Happy New Year

Hey all, winter has finally arrived and I'm ready for it to be over. I'm finding myself still motivated to ride but that may change with the appearance of the white stuff. The past few weeks have been busy with family activities and work around the house. I feel like I've gotten a lot of things done and I've tried to be helpful and focused on the kids when I have their attention. I've also been taking this time to re-energize myself for the new year.

I did manage to find some videos of my cyclocross victory this past year. They're fun to watch, at least for me. Make sure you turn down the volume, it was windy that day and its obvious in the video.

Lap 1: this is taken after almost a complete lap, Todd was leading the group and I was right there. Check out my remount, it's perfect! I didn't even look down, just boom and I'm peddling away. A good sign for that day.

Cross at the Rver_ SM35+4 end of Lap 1 from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

Lap 2: This is shortly after I attacked (there are some riders warming up before I came through). I thought the guy just behind me would catch me for a couple of laps but then he was gone. I think he finished 5 or 6th, allowing me to ride off to victory.

Cross at the river - SM35+ cat 4 end of Lap 2 from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

I'll be looking to identify my 2011 goals in the coming weeks, the races I'd like to target and the training I'll do to reach them. I'll put them up here.

Red Rocks

One more nice day for the year. Almost everyone was out for the "company" ski day. I got out for a couple of hours too. Red Rock has been repaved! Nice
It felt fantastic to get in a ride.

What a Ride!

North Cheyenne Canyon Park. It's been a few years since I've been here but I've been riding this park for the past 15 years.
Fantastic memories and a terrific day! Amazing! I loved every minute of it!

Gymnastics Meet

Kailee at the big, end of season, show!

Post-Cyclocross Depression

I came across a blog post from an obviously better writer than myself that I wanted to share. In it, she has an excellent description of why people show up to race their bicycles week in and week out, in this case cyclocross.

While I've never tried to put into words the serenity you get from a 45 minute race of pain and suffering, in the mud and cold. I believe this post is an excellent start. It's the complete emptying of your mind to abosolute focus on the all out task at hand.

-"It’s not that I miss the mud or the bike washing or the post-race track hack. I don’t miss the cost of replacing equipment or the pre-race warmups or the 39-degrees-and-raining start lines."
-"It’s the vortex that I miss."

-"The 45 minutes of unrelenting focus. A tiny slice of time in which I am reduced to crude physiology – violent circulation of blood, desperate dissemination of oxygen to muscles, a brain attempting to override and nullify notifications about widespread pain and suffering. This isn’t happening. it says I don’t believe you. [Shutup, legs!]"

-"It’s not a suspension of reality or an escape – it’s an intensification of everything that is inside."

Have a read.

Thinking About 2011

Now that the Colorado State Cyclocross Championship races are over, that pretty much ends my 2010 racing year. I know there are a few more races the ACA is pushing in January but I’m not sure I’ll make it. It’s hard to hold that high end fitness through the holidays. It will likely be a day of the race decision and if it’s wet and below freezing, I’m out, I really don’t have the clothing for that. I wouldn’t mind racing at the two remaining Colorado Cyclocross Cup races for points for next year. But that will depend on the outcome of the ACA annual meeting this Sunday. This season, the previous year’s points (2009) were good for the races in September and early October. But now the ACA is looking to have every race worth some points. If the points from the January races won’t carry over to next year then they’re not worth anything to me, since I upgraded mid season and I’m not worried about any kind of overall placing. So I might as well spend my time on other priorities. I have some jobs I need to get done around the house and it’s a good time to get them done.

I’ve been thinking about the types of rides and races I want to do next year as well as changes in my training strategy. One of the areas I think I’ll spend a little more time is racing the mountain bike. I’ve done some of the Winter Park series the past couple of years. I even did the entire series two years ago and a couple of races this past year. It’s never been a priority and I’ve never done that well. This year I’d like to improve my performance. I’ll still plan to do some road races but I’d like to see if I can improve my mountain biking. It goes without saying that the ultimate goal for 2011 will be cyclocross, I would very much like to see if I can grab some of those points to get a better starting position, then we’ll see if I can at least see the front of the Cat 3 race.

