Sunday - Tour of KILLER CITY (Kansas City)

Sunday - Down Town Lee Summit

You can find photos for both days by Amy: amykatherinephotography.smugmug.com & 
Tim http://www.facebook.com/timfleenorphoto

Joe and I show up again watching a bit of 5s and the following races.  I pre-ride the course specially 4^th turn I practice my lines because it’s a sketchy turn with no marking for the corner you could dive bomb it but it you turn it to hard you’ll hit gravel, plus it was HOT and the tare was sticky-melting so your rear wheel would feel like it was sliding out or your skewer was loose.

Joe and Charley come in 2^nd and 3^rd for the Cat 4’s really awesome to see!  Joe crushed it for the sprint.  I head over to the car and David pulls up we chat and joke around like we usually do and I mention that I came to race today.  Even told Kent Woermann that I was going to make a risky move today on gChat.

The Break with Justin & I

 The race begins, normal fast 3-4 laps Brady goes off the front, but I also know he raced that day but no one goes or ups the speed so I do ride away with out burning a match I wanted to see how people would respond to me trying to get away, I work with Brady a few laps I don’t remember how many but we stay away for 3-5 at least and are joined with Justin and Brady wants to pull the plug so Brady does. Justin and I talk and go stay away for a 8 laps or less I notice that I have to do more pulling and that Justin is slowing down when he has to pull through, I ask him if he is alright, he says he’s okay but I had a feeling that he wasn’t 'ok', so i figure if I pulled a bit more maybe he would feel better just pedaled at my own speed and didn’t pedal hard that if we got caught I would have nothing.  We soon get caught by a big attack from Richard from Momentum and David who has been blocking for us with John but I think John stays with the Peloton.  We work with them for a few laps and get caught, David reminds me to save it!  8-10 guys catch us, no one attacks…. That’s fine by me.  I also see that Brian isn’t in the group and I am a bit pissed about that.  We ride really slow 18mph and we have 20 guys at least chasing, and I tell the group why are we not working together there are 10 of us come on.  David rides at the front slowly waiting for someone to come around no one does and David slows down on corners so people have to ride by him.  I pull in front of David so he can rest out of the wind and pedal slow, so when ever David and I aren’t in the front maybe one guy comes through or 3-4 abreast and they look at each other as if someone needs to ride hard at the front… So at turn 1 & 4, no one wants to ride at the front and we are usually to wide going into these corners with no speed what so ever, so at turn 4 I am second wheel into the turn we come out I pull over slightly to get a gap behind me and the guy fills it slowly and I pull over to the outside to gutter anyone wants to come with me and keep looking at the group we have to see if anyone responds, nothing happens, I keep up my tempo a bit more, no response, I see a guy swing to where I am and I swing the other way do this two times before he gives up and I’ve already punching it through the start finish with 16 laps to go for a solo get away… That’s how it starts with that move. 

The move

David was with the peloton and he just sucked the wheels that attacked and never pulled through for them, thank you David! I had a 40 second cap for a few laps and it came down 15 at one point that was when the heat was getting to me and I started get water thrown on me and I got 2 hands ups from the family at Dairy Cream that I asked when I ran out of water they are beautiful people as I told them, they loved that!  I tell myself I am in this now there is no going back and getting caught isn’t an option, you have to go all in now and I get my gap of 40-50 seconds, I do my best to TT through the start finish since I can get 30-34mph through there and recover on the backside.  I was so happy at the end that I could only smile and role through the start finish.

Was very happy!

I keep telling people I forgot I didn’t want to get yelled at for taking my hands off the bars but I rather keep it humble also.   There is always next time.

Saturday - Tour of Kansas City

TOUR OF KILLER CITY (KC)

CAT III CREW Brian, I, Grayson, & David

Saturday at Tour of Kansas City its 49^th Year!  That’s pretty awesome being apart of something that has been around for this long and it’s only my second road season.  Please come out and Join for the 50^th year also some rumor is going around and will most likely happen because The Museum over on Cliff Drive wants the bike race back for a Crit! Should be awesome supposedly Killer City (KC) is known for this course and I’ve done some training rides out there its would be killer course.

Saturday’s race: Joe and I rolled up in his dynamo truck and watched some of the3/4’s race and shortly after Joe had to get ready to put his game face on.  I did my best to find shade and just drink water and eat light before the 3’s race.  I know it’s a local race but it’s demanding on your body to do TWO races in one day.  With a 3-hour waiting period between ¾’s, woman 1-2-3, 3’s but that’s pretty demanding on your body.  Before you know it heat will be getting to you and heat will eat away at all that muscle you built up!

