're living your life instead of sitting on the sofa watching someone else's.

Over the river and through the woods and over the mountain and smiling away...

If this old saddle could talk...

"Epic" point-to-point ride planned today! Down a mountain, across a valley, up a mountain, down the mountain and over to the In-Law's. Training rides are all fine and good but starting in one place and riding to another gives a bigger satisfaction. I think I'm a touring rider at heart...

Then tomorrow back up the mountain to get back home. It's a good life...

Jasper's playing with a stay-over friend in the other room. He pulled out a tape measure and they're preparing to build a fort. The first thing he did was pull the tape out, make some random measure and say, "DANGIT. Shoot!" Hmmm, I wonder where he learned that from?

2010: A Spacecase Odyssey

The days are only getting longer now, I've managed a couple of 100+ mile weeks on the bike and I think I'm close to getting a thumbs up from the doctor on full-on riding. The wrists are still stiff and sore but coming along nicely. There is some bone ache that concerns me but it's probably normal. So that familiar dull ache in the legs and the need to at least have some structure to my bike racing has me thinking...

Thinkin'...

2010 will look sumthin' like...

Jan to May: Fartin' around with no major goals. Definitely want to race Madera, maybe Mt. Hamilton, Early Bird RR in Patterson, would like to do Copperopolis... Definitely squeeze in some mountain bike races. Probably skip any and all criteriums except for the crit stage of Madera. Will probably hit the track several times for training and some racing. The main focus is just to have some fun and build up base for the rest of the year. I'd also like to lose the final five to ten pounds to get me back in the ballpark of my mid-90's racing weight (wow!).

May to July: Get on a regimented training schedule and try to peak for masters district track championships. Most-if not all racing in this period will be on the track. Use rest of July fitness for fun racing.

August to Sept: Can't ignore San Ardo but take some time off in there. And by time off I mean something like ten solid days of not touching a bike. This would be a good time to do an endurance mountain bike race, too. Start a light running program.

Sept to Dec: CYCLOCROSS! FUN! Yay! Focus on Super Prestige series and Livermore Parks Series probably racing as a 35+ B. Take a serious look into where when how and IF of racing at Cyclocross nationals...

Should be fun. I'm really looking forward to next year.

Armchair bike racing...

I'm pretty damn frustrated right now with my hands and am forcing myself to take about a week off from the trainer, rollers and the road. If I go by the no pain - no pain healing then that's what's called for. Meanwhile, I've managed to gain not a single pound through this injury but that's really just a testament to some neurotic-level monitoring of my diet. I actually lost about 5 pounds after the accident, then put the 5 pounds back on and am now back to losing the 5 pounds. Christmas, get thee and thine evil food behind me!

So I found myself this morning perusing videos from cyclocross nationals which, by the way, look cold and brutal and remind me of some of the worst days in Maryland slugging through the sometimes-snowie cross races out in Bowie... good times. Anyway, I noticed one major thing. Damn near everybody is riding on the hoods! WTF? Has cyclocross become so serious-roadie infested that guys don't know to ride with higher bars so you can ride in the hooks and get your CG lower? Interesting. I know sometimes you get in an awkward transition from climb to descent and get stuck in the hoods but I don't think riding around on the hoods on an icy course is doing yourself any favors.

I probably should STFU though, since I'm no nationals-caliber racer. What the hell do I know? I'm just a guy who rode his bike off the road and broke his wrists! So I certainly shouldn't be second guessing via my chair.

And here I am trying to banish negative thinking...

As every decent sprinter knows, it's the hesitation that kills you. Give up that perfectly timed jump -for whatever heat-of-the-moment-in-combat reason - and you're done.

And so here I sit in early December worrying. Though the wrists are far down the path of healed I am nowhere near able to properly train on the bike. It kind of hurts and makes my wrists stiff and sore just easy plodding along and the Doctor forbade me to pull on the handlebars so that rules out real climbing and sprint training (not that it feels like I could be doing that anyway).