As for my 2011 training changes, I think I’ll get a little help. I’m not going to have any more time to train compared to last year but I want to make sure I maximize that time. There were too many times this past year that I spent wondering and worrying about if I was doing the right training. In the end I managed to have a killer cyclocross season but I think the earlier season could have been better. So for this next year I’m going to try having a coach help me out. I currently have everything lined up and I’ll let you know how things go. So far there’s not much going on but we have time.

Thanks for reading.

SM 3 CO CX Championship

After a whirl wind of activity at the house to get everyone out the door Sunday morning I left a little later than I wanted for the final day of racing at the Colorado Cyclocross Championship. I arrived with just enough time to get ready and get in a few laps before the course was closed and the racing began. I road two laps at a pretty slow pace, I didn’t race for a couple of hours and I didn’t need to start warming up yet. I just wanted to remember the course and get the legs moving. Everything was exactly the same as the day before. If anything it was burned in better, making it even faster. I knew how I was going to ride it, this time I was hoping the body would feel a little better.

We set up the team tent near the start and I watched the SM 4 race and cheered for my teammates. I got everything setup and basically just tried to stay warm. Sunday was much more festive around the tent. A number of the cat 4 racers stayed around after the race, the single speeders were in full force and there was a much better vibe compared to Saturday. A couple of non-racing team members showed up just to “check it out.” After the cat 4 race I hopped on the trainer and started getting warmed up and focusing on the race to come.

I’ve raced with the 3’s a couple of times but hadn’t earned any call up points so I had to start at the back of the pack. Again, I found myself in the last row. Even a few of the racers that had upgraded with me this year had managed to get some points and were called up. This time there were only 58 racers. The whistle went off and I was ready for the first laps silliness. This race however was different, when I saw a gap I could move up into it. I was able to find a number of gaps and I kept moving up.

Soon things were getting strung out, like they always do. I just focused on the racer in front of me. Close the gap, pass then focus on the next guy. I intentionally tried to not sit on any ones wheel for long. I figured I would keep this up for as long as I could. Soon I was passing familiar faces, I thought they were sticking to my wheel but it turns out that wasn’t the case. The race was hard but I my body was able to put down the power. During the last lap I began to notice that not many single speeders had come around me. I understand this is a bit of a success indicator for the 3’s, when you’re not passed by the single speeders that start 30 seconds behind us. In the final straight away Carlos, a powerful Gates Carbon Drive rider came by. By staying in front of him for so long I knew I must have had a good race.

In the end I finished 26th but having started last I felt pretty good that I passed 25+ racers. I ended up finishing right with racers that had been called up and received good starting positions. The racers that started with me were still in the back of the race. This is a race where I wish we had lap times because I bet I was competitive with at least the top 15. This felt like a great race, in the end I raced the same number of laps as the 35+ open race the day before, however I did it 2:15 faster and 3 bpm lower. Just as it has been all season, I was much better the second day. It felt great to finish on a strong note and gave me high expectations for next year.

You can see how far back I am in this first lap video

Colo state CX championships - SM3 Lap 1 early from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

Later on the fist lap, check out Brad (the guy in front of me) take it in the chops.. ouch.

Colo. State CX Championships - SM3 Late Lap 1 from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

35+ Open CO CX Championships

This past weekend was the Colorado State Cyclocross Championship Races. They had a little different format, in that not all the races were held on the same day. This provided me the opportunity to race both days. I didn’t have particularly high expectations for the races as I just upgraded and didn’t have any Colorado Cyclocross Cup points, starting positions are determined based on the number of points a racer has acquired. Since I didn’t have any points, I knew I was going to start in the back. Starting from back there, even if I had a killer race I wouldn’t see the front. It’s just the game you have to play to do well at cyclocross.