You can’t tell me that you are doing this for fitness or training.  These local races should be your top race even though they are at home its also almost the end of road season out in the Midwest so performing well should be a must and not killing your self in the heat is a better idea.  

Its Hot!

So our race starts and I start 2/3 row that’s pretty much the tail end of us racing because we get a 3 lane start that narrows down to 1 lane and you have to single file the first turn because they where some nasty crashes in other categories and I don’t think anyone wanted to go down.  So we kept it fast and safe for this corner always telling people to get in now or get to the back.  I stuck behind some people that couldn’t clip in so I made up ground with Brian since he likes to start in the back and work his way up, we made our way up to middle and top 15 around lap 3 or 4 because turn 4 you could get some nice speed going up the hill on the outside if you had a nice turn before hand with no one on there brakes or you could hug that corner really hard and make it out with out hitting that nasty crack-bump in the road.  David and Kenney where sitting at the front easy and tearing it up and I saw that John Leopold made a move up the road he was brought back and dropped a little later, another attack goes and brought back and Justin Leopold makes a move through the start finish and maybe one guy goes with him and get dropped and Leopold stays away for a lap and a half so I make my move on 4^th turn 4 to get at the front sit and attack at the start finish find Justin but he is already dying so I pass him and wait because I brought a guy with me that was already not doing well.  I look back and Justin doesn’t want to come along so I solo for 3 laps and David comes to save me around turn 4 and I suck his wheel because no one was behind him and we just soft pedal and David reminds me to save the energy.  I love having a teammate specially when they remind you to save it! Final lap Justin makes his move on turn 7 where its sketchy and it works he gets a nice gap we kind of pull him back people start there sprint once we hit the flat Justin gets 3^rd David 5^th and I 6^th.  We did okay just didn’t have the proper gears or something going into the corner after Justin made that move we had to slow down all good though. Risky – gusty moves can win you a race and Justin isn’t on TC/PC but he is a nice guy we have been racing all year and he comes out with his brother John on training rides and Justin does have a few more season then me I don’t know about David. 

The Sprint with a lot of guys that are dead for the top 5

Tulsa Tough - FUN FUN

T U L S A  T O U G H 

O K L A H O M A 

Driving out to Tulsa, Oklahoma was really great had to drive with Adam Keck and Brian for the first time this season in a car.  We talked a lot and Adam had some really great music playing the entire time.  We got to Tulsa pretty early in the day so we all checked into our hotels and picked up our registration stuff.  Reminds me where is my Tulsa Tough t-shirt!? 

Pro's racing hard

Friday – Blue Dome District

We got really and also had a few times to ride the course we all did, Brian, Spencer, David, and myself where there for Cat III.  We all just wanted to stay away from the crashes and I think this was the first time for all of us but Spencer Martin.  Racing when the sun is setting its pretty cool.   It was very hard to move up in this race and people where doing some dumb shit when it came to corners.  Turning on the inside corner and you tell a rider hey I am here on the inside don’t turn it to hard…. And another rider come in like the inside corner like a bat out of hell and you are saying we have another guy on the inside – meaning we might have to take this slower or we are going to crash…  Other than this the race never left me depleted same words came out of the rest of the crew. 

Saturday – Brady District

This is the course I came into hot into the 2^nd last corner just after passing sound pony and took myself out and Brian came with me and we where called the Blood Brothers because we shared blood on the pavement that day.   I did OK in this race I pulled way to hard for a lap and a half, I always made up gowned coming though the start finish on the inside could make up 20-50 spots.  I failed to realize and something I learned from this after Tulsa but especially this day is that even if you’re the one stuck in the wind you don’t have to pour you energy into the pedals by hammering hard that will leave with nothing left.  Ride at your own speed and when someone behind you doesn’t want to pull through ride even slower. Spencer won also! 

Harden The Fuck Up

Sunday – Cry Baby Hill

I really looked forward to Sundays race, I finished 20^th and my results got all fu’ked up even the guy took my winnings of 20 bucks!