On top of that I've gotten used to the rhythms of life without wedging in training rides for almost four months now and just finding the mindset to make-time-to-ride is kind of off the RADAR right now.

But I know you're out there training. I know you're getting a jump on me. I know you're going to be making me pay next season. I know that I'll be looking at your asses from 20 meters back and know there's nothing I can do, beg, borrow, steal or extort to close that gap. I know you're riding 150 mile weeks despite its being only December.

I liked it better in the old days when it was me making guys think like that.

So that's how the competitive asshole bikeracer in me feels. The rest of me just wants to enjoy a nice mountain bike ride or a nice day full of long climbs and extended views. Hell, I'd even be glad to spend a day with the chainsaw and splitter making firewood.

But I must be patient. I found a Tolstoy quote, "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." And every successful sprinter knows the ability to sit and wait. Let the early movers wear themselves out. Let them work early and fade too soon. It's still early. Next season will be long enough. I'll be ready when my sprint comes.

I'm #1!

As you can see from my screen shot from the official USACycling website, I am ranked #1 in my zip code in Criterium, Time Trial and Road Racing! So if there was a 94550 Cat. 5 stage race I would be the Lance Armstrong of 94550 Category 5 racers. Wow! Where's my trophy? (tongue is firmly planted in cheek in case you need to be told...).

I believe that what that ranking means is that either A)I am the ONLY cat 5 in my zip code (that actually bothered to show up to a few races in 2009) or that B)USACycling always puts you as #1 in your zip code to make you feel good about yourself and renew your license...

Doctor wagged his finger at me last week and said to not destroy his good work and to lay off for another three weeks and then do three weeks after that of physical therapy so it looks like I may be able to ride again around Christmas time.

So I find myself living vicariously through pictures, video and race reports of what uninjured bike racers are doing these days and I realized the following: Successful cyclocross racers seem to be pretty far on the skinny side - almost like runners. D'Oh! No wonder I've always been frustrated by sucking at something that I find so much dang fun. Come to think of it the skinny guys pretty much kick butt in most competitive cycling situations... Oh well, just like the world of Tuesday nite rock and roll bands needs "rhythm" guitar players, the nation's weekend bike warriors need us "all-rounders." And just like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" needs no hot licks to rock your way through, the occasional wind lets a pear shaped dough-boy like me serve a little payback to the chickenlegged dudes.

So anyway here's my over-thought application for a Cat 4 upgrade which I'm including here because I can't think why but it sort of slightly amuses me which is pretty much the reason I ever put anything here...

2009 Road Race Resume for Roy Johnson (submitted for Road Cat 4 upgrade)

In 2009 I reactivated my USACycling racing license and downgraded from a Cat 3 on the road to a Cat 5. A late season injury kept me from participating in a tenth qualifying race but I am hoping my former Cat 3 license and added experience on the track will be taken into consideration. To upgrade to a Cat 4 for 2010, I submit the following:

2009 Criterium Experience
-Early Bird Road Race in Patterson (35+ 4/5) 40th
-Madera Stage Race (Cat 5) 30th/45
-Lodi Cycle Fest (Cat 5) 5th of 18
-Lodi Cycle Fest (35+ 4/5) DNF

2009 Road Race Experience
-Madera Stage Race (Cat 5) 20th/45
-Sonora Road Race (Cat 5) 9th/20
-Tour De Ames "Kermesse" (Unsanctioned Race) 2nd
-Leesville Gap RR (35+ Cat 5) 7th/16
-San Ardo Road Race (35+ Cat 5) 10th/23

2009 ITT Experience
-Madera Stage Race (Cat 5) 26th/45 - Overall 20th of 45
-Mount Diablo Hill Climb TT (Cat 5) 19th/30

2009 Other
-Track Experience including 6 beginner sessions, and races on 9 separate dates.
-2 Mountain Bike Races (T.B.F. MTB Challenge #1 and #2)
-2 Cyclocross races in late 2008 that inspired all of the above for 2009!