Saturday I jumped in with the SM 35+ open category. This was a first race I’ve raced with this group and I anticipated they would be flying. There were 88 starters and I was in the last row. There were some racers I knew and would be gunning for but they all started in front of me. At least I’d have a rabbit to chase. The gun went off and it was like we were shot out of a cannon. Being in the back of the pack I knew we’d get stacked up badly on the first obstacles and I wasn’t disappointed. Fortunately everyone was pretty level headed and no one, that I saw, ended up on the ground. It took a while for things to thin out enough that I could think about moving up.

The place to make up time was certainly the long flat grassy sections. A lot of the terrain ended up being like a fast grass crit. I certainly felt comfortable railing the corners but when things opened up I found myself desperate to grab a wheel, I just didn’t have the flat out power I needed. I felt pretty good the first two laps but then started getting bad sensations. I tried to push though it but it made for a hard race. The last few laps steadily improved and I was able to make up some positions but it was way too late in the race. In the end I finished 65th out of the 78 that finished. Not a great result but I was able to move up from my last place start.

The best part of the day was hanging out with the entire cyclocross team. I had the two fastest racers (Todd and Michael) in the pit for me during this race. It was helpful to have them yelling while I was trying to push through my low points during the race. We brought out the team tent and BBQ. It was a great time to hang out, eat a veggie burger and enjoy the racing. After the race I felt pretty good, really good actually. The legs were opened up and I felt energized, not sore or tired. I tried to rest and recover; Sunday I would tackle the SM 3 race. So far this year, day two has always been better.
I go by at the ten second mark

Colo. State CX Champs - SM35+ Open - Start from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

I'm almost 2 minutes back at this point

Colo. State CX Champs. - SM35+ open - Lap 1 end from Dale Riley on Vimeo.

For more on this race, check out 303Cycling.

Nearing the End

The holidays are in swing and as I predicted I’m spending more time enjoying friends and family. Thanksgiving was fantastic. I was feeling a little burned out at work and needed a break. We spent time with my parents on Thanksgiving Day and then spent the weekend in the mountains with my wife’s family. While up at a cabin over the weekend we took all the kids sledding and tubing and enjoyed some adult beverages. We all had great fun and ate way too much, my wife even made a nice vegan dish for each thanksgiving meal to help keep things under control. In the end we came home tired and refreshed.

The holiday weekend was interrupted by the news of a local cyclist, Chuck Coyle, being busted for doping. I knew of Chuck, seen him at the races and had ridden with him at the Boulder Velodrome. I didn’t know him personally but it did hit home to know someone busted for doping. His response to the charge was, in my opinion, weak but it's crazy enough to make me think you can’t make this stuff up. Either way, it’s sad. Sad he was somehow involved and sad he’s now suspended from racing, the one thing he’s done his whole life. It must be like coming home from work to tell the wife you were fired for checking porn sites at work…. performance enhancing?

The days have gotten short and finding time to ride outside during the week is almost non-existent. I’ve been on the trainer a few times and have been running, but nothing serious. Just trying to remind my body I have a few races left but my fitness is dropping off and I’m starting to look forward to a change. I’ve started thinking about goals for next year as well as looking forward to getting in some time on my other bikes. It was always my intention to have a stronger middle of the season, in an effort score well in the point’s competition as well as work on upgrading to Cat 3. Both of those were successful.

Two weeks ago I race the Alpha CX #2 and the Cyclo-X races. Both were a lot of fun. I was coming back off a business meeting at sea level the week before so things didn’t go great but it was fun. Things I’ve noticed about the 3’s, everything is more competitive. Racers have similar abilities and speeds, unlike the 4’s were some racers just get blown out quickly. I’ve actually been surprised by the skills or lack of skills some of the racers have. They are crazy fast when things open up but I am certainly hanging with them or gaining time when things are technical or require some CX finesse. I’ll have to work on my flat out speed if I ever want to become competitive with this group.

This weekend is the Colorado CX Championships. I’m going to race the 35+ open on Saturday and SM 3 on Sunday. My goal is to enjoy this last major weekend of racing. The weather is looking dry and nice, too bad since I never did have a muddy race this year. Going forward, I’m not sure I’ll hit the three remaining races it will be a day of or day before decision.

Thanks for reading