Any who back to race, I always had the proper gears going up the hill or switched it to the small ring a few times even gave Kenny a small push up the hill a few times.  Spencer road off the front a few laps and I couldn’t figure if that was him and I looked at David to confirm it, so it was so I attacked through the start finish and dint bring anyone along told Spencer they are coming so recover!  Made It up Cry Baby hill it’s a great place to get wet with water and watch people yell at you as you ride, lots of fun a big riot on top of that hill with awesome music!  If you dont have Tulsa as a part of your race scene then you are missing out on a awesome venue  that is well done all around with food to fill your belly, the ladys are beautiful, the to and from your hotels are easy for riding your bike to races and just around the town for anything.  Will be going to Tulsa till the day I die. Dont forget Spencer won this race!  

Tour De Groove : Late Post

Tour De Grove - saw this on Saturday course!

Was my first time doing Tour De Groove a specially having to ride with a 2’s field with the 3’s.  Its kind of annoying how they merged them but it only makes it hard on us 3s witch is also good because its hard racing but its nicer to get the experience under your belt of faster and experienced rides – supposedly…  Any who I just went with whatever fitness I had leading into these races with out tapering or purpose - just road hard all the way up in till Thursday and Friday-Sunday was the three days of racing.   I think ultimately I didn’t want to get into a crash and just wanted to experience the over all races there.  Well thats what happened and from what I gathered from seeing Britton Kusiak in his element of being aggressive and staying at the front, he wasn’t attacking but pulled through at his own speed, from what he said and also what i gathered from other riders I talked to. The front top 15-20 riders where going 3-4mph slower then the people in the middle and rear end of the crit of a 150 starter field...  So if you’re in the middle or in the back end of a crit expect to be burning matches and energy.  Over all seeing Britton ride the way he does makes me happy and also that if you want to be a good rider also at a crit you have to be aggressive, move up to keep a good position and from what I learned from Tulsa Tough you have to be a DICK!   I did end up in a crash on Saturday even though I did my best to avoid it; a lot of people went down and just hopped the curb.  Kyle Sinner had a nasty cut from chainring and fractured rib, Byran from Murcy Kuat broke his frame in half and had some nasty strawberries on the face. I ended up hurting my wrist and a berrie on the butt. The ride down there was fun and Friday night I feel was the by far a fun race.  Sunday was a hard race into the wind so that crit demanded a lot but I didn’t have anything that day.  

Road down with the Kusiak's and this little man Ean in the backseat was awesome.

Garbage Miles VS Hours Spent in the Saddle

What you call garbage miles doesn’t mean a thing but if you add it all up it’s the hours spent in the saddle. Don’t come to the conclusion that miles are the ultimate goal of being fit, fast, and having results.  Results are ultimately being SMART and doesn’t mean being the fastest. Being fast helps…  What I have learned ultimately is that being smart and thinking through the plans you have skimmed up will help you in the long run.  Thinking to much in the go-go-go movement actions of a race can mean that you’ll miss the lead ground, chase group, or getting guttered (SUCKS). 

I am saying through this chatter I am writing is that putting in the hours will make racing easier the learning curb that much keen on the mind of judging and, - ‘is this worth all the time and $$$ we spend.?’  Yes, it is!  

I’ve heard and read peoples complaints that if a person has 1000 more miles than you that shouldn’t really mean a big difference in fitness but if you add up all the hours like 80-100.  The hours you put in over someone else that didn’t will peek its head when you climb hills and your still breathing from your nose versus the other people getting dropped or breathing from mouth heavily.  Same can show in racing when the last few miles or half way points in a race the rider that put the time in is feeling good up until the finish verses the rider getting dropped because it hurt to bad somewhere in-between racing.  Strava shows a lot of different data but looking at someone’s miles isn’t the key look at the graph and hours.

My hours/graph is the top one other is another riders that has 1500 less miles than myself but compair the hours and time spent in the saddle! 

So what about the theory of being a smart rider?  Sure you can feel strong and great that day but what if you the stronger rider thinking you can crush anyone an everyone while your pedaling in the wind more than 50-70% of the entire race? I don’t see you getting very far because you burned up a lot of energy and when the going gets tuff you might get spit out and off the back.  Smart riders hide in the mid front of the pack coming to the front to keep there position secure, pulling through and not trying to kill themselves in the wind.  Smart riders think when they stick their nose in the wind of WHY-WHY-Why am I pedaling in the front here surely there must be a reason why!  Smart Rider will be moving all around for a good position to get less wind hitting them too finding the best draft off some ones fattass.  Smart riders ride with people that are faster and race a lot to learn from them.  Racing a lot will help speed up the learning curb of how to race and ride-faster-win-&-do well in races.  Learning to be smart also entails being aggressive, find the perfect draft, where is the wind coming from, and help with the pain and suffering.